In reality, a principal never controls how staff members come to work, just as a principal should not control every aspect of the teacher's job. "Directive or command-and control behavior may get the immediate task done, but it undermines the growth and development of those who are subjected to it, diminishing teacher leadership and the leadership capacity of the school" (Lambert, 2003, p. 44). A principal never gives up complete control, but needs to be acutely aware of ways that they increase dependency.
As the leader, the principal needs to break this dependency. To do this he should continue working to empower the staff, ". . . releasing the full potential of [his] employees in order for them to take on greater responsibility and authority in the decision-making process and providing the resources for this process to occur" (Cartwright, 2002, p.6). The principal can ask individuals to take on the responsibility of researching problems and coming up with possible solutions. People find ". . . that challenge, significance, and the need to solve problems are important attributes of work that [they] find interesting, enjoyable, and, in a word, motivating" (Owens, 2004, p. 330). When teachers become a significant part of the solution, their motivation and enthusiasm rises. They regain their self-initiative and are less dependent.
- 943 reads
