Expert Series: The Leader in You

Hello Fellow Qlubbers.

I'm pleased to introduce Mary Ann Rettig Zucchi. She's the founder of Jupiter Consulting Group and someone I have worked with in my past life. She's going to provide some great insights on leadership and teams. While she's coached great leaders in business, many of the same principles apply to anyone who's leading a team - from the PTA to even the small neighborhood watch group.

[Qlubb] Hello Mary Ann. Please tell us a little bit about yourself. What do you do?

[Mary Ann] I work with leaders and teams in organizations big and small to bring out the best in individuals and groups, allowing them to enjoy greater success and satisfaction. Along with several other experienced organizational development professionals I founded Jupiter Consulting Group, an international firm dedicated to “adding life back into work.” We’re passionate about promoting the authentic, productive relationships in organizations. Toward that end, we provide coaching, facilitation, leadership and organizational development services.

I have been consulting with a broad range of industries in the US and abroad for twenty years. Prior to earning my master’s in Adult Education and doctorate in Counseling Psychology from UC Berkeley, I spent several years as a leader in a non-profit service organization. And like so many members of Qlubb, I’ve been known to wear a few hats at once—soccer mom, room parent, and college admissions volunteer to name a few.

[Qlubb] In your years of professional consulting, you've worked with many top leaders. What do you think makes a good leader?

[Mary Ann] While there is no cookie cutter for becoming an effective leader, the best do have several things in common—authenticity, commitment, self-knowledge. Rather than trying to be someone else (like their predecessor, for example), they learn how to lead authentically using their own unique style. They care deeply about the group they are leading and know themselves well enough to identify how they can best serve the goals of the group. As leaders they are able to “get up on the balcony” and see the big picture without becoming mired in the nitty-gritty details.

[Qlubb] Bringing it down to earth, most of our users are leading groups in their extracurricular lives. We have leaders ranging from room parents to Little League coaches to mother's groups to video game players. Are what makes a good leader different for your everyday person leading an extracurricular group?

[Mary Ann] The core characteristics are the same. I do think that effective leadership for any type of group calls for a realistic assessment of what one can reasonably take on given his or her full range of commitments. In my experience, volunteer leadership is most effective when roles are clearly defined and tasks are appropriately delegated. In addition to preventing burn-out, spreading the responsibility builds involvement and commitment on the part of other members and encourages the development of future leaders, all good things for the group.

Extracurricular leadership allows some to bring their professional expertise to an entirely new arena of interest (e.g. an IT marketing person with web design expertise who takes on designing a Cub Scout website) while others welcome the opportunity to use skills that they don’t get to use at work of in other areas of their lives (e.g., an accountant who enjoys recruiting new members or coordinating volunteers). Leadership roles are most gratifying when the responsibilities are in line with what one hopes to get out of his or her affiliation with the group.

[Qlubb] Most everyone has either founded or led a group. First of all, can anyone be a good leader?

[Mary Ann] Any one can be a good leader as long as he or she genuinely believes in the mission of the organization, is committed to advancing it, and brings enough self-knowledge to know what to take on and what to delegate.

[Qlubb] What advice do you have for the average person out there who is leading a group of people?

[Mary Ann] Make sure you know what your unique strengths are and focus your energy leveraging those. If you are great at mustering volunteers and energizing members of your group but don’t even bother to balance your own checking account, get out front rallying folks and find someone else to deal with the finances. Whether it is in an all-volunteer organization or running a company, the most effective leaders are very conscious of how to use their strengths to maximum effect. They are smart enough to find others to fill in any gaps.

Keep it fun! If you find your role as a leader to be more draining than energizing, it is time for a change. Chances are you are either spending a lot of time and effort on tasks that don’t play to your strengths or you need to spread the responsibility around a bit more in order to bring back the joy. Remember why you got into this in the first place!

[Qlubb] How does one know that they are being a successful leader (or at least on the right track)? Is this something that can be measured? Does it depend on what the followers think, akin to a popularity contest?

[Mary Ann] Successful leadership is marked less by the popularity of the leader than by his or her ability to foster the commitment, alignment and involvement of members in moving the organization forward. Rather than dictating results, successful leaders identify optimal ways in which they can serve their members and support the group’s goals. While remaining true to themselves, they adapt their leadership approach and style to the context and desired culture of the group. I would not expect successful leadership of the local VFW Post to take the exact same form as effective leadership of the neighborhood organic food collective. Checking in with a variety of group members, listening to their concerns and seeking feedback while holding regard for organizational goals and principles helps leaders stay on the right track.

[Qlubb] Thanks for your words of wisdom Mary Ann. Can you point our readers to your website (or a set of resources) that you think might be helpful? Thanks.

[Mary Ann] To learn more about leadership, visit our website. You’ll find recommended resources under the “How we connect” tab.





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