Leadership Styles of Top Administrators: Determinant Factor of Principals' Job Satisfaction

The presence of leaders and their leadership within an organization plays a crucial role in determining whether the organization succeeds or fails in achieving its objectives. A leader's leadership style is strongly linked to employees' job satisfaction. This study examines the connection between the leadership style of the highest-ranking administrator and the job satisfaction of school principals. Data were collected through a questionnaire distributed to 102 school principals from a prominent private educational institution in Indonesia. The findings indicate that both transformational and transactional leadership styles of the top administrator positively correlate with school principals' job satisfaction. Therefore, the top administrator should encourage an active and participative leadership style that inspires, provides direction, and offers recognition, thereby supporting school principals in performing their duties optimally. In contrast, a passive leadership approach should be avoided, as it tends to be ineffective in enhancing job satisfaction and the performance of educational organizations.