5 We are all leaders!
The fact that you have chosen a course on leadership suggests you may have some interest in finding out more about developing your own skills in leading others. You may already be working in a position where you are a formal leader in some capacity. Alternatively, you may not necessarily see yourself as ‘leadership material’.
It is important to recognise, however, that wherever you are now, however experienced or inexperienced, we are all leaders in some way. We are also all always learning, even the most experienced of leaders is still learning how to be a better and more caring leader. It’s just that some are in formal management positions, whereas others are using their skills and knowledge to navigate daily living.
Activity 5 Your position as a leader
Take a moment to think about where and how you exercise leadership in your daily life. It might be helpful to think about how you think others would describe you. Then:
- write a short description which aims to cover your person, position, process and purpose as a leader
- reflect also on how you demonstrate care as a leader
- identify an area of strength and an area you would like to develop as a leader
For example:
‘My position at work is ‘team leader’ – so I have leader in my title! As a person I always try to be inclusive and supportive, so one of my strengths is my process of involving everyone. But this also means I sometimes worry about making a decision without ensuring everyone is on board first. In a less formal role I also help to run a gardening club for youngsters on my street where I tend to be much more directive than I am at work. If I’m not, we just don’t get things done! I guess this shows I can make decisions that I believe are for the greater good without seeking agreement from everyone beforehand. The problem is I care about how others perceive me, and I want people at work to feel I care about them as well. It’s easier being more directive with youngsters but still being a caring adult – because you demonstrate that care by keeping them safe and helping them learn. So, I guess my whole purpose is underpinned by an ethic of care, which is a strength, but also something I might need to work on to develop my confidence at work.’
‘My current ‘position’ is grandmother, and I look after my grandchildren while their parents are at work. So, I’m in a position of informal leadership there and it’s all about care! I used to work in a city-centre nursery before retiring but never in a position of leadership. Looking back, I realise I probably was ‘leading’ in small ways. We were following a structure laid down from nursery management and I was following the process laid out, but I had a real passion for letting each child’s uniqueness shine through. I really cared about letting each small person find and be themselves. I guess that was my ‘purpose’! Looking after my grandkids gives me much more freedom to do what I want when I want, and I love letting them take the lead and tell me what they want to do, so the process is driven by them. But I realise as well that they’ll need to start to get ready for school routines soon, so thinking about it I probably could work a bit more of a routine into our week. Perhaps that should be a new purpose for me over the next few months – as a caring grandma I can help them ease into that next life transition.’
The fact that you have chosen to study this course suggests that you have an interest in how we can develop more caring approaches to leadership. Approaching leadership with care includes reflecting on how we care for ourselves as well as how we care for others, you will look at this next.