Fundamentals of Leadership

Anyone can be a leader, regardless of position or title. This session reinforces that leadership is a mindset, not merely a position, and calls on everyone to contribute to leading the organization forward. Characteristics and key skills of leadership and management are discussed, compared, and contrasted, and participants discover their own unique style in their approach to interacting, directing, and motivating those they lead. Understanding these leadership styles helps to explain behaviors that are likely to repeat themselves under similar conditions. We discuss the wide range of styles that exist and learn to recognize the styles of others and what implications come as a result.

After completing this session, participants will be able to:

• Delineate between leadership and management, and their roles and boundaries.

• Identify the characteristics, value, challenges, and best uses of each leadership style, and recognize styles by observing and interpreting behavioral cues.

• Discover their own leadership style and learn to predict the style of others.

• Develop responses and strategies for interactions based on similarities and differences.