Chapter 3: Concepts of Leadership

For centuries, academics and professionals have studied the nature of leadership and produced enough material to fill a library. Executive management degree programs dedicate courses to the practice of leadership, and writers endlessly publish articles about leadership in journals and magazines. How can this Workbook distill all of that for a Team Leader?

Fortunately, there are some basic shared concepts of effective leadership. This article will introduce some basic leadership concepts and identify resources for more information. Team Leaders are encouraged to use these concepts to understand their own approaches to leadership, examine how their leadership qualities may differ from those of other leaders, and acknowledge that there is no single path to becoming a leader.

Chapter 3 learning objectives

• Explore where leadership "comes from".
• Learn what followers need.
• Describe the differences between management and leadership.
• Describe the differences between tactics and strategy.
• Identify the kind of social power most relevant for PBEM volunteer leaders.
• Understand the balance between group process and action.
• Recognize the value of delegation.

Leadership Concept #1: Leadership as a Role

In American culture, our first thought when we think about effective leaders are often associated with individuals at the tops of organizational hierarchies. Visualized as strong-willed and rugged, these people push themselves upward to command followers. Some highly collaborative leaders in history, such as Martin Luther King, Jr., may even be rewritten as powerful individuals without acknowledging the power that very leader vested in the people around them.

An effective and brilliant military commander like Napoleon Bonaparte would probably make a terrible community volunteer leader. Portland NET is a collaborative group. As such, followers process leadership differently than a business, military, or paramilitary group does. In collaborative groups, leadership is best not approached as a magic quality invested in rare and forceful individuals. Instead, Team Leaders should think of leadership as a role that:

• Requires a specific and acquired skillset; and,
• Is equal to other roles in NET.

The question, ‘Who ought to be boss?’ is like asking, ‘Who ought to be the tenor in the quartet?’ Obviously, the man who can sing tenor.

— Henry Ford

On the first point, a volunteer can train, study, and work to gain leadership skills. Similar to an Amateur Radio Operator (ARO) learning to operate a radio through training and experience, Team Leaders can learn the skills necessary for effective leadership.

Second, in NET, roles are filled by individuals with the skills, training, and experience that make them effective in that role. "Team Leader" is one of those roles, equal to other roles, and carried out by individuals with the leadership skillset. Importantly, this also means that the title of "Team Leader" does not imply coercive power over other Team Members. Nonetheless, though Team Leaders and Team Members are considered equal, a leadership role implies "followers". This will take us to the next Leadership Concept.