leadership behaviours for a positive culture of wellbeing.

One of the most powerful tools that leaders have and often chronically underuse is their influence on creating a positive culture of well-being. This can simply come from the interactions that leaders have with staff. An important factor for staff’s happiness and well-being is their need to feel valued and valuable by their leaders. I’ve seen a pattern developing from the 1-1 coaching clients I work with and 3 simple and actionable behaviours can be practised to improve the wellbeing culture in a school. This model I refer to as the ‘3Ps’.

Watch MindFirst and Randstad's webinar about this topic:

A person’s behaviour or attitude can cause a ripple or domino effect on the people around them. A leader who is constantly highlighting faults and talking about problems encourages everyone to focus on the negatives. Whereas the leader who celebrates achievements and successes will set the example and encourage others to do the same, hence, contributing towards a positive culture. Of course, there is a necessity & responsibility for leaders to hold staff to account but we also need to hold ourselves accountable for praising staff when it is deserved.

There is a phenomenon, however, called ‘toxic positivity’ and leaders need to be consciously aware of this. Toxic positivity broadly refers to being overly positive and positively spinning all situations when it's inappropriate and serious action steps are required. Overpraising or toxic positivity can create distrust so there is an important authenticity which needs to be considered with the application of behaviours that contribute towards a positive well-being culture. Self-awareness and professional judgement are important here.

One of the MindFirst workshops has a focus on developing a positive workplace culture and when asked what this looks, feels and sound likes, there are common responses. These are some examples:

Look: Clean, tidy, light, bright, smiley, organised

Feel: Calm, welcoming, relaxed, safe, caring, supportive, positive, happy

Sound: Cheerful, laughing, positive, joyous, encouraging, bubbly

When asking them how they wanted their leaders to behave towards them to feel positive 3 themes were overarching:

1. Be Positive
2. Be Praising
3. Be Present

These are the 3Ps. I want to explore the 3 P’s in more detail and provide practical strategies that leaders can use to reflect on their (your) own behaviours.

Be Positive

Humans are highly influenced by the mood and energy of the environment they are in. Have you ever gone into a meeting feeling positive and energised to then leave feeling drained and negative but you have not said a word? On the flip side, have you ever felt a bit low or sad but then someone else manages to make you feel better just through their positive behaviour? The mood of others is infectious and this is more significant if this person is in a leadership position. Some studies suggest that this can be attributed towards the mirror neurons in our minds that replicate the behaviour and language of others. Also, the ripple effect suggests that the behaviour of one person can ripple out and pass that behaviour onto someone else who passes it onto someone else. Imagine the impact of a consistently negative leader on the staff around them.

Our mood is our choice.

Most people don’t make deliberate choices over their mood because they don’t realise the power of the mind. These people allow their mood to be controlled by external factors and events allowing our subconscious (or ‘chimp mind’) to be in control. Evidence consistently shows that techniques such as breathing, meditation and cold water exposure help people to have more emotional control by raising self-awareness. These techniques change the perception we have of the world around us, raise mental fitness and provide the opportunity for deliberate decisions to be positive.

Tony Robbins says ‘We don’t experience life, we experience the life we focus on’. Let me give you an example; when you have just brought a new car, phone or item of clothing suddenly you see that thing everywhere you go. This is because you are subconsciously telling your brain to look for these things. This is called the ‘Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon’ and is a false frequency bias linked with increased awareness towards something, making us believe that it occurs more. The reality is that you are telling yourself to search for it. The same is true for positivity. As a leader, if you always look for what is not working you fail to recognise the positive things that are working. Set yourself a 1:3 ratio target - for every 1 negative thought you have or comment you make, choose to do, think or say 3 positives. Observe as your whole perspective shifts!

It is possible to increase your awareness and rewire your brain to be more positive. Over time this can become more natural and positivity will ripple out of you and influence your staff and school culture. This will boost dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin levels for you and your staff.

3 simple ways to boost positivity before you start your day:

1. Listen to your favourite music on your commute to work
2. Make time for movement or exercise (walk, cycle or run before or to work)
3. Gratitude journalling (3 things you are grateful for)

Choosing to be positive takes commitment and dedication. Naturally, we have about 3 negative thoughts each positive. We are hardwired to think negatively. When you start to feel negative ask yourself when was the last time you did something that made you ‘feel good’ then make a plan to do it. Ensure to hold yourself to account for feeling positive. When you feel negative, recognise the emotion and make a self-care plan.

Be Praising

I have witnessed senior leaders say things like ‘I don’t praise staff because then everyone will want it’ or ‘I don’t praise people for just doing their job’. If the same ethos was applied by teachers towards children & students how would that impact the motivation of our learners? Everyone should be acknowledged for their hard work and achievements, this is one of the easiest motivators of people. 

Leaders should aim to catch staff doing great things and acknowledge them directly in some way. Whether it’s verbally or a brief personal email. Very rarely in my career as a senior leader or line manager have taken the time to acknowledge the great work that I do, but when they have, it has made me feel valued, valuable and appreciated. Other ways this principle can be applied is simply via a well-delivered compliment which might not even be related to the workplace such as towards a haircut or item of clothing. There is research that suggests that when someone is kind to you then you are more likely to pay this kindness forward to others. Every day aim to make at least 1 person’s day, then watch as the culture slowly shifts.

Be Present

It is so important to be present with the member of staff who you are talking with. Even though you have lots to do, there is a danger that being distracted will make the other person feel undervalued. I’d like to share a significant and shocking story from a past coaching client to exemplify this point. They were invited to an SLT meeting to present their proposal for a new whole school strategy. They spoke for 10 minutes and for nearly all of that time over half of SLT did not look up from their laptops. What message did this send to the person presenting? In this situation, if the leaders were present and engaged they would have made this member of staff feel valued and valuable and they would have passed this positivity back through their colleagues, who asked “How did it go?”. The influence of leaders in creating a positive culture of well-being is so significant. 

Here are a few positive examples of how leaders can be present when a member of staff has come to them:

• Listen to what the person is saying without planning your response
• Ask a question to fully understand what they are saying
• Repeat back what you think they mean (clarifying you understand them) 
• Ignore distractions (phone ringing or others interrupting you)

Making time to be present with the other person is essential as it shows them you care and that you value them. As a leader (especially a senior leader) a member of staff might only talk with you once a week or sometimes, in a large secondary school, once a term. The interaction they have with you is short but highly significant as it makes up 100% of the time they have with you, so make it count and be present with them.

In summary

We know there are many crises in education at the moment such as funding cuts, recruitment issues and the high-pressure assessment framework for school judgement. Much of this is out of the control of individuals and leaders, however, these 3 behaviours cost nothing and, when used authentically, can have a really powerful impact on the culture of wellbeing. People are leaving the profession as they feel undervalued and under-supported. In a recent survey by Education Support, 88% of staff felt they had a negative team culture and 86% felt unsupported. These strategies will help to reduce these statistics. Let’s work together to change the culture of schools. 

Often, it's these small gestures that have the biggest impact when leading a team.

I hope you enjoyed your reflection when reading this blog. Your feedback is important to me so please leave a message or contact me on Linked In to share what resonated with you.