Causes of stress and strategies for managing stress among German and US principals

Abstract

The school principal impacts student achievement at a level second only to that of the classroom teacher. The USA and Germany are experiencing challenges in recruiting and retaining individuals for the principalship and the shortage is expected to intensify. Previous research has shown that increasing paperwork and responsibilities serve as inhibitors to entering the profession and that school principals are increasingly stressed by a wide range of responsibilities and a shrinking pool of resources. This stress causes physiological and professional difficulties that have a detrimental impact on school function and culture. The present study seeks to identify the major causes of stress, strategies for mitigating stress, and limitations of stress management among principals in the USA and Germany.

Introduction

A key factor in shaping the school climate that supports students and teachers is the principal. Research has established a link between school leadership and student achievement, second only to the impact of the classroom teacher (Huber et al., 2013; Leithwood et al., 2004). Across the years, the role of the school principal has evolved, becoming increasingly more demanding and complex (Fullan, 1991). A range of new responsibilities have been added to the principal’s role (Chaplain, 2001) to include instructional leader, administrative and managerial tasks, and the day to day issues that arise in a school (Fink and Resnick, 2001). Not only are the responsibilities of the principal becoming more complex, but societies are requiring schools to play a much wider role in the community and in responding to the diverse needs of students and parents (Markow et al., 2013). Principals now experience tasks which are more complex while education systems in a number of countries have experienced cuts in government spending on public education (Darmody and Smyth, 2016), adding additional strain to an already stressful job.

Hans Seyle, the father of stress research, defines stress as “the nonspecific response of the body to any demand made upon it” (Seyle, 1973). Seyle’s foundational text on the subject outlines the dangers of prolonged stress and how it can result in numerous physiological ailments including kidney, heart, inflammatory, and digestive diseases (Seyle, 1976). Since his original work on the topic, many researchers have expanded the breadth of knowledge surrounding stress; some narrowing in on the subject of work/occupational stress. Ganster and Rosen (2013) describe work stress as the process by which workplace psychological experiences and demands produce both short-term and long-term changes in mental and physical health. A Swedish study found strong evidence that job strain is associated with cardiovascular disease (Belkic et al., 2004). A meta-analysis also found consistent evidence supporting a link between work stress and anxiety, job attitudes, and job-related tension (Ganster and Rosen, 2013). Another study showed that human service workers, such as principals, are prone to stressor exposure and experience high levels of stress on the job (Oginska-Bulik, 2005). Professional consequences of work stress can lead to professional burnout and subsequent symptoms such as loss of work motivation, reduced effectiveness, and turnover (Schaufeli and Enzmann, 1998). The empirical research of Schaufeli and Enzmann identifies workload and time pressure as key correlates of occupational burnout. Given that these two factors of burnout are constants in the role of a principal in both the USA and Germany, an understanding of stressors and mitigating applications is appropriate.

The increase in responsibilities over recent years has made the job of a school principal more stressful and has a negative impact on their well-being (Chaplain, 2001). A study by Dr Olusegun A. Sogunro in Connecticut found that participating principals were overwhelmed by stress that stemmed from conflicts with staff and stakeholders, time constraints, crises that periodically arise within a school, and increasing mandates and policy demands from governments (Sogunro, 2012). Furthermore, a German study found that the tasks which cause principals the most stress are quality management, evaluation, and school improvement (Huber et al., 2013). In an Australian study, Osborne found that principals are experiencing workplace demands that are one and a half times higher than the general population and that these demands subject principals to high levels of stress (Osborne, 2017). Another US study (Klocko and Wells, 2015) revealed that high stress levels among participating principals was primarily caused by insufficient time to complete tasks, constant interruptions, volume of paperwork, and maintaining a work–life balance. An examination of stress and burnout among elementary school principals found pressures related to testing, student achievement accountability, and a wide variety of responsibilities to be major causes of stress (Combs et al., 2009).

Although research in England revealed that stressful jobs can still offer personal satisfaction (Chaplain, 2008), Sogunro’s study found that 96% of participating principals claimed that the amount of stress they experienced from their job had affected their work productivity, social life, and health (Sogunro, 2012). This suggests that the stress borne by many principals exceeds the threshold for “healthy stress.” Perhaps most importantly, a principal’s stress can negatively impact the school climate (Kelehear, 2004). Schools become dysfunctional and unhealthy when they regularly function in an atmosphere of unmanaged stress (Darmody and Smyth, 2016; Kelehear, 2004).

Research by Manasse (1985) has shown that 88% of a principal’s day involves human exchange. This amount of interaction with others during the school day provides ample opportunity for the effects of mismanaged stress to permeate throughout a school. Because of the importance of the position, principals must manage stress so that it does not impact both their own well-being and that of their school. Many studies have been done to investigate the causes of stress among school principals, but few have sought to discover effective management strategies that may alleviate this issue. Although the principalship is inherently stress-provoking, the question exists as to how to best manage the stress that the position creates. This study examines principals from the United States (US) and Germany, what causes their stress, and how they manage their stress.

School principalship in Germany and the USA

The responsibilities of school principals in the USA and Germany are similar in many ways. In both countries, principals oversee basic operations, influence instructional and logistical activities, ensure compliance with governmentally imposed mandates, assign work requirements, supervise teachers and staff, prepare and monitor reports and records, and interact with multiple constituencies such as parents and community leaders (Hallinger, 2003; Huber and Gördel, 2006; Murphy, 2006). These activities require extraordinary vision and competence on the part of school leaders (Huber, 2004; Rustemeyer, 1998).

Despite the stated functional similarities, differences in school principalship exist between Germany and the USA. One difference is the manner in which school leaders prepare for their positions. Whereas school leaders in the USA attain their training before they assume their school leadership position, school leaders in Germany often complete their training after being assigned a principalship (Huber, 2003; Murphy and Orr, 2009). Another difference between the two countries is the level of central control over school management. In Germany, the system is often centralized, with a centrally regulated development program for school leaders (Rosenbusch and Huber, 2001). In the USA, professional organizations establish professional competence standards and the government generally abstains from control of professional development qualifications (Marzano et al., 2005).

Another difference between the USA and Germany involving the role of the principal has been trending towards similarity. In the past, German principals were viewed as primus inter pares (i.e. “first among equals”), with principals maintaining a primary role in the classroom. Recent developments have emphasized greater leadership roles for German principals. Evidence of this development has been the creation of partially autonomous schools in some German states. The principals of these German schools are allowed to act relatively independently on issues such as hiring teachers, managing school budgets, and developing school programs and a specific school profile (Dubs, 2005). Nevertheless, many issues in German schools remain under central control. This trend towards more autonomy and a US model of principalship is increasingly placing German principals under similar stress conditions as their American counterparts. The historical systematic differences paired with a recent trend towards similarity makes a study of stress conditions among both sets of principals useful as a comparison of systems and potentially helpful for current and aspiring principals of both nations.

Although the roles and responsibilities of principals in Germany and the USA differ in many ways, both countries are experiencing the formidable challenge of recruiting talented people to become principals (Huber, 2004). Like many developed countries in the world, both Germany and the USA are struggling to attract and retain school principals (Huber, 2003; Miller et al., 2009). Furthermore, officials report that the current principal shortage which exists in both countries will increase precipitously in the next decade unless active measures are undertaken to recruit replacements (Battle and Gruber, 2010). An earlier study of emerging school leaders in the USA and Germany identified an increase in paperwork and the significant increase in the quantity of responsibilities held by a school principal as major inhibitors to becoming a school administrator (Hancock and Müller, 2009). The increasing difficulty of recruiting principals makes stress management an important and pressing issue for the education systems of the USA and Germany.

Methods

Participants

More than 200 principals from schools in the southeastern region of the USA and in the region around Stuttgart, Germany were asked to participate in this study. These principals were selected because they were a representative sample of the populations of principals in their respective regions. Nineteen principals from the USA and 24 principals from the German schools agreed to participate in this study. Although these principals represented a sample of convenience, respondents in the two countries were similar in gender, educational level, number of hours given to work responsibilities, levels of schools, and years of service as a principal.

Procedures

Due to issues within stress research (Landwehr et al., 1983), a qualitative approach was chosen for this comparative study of principal stress. This study adds to the research body of a representative reference study (Huber et al., 2013), an extensive qualitative approach (Stricker et al., 2014) and a literature review (studies) which refers to stress among school principals. Although many factors of stress are described in the aforementioned materials, there remains a paucity of research into how principals deal with stress.

This study developed and utilized a work model for the specificity of a principal’s job based on the model “educational stress” of Böhm-Kasper (2004). Considering the complexity and breadth of responsibilities held by school principals, participants were asked to identify factors that cause them the greatest amount of stress as well as how stressors have changed as a result of the principalship. In an effort to gain insight into effective stress mitigating practices, we asked participants to identify and speak to the effectiveness of any strategies they employ to alleviate or cope with stress. We also asked participants to discuss factors that limit and inhibit the use of identified coping strategies with the intent to gain a realistic understanding of the environment principals are facing when dealing with stressors. Finally, with the goal of emphasizing fundamental attitudes, participants were asked for a kind of philosophy or “motto” to deal with stress.

The survey questions were sent to participating principals via email. The individual responses were written by participants and emailed back to the researchers for quantitative analysis. In an attempt to approximate the questions presented to the German respondents, the US researchers translated the questions and made adjustments to elicit information around the same topics. Each participant was provided with the survey questions used by Hancock and Müller (2009) and was asked to give a response for each question. In keeping with the qualitative tradition of capturing a participant’s own words and letting the data analysis emerge (Bogdan and Biklen, 2007), the survey questions allowed for open-ended responses. The eight survey questions were:

1. Which of your tasks/responsibilities have produced the greatest amount of stress for you personally?

2. How have your tasks/responsibilities changed since you became principal?

3. School leadership is complex. What links exist between stresses or stress situations which subsequently lead to further stress (which could be called “stress cascade” or domino effect”)?

4. What strategies do you use as a principal for the purpose of stress reduction or stress avoidance?

5. Which of these strategies have proven to be particularly helpful or effective when dealing with the stresses of your position?

6. What limitations exist, if any, with regard to implementing these strategies?

7. How many hours per week are you typically involved in activities related to your position as a principal?

8. Do you have a “basic philosophy” for dealing with stress as a principal? If so, what is it?

For the purpose of uniformity in collection of data and analysis, the same US researcher collected the data from all of the US respondents and the same German researcher collected the data from all of the German respondents. Using procedures established by LeCompte et al. (1993) and expanded by Friebertshäuser (1997), the responses were read thoroughly and often by the researchers. As themes began to emerge, each theme was assigned a color code. Through repeated readings, words and phrases were identified that supported the theme. These identified words and phrases were highlighted in the same color. This process was used to analyze the responses given for each question and facilitated the identification of themes based on specific data (Lamnek, 2005).

Analysis of the response data was conducted using the constant-comparative method of qualitative content analysis developed by Glaser and Straus (1967) and refined by Mayring (2007). Specifically, researchers began their analysis with the reading of the first set of responses and continued through the study. Cross-respondent analysis was performed with the responses of each participant in the study to determine themes or categories that were consistent among the respondents. This method of qualitative content analysis allowed researchers to develop a rich understanding of what is causing stress for principals in Germany and the USA and what these principals are doing to manage their stress.

Findings

The findings in this section are loosely grouped to reflect the order of the questions in the survey given to the participants.

Responsibilities which produce the most stress

Qualitative analysis revealed evidence that principals in both the USA and Germany feel tremendous stress in their job. Principals from both countries experience increasingly demanding roles without sufficient resources. They also report struggling to make sure all their decisions are based upon what is best for students. Communicating effectively with a wide variety of stakeholders is also a major cause of stress. The common stressors revealed by responses in this study echo those reported in other studies (Combs et al., 2009; Klocko and Wells, 2015; Sogunro, 2012; Wells et al., 2011).

In particular, principals note that they have excessive administrative tasks. One example was stated this way: “Our human resources department requires numerous forms for our coaching staff, renovation requests, facilities use requests, and fund raiser requests.” Many German schools that have received more autonomy from their central authority are also experiencing an increase in administrative demands. The increase in autonomy with no increase in allocated resources means that these tasks fall to the principal. One German principal noted, “…at a [small] school, the administrative tasks are so extensive because I’m responsible for everything.”

The stress caused by the high volume and wide range of tasks is compounded by a shortage of staff members needed to properly address the issues of the school. Some principals included the number of meetings that they are required to attend as an additional cause for stress. Add to the list of demands the documentation needed for discipline, hiring, and teacher observations, especially in a large school, and it is easy to see why many principals are struggling to manage their stress. It is not uncommon in Germany for principals to lead two or more branches of schools at the same time, effectively multiplying their workload.

Keeping in mind what is best for students can be challenging with the diverse needs of the student population within a school. Trying to meet the needs of all the students in the building was referred to by one principal as an “overwhelming task.” Principals specifically mentioned making sure that the needs of the English as a Second Language students are being met, focusing on issues in the Exceptional Children’s department, and trying to manage those students with severe behavior problems as being particularly challenging. Making decisions for each of these subsets of students, as well as the student body at large, is taxing. Another stressor related to students is the expectation to constantly improve student achievement. Finding new strategies and ideas to make sure the level of achievement is increasing each year was referred to as a “daunting” task by one principal. The principal must find time to stay current on trends in education in order to keep their school on a positive achievement trajectory.

Communicating effectively with a wide variety of stakeholders was reported to cause stress for principals. The respondents noted that the time and energy allotted to dealing with parents, who are often unhappy, can be their biggest stressor. One principal summed up communication with parents in this way: “Hands down, the task that stresses me out the most is dealing with parents. They consume a tremendous amount of my time, and usually the parents who come to meet with me are unhappy about something.” Building and maintaining relationships with demanding parents is stressful. Similarly, much time is taken by conversations with students and staff members who refuse to follow simple protocols, as was noted by several principals in the study. Additionally, conversations with human resources over issues with current staff adds stress for the school leader. Communications with the human resources department often involve repeated conversations related to confidential information and conflict resolution.

A difference between German and US principals is that some German principals, especially of primary schools or small secondary schools, serve a dual role as a teacher which means a portion of each day is dedicated to fulfilling teaching responsibilities. These principals are still functioning as a teacher in the classroom, preparing lesson plans and collaborating with peers while also managing discipline for the entire school, overseeing the budget, and evaluating teachers. One German principal spoke of the dual role, “To implement quality management [in the school], there is a lack of time in the daily routine because I have to lead my own class as a teacher. In my view, that does not fit at all – and thus I am strongly burdened.” A shortage of time is a common theme among reported causes of stress with participants, and the dual role of teacher–administrator appears to compound the impact on principals in Germany.

Stress associated with transitioning into the role of principal

Similar to the responsibilities that cause stress, principals in both countries describe notable changes as they moved into the role of principal. Respondents agreed that the responsibility and accountability are greater as a principal than as a teacher.

A common theme among most principals when asked to describe how their tasks have changed since becoming a principal was greater responsibility. Due to increased obligations at the district level, some principals describe not feeling like they have time to attend to the daily needs of students and staff. These leaders are being asked to take on responsibilities that in the past may have been assigned to another member of their support staff. One principal gave the example of being asked to look at chronic absenteeism, which in previous years had been a task assigned to the school counselor. Many participants also describe being tasked with responsibilities that require solely the principal’s attention. One principal expressed her thoughts on the increased responsibility by saying, “The buck stops with me. Parents stop with me. Staff stop with me. I am that person that makes the final call.”

Accountability was mentioned often in describing the change of moving into a principal position. The accountability comes from the district level, state level, and federal level. One principal summed up this issue: “We are held accountable for upholding district and state standards for safety audits and reviews and for school-wide growth and proficiency markers as well.” Another principal mentioned that overseeing finances increases stress. Another mentioned that the constant change in initiatives means there is always something new to learn. One principal expressed frustration and stress due to increased accountability at the state level with a decrease in the funding for school level education.

A difference faced by German principals is the lack of training they receive before becoming principal. In addition to serving dual roles as teacher and administrator, German principals do not receive training for the principalship prior to being moved into the role, as US principals do. Instead, principals in Germany move into the role of principal and begin to receive their job training after they have already started acting in their role. The majority of German principals felt that they were not well prepared for their first job as a principal. This undoubtedly magnifies stress among these principals. One participant who supervises principals reported that many of them call by and say, “I don’t know how to manage this.”

Cascading stress

Principals in both Germany and the USA report experiencing stress cascade or the domino effect (i.e. when one stressor or stress situation leads to further stress). The primary causes of such a domino effect stem from having to maintain composure and professionalism when the stress cascade begins and from the extensive communication and collaboration needed in the principal role.

When principals were asked to share about stress cascade, many discussed the need to maintain composure and professionalism when in stressful conditions. One principal offered this response: “It is very real. You simply cannot allow one situation to spill over to the next.” The stress can increase from moment to moment because there is little or no time to collect one’s thoughts between decisions due to the amount of responsibilities. Principals find themselves being pulled out of one meeting to deal with a more immediate issue. Sometimes the cascading effect comes not just with a particular incident, but from the ripple of discussion that permeates the community. One principal summed up the effect in this way: “If the initial little problems get out of control, a principal can suddenly be sinking.” Another principal said, Things can accumulate and increase exponentially. Just when one task becomes manageable, the task divides and you are confronted with four new ones. And the four become sixteen and so on.”

The extensive collaboration and communication needed as a principal can also lead to cascading stress. Situations requiring conflict management and problematic cases concerning students top the list of those participating in the survey. The need to collaborate with such a variety of stakeholders was of great concern among both German and US principals. When explaining the cause of their particular stress cascade, one respondent referred to communications with parents: “When parents get involved, it oftentimes stresses the principal who in turn can impact the whole school with their stress.” Sometimes stress increases just from the need to communicate decisions with clarity and professionalism to the community and stakeholders of the school.

Suggested strategies for stress reduction and management

Given the amount of stress on principals, leaders in both countries need strategies for effectively reducing or avoiding stress. When asked to offer their strategies for managing stress, principals in both Germany and the USA offered similar thoughts. Principals focus on taking care of themselves physically and emotionally, finding a balance between work and personal time, and taking time to process information.

One popular strategy for managing stress is making time to take care of oneself physically. Principals mentioned activities such as bicycling, weight lifting, and playing a variety of sports as a way to clear their minds. For some, these times of taking care of themselves physically are a regimented daily occurrence. One principal explained, “I take a few minutes a day to go on a one to three mile walk to get my head and heart straight.” Other principals mentioned eating healthy food as a way to take care of themselves physically while others mentioned daily breathing exercises.

Taking care of oneself emotionally is also a way to manage stress among principals. Taking time for prayer and meditation was mentioned numerous times. One principal mentioned using songs, quotes, and Bible verses for inspiration. For one respondent, just keeping a sense of humor through relationships with the administrative team helps to manage the stress level. Several of the respondents also referred to their time visiting classrooms as a way to take care of their emotional selves. Visiting classrooms is a means of adjusting one’s perspective, which in turn lessens stress. One principal suggested, “Visit classrooms! Our school serves as the central site for all students with severe handicaps and disabilities. These students will definitely brighten your day and help you realize how blessed you really are.”

Another strategy mentioned repeatedly was finding balance between work and personal time. Principals find balance in many different ways. Several principals reported creating boundaries between their professional and personal time. One principal noted, “Leaving work at work” as a means of creating balance. Some reported that Saturdays are reserved for time with family. Similarly, some reported not checking emails after a specific time of the day or turning the computer off after a certain time. Designating one day a week to leave the school shortly after the buses leave campus was mentioned as a specific strategy for one leader.

While mentioned less often, several principals referred to processing information before creating a response as a means of reducing or avoiding stress. The ways of processing vary from one individual to another. Some refer to speaking slowly as a way to ensure they are giving well thought out and purposeful responses. Others point back to having a focus and a vision. “Remembering or setting a purpose and vision allow for a confident mindset when stress occurs,” explained one respondent. Arriving early to spend time organizing thoughts and tasks before others have a chance to weigh in was reported as a way to reduce stress. Spending time in conversation with trusted colleagues can provide a means for reducing and avoiding stress. For some principals, just sharing ideas with trusted colleagues is enough. One principal explained her way of processing information by saying, “I will talk with one of my assistant principals to work through the stress to make a list of options to ensure a fair decision is made.”

Not being afraid to seek motivation and inspiration from external sources was the overall theme when principals from both countries were asked which strategies have proven to be particularly effective in dealing with the stress associated with being a principal. One explanation for why seeking support from outside sources works well was stated by one principal who said, “Always searching for inspiration and motivation and keeping reminders of those things around me helps me ground myself in purpose, which I have to be able to do before I can help anyone else.” Similar to the responses provided when asked about strategies to deal with stress, several respondents mentioned time with family and time spent in prayer and meditation. However, responses to this item also included delegating tasks to assistant principals and celebrating successes within their schools. Several principals suggested that “taking time off to reset and recharge” is an effective strategy for managing stress.

Limitations in implementing stress reducing strategies

Although the principals surveyed were able to list strategies that are effective in reducing or avoiding stress, there are also limitations in implementing the strategies. One limitation is finding time in the daily schedule. The second limitation mentioned frequently was simply being in a frame of mind to effectively implement the stress reducing strategy.

The overwhelming issue standing in the way of principals being able to reduce stress is time. Time prevents principals from building a support group for accountability in implementing stress reducing strategies. Lack of time and busy schedules can reduce time for exercise. Time is an issue due to increased responsibilities and no funding for additional personnel to help manage the principal’s expanding workload. Healthy eating and time for meditation is often interrupted with school-related evening events. One principal explained the limitation and solution by saying, “Time, time, time…we need longer days and shorter nights!” Principals in Germany also commonly reported a lack of time as a main concern and most desire a reduction in their instructional time to alleviate this issue.

Being in the right space emotionally to be able to effectively implement the stress-reducing strategies is also a limitation. Simply participating in activities that provide balance or promote good physical and emotional health is not enough. Worrying about the number of email messages flooding into the inbox while completing stress-reducing strategies limits the effectiveness. It can be difficult for principals to disconnect from their work. The challenge of a continuously growing “to do” list stands in the way of stress reduction. One principal expressed her limitation to stress-reducing strategies by saying, “I have the constant feeling of being ‘needed’ by someone for something.” The leaders in German and US schools do not always find success in reducing stress even though they often possess knowledge about effective stress reduction strategies.

Basic philosophies for managing tress

Principals from both Germany and the USA listed strategies for reducing and managing stress. Many also reported a basic philosophy for managing the stress they encounter. The philosophies were equally as varied as the strategies used to manage stress, but each adopted philosophy provided a means to stress reduction for individual principals.

One philosophy for dealing with the stress of being a principal is to focus on progress. Principals can focus on the steps being taken toward achieving goals which support the vision of the school. Leaders find that the support gained from talking with a trusted group of colleagues can expedite problem-solving. Some principals report viewing every day’s experiences as a learning opportunity. Learning new things can keep a principal focused on her or his own progress toward becoming a great leader. One principal articulated how she maintains a clear focus on progress which reduces her overall stress by saying, “I focus on meeting the academic, social, and emotional needs of our students and know that we are all making a difference. It is well worth the long hours and stress to see students walk across the stage at graduation.”

Other principals use flexibility as a philosophy to manage stress. Many principals reported trying to be as prepared as possible for each day but then being open to tackling unexpected challenges. Some just recognize stress as a part of the job. These principals do their best to create a strong support staff enjoying the benefits of distributive leadership. They then move forward in confidence that they can deal with the stressful situations they encounter. One principal expressed his flexibility as the “duck philosophy” (i.e. letting stressful situations roll off his back). Another principal summed up her philosophy of flexibility by saying, “If you give all you have each day and embrace each opportunity, you can lay your head down at night and sleep well.”

The final philosophy that emerged from principals was self-motivation. These principals believe in taking one day at a time. They focus on starting every day with a clean slate and thinking positively about the day’s upcoming events. One principal mentioned trying not to take things personally while another mentioned asking herself daily if she was making a positive difference for students. Another noted waking up each day remembering why he wanted to become a principal and why he was selected for the job, and then focusing on ways he was good at his job. Some referenced ensuring that they are balanced and did their best in the many titles they hold, such as mother, principal, friend, mentor, etc. One principal revealed her self-motivation philosophy by saying, “I look at stress as something you do to yourself. It is a choice. Why would I do that to myself? Instead, I hit things head-on and deal with them.”

Conclusions and implications

The findings of this study suggest that principals in both Germany and the USA are under considerable stress primarily due to excessive administrative tasks, the volume and breadth of their responsibilities, pressures to provide for a wide variety of students and stakeholders, and accountability from various supervisors. The causes of stress identified in this study are consistent with those found in similar studies (Combs et al., 2009; Klocko and Wells, 2015; Sogunro, 2012). These stressors are exacerbated by a decrease in material resources, such as staff and funding, and a shortage of time. German principals experience unique stress that stems from both their dual role as a classroom teacher and their training model. The demanding role of the principal is evidenced by a growing body of research. Markow et al. (2013) found that the responsibilities of principals are increasing and becoming more complex as schools are having to respond to diverse needs of students and parents. The findings of this study support this idea, as principals frequently discussed stress related to dealing with parents and meeting the needs of their student body.

The present study expanded on the current body of work regarding principal stress by identifying strategies used by participating principals to manage identified stress. There is a wide variety of strategies used by individual principals, including taking care of themselves physically, taking care of themselves emotionally, finding balance between work and personal time, and taking time to process information. Although many principals commented on their stress management techniques, significant limitations were discussed that often-prevented employment of the identified strategies. This is a troubling finding since research has shown there to be a direct correlation between the increase in responsibilities given to principals and their overall well-being (Chaplain, 2001).

To combat the stress associated with their increasingly demanding role, it may benefit principals in both countries to receive guidance from a mentor principal or centralized leader. Cooperation with an experienced colleague would allow principals to share their stress, learn from veterans of the profession, and receive personal support. Principals in both nations may also benefit from the expertise found in professional learning communities for small groups of localized principals. Several participants identified the importance of communicating with their administrative team as a key tool to combating their stress. Involvement with a professional learning community of fellow principals that meets semi-regularly to discuss best practices would provide an additional outlet for stress relieving support. Principals from the USA and Germany could benefit from the counsel of others as they process information to make decisions.

The addition of a stress management course in principal training programs may also be prudent. Given that the principalship is an inherently stressful position, ensuring that principals have an awareness of potential stressors and a rich toolkit of stress management strategies could leave them better prepared to handle the demands of the job. More specifically in Germany, it may be time to reconsider the practice of training principals “on the job,” as many German participants identified a perceived lack of preparedness as a significant source of stress.

Finally, this study found time to be the greatest stressor and limitation to implementing stress reducing strategies for principals in both nations. Since a principal’s stress has been found to negatively impact the school climate (Kelehear, 2004) and unmanaged stress makes a school prone to dysfunction (Darmody and Smyth, 2016), educational leaders must find ways to provide principals with dedicated time to manage the stress of the job. Education leaders of both countries should consider awarding principals a bonus day for each semester to be used at the principal’s discretion. This bonus day would be independent of sick leave and existing personal time. Instead, the day would be awarded due to the uniquely stressful conditions of the principalship. Encouraging principals to take time for themselves could result in principals feeling as though they have a greater opportunity to create balance between their professional and personal lives or a chance to focus on their physical and emotional needs which can lead to reduced stress in their role as principal.

Summary

Previous research has identified the tremendous stress experienced by principals. School principals have to manage multiple responsibilities and work under incredibly stressful conditions (Combs et al., 2009; Darmody and Smyth, 2016; Klocko and Wells, 2015; Sogunro, 2012). Kelehear (2004) found that to function effectively, principals must manage their own stress. The findings of this study confirm that principals in Germany and the USA are under stress, identifies causes of their stress, and offers strategies that principals may use to manage their stress. Officials in both the USA and Germany may use these findings to reduce principal stress in order to recruit and to retain high-quality principals in the future.