Module 1: Leadership and the Local Government Administrator

Key Concepts and Study Notes

Key Concepts

1. Leadership opportunities and challenges for Local Government Administrators.
   • A "paradigm shift" is occurring in Local Government Administrators’ roles
     • There are more leadership opportunities and expectations for Local Government Administrators
     • Challenges arise out of resistance to these changes
   • Leadership opportunities exist in addressing those challenges
2. General definition of the term "leadership"
3. Leadership" differs from "Management"
4. There are both "formal" and "informal" leadership roles
5. Many leadership roles are actually a combination of leadership and management functions. (This course will emphasize leadership attitudes, skills and processes.)
6. The idea of having a leadership role shouldn't frighten you.
7. Informal leadership roles in the community and the workplace are actually quite common, but not always recognized as being leadership roles. You have probably been in a leadership role on many occasions without consciously recognizing your activity as being leadership behaviour.
8. Taking formal and/or informal leadership roles in your community or workplace creates personal and career development opportunities:
   • it enhances recognition of you as an individual;
   • it results in a wider recognition of your initiative and of your knowledge, skills, ideas and problem solving abilities; and,
   • it demonstrates your desire and willingness to improve things for your community and your colleagues.

Study Notes

1. In the next unit you will look a fairly wide range of definitions for the term "leadership". For the time being, however, think of "leadership" as:   the general process of guiding, teaching, and motivating others to achieve commonly held organizational goals.
   
   
2. "Leadership" differs from "Management" (see Noah and Leadership)
   
   • Leadership is an interpersonal process that involves creating a vision of a better future, communicating that vision to others who may be affected, and then motivating them to work together in a concerted, effective effort to achieve that vision. It depends upon the application of positive "human" qualities and strong interpersonal and process skills to encourage others to commit themselves to that effort.
     
     
   • Management is a much more technical process that involves the acquisition, coordination and integration of resources through the use of planning, organizing, directing and controlling skills and techniques to accomplish specific organizational goals.
     
     
3. Organizations can have both "formal" and "informal" leaders. Formal leaders hold positions of authority within the organization. Informal leaders (sometimes called influence leaders) often don't hold positions of authority, but their leadership is recognized by others by virtue of their actions, and the strong impact their activities have on the success of the organization. Sometime the impact of the informal/influence leaders can be greater than that of the formal leaders.
   
   
4. "Organizations" do not have to have formal structures like businesses, colleges, and governments, etc. A small group of friends and colleagues can also be considered to be an "organization" - i.e., a "group of people united in a relationship and having some interest, activity, or purpose in common."  Such organizations will almost always have some form of informal/influential leadership.
   
   
5. Leaders usually start as followers who grow into leadership roles.
   
   
6. Leadership is easier to explain than to practice. Leadership is about behaviour first, and skills second. Effective leaders are followed primarily because people trust and respect them, and only secondarily because of the technical knowledge and skills they possess.
   
   
7. Local Government Administrators can function as both effective leaders and effective followers in health care organizations. Effective followers will take an active role in their relationship with the formal leader, and often take on informal leadership roles as well.