Multiple intelligences and leadership skills

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-UNDERSTANDING THE NEEDS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE POST; each individual participant of the group has certain needs and characteristics. A leader should understand his or her own needs and characteristics. He should also understand the needs and characteristics of each participant of the group. This helps the leader to deal with each person as an individual, to treat that individual with respect, and to help the person grow. This understanding helps in planning the program and in getting things done. It does create trust and builds confidence among group participants.

- KNOWING AND USING THE RESOURCES OF THE GROUP Resources include all those things necessary to do a job. Resources also include people, because people have knowledge and skills. Knowledge is what a person learns through familiarity or experience what you know. Skill is the ability to use what you know. Attitude includes the desire to do something (motivation) and the belief that you can do it (confidence).

-COMMUNICATING To improve your skills in getting information:

• Pay attention and listen carefully.

• Make notes and sketches.

• Ask questions and repeat your understanding of what was said. To improve your skills in giving information:

• Be sure others are listening before you speak.

• Speak slowly and clearly.

• Draw diagrams, if needed. Ask those receiving information to take notes.

• Have the listeners repeat their understanding of what was said. Encourage questions.

-PLANNING; Planning is an important part of everything we do in Exploring. The following is a simple process for planning:

• Consider the task and objectives. What do you want to accomplish? LEADERSHIP SKILLS 2

• Consider the resources—equipment, knowledge, skills, and attitudes.

• Consider the alternatives. Brainstorm.

• Reach a decision, evaluating each option.

• Write the plan down and review it with the post.

• Execute the plan.

• Evaluate the plan.

-CONTROLLING GROUP PERFORMANCE; A leader influences the performance of the group and individual participants through his or her actions. Why is control needed? A group needs control as an engine needs a throttle— to keep it from running itself into the ground. A group works together best when everybody is headed in the same direction. If a plan is to be properly carried out, someone must lead the effort. Control is a function that the group assigns to the leader to get the job done. Control happens as a result of recognizing the difference between where the group is and where the group is going. The leader is responsible for developing a plan to help the group get to its goal.

-SETTING THE EXAMPLE; Setting the example is probably the most important leadership skill. It is the most effective way to show others the proper way to conduct themselves, and is even more effective than verbal communication. Without this skill, all the other skills will be useless. One way to think about setting the example is to imagine yourself as part of a group and think about how you would like your leader to act.

-SHARING LEADERSHIP While there are various ways to exercise leadership, the goal of exploring leadership is exemplified in a quote from the ancient Chinese philosopher, Lao-Tzu: “But of a good leader . . . When the work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say, ‘We did this ourselves.’ ” The Exploring leader wants to give post participants the skills he or she possesses, not to use those skills in ways that keep the post weak or dependent. He or she offers leadership opportunities to post participants and teaches them the skills they need.

-EVALUATING; evaluating helps measure the performance of a group in getting a job done and working together. It suggests ways in which the group can improve its performance. There are two basic categories of evaluation questions. After any event or activity, ask these questions: Getting the job done:

• Was the job done?

• Was the job done right?

• Was the job done on time?

-COUNSELING; counseling is important

• To help people solve problems

• To encourage or reassure

• To help an Explorer reach his or her potential Counseling can be effective when a person is undecided—he or she can’t make a decision

-REPRESENTING THE GROUP; where do you represent the post? Post leaders represent the post at post committee meetings, Advisors’ meetings, officers’ meetings, and planning conferences, and to the participating organization.

-EFFECTIVE TEACHING; effective teaching is a process to increase the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of the group and its participants. The focus is on learning, not teaching. For teaching to be effective, learning must take place.

CONCLUSION

All in all, leadership is a special way of mobilizing others to want to accomplish a mutual agreed-upon goal while advancing the group’s integrity and morale.

Some people naturally start off better leaders than others, but everyone can learn to become better with training and practice. Everyone has his own style of leadership, much like every painter has his own style brushstrokes. However, there are some common themes of leadership no matter the style, as highlighted in the other points below.