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How to Lead Creative Groups - Part 6

There are other troubles that can beset a leader also. For example, he may find himself fighting to maintain leadership against an individual member of the group with a hidden purpose. In many cases, this individual may not realize he has a purpose himself—he may be the type who is generally hostile to leader­ship in any form. If accused of trying to take over the group, he would strongly deny it, and be righteously indignant at the accusation. The leader himself may frequently have to make a quick analysis to decide whether his leadership is indeed being challenged for the purpose of taking it away, or whether the member is making a legitimate challenge of a mistake by the leader. It is not always easy to distinguish between the two in a fast-moving group action.

Another source of trouble has already been touched on: the apathy that keeps the meeting from developing into a productive session. Here again, the leader needs to make a quick analysis of what is going on. Apathy can be caused by many factors: the group may feel that they don't really have the procedural tools to move ahead on the problem (this is frequently caused by a lack of indoctrination and orientation into the principles, tech­niques, and purposes of the tool being used). The group may have the impression that their decisions or recommendations will not have any real stature in the final analysis of the problem or policy. One subgroup within a larger group may have a too zealous or personal feeling about the problem under discussion, and so may intimidate other members to the point where they actually block or shut off the outside thinking. Whatever the cause, when apathy sets in, a "What's the use?" attitude takes over.

Most such group ills, however, have their beginnings in the initial minutes of the meeting, at the time of the actual presenta­tion of the problem and the suggestions for handling the problem. Many group members, for instance, will be slow to take a leader up on his invitation to "express yourselves freely." This is because from childhood they have been used to having the person in authority tell them what to do or to think. It is difficult to change a lifetime habit simply by being told to do so. The leader, recognizing this, will accept it and plan his meeting in such a way as to create a climate favorable to free expression and par­ticipation.

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