What people need in your organization 

The best school districts and schools exist not simply because of great leaders but because they have the best people (the staff).  Leaders are important but it’s more important that the teachers/staff believe they can make a difference, believe in each other, continuously grow professionally and make it about kids. This is driven by the leaders and a result of their actions with the staff. This can only occur in places where staff have their professional needs met and leaders strive to provide the 4 basic attributes to their people.  In this blog post, we consider What People in your Organization Need as a way to ensure you are helping your staff to move your school forward.

This concept comes from the book Strengths Based Leadership by Don Clifton as the author and Gallup have done years of research involving thousands of organizations that show why people stay and others leave. Furthermore, they studied and learned why some leaders thrive and others do not within an organization.  Here are the 4 basic attributes that leaders need to provide their people in the organization.

Trust

Leaders recognize the importance of helping their school or district grow and improve.  To achieve this, the leaders themselves first must lead with integrity and honesty.  This will allow the staff to believe in their leaders and trust their actions, behaviors and decisions.  This answers the question that staff have when new leaders join the organization of “Can I trust you”?

Compassion

Leaders have many conversations with staff as they set the expectations for the school. At times, this also means that leaders need to reaffirm with staff the expectations and put procedures in place to help individuals move forward. In even those hard conversations, the leaders can visit with the individual from a place of caring, listen with intent to understand and see the other persons’ perspective but reaffirm the organization’s values and mission.  When leaders act in a professional manner and put the needs of the organization first, individuals may not agree with the leader’s conversation but they will remember how the leader treated them with dignity and respect. It is always important that staff can answer the question “Does the leader care about me” with a yes.

Stability

Change in any school organization will happen and all organizations must strive for continual improvement. However, the core values of the leaders and the mission/vision of the district helps provide a consistent focus for individuals as they perform their job roles.  From an individual leader perspective, the leaders provide stability by being consistent with their behaviors, communication and what they emphasize in their work.  This includes both verbal and nonverbal actions. When staff know what to expect from their leaders they can answer the question “Do I know what the leader wants” and if this is a “yes”, this allows the individuals to be focused on their role and what matters most – the students.

Hope 

A quality that everyone needs is the importance of being inspired. Inspired to grow, improve and believe in the work they are doing day in and day out truly matters.  Leaders must provide this inspiration to give hope for the organization. The hope provides the stimulus to move forward during challenging times, despite hurdles and frustrations, and believe in something bigger than themselves.  This allows an individual staff member to know “How will you help me”. Telling stories, reminding staff of their impact and showing gratitude are all ways that leaders can provide hope for individuals.

Leaders must remember that creating positive change requires that we must be intentional with our efforts – we must focus on meeting the needs of our people within our organization so they can be their best.  If we take care of our staff and support their work, then this allows the staff to be their best for the students.  The focus of leaders must be “People over programs”. I hope this blog allows leaders to remember our purpose and perhaps, reflect and adjust our focus so we can be our best for others.  It is never too late to change or adapt to create something better. We owe that to our students and staff that we serve. I encourage you to reflect and better understand “What People Need in Your Organization” as a leader and how we each have opportunities to strive to get better and that includes learning from others but also supporting others.  Comment below or reach out to me at leadlearnerperspectives@gmail.com

Learn

Engage

Adapt

Delegate

Empower

Reflect

Serve