Transformational or Authoritative?

I was sitting at my desk when two teachers entered. The first teacher (a former leader) sat at the conference table and began a discussion about Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and the other waited to tell me about her electronic Due Process Checklist that she planned to complete, print and place in the students’ IEP folders.  After the second teacher finished speaking, the first teacher retorted with her elbows propped on the table, head in hands and face towards the table, “Just get the dang things completed and printed. Don’t come in here with excuses. Nobody wants to hear that!”  The same teacher turned to me and said, “I said what you were thinking. That’s exactly what you wanted to say, wasn’t it?” I looked at her and said, “No. That was the furthest thing from my mind. That’s not it all.”  She smiled and another conversation was held.

Transformational or authoritative leadership – do we really get it? Do leaders really understand when people are verbally abused high levels of productivity may be short lived?  Transformational leaders guide change through inspiration.  Currently, department areas of growth have been identified and team members are owning responsibility for their work and caseloads. Monitoring, constructive feedback, and consistency have been the ingredients for the change the department is experiencing.  Destructive language that demoralizes human resources does not create a climate and culture where people go above and beyond the call of duty.  While authoritative leadership has its place, it should be used in various situations and with an understanding that an opportunity for coaching should guide the change.