1. Civil Air Patrol
National Commander’s Thoughts on Leadership Maj Gen Mark E. Smith, CAP 9 August 2018

2. Overview
Leadership Styles Servant Leadership Tips for effectively leading volunteers

3. Leadership Styles The “cool” leadership styles
The “not-so-cool” leadership style

4. But what’s your “default”
Leadership Styles
A Sliding Scale
Classical
Transactional
Visionary
Organic
Autocratic leader
Leader consults with followers
Strong leader, charismatic
Distributed decision making
“My way or the highway”
Then makes “informed” decision
Communication of the vision
Group power, collaboration
Followers have little input
More power for followers
Consensus building
Significant input from membership
But what’s your “default”
leadership model?
However, comma...
Leadership style is situation-dependent
We usually employ a hybrid model of leadership

5. The Three Facets of Servant Leadership
A Servant Leader is:
A person of integrity
A steward of the organization
Helps her or his people achieve their full potential

6. Servant Leader – A Person of Integrity
Ethical underpinnings – one’s “moral compass”
CAP’s core values
Important to have alignment between your
moral compass and the organization’s core values
A story...
It’s a 24/7 thing

7. Servant Leader – Steward of the Organization
Committed to the success of the organization and its people
Avery: Organizational stewardship operates on two levels: stewardship for the followers, and stewardship of the mission or purpose that underlies the organization
Some of the traits of organizational stewardship:
Vision (Covey: Begin with the end in mind)
Persuasiveness/communication
Trust/Delegation (De Pree: Abandon yourself to the strength of others)
Diversity – brings richness to the organization
Inclusiveness – participative leadership
Appreciation of others

8. Servant Leader – Committed to Helping Followers Reach Their Full Potential
Developing the next generation of (servant) leaders Putting followers first, personally invested Tailored development of leadership skills, task skills, self-motivation, and self-confidence (sounds like mentoring!) Attributes to achieve this: delegation, empowerment, empathy, listening, healing, awareness, celebrate successes

9. Tips for effective leadership of volunteers
Dealing with our members
Leadership is a privilege, and an obligation
“It’s about the people, all the people”
“Care like you mean it”
Genuineness (Authentic Leadership)
Servant leadership

10. Tips for effective leadership of volunteers
Communication
It’s a journey…
Listening: “Ears open, eyes open, mouth not flapping” (Behar)
Listen for the truth
“Seek first to understand, then to be understood” (Covey)
Always – transparently, honestly, frequently
Includes vision, goals, objectives
Make it safe, be responsive
Lots of talking. Focus? Team?
Vision? Is anyone listening?

11. Tips for effective leadership of volunteers
Build trust
“Care like you mean it”
Start with yourself
Appreciate and take pleasure in your accomplishments
Invite, and be receptive to, feedback
Appreciate others
Acknowledge contributions
Honest feedback, given in a positive manner
Do the right thing – always
Pass the praise, take the blame
Be responsive to everybody

12. Tips for effective leadership of volunteers
Be accountable
Not just to those above you, but to your people and your stakeholders
Big mistake: withholding the truth about an “oops” and not holding yourself accountable to your people
Communicate clearly and honestly when there is an issue
This doesn’t work!

13. Tips for effective leadership of volunteers
Be a person of action
Organizations don’t stay static; they’re either growing or diminishing
Tap into the wealth of your people’s creativity
More on that in a bit
Be persistent, but at the right point be willing to let go of Plan A
Have Plan B ready to go

14. Tips for effective leadership of volunteers
Think independently
Honor independent thinking
Not necessarily easy in our rules-based CAP
Empower your people, set expectations, be amazed at what they can do
Ideas will bubble up
Don’t get hung up on who gets credit

15. Tips for effective leadership of volunteers
Dare to dream, and to
help others dream
“Say ‘yes’, the most powerful word in the world” (Behar)
Affirm your people, give them resources, your trust, and a clear purpose
Saying “yes” is a leap of faith, believing in your people

16. Tips for effective leadership of volunteers
A final thought
Covey’s 7th Habit: “Sharpen the Saw”
I’m preaching to myself (and you…)
Pace yourself
Take time off periodically to recharge, refocus, and plan
Strive for balance
If we do this, we will be better leaders for the long haul!

17. Questions?

18. References + More References Other Stuff Morgan and Lynch George
Avery
Understanding Leadership
Behar
It’s Not About the Coffee
Covey
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Leaders
De Pree
Leadership is an Art
Other Stuff
Morgan and Lynch
Leading From the Front
George
True North
Resources on CAP University website
Read to Lead
ACTIV²E Leadership Model
Lots more!