Situational Leadership

This week's lecture was interesting. I don't usually think of leadership under the four quadrants Adrianne described. Usually I think about it as more of an inspirational and motivating thing, but now as I look at the four quadrants, I understand better what he means by applying these things in different places and for the different people we lead.

Directing: The example I thought of in my own life of directing was in my new job last semester. I worked for BYU catering and went in not knowing quite what to do. So, my first day I worked with a "Captain" who was trained in how to do everything. She had to tell me exactly what to do, where I could find things, and how to do the tasks right. She didn't really fulfill the supporting role for me because there was a task that needed to be done quickly so she couldn't quite cheer me on which was fine. Because I didn't know what I was doing she had to supervise me closely, but once I started getting the hang of things I was able to also help support some other new comers. The roles are always changing.
Coaching: One instance in which I saw coaching was in my English class last semester. My teacher was very helpful in making me a better writer. Because I wasn't all that great of a writer, she told me how to write and what things I needed to include. She let me come to her and we would revise my papers together, therefore creating two way communication, a big key in coaching. I was so thankful for her coaching because you don't usually get that with a professor.
Supporting: I saw supporting from my student government teacher when I was on the Executive Board last year. My teacher trusted us to make good decisions and helped us when we needed it. Overall, the control of what was to be done was in our hands. We just had to go to her for approval. She let us make important decisions and facilitated what we did. As the executive board, we also played a supporting leadership role to the other class members. We helped them with the activities they wanted to plan and let them do it, with our approval.
Delegating: I think one place we see delegating a lot is in group projects, especially when group members are busy and the group can't meet with everyone as often as needed. You have to assign people to what they can do best and have trust that they will follow through on their tasks.

I think we should all consider the people we are working with and the events we are working in to decide how we should approach each situation with an appropriate leadership role. Sometimes you will even change your roles multiple times within a block of time and depending on who you work with. In every situation, we should be considerate to everyones' needs.