Introduction to Leadership Concepts.

THE MODEL

In understanding the leadership model presented here, it is necessary to assume that a

"leadership development group" has been formed, and that the group intends to

engage in some form of change-action project2 as the primary vehicle for developing

leadership skills. (Issues related to the formation of such a group and identifying appro-

priate service projects are discussed later.)

BASIC PREMISES

.& This model is inclusive, in that it is designed to enhance the development of leadership qualities in all participants-those who hold formal leadership positions as well as those who do not-and to promote a process that is inclusive and

actively engages all who wish to contribute .

.& Leadership is viewed as a process rather than as a position .

.& The model explicitly promotes the values of equity, social justice, self-knowledge, personal empowerment, collaboration, citizenship, and service .

.& "Service"3 provides a powerful vehicle for developing student leadership capabili-

ties in a collaborative environment. Learning happens by "making meaning" of life

experiences .

.& While the model was initially designed to assist professionals in the field of student

affairs who are engaged (or wish to engage) in facilitating leadership development among students, we have come to realize that it can also be useful to faculty and academic administrators or to students who are interested in undertaking leader-

ship development projects on their own.

.& The model is only one of many possible models ofleadership development. It is presented as a working framework that is subject to regular revision and refinement

based on the experience of those who use it. Practitioners and students may well find certain elements in the model to be more applicable or relevant than others.

Moreover, different types of institutions may need to make some modifications in accordance with their institutional missions.

2 We use the terms "service" and "change-action" interchangeably.

3 Our use of the term "Service" in intended to describe activities that serve the common good.

1B

• The model has two primary goals:

1. To enhance student learning and development; more specifically, to develop

in each student participant greater:

• Self-knowledge: understanding of one's talents, values, and interests, espe- cially as these relate to the student's capacity to provide effective leadership.

• Leadership competence: the capacity to mobilize oneself and others to serve and to work collaboratively.

2. To facilitate positive social change at the institution or in the community. That is, to undertake actions which will help the institution/ community to function more effectively and humanely.

Since our approach to leadership development is embedded in collaboration and

concerned with fostering positive social change, the model examines leadership devel-

opment from three different perspectives or levels:

The Individual: What personal qualities are we attempting to foster and develop in those who participate in a leadership development program? What

personal qualities are most supportive of group functioning and positive social change?

The Group: How can the collaborative leadership development process be designed not only to facilitate the development of the desired individual qualities (above) but also to effect positive social change?

The Community/Society: Toward what social ends is the leadership development activity directed? What kinds of service activities are most effec- tive in energizing the group and in developing desired personal qualities in the individual?

The connections among these three levels can be illustrated schematically in Figure 1.

Arrow "a" indicates that the nature of the group process depends in part on the personal

qualities of the individual "leaders" who make up the leadership development group. Arrow

"b" symbolizes the reciprocal effect of the group on the individual. Much of what happens

in any leadership development effort (and much like the work of a musical ensemble) is

that it involves a continuous feedback loop between the group and the individual

(a-> b -> a, etc.).Arrow "c" symbolizes the service activity ("music"), where the group

focuses its energies in an effort to effect positive change in something outside

of itself. Arrow "d" indicates that how the outside community (i.e., service recipient or

"audience") responds will inevitably affect the group process. The feedback loop

suggested by arrows "c" and "d" thus symbolizes the byplay between the group and the

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Group

e

Society/ Individual

Community

Figure 1. Three components of the leadership development model

community that necessarily occurs during any leadership activity which is designed to

effect change.

Arrow "e" symbolizes the direct engagement of the individual in the service activity. The

final arrow ("f") indicates that the individual can be directly affected by engagement in

the change-action project. However, some of the most important community feedback

to the individual occurs indirectly, where individual students are able to compare their

own direct experience of the service activity (arrow "f") with that of other group

members (arrows "d" and "b") 4 .

In our many hours of discussion and debate, it became clear to each of us in the

Ensemble that values were at the core of what we considered to be the critical

elements in our leadership development model. In addition to Change, the "hub" around

4 Some of us wanted to draw the circles as overlapping in order to emphasize the interactive and reci- procal nature of the model. After a few such attempts, however, we decided against the idea because the resulting diagrams looked too cluttered and confusing.

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which our evolving model was being developed, there were seven other critical values

about which we could agree:

& Collaboration

& Consciousness of self

& Commitment

& Congruence

& Common Purpose

& Controversy with Civility

& Citizenship

Since it happens that there are seven values in this list and they all begin with the letter

C, we dubbed these as the "7 C's" of leadership development for social change. These

values, in turn, can be organized within the three levels of the model (Figure 2), as

follows:

Individual Values

& Consciousness of self

& Congruence

& Commitment

Group Process Values

& Collaboration

& Common Purpose

& Controversy with Civility

Community/Societal Values

& Citizenship

&CHANGE

CHANGE, of course, is the value "hub" which gives meaning and purpose to the 7 C's.

Change, in other words, is the ultimate goal of the creative process ofleadership--to make

a better world and a better society for self and others.

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• Collaboration • Common purpose • Controversy with

civility

Group Values

• Consciousness of self • Citizenship

• Congruence • Commitment

Individual Values Societal/ Community Values

Figure 2. The 7 C's organized by level of focus

Following are brief definitions of each of the "Seven C's." (See pp 31-69 for more

extended essays on each "C"):

Consdousness of self means being aware of the beliefs, values, attitudes, and emotions that

motivate one to take action.

Congruence refers to thinking, feeling, and behaving with consistency, genuineness, authen-

ticity, and honesty toward others. Congruent persons are those whose actions are

consistent with their most deeply-held beliefs and convictions. Clearly, personal congru-

ence and consciousness of self are interdependent.

Commitment is the psychic energy that motivates the individual to serve and that drives

the collective effort. Commitment implies passion, intensity, and duration. It is directed

toward both the group activity as well as its intended outcomes. Without commitment,

knowledge of self is of little value. And without adequate knowledge of self, commitment

is easily misdirected. Congruence, in turn, is most readily achieved when the person acts

with commitment and knowledge of self.

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Collaboration is to work with others in a common effort. It constitutes the cornerstone

value of the group leadership effort because it empowers self and others through trust.

Collaboration multiplies group effectiveness by capitalizing on the multiple talents and

perspectives of each group member and on the power of that diversity to generate

creative solutions and actions. Collaboration empowers each individual best when

there is a clear-cut "division oflabor."

Common Purpose means to work with shared aims and values. It facilitates the group's

ability to engage in collective analysis of the issues at hand and the task to be undertaken.

Common purpose is best achieved when all members of the group share in the vision

and participate actively in articulating the purpose and goals of the leadership develop­

ment activity. Recognizing the common purpose and mission of the group helps to

generate the high level of trust that any successful collaboration requires.

Controversy with Civility recognizes two fundamental realities of any creative group effort:

that differences in viewpoint are inevitable, and that such differences must be aired openly

but with civility. Civility implies respect for others, a willingness to hear each other's

views, and the exercise of restraint in criticizing the views and actions of others. This is

best achieved in a collaborative framework and when a common purpose has been iden­

tified. Controversy (conflict, confrontation) can often lead to new, creative solutions to

problems, especially when it occurs in an atmosphere of civility, collaboration, and

common purpose.

Citizenship is the process whereby the individual and the collaborative group become

responsibly connected to the community and the society through the leadership devel­

opment activity. To be a good citizen is to work for positive change on behalf of others

and the community. Citizenship thus acknowledges the interdependence of all who are

involved in or affected by these efforts. It recognizes that the common purpose of the

group must incorporate a sense of concern for the rights and welfare of all those who

might be affected by the group's efforts. Good citizenship thus recognizes that effective

democracy involves individual responsibility as well as individual rights.

In order to better understand the potentially complex connections among the individual,

group, and community values, let us consider each possible pairing of these three sets of

values.

Figure 3 shows the interactions between the individual and the group. Arrows "a" and "b"

symbolize the "feedback loop" between the group and the individual: the group is

affected by the characteristics of its individual members, and the group "chemistry" affects

each individual.

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• Collaboration • Common purpose • Controversy with

civility

• Consciousness of self

• Congruence • Commitment

Figure 3. Interaction between the individual and the group

Arrow "a" suggests that group processes are facilitated when individual participants are

conscious of self, committed, and behave in ways that are congruent with their personal

values. Consciousness of self, of course, is a critical ingredient in forging a common

purpose for the group: What are our shared values and purposes? Similarly, the division

oflabor that is so basic to true collaboration requires an understanding of one's special

talents and limitations. Likewise, the kind of"civil controversy" that can often lead to

innovative solutions requires both congruence (that individuals be willing to share

their views with others even when there is a good chance that others may hold

contrary views) and commitment (a willingness to "stick to it" in the face of controversy).

Arrow "b" symbolizes the effect of the leadership development group on the individual.

It suggests that this feedback from the group is most likely to enhance the individual qual-

ities of consciousness of self, commitment, and congruence when the group operates

collaboratively with common purpose and accepts controversy with civility. For example,

an individual will be most likely to learn {enhance consciousness of self) when critical

feedback (controversy) is presented with civility and respect. It is also much easier to

"hear" critical commentary when it occurs in a collaborative (rather than competitive)

context. Similarly, when the individual is a member of a collaborative group that has

identified a common purpose, it is much easier ("safer") to behave congruently.

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Collaboration with common purpose also enhances individual commitment because it

serves as a reinforcer: like-minded people working together toward common goals

strengthens each other's individual commitment toward that goal.

Figure 4 focuses on the relationship between the group and the community that it is

striving to serve. Arrow "c" suggests that responsible citizenship and positive change are

most likely to occur when the leadership group functions collaboratively, with common

purpose, and encourages civility in the expression of controversy. Conversely, the group

will find it very difficult to be an effective change agent or to fulfill its citizenship or

community responsibilities if it functions competitively, if it cannot identify a common

purpose, or if it pursues controversy with incivility.

Arrow "d" signifies the feedback to the group that is generated by its efforts to serve or

effect change. If the group enjoys some initial success in its effort to serve (i.e., if posi-

tive change occurs), collaboration and common purpose are reinforced. The "feedback

loop" formed by arrows "d" and "c" symbolizes the "group learning" process that

occurs whenever any group endeavors to effect change. Early successes and failures are

processed by the group {"d"), and it revises its approach accordingly ("c").

• Collaboration • Common purpose • Controversy with

civility

• Citizenship

Figure 4. Interaction between the group and the community/society

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Figure 5 portrays the interaction between the individual and the community. The

"feedback loop formed by arrows "e" and "f" portrays the individual learning that occurs

when an individual is directly engaged with the community/society in an effort to effect

positive change. Arrow "e" signifies the direct effect of the individual's actions on the

community. It suggests that the community is most likely to respond positively to an indi­

vidual's efforts to serve if these efforts are rooted in self-understanding, integrity, and

genuine commitment. Responsible citizenship, in other words, is based on self-knowl-

edge, congruence, and commitment.

Arrow "f" signifies the direct effect that active engagement in any service effort can have

on the individual. Since the person "learns through service," consciousness of self is

enhanced through the realization of what one is (and is not) capable of doing. Commit-

ment is also enhanced if the individual feels that he or she can "make a difference." And

congruence is enhanced as the individual comes to realize that positive change is most

likely to occur when individual actions are rooted in one's most deeply held values and

beliefs.

• Consciousness of e

self • Citizenship • Congruence • Commitment

Figure 5. Interaction between the individual and the community/society

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This model is designed to be used, tested out, modified and refined by anyone engaged

in leadership development efforts on campus. It is designed to engage students in

activities and experiences that will help them not only to clarify their current values, but

also to integrate the specific values, attitudes and behaviors that undergird the model into

their own leadership practices. In other words, to apply the model in practice is to

encourage students not only to exemplify the individual values in their own lives, but

also to incorporate the group values in their interactions with others.

We believe that knowing and appreciating oneself is essential to one's ability to appre­

ciate and trust others, a critical element in collaborative work. We also believe that

learning about and practicing collaboration are essential to bring about change that serves

others-the essence of our model. This conception of leadership and leadership devel­

opment provides a perspective which we hope will encourage others to question

more traditional definitions and practices of leadership. This perspective emphasizes the

relational aspects of leadership and proposes a process that moves from self-reflection to

collaboration and then to more self-reflection, a continuous cycle of reflection followed

by active learning that results in increased involvement and action.

Thus, the model emphasizes both the personal and interpersonal dimensions of leader­

ship. By "personal" we mean self-awareness and congruence: understanding one's salient

values, talents and other individual characteristics, personal integrity, self-renewal, open­

ness to learning, and establishing a personal focus or purpose. The "interpersonal"

dimension includes communication skills, coalition building, honesty, respecting others,

openness to differing views, collaborating, listening, and empowering others.

We believe that activities that serve the institution and/or the larger community

provide an especially rich and appropriate context for engaging students and for devel­

oping collaborative action strategies that benefit others. This model does not purport to

be appropriate for all purposes or tasks. That is, it is action oriented with a goal of

helping the institution or community to function more effectively and humanely.

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