Youth Leadership Training and Organization PDF

LESSON 3 Youth Leadership Training and Organization Leader and Leadership Defined Leadership is the art of influencing people to get the necessary support and cooperation in community affairs to maintain solidarity among people. It is the ability to influence others towards d...

LESSON 3 Youth Leadership Training and Organization Leader and Leadership Defined Leadership is the art of influencing people to get the necessary support and cooperation in community affairs to maintain solidarity among people. It is the ability to influence others towards desired goals. It also means “doing the right things.” A leader is the one who helps/facilitates communities of people, takes risks, and envisions a better future for his/her group, encourage commitment, and helps people move ahead along a path to accomplish a goal. Leaders are needed to make decisions, to direct community activities, and to speak for the community both in relation to its internal organization and its outside relationships. As Peter Drucker pointed out, a leader has followers. Even poor leaders have followers, but usually not for long. That is because the goal of leadership is to get results. Virtues as the Foundation of Leadership (Covey, 1991) Virtue is defined as conformity to a standard of right and morality. It is a beneficial quality or power of a thing, and thus, a commendable trait or habit. The following virtues are considered the foundation of leadership: a. Prudence – the habit which enables man to direct his actions to human life goals, knowing the right thing to do and applying it. b. Justice – the habit of giving each one his/her due with constant and perpetual will; gives stability that a person needs to work without fear and anxiety in search of happiness. c. Fortitude – the habit of overcoming the difficulties and pressures of life in pursuit of goodness. d. Temperance – the habit of bringing desires and natural inclinations of man under the control of reason. e. Industry – the habit of working hard and working under pressure. f. Loyalty – the habit of remaining true to your friends and your principles (goals) in times of difficulty.  g. Responsibility – the habit of being accountable for one’s actions, duties, and obligations; readiness to answer for the consequences of one’s actions. h. Cheerfulness – the habit of being optimistic; always seeing the bright side of things. i. Generosity – the habit of sharing the good that one has with other people; thinking first of the people around him/her and looking for ways he/she can help and serve them. j. Magnanimity – the habit of having great ideals and ambitions of doing good; being concerned with doing great deeds of service to others by developing one’s life to help one’s country and people. Leadership Styles Authoritarian leadership (Survival) – A leader makes a decision and announces his/her decision with no feeling of responsibility or accountability to share the reasons. Consultative leadership (Security) – A leader presents at tentative decision subject to change. A leader announces his/her “tentative” decisions and states that he/she is open to questions for clarification and discussion. Enabling leadership (Participation) – A leader calls on members to identify limits, explore possibilities, and make a decision, but holds the veto power. Building a Better Team 1. Teamwork reflects camaraderie. A team will not work if members are self-centered and if they do not know each other. There will be no fun, excitement, and sharing. 2. Teamwork reflexed unity. It is the team that works towards the outcome of the project whatever it is. The team is no longer a single stick but a bundle of sticks – hard to break, strong, and fighting. 3. Teamwork divides the effort and multiplies the success. Each group has ample zest and inspiration to become a dream team.  Team-building for Youth Organization Youth Organization A youth organization is a collection of teams composed of young people. The success of a youth organization depends on the ability of the teams with in it to work together to attain the commonly held objectives. Because organizations are becoming increasingly more complex, team leaders must be concerned with developing more cohesive and cooperative relations between members and the teams. The development of effective teams within your organization will determine, to a large extent, the ability of the youth organization to attain its goals. Decision-making Decision-making skills and techniques underpin most aspects of management. The art of good decision-making is complex, encompassing a wide range of personal and interpersonal skills such as fact-finding, logical thinking, analytical ability, sensitivity to others, creativity, and assertiveness. Importance of Decision-making Deciding something means making a choice or arriving at a conclusion and neither of these things is easy. Decision is a choice between two or more options/alternatives. It is the act or process of deciding, a determination arrived at after careful consideration. It is a determination of either to win or to lose. Decisions involve a commitment to action; and the hardest step in achieving anything is making a true commitment. The decisions are important because they have the power to trigger the process of forming aspirations and turning goals into reality. Decision-making Approaches 1. Authoritarian approach. Leaders assume the authority to make decisions alone and pass them down the line for implementation. 2. Democratic approach. The responsibility for decision-making is shared between the leader and members of the team. Here are the decisions made based on how many people get involved in the process of decision making: 1. The Plop The group makes a decision by not making a decision. This means ‘not to decide’ is to decide. Someone makes a suggestion, but it is dropped like a stone into a pond, and no one pays any attention to it at all. 2. The One-person Decision This is quickly made, but later when the decision-maker depends on free or voluntary support from others to implement it, he/she might find himself/herself carrying it out alone. 3. The Handclasp One person makes a suggestion, another says, “What a marvelous idea,” and without further discussion, the matter is decided. 4. The Clique This decision is made by a small group who plans beforehand to get their way. 5. The Minority These decisions are not consciously organized as those of the clique, but a few powerful personalities dominate the group, often unconsciously, and then later they wonder why the others are apathetic. 6. The Majority Vote In big groups, this is often the most effective way to make a decision. 7. The Silent Consensus Some groups aim at unanimous decisions. These are good, if genuine, but they are rarely achieved completely on important issues. Unanimous agreement is sometimes assumed, when some members have not felt free to disagree and have kept silent. 8. The Consensus This is an agreement, often involving compromise or the combination of various possibilities, after all opinions have been heard. This method does build unity, cooperation, and commitment. However, this process may take longer.