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Leaders in Small Group Communication 203

CoMMuniCatinG ethiCaLLY

the Leader’s ethical responsibilities

In addition to mastering the skills of effective and efficient leadership, as a leader you also need to
consider the ethical issues involved in leading a group. Because the leader is often called a “chair,”
CHAIR seems an appropriate acronym to help identify at least some of the characteristics of the ethi-
cal leader. As you reflect on these qualities, you’ll probably think of other ethical qualities that a leader ethical Choice point
should possess.
You’re leading a discussion among a group of
● Concern for the welfare of group members: Leaders who are more concerned with their own high school freshmen whom you’re mentoring.
personal interests, rather than with the group task or the interpersonal needs of the mem- The topic turns to marijuana, and the students
bers, are acting unethically. ask you directly if you smoke pot. The truth is
that on occasion you do—but it’s a very con-
● Honesty: Leaders should be honest with the group members by, for example, revealing any trolled use, and you feel that it would only de-
hidden agendas and presenting information fairly. stroy your credibility and lead the students to
● accountability: Leaders should take responsibility for their actions and decisions, admit mak- experiment with or continue smoking pot if
ing mistakes, and take corrective action when necessary. they knew you did (something you do not
● Integrity: Leaders have integrity; they take the high road. They don’t lie or deceive. And they want to do). At the same time, you wonder if
avoid actions that would violate the rights of others. you can ethically lie to them and tell them that
you do not smoke. What is your ethical obliga-
● responsiveness: The leader must be responsive to all members of the group. tion in this situation? What would you do?

Guide Members through the agreed-on agenda As the leader, you need Communication
to keep the discussion on track by asking relevant questions, summarizing the group Choice point
discussions periodically, or offering a transition from one issue to the next. This leader Guidance
involves following the list of tasks to be accomplished by the group as outlined in the Members of your group are
meeting agenda and efficiently managing the amount of time allotted for each event. not participating equally. Of the eight mem-
bers, three monopolize the discussion; the
ensure Member satisfaction Members have different psychological needs other five say as little as possible. What are
some of the things you might say to get the
and wants, and many people enter groups because of them. Even though a group group into better balance?
may, for example, deal with political issues, members may have come together for
psychological as well as for political reasons. If a group is to be effective, it must
achieve the group goal (in this case, a political one) without denying the psychological pur-
poses or goals that motivate many of the members to come together. One way to meet these
needs is for you as leader to allow digressions and personal comments, assuming they are not
too frequent or overly long. Another way is to be supportive and reinforcing.
Watch the Video
empower Group Members An important function of a leader is to empower other “Director's Cut” at
group members—to help them gain increased power over themselves and their environment. MyCommunicationLab
Empowerment will occur when you follow these guidelines as a leader:
● Raise members’ self-esteem; compliment, reinforce; resist fault finding.
● Share skills and decision-making power and authority.
● Be constructively critical. Be willing to offer your perspective and to react honestly to
suggestions from all group members, not only those in high positions.
● Listen willingly and eagerly. Acknowledge your understanding by appropriately nodding
or using such minimal responses as I see or I understand, ask questions if something isn’t
clear, maintain eye contact, and lean forward as appropriate. For a discussion of self-esteem in
● Avoid interrupting to change the topic or to shift the focus to something else. When you the workplace, see “Relationship
and Work Esteem” at http://
interrupt, you say, in effect, that what the other group member is saying is less important tcbdevito.blogspot.com. How is
than what you’re saying. your own work esteem?
● React supportively. Let other group members know that you appreciate what they are saying.