Blog

If you are an owner, leader, or manager of an EYFS provision, you will know that the demands of leadership extend way beyond managing a list of tasks. 

Truly effective leadership means understanding and navigating complex emotions that we have ourselves and can see in those we work with. With a focus on the final letter, ‘Z,’ Alison Featherne [insert job title] delves into the ‘zones of regulation’. 

Just as we support children in developing their emotional regulation skills, leaders must cultivate their own self-awareness and resilience. Emotional intelligence is the key to leadership that inspires and empowers. Leadership can quickly go wrong when leaders allow their emotions to take control, and this impacts behaviour and decision-making. Effective leaders know their emotional triggers and understand themselves. In short, they manage their emotional intelligence and ‘show a can-do attitude’, ‘bounce back after difficulties’, enjoy meeting challenges’, ‘find ways to solve problems’ and ‘review how well their approach worked’. Do these statements sound familiar? They are all characteristics of effective learning and I think these behaviours in leaders are essential. 

As leaders we create an environment of trust and well-being and understand our teams’ challenges, thinking and aspirations, so that we can help them thrive in our provision, just like children do. We get to know our team, just like we get to know children, by connecting, being interested, and respecting individual journeys. We get to know ourselves in much the same way, by connecting to our vision, values, and goals, by being interested in knowing and doing more to solve problems, and by respecting that we need to grow personally as well as professionally. 

The zones of regulation offer a powerful framework for understanding your emotions and how they impact leadership styles.