Chapter 10 Leadership and Decision Making in Groups 279mature or experienced groups, where just checking in occasionally and seeing if
the group has questions is all that is warranted. Ron Swanson is able to remain
hands off because he delegates responsibility to his supercompetent deputy direc-
tor, Leslie Knope.
Achievement Oriented
An achievement-oriented leader sets challenging goals and communicates
high expectations and standards to members. This style works best when
group members are highly skilled and are eager to produce great accomplish-
ments. In addition to setting lofty goals, such leaders encourage outside-the-
box thinking, compare the group with other high-performing groups, and
keep members focused on tangible outcomes. Parks and Recreation’s Leslie
Knope has an achievement-oriented style of leadership. She identifies an
ambitious goal and then does everything in her power to make that goal hap-
pen. Her ambition is often initially at odds with her apathetic coworkers and
reluctant community. But her commitment, enthusiasm, and optimism are
infectious, and she usually ends up inspiring everyone around her to help
pitch in to make it happen.
Leadership Qualities
When leaders are able to adapt their styles to the needs of the groups they guide,
they can enhance the productivity and satisfaction of group members in their
day-to-day activities. But there are also leaders who have unique qualities that
enable them to effect change on a larger scale—be it reforming a school, turning
a small company into a huge, multinational corporation, coaching a winning
sports team, or inspiring a massive social movement. Let’s examine some of these
unique qualities.
PARKS AND RECRE-
ATION’S Ron Swanson
and Leslie Knope strike a
balance of leadership styles,
with Ron’s hands-off attitude
complemented by Leslie’s
passionate commitment to
getting things done.
NBC/Photofest