Leadership, College Students, and the ideal Leadership Team: A Living and Academic Thesis

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Leadership, College Students, and the ideal
Leadership Team A Living and Academic Thesis
R. Anthony Turner, Author Terrence R. Love,
Tutor Roy Whitehead, Jr., Reader
Presented to the
University of Central Arkansas Honors
College
May 17, 2002
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Preview

• Leadership Theories
• Several paradigms
• Constant evolution
• College Organizations
• The ideal Leadership Team
• Hands-on research
• Living Thesis

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Significance of Work

• Beneficial to participants
• Beneficial to the University
• Understanding which paradigm of leadership is
  most appropriate at the collegiate level

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Leadership Theories
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Leadership Theories

• The Great Man Theory
• The Trait Theory
• The Behavioral Theory
• The Situational Contingency Theory
• The Influence Theory
• The Reciprocal Recognition Theory

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Great Man Theory

• Earliest paradigm
• Leaders are BORN
• Leadership is a trait
• Criticisms
• No scientific proof
• Only a few Great Men can be leaders

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Trait Theory

• Arose from Great Man Theory
• 1907- c. 1950
• Ability to lead derived from traits
• Self-Confidence
• Intelligence
• Height
• Criticisms
• Leaders vary by situation
• Impossibly idealistic

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Behavioral Theory

• Flowed from criticisms of Trait Theory
• 1950s and 1960s
• One best way postulate
• Research reveals Concern for people and
  Concern for production
• CriticismLeadership varies by situation

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Situational Contingency Theory

• Arose from Behavioral Theory
• 1970s and 1980s
• Leaders should vary their methods based on the
  situation they face
• The leader is a product of the situation

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Influence Theory

• Developed independent of other theories
• 1920s-1977
• Max Webers charisma
• Positive and negative leaders use charisma

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Reciprocal Recognition Theory

• Offshoot of Influence Theory
• Leadership is not just something that a leader
  does to followers Susan R. Komives
• Empowerment-based theory
• Leading from within and Kaizen

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Servant Leadership

• Sub-theory of Reciprocal Recognition Theory
• Leaders earn the right to lead by seeking first
  to serve others
• Compassionate leaders are embraced by their
  followers

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Servant Leadership
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Servant LeadershipThe Ideal Paradigm

• Leadership is in the eye of the follower
  --Kouzes and Posner
• Honesty is the best policy
• Leaders must be inspirational
• Leaders must be connected

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I happen to know a little about leadership You
can not lead by hitting people over the head.
Any damn fool can do that, but its usually
called assault and not leadership.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
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Benefits of Leadership in Organizations
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Benefits of Leadership in Organizations

• Serves as a rudder to guide groups
• Creates mission and goals
• Gets organizations and people to change and march
  to a common drummer
• Facilitates the formation of beneficial
  relationships

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Leadership is accomplishing something through
other people that wouldnt have happened if you
werent there Leadership is being able to
mobilize ideas and values that energize other
people.
Noel Tichy
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College Students Need Organizations
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Benefits of Groups to Students

• Constructive means of using spare time
• Opportunities to broadened exposure to the
  other
• Leadership development
• Understanding of university community

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People need affiliations

• Experiment conducted in 1920s on group of
  females
• Follow-up study on males
• Broadly applicable
• Build relationships needed for college success
• Develop teaming skills needed for success in life

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Individual output was most closely related to
the social memberships of workers, not their
innate abilities. Charles
Handy
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College Groups Need Quality Leaders
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Passing on the Torch

• Benefits of teaching leadership skills
• Fighting apathy
• Grooming successors
• Producing quality leaders for positions
• Ensuring the survival of groups
• Directing actions toward the good

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The ideal Mission
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i.d.e.a.l.

• i- ntense
• d- edication
• e- thics
• a- ccomplishment
• l- eadership

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ideal Learning

• Diversity
• Leadership theory
• Communication skills
• Networking
• Conflict resolution
• Ethical decision making
• Not afraid of leadership
• University operations

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ideal Mission Statement

• The Mission of the ideal Leadership Team is
• to set an example as compassionate servant
  leaders by emphasizing dedication, ethics,
  accomplishment, and service
• to further the leadership skills of our members,
  enhancing our lives and those of the greater
  community and
• to strive to always leave our place better than
  we found it, thus becoming i.d.e.a.l. leaders.

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ideal History
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History

• COSGA
• Fish Aides
• Modified for UCA

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The ideal Experience
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Developing Leadership through SGA

• Weekly office hour
• SGA pages
• SGA Diversity Dance

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Meetings

• Text learning
• Campus tours
• Expert lecturers/workshops
• Fun Days

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Servanthood

• United Way
• Up til DawnSt. Jude
• Nursing Home Valentines Philanthropy

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Less than ideal Experiences
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Missteps

• Lack of retention
• Lack of concentration on academia
• United Way fundraising drive

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ideal Successes
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Successes

• Broad exposure
• Creating future leaders
• Retreat and relationship building
• Diversity integration
• Community Service

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The ideal Future
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Changes for the Better

• More involvement with SGA
• Standing committees
• Attending meetings as a group
• SGA sponsored events
• Joint fun activities

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Future Directors Vision

• My vision is to improve retention and the
  academic successes of idealers, to cultivate an
  increased sense of tradition for the program by
  having alumni activities, to give students more
  hands-on learning experiences, and to continue
  the programs successful regiment of leadership
  and personal development activities.
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  --Mark Fortenberry

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My Goodbye

• I am proud of ideals successes
• ideal is a positive force on campus
• I am confident of the programs future
• ideal has been a living thesis that will live on
  long after I graduate.

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Thank You