Embrace the ugliness of leading.

Calling all leaders!

I'm sorry this post is so long and coming. It's been a busy few weeks in the Rosenberg Center for Student Involvement, delivering great events and activities to the University of Baltimore student population and, more importantly, helping our students explore and develop their leadership potential.

That being said, I thought it might be a good time to talk about a simple fact about leadership that is often ignored. I've had the good fortune in my position to see teams throughout our campus functioning on a number of levels and accomplishing amazing things - reaching out to build community partnerships, engaging students in learning and fun, opening up our eyes to possibilities that were once beyond our imagination.

Our outcomes are often better than we could have possibly imagine. The benefits of leadership are many and often very satisfying. But nobody--nobody--wants to see how the proverbial sausage is made.

Here it is: Leading can get ugly.

We all know this to be true. We often encounter this at work, at home, or even on the weekend in that softball league or poker tournament. When people unite at a predetermined palce at a predetermined time to execute a predetermined plan, an X-factor is added into the mix that often sabotages our best laid plans.

Leading can get ugly.

The X-factor is, of course, other people. It is only natural, as you work with a team to accomplish a given goal, you are going to encounter resistence, disagreement, and yes, the dreaded conflict. But that's not so bad!

Conflict, or as the Social Change Leadership Model describes it, controversy with civility, is healthy, and in fact, imperative for teams. The last thing your team should suffer from is "groupthink" or likemindedness that leaves you closed to other, perhaps better paths to success.

Embrace the ugliness that can come from working in teams. Whatever you do, don't avoid it! Avoiding problems only makes them worse (trust me on this one!)

Have you ever been a part of a team, and worked diligently to execute a plan, when all the while you have an idea about how the plan might work better? Maybe you want to suggest the group hold an event in the evening instead of the afternoon. Maybe you think a mailing should be sent by e-mail rather than hardcopy. Don't be afraid to speak up, even if you think others may disagree with you. Often, especially in the midst of the planning phase of a project, team members can't see the forest for the trees. If you have an alternative idea, it's not only a good idea, it's your duty to share it! Good ideas that go unshared can hurt your team and lead to feelings of resentment.

On the same token, be careful about sharing alternative suggestions during the execution phase of a plan or an event. At this stage, you are putting your plan into action, and last-minute changes can lead to unnecessary confusion and oftentimes can't be implemented anyway. Ever set up an event and had someone say "you should have gotten pink tablecloths instead of blue" on the day of. How does this actually help?

Again, remember, it's O.K. if there's tension in your group, even passionate disagreement. This is a natural part of building a team. See Tuckman's Stages for more on the life cycle of a team.

Also remember the "curtain effect." So much of the planning process and execution of your project is often not seen by others who aren't "behind the curtain." Have confidence that even if the process needs work (it always does), that your team will deliver a winning result that will please all involved.

Realize that at the end of the day, leading can get ugly. But the results are well worth it.

Feel free to comment - let me know what you think and if you a have any good stories about the benefits of leadership that gets ugly!

Anthony Butler is the Assistant Director of Leadership in the Rosenberg Center for Student Involvement. For over eight years, Leadership UB has provided leadership training and opportunities for service and reflection to University of Baltimore and the surrounding community. To find out how you can get involved, visit www.ubalt.edu/leadership or e-mail leadership@ubalt.edu.