At its core, professional resilience is shaped by culture. It’s not a programme or a policy, but a way of being that is lived day to day - it is how people treat each other when no one’s watching. It’s in the tone of conversations, the way feedback is given, the assumptions we make about each other, the space people feel they have to be themselves and the way we respond when things go wrong. 

Leaders set the tone. When leaders prioritise their own wellbeing - not in a performative way, but with quiet integrity, modelling balance, reflection, and compassion - not just for others, but for themselves - it gives others permission to do the same. When leaders prioritise their own resilience, it can lead to a shift in culture - structures and systems are considered and the output can impact everyone’s resilience. 

When governors ask the right questions and listen with curiosity - asking not only how the school is doing but also how individuals are doing it reinforces that people matter as much as performance.  

A positive culture doesn’t mean avoiding hard conversations. Those conversations still need to be had but they can still be held with care. It doesn’t work if we preach wellbeing and say we have the structures and systems for professional resilience and then fail to engage and explain and discuss clearly, listening to each others’ viewpoints and simply pile on pressure. We need to walk the talk.