Author: Cara Barker

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.

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 Conscientious leader behaves. Conscientious leaders diligently plan ahead and check their work each step of the way, guarding against errors that could lead to problems.

Conscientious leaders communicate information on a need-to-know basis, and such information is generally task-centered. Conscientious leaders are especially important to groups entrusted with tasks that are complicated or require attention to detail, where people’s safety or their property—including their money—could be put at risk.

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 Social leader behaves. Social leaders befriend the members of a group and get to know them on a personal level. In showing genuine interest, they put people at ease and place a high priority on wellness and harmony within that group.

Social leaders communicate gently, usually asking more questions than providing answers. Social leaders are highly accommodating and are especially important to groups composed of varying personality types and whose members, without a safe or appropriate space in which to work, would be left either isolated, divided or feeling unappreciated.

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 Driver behaves as leader. Drivers tend to dominate a group, telling them what to do, sometimes how to do it, when to do it, and occasionally why they are doing it.

Drivers communicate messages directed at completing a task. Drivers are especially important to groups who are new to a task, lack skills and confidence and who, without strong, directed guidance, would be left disorganized, unmotivated and unproductive.

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. 

At Clairbourn, we aim to create scholars and leaders with heart. This week we will investigate the styles in which we lead.

Consider this: each person here is a natural leader. “What?! How is this possible?” you may ask. Well, part of the reason that many of us don’t think of ourselves as leaders is that we often share a very narrow perspective of what leadership looks like. For example, many people will label the person who takes charge of an activity and barks orders to others as a— quote-unquote —natural leader. And in many instances, this may prove to be true. Nevertheless, this pantomime caricature of a leader has its limitations and doesn’t give the full range of possibilities associated with leadership.