1. Principles of Leadership
Module 1
Objectives:
Identify various styles and traits of leaders
Recognize the strengths and assets that make an effective leader
Reflect on effective and ineffective leaders when working with teams
Lead team members effectively to work cooperatively and complete tasks

2. Principles of Leadership
“Leaders get people moving. They energize and mobilize. They take people and organizations to places they have never been before.”
– Kouzes and Posner, 2012
Facilitator: The information today will provide an overview of leadership principles, help you discover what leadership is and is not, allow you to reflect on leaders in your life and support you with information to help you be better leaders.

3. Lost Generation www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIEDuRcchjI
Facilitator: Many things are said about the younger generations in our society, and not all of it is positive. This YouTube video showcases a palindrome that describes what many think of your generation but then reverses the words and thoughts to a much more positive picture. It can help all of you recognize that you have a great deal to contribute and will be looked to in the future to serve in leadership roles.
As with all of the materials presented in the Building Tomorrow’s Leaders program, we hope it will build your confidence to lead as well as serve others in your school, community, state and nation.

4. Leadership can be hard to define and means different things to different people.
Leadership styles can be classified in many ways.
Instrumental leaders
Expressive leaders
These are three leadership decision-making styles:
Authoritarian
Democratic
Laissez-faire
Facilitator: Leadership means many things to people around the world, as well as many things in different situations. Leaders “lead” by mobilizing and inspiring others to take action on issues or work with others to make a difference. They help others do the right thing and get the job done. Everyone’s style of leadership is very different.
Instrumental leadership – The focus is on achieving goals and getting the task done.
Expressive leadership – The focus is on team cohesion. The leaders truly care for team members.
Effective leaders can use an instrumental or expressive style, depending on the situation.
In addition, leadership decision-making styles include:
Authoritarian – These leaders take charge, direct others and have control. This style is effective when you need quick changes. If the house is on fire, you need a commanding leader to make quick decisions. This style is ineffective because decision making can be abused and authoritarian leaders can be looked at as bossy or controlling. Team members may resent decisions because they did not have a part in them.
Democratic – These leaders encourage team building, group discussion and decision making through consensus. It is an effective decision- making style, but it also causes frustration due to the team taking a long time to reach a consensus of the group.
Laissez-faire – These leaders let the group make its own decisions. They let the group function on its own and are minimally involved.

5. Activity – Leadership Search
Think of five people you would consider a leader. These may be people you’ve worked with or observed
Facilitator: Ask students to list on a sheet of paper five people they would consider a leader. These may be people they know, or they’ve worked with or observed. Ask them to think about the characteristics of the individuals on their list. Follow up with these questions:
What makes them a leader in your mind?
Do you see them as a good leader or a bad leader? Why?
What do you think their leadership style is (instrumental or expressive and authoritarian, democratic or laissez-faire)?

6. Activity – Leaders are …
Leaders can …
Leaders have …
Facilitator: On the chalk board, whiteboard or flip chart paper, make the following lists. Ask the students to brainstorm responses to the following:
Leaders are …
Leaders can …
Leaders have …
These have no right or wrong answers. This is an opportunity for the students to share their expectations of what a leaders should be.

7. Leadership has nothing to do with:
Seniority
Titles
Taking all of the credit
Having all of the answers
Demeaning others
Telling and controlling
Management
Facilitator: Share with the students that leadership is not about them. It is about the team, the followers of the leader, the entire group. The best leaders need people to help get things accomplished; they can’t do everything themselves. Leaders do not have all of the answers, but they look to their group to help provide answers.

8. Leadership has everything to do with leaders who:
Are credible and set a good example
Imagine possibilities and take action with others
Look for opportunities
Build relationships
Recognize others for their great work
Facilitator: The last slide described what leadership is “not” about while this one describes what it “is” about.
Leaders are credible and set good examples.
Being a person of character is the foundation of a good leader.
You “walk the talk.”
You DWYSYWD (do what you say you will do).
Personal values – honesty, trustworthiness, respect, caring, responsible - are in alignment.
Leaders imagine possibilities and take action with others.
They search for opportunities to grow, innovate or improve.
They take risks and learn from their mistakes.
Leaders look for opportunities.
They are positive and envision an uplifting future.
They enlist others in their ideas by appealing to their interests, hopes and dreams.
Leaders build relationships.
They cooperate with others to work on goals and build trust.
They offer support and give choices to team members.
Leaders recognize others for their great work.
They recognize individual contributions to the success of every project.
They make sure team accomplishments are celebrated regularly.

9. Activity: String Team Building
Divide the group into teams of six.
Each team will select a leader.
The leader will get a copy of the String Team instructions and lead his/her group through the activity.
Have fun!
Facilitator:
Divide the group into teams of six and ask them to self-select a “leader.”
Hand out the instruction sheets for the String Team Activity to the leader of each group.
Remind the class that the goal is to recognize leadership characteristics that help move a group to action.
After the time limit is up, ask for the group to respond to the follow-up questions on the next slide.

10. String Team Building Follow-up Questions
What lessons can we learn about leadership from this activity?
What kind of leadership characteristics were required to have everyone participate to achieve this goal?
Was your leader credible? Did you trust him/her?
Did your leader:
Look for opportunities?
Build relationships with you?
Recognize you for your good work?
Facilitator: Ask the participants to reflect on the string activity and respond to the questions on the slide out loud.

11. Leadership Lessons Learned
What is one thing you learned from this session?
What is one thing you plan to implement or do differently based on what you learned?
Facilitator: Finish the session by asking the group to reflect out loud on the two questions listed.

12. References
Building Connections: Community Leadership Program. Texas Cooperative Extension.
Goulet, B. Lost Generation video based on Jonathan’s Reed’s Lost Generation Palindrome Poem. Retrieved from:
Kouzes, J.M., and Posner, B.Z. (2007). The Leadership Challenge (4th ed.) Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, Calif.
Maxwell, J.C. (1999). The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader. Thomas Nelson Inc., Nashville, Tenn.
Northhouse, P.G. (2007). Leadership Theory and Practice (4th ed.) Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Smaaladen, J. & Knutson, C. (2016). Future Leaders and Mentors Engaging Society (FLAMES) Youth Leadership Program.
Youth Leadership Curriculum (2004). Green and Iowa County programs, University of Wisconsin Extension