tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297339528199658886.post8823775841085436065..comments2023-08-04T05:52:20.805-05:00Comments on LeadershipTheory and Behavior: Making the BandProfessor Robbinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05888371487484973438noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297339528199658886.post-57165593734347189642009-09-30T14:07:00.070-05:002009-09-30T14:07:00.070-05:00I appreciate your feedback. Catherine, I agree wi...I appreciate your feedback. Catherine, I agree with Fiedler and your analysis. Part of what Kelley also talks about with being an effective follower is committing to the mission. So in turn the band members may be truly committed and give their all to the Section Leader and the band. This would in turn be one of the variables of being an effective follower in circumstances when they need to follow the standard rules. In turn, the Section Leader would then have followers. I do believe that as Ross says, you can be both a following and a leader. I think this then leaders towards establishing empathy and empowerment, which can lead towards a better leader as well as better follower.<br /><br />Laura, I did also have that in mind while I was typing this out. The idea of the roles that the band members play in a larger corporate context.<br /><br />I appreciate the new idea of the big L and little L. I think that is a great way to think of the different levels of leadership within the band as well as within an organization. I think the tendency is to notice the big L, but the little L may be the glue that sticks it all together.Marisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13222428706745303267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297339528199658886.post-47117751521881204852009-09-30T12:44:13.287-05:002009-09-30T12:44:13.287-05:00This is a really interesting article. I must admi...This is a really interesting article. I must admit I don't know much about how marching bands are organized, but when I read this I immediately thought of another example. This might be a little far fetched, but in some sense you could argue that a marching band is a like a company. There is a CEO (marching band director), VP's (drum majors), managers (section leaders), and then employees (everyone else in the band). In a company the CEO is obviously one of the people that set the vision and strategic plan. The other people below him are then in a sense following his vision. So in this sense they are followers. But, like the drum majors and section leaders the managers also have a group below them that they need to motivate and lead toward this higher vision. All managers manage differently and this is one of the things that could make them a leader. (I'm not going to get into the manager vs. leader debate). The different section leaders of the band may not lead or teach their sections in the same way, but they are responsible for their own individual sections and getting their sections ready to perform the arrangement that their marching band director chose (vision). I would argue that this would make them leaders. <br /><br />This also reminds me of discussions in class about big "L" leadership and little "l" leadership. I don't think in many cases there is just one leader within an organization. By what we've discussed in class it seems that almost all of us possess some type of quality of leadership and followership. In your marching band example I think we can see big "L" leadership, little "l" leadership, and followership. I'd hate to see a band out there performing that didn't have all three. Nice blog!Laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03983901600286732539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3297339528199658886.post-30333656792125328862009-09-30T10:56:39.757-05:002009-09-30T10:56:39.757-05:00Your question: "Are you a leader if your fol...Your question: "Are you a leader if your followers are just following the rules of authority?" reminded me of something I read in this week's reading by Fiedler. In discussing different leadership styles in certain situations, he says that it is possible that a leader that is "directive, managing, and task-oriented" can be successful when the situation is favorable for the followers and also when it is clear what the tasks are for the group. As a section leader, the task is already laid out, and directions are coming from a source above the section leader, who is relaying them to his or her followers. In this situation, the section leader is still a leader. He or she is just more of a task-oriented, directive leader than a permissive and non-directive one. Of course, Fiedler says that this type of leadership will only work when the situation is favorable to the followers. If the band members do like their section leader, or if the practice is going way too long, then they will likely not respond well to this type of leader. That's when being a human-relations, permissive leader might be helpful is getting the followers motivated to try the song a few more times. It seems to me (with no band experience) that a section leader would most often need to be the first type of leader to get the specific tasks accomplished. Either way, I think a section leader is still very much a leader, even if directions are being taken from a superior.Catherine Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02290020916313523940noreply@blogger.com