For me, it was Mrs. Sheets in 8^th grade English. She’s one of the teachers who had the greatest impact on me because of her approach to teaching. She worked with the entire class, but still treated each student as an individual. She took the time to understand each student’s needs and never seemed to tire of the questions which I’m sure she’d already answered a thousand times before. She seemed to get more excited than the students when a new concept finally “clicked” for them. She had a great sense of humor and a passion for teaching that was most evident when she saw her students improve.

One essential function of the leader is to bring out the very best in your team. John Maxwell puts it this way, “If you really want to be a successful leader, you must develop other leaders around you.” (Developing the Leaders Around You, 1995) So to be an effective leader, you will need to be an effective mentor and teacher. What can we learn and apply from other great teachers?

What are the ingredients of a great teacher?

There is more to being a great teacher than just being the subject matter expert. In fact, it will take five key ingredients for you to be the best at helping others reach their full potential.

1. Be a subject matter expert

This is the first ingredient, because it is the most obvious. You cannot teach what you don’t understand. Unfortunately, many teachers think this is the only requirement to be a great teacher. You can probably think of a teacher who is absolutely brilliant, but that teacher is lacking in the other four areas. Just because someone understands theory does not mean they know how to communicate it. Know your stuff, but make sure you include the other four ingredients too.

2. Share your real-world experience

It’s much easier to lead a team somewhere when you’ve already been there yourself. Real-world examples of how you’ve failed while learning or succeeded while applying this knowledge will do two things for you. First, it shows you are vulnerable. It shows how you have learned from one of your own failures and that will help the students relate to you. Second, the real-world examples help them see practical applications for how to use this knowledge in the future.

3. Don’t lecture, use questions

Don’t bore your team with a lecture.  A 2015 Microsoft study shows that human attention spans have decreased to only eight seconds, while goldfish can concentrate for nine! In today’s smartphone world, you probably don’t need a study to confirm that attention spans have shortened. I’m sure you’ve seen it yourself or even participated (I’m guilty!). The most engaging coaching conversations are filled with open-ended questions (e.g. How…? Why…?) followed by conversation extenders like “What else?”

4. Be approachable

While our students want to learn from a subject matter expert, they also want to connect to you on a human level. Approachability means taking the time to ask engaging questions and then listen attentively. My good friend and communications expert Cynthia Oelkers says it best, “When a leader is likeable, teams feel the freedom to reveal what’s truly going on (especially the bad stuff).” To be approachable with your team, start by being available and accessible.

5. Passion to see others succeed

While this is number five in our list, it is actually the primary key for success. It’s the heart of the teaching leader. It’s the foundation upon which the other four elements are built. More than anything else, when the leader has a passion to see others succeed, long-term success is more likely to occur. This passion cannot be faked. The leaders in your organization who have this genuine passion are easy to spot because everyone wants to work for them.

We can’t all be natural-born teachers like Mrs. Sheets, but we can all improve how we develop the teams around us. Make sure your heart is in it. Let the 5^th Element, your passion for their success, be the foundation. Then develop the other four elements on top of the foundation as your cornerstones for success.

How did a great teacher from your life make an impact on you?

Never stop improving,

Russ

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