Leadership in teams

I've just spent the last five days camping and trekking through the New Zealand bush as one of a team of leaders, leading an expedition of 500 10-18 year old Pathfinders. Everyone had to bring enough gear for the trip as well as all the equipment needed to complete a series of tasks, one which involved setting up a wooden frame spider web and threading a team member through the web, until all team members had passed through each section. as I watched the kids in my group decide how to complete the task, it was obvious from the start who the leader of the group was. Interestingly, without being nominated group leader, this child took control of the situation and everyone listened to and obeyed the commands. They completed the task without too much effort and continued on to the next. For the rest of the day, the same child took charge during each task.

So, what makes a good leader? According to Hogan & Kaiser (2005), good leadership qualities result in effective group and team performance and an enhancement of the well-being of the team or group members. In the above memntioned example, the child that took on the leadership role, displayed signs of good leadership, as the team performed well, completed tasks effectively and efficiently. Team morale was high due to their successes.

Recently, I've been involved in a different sort of team. We've been assigned to form groups to complete a Communication paper for University. Working with a group of unknown people online, from all over New Zealand could have been uncomfortable and things could have gone horribly wrong, resulting in us failing the assignment, however, we've been fortunate because, one individual readily took on the leadership role and as a team, we've clicked really well. Our "group leader" has stepped into her role and done an amazing job in ensuring the tasks get completed and steering everyone in the right way. We're curently finalising the assignment and organising the layout, with each individual assigned a specific role.

Do I veiw myself as a good leader? Generally, I'll wait to see if anyone else takes the lead first, and if not, I'll then step in. Working in an environment where emergencies occur from time to time, I often find that I'm forced into taking a leadership role. I'm really comfortable in these situations. The problem comes when I'm placed in an unfamiliar situation. In these instances, I tend to step back and wait for someone else to take the lead. If noone does, I then step in. I guess this would make a more of a cautious or hesitant leader, however, when in the role, I seem to do well.

Reference:

Hogan, R. & Kaiser, R.B. (2005) What We Know About Leadership.
         Reveiw of General Psychology 9 (2) 169-180. Retrieved from
         http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/gpr/9/2/169/