Developing Leadership Skills for a Better Community
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Posted On :
Mar-29-2013
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Article Word Count :
550
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Effective leadership skills are the bedrock of a thriving and vibrant community. Unfortunately, leadership is an art and very few people are born with natural leadership skills.
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Effective leadership skills are the bedrock of a thriving and vibrant community. Unfortunately, leadership is an art and very few people are born with natural leadership skills. One of the ways to begin to acquire leadership skills is to enroll in a community leadership training program, such as the ones offered in your local colleges and universities. There are also a number of nonprofit leadership programs offered by both educational institutions as well as charitable and philanthropic organizations in your community. The shape of leadership has changed significantly over time, particularly in recent decades. Nowadays not all leaders or followers are men, and leadership has evolved into much more than just saying “follow me.” Leadership now involves the mastery of a number of different roles which the leader may be required to fulfill. One day you may be required to give a presentation in the morning, discuss the budget before lunch, and argue for or against a number of proposed changes in the afternoon, all while keeping your team engaged and motivated in their work. Below are listed a few problems leaders could face, which would have a better chance of a positive result with formally trained leaders.
Problem 1: Dealing with Diversified Constituents
One problem which continually crops up in community leadership situations is the need to satisfy a diverse population of constituents. An action which pleases one group may bring public protests from another group. Although formal classroom training or reading a book on leadership may be able to provide you with a list of alternative you could suggest, nothing beats a community leadership training program that lets you actually get live, field experience. Negotiation is an art best learned in the presence of a mentor who can provide immediate feedback.
Problem 2: Working with Uncertainty
Being a leader means you will have to make decisions without always having all the information you need. You will need to assemble all of the information available at the time, organize it so you can develop what appears to be the best plan of action, and then implement it. Once a plan has been implemented, when problems occur, you need to know how to determine when you are pouring money down a rat hole, or when you should spend more to keep a program afloat.
Problem 3: Dealing with Change
The one thing that is a constant in leadership, is that something in your environment is always changing. The old adage, “That’s the way we’ve always done it.” won’t work anymore. Just when you get a system perfect so everything goes smoothly, things change.
Problem 4: Working with Inadequate Resources
There is an age-old problem that asks the question, “How much is enough?” Unfortunately, the answer always seems to be “More!” Leaders are constantly being asked to do more with fewer assets, so they must develop the resourcefulness to handle situations with little to no outside support.
Conclusion: Need for Formal Leadership Training
Leaders must function well in an increasingly complex environment. Community leadership training or nonprofit leadership programs are becoming a more and more valuable asset in the development of leadership skills. With internship programs and specialized leadership training, future leaders will be better equipped for success.
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Article Source :
http://www.articleseen.com/Article_Developing Leadership Skills for a Better Community_258371.aspx
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Author Resource :
The author has an immense knowledge on nonprofit leadership programs. Know more about community leadership training related info in his website.
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Keywords :
nonprofit leadership programs, community leadership training,
Category :
Reference and Education
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Reference and Education
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