Motivating and inspiring teachers to do the best work of their lives is always our goal as school administrators. In fact, it is also a challenge for us to motivate and inspire ourselves sometimes. Why is it so hard? Well, I have the answer to that, after years of researching, asking questions, and being in the muck of it all. It is because teaching kids, teaching adults, teaching humans is really, really hard. I know…you already knew that… but I wanted to make sure that, before I get started on this blog post, you knew how much I honor your work as a school leader, the teacher’s work, the parent’s support, and the student’s work. I want to respect the fact that this is hard work but it is the most important work. However, looking for ways to motivate and inspire humans must never stop. The key to motivating and inspiring is through creating space to learn AND implement with set intentions and very specific goals that matter to each individual. Learning is what gives us answers, it is what lights us up, and it is what helps us when we need it the most. That is why I am so obsessed with finding ways to help people do the best work of their lives.
People want to be motivated. They want to be inspired but we all tend to check out when the going gets tough. I know that I definitely feel the pull to disengage when it all feels too much. Instantly we want to say, “I can’t….” but what if we changed our way of thinking and instead of saying, “I can’t do it,” we say, “how can I do it?” Believe it or not, there is a way as a leader to help to grow motivation and inspiration and leaders, we play a huuuuuge part in it. We do this through setting up a culture that matters to the people who are living inside it day after day. We must pay very close attention to what priorities they have, what passions interest them, what interests they have, and the particular learning styles that are the most effective. So like anything else I do, I set an intention to study what motivates and inspires people to do the best work of their lives. I found that it was giving them support on how to solve problems, setting clear expectations and deadlines, teaching them about things that matter to them, letting them know what is in it for them, supporting them while they implement, and teaching them how to notice the progress they have made along the way. In fact, I am doing a free masterclass on the Top Three Secrets To How School Administrators Can Inspire and MotivateTeachers to Take Action and Get Results. In this free masterclass, I will show you exactly how to implement this system. You can sign up here now! I will be going through everything that I talk about in this post (and so much more) in great detail in the masterclass so that you can put it into action right away. Plus I will also be giving you the best freebie on productivity and efficiency if you show up live!
One way to motivate and inspire your teachers is to set up workshop style meetings. These workshop meetings consist of a 5 minute warmup or dumping session as I like to call it. This is where the teachers pair up and the administrator can either guide them with questions or you can nudge them to talk about a top priority that they are trying to solve. The next part of the meeting is a 10 minute mini lesson where the administrator models and teaches a strategy. After, there is about 20-30 minutes of independent/collaborative work time where the teachers get to work researching, creating, collaborating, teaching, analyzing, conversing, strategizing, etc. After, the meeting would end with a 5-10 minute closure activity. So for me, I often end with discussion in small groups or teachers coaching each other. Teachers would then be asked to leave an exit slip with one thing that stuck with them from the meeting. This can act as evidence for the administrator to use as next steps for the next meeting.
Another way to inspire and motivate your teachers is to set up a problem solving system where teachers get to decide on their top priority and that becomes the focus for all professional development, admin/teacher team teaching, grade team meetings, evidence and analyzing of data, etc. It gives the teachers a say in how they want to spend their time with very clear expectations set up along the way by admin by giving them a roadmap on how to solve problems. It also provides dates and deadlines for them to meeting certain milemarkers and it can also show them ways to gather evidence to notice and measure progress and coach each other along the way. It teaches admin and teachers how to engage in problems or top priorities instead of bypassing them. By teaching them a problem solving system, it now matters to the teachers because they know what is in it for them and they know what to do to get results. We are always in if we can see clear steps to get the results we have been looking for! If you are interested in exactly how I set up a problem solving system that is automated, the doors to my digital course School Administrator’s Academy are opening up on August `17th. This course teaches school administrators a problem solving system that engages, motivates, and inspires teachers to solve problems and set up automated systems.
In this course, you will go from scrambling to try to do it all and never knowing how to get ahead, to solving one problem at a time using the leadership edit system and getting your teachers to solve their own top priorities as well. In other words, it is a system that automates and systematizes problem solving, classroom observations, teachers coaching teachers, ways to gather evidence of problem solving, and boosts productivity and efficiency. If you are interested in enrolling, the doors open August 17th!
Let’s get to another strategy, called modelling. Modelling is a game changer when it comes to having a clear inspiring message that motivates the teacher community to take action. Modelling your expectations will change everything. If you are walking the walk right alongside your community showing them exactly what you expect, you will gain respect. Co-construct expectations with your community and then live them. Model instead of tell. Gather evidence along the way of progress that is being made because of the work they are doing. Model whatever it is you are looking for from them. This will make it clear to them and also allow them to see you in a vulnerable position. This is hard but, holy cow, is it powerful! Model teaching strategies, ways to analyze and gather data, how to write report card comments, how you are using the problem solving framework, etc. If you are walking the talk, it will change everything.
So there you have it! I have given some of most powerful secrets to inspiring and motivating teachers to take action and get results. Don’t forget I will be giving you even more secrets and diving deeper into these ones in my masterclass called, the Three Secrets To How School Administrator’s Can Inspire and Motivate Teachers To Take Action and Get Results. In this masterclass, I will give you 3 powerful ways that you can ignite inspiration and motivation in your teacher community and put it into action right away. Click here to enroll in this free masterclass now!
I have left you with some of my best kept strategies for inspiring and motivating teachers but I have so much more to share so make sure you sign up for this free masterclass! Remember, the first time you set up any system will take some hard work and time but it will last for years to come so just think how good you are going to feel next year when all you have to do is fill in the blanks.
Now it is time to take action! Start to implement at least one of these strategies to help you get started and stick with it until it becomes automated. Once it does, try another strategy. Next, sign up for my free masterclass and I will show you step by step how to implement all of these!
I also have a free guide to show school administrators how to use a workshop approach to inspire and motivate teachers during meetings. Happy workshopping!!!
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