TITLE:
What Makes School Leaders Inspirational and How Does This Relate to Mentoring?
AUTHORS:
Peter Hudson
KEYWORDS:
Leadership; Mentoring; Preservice Teachers; Mentor
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Leadership,
Vol.2 No.4,
October
23,
2013
ABSTRACT: Leadership comes in
many forms (such as transactional, transformational,anddistributed) and its
effectiveness can inspire others to achieve organisational goals and visions.Inspiration as an emotional event requires
receptiveness and an awareness of social interdependence. When mentees are
inspired by mentor role models they can extend personal attributes and
practices.Similar to other leaders, inspiring mentors can motivate mentees to
develop a strength of character and achieve goals in the workplace.What makes school leaders inspirational and
how does this relate to mentoring? This qualitative study collects data from 25
experienced teachers, which involved a written questionnaire, work samples, and audio-recorded focus group
discussions. These participants indicated that inspirational school leaders
were those who had: 1) organisational goals (e.g., visionary, goal driven,
innovative, & motivational); 2) professional skills such as being
knowledgeable, communicative, and acknowledging others’ achievements; and 3)
personal attributes (e.g., integrity, active listening, respectful,
enthusiastic, & approachable). This research shows how mentors and school
leaders can consider the inspirational attributes and practices outlined by
participants in this study to inspire teaching staff. For example, an awareness
of attentive listening, motivational and visionary practices, and acknowledging
individual achievements can guide school leaders and mentors to inspire others
for achieving organsational goals and visions.