Section B (C3) - Leadership Qualities/Approaches Flashcards
key roles of a leader (5)
- communication
- planning
- organisation
- leading and facilitating
- evaluation
attributes of a great leader
inherent quality you are naturally good at. Can be built. Eg. good leaders are
- Cooperative
- Humorous
- Confident
- Empathetic
- Emotionally supportive
core competencies (8)
competencies are thorough abilities/behaviours that can be developed through practice, 8 key ones:
- foundational knowledge (purpose, leadership theories)
- self awareness (mindful, ethical, professional)
- decision making and judgement
- teaching and facilitation
- enviro stewardship (enviro ethics/literacy, protection)
- program management (organisation, planning)
- safety and risk management
- technical ability (specific certifications/skills)
SKILLS
- soft
- hard
- meta
Soft skills (human skills)
- Intangible
- Difficult to measure
- Hard to train to assess
- communication, empathy, facilitation, teaching, risk management
Hard skills (practical skills)
- Easily trained and assessed
- Specific Knowledge, practical and physical skills
- Eg: rockclimbing, reading the weather, kayaking, camp craft
Meta skills
- Higher order thinking
- Integrate hard and soft skills
- abstract, cognitive, process and act on new and existing info
- Eg: decision making, reasoning, judgement and problem solving, conflict management, flexible leadership style.
Leadership Continuum Theory
- 3 styles of leadership
states that there are 3 styles of leadership which should be switched between depending on the scenario.
Autocratic
- leader makes decisions
- Telling: leader makes decision and demands actions from group members
- Selling: leader makes decision and convinces the group members of its advantages
Democratic
- leader takes group input
- Testing: leader presents a decision and encourages group members to modify it/contribute ideas
- Consulting: leader presents the problem and seeks group input to make the decision
Abdicratic
- group/individuals makes decisions
- Joining: leader presents the problem and allows group to form a decision
- Delegating: leader allows the group to outline and evaluate the problem and form a decision by themselves
task/transactional
vs
relationship/transformational
orientated leadership
- task/transactional: focused on achieving a goal or reaching a standard, more autocratic
- relationship/transformative: group and indv. growth, positive relationships, more abdicratic
SMART goals
- specific (well defined)
- measurable (a way of progress or achievement)
- achievable (enough resources and capacity to accomplish)
- relevant (correspond to the larger goal)
- time-bound (when will it be accomplished)
LEADERSHIP POWERS
- what are they?
- 5 types
- The power or influence of a leader across a group. This can be used for good, or abused.
- Legitimate power: solely from the position the superior holds in an organisation (agreed societal structures - eg. principal, monarch, boss, parents)
- Reward power: from means of promotion, salary increases and interesting assignments (incentive and motivation to perform)
- Coercive power: from forced actions and potential for punishment (eg. behaving due to the presence of police)
- Referent power: from the fact that group members identify with the leader and respect him/her, trust in their leadership
- Expert power: comes from the leader possessing superior knowledge
decision making vs problem solving
- decision making: choosing between alternatives for the best possible outcome
- problem solving: the broader process of identifying, analysing and solving a problem
relationship:
- problem solving usually involves decision making towards the end
DECISION MAKING MODELS
- rational (analytical) technique
a linear, structured decision process with 8 steps:
- Define problem (what is the issue?)
- Gather info (resources, capabilities, observations)
- Consider priorities (what is important)
- Consider options (list of possible alternatives)
- List solutions (list of best options)
- Evaluate solutions and consequences (what risks do each option pose?)
- Implement decision (choose option)
- Re-evaluate (reflect on decision, check in with group)
Pros:
- structured and straightforward
- useful for leaders lacking decision-making experience
- results in more informed, simple decisions.
Cons:
- time-consuming
- often a lack of information in the situation and/or a scenario is constantly changing, making evaluating it difficult
DECISION MAKING MODELS
- naturalistic technique
- A non-linear, intuition, heuristics and experience-based judgement
- Decision based on prior knowledge, reflection of experiences, and application to new scenarios
Pros:
- allow leaders to make quick decisions
Cons:
- can lead to uninformed decisions (due to unreliable evaluation of the situation)
DECISION MAKING MODELS
- dual-process model
- the idea that individuals use both rational and naturalistic approaches to decisions
- Intuition/past experience AND analytic/rational thinking
decision making METHODS (8)
- Heuristic based decision: based on common sense, rule of thumb, basic knowledge
- Leader decision: leader does not seek group input, makes a decision (useful for inexperienced or young groups, or emergency scenarios)
- Consensus decision: leader ensures every member of the group agrees with the decision (situation must be not time pressured, capable leader, and group unity)
- Voting decision: a vote where majority rules (leader desires group input, but is time pressured)
- Arbitration: consultation with an outside source to obtain advice on the best course of action (useful when leader lacks the knowledge/experience)
- Chance decision: no analysis of the decision eg. flipping a coin (only useful when options are equally acceptable by risk level and preference)
- Compromise decision: some group members sacrifice their wants for the purpose of moving forward
- Expert decision: consultation of an expert/professional to make decision in case of lack of expertise)
What is the SCARE acronym, and how does it help with decision-making?
The SCARE acronym is Stop, Contain, Assess, Respond, Evaluate. This acronym is excellent for assessing risk.
Provide examples of how a leader can promote/practice equity in an outdoor context.
- Proper preparation
- know who is coming on the trip and any individual considerations that will have to be made regarding disability, religion, race, gender etc
- learn indv. goals (rela/task focused?), and hwo these can be met
- pick a location with facilities, tracks, campsites accessible to all
- prepare wide variety of gear/equipment that accomodates everyone - Activity planning
- design a program catering to wide variety of interests, abilities, backgrounds
- esp. at school, expect + plan for no prior experience
- provide alternate/easier options for those not confident in their abilities - Representation
- hire staff that reflect diversity of the group
- eg. having equal male/female guides - Safe environment
- use inclusive language, be respectful of diversity, promote this within group
- seek continous feedback from all indv. about their experience = leader can improve
- use variety of teaching methods that accomodate indv. learning differences (eg. visual, auditory, demonstration) - Awareness of power imbalances
- do not abuse leadership power through a constant autocratic approach
- encourage all members to take turns leading
- servant leadership
