Question
Module 6: Enable Others to Act Page 99 Describe the responsibility you think a leader has for respecting and valuing everyone in the group. How
Module 6: Enable Others to Act
Page 99
- Describe the responsibility you think a leader has for respecting and valuing everyone in the group. How is that different from liking everyone in the group? Where does the responsibility lie in working to establish effective, productive working relationships in a group? Why do you think that? Describe the difference between having relationships that are effective and productive and those that are social and friendly. Are these mutually exclusive? Why or why not? What is the role of the leader (and also the benefit or lack thereof) in facilitating relationships?
- If you dont take the time and energy to get to know others in your group who are different from you, what impact would this have on the group? on the experience others have in the group? What does a group sacrifice when the leader cannot connect with members of the group? What is the effect of this lack of connection on the: Group? Page 100Individual members?
- Describe your general relationship with other members of your group. Are there any characteristics in your description that suggest you dont get along with or value others in the group? Without naming names, think about the people you dont find yourself really connecting with. Why is that? What could you do to strengthen that connection? Are there any common grounds on which you and these other individuals could begin to develop a relationship?
- How do you react to others points of view when you dont agree with them? How do those reactions affect your ability to lead and affect your relationships in and with the group? Describe what some of your recent reactions were when you didnt agree with others, particularly on significant issues (related to the group). Think about how you feel, what you think, and what your inner voice says, as well as what you actually say: Can you think of any times when your reactions affected the group in any way? Describe those, and consider how your reactions might have affected others participation or engagement at the moment, any changes in your short- or long- term relationships with others, or the impact on the productivity of the group: Pg. 101
- Define what active listening means to you. Then describe a time when you really listened and responded to what another person had to offer. Describe another experience when you felt you werent really interested in listening to what someone else in the group had to say. What were the different impacts on the interactions and relationships between you and the other person, and what were the subsequent impacts on the group? Define active listening. Then share your definition with one or two other people. How closely do they match or differ? When was there a time that you were totally uninterested in what someone else in the group was saying? When was there a time when you were engaged in what someone else was saying? What impact do you think you had on the group based on two situations such as those? How does listening affect a leaders ability to enable (or not enable) others to be significant contributors to the group? 3. What are three things you think you can do to better listen to and understand another persons view that differs from yours? What might you gain from that point of view that would help you be a better leader? To become a better listener, I will:A. B. C.
Page 102
The differences I can make with my group as a result of being a better listener are:
I provide opportunities for others to take on leadership responsibilities. (Student LPI Report: Provides leadership opportunities for others.)
- Identify opportunities in your group for others (without any concern for official titles or leadership positions) to take on leadership responsibility. Name five opportunities. Then expand the list to ten. What can you do to help others take advantage of these opportunities? Five Opportunities 1. 2. 3.
Pg. 103
4.
5.
Stretch yourself to find another five:
Five More Opportunities
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Pg. 104
2. What responsibility do you think a leader has in helping others in the group grow and develop as leaders? At what point do you think you can help someone do that? Do you instead say to yourself, He cant be a leader, or, She has to figure that out on her own? Do you think leaders have a responsibility to develop other people to become leaders? If your answer is yes, describe the role or responsibility you think a leader has to help others in the group develop as leaders themselves. If your answer is no, explain your reasoning.
- How would your role or day- to- day responsibilities or work as a leader change if others in the group took on more leadership? What opportunities would this provide you? What advantages do others taking on more leadership give the group? If you had more people in the group who were able to take on greater leadership responsibilities within the group, how would that affect your role and work as a leader? What would be different? What would be the same? What would be easier? Pg. 105What would be more difficult? What new and different opportunities would arise for you if this happened? How does the group benefit by this happening? I give others a great deal of freedom and choice in deciding how to do their work. (Student LPI Report: Gives people choice about how to do their work.)
- To what degree would you say you allow others to do their work as they see fit? To what degree do you feel you can let go completely and let others in the group take full responsibility for what they are doing? Describe the feelings you have when you do or dont do this. Highlight the number that matches the degree to which you let others have freedom to do their work: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Not very often Frequently What does it feel like when you: Let go as completely as you can and allow others the freedom to do their work and assignments? Page 106Dont let go and either micromanage or take over the assignment or work yourself? What impact does either of the above actions have on the: Group as a whole? Individuals within the group?
- What are some specific things you can do to help members of the group develop a greater sense of confidence in the work that they do? If you did these things with each person in the group, what do you think would happen to (1) the individual and (2) the group? List four things you can do to help instill a greater sense of confidence in the people you are working with. State the action, and then write the name or initials of a person you could apply this action to:
| ACTION | GROUP MEMBER |
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Pg. 107
If you took these actions, what do you expect would happen to these people? What are you expecting would happen to the group by you taking these actions?
3. If you are more likely to try to take on and do many things for the group yourself, think for a moment why that is. Write a reflection about: When and why you take on responsibilities or tasks that others in the group could do:
What you are most concerned about or afraid of if you dont assume those responsibilities but provide them for others to assume:
- What does success or failure mean for you and your group in the context of giving other people more freedom and choice in deciding how their work will be accomplished? Considering the situations you are reflecting about, if they didnt result in what you expect, what is the worst outcome that could happen? How will that affect you, the others in the group, and the group as a whole? Pg. 108 I foster cooperative rather than competitive relationships among people I work with. ( Student LPI Report: Fosters cooperative relationships.)
- On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being low, how would you rate your sense of competitiveness? To what degree do you think competition should play into being a leader specifically as it relates to working with others in the group? Without letting go of or altering your sense of being competitive, describe how cooperation would differ in working with others when a leader takes on this characteristic more. Competitiveness scale: Generally how would you describe your degree of competitiveness with others? Highlight the number that applies. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Low Competitiveness High Competitiveness Describe how you think competitiveness should play into a leaders work with fellow members in the group: How would you describe the advantages or benefits of cooperation over competitiveness when leaders work with others in their groups?
- When you find yourself being competitive with others in your group, what are the conversations, sharing of ideas, debates, and decisions like? How would they be any different if a more cooperative environment were present?
Pg. 109
Describe the competitive environment in the group. For example, how does competition, if it exists, affect the groups conversations, ideas, debates, and decisions?
What would be different if people were more cooperative than competitive?
- What can you do as a leader to create a cooperative environment within your group? How would you describe the balance you think is necessary between cooperation and competitiveness? Is this any different when you are looking within the organization and its members or when you are looking at the greater purpose of the organization as it relates to other groups? How would you describe your views on balancing competition with cooperation within a group? What are the differences in this balance, if any, when you are considering the members of the group youre in versus your group perhaps in competition with another group? What is your role as a leader in influencing cooperation and competition?
- What circumstances, characteristics, or conditions do you think need to be present for a group to have a more cooperative environment? As a leader, what could you do to help create that environment? Pg. 110 I support the decisions that other people make on their own. ( Student LPI Report: Supports decisions other people make.)
- As a leader, what are your beliefs about letting others make decisions independently? How much latitude do you give them to make decisions? What kinds of decisions do you let them make? What tolerance for risk (the degree to which you think something will go wrong) do you have for others making decisions? Highlight the number that describes to what degree you let others make decisions independently: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Not very often Frequently Briefly describe the types of decisions you feel comfortable letting others do. Then give each one a number from 1 to 10 (see the number line below) to show the appropriate degree of risk. A: B: C: D: E: Pg. 111 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Low Risk High Risk 2. Look at how your behaviors affect other individuals. If you let others make decisions and support them in what they decide and give them freedom, how does that affect them as individuals? If you are more restrictive much of the time, how do you think that affects others as individuals? Be as specific as possible. Are there patterns in the list of decisions you made and the risk tolerance you assigned in the previous activity? What can you do to become more comfortable in taking a greater degree of risk and allowing others to do so as well?
- If you responded generally favorably that you let others make decisions, support them in what they decide, and give them freedom, what is the impact on the group? If you are more restrictive in most ways, how do you think that affects the group? Be as specific as you can be. Describe as specifically as you can how letting others make decisions will affect the group ( potentially positively and negatively): FURTHER ACTIONS TO IMPROVE IN ENABLE OTHERS TO ACT A list of suggested actions follows that you can try out in order to Enable Others to Act more often. Some of the specific leadership behaviors in the Student LPI that are influenced by these actions are listed by number following each suggestion (see Appendix A for the complete list of Student LPI statements and behaviors). Choose three of these actions and tell how and when you plan on doing them. Be specific.
- Teach others in your group to become leaders. Leaders bring others along to be leaders. Take some specific steps, perhaps starting with just one or two people, to help them develop their leadership abilities. (24, 29)Pg. 112
- Make a point of encouraging others to take on important tasks or projects. Put the names forward of people in the group you believe would be well suited for a certain project. Similarly, talk with them about taking on a responsibility on behalf of the group, letting them know that you have confidence in their ability and judgment. (4, 14, 19, 24, 29)
- Take another approach to item 2 by asking someone else to lead a group meeting or do a presentation so he or she can gain that experience (or any other experiences you identify). Then coach along the way to assist and support that person in this new capacity. ( 4, 14, 24, 29)
- Give something up altogether that you do on a regular basis. Dont just give up something you dont want to do, but find someone in the group you think would grow from taking over this task as a regular responsibility. Be sure to let him or her know that you are not just getting rid of something you no longer care to do or think is critical; rather, explain how this represents an opportunity for this person to grow and develop. ( 4, 9, 19, 24, 29)
- Identify someone at your school or in your community who is known as an exceptional leader. Contact that person and find out if you can follow or shadow him or her for a few hours to learn about how you can become better working with others. ( 4, 9, 14)
- Improve relationships and develop a greater sense of trust with group members by doing something together outside regular group activities. Find ways to interact informally so you and they can build stronger bonds with each other. ( 4, 9, 14)
- For the next two weeks, see how often you can replace I with we as you lead a group. Work to develop the philosophy and understanding that leadership is about the group or the team, not one individual. Every time you think about saying, Im going to . . . , say instead, We can do this . . . ( 4, 9, 14, 29)
- Ask an athletic coach if you can watch a practice or team meeting to see how he or she helps athletes develop new skills or identify and reach new goals. Think about how you can apply these lessons to the groups to which you belong. ( 4, 9)
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