Setting the Pace: Why taking off my watch taught me a valuable leadership lesson.

As I look back on my journey as a school principal over the past decade, I can't help but ponder the changes within this dynamic profession. Reflecting on the words of Munby (2019), I am reminded of the profound influence leaders have on shaping the culture of their schools. It's a privilege and a responsibility that drew many of us to this role – the chance to make a meaningful difference on a grand scale.

However, amidst the opportunities lie challenges that can overshadow our aspirations, impacting our stress levels, well-being, and risking burnout. Yet, among these challenges, there's a continual bursts of evidence-based support and a wealth of research continuously enriching our profession.

In my forthcoming book, "The Art of Skimming Stones: Leading Sustained Improvement in Schools," I delve into the concept of "perceived timeline pressure" in leadership, particularly in leading school improvement. It's the pressure we impose on ourselves to achieve results quickly, often creating a fictitious race against time. But who are we truly racing? I will acknowledge that there are several timelines we must adhere to as part of our professional accountability measures, however there are many we can take control of and dictate the 'distance' and the contextual pace, appropriate for your team and just as importantly, yourself as the leader.

I recall a time in my leadership journey when I confronted my own well-being concerns. I found myself feeling depleted and disconnected. It took seeking help from a mental health specialist to realize that my relentless pursuit of excellence was taking a toll. I loved to run, and this was also a space I considered a regular opportunity to fill and energise my wellbeing bucket. However, I had no idea I was approaching my fitness regime from the completely wrong angle.

One pivotal realization was how my competitive and result driven nature infiltrated even my leisure activities, such as running. Constantly monitoring my pace, I turned each jog into a race against myself, leaving me drained and disillusioned. Ever so slightly increasing the pace every time I looked down at my GPS watch. Until I finished, and instead of supporting my mental health balance with an enjoyable commitment to exercise, I was adding more pressure to achieve better fitness results and therefore convince myself I was performing at a level I deemed successful.

The greatest piece of advice to cracking this mindset was, start to take control of my pace, simply by taking off my GPS watch when I ran. I knew the distance of the track I run, but without my watch I had no idea of the pace, instead I had to listen to my body, run at a pace that was comfortable. I did not know how long the run took until I got home. Now I cannot just switch of the competitive nature within me, but what taking my GPS off did was completely change my mindset and retrain my brain and mental strength in controlling my pace based on a consideration of multiple factors, like listening to my body, not just time and pace. The results were substantial, and I felt more present and calm during my runs. I started to enjoy the journey and see things I hadn’t noticed in the surroundings before. I took complete control of my pace, and the ‘perceived pressure’ to run a suitable time was no longer controlling my judgement of a successful run. 

This shift in mindset, from competing against the clock to listening to my body, transformed my running experience. It taught me a valuable lesson applicable to leadership, particularly leading people – the importance of setting the pace, not just for myself but for my team.

As leaders, it's crucial not to succumb to the pressure or perceived pressure, to constantly push forward at an unsustainable pace. We must 'listen to our bodies' and the needs of our team, adjusting the tempo accordingly. Just as in running, there are times to speed up and times to slow down, ensuring everyone can enjoy the journey and maintain their well-being. There are times our team’s improvement readiness is suggesting it’s time to step the pace up, whilst there are times we must take the watch off to re-set our focus and purpose.

Kouzes and Posner (2012) remind us that love for what we do sustains us through the challenges of leadership. By setting the pace thoughtfully and compassionately, we empower ourselves and our teams to thrive, achieving remarkable outcomes while preserving our collective well-being.

Ultimately, as leaders, we have the power to take our watch off and SET THE PACE!

Munby, S. (2019). Imperfect Leadership, A book for leaders who know they don’t know it all. Crown House Publishing

Kouzes, J & Posner, B. (2012). The Leadership Challenge: How to Make Extraordinary Things Happen in Organizations. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco