Have you had that moment when you open your inbox and amongst the sea of emails there’s one name that might as well be in neon lights.

And not for good reasons!

I think every head I speak to has a few pupil parents that fall into this ‘negative neon’ group.

And whether you read it or not, you know it’s there.

They’re a keyboard warrior.

Which means your inbox can become quite an emotionally volatile place.

But you have to open your emails. So what can you do?

Set up email rules.

These automagically do helpful things with emails.

Here are two ways you can take some of the emotional intensity out of your inbox, without ignoring the issue.

1. Send emails from particular parents to another trusted member of the team first.

Someone slightly more emotionally removed can summarise:

• What actually matters here?
• What needs responding to?
• What can wait?
• What’s escalation rather than substance?

That tiny change stops emotional intensity becoming the thing driving the response.

Another idea I loved was this:

2. A “Nice Things” folder. And a “Not Nice Things” folder.

Now before that sounds flippant — it’s not.

One of my Mastermind heads shared this with me (thank you — you know who you are 🙂).

If an email was likely to emotionally derail the day, a rule moved it automatically into the folder.

Not ignored.
Not avoided.
Just dealt with at a better time.

And importantly — the folder was buried.

Not sitting visibly in the inbox all day quietly raising cortisol every time Outlook refreshed.

Tiny tweak.
Huge difference.

I hope these tips are helpful in managing some of the emotional rollercoaster that leadership can sometimes bring.

What systems have you put in place to protect your emotional state from repeated parent escalation?

Email me and let me know — I love hearing from you 🙂

Sonia ❤️

But what if parents reject the facts? Next week I’ll share a powerful question to ask when parents reject the evidence you’re sharing.

Need some help sooner? We’re here for you. Equipping your team with the skills to manage difficult conversations is our zone of genius! Simply reply to this email or go to Contact us – Heads Up