Group Discussions and Leadership - Research Paper Example

Facilitation refers to the practice of supporting a group in its endeavors to conduct meetings or activities and reaching decisions. Essentially, the role of the facilitator is conductive since their primary focus is on the process not the final product. Symbolically, he/she can be described as a midwife to the final result. Facilitating is often equal to leadership since the facilitator exercises authority over the members in the effort to organize and co-ordinate the various activities directed towards achieving the group’s objectives. The best leaders in any environment are transformational leaders since they are inspiring and have the capacity to empower and develop the confidence of their followers. Therefore, when a leader embodies such traits their followers tend to respect them more and this results in more successful teams. Group facilitation often requires one to have strong leadership attributes so they can not only control and manage the group but also discipline and act as the mediator when there are problems between the members (AHRQ 11). A leader should strive to set an example for the members and thus they should exemplify the attributes that the want the members of their group to embrace (Wright 30). For instance, if one wants group members to be diligent and punctual they should ensure they engender these virtues so they set an example thereby leading from the front. When a leader walks the talk, his followers are likely to admire and copy them as opposed to when they just issue instructions and orders without adhering to them and expecting their followers to comply. When facilitating a group it is crucial that the leader is well informed on the subject matter; however, not implying that they should necessarily be more knowledgeable than everyone else should, but they should at least have the basic information. A good leader must be competent in the field they expect to lead otherwise they will lose their authority and respect and as a result, their effectiveness and legitimacy as leaders would be seriously jeopardized (Bui). During my experience as a group leader, I was not very keen on gathering the prerequisite information and I made the mistake of assuming that since everyone else will have carried out his or her own background research, I would not be conspicuous in my ignorance. This turned out to be a costly assumption since most of the members had either carried out narrow research and some completely neglected theirs. Thus, during one of the meetings I realized that the majority of the members expected the few diligent researchers to do the legwork for the rest of the group that was contrary to our group’s rules. Normally, I would have heavily reprimanded them, but in this case I was no different from them and when they realized I had not done my part they seemed to feel justified in their non-compliance. Additionally one should be a good time manager so that they can manage the activities of the group and divide the time efficiently so that each activity and each member is allocated enough time. Facilitation further calls for one to be a very good listener, as in this case they can understand the needs of the individuals in the group by listening objectively without interrupting or being judgmental. Therefore, one can discern the members concerns and learn to listen for and spot common grounds, and use them to create unity by taking advantage opinions or views shared by all the members. Much of a facilitator’s job involves planning and organizing; thus, to effectively lead a group one must have good managerial skills so they can plan ahead for group activities as well as prepare contingencies by considering all possible scenarios. I believe I presented most of the qualities mentioned herein apart from the aforementioned incident where I had neglected my research, as I always planned for the group activities, researched exhaustively on the subject and even prepared other activities just in case the initial plans did not materialize. During my tenure as the group facilitator, I introspected and re-examine my leadership skills evaluating my weakness and opportunities for growth; for example, one of my major strengths was that I had a great sense of humor. As such, I was at times able to calm tempers or make light an offensive or tension filled situation between the members with a joke anecdote, group leaders should have a sense of humor as it also helps in making the group activities exiting and thus increasing the participation and ultimately the success rate. I believe am a good listener and effective communicator, these are some of the key elements of good leadership, if I were to fully exploit the opportunity presented by these attributes my leadership and facilitation skills would undoubtedly improve greatly. Bearing in mind the strengths and opportunities I have identified, given the chance to lead the group again I would definitely make some changes in my approach towards facilitation. For one having identified listening as a strong suit of mine, I would capitalize on it and practice reflective listening, this is when one not only listens but also goes through every aspect of what has been said considering the denoted and connoted implications. I would also encourage the members to do the same, that way, they will be more expressive and learn to listen to each other reflectively, and ultimately group will be more productive. Some of the ways through which reflective listening can be integrated in the group involve orally going through what someone has said, or writing down the ideas on a board so that they whole groups can be sure to comprehend what is being said and thus avoid equivocation . I would also capitalize on my strength as a planner and delegator, I would try to instill the same to the members by involving them in the planning of activities whenever I could; for example, I could ask them what topic they would like to discuss. Then we could decide when to do it and who will be responsible for what tasks. Consequently, I will be empowering everyone since they will feel a sense of responsibility, as they were involved in the planning and decision-making; therefore, their motivation will be intrinsic instead of extrinsic. The group leader should advocate for diligence and dedication and for that to happen, one needs to ensure that incidences like the one mentioned previously where I slacked in my duties never happens again. Contrary to the popular assumption that being a leader means one has less work to do, the facilitator despite their role of delegating duties has many responsibilities vested on him/her. My performance as I led the group was not particularly wanting since we did successfully achieve our primary objectives; nevertheless, there remains much room for improvement. As a leader, one is expected to be a good listener and to have excellent communication skills; these are important since they prevent misunderstandings and expedite the activities (Liu 29). While I possess these qualities, I did not apply them to the best of my abilities and in future engagements I shall capitalize on them and encourage the members to do the same by setting the precedent. The other key element in facilitation is planning ahead, but also being flexible such that one may adjust the plans to fit with prevailing circumstances, as such a group leader must prepare for contingencies. This calls for creativity and organizational skills as well as personal discipline and responsibility, by embodying these traits, I stand to develop not just as group leader but also at a personal and professional level. With good discipline and the experience acquired in managing a small group, I gained invaluable experience in human resource management that can contribute to my professional growth concerning both skills and official qualification. In organizations, facilitation has been proven to give depth and insight to activities as well as enhance and develop leadership skills; thus, a good facilitator is valuable to any firms because they can save money and time through effective leadership (Linnartz). Moreover, for one to lead a group successfully they must strive to personify the positive virtues they hope to instill in the group, thus, they will personally be forced to practice the same virtues and end up inculcating them in their lives leading significant personal growth. Developing personal altitude is a vital a part of career development since studies have shown that these attitudes outrank preface as criterion for awarding promotions (“Succession Planning” 2). For instance, the only way I could expect my group to be punctual was by always being on time for meetings and activities, ergo, as I inspired them, strengthened the virtue in myself, and became more time conscious as an individual. Works Cited Bui, Lynh. Penn state football coach bill O'brien lays out six qualities of being a good leader. The Washington Post. 2013. Web. 1 Oct. 2013 < http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-06-07/local/39813376_1_football-coach-leaders-qualities > Linnartz, Bernie. Summary, Reflection on Facilitation Management Corner. The Taos News. May 12 2011. ProQuest. Web. 30 Sep. 2013. Wright, Lance. The Universal Qualities of Effective Leadership.  Security 46.10 (2009): 30. ProQuest. Web. 30 Sep. 2013. Liu, Ching-Hsiang. Leadership: Qualities, Skills, and Efforts. Interbeing 4.2 (2010): 19-25. ProQuest. Web. 30 Sep. 2013. AHRQ “The Facilitation: Strategies, Tools & Considerations to Get You Started.” United States Agency of Health and Human Services. (2012): 1-15. “Succession Planning Survey Finds and Ranks Key Leadership Qualities”. Principal's Report 08.8 (2008): 1-15. ProQuest.Web. 30 Sep. 2013. Read More