Female CEO Excellence 2017 Awards

22 CEO MONTHLY / FEMALE CEO EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2017 , has developed specialist greeting cards for boarding schools and introduced Boarding Mother’s Day and Boarding Father’s Day as amazing opportunities to thank staff who have chosen to parent the next generation. Using the concept of ‘boarding brews’ where staff get together to discuss student progress in an informal environment, she has created a new suite of personal development courses to get conversations for success started. These include a programme for new mothers returning to a boarding lifestyle. Reflecting on her journey so far, Tracy admits she had no idea that she would achieve what she has today, but now she has started the ball rolling she is really excited about the future. “Winning this award is an honour, an opportunity to take the conversation of staff wellbeing in boarding schools to the front of the agenda. Since embarking on coaching, I have been involved in setting up schools in Asia; led an assembly for 1500 students, spoken at boarding conferences in Australasia; becoming a toastmaster; all whilst remaining on the front line of boarding. I want as many people to have Simply Boarding is creating a revolution in personal wellbeing, one conversation, one person and one boarding school community at a time. We invited global boarding professional, Tracy Shand, to tell us more about her vision of building tomorrow for all. Education Management CEO of the Year & Best Boarding School Development Consultancy - UK Tracy Shand is a front-line boarding professional with a dream to empower boarding staff around the world to become the best versions of themselves. Big things start from taking action on one small idea and she launched Simply Boarding in 2013. After working in boarding since 1996 Tracy decided to hire a coach in 2009. She quickly realised that, while personal development was becoming common in the business world, few boarding professionals benefitted from this type of development. “My inspiration for Simply Boarding was a result of a quote; ‘Every morning you have two choices- continue to sleep with dreams or wake up and chase them.’ “Coaching helps me to realise my dreams, and I am having great fun along the way. Working towards the mantra of ‘to lead others you must lead yourself first’, I’ve been on a personal development journey like no other. I thought it was time to share this with my colleagues and Simply Boarding was the result.” Alongside living the dream, Simply Boarding delivers a clear message to boarding staff everywhere that tells them that they matter. With the boarding landscape changing, Tracy relocated to Asia to be a part of the growth of developing British education overseas. From setting up schools in China to being a founding housemistress in Korea, she now uses this first-hand knowledge to support schools taking this first step as Simply Boarding consultancy. Working with Boarding School Associations around the world, Tracy has led seminars, engaged in front line conversations and has had many articles published. She enjoys the opportunity to learn more from front line boarding professionals around the world to build tomorrow for everyone. A particular milestone for Tracy was the publication of the first ever personal development book for boarding staff called Boardingology, with all royalties going to the National Children’s Foundation. The book takes the reader through a range of strategies to encourage personal development using a hands-on series of exercises and action points. FCE17022 She is now working on a boarding trilogy in specialist areas to be published within the next 12 months as well as creating a sister series for teachers who are in mainstream schools. As a woman working in the boarding school market, Tracy saw a need for wellbeing to become a focus. “Every day, in boarding schools around the world, women are breaking down barriers and blazing trails for the next generation to be successful. Sadly, like many organisations, the same attention is not placed on the wellbeing of staff. They aren’t encouraged to move forward to become the best version of themselves. “People talk about the glass ceiling for leaders, but it is time to go back to basics to build a foundation of resilience and allow the dreams of others to come to be acknowledged and valued. Women who come back into the workplace after having families or their children leaving home are valuable assets for boarding schools around the world.” As she looks to the future, Tracy is excited about the ongoing projects that she has created to make her vision a reality. She