WHEN TO USE
HOW TO USE THIS LEADERSHIP TOOL
Give people a fish and you feed them for a day. Teach people how to fish and you help
them to feed themselves. Teach people to sustain fish stocks and they feed many forever.Before his promotion to a leadership role, Tom’s favorite saying was, “Just tell me what to do,
and I’ll get it done.” Shortly after his promotion, complaints started surfacing about Tom’s
style: “Tom treats us all like children. We do have heads on our shoulders, you know!” Another
leader, Mary, preferred to be led by participative leaders who “Don’t tell me what to do,” but
rather acted as a sounding board to help her determine the best action. She treated others the
way she preferred to be treated. Soon, team members began complaining, “I wish Mary would
just tell us what she wants. We spend far too much time trying to guess what is on her mind.”
Both of these leaders were well-intentioned, but lacked role flexibility.
Use this tool to assess your own leadership style and flexibility, or to coach others to do
the same. In addition, when people approach you with a concern, be aware of the role embed-
ded in their approach. In this way, you can make a conscious decision about how you wish to
respond, as opposed to simply reacting and hoping for the best result. Use the questions in the
worksheet to challenge and improve your versatility as a leader.
WEB WORKSHEET
SECTION 9 TOOLS FORLEADING ANDINFLUENCINGOTHERS 265
- when a person needs support
- when developing skilled people
- if there are many ways of doing something
- when a person doesn’t know how
- when developing unskilled people
- when there’s only one best way of doing something
Nondirective Directive- In a typical month, which role(s) would you use:
- most often?
- least often?
- In which role(s) do you feel:
- most comfortable?
- least comfortable?
- Which role(s) seem to be the best way to lead specif-
ic people in your group? - Which role(s) are others asking you to fill?
(You may wish to list people in your group.)
Leadership Role Assessment Improvement Actions