- We're going to talk about emergent leadership.
In other words, how do leaders emerge,
especially when there's no one in charge yet?
We're gonna look at some fascinating research
on how people emerge in groups as leaders,
and also we're gonna look at even where you should sit
or not sit around a table
if you want to be seen as an emerging leader.
So stick around to the end for that bonus tip.
Let's get into the details.
(upbeat music)
So I'm working out of Beebe and Masterson's book
on "Communicating in Small Groups."
We're talking about small groups,
but this original research was done
in what's called the Minnesota Studies,
and it was led by Earnest Bormann.
And he asked the question, "Who is most likely to emerge
"as the perceived leader of a leaderless discussion group?"
So they did experiments where they put
a bunch of people together to have a discussion,
and they wanted to see what were the
small little moves that people made,
individuals made, to emerge as the unofficial leader,
the recognized leader of that group?
So, emergent leaders are those whose powers derive
from their acceptance by the other group members
rather than their position, rank, or status.
So, often at work, you'll have a supervisor
who is in a leadership position.
Sometimes, however, you're on a team
where the leader has not emerged yet.
There's no official leader.
And this question remains, "Well, who becomes the leader
"in ambiguous situations like that?"
And what Bormann and the other researchers found
was there was a method of residues.
That's what they called it.
Essentially, it's the people who are not eliminated
as ineffective group members.
So it's the question of the last person standing
becomes the group leader.
So groups will often reject group members
from the role of leadership until only one remains.
So they look around the group and they say,
"Not that person, not that person, not that person.
"Okay, I guess this is the only person left.
"They'll be our leader."
So let's look at the specifics on how that happens.
Group members reject potential leaders
for these specific reasons.
People who talk too much.
So if you're long-winded, taking constant talking turns,
they'll say to themselves,
"Oh, I don't want that person in charge.
"I don't wanna deal with that."
Also, if they're too bossy or too dictatorial.
So they wanna be in charge of you really badly.
They're like, "Nope, that's too much.
"That's too top-down."
Also, if they're verbally aggressive.
So they come across as a little pushy,
a little nasty with the way they talk to people.
So these first three make a lotta sense.
Why would I want someone
in charge of me who demonstrates these qualities?
So let's pivot a little bit, 'cause it changes.
Also, we don't want leaders who are unable
to contribute to the group's task goals
because they're too quiet, vague, tentative,
self-effacing, and they're always
asking others for direction.
Now this makes sense too, because if you're someone
who is really taking that back seat
and you're too, not confident enough to speak up
and to make a contribution,
then people won't see you as a leader.
Those just are not obvious leadership qualities.
Also, if you're too concerned
about everybody's feelings to be decisive.
So as we'll see in a moment, you have to be concerned
with people's feelings, but not so concerned
with everybody that you can't move forward,
you can't be decisive.
So those are some reasons why we eliminate people
for our potential leaders when we're in a leaderless group.
So group members value these strengths
with their potential leaders.
This is what we want in a potential leader of our group.
Someone who demonstrates individual task effectiveness.
So you have to be good at your job.
You have to be good at what you do
as an individual on the team.
Make your deadlines, follow through
on what you said you were gonna do.
You also have to show commitment to the group's goals.
So you're good individually,
but also you're committed to making
the group's goals move forward.
You tend to be more extroverted.
That means you're willing to speak up.
Introverted people sometimes are waiting
a little too long to speak up,
and if you're waiting too long to speak up,
you might not demonstrate yourself as a leader.
So the little side tip here is that if you're introverted,
make sure you push yourself a little more
earlier in group meetings to break the ice,
and to say something early on to be seen
as someone who's a potential leader.
Someone who demonstrates effective listening skills
is another key quality.
You have to listen well to others.
You have to listen and bring in what they're saying,
make good eye contact, nod, all those good listening skills
that we learned in school.
You wanna provide an optimum blend
of efficiency on the task, but also personal consideration.
So you have to be good at tasks,
but also show what we call consideration, respect,
politeness, care, and kindness for the other people around.
You have to balance that.
There's a important mixture there
to be seen as a emerging leader.
And you have to be seen as embodying
the group's social identity,
especially when uncertainty is high.
So, if the group's really not sure of what's going on,
if the direction is not clear,
you're more likely to emerge as a leader
if you stand for what the group is supposed to stand for.
So, when uncertainty is high,
it's very likely that an outsider,
for example, someone who is kinda thinking of,
"Well, they're a unique individual."
They might not align
with a group's core values and identity,
so they would not be selected as a leader.
You have to stand for what the group stands for
to be considered a leader.
So let's turn to seating.
Now this is sort of a bonus tip,
not part of Bormann's research,
but some research that I found fascinating in the book
from Beebe and Masterson on "Communicating in Small Groups."
So let's say you're seated around a table
that looks something like this.
Obviously, the most common place for the leader
to naturally sit would be the head of the table.
But the reason they sit at the head of the table
is not just because they want to be seen
as someone who is powerful.
It's because from this position,
you can make the most eye contact
and connect non-verbally with all the other people.
You can see everybody from here.
And also from that position,
you can direct the flow of traffic.
You can pull people in and out of the discussion as needed.
So that's the leader's spot
for a very practical reason.
So let's say you're in a group with no leader
and you have a choice to where to sit.
One of the places you could sit
would be the head of the table.
If you're at the head of the table,
you can subtly influence and drive the discussion
simply because people are looking at you most.
So let's say, however, that this position is taken
by somebody, or perhaps taken by someone
who's already the official leader.
Where should you sit next?
I think that's the key question for most of us.
Sitting at the head of the table is obvious.
Where should you sit next?
Well, the best seats for your second option
are these two on the right, for the same exact reasons
that the head of the table is a good position.
From these seats, you can see everybody else at the table.
You can see four other people.
That's four other people that can make eye contact with you,
that can see you listening carefully.
That's the majority of the group now
that's able to connect with you,
and if they can see you participating,
contributing, looking at them, listening well,
they can see that you have these
potential leadership qualities.
In contrast, the worst places to sit,
or where the opposite is true,
the worst places are these other corners
on the left side, because from these positions,
it's very hard to make eye contact
with more than a couple of people.
It's very hard to direct any kind
of communication traffic from here.
And even if you are non-verbally contributing
from these seats, very few people can see it.
So if you want to become a leader, don't sit in the corners.
If you wanna be a leader, sit where everybody can see you
and you can see everybody.
And those principles apply
regardless of the shape of the table,
and the style of meeting, and seating arrangements.
Sit where you can see everybody and they can see you.
Now, sometimes I will personally decide
to sit in the corners, 'cause I know about this research,
on purpose, and it's when I'm already,
I'm a leader in my job,
I'm the supervisor, the chair of my department,
and when I go to bigger meetings, sometimes I think,
"Man, I just cannot take one more assignment,
"one more project."
So I will put myself deliberately in the corner.
I'll be a little quiet that meeting.
And sure enough, when I have sat in the corners,
almost nobody looks at me, asks me questions,
and gives me more work to lead.
So sometimes you can use this strategically,
but if you wanna be a leader, an emerging leader,
sit where the most people can see you.
So here's some key takeaways.
Demonstrate your individual effectiveness on tasks.
You have to be seen as a competent individual,
first and foremost.
Show your commitment to the group's goals.
Speak up, but don't be dominant,
aggressive, or long-winded.
Listen well, show consideration for others,
and as a bonus tip, sit where you can make eye contact
with the most amount of people.
So question of the day, "Which of these tips
"do you find most interesting?"
I would love to hear your comments in that section below.
And what could you put into practice,
for example, in your own professional situations
to become an emerging leader,
to be seen as maybe the next leader of that group?
I look forward to reading those comments.
So thanks, take care, and I will see you soon.