Here is the link to Chris Vacher article on Activity 4. I enjoyed reading his article and thought it was a really good point that he made that assigned leadership is top down, while emergent is bottom up, I also found his question very relatable and a good reflection:
As a leader, do you find yourself more comfortable when you are the assigned leader or the emergent leader?
I realized in reflecting on that question, that I am more comfortable as an assigned leader. I think the reason is that having a clear position gives me a sense of security in my role and what I can and cannot do.
I remember when I was an emerging leader, that I always worried about over-stepping or coming across too strong to the leaders I worked with. When leadership is assigned there are clearer expectations and boundaries I seem to thrive more. When I did the Birkman test, I came out as having a high Freedom score, but I do need some structure or at least knowing what is expected of me. I think this is because my Birkman score on Authority is fairly high. I generally respect authority, although I find myself often wanting to push against it. This was a really interesting question to reflect on and it made me wonder if that insecurity I have stems from a deeper issue in my life or if it is just a personality thing, like my Birkman might show. Probably a bit of both?
I know in leadership something that makes me feel insecure and I struggle with, is when I feel disrespected by team members. This usually happens when boundaries are pushed or crossed and expectations that I clarified are not met.
Question: What have you noticed makes you feel insecure as a leader?
Monica
Assigned leadership is definitely an acquired taste! I resonate really strongly with feeling like you over-stepping or coming across too strong as an emergent leader. Figuring out where those boundaries are and learning how to navigate the relational side of leadership is a fun little journey 🙂