Spring is here, sprinkling dandelion yellow by our feet, blooming soft pink blossom overhead and piercing bright sunshine through the shadows.
Nature reminds us to notice beauty, and as we head towards the much-needed Easter break, I’d like to encourage you to notice the magic moments around you, both in the outside world and in your working life.
We often hear leaders say, “We’ve made good progress, but there’s still so much to do.” This mindset, while understandable, can be exhausting. I recently met with a leader who discussed the agenda for their next school improvement meeting: full of long-term strategy and next steps. All really important. But I was moved to ask, “And how will you acknowledge and celebrate the progress that has been made so far?” The question created a long pause for thought.
It takes intentionality to look beyond the challenges and never-ending to-do list and notice the positives; but if we wait until we’ve reached the end flag before celebrating, we’re going to struggle to keep energised along the tumultuous journey.
In coaching, we often talk about taking a Helicopter View: rising above the ‘day job’ to see the bigger picture. This perspective helps us notice where the real challenges have been and where we’ve shown adaptability, effort, resilience and purpose. (Alongside these rather earnest examples of success, we also encourage you to look for moments of simple joy along the way). These moments, whether deep-rooted or light-hearted, often go unrecognised by others, perhaps because they haven’t noticed them, don’t see their significance, or simply don’t think to acknowledge them. So, how about you make a commitment to sprinkle your own Magic Moments on a termly, monthly, weekly, even daily basis? Just a few seconds of intentionally noticing these moments can be enough to reconnect with your optimism, confidence and motivation.
Back to the leader who was pausing for thought. They chose to dedicate a part of their team meeting agenda to “celebrating success.” Each person was asked to bring an example of an achievement from the past fortnight, no matter how small. It could be a clear “win!” or simply the first step in breaking down a barrier. Deliberately creating these moments of recognition, either on your own, or with your team, shifts the focus from what’s left to do to how much has already been accomplished, helping sustain momentum for the journey ahead.
On a psychological level, celebrating success is crucial for sustaining motivation because it helps individuals complete The Gestalt Cycle of Experience. In the Satisfaction stage of this model, we provide ourselves with a sense of fulfilment which prevents unresolved frustrations from lingering. Without pausing to celebrate, we risk remaining stuck in a state of striving, never fully appreciating how far we’ve come, often becoming emotionally and mentally drained. By intentionally marking successes, leaders and teams can build confidence, strengthen engagement, and create a culture where continuous improvement feels rewarding rather than exhausting.
As well as retrospectively celebrating, and in-the-moment appreciating, actively planning for ‘quick wins’ is also a well-known leadership strategy. For example, Kotter’s Eight Steps of Change Management highlights the importance of “Step 6 : Generate short-Term Wins – Wins are the molecules of results. They must be recognized, collected, and communicated – early and often – to track progress and energize volunteers to persist.” The 8-Step Process for Leading Change | Dr. John Kotter:
On a relentless day, we know many leaders will intentionally take the opportunity to visit wonderful lessons to reconnect with their sense of joy and contribution. Similarly, we know many ECTs would benefit from deviating from the plan for a few minutes to embrace an interesting tangent being offered by a curious student. These can be quick ways to sprinkle a little bit of personal magic into your day. We also know that those who coach their colleagues often find immense joy in seeing the impact of their conversations.
“We have reflected on the progress [my coachee] has made professionally, which has been huge, and it has been very uplifting to see how much she has grown.” Victoria Emmanuel, Teacher, Brindley Academy
In our recent Leadership Edge team meeting, we began by sharing personal highlights from this term’s work with our coaching participants (anonymously, of course). The feeling was utterly joyous. These moments remind us why we do what we do: helping school leaders to understand, support, and develop themselves so they can rediscover the joy that first drew them into education. In the midst of life’s busyness, these celebrations keep the fire burning.
We also experienced our own Big Magic Moment on March 6th when we were named ‘Rising Company of the Year’ at The National MAT Awards. Thank you to Alan Rogers (Manor MAT), Matt Freeston (Learners’ Trust) and Kate Ivackovic (Greenshaw Learning Trust), for joining us on the night and making the celebration even more special.
If you can see the benefit of sprinkling a few more Magic Moments along your journey, perhaps you can take a couple of minutes now to acknowledge:
What made you feel happy or fulfilled today/yesterday?
What have you achieved over the past term?
How could you create more opportunities to acknowledge Magic Moments, for yourself and for your colleagues?
As you step outside today, let the signs of spring be a reminder: progress is unfolding in your work context too, even if it’s not always obvious. Yes, the work is hard. But there is beauty in it. Take some time to notice this so you can intentionally sprinkle some magic for yourself along the way.
Warmest wishes,
Catherine Hulme
Owner Director
Leadership Edge is a growing team of experienced school leaders who have seen person-centred coaching create high-performing, happy and healthy cultures within our schools. Our mission is to empower other school leaders to create positive workplaces where staff are solution-focused and actively responsible for their own personal wellbeing and professional development.
Our 3-Tier Coaching Accreditation Programme is low-cost and self-sustaining, providing a systematic and structured model for staff across your school to become powerful coaches for each other, enhancing colleague relationships and their feeling of being valued as an individual within a supportive school community.
Connect with us: Twitter/X @EdgeSchools | Linked In: Leadership Edge – Coaching in Schools
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