LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals
The Ripple Effect Small changes make huge differences ANGELA LYNCH IPPN LEADERSHIP SUPPORT TEAM This is not just another article telling you to look after your wellbeing. In fact, I apologise for using the very word. There was a time when all we wanted was to begin the conversation, place the focus firmly on wellbeing and plan in a more structured way for its implementation. Now there are so many programmes, guidelines, resources, frameworks and organisations focusing on emotional wellbeing, it is hard to make sense of it all. If the past two years have shown us anything, anxiety levels among the general population have increased significantly. There has been a lack of meaningful connection and little chance to engage face-to-face with each other. The web of connection has been damaged. When that connection was damaged, our relationships were damaged. The damage to our relationships is almost certainly the most devastating loss experienced during the pandemic. Relationships are at the heart of everything we do. In rebuilding our relationships, we need a holistic lens to look at wellness in its totality. However, while we want to make a big difference, we must not ignore the small daily differences we can make, over time. A successful outcome is the product of daily habits and not a oncein-a-lifetime transformation. Schools have been interrogating their practices for some time now. Society needs to do the same. In general, we tend to make things more complicated than they need to be. Much time is spent on policies and procedures. While these are necessary, we are rushing so much to get to where we want to go that we forget how far we have come. It is time to slow down and ask ourselves “Is what we are doing having long-term impact?” Let us normalise conversations about our mental and emotional health. Not everyone in any given day within the school community is suffering, anxious 12
or depressed. While it is okay to not be okay, it is equally important to remember that it is okay to be okay. Mental health is not just about our emotions. Let us make time and space for people to gather and connect with each other consistently. Let us encourage and develop a culture in our homes and schools of open, frank conversations. Small things make a big difference. Small actions make up our attitudes and behaviour. Small things grow. Small things build up to bigger things and often also to lasting change.
Do not expect that you, as a school leader, can be all things to all people. This is the collective responsibility for children, parents and staff. The smallest of actions creates a ripple like the dropping of a stone in a pond. I think of the Coronavirus as a negative ripple effect. What are the small changes you can make in the school community? Do not expect that you, as a school leader, can be all things to all people. This is the collective responsibility for children, parents and staff. Take one idea – be kinder to ourselves and each other. Make time to talk about how this might happen here in the school. It will be a process of small actions having a lasting positive effect on the culture of the school. The words and actions you choose with children, staff and parents can have far-reaching implications. Is some adult or child having a bad day? The impact of a word of encouragement, a pat on the back or a smile can last a lifetime. Greeting someone by name, enquiring about a sick relative, greeting the child or adult you meet on the corridor, saying goodbye at the end of the day, noticing and praising someone for an act of kindness, are the things that create a positive ripple effect resulting in long-term impact.
In the words of Jim Rohn, ‘Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines practiced every day’. Because our lives are so busy today, we may have forgotten how powerful these actions can be. We need to be reminded. This happens when we have consistent, meaningful conversations. Make those conversations a priority and a reality for this new year. ‘I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples’. Mother Teresa Angela.Lynch@ippn.ie