Abstract:

In the scientific community there has been a growing interest around leadership which has been analyzed as a factor inextricably linked to motivation. This alliance is seen as fundamental to the success of organizations, such as schools, when stemming from solid and appropriate leadership practices. The study's main objective was to understand whether there is a significant relationship between the leadership practices of school directors and the levels of motivation of the teaching staff. This was a quantitative descriptive study, whose sample included 97 teachers from a grouping of national schools. The information was gathered through the use of a questionnaire, which was distributed via the Google Docs platform. The sample was mostly female (77,3%) and mainly spanned in the age range of 46 to 55. A teaching service experience of over 20 years stood out. In the domain of personal features, the ones most valued by teachers were fairness, assertiveness, humility, and authenticity, along with communication, flexibility, and empathy in social features. In terms of professional skills, the sample favored an innovative, objective, and resilient director. As for the type of leadership that the respondents said they favored, the democratic style prevailed. School directors, as leaders, are fundamental parts of the organization, as they are responsible for articulating, encouraging, and mobilizing their followers, namely the teachers, to achieve common goals, which, will imply building quality education. As such, different leadership styles can dictate different levels of commitment and motivation in an organization's employees, namely teachers, which is the community that interests us, especially in this research. By building a cohesive and positive organizational climate, directors can prove to be essential agents in developing support and a teacher's motivation, as mobilizing agents of values such as justice and trust, as well as concern for their own personal and professional growth and development. That way, they will be stimulating those around them to imitate them. This research show leadership practices that reflect different styles. However, a democratic style predominates, based on a communication culture, the provision of feedback, autonomy, and cooperation, which favors teachers' motivations and enhances their organizational commitment, which can be reflected in the organization's results.

Keywords:

Motivation, leadership, director, educational management.