Leadership Enhancing Lessons from Experience - Case Study Example

Introduction Successful leadership can be found in almost all spheres of life; however organisational and political contexts have received utmost attention. One reason for this bias is that leadership can make the difference between survival and failure of a firm or a country. Nonetheless, underrepresentation of leadership in the social realm must not be treated as an indication of its irrelevance. This paper will focus on an experience that occurred to me and my friends roughly one year ago. It was a demonstration of successful leadership and I frequently use memories from that time as a reminder of what innovative leaders should do. The paper shall argue that effective or successful leadership occurs when team members indentify with team objectives and are motivated by them. Nature of incident At the time of the incident, we had gone for a hiking trip across seven hills near my home town. This was an expedition that none of us were familiar with- the location was quite new and all were uncertain about how long it would take, whether we would reach the other side of the hills and what needed to be done during the actual process. We were five in number (Yvonne, Cathy, John Paul, Chris and I) yet four of us had never hiked before in our lives- only Chris had done this. Furthermore, two of the members had never met the rest of the group since they had learnt about the trip on face book. The plan was that members would meet at the bottom of the hills and then take things from there. No specifications had been made on who would step up and offer general direction in the group. In fact, it had been a very abrupt event that had more questions than answers. The only issues we were sure about were that we were supposed carry foodstuffs and then hike. Since members did not know where they were going; we realised that we were in a deadlock and that something had to be done urgently. The more time we wasted, the harder it would be to complete all seven hills within the day. Some of us were already looking at how futile the expedition was going to be. We all agreed that there was need for a team leader and asked members to volunteer. Chris - who had been to the location before - stepped in and changed everything. He first informed us that experts usually take eight to ten hours of steady climbing before completing all the hills. Since we were not hiking experts and time had already gone, then it was very unlikely that we would be able get through all seven hills. This implied that we had to reach halfway and start sloping back down. Hikers who were interested in going the whole nine yards often started from one access road and ended at another – they would still get transport to their homes using either route. However, because we were not planning on doing the same, members had to follow the same route that they had used to climb up when going down the hills. He told us that if we did not schedule our time, then we would be stuck in the outdoors after dark- that was a possibility that none of us wanted to explore. Seeing the sense in his assertions, the rest of us agreed that someone had to be in charge of the time; Cathy and John Paul volunteered so we voted and selected Cathy. Chris then informed us that we needed to have some series of activities that we would implement halfway through the journey. Most of us would be hungry by that time and all the snacks that we had carried needed to be eaten at some point. We therefore decided to designate a program planner. Yvonne was selected for the task because she had planned activities for several birthday parties. She then decided that we would tell jokes, play spin the bottle and tell stories as we ate and rested. Someone else had to ensure that as we were hiking, no one was left behind. I was designated as the team’s observer- I was to deliberately move from the front to the back of the hiking team in order to ensure that we were all moving together. We had to pay for entrance into the area and someone had to be in charge of finances - John Paul took on the role. Since Chris was the team leader, he would ensure that all members carried out their responsibilities and that we were going the right way. He also gave us morale for the hike by giving us a small motivational speech. He asserted that this would be a life changing event where we could all grow physically, emotionally, spiritually and psychologically. He told us that hikes have altered people’s perception of themselves; it has increased their self esteem and stamina. Chris even gave us a small story of someone who wanted to committed suicide but changed his mind after discovering his love for outdoor expeditions like hikes. In a very short time, we were transformed from a group of confused and demoralised would-be hikers to an energised and focused team. Context or background Leaders are often characterised by certain qualities; however, it is the combination of these characteristics together with the context of a particular situation that makes such persons good leaders. In other words, it is not always enough to just be a good leader; it is also highly important to choose the right place and time for application for this leadership (Driskell & Eduardo, 2006). The group basically comprised of five people of roughly the same age with dissimilar interests and dissimilar values. Three of us had been to school together but two of the members were new. Consequently, the rest of the team had no way of really knowing what the new two members were all about. To this end, it was necessary for someone else to step and find a way of making the group work together irrespective of its differences. After seeing what Chris had done for the team, I made a point of asking him exactly what had made him such a capable outdoor leader and he explained to me that he actually had undergone some kind of preparation for such a role by participating in other camps and outdoor activities. He was able to detect what was needed in such circumstances and thus respond positively to them. For instance, in his childhood, he had been a scout during and even after completing school, he went on to become a scout leader where several training programs were available and it was at these points where he got a few pointers on leadership. Furthermore, Chris had worked with people before; the nature of his career involved a lot of project work and team work. He was highly familiar with group dynamics and other sorts of issues that tend to crop up in the midst of a vast number of people working together. Numerous scenarios often necessitate the need for teams. The same has been replicated in organisations as it has been shown that approximately eighty percent of organisations employ groups in their day to day tasks. Consequently, team development is critical in different phases of life (Hirschhorn, 1991). In this case, all five of us were not aware that we would be working as a team when we first met. However, we quickly realised that the combination of resources, expertise and skills that team members can provide is not comparable to the weak environment that the group would be operating in if everyone handled the expedition single handed. Processes involved A number of analysts have asserted that there are basically three processes involved in teamwork and they include motivation, cognition and socialisation. Team motivation is essential to any team because without it, team members may not be able to exert effort needed to accomplish tasks. Socialisation as a team process is also critical because this engrains cohesiveness into the team as well commitment to objectives set out. Lastly, the cognition process involved storage, acquisition and manipulation of information in teams. Successful leadership is therefore demonstrated by mixing up these three processes (Hirschhorn, 1991). The first step was part of the cognition process where identification of a problem was done; we all realised that we did not know where we were going and how to go about the mission. In order to get out of a bad situation, group members must be humble enough to accept their weaknesses and bold enough to identify those who can mitigate those weaknesses. The group quickly sought a member who was already familiar with the location and the hiking activity and this was definitely a step in the right direction. The group had to understand the full extent of their problem in order to forge ahead. Once again, this was an issue that was achieved relatively well using Chris’ input. We came to know that there were resources that had not been managed i.e. food, water and money. There was no system of accountability in place for ensuring that members were not lost in the hills. We had no one to lead us to where we needed to be and also had no plan on the activities that we could engage in while in the hike. What’s more, most of us did not understand the time implications of the hike as staying in the hills after dark would be dangerous. Chris did a good job of explaining all these elements. One could argue that almost anyone can tell others about an experience; however, it took great articulation from Chris to state the problems so clearly. Additionally, only a great leader can make others see and understand one’s point of view without forcing them to do so (Ginnett, 2009). In this case, Chris made us see the logic behind certain issues. For example, by telling us that expert hikers often take eight to ten hours to reach the other side of the mountain, Chris was showing us the logic behind spending our time wisely. Also by informing us about the twists and turns of the hills; he made us realise that people could easily get lost and that someone had to be designated to ensure that this did not happen. The second step we went through was the team building phase which was a socialisation process. It is always common for some leaders to assume that they can carry out all the major responsibilities in the team by themselves. However, having the ability to designate tasks is a key contributor to successful outcomes and group satisfaction (Lepine, 2003). Good teams ought to possess strong leaders and this was the first step in the process where Chris volunteered. Furthermore, members of the team had to be committed to this endeavour and the only way of doing so would be by involving them in decision making processes as well as in task performance. Roles were assigned on a democratic basis since members would examine the credentials of contenders and then select the most appropriate candidate for the role. Ineffective leadership in such a case would be if Chris had handpicked members without consulting with them. Fund management, activity planning, time management and the other kinds of challenges all needed to be handled and they were effectively done through team building. Another cognitive process was team planning. No team can ever be successful without having a plan. In other words, members need to have some kind of objectives to work towards. The plan was verbally made under Chris’ guidance where we established the amount of time we were to spend when going up the hills. We also made a plan on the activities to be carried out during the hike. Additionally, the use of our funds was effectively planned and so was the route to be taken in the hike. After curving out objectives for the expedition, Chris had covered all the technical aspects of the team. However, members were demoralised. It was therefore necessary to think of ways of instilling some team spirit and enthusiasm for the project and this formed part of the motivation process. Successful leadership is often demonstrated by having an ability to get members off the ground and by encouraging them to carry out their tasks with a high level of commitment. Interactions involved In the circumstances we found ourselves in, there were five people with relatively different methods of communication and different styles of passing our messages across to one another. However, it was critical to settle on one of them and an effective way of achieving this was through selection of the right individual to steer us through. There were varied skills available to all of us and it was critical to accept that not everyone could apply their skills in all the tasks. The right team role had to be matched with the right skill and involvement of the whole group in decision making processes contributed tremendously towards this success. Chris assisted us in realising that we all had a common goal which was to hike. The means with which we could achieve such a goal was then articulated through the latter individual. Therefore communication between the team leader and the team members was essential in getting us to where we needed to be. Additionally, communication between each other when identifying the problem was another form of interaction that helped in the growth of the team. (Ginnett, 2009) At the beginning of our meeting, three of us had met before but we really did not know the strengths and weaknesses of each other. We had not been placed in a situation where we needed to work with one another so as to get things done. Consequently, we needed to know one another and this was a crucial part of our interaction. Most of us knew the names of the team members but not their capabilities. As Chris assisted in setting out the team roles, we began understanding the limitations of some of the team members and their importance as well. Furthermore, the process of organising ourselves prior to the hike actually caused us to know more about ourselves as well. Chris probably learnt that he was a good leader; other team members learnt that they were good financiers, event planners and the like depending on the team tasks that they took on. The team leader interacted with us when he was motivating us. The circumstances were relatively tough owing to the fact that we had never met in such numbers before and maybe others were unsure about what the rest would bring. It was therefore necessary for everyone involved in the hike to be reassured of the possibility of success. It took a lot of courage on Chris’s part to step up even in unfamiliar circumstances and among some unfamiliar people. (Driskell & Eduardo, 2006). All the five of us needed to know that we were dependent on one another and a suitable way of doing so was through the distribution of roles which was well facilitated by the team leader. In other words, this individual was therefore able to influence our social and task processes throughout the expedition. Feelings, emotions and behaviours of myself and others Great leaders are often those who manage to affect the behaviours, beliefs and attitudes of team members. As we were interacting with one another, our behaviours needed to be changed because we had not fully embraced the team concept and this prevented us from actually started the hike. Chris altered that behaviour by getting us to think of the hike as a life changing experience and hence caused us to treat everyone with respect. Our attitudes towards the whole exercise were quite negative. Chris’ talk instilled that sense of commitment to the entire group’s objectives and this allowed us to start the hike. Our beliefs systems were also challenged because some of us thought that the hike would simply be a way to recreate; we did not know the capacity it had to change us as human beings and this was yet another aspect that was altered by Chris. Most of us went through a myriad of emotions from the beginning of our meeting to the commencement of the hike. At first, the atmosphere was highly charged as people were arguing and airing out their opinions. No one was listening to the other and most of us were feeling unsure of ourselves. However, the effect of Chris’ intervention was that we adjusted these downbeat emotions and transformed them into constructive ones. Our self esteem dramatically improved as we were now committed to tasks at hand. Emotions have often been considered by traditional team analysts as possible interferences to group objectives. Consequently, they must be eradicated at all costs. However, pushing away or ignoring the emotional side of a problem only leads to future contention. Good leaders are those ones who can harness negative emotions and convert them into constructive ones that would contribute towards achievement of the team (Achua & Lussier, 2007). After listening to Chris, the team was upbeat and ready for the task because their emotions had been properly harnessed. Our behaviour towards one another was also different before and after the incident. Prior to Chris’s efforts, most of us were quite expressive but we were not expressing ideas that were useful to the team. The group members were also not open with one another since no one wanted to accept that they needed the other members in order to complete the expedition. Our affiliation was mostly towards ourselves and not to the group as a hole. Furthermore there was very minimal cooperation. However, as we set out a plan for the hike and then prepared to leave, I realised that my behaviour along with that of the other members of the group changed dramatically because we now became quite cooperative with one another. There was no dominance within the group because as experts often state; this is an aspect that quickly ruins the degree of collaboration in teams. Chris was an effective leader because he managed to maintain those clear boundaries between leadership and domination (Achua & Lussier, 2007). He was able to do this by simply suggesting what roles or tasks had to be carried out and then letting the rest of the group select the individuals who were most suitable. Our feelings were also characterised by a level of mistrust at the commencement of the discussion. Most of us thought that we did not possess the capability of completing the task at hand. However, after the discussion with Chris, we soon realised that we could trust one another. What’s more, we were feeling insecure about the hike but once we had made a plan then those feelings changed to feelings of confidence and eagerness. Consequences of the incident Because of Chris’ strong leadership style, we embarked on the hike with self-assurance and a sense of direction. The hike was such a success because we managed to get back from the hills in good time. It was 6.45 pm when all of hugged each other and said good bye. There were no major incidences of disharmony during the expedition because everyone knew what they were supposed to do. If Chris had not taken this initiative then chances are we would have been arguing throughout the hike. Worse still, we might have gotten lost since all of us had divergent opinions on what we needed to do. Alternatively, we would have delayed or have been stranded in the hills after dark. Perhaps most importantly, Chris’ bold leadership allowed us to discover important life skills that could only be learnt from the hike. We learnt how to communicate better, how to make decisions- by choosing the most qualified persons for the job and also how to be responsible over each other. The hike taught us important lessons on getting along even when members of the team seem to be very different from one another. At the end of it, I learnt how to become a flexible person and how to acknowledge the need of other persons in the team. I also realised that a good leader often makes the difference between success and failure in any situation i.e. whether organisational or social. Conclusion Good leaders are those who work on both task based and group development aspects of the team. Chris facilitated decision making, work assignments, goal setting and schedule determination within the team in an effort to make the team members identify with the goals of the team; this was the task based aspect of teamwork. He then focused on the group development side of the team by facilitating communication between us and by building cohesion in the group. Through the latter efforts, he was able to motivate the group through the team objectives. This incident is quite useful to persons in leadership positions who can learn the importance of context in leadership. They will also learn that involvement of members in decision making is key in instilling commitment. References Achua, C. & Lussier, R. (2007). Leadership – theory, skill development and application. Mason: Thompson press Ginnett, R., Hughes, R. & Curphy G. (2009). Leadership – enhancing lessons from experience. NY: MGrawhill Driskell, J. & Eduardo, S. (2006). What makes good team players? Small group research journal, 10(3), 45 Hirschhorn, L. (1991). Managing in new team environments – methods, skills and tools. Applied Pyschology, 4(2), 45 Lepine, J. (2003). Team adaptation & Post change performance. Applied psychology journal. 88(3): 14 Read More