Choice of Leadership...

I was just thinking through from the day I took over as the President of SSA on just what kind of leader I would want myself to be; Towards my committee and towards the members of the association. Countless questions have been going through my head... Do I want to bring back the attitude that I have fought so hard to put away or to bring on a totally new approach to just what leadership means to me? National service has taught me to be authoritative and firm in my stand when I lead as a Steersman and as a senior in the team. I have already told myself a million times not to let that side of me out and I have been doing a pretty good job at that. Even when I joked about the style of leadership to Jaslyn, I have never once thought of bringing that side of my out. It is just that it seems to me that I have always been placed in a situation where I had to be the side that I do not want to be. Then while studying in the afternoon, God send me a clear answer through my notes. He showed me what I have to be and what I ought to be to lead successfully as well as to be able to answer to myself. This is what my notes says:

Situational Leadership
- Leadership style should fit the situation

- Effective leaders can employ a range of styles, from coercive to coaching to consensus-building

- Most successful leaders exhibit a high degree of emotional intelligence

Attributes of Emotional Intelligence:

o Self Awareness:
§ Ability to understand own moods and emotions as well as their impact on others

o Self Regulation:
§ Ability to regulate impulses, to think before acting

o Motivation:
§ Drive to achieve, optimism and passion

o Empathy:
§ Ability to understand the emotional make-up of other people

o Social Skill:
§ Ability to manage relationships for particular purposes