By Dan Kahl, CEDIK Associate Director and Associate Professor, Department of Community & Leadership Development
Finding that perfect leader
There is a long-standing argument in leadership. Supporters of trait-based theories of leadership argue that leaders are gifted individuals that “just have that special something” from birth. Others argue that leadership can be learned.
Is your community waiting for a superhero?
“Send me a hero” is a popular theme for songs and Marvel movies that represents the premise of trait-based leadership theories. The underlying idea is that we ordinary people cannot fix problems for ourselves and need someone with special talents to come along and fix issues for us. If a community adopts that mythology, they may be left waiting a long time for the perfect gifted leader to be born or show up to rescue them.
I teach a course at the University of Kentucky called Leading in Community. One assignment of the course is to have students interview people in leadership positions. Invariably, through the interviews, the students learn that every interviewed leader has a struggle with some aspect of leadership. There is no such thing as a perfect leader. The most conscientious leaders acknowledge it is difficult to impossible to please all the people all of the time. They acknowledge that leadership is a continuous challenge of listening, aligning interests, and consensus building among people with differing needs and perspectives.
Perhaps we are the leaders we have been waiting for
Advocates of shared leadership theories assert that leadership is more than an individual characteristic. Shared leadership theories (Fleishman, Mumford, Saccaro, et.al., 1991; Hughes, Ginnett, & Curphy, 1993) suggest that leadership isn’t defined by the individual or their position of authority. Rather, leadership is defined by actions and relationships that result in shared outcomes. In other words, many people can play an active part in leadership by stepping forward, taking action, and influencing others to become involved in projects or shared efforts. When defined in this way, leadership is created through the sharing of influence and the practice of collaboration and teamwork.
How might your community cultivate more engaged leadership?
Most community leaders would agree that having a team of leadership is preferred – even necessary – for addressing the complexities of community life. Leaders in the arts, economic development, social issues, health, education, and safety are all needed to grow as a community. Leadership development programs address a vital and continuing need in communities and organizations across the world to equip effective leaders. By investing in leadership development, a community can help members of the community develop the competence and confidence needed to step into leadership roles.
How do we know what aspects of leadership to emphasize?
Offering a leadership program is a way for a community to develop depth of leadership in community members. A good starting point is to assess the community leadership priorities. The Community and Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky (CEDIK) Community Leadership Priorities Assessment allows local individuals, government, business, and organizational representatives to share their priority outcomes for leadership skill development, establishing a solid foundation for aligning leadership program content. Visit the CEDIK website for more resources for community leadership development.
References:
Fleishman, E.A., Mumford, M.D., Saccaro, S.J., Levin, K.Y., Korotkin, A.L., & Hein, M.B.(1991). Taxonomic efforts in the description of leader behavior: A synthesis and functional interpretation. Leadership Quarterly.2(4), 245-287.
Hughes, R.L., Ginnett, R.C., & Curphey, G.J. (1993). Leadership: Enhancing the lessons of experience. Homewood, Il.: Irwin.
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