The Fear in the Belly - 11 Leadership Hacks to Control It

Yes  I do have these moments and I do practise most of these solutions. On most days they help ...

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Saturday, November 12, 2016

The Fear in the Belly - 11 Leadership Hacks to Control It

"Without the darkness, how can you recognise the light" Tuvok 

(Star Trek Generations) 

Ever had one of those moments where you feel a little queasy and the queasiness is not related to what you ate, but what you experienced?

It's that little ball of fear that makes your tummy twist and recoil, almost in an attempt to run away and hide.  It is a visceral response, and because it is not your intellect that controls it, but something far more primitive and raw,  keeping it under control when you are facing 'those' situations (you know the ones, quite often they blindside us and proceed these dreaded little words 'have you got a minute') is no easy task. 

I know that feeling in the pit of my belly well - too well.  I suspect, if you are in leadership, especially educational leadership, you know it well too! 

This post is as much as a reminder to myself, as it is a way to support others.  

Leadership is mostly rewarding, fulfilling, and an opportunity to make a difference.  As with all bright moments, there are also some darker times, and the flip side to the great is that leadership can also be challenging, hard work, dark and unforgiving.  Some days, weeks and months are amazing and other times, not so much.  Sometimes you are faced with situations that bring about that uncomfortable feeling of fear in the pit of your belly, and the key to walking away mostly unscathed is in how you manage yourself and your reactions during the 'fear in the belly' moments. 

The following 11 suggestions/leadership hacks are by no means a definitive list, but they are things that can help, and things that I have been honing myself, over the years.  

1. Disconnect - take time out and leave work at work 

I know what you are thinking, "but I have ... (insert whatever seems important, files to file, Charters to write, data to analyse - the list is endless) to do..."  I have a revelation to share with you - disconnecting for a weekend - and I mean the WHOLE weekend, from when you leave on Friday and return on Monday, will NOT - I repeat - will NOT, make the world end.  You are of absolutely no use to anyone, family or colleagues, if you do not take some time for yourself.  You work hard - really hard.  You are the person that everyone wants a piece of, and quite frankly, if you do not keep some aside for you, you will falter and fall.  

2. Do what brings you joy 

This is related to number one.  (can you see a pattern emerging here?  Good) What makes you happy?  And for this, I mean both at work and at home.  For example, my batteries are recharged at work by going and working with, and talking with students.  They are why I went into this career - they are who I want to be great for, and they make my heart sing because they are such great role models of resilience and joy.  Getting unstuck from my office to spend time with our students is a highlight and no matter how much fear might be swirling around the pit of my belly, our students remind me of the WHY.  Every time.  To recharge my batteries at home, I love to walk on the beach - the beach is like a stress soother.  It doesn't even matter what the weathers like - there is just something very healing and powerful about the ocean.  It reminds me that the world is a wonderful, changing place to explore, and life is an adventure just waiting for me to go and seek it!    Those are just two examples - what are yours? 

3. Get your 'ducks' in a row 

Make your lists, get your systems out and be organised.  When things are difficult, it could be all too easy to slip into a state of darkness, and let the organisation systems slip.  Don't fall for that!  When things seem out of control, getting back on top of the chaos is a priority and will help you feel more organised and in control.  Be systematic, think like a Start Trek Vulcan and allow logic and reason a chance to flourish.  You can read more about things to slow down the 'roller coaster' in my recent post 'The Leadership Rollercoaster'.  Suffice to say, getting your 'ducks' in a row is the equivalent of your own leadership security blanket.  

4. Blow off the steam 

Something I find very helpful in combating the fear in the belly moments is letting off some steam.  We all have a variety of ways to do this, but my two favourites are either a hard out gym session (the older I get the more these seem to nearly kill me) or a super loud 'pretend I am a rock star' session in my car on the way home.  When I say loud, I do indeed mean loud.  One of the things I like about my car is that it has a fantastic sound system.  I have a number of songs that I LOVE to sing loudly (most likely badly but thats not important) and there is something very cathartic about doing this.  I imagine I must look like a bit of a twit (and goodness knows how bad it sounds) but, that is a small price to pay for regaining my sanity.  I hope to put together a post with some of my favourite songs shortly.  Watch this space.  

5. Become intimate with your stress response

How well do you know yourself?  Do you understand the symptoms of the 'fear in the belly' moments?  There is a difference between situational sickness and actually being unwell.  Each of us 'feels' our emotions in our belly differently, and only you know what your response is.  Some people feel nauseated, others feel 'off colour', some feel tendrils of cold running through their veins and others might feel flu like symptoms.  Get to understand your own responses to stressful situations so that you can find which of these strategies (or others) might help you keep them under control. 

6. Know your triggers 

Do you know what makes you feel that 'fear in the belly'?  Similar to the one above, this is about understanding what causes it.  For example, one of mine is feeling out of control.  By that, I mean encountering one of 'those' moments that I have never encountered before because often fear has at its core, the notion that 'I don't know what to do'.  Unfortunately, or perhaps from a growth mindset point of view, fortunately, the Universe has provided me with numerous such encounters which has given me a system to help bring some control to it.  Part of my 'system' is to do some of these very hacks.  I always start with trying to bring some perspective and control back to the situation by asking myself, who can help, what steps need to be taken, who needs to be informed, where does it fit into our policies, and what have I missed?  I wrote above about getting your 'duck's' in a row and being organised - tapping into the logical and analytical part of your brain helps to bring some perspective and calm to the situation, giving you a chance to take some control.  My brain doesn't function well when it is stuck in flight or fight mode, and having a system to calm it down helps.  

7. Debrief - you are not alone!

This is a big one. Who do you go to debrief?  Who is your confidante and 'wise shoulders'?  I am fortunate in that there are a few people I trust to discuss 'hairy' things with.  Knowing who to go to to get the correct advice (such as School Trustees Association) is also crucial. They know what you need to do, who you need to contact and what process you need to follow in order to ensure both natural justice and as a safeguard for yourself and your school.  I am in no doubt that the person I use is outstanding and without their help would have struggled.  Then there are the awesome people in your professional learning network (if you are one of mine, and I am sure you know who you are, know that I love you to the moon and back, am terribly grateful to have you and you are fabulous).  Know who your people - your tribe - are.  They are literally your sanity savers! 

8. Practice Mindfulness and Gratitude

This one is hard when the going is tough.  Our brains seem to be predisposed to sinking into the doom and gloom, but if you can shake that old dark dog off your shoulders long enough to appreciate those things that do go well, the people in our life that make it all worthwhile and the small things that we can be grateful for, then it is helpful.  At a recent leadership group meeting, we went around the room and for some of us, the term has been a little tough, all we could find to be grateful for was that we made it to the meeting!  Whilst that might seem sad, actually, it is a huge testament to the knowledge that somedays, it is the small things that make the big difference, and on that particular day, just getting there meant the world to us.  So, being grateful might just be a list of the little things (my car got me to work in one piece, the coffee was hot, the breeze from the window is fresh, the little picture of New York on my journal makes me feel hopeful I will get there and motivates me to keep on going, etc).  I would suggest meditation as another useful tool, but that is not something I am particularly skilled at - yet.  (Keeping my brain silent for more than a moment is always a victory) 

9. Affirmations 

Bare with me, because I know this is going to seem naff, but if it really helps me!  Think growth mindset!  How you talk to yourself matters.  I know it's easy to fall into the 'I hate my job' mantras when a situation occurs, and because I have had moments where I have felt like this, or where I've lain in bed in the morning reluctant to get up because, for that moment, it's just too hard! (I may have burst into tears once or twice, much to the horror and concern of Technoman).  So, I combat this with a positive mantra or two (or fifty - some days are harder than others).  I've been doing this leadership job for over 15 years, and some of my experiences as a school principal would make your toes curl.  If my naff solution around affirmations to calm the fear, and soothe the turmoil in the tummy are of any use to anyone else, I can surely overcome my own insecurities to share them.  I've set my phone to send me a reminder in the morning, and again before bed, with a little private message that reminds me that I'm doing a good job, and that I'm enough.  In addition, I have an app on my phone that if my day has been particularly rough, I can press a button and read some positive, random affirmations.  If you're interested, the apps called 'Affirmations' and you can download it from iTunes and Amazon.  It's a resiliency tool that helps keep me feeling in perspective.  What I have found, is that rewiring my inner voice to say 'I love my job, I love my job' instead of 'I hate my job' just takes the edge off the dark moments by shinning a little light of positivity.  

10. Breathe!  No seriously, breathe! 

When I encounter the 'fear in my belly' I automatically work to calm my fear by breathing.  There are many many ways to do this, and I have now got it down pat (I think) in that I can take some deep breathes to collect my thoughts and most of the time, you would not even notice that I am doing it.  Google breathing exercises to get anxiety under control and have a go at practicing this for yourself.  Never underestimate the soothing way some good deep breathes in and out, help to bring perspective and allow you to take back some of the control on your emotions.  

11. Finally, remember 'she'll be right' 

By this I mean, a bad situation doesn't mean you are a bad leader, or that things won't get better.  It doesn't rain forever, right? So pull out your umbrella, face the rain with courage and strength and hold onto the faith that the sun is coming!  You have got this, you are quite capable of sorting your way through these situations, and remember, you are not alone!  

Please NB:  If things are overwhelming you, please seek help - see your GP or seek guidance from a support specialist (see below for kiwi links - if you are from another country, find your countries equivalent).  

https://depression.org.nz/help-someone/

https://www.mentalhealth.org.nz/get-help/in-crisis/helplines/

http://www.nzsta.org.nz

https://www.eapservices.co.nz

http://www.nzei.org.nz

Reminders for Doing Respect and Justice

FOR HES Curriculum

Deficit Busters

We discussed this as a team of learners /teachers . Elicited strong enabling responses, along with concerns re poverty and crowded housing as a reality for some of our learners .  Strongly believe HES teachers work positively with all our learners .

Health and Happiness in relation to leading a school.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-sze/the-father-of-positive-ps_b_7600226.html

Martin Seligman is a larger than life character. Some call him the "father" of positive psychology. This is perhaps an exaggeration, given that multiple psychologists were already hard at work researching the problem of well-being before he came onto the stage.

Nonetheless, he is perhaps the most public face of positive psychology. As the 1998 President of the American Psychological Association, he fought against psychology's focus on deficit and illness, emphasizing the equal importance of helping people thrive above the mean-coining the "Positive," in positive psychology.

In this latest addition in our article series about the science behind well-being, we discuss how Seligman's theories about happiness and well-being have evolved through the years.

Three Paths to Happiness

In his 2002 book Authentic Happiness, Seligman proposed three 'orientations' of being happy, or three kinds of happiness:¹

1) Pleasure

An individual leading a life of pleasure can be seen as maximizing positive emotions, and minimizing negative emotions.

2) Engagement

An individual leading a life of engagement constantly seeks out activities that allow her to be in flow.

Flow, coined by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, is a state of deep, effortless involvement.² It occurs most frequently when we concentrate our undivided attention on activities that are moderately challenging to us. When you are in flow, it may seem that your sense of self vanishes and time stops.

Seligman recommends that in order to achieve flow, you must identify your signature strengths, or strengths that are deeply characteristic of yourself, and learn how to practice them.

3) Meaning

An individual leading a life of meaning belongs to and serves something that is bigger than himself.³ These larger entities could be family, religion, community, country, or even ideas.

For the 2002 Seligman, an individual trying to lead a full life would have to fulfil all three orientations to happiness: She experiences positive emotions; derive engagement and gratification as she exercises her signature strengths; and she uses these strengths in the service of something larger to obtain meaning.

The Science

The science behind the Orientations to Happiness is sturdy enough. Multiple studies showed that the fulfilment of each orientation correlates with life satisfaction, while the lack of them predicted low life satisfaction.¹⁴⁵ They predict life satisfaction beyond personality and socio-demographic variables.⁴ The three orientations also correlate with objective indicators of well-being, such as occupational and educational attainment.⁶

Nonetheless, the three orientations aren't equal. Orientations to engagement and meaning were much better predictors of life satisfaction compared to the orientation to pleasure.¹⁴ In fact, some studies found zero to negative correlations between orientations towards pleasure and positive indicators such as life satisfaction and educational goals.⁶⁷⁸ Studies conducted in Hong Kong,⁹ Taiwan,⁸ Australia,⁴Switzerland,¹⁰ and a study which sample included adults from 27 nations found that orientations to engagement and meaning predicts life satisfaction while the orientation to pleasure has a weak to negative correlation with life satisfaction.¹¹Sorry, hedonists, looks like you need to get outside of yourself.

A new theory: P.E.R.M.A

The 3 Orientations to Happiness was a good theory. But things change. Nine years later, in 2011, Seligman publishes a new book, Flourish. In it, he gives the Orientations to Happiness the cold shoulder and reveals his new brainchild, PERMA (and also talks about himself a lot).

Seligman isn't happy with his old theory for a few reasons. First, he criticizes it for being too narrow and containing too few categories. He also puts it down for focusing too much on life satisfaction, which he sees as being too dependent on mood. Well-being, he argues, should exceed the hedonic, and be more than fleeting emotions. In this way, Seligman paints his old theory as one-dimensional, and proposes an alternative: PERMA.

PERMA adds two more elements of well-being to the Orientations to Happiness: Accomplishment and Positive Relationships. The five elements of the theory form the acronym:

P(leasure)

E(ngagement)

R(elationships)

M(eaning)

A(ccomplishment)

Accomplishment

Accomplishment involves the pursuit of success, winning, achievement and mastery, both as end-goals and as processes. Seligman argues that many people would pursue accomplishment for its own sake, even when it is devoid of positive emotions or meaning. We look at politicians, and we know this is true.

Relationships

Seligman believes that the need and tendency towards relationships is biologically and evolutionarily ingrained in us. Positive relationships is especially powerful because it plays a role in supporting the other four components of well-being.

PERMA vs. Orientations to Happiness

But Seligman isn't happy with just adding two more categories to his old theory. While the original theory is about maximizing happiness through the three factors, in PERMA, well-being is a multidimensional construct that is defined by its five components, with no single measure defining well-being by itself.

Another difference can be found in the place of signature strengths in the theories: while in Orientations to Happiness, your signature strengths only serves to encourage engagement, in PERMA, your signature strengths underpin and contribute to all five elements of well-being.

The Science

Unfortunately, there are few research studies studying PERMA, so we can't say how valid Seligman's theory is. This is partly due to it being a rather young theory and the painfully slow pace of academic research.

A bigger reason perhaps, is that Seligman's theory had to compete with other well-being theories that are much more established. Seligman tries to sell PERMA as the "gold standard" of measuring well-being, but other researchers had already put all their money on theories such as Carol Ryff's Psychological Well-being.¹²

Conclusion

Nevertheless, what can we learn from the "father" of positive psychology's two theories of happiness? Don't chase pleasure or positive emotions. You don't have to be sunny all the time in order to flourish. Instead, pursue flow states, and serve something bigger than yourself. Well-being is multidimensional -- there are many parts to it. Understand yourself and your core strengths, and use them every day. Develop close relationships. Achievement is okay-no need to give it all up to live in a monastery. But also don't focus solely on it. Live a balanced life.

If you want sturdy research, you'll have to look elsewhere, but nonetheless, not bad, Martin Seligman.

Kingi Biddle -National Toastmasters Champion .

Maintaining the korero skills of the tribe

Marae  is the first school 

Jumped in the waka and go for a journey .

Not what they could do  but who they were .

Every child is looking for his place when they enter our school.

This is what we do. 

Ngati Whakaui strategy is to give back .

As the children play the door of the meeting house is open so the children can hear the talk. 

 Knowledge dies if it is not passed on . 

Turn taking on marae is about balance .
Last speaker brings mana back to tangata whenua.

Role of the teacher is to open the window. Use the latch .

Tawera Nikau CoL

• Leadership
• Good leader 
•  Listener 
•  True to self 
• Connects with community 
• Change is the constant 
• Matakite. Visionary

Kingitanga

Kuia are the leaders.

Importance of belonging and identity.

Culture  and values if these are compromised decline in culture.

High benchmark

 HCCoL how do we do things around here ? 

Collaboration a group of people working together for an agreed outcome 

Sam Johnson creating a generation that serves!

 Earthquake boy story re lemonade and lamb curry.on plane

Questioning processes. 

Arriving in Nepali village rocks on iron 700 villagers warning re escaped prisoners 

Use technology to help others respond.

Misconception is that help is on its way . We are on our own .

Japanese learners left their high building and led the school up the hill and watched their school wash away .   

Biggest barrier and biggest opportunity is attitude.

People are just people .

Never waste a good crisis.

Only have 3 burners going at once 

PD is what people do voluntarily and we use it as punishment.

Hamilton East Schools volunteer army.

Working bees in the weekend ? 

Instead of ANZAC service volunteer time in service. 

Eg judi dench in marigold hotel when she thought she was unskilled 

All retch and no vomit you never get there. You tube Allan Watts 

Who are you ? What do you stand for ?

Take courage to make decisions .

dance o mat washing machine 

Make things happen . 

Does student inquiry mobilise student thought? 

How high-need school leaders can become agents of hope for students.

Professor Bruce Barnett

Bruce Barnett is a Professor in the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Department at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Bruce's work appears in numerous books, book chapters, and journals. His professional interests include educational leadership preparation programs, mentoring and coaching, reflective practice, and beginning principals and assistant principals.

He is involved in international research and program development, co-authoring books, researching mentoring and coaching programs, and presenting workshops in different countries, including Australia, New Zealand, England, Hong Kong, Ireland, and Canada. He co-coordinates the International School Leadership Development Network, a collaboration of colleagues around the world examining leadership for social justice and in high-need schools in different cultural contexts.

How high-need school leaders can become agents of hope for students.
Kolb??
Movie Grand Canyon
Good leaders help  kids find hope.
Hope theory is a guide for action .
Hopelessness

Desmond Tutu quote 
Hope is a basic human need
Motivational state 
Hope theory
Growth mindset.
 Insert photos

ISLDN - USA Scotland

Participation  from 20 countries
 Social justice leadership
 high needs schools 

 What is S J ?
 US based on race, England class , 
HOw do SJ leaders make sense of SJ
What do SJ leaders do ?
What factors help and hinder the work of SJ
 What are the basic beliefs brought to our roles ?
 Values , beliefs , care 
 Care and establishment of relationships with students lacking voice.
 Micro. meso macro context See photo 
 Photo of slide research 


Caring about based on caring for.
 Scottish Context - Professional values  integrity trust respect professional approach to social justice- excellence and equity
 Micro- Modelling, dialogue and confirmation 
 Dialogue from SJ Leaders 
 I may not like your behaviour but you are part of the  HES family.
 Apologise if things didnt go well  or  you made a mistake
 Moral compass 
 Discussion See photo .