Introduction
It is safe to say that communication is the core of the social life of people. Small group communication is the most frequent form of communication with which individuals interacts throughout their life. In order to be a competent social sciences specialist, one must explore small group communication and the types of roles within it. In this essay, the author explores and analyzes how one member, being a leader from behind, can have a personal impact on small group communication and provides some tips on how to be an influential group member in future experiences.
The leader from Behind and Personal Impact
It is noteworthy that this behavior was chosen because the author of this essay is accustomed to holding this role in small group communication. The leader from behind is the one who relies on teamwork and encouragement to lead the group (# 244). An important clarification is that the group is meant as “a small collection of people with one another, usually face to face, over time in order to reach goals” (#246). The leader from behind often shares the leadership of the group with the central leader. The leader from behind adheres to styles such as democratic and laisezz-faire leadership. As a teenager, I was into multiplayer cooperative online games, especially Team Fortress 2. I preferred support roles because it gave me time to analyze the game situation and develop the most appropriate solutions, which made my team often win. Studying the social sciences allowed me to understand that I was the leader from behind back then. It is not a face-to-face situation, but I consider it a small group communication.
Benefits and Drawbacks of Being Leader from Behind
There are several advantages to being the leader from behind. Since this role is of democratic nature, it implies that other group members have significant independence within the group, which enhances interaction and decision-making (#257). The role is less pressured if a wrong decision is made since one shares this role with the central leader. During my adolescence, there was an intense exchange of ideas in multiplayer matches within my team, analyzing which I made or advised appropriate solutions. However, there is one major drawback of the role of the leader from behind. It is that the central leader and the group often do not consider one as a leader or overlook the impact the one made. I still have memories of how the group sometimes overlooked and underestimated my impact.
How to Become a More Effective Group Member Applying Leader from Behind Role
This leadership style is best suited to those who feel insecure about being the top leader. To become a leader from behind and be a more effective group member requires developing skills such as analysis of information, clarification and summarizing, opinion giving, and coordination (# 253). It can be said that the leader from behind is one of the simplest roles for developing leadership skills.
Conclusion
This work explores how one, through a leader from behind role, can make an impact in small group communication. The author of this essay described this role, its major strengths and weaknesses, how to apply this role model, and what skills need to be developed to be a more effective group member. The work is supported by citations from the textbook and descriptions of relevant personal experiences.