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	Developing and Maximizing Leadership Potential	For this module, view
		Introduction
		Learning outcomes
		Topics covered

Learning units

Learning unit 1: Maximizing potential

Figure 6: Moving from 'at risk' to 'at stake': To increase our leadership ability, we must expand ourselves.  Leadership development is personal development.  This  unit introduces the idea of LaTrielle (2001) who sees that for you to maximize your potential, you must begin to think of leadership in place of management, of accountability in place of responsibility and job roles in place of job descriptions.  This means a shift from process orientation to outcome orientation.  Value is found in outcomes, not in processes.  You will be able to distinguish clearly between managers and leaders, and job roles and descriptions, and to explain the behaviours and functions of leaders.

Learning Unit 2: Assessment of factors for effective leadership

Feedback is used strategically by hundreds of organizations to help individuals develop leadership skills and to establish and communicate what is expected of individuals, and it helps them meet competency expectations.  Giving and receiving honest, open feedback is not always easy.  The primary goal  of feedback should be to give you insight into what you can do differently in order to increase your effectiveness.  On completing this unit, you will understand the importance  of the 360 Degree Feedback Instrument (Shoemaker (2001)) which assesses leadership behaviours. 

Figure 7: Feedback Processes

Learning Unit 3: Leadership styles and leading in a continuously changing environment

Good leadership entails a number of different skills:  organizational goal-setting and planning, delegation, counselling, coaching, and mentoring communication styles, team building, dealing with conflict, disagreement and negotiating, decision-making,  professionalism and quality. This learning unit focuses on the manner in which you perform the specific tasks for effective leadership.  Its theme is helping you gain a clearer picture of your leadership behaviours and generating plans for further leadership development. 

Learning Unit 4: Leading in a team environment

All organizations are collections of groups.  The success of an organization will depend on whether or not the individuals in the organization function as just groups or if they function as team.  In order to function as teams, there must be cohesive and co-operative relationships among the individuals in the team and among the teams within the organization.  The development of effective teams within the organization will determine the ability of the organization to attain its goals. Alexander (1987) developed, “The Team Effectiveness Critique" which include the following:

A team is effective only to the degree to which it is able to use its individual and collective resources.  The measure of the team’s effectiveness is its ability to achieve and satisfy the needs of the organization and the individuals in the team. In this unit, you will  focus on the identified team competencies, ways to measure whether those competencies are being met, plans for addressing any dysfunctional team behaviours, and experiences in team development.

Learning Unit 5: Leading in a strategic or systems management environment

Organizations often get bigger, but they do not always get better.  Organizations frequently make changes, but the changes do not always lead to improved performance.  Organizations sometimes grow faster quantitatively than qualitatively.  Often, as an organization grows, the old form not longer fits the new substance.  The unit will introduce to you 6 competencies that are important for sites: leadership, strategic planning, client and market focus, information and analysis, site staff components and strategic/systems management, and highlights the importance of continual assessment and improvement.

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