The Australian National Quality Standard (ACECQA, 2011) and other international studies (Siraj-Blatchford & Manni, 2007) identify the importance of educational leadership as a driver in improving the quality of educational programs and outcomes for children. This role was, in fact, enshrined in policy expectations in Australia in 2011 (Commonwealth of Australia, 2011). Interestingly, while much of the current Australian quality reform has focused on ways in which early and middle childhood programs can progress towards meeting and/or exceeding the approved standards, little time, research and professional learning has been invested in exploring the ways in which educational leadership can be maximised (Semann, Botero Lopez, Lawson & Bennett, 2014). As Desforges (2009) noted, 'what is called for is a deeper consideration about the connectivity between research, policy and practice and between researchers and policy makers/practitioners' (p. 4). In pursuing that goal, this study takes a sociocultural orientation which foregrounds the importance of exploring the perspectives of those affected by change. This reflects van Manen's prioritising of 'lived experience' (1997) as well as acknowledgment of teachers as learners (e.g. Groundwater-Smith, Ewing & Le Cornu, 2007) and the centrality of practitioners' voices in educational change (e.g. Fleer & Kennedy, 2006).

Emotional regulation is a developmental skill that everyone must learn. It is the ability for you to tune into, make sense of and control your own strong feelings. It affectively influences how well you can adapt to situations and events in your life, as well as how you navigate and adapt to the world. A lack of healthy emotional regulation can lead one to become dysregulated. Two important phenomenon underpin our ability to regulate: emotional complexity and splitting. The more acknowledgment and understanding that we give to our emotions (not just the thoughts in our mind but the feelings in our better), the more control and problem solving skills we can harness to sustain a good standard of personal well-being.

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