Being a manager is fun and reminds me of teaching but like teaching it has its tough moments. A lot of teachers blame their students for not meeting academic standards. I do understand that some students do not have the drive or motivation to complete their tasks. However, the teacher's actions have a lot of impact on how students perform academically. As a teacher you must scaffold your lessons by slowly building your students up to the highest academic standard. For those who are/were not teachers, here is a definition of scaffolding: Scaffolding is an instructional technique whereby the teacher models the desired learning strategy or task, then gradually shifts responsibility to the students. When managing people, it is important to properly train your employee (step by step) on how to do their job well. They cannot do this if you do not demonstrate for them.
Another important skill to have as a teacher and manager is to communicate expectations effectively. One way, I would do this in the classroom was to show my class an example of an ideal essay. I would explain how that essay meets my expectations by going through a rubric that shows how they will be evaluated on that essay and pointing out how the ideal essay meets or exceeds those expectations. Therefore, as they write their own essays, they have a clear understanding of how they will be evaluated and what I am looking for.
In terms of motivating students, this is also tied to teacher actions. As a teacher, you must invest your class in your work. You must motivate them by providing extrinsic rewards, intrinsic rewards and giving students rationale that explains why the subject you are teaching is critical for them to learn. My students understood why certain lessons were taught in my class and how they tied to the overall curriculum but most importantly how that lesson may help them in life. I was doing sales and marketing but instead of selling a product, I sold an education. As a manager, you must also make these things clear to your employees. Employees need to understand how they will be rewarded for good work and why their work is valuable. Most college graduates/interns nowadays don't work solely for financial purposes and therefore their work must add value. It is important for a manager to connect employee work to the overall company goal or mission.
Lastly, all teams need to be performance-driven. A collaborative team culture is always valued but if your staff is not focused on results, you will not accomplish much work depending on the industry you are in. Teach For America is a results-oriented non profit organization. Although we value our social culture, the mission of Teach For America is focused on student achievement. In the classroom, it is great to have a class that reflects a cohesive community with students caring for each other and being respectful. My students would constantly help their struggling classmates in assignments or be willing to offer a hug to another student who had a bad day. In addition to that, my students also knew that they had academic goals to meet. They were being graded on their performance and not on how they interact with others. In managing your team, it is best to create a positive culture but remain focused on results. If you would like to read more on this topic, I would suggest reading the article in Harvard Business Review called "What holds a modern company together?" by Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones.
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