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Publications including "school leader"

How to avoid school leader burnout
Jun 2023
International School Leader

How to avoid school leader burnout

While the wellbeing of students and staff has climbed the agenda since the pandemic, the wellbeing of school leaders is still a low priority.
What is School Leader Burnout and Why Does it Matter?
Mar 2023
The International Educator

What is School Leader Burnout and Why Does it Matter?

Burnout is a workplace condition. Lack of control can lead to suspicion, mistrust, and ill-feelings, making them particularly vulnerable to high levels of stress and potential burnout.
School Leader Wellbeing During the COVID 19 Pandemic – The 2020 Report
Dec 2020

School Leader Wellbeing During the COVID 19 Pandemic – The 2020 Report

A report on the wellbeing of school leaders worldwide during the first year of the COVID 19 pandemic.
Why Should Parents Care About School Leader Wellbeing?
Dec 2020

Why Should Parents Care About School Leader Wellbeing?

The media is filled almost every day with reports of increased stress and mental health issues that schools are facing in the wake of the current pandemic crisis. Most focus...
School Leader Voices Tell the Real Story of Pandemic Stress
Nov 2020

School Leader Voices Tell the Real Story of Pandemic Stress

In my recent study into school leader wellbeing during the COVID 19 crisis 70% of the 721 school leaders who took part say they have come close to breaking point...
School Leader Wellbeing Survey Reveals Worrying Pandemic Stress Levels
Nov 2020

School Leader Wellbeing Survey Reveals Worrying Pandemic Stress Levels

Many thanks to all those 721 school leaders around the world who took part in my online survey last month. I have prepared an infographic to share the highlights. A...
How Can School Leaders Manage Increased Community Anxiety During the Second Lockdown?
Nov 2020

How Can School Leaders Manage Increased Community Anxiety During the Second Lockdown?

As Germany, France and the UK move into new national lockdowns this week, the decision has been taken to keep schools open. Anxiety among teaching staff and parents...
How Can We Persuade School Governors/Trustees to Take School Leader Wellbeing Seriously?
Nov 2020

How Can We Persuade School Governors/Trustees to Take School Leader Wellbeing Seriously?

On Thursday I led a Zoom town hall discussion with a large group of Montessori school leaders from across the USA who had reached out to ask for my support....
Leading Through a Pandemic: Building School Leader Resilience
Oct 2020

Leading Through a Pandemic: Building School Leader Resilience

The COVID 19 crisis is increasing the huge levels of stress already experienced by international school leaders. While some are thriving in the face of the challenge, many are overwhelmed...
Leading Through a Pandemic: How Can We Support Middle Leader Wellbeing?
Oct 2020

Leading Through a Pandemic: How Can We Support Middle Leader Wellbeing?

In my article  Are Schools Asking Too Much of Middle Leaders? I examined how the current COVID crisis is leaving many middle leaders exhausted and disillusioned with some close to burnout. Since...
Leading Through a Pandemic: Are Schools Asking Too Much of Middle Leaders?
Sep 2020

Leading Through a Pandemic: Are Schools Asking Too Much of Middle Leaders?

The COVID crisis has brought new and unexpected demands for already overburdened middle leaders in schools around the world. Middle leaders are the linchpins holding our schools together but a...
Leading Through the Pandemic: Is School Leader Loneliness Increasing Under COVID?
Sep 2020

Leading Through the Pandemic: Is School Leader Loneliness Increasing Under COVID?

My article  The Loneliness of the International School Leader from 2018, is by far my most read and commented upon post, striking a chord with school leaders around the world. Since the...
Leading Through the Pandemic-Is a Sense of Over-responsibility Harming School Leaders?
Sep 2020

Leading Through the Pandemic-Is a Sense of Over-responsibility Harming School Leaders?

In my doctoral research “International Schools as Emotional Arenas: Facing the Leadership Challenges in a German Context” (2017) an emerging theme that went largely unexplored was the heightened sense of...
Leading Through the Pandemic-Is an Epidemic of COVID Burnout Awaiting our School Leaders?
Sep 2020

Leading Through the Pandemic-Is an Epidemic of COVID Burnout Awaiting our School Leaders?

A year ago, at the start of the 2019-20 school year, I took the decision to retire from work at the end of the year, at the age of 56....
The Epidemic of Workplace Stress Facing Women Educators
May 2019

The Epidemic of Workplace Stress Facing Women Educators

The current teacher strikes in New Zealand have brought into sharp relief the issues facing overworked and stressed educators around the world. On social media groups increasing stories are posted...
Overcoming Loneliness as an International School Leader
May 2019

Overcoming Loneliness as an International School Leader

In a previous article,  The Loneliness of the International School Leader, I wrote about the professional and personal isolation of principals and heads around the world. We are built for social...
The Loneliness of the International School Leader
Mar 2019

The Loneliness of the International School Leader

The loneliness of headship is a commonly recurring theme in the literature on school leader wellbeing. What MacBeath (2009) calls “structural loneliness” results from the lack of external support available to school...
Why is the School Principal’s Role so Emotionally Draining?
Mar 2019

Why is the School Principal’s Role so Emotionally Draining?

There is considerable evidence that school leaders find their work stressful and that, for many, this is impacting on their individual wellbeing. A study into the recruitment and retention of...
Why Principal Wellbeing Should Matter to the Whole Community
Mar 2019

Why Principal Wellbeing Should Matter to the Whole Community

Employees today, across a range of industries, are experiencing increased work-related stress. The intensification of work, as technology speeds up the movement of data and increases time and deadline pressures,...
Why are Middle Leaders in Schools so Stressed?
Mar 2019

Why are Middle Leaders in Schools so Stressed?

The demands on middle leaders in schools are increasing, accompanied by increased levels of stress. In the past, the middle leader role was often defined in one of two ways,...
Why Relationships Matter Most in Maximising School Leader Wellbeing
Mar 2019

Why Relationships Matter Most in Maximising School Leader Wellbeing

Research shows that the interpersonal demands placed on school leaders bring just as much stress, if not more, than the workload demands of having too much to do and not...