Leadership styles: which one is right for you?

Camping Magazine, March-April, 1996 by Debra J. Jordan

When in a leadership position, do you tell people what to do or allow group members to decide a course of action for themselves? Do you ask for opinions and then make a decision based on all the information available or ask the group to take a vote?

Just how do you lead a group? Most people would answer that they use different types of leadership in different situations. Sometimes giving people specific directions is appropriate; at other times, allowing group members to vote might be wise. How do we decide which leadership styles are appropriate?

Leadership is the ability to help others meet their goals. Good leadership is required for effective, efficient, and safe camp experiences. In camp settings, effective leaders are able to help others achieve their potential in terms of physical skills, social skills, emotional growth, and self-esteem.

Because leadership is a factor in all camp experiences, it is a skill all camp professionals, including maintenance personnel, clerical staff, and kitchen staff, need. Examples of camp leadership surround us: a sports coach directs her team to prepare for practice; a lifeguard provides feedback about a swimmer's stroke; a camp director makes a presentation to the board. In all of these instances, people engage in certain behaviors and exhibit specific qualities that identify them as leaders. Leadership behaviors may be examined as a set of skills used by leaders at all levels.

Skills

Good leaders continually try to improve their skills so they will be better at what they do. Three areas of skills combine to make an effective leader: technical skills, human relations skills, and conceptual skills.

Technical skills

Technical skills are specific to accomplishing tasks. Among other things, leaders:

* plan, implement, and evaluate programs and services

* work with logistics, safety and legal issues, and office tasks

* lead songs, games, and activities.

A person who is successful with technical tasks may be an excellent technician, but a poor leader; an effective leader also needs strong human relations and conceptual skills.

Human relations skills

Human relations skills (also called interpersonal skills) are skills and leadership techniques that involve people. Human relations skills include:

* understanding group dynamics and facilitating cooperation and trust among participants

* understanding and resolving conflicts

* being a good communicator

* making people feel welcomed

* valuing and respecting others.

We all know that working with people is the essence of the camp profession; human relations skills are a requirement of success.

Conceptual skills

Conceptual skills are often difficult to develop; they include:

* the ability to analyze, anticipate, and see the big picture

* the ability to handle ambiguity

* the ability to articulate a camp philosophy and understand the ways it guides leadership styles

* critical thinking and problem solving skills

* creativity

* efforts to contribute to an organization and to better society

* support of the organization's mission through actions and decisions and adherence to internal values

* an understanding of one's role in promoting the camp field.

Without conceptual skills it would be difficult to integrate technical and human relations skills into leadership situations.

Teaching leadership

Successful leaders then, are those skilled in technical, human relations, and conceptual skills. Leaders have the ability to perform the tasks required by their positions; to work well with other people, including peers, campers, and supervisors; and to conceptualize their roles in the camp organization. Often, due to its complex nature, leadership is a topic that is overlooked as a teachable skill. Counselors and other front line camp staff often are assumed to have strong leadership skills, when in fact they may have no leadership training or experience. Camp directors and other staff members responsible for training and developing counselors often have much leadership experience, yet they may be unable to articulate leadership practices to newer staff.

To best meet the needs of the groups they work with, leaders continually shift their leadership styles. Explaining the constant changing of leadership styles and techniques is one of the difficulties in teaching leadership.

Appropriate leadership styles

People use many styles of leadership. One leader may feel comfortable using a participative style, in which the group makes the decisions. This leader would involve campers in decisions as full members of a group. Another leader may not feel comfortable with extensive group involvement and would prefer to exert a bit more control. Neither of these approaches is better than the other.

Most people who study leadership believe that choosing an appropriate leadership style depends on several factors, including the leader, the group, and the situation. Leaders' maturity, knowledge, previous experiences, biases, and skills have a strong impact on the styles of leadership they are comfortable using. The group's size, maturity, and purposes, and the group members' experience levels and ages, combine with other factors to influence leadership style. The situation, which includes the task, time constraints, environment, equipment, temperature, and other external forces, also influences leadership style.