Social Relationships in Middle and Late Adolescence

Society is composed of different types of people from all walks of life. Within a society
are communities grouped together based on social, family, or other types of relationships. The
frequency, depth, and meaningfulness of interactions between individuals dictate the kind of
community it is. Communities are formed because the relationships contained within are
beneficial in some way or form to every member.

A society can be seen as a bigger community. Your basic community is your family,
composed of nuclear and extended family members. Around your family is an ever enlarging
circle of bigger communities.

Leadership
An important role in society is ascribed to leaders. The typical functions of leaders is to
monitor and control the direction or goals of the community and the methods used by the
members to reach these goals.
There are nine leadership essentials, as culled from the various leadership models:

 A leader has followers. No followers, no leader.

 Effective leaders listen well.
 Great leaders combine both empathy and logic.
 Great leaders provide clear and compelling communication
 Great leaders have visions.
 They genuinely take care of their people.
 Great leaders provide actual modeling and provide structure and organization.
 Great leaders are both reflective and action oriented.
 Great leaders are team players and help develop other great leaders.

Who is a servant- leader?

Greenleaf said that the servant leader is one who is a servant first. He wrote “It begins
with the natural feeling of wanting to serve; to serve first” (Stone, Russel, & Patterson, 2003).
Then conscious choice makes one aspire to lead. Note also that one of the most important
characteristics of leadership is the capacity to listen well with full awareness.

A servant leader is one who:

 is listens well
 is empathic
 heals
 is self-aware
 is persuasive
 conceptualizes (dreams great dreams)
 has foresight
 has a sense of stewardship
 is committed to the growth of people
 builds community

Leadership: Beginnings and Significance

Where does leadership training start? It is always from the first source, you.
Socrates, Aristotle, and other Greek philosophers said that knowing one’s self is the first step
to leadership greatness. Leadership begins with the self. By knowing oneself one can relate
to others more. Being able to be in touch with oneself makes it easier to empathize and
imagine oneself in the shoes of others. And by becoming more in touch with what others are
going through, along with the support of family, friends, or community, one can become a
better leader. It is always important to remember that without followers, there will be no
leaders! Therefore, leaders and followers act in symbiotic relationship, where mutual
support is expected.

More about GRIT

Dr. Paul G. Stoltz, in his book, GRIT: The New Science of what it takes to Persevere,
Flourish, and Succeed, defined GRIT as the capacity to dig deep and do whatever it takes–
even sacrifice, struggle and suffer –to achieve your most worthy goals in the best ways.

GRIT also has 4 dimensions. They are:

Growth – this refers to the tendency to seek and consider new ideas, additional alternatives,
different approaches, and fresh perspectives.

Resilience – This is the capacity to respond constructively and make good use of adversities.

Instinct – This refers to the person's gut- level capacity to pursue the rights goals in the best
and smartest ways.

Tenacity – This is the degree to which one commits to a goal and persists in achieving it.

Apart from the four main dimensions, Stoltz also identified two more significant aspects of
GRIT:

Robustness – This is how well a person holds up over time, and the degree which one is
worn down or becomes stronger in the face of difficulties.

Quality – This is achieved when a person consistently and reliably demonstrates their fullest
grit in achieving his or her goals.
Four capacities of GRIT:

Physical
Emotional
Mental
Spiritual