Leadership Motivation In The Education Industry

Leadership Motivation Organizations today, both large and small, understand that in order to be successful, they must have employees who are inspired and motivated to work at their best. This inspiration comes from how meaningful the work is and how valued the employee feels to the supervisor and the organization itself. Organizations have experienced a paradigm shift over the years from hiring managers who ensured workers did what they were told, to leaders whose influence drives people to follow them anywhere for anything. The power of great leadership is measured in the people culture of the organization, increased sales and profits, reduced turnover, and ultimately employee engagement. Dubrin (2016) stated the purpose of leaders who …show more content…
We all have something inside of us that makes us tick, and it is the leaders’ job to discover this motivation and inspire us to be our best. I cannot think of a more impactful industry for leadership motivation than the education industry. Teachers coach, teach, mold, inspire, and motivate our children to the best they can be. Teachers understand they every child is different, and they must learn to communicate with each child in a way that is meaningful for them. Teachers themselves have supervisors they interact with on a daily basis and it is just as important for a teacher to have a leader guide them as they do their students. Great leaders understand that they must constantly communicate, give positive and constructive feedback, which in turn promotes engagement in the employees. Great leaders drive organizational goals, monitor performance, train, encourage, coach, lead by example, and always represent the core values that they and the company live by. According to Smith (1999), “High teacher motivation is recognized by many administrators as the key to improving student performance as well as decreasing student disciplinary problems” (p.2). The principal is the individual responsible for motivating or being the motivational catalyst for the faculty. Great leaders, no matter the industry, know that inspiring and motivating employees to “want to” rather than “have to” is the …show more content…
Coaching is something that takes ample time and effort to master. Coaching is like playing a sport, without practice, you are not going to be very good. Coaching skills and techniques are critical to the success of the leader/subordinate relationship. The leader must communicate clear expectations, build relationships, have 2-way conversations, actively listen, give support and guidance, trade and recognize commitments, and always discuss what is right, not just what is wrong. In most organizations, these conversations happen in a formal setting known as “goal theory” or goal setting. The effectiveness of the goal setting depends on how much effort the leader puts in and how much commitment they receive from the person being coached. This is why practice makes perfect in this