Assalamualaikum and bismillah. The topic for this week is leadership, which includes communicating, coaching, and dealing with conflicts and disagreements. There is no one-size-fits-all style of leadership; a great leader can adjust their approach to the circumstances. Additionally, these types also need communication skills. One of the definitions of communication, as we all know, is:
'The sharing of information between individuals or groups to reach a common understanding to accomplish organizational goals and objectives.'
Coaching is the next sub-topic of my journal reflection. Imagine your school principal saying this to you:
"You're never on time, are you?" This is a really reckless act. Without getting your act together, you will be kicked out of this institution."
Some school principals believe that this is a practical kind of performance coaching. However, in actuality, it is criticism and not particularly helpful criticism at all! Teachers who have received such criticism are unlikely to be strongly motivated to change; instead, they are more likely to be depressed or dissatisfied. They will most likely declare they will improve only to get the principal off their backs and out of their way. And although things may seem to be improving for a brief period of time, the issue will come back and resurface. To have a more productive discussion, coaching rather than criticism is recommended. The contrast between coaching and criticism is that coaching is intended to enhance performance, but criticism is often used to vent anger. Coaching may include having a difficult conversation about a problem; criticism, on the other hand, typically involves having a difficult conversation about the person. Coaching is a two-way discussion of performance in pursuit of answers, while criticism is a one-way negative discussion of performance intended only to alleviate the manager's irritation.
Well, the last issue that I would like to write about is conflict. The first thing we must recognize is that workplace conflict is a reality that must be dealt with. There are just three options: accept the situation, ignore the problem, or deal with the situation. We are often confronted with conflict from the beginning of our professional lives, yet effectively managing conflict is a critical ability for effective management and may make the difference between being a successful leader or failed leader.
Schools may be a fertile place for conflict.
Schools and other educational institutions are particularly conducive to conflict. For one reason, schools are made up of diverse groups of students engaging with classmates and adults of varying ages, for example, junior and senior teachers and administrators. If we encounter conflicts among our colleagues or the school principal, we, as professionals, may act as mediators, bringing order and charting a path to resolution. Numerous mediators use role-playing, which helps alleviate tensions by injecting laughter into the conflict resolution process. It can develop a greater capacity for empathy for both conflicted colleagues.
When I was 'Ketua Panitia' for English Panel, we had an English teacher who retired, and we got a young teacher to replace her. I was looking forward to this young teacher's new ideas for the classroom. She served as an excellent role model for our students, and she participated in after-school activities with them. I paired her with a senior teacher that would be a great mentor for her to learn from. It seemed to me that the senior teacher may provide her with some helpful classroom management advice (which is always challenging for new teachers). Little did I realize my so-called formula caused a catastrophe. The senior teacher was uninterested in mentoring the newbie. The new teacher was displeased with being regarded as a student. Consequently, some student behaviours were allowed in the class of this new young teacher but were deemed improper in the mentor's eyes. The mentor believed the young teacher was more concerned with popularity than academic achievement, while the junior said that the senior instructor was too harsh.
I planned a meeting with them separately but finally decided that it would be best to meet them all together and lay everything out. None of them wanted to accept that they were incapable of cooperating. Finally, both recognized the conflict between them and realized they could have accomplished a more effective job. It was humiliating to have to refer them to the principal and speak with them about their behaviour. They became close friends after that and continued working together.
When you are in an administrative position, it is your responsibility to assist your teachers in resolving problems. These circumstances may deteriorate to the point where they might jeopardize the students' education, which is the last thing we want as educators. The most important thing is that you have a good rapport between your colleagues and your staff/teachers, then you can guarantee that any issue can be resolved smoothly, promptly, and thoroughly.
Reference
Anchal Luthra & Dr. Richa Dahiya. (2015). Effective leadership is all about communicating effectively. International Journal of Management & Business Studies vol.5, Issue 3
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