What's Your Style?

It seems everywhere one looks, there’s always someone presenting their style. I do it, and I’m sure you do it. It just depends how adaptive an individual is to their environment and to how they want their style to appear. Leadership is a skill learned and a life long adaptation. There are all types of leaders, for all types of situations. Leaders emerge as teachers, politicians, social service providers, coaches, peer mentors and business executives. Recent history shows us that our nation leaders believe collaboration is when they have people working with err…for them, while maintaining that you either with us or against us. Sorry for the tangent, but its nice to say what’s on my mind now and then, no matter the topic or time; which is why this blog will point out the concept, “If you really knew me, you would know,” it has been a recent experience during my current education status that has sparked this particular blog. It’s always good to call it like it is, because when the reverse happens, then I cannot be offended or shocked! Of course, time and delivery are essential to making one’s point received with humility.

It so happens that during this educational journey, I have seen the growing pains of a wonder program and its future is bright. Hopefully, those with real sense will call out students for their lack of open mindedness and willingness to be challenged, most importantly dispelling the notion of entitlement of receiving an A, just because an individual put in a tremendous amount of hours. I heard an interesting interpretation of our society, “It’s no longer a society of we, it’s now a me first society.” For many reasons, I agree; thankfully I won’t go into all of them. Example, receiving an ‘A’ for your education projects, regardless of the time (or lack there of) you have spent. Yes, we (students) work hard and long, but those aspects are personal, don’t be attached to the outcome, just know you’ve done your best and you will be happy, Professor John Gai, Humboldt State University. Its about the overall impact, we are in graduate school, come up with something provocative; challenge the system, in public; stand-up and describe the treatment of youth, in public; don’ take no for an answer; or be content with being pigeonholed or an apparatus of the status quo. It’s not arrogance when you know your strengths, or speak directly to the situation; it’s sureness of self and knowing how you can best serve the people. Isn’t that why we go into social work, to travel in the direction of our passions, I know I did.

So, what’s your style? Are you going to challenge for systemic change? Do you believe that because you’ve put in a tremendous amount of work into a project you are entitled to receiving high marks or are you willing to accept critical thought and strive to rage to master? Lastly, are the new social workers (myself included) going to take on the system and advocate for change without asking how will I benefit? It hasn’t been until this last academic year, we (students) have been seriously challenged. Perhaps it has to do with our increased credit load or maybe it’s we have had the honor of having an instructor who has greater expectations then we or other facilitators have of ourselves. Either way, it is a sad reflection of our student body when we “look a gift horse in the mouth,” and a professor contemplates leaving within one year of their arrival. What does that say about our student body collective, well for me it says that we are not ready to be challenged with difficult task and if we are not ready for an academic challenge (a tougher grading system or images that change the world) how can we meet the challenges that our future clients face? Is your rage to master, based on the principles of entitlement or is it based on the values of social work? What’s your style? Are you going to be a leader of social change and upward mobility or are you going to be a leader of the status quo?

As a social worker, I will need to adapt a leadership style that supports collaboration and participative qualities; because I seek to develop as a leader in youth prevention programs. In order to do that, I must first understand the time it takes to develop the necessary skills it takes to be a leader for change. Having said that, there are three important steps which I will need to follow; first, I must be a team member within a community agency. Secondly, understanding the roles that history and trust play toward the quality of leadership, being a team member it is essential to trust in the information and directions the leader is giving for the course of action. If there has been disappointment numerous occasions by the leader then uncertainty becomes the challenge (Brody, 2005, p.153). Thirdly, developing a strong sense of community-awareness/cultural responsiveness, will better equip me for a leadership role.

Reference

Brody, Ralph. (2005) Effectively Managing Human Service Organizations, Third Edition

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