Avoiding Burnout: A Principal's Guide to Keeping the Fire Alive

"As I read this book, I found aspects of myself—my personal and professional behavior—on almost every page! I was able to put the coping strategies in the book to immediate use with little effort and great results! A must when our time is so limited." Kaye L. Peery, Administrator Springer Municipal Schools Springer, NM "School leaders are subjected to stress in all aspects of their work. Brock and Grady present a realistic approach to dealing with stress that can benefit every school leader." Ron Joekel, Executive Director Emeritus Phi Delta Kappa International Much has been written on teacher stress and how to cope with it . . . but now best-selling authors Barbara L. Brock and Marilyn L. Grady turn their expert attention to administrator burnout in this unique and powerful new "how-to" book. Avoiding Burnout presents real-world success stories from individual school administrators across the country. How do they handle stress and burnout? What can be learned from their individual challenges and solutions? Principals at all levels will learn a great deal about: The nature of stress Stress triggers and response mechanisms Capitalizing on work stress Effective time management and interpersonal skills Career renewal Caring for yourself . . . including a set of comprehensive resources that offer additional tools for self-assessment and taking action. A unique and useful new guide that offers school leaders at all levels an important opportunity for professional development and personal reflection.

Table of Contents:
Preface Acknowledgments About the Authors 1. Meeting the Dragon: Getting Acquainted Good and Bad Stress: A Matter of Perception Stress Tolerance Common Sources of Stress Normal Stress The Burnout Syndrome Burnout and Rustout Summary 2. Provoking the Dragon: Stress Triggers Internally Generated Stress The Contributions of Gender to Stress Ethnicity and Stress Workplace Factors Summary 3. Confronting the Dragon Within: Mental Restructuring Planning for Life′s Journey Charting a Course Getting Rid of Perfectionism Slowing the Pace Adjusting the Lens Discarding Trivial Stressors Putting Worries in Perspective Focusing on Success Summary 4. Housebreaking the Dragon: Altering Personal Behaviors Taking Care of Yourself: Health and Spirituality Feeding the Spirit Sharing Time With Friends Maintaining Good Health Summary 5. Harnessing the Power: Capitalizing on Work Stress Recognizing Excess Stress Adapt to the Setting Laugh and Encourage Laughter Summary 6. Shrinking the Dragon: Using Time Effectively The Time Crunch Work Overload Train Office Staff Do Important Things First One Bite at a Time Summary 7. When You′re the Dragon: Learning People Skills A People Business Personal Power Develop Communication Skills Conflict Summary 8. Changing Dragons: Career Renewal Career Stress Professional Renewal Revising a Career Changing Careers Summary 9. Making Friends With the Dragon: Taking Care of Yourself Realizing Your Importance Summary Resource A: Responses to Stress Resource B: Realities and Possibilities Resource C: Stress Reduction--An Outline for Personal Change Resource D: Model Action Plan References