This week, in the Morning Assembly—the daily meeting where Clairbourn students, staff, and parents gather to hear an inspiring message—the topic was the school’s new mission statement “Creating Scholars and Leaders with Heart.” The student presenters delivered the following message about the importance of student leadership prepared by foreign language and drama teacher Cara Barker. The Insights below are based on the work of DiSC and the work of psychologists David Merrill and Roger Reid, who in their book Personal Styles & Effective Performance identified four social styles: Analyticals, Drivers, Expressives and Amiables.
Today we look at how the Enthusiast leads. Enthusiasts share their joy in an activity, inspiring others to join them on the journey. They communicate through story-telling and they lead by example, often demonstrating to a group how to complete a task before giving them free rein to experiment on their own.
Enthusiasts persuade and encourage others, relying on optimism and impulse to guide the way, and are often quite popular. Enthusiasts are especially important to groups who lack experience or who seek a sense of identity.
Valuing motivation, an Enthusiast might applaud the words of St. Paul, “…Encourage one another and build one another up.”
Enthusiasts can be found in the performing arts as songwriters, actors, talk show personalities, directors and producers. They must take care not to talk too much and listen only when convenient. Since Enthusiasts enjoy the spotlight, it is especially important for them to balance their love of attention with quiet reflection.
Consider the words of American philosopher and lecturer Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success. When you do a thing, do it with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality. Be active, be energetic, be enthusiastic and faithful and you will accomplish your object. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”
So whichever leadership style most appeals to you, recognize that you are capable of using any of them. Different circumstances, different tasks will require something different of you. You embody all the qualities that make a good leader, and you may as well start exploring your potential today.
Part 1: Leadership Styles | Part 2: Driver Leadership | Part 3: Social Leadership | Part 4: Conscientious Leadership | Part 5: Enthusiast Leadership
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