There are many aspects to being a good manager like knowledge of the department, people & communication skills, vision to drive the team and company forward, etc. But it seems that some people go into management only having one particular subset of the necessary skills. It takes more than just being a skilled employee and telling people what to do in order to lead a team and be considered a good manager.

It's important to understand the type of motivation that our students have come to expect from school. If they are used to more extrinsic types of motivation (i.e. good grades or praise from a teacher) we have to find ways to intrinsically motivate them so they are seeking skills, knowledge, and talent because they want to grow as a person and as a professional.

It's important that we take the time to form specific goals with our students and meet them where they are. If the students don't have the motivation to reach a goal, or if they think it's too much, or even if they just don't know where to begin, it's our responsibility as staff to guide them in a way that allows them to set, maintain, and reach achievable goals for themselves and their careers.