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christian counseling today
Vol. 20 no. 4
O
ne of the most interesting
things for me to do with
this column is write about
leadership and, at the same
time, connect it to the theme of each
particular issue. Occasionally, that can
be a bit difficult, especially if the topic is
something like “caring for the elderly.”
However, this issue was one of the easi-
est. I immediately knew what I wanted
to say, so let’s get to it.
Success in organizations, churches,
teams or families requires certain
dynamics for positive outcomes, in
exactly the same ways that small groups
and recovery do. Effective leaders make
sure those dynamics are present and
ongoing. While we are limited in space
here, I want to highlight two ways small
groups and recovery depend on similar
leadership dynamics that other systems
require in order to succeed.
First, group research shows that one
of the strongest predictors of a successful
small group is
clear expectations
. For a
group to do well, and recovery to go
well, the leadership must help members
know what is expected from them,
from the leader, and from the process
itself. In leadership parlance, it is often
cited as vision, mission, goals, etc. The
terms differ, but the construct is this: for
humans to get somewhere, they need
to know where they are going and what
is expected of them. Articulating these
objectives is the responsibility of leaders,
and to execute against that vision is the
role of each individual.
In small groups, leadership must also
ensure the same processes are opera-
tional. What is the purpose and mission
of this group? What is expected of me
as a member when we get together?
What will the leader do that is different
than what I will be doing? Where are
we going? What are the tasks that will
lead to success? How will we know we
are making progress? Strong groups have
leaders who, in a very non-controlling
way, are able to give some order and
structure to the path. It is the same for
leading an organization or team—expec-
tations must be clarified.
In my book,
Boundaries for Leaders
,
I talk about these factors as a three-
pronged focus of “attention, inhibition,
and working memory” or, in other
words, the executive functions. A leader
helps a group execute when he or she
knows what to attend to, what to inhibit
in the group, and how to keep things
current.
Second, group research shows
another strong predictor of a healthy
group is something called
cohesion
. It is
the “stickiness” of the group… its ability
to form a unity or oneness with a strong
bond. Otherwise, you do not really
have a group or a team but, instead, a
collection of individuals. So what adds
to
cohesion
and what can a leader do to
make sure it occurs in a group during
recovery or in an organization?
«
Henry Cloud, Ph.D.
leadership psyc
Leadership Principles for Small Groups and Recovery
