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OUR LIFE Monthly, published by Ukrainian National Women’s League of America VOL. XL JULY—AUGUST 1983 No. 7 EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP OKSANA ZUROWSKYJ My subject is effective leadership, and I intend to start by stating what effective leadership is not. It is not total domination in an organization by the leader and board. Effective leadership, and therefore, an effective organization, exists when an equal partnership is estab lished between the leader and the members. Effective leadership does not exist when the leader is a kind of “jack-of-all-trades” wherein she tries to accomplish everything herself because it’s “easier” than bothering the members about such a “minor” task, and she’ll know that that particular chore has been accomplished. So the work gets done. But at what price? The result of this efficiency is a membership that is com pletely dependent upon the leader, bored and is not fami liar with the workings, responsibilities and goals of the organization. The members also wonder, “Why do I belong to this organization? After all, the leader is doing everything making all the decisions and not discussing problems and projects with me. Isn’t this my organization too?” Chances are quite good that this kind of thinking may lead to a contemplation of withdrawal, or withdrawal itself, and a decrease in membership is something we can ill afford. This, I think, is a good motive for avoiding the ’Tll-do-it-all-myself” approach to running an organi zation. The bottom line is that the organization belongs to both the leader and the members, who should work together in upgrading the organization, and effective leadership depends upon an equal partnership between the two. Both partners have certain responsibilities. All responsibilities do not rest on the shoulders of the leader and the board. No group can become fully productive until its members are willing to assume responsibility for the way the group acts and its direction. The effective leader must ralize (and help members realize) that con tributing to the total task of leadership is a responsibility of every member. For a leader to be effective, she must be aware, first of all, why people choose to belong to an organization. Some people join for external reasons, i.e. community service and creation of public awareness of an issue. Others join for internal reasons, such as personal enjoyment and development and to satisfy certain social- emotional needs, such as to gain a sense of acceptance or belonging, need for self-esteem by putting their abilities to use, or for recognition by others. The respon sibility of the leader is to help them fulfill these needs and to develop the potential in her associates. It is to help people to do more than they ever dreamed they could do, to seek every member’s special talent. It is to help all members contribute to solving of group’s problems (rather than let them expect you, the leader, to solve the problem) and get all points of view out in the open. Thus a good leader is one who assists others to express themselves in everyway possible. She must be a- ware of her own limitations and look for help from mem bers. After all, we all have a desire to be needed and wanted, to belong. So, it is crucial to an effective, well- run organization that the leader create an emotional climate which holds the group together in order to enable the members to contribute their ideas, which is one of their responsibilities to the organization, without fear of personal attack. The leader doesn’t have to talk twice as much as anyone else. The lower her profile in the meeting, the more others will participate and contri bute. The leader should encourage participation and free communication because in such an atmosphere more ideas are available to choose from, and she will have strong support for decisions reached and greater com mitment to action projects since the members had a voice in determining the project. The leader’s own con scious or unconscious attitude toward the group will determine a lot of the results in determining whether an idea for a project will be transferred into action. What one thinks and feels can radiate, reflect and communi cate before one says much or even before one speaks at all. Enthusiasm should be used in selling an idea. The leader should not display a lack of self-confidence but should be direct and positive in the way she presents ideas. Yet any “brilliant idea” should not be imposed ’’НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ЛИПЕНЬ-СЕРПЕНЬ 1983 25
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