UNIT III: Basic Leadership Training

This unit focuses on the different virtues as a foundation of leadership. It also describe the qualities and
characteristics of a good leader.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this chapter you will be able to:

• Describe the different virtues as a foundation of leadership.

• State and describe the qualities and characteristics of a good leader;
• Differentiate and illustrate the different leadership styles as practiced by leaders; and
• Assess and evaluate the current leadership qualities for potential leaders.

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A. LEADERS AND LEADERSHIP

1. Leadership is the art of influencing people to get the necessary support and cooperation
in community affairs to maintain solidarity among people.
2. A leader is one who helps/facilitate communities of people, takes risk, and envisions a
better future for his group.
B. A leader has followers. As Peter Drucker pointed out, a leader is someone who has followers.
Even poor leaders have followers, but usually not for long.

1. Virtue is defined as conformity to a standard of right and morality. It is a beneficial

quality or power of a thing and a commendable quality, trait or habit.
2. The following virtues are considered the foundation of leadership:
A. Prudence
B. Justice
C. Fortitude
D. Temperance
E. Industry
F. Loyalty
G. Responsibility
H. Cheerfulness
I. Generosity
J. Magnanimity

C. TRAITS OF LEADERSHIP
1. True leaders is the art of changing a group from what it is into and what it ought to be.
2. Leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it become emergency.
3. Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.
4. Leadership is learning to give whether you get anything or not.
 5. On the other side of the coin of leadership is loneliness, for he who is a leader must
always act alone, and acting alone means accepting everything alone.
6. Leadership is the ability to handle uncertainty.
7. What is “it”? This is the aspect of leadership that is concerned with outward
appearance. It means looking, dressing, and talking like a leader.
8. Leadership has nothing to do with ordering people around or directing their every
move.
9. The climax of leadership is to know when to do what.

D. Qualities of a Good Leader

1. Good leader enable people to fell and become empowered.

2. Good leaders inspire values of caring. In such a caring community, each person is
valued.
3. Good leaders, ensure that learning and competence matter.
4. Good leaders, particularly those in administration, create an atmosphere where work is
stimulating challenging, and fun.
5. Good leaders help people feel a sense of unity.
6. Good leaders help members develop a sense of security and trust not only in the leader
but also in one another.
7. A good leader displays reliability and integrity.
8. A good leader is honest and trustworthy, and has integrity.
9. The best leaders use thinking to help members develop a set of intentions, outcomes,
goals, and directions.

E. CHARACTERISTICS OF A LEADER
1. Have the will to lead rather that manage;
2. Maintain high morale among their people;
3. Inspire commitment and teamwork;
4. Display, at times, energy, passion, and enthusiasm;
5. Are focused and able to focus those the lead;
6. Take prudent risks;
7. Are honest with themselves;
8. Carry on despite setbacks;
9. Know their field and job in great depth;
10. Work to instill values in their people;
11. Orient themselves toward the customer;
12. Take a long-term perspective;
13. Invite input;
14. Tolerate mistakes;
15. Set standards and objectives;
16. Remain calm under fire;
17. Ensure that people have resources to do their job;
18. Believe in themselves and their people;
 19. Initiate change rather that react to it;
20. Take responsibility;
21. Aren’t afraid to work side by side with good, ambitious people;
22. Envision a better future;
23. Don’t blame others;
24. Have a “buck stops here” attitude;
25. Want to win;
26. Are curious and flexible;
27. Test assumptions constantly
28. Don’t over control;
29. Give subordinates leeway to act;
30. Tolerate, if not invite, dissent;
31. Believe they can affect the world for the better;
32. See opportunity in challenges;
33. Make instinctive decisions based on experience;
34. Take time to teach people their point of view.

F. LEADERSHIP STYLES

1. Authoritarian Leadership (Survival)

A leader makes a decision and announces it.

 A leader announces his decision with no feeling of responsibility or accountability to share the
reasons.

A leader presents decision but “Sells it to Member:

 A leader announce his decision and shares the reason behind it.
 A leader present a decision and invites questions for clarification.
 A leader announces his decision, but responds to questions for clarification.

2. Consultative Leadership (Security)

A leader presents a tentative decision subject to change.

 A leader announce his “tentative” decision and announces that he is open to questions for
clarification and discussion.

A leader presents a situation, gets input, makes a decision.

 A leader identifies a situation or problem and moves into a facilitating role to surface
assumptions and suggestions, then moves out of facilitating role and makes a decision.

A leader call on members to make a decision, but hold on veto.

A leader calls on the group to identify situations and limitations, explores and makes a decision
contingent on leader’s veto power.
 3. Enabling Leadership

A Leader defines limits, calls on members to make a decision.

 A leader shares any “givens” (e.g. funds available, time parameter, etc.) and facilitates a decision
by members on basis of limitations.

A leader calls on members to identify limits, explore situation, and make a decision.

 A leader maintains a facilitating role by allowing members to identify a situation or problem,

identify limits, explore and make a decision.

LESSON V: TEAM BUILDING FOR YOUTH ORGANIZATION

A. TEAM DEVELOPMENT
1. A Youth Organization is a collection of teams comprising of young people.
2. Factors Contributing to team Development and Effectiveness

The development of a team is based on the assumption that any team is able to work more effectively if
its members are familiar with the four factors that contribute to team development and effectiveness.
These are:

A. Shared Goals and Objectives

The team must state the goals and objectives.

B. Utilization of Resources

The team must use effectively all the resources at its disposal.

C. Trust and conflict resolution

The ability to openly recognize conflict and to seek to resolve it

D. Shared Leadership

Individuals will not function as a team if they are brought together simply to “rubber stamp”
decisions made by the team’s formal leader or others not in the team. Cohesion of a team occurs
only where there is a feeling of shared leadership among all team members.

3. Team Relationship and Management

a. A team is a number of persons associated together in work or activity.

 b. In a relationship in an organization or movement, people have various
expectations of each other. These expectations sometimes are not stated;
sometimes they are unconscious.

c. The management of the organization depends on proper coordination.

Coordination implies enabling people to reach their own goals, transform
their situation, and take their destiny into their own hands.

4. Building a better team

The following aspects are necessary for building a better team.

a. Teamwork reflects camaraderie

b. Teamwork reflects Unity

Whatever the outcome of the project, it is the team that works towards it. It is not a single stick
anymore, but a bundle of sticks hard to break, strong and fighting.

c. Teamwork divides the effort and multiplies the success

Each group has ample zest and inspiration to become a dream team

5. The characteristics of an Effective Team

A. The team members share a sense of purpose or common goals, and each team member is
willing to work toward achieving these goals.

B. The team is aware of and interested in its own processes and it examines norms operating with
the team.

C. The team identifies its own resources and uses them, depending on its needs.
D. The team members continually try to listen to and clarify what is being said and show interest in
what others say and feel.

E. Differences of opinion are encouraged and freely expressed.

F. The team is willing to surface conflict and focus on it until it is resolved or managed in a way that
does not reduce the effectiveness of those involved.

G. The team exerts energy towards problem solving rather that allowing it to be drained by
interpersonal issues or competitive struggles.

H. Roles are balanced and shared to facilitate both the accomplishment of tasks and feelings of
team cohesion and morale.

I. To encourage risk taking and creativity, mistakes are treated as sources of learning rather than
reasons for punishment.

J. The team is responsive to the changing need of its members and to the external environment to
which it is related.

K. Team members are committed to periodical evaluation of the team’s performance.

L. The team is attractive to its members, who identify with it and consider it a source of both
professional and personal growth.

M. Developing climate of trust is recognized as the crucial element for facilitating all of the above
elements.
 6. The characteristics of Effective Team Leaders Effective team leaders:

 Communicate

 Are open, honest, and fair.

 Make decisions with input from others

 Act consistently

 Give the team members the information they need to do their jobs.

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 Set goals and emphasize them

 Keep focused through follow-up

 Listen to feedback and ask questions

 Show loyalty to the organization, the team, and team members

 create an atmosphere of growth

 Have wide visibility

 Give praise and recognition

 Criticize constructively and address problems

 Develop plans

 Share their mission and goals

 Display tolerance and flexibility

 Demonstrate assertiveness

 Exhibit a willingness to change

 Treat team members with respect

 Make themselves available and accessible

 Want to take charge

 Accept ownership for team decisions.

7. A dream team Leader provides the support needed for success.

The support is created when leader decide to be facilitators rather than directors. The total control
by the leader, even if he is somewhat able to achieve it, is never as effective as a group effect. The
different between how dictators and facilitators operate are shown below.
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DICTATORS

FACILITATORS

1. Hoard decisions1. Push decisions down the line.

2. Make decisions alone or restrict them to an elite group. 2. Involve others as much as
possible in key decisions and give people space to make those decisions.

3. View truth and wisdom as their domain since they are the leader.

4. Surprise their workers with edicts from above.

5. Guard their own interests.

6. Take for themselves. 3. View truth and wisdom as being accessible to everyone
throughout the organizations.

4. Let those responsible decide how the jobs will be done.

5. Serve everyone’s interest by developing people.

 6. Give to the organization.

7. The Characteristics of Effective Team Members

Effective team members:

 Support the team leader

 Help the team leader to succeed

 Ensure that all viewpoints are explored

 Express opinions, both for and against

 Compliment the team leader on team efforts

 Provide, honest, and accurate information

 Support, protect, and defend both the team and the team leader

 Act in a positive and constructive manner

 Provide appropriate feedback

 Understand personal and team roles

 Bring problems to the team (upward feedback)

 Accept ownership for team decisions

 Recognize that they each serve as a team leader

 Balance appropriate levels of participation

 Participate voluntarily

 Maintain confidentiality

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 Show loyalty to the organization, the team leader, and the team

 View criticism as an opportunity to learn

 State problems, along with alternative solutions/options

 Give praise and recognition when warranted

 Operate within the parameters of team rules

 Confront the team leader when his or her behavior is not helping the team

 Share ideas freely and enthusiastically

 Encourage others to express their ideas fully

 Ask one another for opinions and listen to them

 Criticize ideas, not people

 Avoid disruptive behavior such as side conversation and inside jokes

 Avoid defensiveness when fellow team members disagree with their ideas
 Attend meetings regularly and promptly

8. Symptoms of Team Problems

Any social organization has its own problems. The table below describes and explains some
symptoms of common team problems.

Table 3. Common Team Problems

Symptoms Description Explanation

Backbiting and Complaining

Members of the team openly complain about and find fault with one another.

Team members are not cleared about standards leading to a loss of control

Over one another.

Presence of a “spy of the owner” Members of the team suspect and distrust new members.
New members have difficulty breaking into the established team.

Two coalitions The team has two factions, one of which has very little influence or power.
The team experiences a lack of cohesiveness.
Personal stress Stress shows up in the team members, evidenced by “blowing up and physical
symptoms. Team members feel threatened and thus become less efficient and more dissatisfied.

Combative behavior Team members resort to yelling and to combative behavior in the name
of playing the devil’s advocate. Team members express conflict through the use of treats,
attacks and so on.

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Infinite details Team members scrutinize every detail and check on all aspects of minor or
major decisions Team members distrust one another and fear being penalized for errors

Amount of time to make decisions Decisions on minor issues are brought to the top of the
organization, requiring excessive time. Team members feel a lack of trust directly related to
team problem-solving.

Shifting and changing decisions Decisions are often changed shortly after being made. Team
members are not willing to commit the team to a unified course of action.
 9. Seven Team Well-Being Secrets

a. Purpose (are we committed to the same purpose?)

A healthy team has a well-articulated corporate and team purpose, usually phrased as a vision
statement, mission statement, or values statement.

b. Role (How will we contribute to fulfilling our purpose?)

In a healthy team, the members continually ask themselves whether the team is enacting the
specific role needed to achieve its purpose.

c. Strategy (What will we do to achieve our purpose?)

In a healthy team, the members understand the team’s strategy and use it to guide day-today
activities. The members ask what new things they should do and what things they should stop doing.

d. Processes (How will we work together?)

In a healthy team, the members are aware of what processes or systems of operations are used to
produce results.

e. People (How will we care for one another?)

A healthy team has members who have the required expertise and knowledge to implement the
team’s strategy and achieve its purpose.
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f. Feedback (how will we obtain and use information about our performance?)

A healthy team solicits feedback on its behavior and performance from key stakeholders, who might
include customers, suppliers, managers, and other teams.

g. Interfaces (How will we manage the team’s relationships?)

A healthy team intentionally manages its critical relationships with external people or environment
in order to build needed relationships and enhance existing ones.

Activity 3.2 Explain the following characteristics of effective team leaders and member. (5 points
each)
EFFECTIVE TEAM LEADERS

1. Communicate

2. Are open, honest and fair

3. Treat team members with respect

4. Make themselves available and accessible

EFFECTIVE TEAM MEMBERS

1. Support the team leader

2. Help the team leader to succeed

3. Participate voluntarily

4. Provide open, honest, and accurate information