In 2011/2012 I undertook research into what supports and what undermines emotional resilience for headteachers. Here is a summary of the findings:
- Ninety-eight percent of those who responded to an online survey rated emotional resilience as ‘very important’ for headship
- More spent time consciously focusing on developing resilience of their students than in looking after their own resilience
- Irrespective of time in headship, those who made a conscious effort to look after their own health and wellbeing were more resilient than those who didn’t
- Most headteachers do not take time to acknowledge their own achievements
- Those new in headship are most vulnerable to fragile resilience. They need most support when they are least confident concerning who they can trust to provide that support.
- Resilience increases with time in the role, associated with knowing the job and being more effective at managing time
- Acknowledging the possibility of failure supported resilience in some cases
- The factor which most undermined individuals’ resilience was feeling unable to make a positive difference
- Life experience, from childhood on, has an impact on resilience
- Feelings of self-worth have an impact on resilience
- While many headteachers know there is a connection between attention to well-being and staying resilient, many fail to act on that knowledge
The research is shortly to be published as an article in School Leadership and Management