Education Stalwarts 2022 | Manas Mehrotra, Trustee – Greenwood High | Leaders in Education
As the famous saying goes, WE leads to wellness and I leads to illness. When it comes to education, as educationists, our primary goal is to inculcate a sense of satisfaction, happiness, responsibility, curiosity, passion and compassion in every student. This cannot be done without the help of a team. A collective leadership is very important in running institutions as multiple factors need to be accounted for. Responsibility must be shared and each unit in an institution will contribute to the making of a great educational space. I started as an educationist in 2008 and overall, it’s been a great learning experience for me. Each day has been an imperative part of my learning curve in its own unique way, and an inspiration that keeps me going even today.
While Trait Theory and Great Man theory believe that leaders are born, not made; I strongly believe that we are leaders in our own ways and this can be cajoled by various catalysts like situation, training, responsibilities etc. however, there are some things that could help – if you have greater ability and knowledge, you will be valued highly. Constantly upgrade knowledge by learning or working with experts and think through problems and workout possible solutions. A critical part of building leaders and trust is to be honest in your practices at your workplace. Dedication and commitment are a must and mastering verbal communication is important for a leader.
“No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it.” – Andrew Carnegie, Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and philanthropist.
I am just as good as my team. While as a leader I can envision the future, it’s the team that makes it happen. I am fortunate to have a very good team working with me. It is this tandem that keeps us going. One cannot do without the other and my understanding is that we should always work things out through consensus and at the same time, be pro-active and decisive. This is my approach and my team is well aware of what to expect from me. The journey so far has been quite eventful and I credit my family and my team of extremely talented educators, administrators and support staff, who have stood by me as pillars of support and have been a key to make it endearing.
The pandemic has taught us many life lessons; learning being a major part of a child’s life had to be addressed in a very strategic way as the challenges were unheard of. To begin with, our ecosystem was built around the physical presence of the students and teachers under the same roof, which kept the attention of the child and knowledge sharing process smooth; with the pandemic setting in, the teachers had to adapt to new ways to share knowledge and asses the learning of the child. For the child, learning through a screen without one-on-one interaction with the teacher became a challenge. We understood that here both the teachers and the children needed handholding to a smoother paradigm shift; hence we had a robust support system. We trained the teachers to be abreast with technology, and introduced a helpline where students or parents could reach out for any help. We kept the communication channel transparent and had dedicated an email channel for parents and teachers to communicate where they shared challenges and sought guidance. Workshops for teachers, parents and active social, moral, and emotional discussions were promoted. I believe that any significant change or even an internal innovation starts with the development of a strategy that not only works in principle, but everyone within the organization understands and can work towards it collectively.
A brand is built not just by an individual, but by the entire team that backs the leader. One should not believe that running an educational institution is possible by an individual alone. There are multiple roles that are necessary to run the institution – you need administrative staff, good teachers, students, and a sensitive management. These positive conditions will create an effective leader who becomes the face of the brand. But remember always that the brand and leader are in front only because there are extraordinary people behind the brand. In this fast-moving and dynamic world, you have to be on your toes if you really wish to create a brand, extend high quality deliverables and then sustain it for years, and set a benchmark for the years to come.
Teachers carry the most important responsibility on their shoulders; they are the ones who emulate brand values along with knowledge to children. We at Greenwood High have always believed that teachers are the pillars of education, and everything is done to keep them motivated. Teaching is the noblest profession, and it is important for the leadership and management to ensure easy access to them, appreciate them when they do a good job, provide opportunities for them to grow professionally, and establish healthy and positive teacher interactions. Also, students must get the opportunity to speak about the positive strengths of teachers and finally, we need to give teachers a voice to communicate the needs and requirements of the fraternity and initiatives that need to be taken to make an educational institution a better workplace.
I am a student for life. When this is your core belief you learn and get inspiration from everywhere. My team is diverse and hoards a lot of knowledge and values. Each one I work with or have worked with has taught me or inspired me in many ways. I am what I am because of these experiences.
As leaders, we are supposed to set the right example keeping in mind that people are made differently and have different capabilities. Never give up bringing out the best in you is what I believe in and propagate. This inculcates a sense of inclusiveness, tolerance and positivity. Your success would be the sweetest when you realize what tough times you overcame. Such an attitude will open new opportunities for creativity and dare you to try things other people fear. Your emotional intelligence goes up and you begin to believe that anything you perceive is well within the realm of possibility. I aim to learn persistently, adapt to change, and be able to contribute my best to the industry that has taught me so much.
To be a leader in the education industry, one must have compassion and empathy along with a strong desire to connect with children. You need to provide a conductive environment to make sure the kids learn and grow in all aspects. This includes providing a positive environment to study and working towards a policy in the field of education which can make it more organized for all stakeholders. You must believe in ethical business, honesty, transparency, and be positive and give timely feedback to the team. Also, be highly approachable to the team, follow an open-door policy and have a hands-on approach. All this will help you build a good educational institution.
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