Engage with Ministry Mentor: Speak with your ministry mentor or senior leader about the apostolic pioneering project to focus on throughout the year.
Practical Application: Prepare for Pastor Kevin York's session on team building and strategic planning during the intensive.
Introduction to Behavioral Leadership
Focus: Unlike trait or skills approach, the behavioral approach focuses on what leaders do (their actions and behaviors).
History: Emerged in the 1950s and gained prominence into the 1980s.
Behavioral Approach Explained
Two Types of Behaviors:
Task Behaviors: Goal-oriented actions, focusing on achieving tasks and projects.
Relationship Behaviors: Actions aimed at fostering positive team dynamics and well-being.
Combination: Leadership involves combining task and relationship behaviors to influence others.
Research Perspectives
University of Michigan Study: Differentiated between production orientation (task focus) and employee orientation (relationship focus).
Goal: Originally aimed to find universal leadership behaviors for effectiveness across different situations.
Outcome: Inconclusive; effective leadership depends on various situations and the needs of team members.
Leadership Grid by Blake and Mouton
Grid Description:
Concerns for People (Vertical Axis)
Concern for Results (Horizontal Axis)
Leadership Styles:
Impoverished Management (1,1): Low task and people focus.
Country Club Management (1,9): Low task focus, high people focus.
Authority Compliance (9,1): High task focus, low people focus.
Middle-of-the-Road Management (5,5): Balanced concern for tasks and people.
Team Management (9,9): High concern for both tasks and people; establishes trust and respect.
Application and Coaching
Situational Dependence: Effective leadership style depends on the task and personnel.
Coaching Potential: Leaders can be coached to adapt behaviors based on situational needs.
Strengths of Behavioral Approach
Broadens Leadership Scope: Includes behaviors, not just traits or skills.
Extensive Research: Supported by over 30 years of studies, including by major universities and the military.
Two-Scale System: Allows evaluation of leadership and matching behaviors to situations effectively.
Weaknesses of Behavioral Approach
Lack of Universality: No definitive set of behaviors that guarantee leadership success in all situations.
Opened New Research Doors: Encouraged the consideration of situational and follower attributes in leadership.
Conclusion
Behavioral Approach Summary: Focuses on task or relationship actions, setting the stage for further leadership research into situational and follower dynamics.