Motivation isn’t just personal — it’s contagious!

By Beth Wolstenholme

Leadership at any level in education can be both rewarding and challenging. For a Programme Manager (PM) overseeing Personal Development, Behaviour and Attitudes (PDBA), juggling the workload of supporting student wellbeing, GCSE resits, teaching PSHE, safeguarding and managing a team can be demanding. So, how do PDBA PMs stay motivated and carry on during times of demotivation? 

Why This Matters 

Motivation impacts an individual, but the motivation of leaders can trickle down and impact their team. Research suggests that when leaders feel positive and motivated, they model effective behaviours, reduce stress within teams and can even help lower staff absence (Perryman & Calvert, 2020; Greiger & Pivovarova, 2018). I wanted to find out: 

1. What drives PDBA PMs to enter and stay in the profession? 
2. How does their leadership style shift depending on motivation levels? 
3. What strategies do they use to manage themselves and their teams during the highs and lows of the workplace? 
4. ​How does their state of mind affect staff morale and performance?​

The Approach 

Using a case study approach, allowed the exploration of rich insights rather than reducing them to statistics. PDBA PMs shared their real experiences in interviews and revealed their motivations, coping strategies and glimpses into their individual leadership styles. 

The Findings 

1. What drives PDBA PMs to enter and stay in the profession? Interestingly, despite having advanced to positions of leadership, the PMs all still held “making a difference”, improving the learner experience and supporting young people as their motives to work in education. One summarised, “That is your fundamental driving force behind all of this: It involves ensuring that the students receive the greatest education possible while under your care.” This suggests that even in managerial positions, their motivation is still to support the improvement of young people’s lives and use their positions to influence others to do the same. 
2. How does their leadership style shift depending on motivation levels? The leadership behaviour of the PMs seemed to follow a similar pattern; when motivated they were positive and creative, even “buzzing”. However, demotivation significantly dropped the energy they brought to the role. When experiencing demotivation, the PMs attended work but with the attitude of “let’s just get through the day” and saw them “not putting as much effort in”. 
3. What strategies do they use to manage themselves and their teams during the highs and lows of the workplace? When motivated, the PMs enjoyed getting to know their teams on a personal level, ensuring staff felt valued, were offered opportunities to be creative and autonomous, and supported in their roles. Demotivation saw them taking themselves away from their responsibilities, with the aim to reflect and re-focus. This took the form of an afternoon working from home, asking team members to “do your job to the best of your abilities,” and “working out what I need to do for the day … and just prioritise”. 
4. How does their state of mind affect staff morale and performance? All the PMs knew that their motivation levels had an impact on their team. They discussed how when they were motivated and energised, this feeling “passed on”. However, when demotivated, their teams would take on the workload of the PM in an effort to support them. While admirable, this then put extra pressure on the team. In both motivational states, it was acknowledged that leaders significantly shift the atmosphere in positive or negative ways. 

What This Means 

This study highlighted the powerful role of trust, positivity and valuing staff in shaping workplace relationships and on a bigger scale, culture. For leaders in FE, this is an important reminder that motivation is contagious. Leadership strategies must adapt with morale and motivation levels, and professional relationships built on trust and respect can improve periods of demotivation. Overall, motivation matters for more than just the individual; it has a direct impact on the culture and atmosphere of the team. Leaders should be encouraged to be adaptive, self-aware and build positive relationships in order to better support both learners and staff. 

Call to action:

Connect with Beth Wolstenholme via LinkedIn

References 

Geiger, T., & Pivovarova, M. (2018). The effects of working conditions on teacher retention. Teachers and Teaching theory and practice, 24(6), 604-625. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2018.1457524

Perryman, J., & Calvert, G. (2020). What Motivates People To Teach, And Why Do They Leave? Accountability, Performativity And Teacher Retention. British Journal of Educational Studies, 68(1), 3-23. https://doi.org/10.1080/00071005.2019.1589417 

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