situational leadership

In his play Twelfth Night, William Shakespeare wrote, "Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them." I think this applies so much to the leadership qualities of a person; whether they were born leaders, work to become them, or must become one because of their situation. This week, Brother Klemme of BYUSA gave a lecture on situational leadership. The theory he presented was about choosing to lead in a style based on a particular situation one is in and considering the directive and supportive behaviors required and the maturity level of the followers. He then showed us an admittedly practical chart displaying when it would be best to lead by either supporting, delegating, coaching, or directing. I understood this fairly well (at least I think I did) and definitely see the merit in this approach, but I did have a problem with the presentation of this theory: it was all so formulaic. Especially in my journey as I am "seeking to be" as opposed to "seeking to lead" or "seeking to hide," I feel like a true leader may very well use these types of leadership and apply these techniques, but he or she doesn't use a graph to figure out which one would be best, the feel it and use the spirit to guide them. I think that this element of compassion involved was beautifully described through the character of Nelson Mandela in the clips of Invictus that Brother Klemme showed us. It would be easy to say that Mandela had a way with words and rhetoric and that's what made him such an influential leader, but it was the heart behind every syllable he uttered that made what he said worth anything.


I also must admit that despite my ranting above, for a time this week, I lost sight of what I was actually seeking. When trying to think of a leader in my life whom I admire, I was stumped and I called my mom to ask her what she thought. She offered many suggestions, as always, and as I was about to hang up the phone, I realized that hat I was trying to find as a subject was someone with a title or a position that I someday might like to have as well. I just seemed to forget that the most important job I ever want to have is a mother and eternal companion...just like my mom. So I interviewed her and I have to say that this was a new forum to be in with her and I was kind of surprised by her conversation. I first asked what leadership roles she had in her life. She rattled off mom, wife, daughter, sister, daycare provider, Relief Society secretary, and visiting teacher. As to how she prioritizes those she said that of course her family comes first (no surprise there), but that they all seem to overlap and they're continual, so its important that each day, certain amounts of time are dedicated to each one. It seems like my mom always likes to talk about back when she was my age and especially about when she did work in management when my sisters and I were still young. Although I of course thought how impersonal it seemed at first, she said that that experience with managing employees really does translate to managing her family, but the difference is that this time her job is not on the line, but rather her heart and the salvation of her and her family and is changes so much about the way she sees life and its tasks. Yes, my mom was seeking to be a wife and a mother, but she was not seeking to be a leader...that was, as Shakespeare would say, "thrust upon her." I think that it is out of those situations that we are just put into, when we have to rely solely on the spirit to make up for our lack of preparation and inevitable shortcomings, that we truly become the leaders that Heavenly Father wants us to be. 

 

leaders in history

As we are beginning our leadership roles in our new surroundings, its hard not to have high expectations for ourselves; not only are we trying to find something that's meaningful for us and for those we serve, but we also have the legacies of leaders past casting shadows on us that seem nearly impossible to fill. If only we could embody what makes each of them so honorable, we could create our own shadows. Perhaps they would not be as tall, or wide, or even near the same shape as those of the people whom we admire, but they could provide just as much shade and inspire another leader just as much. This week, we had the privilege of dissecting those essential qualities of a good leader by studying many leaders in history. Brother Ward's lecture resonated with me because not only did he highlight those iconic leaders whom everyone revers and aspires to be like, but also looked at the infamous leaders whose influence was so negative that their names evoke shudders rather than applause.


I am not looking for applause, but the thought that a person might shudder at the sound of my name and fear becoming like me is horrifying. But what stuck out to me is that you don't have to be an oppressive dictator or harsh general or even the leader of a cult to be deemed as bad; you could simply be the mentor who forgot or the officer who was too busy or the visiting teacher who barely cared to say hello. I know that I have vision and I am looking to my Heavenly Father to make sure that its what He sees for me as well. I am ready to challenge what seems wrong to me. I am coming to know and looking to serve and my motives are pure. I am trying to follow Christ's example and to become one myself. With this attitude I am beginning my calling on the indexing committee and trying to be the best roommate I can be and leader in my apartment. In both of those roles, I don't want to be bad, mediocre, or indifferent, but  I will do everything I can to be the best I can be and draw on the examples of those leaders that I look up to.


The book that I will be reading on leadership is Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath in hopes that I can find a way to make my ideas stick and positively effect everyone under their influence.

defining leadership

Thousands if not millions or more people in all aspects of life have attempted to define what a leader is and what leadership means, but I'm afraid that there isn't only one of them that is right or all but one that are wrong; in fact, most of the may be right. Leadership is one of those philosophical concepts like truth or reality that seem simple, but after even twenty-five minutes of discussion leave you with a headache because you realize how relative they can be and that each person must define the term for themselves based on the context of their own life. 

The term leadership and I have had a long, involved history, especially in the past four years. A leader is something that everyone wants you to be, but they hardly ever tell you who you are leading or where your leading them to and of course how you're going to do such a thing. What I have started to realize is that ultimately, no matter if I'm leading in a spiritual or secular arena, I should always be following the perfect leader, Jesus Christ, and therefore lead others to him as well. Still, that seems like a pretty lofty goal. John Quincy Adams said, "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." Right now though, I don't feel like what I need to be doing is trying to inspire others. I don't need to be seeking to hide or seeking to lead like President Uchtdorf warns against in his general conference talk, but seeking to be the kind of person who my Heavenly Father can use to accomplish His own goals. 

I am looking for inspiration; I am trying to find what will make me "Dream more, learn more, do more and become more." That is what this semester I hope to do, to open my heart and let Heavenly Father in and to be guided by the Spirit to know who needs my help and what role leadership is supposed to play in my life. I hope to become a leader amongst my friends, roommates, ward family, and community through service and sharing Christ's love.