Sierra College
Leadership Institute 2024

Module Objectives:

1. Identify key characteristics of the six major leadership styles

2. Apply appropriate leadership approaches to workplace situations. (Sierra College Management Core Competency M3E)

3. Explore leadership as an essential skill for all employees/roles.

4. Begin to reflect on one's leadership style preferences.

Outline

I. Introduction (10 minutes)
Presenter(s): _____________________

A. Overview of the module objectives.

B. Think-Pair-Share activity: 

• • Think - Reflect on memorable leaders in your life. Identify an experience you recall with this person.

  • Pair - In a group of 2-3, each person share one experience with their memorable leader. After everyone has shared, collectively identify the traits of the noted leaders. 

  • Share - In the large group, debrief the traits of the leaders, pointing out differences and commonalities among the examples.

II. Six Types of Leadership Styles (15 minutes)
Presenter(s): _____________________

A. Authoritative Style 

• Inspires the team towards a long-term vision

• Emphasizes change and transformation

• Future-thinking: What needs to be done now to achieve the organization's future goals?

• Strive to develop team members' individual strengths and abilities so they can achieve their full potential

B. Coaching Style

• Connects people's personal interests with the organization's goals

• Empathetic and encouraging

• Takes time to establish rapport and trust

C. Affiliative Style

• Promotes harmony within the team

• Resolves conflict and and encourages inclusion by connecting people

• Requires strong emotional intelligence 

D. Democratic Style

• Seeks input from all team members to facilitate decision making

• Shares power/responsibility 

• Relies more on listening than directing

E. Pacesetting Style

• Focus is on performance and meeting goals

• Expects excellence and may jump in to ensure expectations are met

• Holds everyone to high standards

F. Coercive Style

• Commanding

• Orders tasks to be completed

• Fast-paced and direct

III. Identifying Leadership Styles in Context (25 minutes)
Presenter(s): _____________________

Small Group Activity: Attendees will be divided up into groups of 3-4. Sitting with their groups, they will observe each scenario described below, which will be role played by members of the PD committee. After each skit ends, the groups will have 2-minutes to quickly identify one leadership style they feel is most appropriate for the situation.

• 5 minutes for each scenario: skit: 2-minutes, debrief: 3-minutes

A. Scenario: New Lab Equipment
A new instructional aide is prepping a lab with their colleague, who is a more experienced instructional aide. The new aide seems dissatisfied with their new role, and is commenting on how nice it was to be able to use teleconferencing to work from home in their previous role. The experienced aide tells their colleague about the new, innovative lab equipment that the college just purchased and how they are going to be the first college in the state to use it. The experienced aide offers to orient the colleague to the new equipment and suggests that they submit a proposal to present at the next annual conference in Los Angeles. The new aide responds with interest and excitement.

• Coaching (takes time to establish rapport and connects personal interests with organizational goals)

B. Scenario: DE Addendum, Curricular Update
The college is undergoing a curricular update of its course outlines to ensure all distance education addendums align with the district's new board policy for regular, substantive interaction (RSI). The curriculum committee is providing feedback to Department Chairs who are presenting about their proposed DE addendum changes. The Chair notices a trend among the proposed outlines that suggests a lack of understanding about the new RSI criteria. The Chair is concerned that the goal of completing reviews by May will not be met. The Chair discusses the issue with the committee and the group comes to the consensus that the Chair will reach out to the Distance Learning Manager and request an RSI "brief" be created, shared on the DE website, and sent directly to each department chair for review in advance of their curriculum committee review.

• Democratic  (Seeks input, shares power)

C. Scenario: Dissatisfaction with Career Support Services
The college has collected student feedback that indicates dissatisfaction with career support services. A career counselor is inspired to transform the career support services structure. The counselor knocks on the door of a financial aid representative and begins to share their idea about integrating career counseling with financial planning. The financial aid colleague responds with intrigue and the two of them brainstorm next steps.

• Authoritative  (Future thinking)

D. Scenario: Emergency Response
A wildfire is raging near the college. The county has called upon the college to erect an emergency shelter on campus for local residents and large animals. A team of volunteers shows up, looking worried and uncertain about what to do. The Chair of the college's Emergency Response Team takes charge, giving each person a clear and succinct command.

• Coercive (Commanding)

E. Scenario: Re-establishing Trust
A new dean steps into their new role and learns that their predecessor had been let go due to management concerns. Although there isn't clarity about what happened, the dean understands that the three employees they will now be managing are emotionally checked out and don't trust the administration. The dean holds a meeting with three employees and asks about how they have been feeling on the team. The dean actively listens and ensures everyone else does too, making space for the team member's emotions. The dean makes connections between the team member's experiences. The team members begin to recognize that they have all experienced similar things. The dean suggests that they continue to meet to have similar conversations and the team members agree and feel more hopeful about the future.

• Affiliative (Resolves conflict by connecting people)

IV. Wrap Up (10 minutes)
Presenter(s): _____________________

A. Leadership is everyone's job. 

• Every day, no matter what your role, the opportunity to lead is presented to you.

B. Which style(s) do you feel a natural affinity for?

• Knowing this is helpful because it fosters awareness of which styles you need to be more mindful about applying.

• Your upbringing/culture will influence the styles you relate to.

C. Individual differences influence which styles people relate best to.

• Introvert/extrovert, neurodiversity

D. Adopting different styles "in the moment" requires the ability to read the room

• Cultural humility (connects to next module)

• Emotional agility (connects to next module)

Materials
To be prepared/provided by module lead.

• Presentation Slides

• Sticky notepads and pens for participants (think-pair-share)

• Printed handout of 6 Leadership Styles