SHPE Jr. Module 8
What type of leader are you?
(Social Skills Focus: Leadership Styles)
Description
Participants will explore the importance of understanding their leadership style.
Learning Outcomes
Students will:
 Explore the various leadership styles
 Assess which leadership style they utilize most frequently
 Understand the qualities of effective leaders
Workshop Length
60 minutes
Materials/Supplies Needed
LCD projector and computer for workshop presentation
Copies of handout (i.e. Leadership Style Quiz)
Writing utensil (i.e. pencil, pen)
Additional Resources
 The University of Kansas, Community Tool Box
 National Association for College Admission Counseling Step-By-Step Curriculum
SHPE Jr. Module 8
Workshop Outline
The facilitator should review the workshop presentation prior to the session. The
facilitator will cover each slide in the presentation and personalize the information by
adding from your related personal experiences.
1. Welcome/Introductions/Icebreaker (5 minutes)
Slides 1-2: The facilitator should welcome the students and introduce volunteers who
will be helping with the workshop. The facilitator should also cover the agenda for
today’s session. Please share the focus of today’s workshop with the participants.
Next, the facilitator should conduct a brief icebreaker to allow students to meet each
other and to learn more about the participants. Students will be asked to participate
throughout the workshop. The icebreaker will allow for students to establish group
rapport.
Slide 3: Allow some time to review the Learning Styles types from the previous session.
At the end of last session, students were asked to try to use some of the learning styles
strategies to help them improve their studying. Ask the students to share if they used
any of their learning styles strategies over the last month and how it helped. The
facilitator should review the handouts from the last session prior to help facilitate this
short recap.
2. Understanding Leadership Styles (25 minutes)
Slide 4: Ask students the following discussion questions.
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What are the qualities of an effective leader?
Students should be allowed to brainstorm the traits of an effective leader. Allow the
students to share a variety of qualities. If possible, the facilitator should document the
ideas brainstormed by the students on the board.
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Who are famous leaders you admire?
Students should be allowed to brainstorm famous leaders who they admire. These
answers may vary widely. The students should be given a chance to share a little about
the leaders they suggest. If possible, document the responses on the board.
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How do you define leadership?
Ask participants to share their ideas about how to define leadership.
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SHPE Jr. Module 8
Slide 5: John Gardner in his book defines leadership as “the process of persuasion or
example by which an individual induces a group to pursue objectives held by the leader
or shared by the leader and his or her followers.”
Leaders are influential in motivating groups or teams. They can use a variety of tactics
or traits to get people to act. Discuss if this definition is similar to ones that the students
suggested or if it different.
Slide 6: There are four main leadership styles that are widely accepted. Some
management experts have added others but for today we will focus on these four.
The four styles include:
 Autocratic or authoritarian style
 Delegative or Free Reign style
 Democratic or Participative style
 Situation style
In the next few slides, we will explore each style further.
Slide 7: First is the Autocratic Style. This can also be known as the dictatorial style.
Although the traits for this style often are seen in a negative light, there are many times
this style of leader can be effective.
Here are some traits of autocratic leaders:
 Does not seek input from others
 Leader makes decisions
 Group leader delegates activities to others
 Leader can be decisive and make decisions quickly
 Useful leadership style in stressful situations
 Allows team to focus on specific tasks rather than complex decisions
 Leader is usually perceived as bossy or demanding
Slide 8: The Delegative Style is also known as Free Reign or Laissez-Fair Leadership.
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Here are some traits of delegative leaders:
Leaders are hands-off
Leave decision making to group
Research shows this style is least productive
Leaders provide tools or resources to group
Group members expected to solve their own problems
Helpful in situations where team has high expertise
Not good when team members struggle with meeting deadlines or managing
projects
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SHPE Jr. Module 8
Slide 9: The third leadership style is Democratic Style. These types of leaders are
usually consensus builders and rely on getting people to buy-in to their strategy or plan.
Democratic leaders typically:
 Group helps make all decisions
 Everyone can participate, discussion is encouraged
 Leader provide guidance and control
 Known as one of the most productive styles
 Creativity encouraged and rewarded
 Leaders are trusted
 Not a good style when there is urgency to act
 Some group members may contribute even if they don’t have appropriate
expertise
Slide 10: The final leadership style is Situational Style. This is a hybrid of several types
of leaderships. The leader adjusts and can use several types of styles.
Situational leaders usually demonstrate the following traits:
 Leadership style varies depending on the situation
 Decisions are based on expertise of group
 Leader must be able to make decisions by analyzing the situation
 Team and leader are dynamic based on situation
 Leader must be adaptable
 Team may have difficulty adjusting to leadership styles
 Leader can be perceived as haphazard and free-wheeling
3. What is your leadership style? (20 minutes)
Slide 11: We’d like for you to know which leadership style you most often use. The
facilitator should distribute the Leadership Style Quiz. Students should take a few
minutes to complete the assessment.
Students should read each statement and circle the response that reflects your first
reaction.
Once complete, the participants should use the scoring section to calculate their
leadership style tendency. They should carefully note which boxes must be added up
for each leadership style.
The facilitator may want to walk around the room to make sure the students are
correctly completing the assessment and calculating their score.
Use the following debrief questions to discuss the results the students found:
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SHPE Jr. Module 8
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Which leadership style preference did you score the highest on?
Does this answer surprise you?
Did any two styles have a very close score? What does this indicate?
How does knowing your leadership style help you?
Give the students plenty of time to discuss their findings and their reactions to the
leadership styles quiz.
Students should understand that they may vary their leadership style often or evolve
depending on the situation.
Students can benefit from knowing their leadership style because they can understand
situations when it might be useful and where it might be detrimental. Students can use
this information for being a better leader in group projects in school, leading a team in
college, and serving as an officer in extracurricular activities.
You should also share examples of how your leadership style might affect work teams.
Engineers and scientists often use various leadership styles to manage project teams.
4. College Planning Checklist (5 minutes)
Slide 12: Review the College Planning Checklist items for students to complete this
month. Twelfth grade students who have not applied to colleges or completed financial
aid applications should talk to a college counselor or SHPE mentor for guidance.
Participants in grades 9-11 should prepare for final exams and explore potential
summer camps at local universities or community colleges.
Allow time to answer questions or provide guidance to students.
5. Summary and Wrap-up (5 minutes)
Slide 13-14: Review the highlights from today’s session. Thank the students for
attending and allow time for questions from the students. Provide the students with any
important announcements.
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