You may not think it to look at me, but for a few years now I’ve been a regular at my local Leisure Centre gym. I meet with a personal trainer every week and I go along to classes as often as time, and energy, allows. My favourite class is Dance Fit – how often does a woman my age get to dance hip hop to Flo Rida’s ‘Low’? If you haven’t tried it, you should, it’s nothing short of joyous!
Over the last few weeks, the Centre has been undergoing a refurbishment. As a result, we’ve been leaping about to ‘Party Train’ by The Gap Band in the main sports hall, and trying to spin quietly in a squash court, but it is finally finished, and I went along this morning to be introduced to a new Elevate studio.
For the uninitiated (like me) an Elevate studio comprises of 8 stations of gym equipment, on which you spend 30 seconds exercising, followed by 20 seconds moving to the next station, and when you’ve done all 8 you rest for a minute before a restart. The equipment can be tilted, hence the name “Elevate”, to increase the strength needed to push, pull, squat, row, press etc.
However fit you think you are, a new piece of equipment, or a different instructor, can disabuse you of that notion very quickly. It was fun, but I came out after a 30-minute class very sweaty and ready for a lie down!
An SBL needs to be able to hold their own…
The thing about a circuit set up like the new studio, is that it is rather like the requirements for being a School Business Leader. You don’t have to excel on everything, but you do, at least, have to be able to hold your own on every station. You must know how to adjust it to get the maximum workout for your level, be able to keep up with your fellow gym goers, ask for help if you need it, keep an eye on time, and you’ve got to make the most of that rest break when it comes around!
…but we’re not alone
As SBLs, we often feel we should be in control of everything in our school, but I’ll be the first to tell you that there is a lot I don’t know. I was always very grateful for the teams around me in my Trust, experts in their own field, working together in mutual support to get the most out of our time, skills and resources. Those team players who I could always count on, and who I’m now missing massively as I navigate the challenges of setting up on my own as a School Business Consultant.
It’s the simple things I’ve got wrong. On my first set of business cards the writing is so small I need a magnifying glass to read it! I’m sure I’ve bought Office 365 about four times, and when an email is sent via the website…where is it going exactly, because it’s not getting to me?!
All these things, like the new gym equipment, I’ll get used to. My lat muscles will start to recognise a pull up when I ask them for one, and I will eventually learn how to publish a newsletter from the website. But if I don’t, I just know that there are SBLs out there, like me, ready to support, advise and share their skills. Elevating each other to get the most out of our journey.
Emma
