Every organization needs people to run the organization. People put in the time, thoughts, and actions. As a result, an organization gains the power to reinforce or punish the actions of individual people.
But, sometimes the needs of an organization are not aligned with the needs of the people in the organization or the customers of the organization.
When the customers, organization, and people are not aligned with a shared purpose then everyone is frustrated.
As a member of an organization, I may feel ignored. As a leader, I must get results. A healthy organization will inform, involve, and invest in the people and the customers.
See 'healthy group'.
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Jsweitze-- In the case of Enron where it was stated that Bass was reassigned. His position was demoted and the tasks he was working towards were now, deemed no longer important. As an employee, he becomes lost and unsure of his purpose. Lay and Shilling claimed that they did not know what was going on. This is what happens in most organizations. “the powers that be”, harbor a dirty little secret; they control aspects of their employees performance and cause others to fail by making decisions that make things worse instead of better. Sometimes it is a direct onslaught, other times it can be subtle. As an employee, you are at their mercy
It is important that the needs of an organization are aligned with the needs of the staff. It is equally important that the staff needs coincide with student achievement in a school environment. Yet, many staff are on there own agenda which can break the continuity of the team. The goal of the leader is to "manage the organization" not control...The fact of the matter is that leaders are held accountable for the actions of others. This is a difficult position to be in and even more difficult for subordinates to understand. The leader should make informed decisions that include staff support. It is my opinion that a leader does not determine one's destiny...they simple clarify the path...
In an earlier post, I discussed the Cleveland Municipal School district, and how the Cleveland Public School System continued to ask city residents for more money because of their financially strapped schools, yet Barbara Byrd Bennett, CEO of the Cleveland Municipal School district, was seen on the news abusing the privilege of being a CEO by taking extravagant trips with her family to foreign countries, living in luxury, being chauffeured around town and on her trips—all at the tax payer’s expense. Add the fact that while Bennett was CEO, the Cleveland public schools suffered both financially and academically, so it appears little focus was on the needs of the students. I think this is a good example of how the needs of the organization are out of synch with the needs of the people in the organization and the customer. Sadly, the students, who in my opinion are the customers, suffer. This also indicates how some administrators are out of touch with the students, teachers, principles, counselors, parents, and even reality itself. I was always told and believe that the people at the top of an organization set the moral and ethical tone of the company (or organization) and it is my opinion if an organization is unhealthy, people should start looking both at what position is consider “unhealthy” and look up, not down.
As a leader in a school it is critical that you inform the staff of school and district goals. Teachers should then be involved in making the suggestions to improve the goals by various actions steps that are to be implemented. Since the teachers will be investing their time and dedication into something they believe in, it is the responsibility of the leader to invest in the teachers.
At the same time that all the above points are valid, a strong school leader has to also take into account community influences. In rural districts like my own, many of the staff will be alumni of that school that have allowed themselves to perpetuate the norms that were in place when they were in school. Often times, community influence can make the goals of the leader obsolete just by being present. It is really unfortunate that though the customer must rely on the school to make the right decision for the student they cannot resist having influence on what they feel is the right decision. Effective awareness and handling of the community card is vital to the success of the school leader.
The needs of the orgianization and the needs of the people in the organization must be one. If not, both the organization and the people will be in disarray. It takes people to make an organization and it takes an organization of people to make things run effectively. When people feel that there needs are being met in an organization, people will be more ative in that organization.
After reading through the various postings, I can see why many people relate coaching to being in administration. There are so many parallel comparisons ranging from keeping parents, players, and the board happy along with looking for ways to creatively keep everyone's interest. One of the best teachers I ever had was a coach who told me that his greatest success was based on communicating with everyone from the top to the bottom in order to make them all feel like they had some part on the team.
Leadership and leaders are necessary to run an organization, but those that are being led truly hold the power, the ability, and the desire to complete tasks. Individuals must be satisfied, as outlined in the article, and feel that they are making an impact and not just going through the motions. Too many times leaders think that what they are doing are the only important aspects of the group and lose sight of those that are working the situations. I have seen too many times when the leader observes and gets input, but then goes the entire different direction on a problem or situation. They not only lose the trust of the workers, they also lose credibility and the ability to maintain or gain the respect of the workers.
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