Boost Staff Morale, 23 Tips

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Motivation, staff morale, school climate. All are critical to a healthy working environment. The root solution is hiring. But there are ongoing actions that principals can take to ensure high levels of staff morale!
23-Tips-to-Boost-Teacher-Morale-Campus
Hiring is the easiest way to ensure motivated teachers. The right people, in the right spot, ensure success. The right people are driven by the intrinsic desire to do great and be a part of something great. Hiring right solves the problem of motivation.

However, a bad leader, uninformed boss, and unmotivated principal...well, that can quickly squander the talents and greatness of a strong team. Here are 23 tips to ensure that the principal doesn't get in the way of staff morale, but rather works to boost it.

Sincerity of Purpose

You can't show up as the leader and hide in the office reading emails, surfing the web, or managing paperwork all day. Empower and delegate those tasks. The leader is the treasure holder of purpose. The vision of where the campus will be in 5 years and the mission for coming in every day must be embodied by the principal. Then an honest and sincere sense of purpose can be lived on campus every day.
  1. Be authentic
  2. Be consistent
  3. Be humble
  4. Be seen around school
  5. Be accountable
  6. Ask questions (Read Leadership That Questions)
  7. Share power
  8. Have fun
  9. Don't micromanage, focus on vision and mission
  10. Use first names

Inspire Innovation

We all enjoy our work more when it is an outlet for our ingenuity and creativity. It is motivating when we create something that has success. It is devastating when our work is discouraged, criticized, and not recognized for its success. The principal, the leadership team, can boost staff morale by creating a culture that inspires innovation.
  1. Ask for input
  2. Provide choice in training
  3. Give teachers opportunities to shine on campus and in the district
  4. Listen to ideas (better yet, create involvement)
  5. Don't overload people with clerical work
  6. Every contact is a chance to inspire
  7. Reduce micro-control
  8. Encourage collaboration, not competition
  9. Encourage risk-taking without fear (Read Fear Failure & Lose the Campus Culture)
  10. Be supportive of mistakes and failure

Communication Vision & Mission

Information sharing is important. No one wants to be caught off-guard by a calendar item or unknown due date. However, the priority in every meeting and every chance of communication is the vision and mission. A principal who is focused on the mission communicates it frequently. Here are three final tips that boost morale.

  1. Be clear about goals, expectations, and how success is measured
  2. Be consistent in communicating goals & expectations
  3. Praise effort toward goals, and celebrate success
For more on principal and leadership tips read...

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