Boost Staff Morale, 23 Tips

By -
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...

Comments

Post a Comment

What are your thoughts?

Popular posts from this blog

Accidental Diminishers, 6 Types for Self-Reflection

By -
Image
Multiplying results, multiplying your network, multiplying strength in others, multiplying your team's effective - these are all traits of multipliers (here's the amazing book by Liz Wiseman ). On the flipside, there are many actions that can diminish in spite of being spurred by good intentions. In this post, I'll share with you 6 types of accidental diminishers : The Optimist The Rapid Responder The Pace-Setter The Rescuer The Idea Guy Always On Marci Houseman shared the graphic below on Twitter, and I thought it would be perfect to share with you. The Wiseman Group " Being a multiplier means being aware of those times when we have a tendency to be an accidental diminisher. To build capacity we must provide others with the opportunity to learn and grow—even if something is done “differently” than we would have done it." - Marci Houseman The Optimist Being an optimist is a strength, and it's much needed. However, the strength...
Read more

How Long Should Direct Instruction Be?

By -
Image
How Long Should Direct Instruction Be? Direct instruction is great, but how long should it be - based on brain research? This is a great reminder from Eric Jensen about the length that most students can cognitively engage (in direct instruction, that is). Thanks  @DavidJHuber , for sharing this as we go back to school. But what can be done in only 8-12 minutes? Here are 5 high-yielding strategies that fit perfectly in this short direct instruction window. 1. Expand Prior Knowledge in Direct Instruction Part of the challenge in teaching classes of students (instead of individual students) is the range of background knowledge. Each student comes to class at a different starting point. Direct instruction can very efficiently build prior knowledge for all students. Present visuals, videos, quick reads, or graphic organizers. Fill in prerequisite background knowledge and push the limits on enriching background knowledge. This will allow all students to make richer conne...
Read more

Learning is an Adventure

By -
Image
I'm spending time in the mountains this week and am confronted with the awesome beauty and strength of nature. So much to fear, to wonder, and to explore.  A couple days ago we climbed Flattop Mountain ...ugh, I'm still sore. But I came across so many moments of inspiration that made me reflect on learning and education. Really, I came to believe that Learning is an Adventure. Here are a few of those moments that I felt were inspiring. Do. Learn. Live. These three words have been a theme lately ( shared on facebook ), but it really hit me on the hike. The path is not the destination. It is where the living is. It is the path where we find learning. We may or may not arrive at the destination - enjoy the path. What are you passionate about? Do. Don't delay. You don't need to know how, where, or why - just do. You will learn along the way. In that learning, we live.  Learning is not about inert facts and details. Learning is about life. Empowering each othe...
Read more