In the podcast episode with Barb Flowers on Transformative Principal with Jethro Jones, the discussion centered around self-efficacy and its relation to leadership. Self-efficacy is distinct from confidence and involves an individual's perception of their strengths and weaknesses. Building self-efficacy begins with awareness, humility, and recognizing that family comes first, establishing healthy boundaries. The episode also explored how a leader's self-efficacy impacts the culture and climate of their school. Practical strategies were shared to enhance self-efficacy, such as identifying small achievements, cultivating an adaptive and resilient leadership approach, and recognizing that giving 110% all the time is unsustainable. The conversation emphasized the importance of looking for small wins, challenging negative thoughts, and understanding the link between thoughts, emotions, and actions.

• Different from confidence - self-efficacy is about what you believe your weaknesses and strengths are. 
• How self-efficacy relates to imposter syndrome. 
• Awareness is the first step in building self-efficacy. It’s a blind spot. 
• Humility vs. pride
• Family comes first - having boundaries. 
• There’s no recovering from giving 110% all the time. 
• Committee chair - if I can’t be there, others can be there. 
• Exploring how leaders’ self-efficacy contributes to the culture and climate of their schools.
• Sharing practical, evidence-based strategies that leaders can employ to boost their self-efficacy.
• Look for small things you’re doing well. 
• 3 wins - can sometimes be hard to find them. 
• Your thoughts create your emotions and your actions. 
• Highlighting the outcomes of enhanced self-efficacy, including the development of a more adaptive and resilient leadership approach.

About Barbara Flowers

Barb Flowers, an educator with 6 years of experience in teaching and 8 years in educational leadership, including roles as a principal and assistant principal.Beyond her experience in education, she is a certified life coach whose core mission is to support educators and leaders by focusing on their well-being and improving their mindset, thereby boosting their career performance. She is also the host of the Principal’s Handbook and Teacher Burnout podcasts

Her passion lies in supporting individuals who struggle with recognizing their worth, feeling inadequate despite their extensive experiences and achievements. Through her coaching, she aims to address these feelings, guiding her clients toward a healthier self-perception and more effective professional engagement.

Her experience includes coaching teachers experiencing burnout, working with school leaders on prioritizing their personal well-being, and mentoring new administrators as they navigate the complexities of their roles. These experiences have enriched her understanding and approach to coaching, allowing her to offer nuanced and impactful guidance.

She would love the opportunity to work with the client or their teams, guiding them to realize their worth and attain a more rewarding professional and personal life.

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.