Empowering teachers with the right to participate in the determination of school goals and policies and to exercise professional judgment about what and how to teach is the best way to improve their productivity.

One way to do this is through distributed leadership: the idea that no one person at the top of the hierarchy makes all the decisions that will affect the work lives of the adults in the building. Instead, the school principal empowers teachers and staff to run crucial aspects of a school, such as admissions, professional development and new teacher mentoring. A true leader is one who is able to extend their leadership to others and allow them to lead positive change. Principals should consider giving teachers an opportunity to lead the way in teaching and their own learning in the classroom.

Similarly, flexibility is paramount in empowering leaders. Variety is truly the spice of life. Avoid group-think mentality, a mindset that takes over when lack of diversity and uncritical like-mindedness prohibits a group from accurately assessing problems and considering a full range of decision. Leadership is packaged in different gender, colors, shapes, sizes, ages, personality types, religious conviction, and incumbency. Add in healthy doses of experience, expertise, skills, and open mindedness. These positive attributes will keep fresh ideas circulating.

Creating opportunities with clear expectations is another way to empower teachers. Creating ample leadership opportunities that vary in levels of commitment and ability encourages teachers to contribute in measures that are comfortable to them. With an abundance of chances to participate, teachers will look for a lead project or position that suits them. However, fear of missing out and negative competitive tendencies that damage morale prevent teachers from volunteering and scaffolding their leadership commitments as well as experiences.

Further still, sharing the load to avoid burn out is also a good idea. Face it: being a leader takes a great amount of time and energy. A recurring theme I hear when listening to teachers’ perspectives on leadership is their struggle to balance additional responsibilities with an already full load. It’s important to understand that teacher leaders are hungry to learn, but they have tendencies to overload and be stressed. Keep their delicate balancing act in mind. Teacher leaders value planning time and do not want to lead at the cost of diminishing instructional quality. Creating ample and varied leadership opportunities, appropriately matching leaders to tasks, and sharing the load distributes responsibilities in manageable, collaborative doses.

Another thing that hasn’t yet been embraced is the promotion of professional learning communities so that leaders can network. Petroleum pumps need to be refueled after filling cars with gas, just like teacher leaders need refueling after invigorating their students and colleagues. Supporting charismatic environments where leaders are both energized and inspired to share what works and what doesn’t, will not only reinforce a culture of collaboration but will also expand a leader’s impact. Plus, it allows for opportunities to reflect and plan, and therefore improve effectiveness that ultimately results in increased student learning.

If teachers are vested sufficiently, miracles happen in the classrooms. Many teachers don’t feel empowered to share the great work they’re doing with students because they hear feedback only on their shortcomings. Spare yourself the headache from the rattles of disgruntled teachers by empowering them to lead.

The writer is a Language Consultant