Directive Style Of Leadership??

[Eamonn]

Sometime back I said that I had just started reading the One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard.

If you have not yet read this do it ASAP.

I have now read six books that he has somehow had something to do with. Most of them three or more times.

This in no way makes me any sort of an expert and I in no way claim to be one.

In the posting Four Styles of Leadership we seemed to be having a problem with the Directing Style of Leadership.

Or to be more precise, I was having a problem.

I hope to explain how I see this and then have you all let me know what your thoughts are.

It is my hope that we will all come out of this a little wiser.

Directive Leadership and Directive behaviors are related primarily to productivity.

They pay attention to what the team (Patrol?) is supposed to be doing and the focus on getting the job done.

This style of leadership involves:

Devveloping team purpose and values.

Clarifying team norms and ground rules.

Establishing roles.

Identifying goals.

Agreeing on structure and strategies.

These would be the undertaking or the duty of the team leader.

I may have not read some of the postings in the Four Styles Of Leadership, the right way. But it seemed to me that we were getting into a new field that had more to do dealing with behavior then dealing with leadership.

When we deal with behavior there is the Cooperative Approach and the Proscriptive Approach.

While it might be said that the Proscriptive Approach is a form of the Directive Style of Leadership, under the heading of clarifying team norms and ground rules. And it might be also said that the Cooperative Approach is used in both Coaching and Supporting.

If we only view Directive Leadership as "Order Giving" We might be a little off base.

Your views are much appreciated.

Eamonn

[Bob White]

Or to simplify it a little, here is what Blanchard writes in Leadership and the One Minute Minute Manager

Directing

The Leader provides specific instructions and closely supervises task accomplishment.

 

When the Scoutmaster tells the SPL to start the meeeting and then stands by to see he does it that is "directing".

 

Directing has no sharing of leadership or trust. The scoutmaster could have handled this situation through coaching, supporting or delegating, depending on the competence and experience of the SPL.

 

Are there opportunities when "directing" is the most appropriate? Absolutely. I have given the lifeguard example in the past but there are others as well. When the Chaplains Aide says "lets bow our head for grace" that is directing. The important thing for Scoutmasters especially to remember is that it is only one method of leadership and it is the only one that does not share the leadership duties with anyone else. A troop will never be boy lead if the SM uses "directing" as the most common style of leadership.

 

Bob White(This message has been edited by Bob White)

[evmori]

I feel the directive style can be used in a positive manner. My example of "OK guys, let's get the gear unloaded" directing (telling) someone what to do. There is no negative conotation to to the direction. Just a simple command.

 

Ed Mori

Scoutmaster

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[fotoscout]

When the SM says to the SPL,Please start the meeting, the SM has now empowered the SPL to do just that. There is without question, some level of trust implied here. This troop may have a very simple opening, or it may have a VERY elaborate opening, either way the SM trusts that the SPL is prepared, and will conduct the opening as it is intended.

 

There is also something else going on in these two threads. As the threads grow so have the Buzz Words. One of the things that my WB class did very well was to keep the buzz words at a minimum. Most people, me included, cant keep all those buzz words straight. Not to mention that the buzz words often come from different camps or approaches to leadership and don't quite fit together. The average guy will have enough trouble differentiating between Supportive vs. Coaching, let alone Cooperative vs. Proscriptive, Proactive vs. Reactive, Empowerment vs. Delegation.

 

The key is to recognize that each of us is prone to being dominated by the use of only one style of leadership. Recognizing this, and with an awareness that there are alternative leadership style, your ability to successfully lead is enhanced.

 

But remember that there are people out there who can use the directing style as they tell you that youve been fired from your job, and have you saying; thank you is there anything else I can do? Some people are just naturals with a particular style; we dont want those people to change just because some guy who wrote a book, tells them that they are using the wrong leadership style in a particular situation.

 

 

 

 

 

[Bob White]

Ok Guys unload the truck is too general by blanchards definition to be Dirstive leadership. Direction involves specific instruction. General statements with no actual information or sharing of specific authority is not a leadership style it is lack of leadership. The is no support ofered, no information shared, no device for developiing the group or individual. It is a void of leadership.

 

This is not a topic that has room for personal definitions. The BSA has adopted Blanchards leadership techniques and incorporated them into the BSA training programs. Blanchard and the BSA have determined their definitions. We can use of this information or misuse it, but it is not something we can change the meaniing of.

 

Bob White

[OldGreyEagle]

Just as there is no "punishment" in Boy Scouts, there is no "telling" in Boy Scouts, it may just be semantics to you, but to me it matters. A comment such as "what do you think we should do with the loaded gear Mr SPL" is so much better.

 

Before anyone blows a gasket, I do not include safety issues and other matters where quick action is necesssary. But is may be fun sometime to see how long a troop realizes the gear isnt getting unloaded and what they do about it. One a troop I knew had a camp out where the leaders didnt wake anybody up and never told anyone to start breakfast, around 10 am they woke up, literally and figuratively.

[evmori]

But it can be interpreted.

 

"OK guys, let's get the gear unloaded."

 

The specific instruction is unload the gear.

 

And it is the directing style.

 

Leadership can't be limited to what is in a book. A book or manual can and should be used as a resource. Leadership should take what is in this resource and apply it appropriately to the situation at hand.

 

Ed Mori

Scoutmaster

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[OldGreyEagle]

Ed, are you talking in general, or in the Boy Scout Program, that may be the difference. You drive home from the grocery store loaded down with provisions for the week, you come in the house, and let your sons know there is a car of food that needs to get put away. You are directing, telling, getting the job done, whatever you want to call it, no problem.

 

On a Boy Scout trip, since the boys are in charge, no adult should be giving any directions excpet for the occasional ok boys, leave the rattlesnake alone or get away from the rim of the Grand Canyon.

A common "fault" if you want to call it that, of shared leadership is that it takes time. Its so much easier, to me at least, to walk into a patrol camp site at 7:00am and tell Ed to get water, Bob to light the stove and start the bacon, ect. But if I do, no matter how innocently, I have subverted the whole program. The boys need to figure it out by themselves and adults only make sure no one is hurt, injured etc. Its hard to put your hands in your pocket, but always doing for them does them no good. Does that make sense?(This message has been edited by OldGreyEagle)

[evmori]

OGE,

My "OK guys, let's get the gear unloaded" is said by the SPL not an adult!

 

And I am talking in the Boy Scout program, not in general.

 

The specific instruction is unload the gear.

 

And it is the directing style.

 

And what's wrong with the SPL or PL telling a Scout to do something?

 

Ed Mori

Scoutmaster

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[OldGreyEagle]

Ok Ed, there is nothing "wrong" with a SPL or PL telling a scout what to do. A steady diet of it though will probably keep a troop down to the 10-15 member size as most kids get enough bossing around in other venues of their life.

 

If I joined a group and was promised I would be able to help the group set its agenda amd plan its activities and be a member of a team and all I did was get bossed around, I would quickly vote with my feet and get the heck out of there

[evmori]

How is "OK guys, let's get the gear unloaded" Bossing around? A task needs to be completed and the SPL is getting it completed. He isn't standing around talking about it or fluffing it up.

 

Ed Mori

Scoutmaster

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[Eagledad]

>>But is may be fun sometime to see how long a troop realizes the gear isnt getting unloaded and what they do about it. One a troop I knew had a camp out where the leaders didnt wake anybody up and never told anyone to start breakfast, around 10 am they woke up, literally and figuratively.

[Bob White]

But if the PLC is taught by the Scoutmaster how to plan an agenda the situation on the campout becomes very different. It is no longer about telling people what to do. It is simply asking how the agenda is coming.

 

SM- Good night SPL, by the way, what time did the PLC agree to get started in the morning?

 

SPL- 7:30 am

 

SM- Tats great, then they should be ready for the hike by about when?

 

SPL- We planned on 9:00 AM

 

SM-That sounds fine, please let me know when the patrols are all up and moving.

 

SPL- Sure thing.My ASPL and I are waking the patrol leaders at 7:15.

 

SM- Thats a good plan, Sounds like you've got it all under control. good night.

 

In the morning the SPL makes sure the PLS are awake. Then it is the PL's responsibility to see the patrol is ready on time. How? Be having a duty roster and asking his patrol how they are doing in following it.

 

PL- Ok guys if we want to make that hike we need to get moving. Who are the fire buiders for breakfast.

 

Todd- Gary and me

 

SPL- OK, do you know what the cooks will need.

 

Todd- not really I guess we ought to ask them.

 

SPL- I think thats a good plan. I see it jim and joe, want to some with me to talk with them.

 

Todd- OK

 

SPL- Jim do you and joe have any questions about the breakfast menu

 

Jim- I don't think so, Joe and I did the shopping so we know what wwe have.

 

SPL- great, we had planned to go hiking at 9 don't forget. Ant problem being ready by then.

 

Jim- shouldn't be if you can get Fred to do the dishes on time.

 

SPL- Fred! you up yet?

 

Fred- Yeah But I'm not feelin so good.

 

SPL- What's the matter?

 

Fred- I got a stomach ache and my head hurts.

 

SPL- What did you want to do?

 

Fred- I don't feel much like eating that's for sure.

 

SPL- Well Don't worry about the dishes, If you are sick that's not a job you should be doing. This works out fine since Tracey was helping, I can work with him on his camp sanitiation skills at the same time. Go see Mr. SM and let him know what's up. You can trade me for the dinner dishes if you are feeling better by then. Come back and let me know what you and Mr. SM decide to do.

 

Don't forget guys, when do we need to be done?

 

Patrol- (sleepily) BY 9 AM

 

SPL- Ok then everyone has a job to do, let's get started.

 

Notice the difference here to "lets unload the truck"? Everyone has a specific task, everyone knows the goal. The PL handles the questions BEFORE the job even starts and they follow a predetermined plan. And Nobody bossed anyone around! When there was a job that needed to be filled, the assigned scout didn't get to avoid his responsibility to the patrol, his work was simply switched to another meal. Rather than take time to negotiate with another person the leader made the exchange within his own work schedule.

 

He used, delegation, coaching, and supportive leadership

 

 

[dsteele]

My turn to pull up a log, and hopefully provide some insight.

 

The only thing that hasn't really been brought up in these leadership threads is that the style of leadership should also address the readiness of the person being led. In each of us, depending on the situation, we have different readiness levels. Relax -- examples will follow.

 

The leadership/management model taught to professionals of my generation was called "Situational Leadership" and it pre-dates Blanchard's techniques. Ken Blanchard built on these techniques and refined them.

 

The readiness (of those to be led) paraphrased to sound more politically correct are:

 

1) Never done this before

 

2) I think I know how to do this, but I'm not sure why I should

 

3)I want to do this, can I?

 

4)I know what I'm doing.

 

Number 1 calls for the directing style of leadership -- examples would be a) a brand new DE first week, month, etc. on the job. b) anyone else in a new position whether volunteer, youth, adult, etc. That's why people want job descriptions, training, etc. when they're new at something. A Scoutmaster with 23 years experience may find himself for the first time running a popcorn sale for the troop as a committee member. He's looking for direction in that case.

 

#2) calls for a more "selling" role on the part of the leader. Perhaps it's trying a differnt twist to tweak last year's results. The Coaching skill plays in nicely here. This style seems to be talked about quite frequently and it should be -- many of our Scouts end up here or spend siginificant time here. Perhaps they've been a Scout for a year, but never a patrol leader. Or they're a new SPL. Or new Assistant Scoutmaster or Unit Commissioner.

 

#3) is also coaching, but falls more into the participant driven coaching. The coach may say, "how do you think we should set up camp?" and then listen for ideas. In #2, the coach may say, "We have tried 3 different ways of laying out the camp site and here are the advantages and disadvantages of each. What do you think we should do?"

 

In the old lingo #3 was called the participating phase.

 

#4 calls for delegating. Not abdicating. The role of the leader is to let the recipient know he supports him/her, but to let them do the job because their ready and able, and are still there to support the person.

 

There are proper uses for the directing style of leadership in the BSA -- sometimes in emergencies, granted, but usually when somone is undertaking an action or position they've never encountered before.

 

As a final example in this post -- when I asked my future Scout Executive how to get to the office during my interview -- I was looking for Directing, not coaching.

 

If I were to ask him the same question tomorrow, he'd probably biff me upside the head. After a year, he really ought to be able to delegate my ability to get to the office to me

 

DS

 

 

[evmori]

Good example Bob but of a completely different situation.

 

I don't know about the unit you are in, but in mine, all the gear goes in one or two trucks depending on where we are going & what we are doing. When we get to camp, the 1st thing we do is unload the trucks. Everyone helps. INCLUDING THE ADULTS! Now the dialogue might g osomething like this:

 

SPL: OK guys, let's get the truck(s) unlaoded.

 

PL: My patrol, put all our gear on that table over there!

 

Other PL: My patrol, put all our gear under that tree.

 

SM: Mr. SPL, the adults will handle their own gear.

 

SPL: OK. Thanks

 

Now everyone is working toward a common goal - getting the truck(s) unloaded. We aren't standing around chit chatting about who does what & what should go where. That's already been taken care of.

 

Ed Mori

Scoutmaster

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10