1. Encounter the Gospel of Life
The Call to Leadership
Adult and Young Adult Leadership

2. Leadership
• There are a variety of definitions of
“leadership”
• There are different types and styles of
leadership
• Youth and adults may view leadership
in different ways
• Leadership is a developmental
process, and youth move through the
process at different rates

3. Transactional Leadership
• Values problem solving and decision making
• Makes decisions in order to move forward
• Uses standards and principles to make
decisions
• Leaders develop themselves to be better
decision-makers
• Takes charge and gets things done
• Recognizes the importance of the product or
the outcome

4. Transformational Leadership
• Values the participation and
contribution of others
• Takes all viewpoints into consideration
before making a decision
• Considers individuals within their
situation at the moment
• Develops themselves to be better
contributors to the group
• Recognizes the importance of the
process
• Shares leadership responsibilities

5. Take a wild guess…
• If the Encounter core values are…
– Direct-Relational Ministry
– Shared Responsibility and Empowerment
– Openness to God and Holy Spirit
– Commitment to Excellence
– Conversion is Reflected in Daily Life
• Which leadership style do you think is
more in keeping with Encounter?
– Transactional or transformational?

6. Our Role as Adult and Young
Adult Leaders
The Basics
Stages of Leadership Development
Stages of Group Development

7. Our role… the basics
• As adult leaders our primary
responsibility is the safety and well
being of our teens.
• Keeping that always in mind, our next
job is to give as much leadership and
responsibility as reasonable to our
youth and young adults
• To know what is reasonable, we have
to know a little about youth leadership

8. Stages of Development
• According to youth leadership experts
Fertman and van Linden (1999), youth
go through three basic stages of
leadership development:
– Awareness
– Interaction
– Mastery

9. Stages of Development:
Awareness
• Initial awareness of leadership
potential and abilities; adolescents
usually do not perceive themselves as
leaders and need assistance in the
beginning to identify and build upon
their leadership potential

10. Stages of Development:
Interaction
• Adolescents start to recognize a more
personal side to their leadership
abilities; focus turns to qualities related
to interacting with and respecting
themselves and others

11. Stages of Development:
Mastery
• Adolescents work to influence others
through application of skills and
setting an example; focus is on
mastering leadership skills in specific
areas and activities of life

12. Leadership development during
Encounter
• Recognizing these stages of leadership
development in our youth and young
adults will be key during the week of
Encounter. Consider…
– Which youth come in self-identifying as
leaders?
– Which youth have the ability, but not the
awareness of it?
– As leaders emerge within our groups how
can we provide them opportunities to
succeed?

13. Leadership in Groups
• Groups experience developmental stages
just as individuals do
• Each stage has challenges that need to be
addressed
• There are advantages and disadvantages to
working in groups
• Youth view leadership in a group context;
therefore, group functioning and experiences
are critical to their leadership development

14. Stages of Group Functioning
• There are five basic stages to group
functioning:
– Forming
– Storming
– Norming
– Performing
– Transforming

15. Group Functioning at Encounter
• You will be part of a few different
groups at Encounter
– Parish
– Small parish group (possibly)
– Work-site
– Action group
• EACH of these groups will move
through the stages at their own pace

16. Group Functioning at Encounter
• The groups that you are a part of will move
through these stage (and possibly revisit
them) during the course of the week
• There is no “right” timing, but your groups
may move through all of the stages as the
week progresses (or only some)
• The timing shown on the next few pages a
rough estimate for the average group, but
yours may spend more or less time in a given
stage

17. Forming – Sunday/Monday
• This first stage is where the group initially
comes together
• Members spend time getting to know one
another
• Few measurable accomplishments occur
• Group members are uncertain of how to act
• Time should be spent defining goals
• Members need to know what their tasks are
and how to do them

18. Storming – Monday/Tuesday
• Familiarity between group members
has been established
• Conflict may occur
• Confusion about roles and
responsibilities exists among members
• Group members may become
defensive
• Sub-groups may begin to form
• Conflict should serve to help clarify
goals and promote cohesion

19. Norming – Tuesday/Wednesday
• Group becomes more organized
• Roles and responsibilities are more
clearly defined
• Rules and relationships are established
• Trust and support increase

20. Performing –
Wednesday/Thursday
• Group is more mature
• Members are comfortable and know
what is expected of them
• Tasks are completed with focus and
cooperation

21. Transforming – Thursday/Friday
• This stage is about completion and
disengagement, both from the tasks and the
group members.
• Individuals will be proud of having achieved
much and having been part of the group.
• There is mourning for the completion of the
task and for the loss of the group, but this
should be balanced by the excitement of
moving forward into the future
• How can this experience continue to form
and transform you in the future?

22. Our Role as Adult and Young
Adult Leaders
Identifying Strengths and Weaknesses
Effective Discussions
Meaningful Leadership
Goals and Expectations
Adult Role
Common Mistakes
Youth and Adult Partnerships

23. Identifying Strengths and
Weaknesses
• When helping youth identify strengths
and weaknesses, consider the
following questions:
– What are you good at?
– What do you enjoy? What don’t you enjoy?
– What can you do that you are proud of?
– What do you ask others to help you with?
– What can you not do that you would like to
learn how to do?

24. Effective Discussions
• For youth to have ownership in
discussions and decisions, THEY need
to be the ones doing most of the
talking
• To get discussions started or keep
them going, use open-ended questions
such as:
– What do you think about that idea?
– What do you like about that idea?
– Is this something we need to do?

25. Meaningful Leadership
• Youth want to be able to apply the skills they
are learning
• Youth want to feel their work has made an
impact
• Community involvement and service are
effective ways to learn, apply, and have an
impact
• The youth perspective is valid and helpful to
the creation of meaningful leadership
experiences

26. Goals and Expectations
• The important thing about goals and
expectations is making sure that
everyone in the group is helping to
create them
• Everyone has ownership, finds a way
to compromise, and can better agree
on what is best for the whole

27. Goals and Expectations
• Ground rules:
– Every idea is valid
– Every person is encouraged to contribute
– Every person is responsible
– Use open-ended questions
– Provide adequate opportunities for participation
– Ask for everyone’s opinions and ideas
– Make sure ideas are communicated clearly
– Make sure everyone is comfortable with them
– Review ideas periodically and adjust when
necessary

28. The Adult Role
• Youth need and appreciate an adult
perspective
• Youth want to be trusted
• Youth want a chance to act on their
ideas
• There are situations where adults need
to intervene

29. The Adult Role
• Youth may expect… THE WORST!
– Looked down on
– Not respected
– Not listened to
• We need to exceed their expectations
– Coaching
– Dialoging
– Connections to resources
– Connections to community leaders

30. The Young Adult Role
• Serve as a role model for the youth
– Youth look up to the young adult age group
– Youth will mimic your actions
– Be an active and visible presence
• Help facilitate and encourage group
discussions
– Being inclusive of all members of the group
– Reach out to the loner
– Everyone contributes

31. The Young Adult Role
• Serve as a listening ear to the youth
– Keep appropriate confidences of the youth
– If the information causes concern, report
to an adult
• Accountability
– Adults need to be able to count on the
young adults for help in group leadership

32. Common Mistakes
• Stereotypes and other preconceived
notions often serve to keep adults from
working effectively with youth
• Common mistakes made by adults
include:
– Lacking confidence in the abilities of the
youth
– Trusting them too much and not helping
enough

33. Common Mistakes
• More mistakes include:
– Providing information but no opportunity to use it
– Treating the leadership process as something that
they teach youth without realizing that youth
teach them and each other
– Discomfort with silence, jumping in too soon
– Assuming youth may posses knowledge that they
may not
– Assuming youth do not possess knowledge that
they may
– Regarding themselves (the adults) as sole leaders
of the group

34. Common Mistakes
• How do we combat these mistakes?
– Do NOT assume
– Listen to the youth
– Take time to get to know the youth
– Trust
– Allow for independence, but be willing to provide
a safety net when needed
– Allow youth to experience the consequences of
their actions
– Help youth to learn from consequences

35. Step In or Step Back?
• Just make sure you are trusting of the
youth in your group, helping them to
consider a variety of options and
perspectives, and allowing them to try
things before assuming that they will or
will not work out

36. Youth/Adult Partnerships
• “Relationships between young people and adults
are usually cast in terms of a (mentoring
relationship). Mentoring implies a leader and a
follower.”
(Des Marais, Yang, and Farzanehkia, 2000)
• “Partnerships evolve from mentoring but offer a
mutually beneficial relationship for young people
and adults. . . Partnerships in which young
people and adults share learning and leadership
allows them to become co-creators of
community.”
(Des Marais, Yang, and Farzanehkia, 2000)

37. Youth/Adult Partnerships
• Youth achieve mastery, compassion,
and growth when they are provided
with experiences that support their
development
• Adults gain an improved perception of
youth through first-hand interaction
• Youth and adults gain increased
confidence, energy, understanding,
connectedness, and organizational
commitment

38. Youth/Adult Partnerships
• Organizations experience increased
clarity and focus on their mission and
place greater value on inclusiveness
and representation
• Ultimately youth and adult partnerships
are learning experiences for all
involved. Openness, trust, flexibility,
and willingness to try new things are
key to success and satisfaction

39. If Christ is the Good Shepherd
who are we to be?
Not shepherds, but sheep dogs…
Tend the flock of God in your midst,
overseeing not by constraint but
willingly, as God would have it, not for
shameful profit but eagerly. Do not lord
it over those assigned to you, but be
examples to the flock. (1 Peter 5:2-3)

40. Acknowledgements
• Portions of the above are based on
information gathered from the
following sources…
– http://pa4h.cas.psu.edu/100.htm
– www.pack730.com/CubCD/scouts
– www.saintjoancatholic.org