Leading with Vision: The Art of Transformational Leadership

“The single biggest way to impact an organization is to focus on transformational leadership. There is almost no limit to the potential of an organization that recruits good people, raises them up as leaders and continually develop them.” — John C. Maxwell (2001) The 17th Irrefutable Laws of Teamwork, page 185

Teacher morale is perhaps the biggest influence on any school climate. When teachers feel supported and work recognized job satisfaction increases. But, when teachers sense a lack of support, it can have a disturbing effect on the school atmosphere.

Teachers already have to deal with the constant demand for accountability and the pressure that accompanies such demands can lead to low teacher morale. Therefore, principal support is imperative to increase levels of work satisfaction and to retain teachers.

Principals play a key role in supporting and encouraging teachers in a safe, holistic school environment that allows all teachers and students to feel empowered and supported. Empowering and supporting teachers and teaching in the classroom through transformational leadership is a particular and important challenge for even the best principal.

“When a principal sneezes the entire school catches a cold.”

–TODD WHITAKER

Research by Kruger, Witziers, and Sleegers (2007) state that “transformational leadership has a positive impact on teacher motivation, professional growth, and on a variety of organizational conditions, including school culture, contributing to educational change in schools” (p. 16).

Leadership roles have evolved over the years, and it is difficult for anyone to keep up with all the myriad roles and sophisticated leadership strategies. It's still tough for principals to keep up with transformational leadership research and find better ways to support teachers. The principal must be able to understand and support teachers in order to bring out the best in them. In order to be successful, they must also be creative in their approach to leadership and be willing to take risks.

Healey (2009) reminds us that “healthy relationships among teachers, students, coaches, parents, and staff members transform schools” (p. 31).

Hello, readers

I want to thank you for taking the time to read about transformational leadership.

Organizations and communities can benefit from the strong and motivating approach of transformational leadership. I hope this post has given you insightful knowledge, practical advice, and inspiration to help you develop into a more powerful and influential leader.

Apply the article's tips and strategies to leadership positions. I also urge you to impart them to coworkers, friends, and peers who might find them useful.

Once again, I appreciate your interest.

All the best, William

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References

Healey, T. (2009, September). Creating greatness. The Education Digest, 30-34.

Kruger, M. L., Witziers, B., & Sleegers, P. (2007). The impact of school leadership on school-level factors: Validation of a causal model. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 18, 1-20.

Maxwell, John C. (2001) The 17th Irrefutable Laws of Teamwork, page 185.