PROMOTION OF LIFE SKILLS
Sub-topic
1. Good leadership
2. Team work
3. Positive relationship
4. Self-worth and confidence
OBJECTIVES
(i) Explain the importance of good leadership, team work, positive relationship, self-worth and confidence qualities.
(ii) Demonstrate:
(a) Good leadership
(b) Teamwork
(c) Positive relationship
(d) Self-worth
(e) Self-confidence
Meaning of life skills;
Life skills are the means or the ways through which a person can live well in a society or can manage well his or her life and that of other people.
Attributes of a life skilled individual include;
- communicating,
- reading, self-worth,
- assertiveness,
- problem solving techniques,
- showing positive relationship with others,
- demonstrating confidence in decision making, planning and implementation of important things which have great value to an individual’s life and the society at large.
The importance of promotion of life skills in modern society have been accelerated by the scientific and technological advancement.
In order to survive in this competitive world of the undergoing changes; good leadership, team work, positive relationship, self-worth and self-confidence are required from among the member of society or community.
1. GOOD LEADERSHIP.
Meaning;
Leadership is the ability of an individual to influence motivates and enables others to contribute the success of other organization of which they are members.
Or
Leadership is the situation where by somebody is given a position to direct other people, groups, country or organization by showing the way to achieve stated goals.
1. Good leadership refers to proper leadership which adheres to the important characteristics of a good leader.
Who is a leader?
A leader is a person who leads a group of people or a country or an organization. A leader can either be elected by people or appointed according to the laws of the country or organization.
CHARACTERISTICS/QUALITIES OF A GOOD LEADER.
A good leader should;
(i) Be able to identify the community goals or specific targets.
(ii) Not simply issue orders for people to follow, but he or she should be able to instill good characteristics to them which will make it possible to achieve the stated goals.
(iii) Have confidence, determination and perseverance.
(iv) Be able to create an ideal situation that will encourage his/her people to perform.
(v) Be able to identify good opportunities that can be utilized to achieve the stated community goals.
(vi) Have a vision which they work towards.
(vii) Be wise if they are to be successful.
(viii) Be charismatic, attractive to the people through their good personalities.
(ix) Be persistent in attempt of meeting their goals.
(x) Have integrity.
(xi) Be ready to pursue their dreams until they become true.
(xii) Always consult his/her people before any important decision is made.
(xiii) Develop a system of positive reinforcement to his/her people, whereby good performance.
Roles of a leader
1. To make decisions on behalf of the community and supervise the implementation of the community
2. To unite the followers so as to facilitate achievements of the objectives
3. To formulate problem solving strategies in order to bring economic change to people’s life
4. To mobilize the community in creating and implementing varies project for development.
LEADERSHIP STYLES.
Types of leadership styles
There are four types of leadership known a
1. Democratic leadership/participative leadership.
- This is the type of leadership which involves the leader consulting the subordinates on proposed actions and decisions and encourages their participation.
2. Dictatorial leadership.
- This is a type of leadership governed by a dictator that is dominated by fear, threats, disgrace and frequent dismissal of the workers.
3. Autocratic leadership.
- This type of leadership is characterized by central authority. All powers are controlled by one individual.
4. Laissez-faire leadership.
- This is the type leadership where the leader is really not in control. The leader is only consulted if information is required, and he or she can only make a small contribution.
- This type of leadership gives chance for the subordinates to decide on their own.
Good leadership
Any good leadership involves elements of vision. A vision provides direction to influence the process.
A leader can have various visions of the future and how to lead the people towards a successful end
A vision of effectiveness should alleged
1. A person as a simple yet vibrant image in the mind of a leader
2. Describe a future state, credible and preferable to the present state
3. Act as a bridge between the current state and a future optimum state
4. Appear desirable enough to organize followers
5. Succeed in speaking to followers at an emotional and spiritual level
IMPORTANCE OF GOOD LEADERSHIP
(i) Helps in accomplishing a set of goals
(ii) It promotes community participation in development activities
(iii) It invites creation of projects for community’s development
(iv) It encourages the community to build trust or the leaders
(v) It helps to maintain peace and harmony in the community
(vi) It promotes the national development economically socially and culturally
(vii) It enhances people’s confidence, especially when leaders are transparent and accountable to their decisions.
(viii) Earns trust from the people by involving them in decision-making.
FACTORS FOR GOOD LEADERSHIP
-factors for good leadership in any successful business or activity include
o Communication
o Motivation
o Team work
o Positive relationship
o Self-worth and confidence
2. TEAM WORK
TEAMWORK is a joint action done by a group of people (team) with a common goal.
OR
TEAMWORK is a set of persons working together with a team spirit.
A team spirit means willingness to act for a group rather than an individual benefit
Hence, team work means combined efforts or organization or cooperation.
Why effective team work is good
• It is a large measure of motivation which lies in being part of a team with a recognized identity where the members feel that they are part of a cohesive unit working towards a broad goal
• Usually the output of the effective team work is greater than what would be achieved by the member working individually this tends to produce good quality of output being at school office, shamba, army etc.
TEAM ROLES
Effective is that their success is brought about by some of their technical abilities in mental activities drive humor communication skills and through a combination of different types of people.
There are four common theories which guide the effectiveness of the team roles
1. Thinkers
2. Doers
3. Careers
4. Leaders
• Thinkers
Are a set of people who tend to produce carefully throughout ideas and soberly weigh up the contribution of others.
They are useful planners and help to curb the impetuosity of the doers
• Doers
Are the task oriented and can be exhibited ‘’funnel vision’’ where all they can see is driving on and getting jobs they are useful as time controllers and keeping the team focused on the objectives.
Both thinkers and doers concentrate upon the work in hand without necessarily appreciating the importance of the human dimension
• Carriers
Are people who have a bias towards people and their needs.
They understand the importance of productive relationships between their members carrier maintain harmony through smoothing cheering up people promoting humor, helping people in difficult and easy tension within the group.
Hence carriers are needed to keep up morals to maximum effectiveness and to coordinate the role of a leader
• Leaders
Are people who create and maintain the environment where people can make.
their contributions in order to maximize their effectiveness of the whole team. Hence they are like the conductor of the orchestra who through standing the experience and approach create the whole of which is greater than the sum of parts
HOW TO MAKE A TEAM WORK EFFECTIVE (ASPECTS OF TEAMWORK)
(i) A good and strong leadership is essential for successful teamwork. While each team member will be encouraged to share thoughts and opinions as well as skills, the leader will be responsible for the final decisions and implementations are made.
(ii) Goal-setting is an essential part of teamwork.
(iii) Communication is another important part of teamwork.
(iv) The team must have unified commitment.
(v) The team must have a results-driven structure.
(vi) The team must have high standards that are understood by all.
(vii) The team must have competent team members.
(viii) The team must have a collaborative climate.
(ix) Conflict resolution is also one of the aspects of teamwork.
Therefore, a leader can make a team effective by paying attention to the following:
• Understanding the objectives
• Knowing the people
• Assigning the roles
• Communicate objectives
• Planning
• Delegation of power
• Listening
• Ensure balance of contributions
• Resolve conflicts
• Motivate
• Make decisions
• Learning from experience
• Analyze success and failure
Compounds of team building
(i) Selection of participants to be in the group or team. The team leader usually looks for specific things from the members in order to ensure success in the group or team projects.
(ii) Training on how to work together. A team must know how to work together in order to be productive and successful.
(iii) When creating teamwork, it is important to have balanced skill sets. One way to achieve this is by having experts in different fields.
(iv) Allocation of roles within the team. Assigning roles to team members helps them to know the team’s place.
(v) Harmonizing personality. The personality of someone plays a big role on how the team performs. The leader must understand the kind of people and personality they need to have in order to gain success from the team or group.
IMPORTANCE OF TEAMWORK
(i) Teamwork improves quality and encourages innovation ofproducts or services.
(ii) Makes it easy to accomplish tasks under given environments
(iii) Enables people in groups to perform work effectively than single handed jobs
(iv) It stimulates co-operation and positive relation among people in a given society
(v) It enables individuals to gain more knowledge and skills from other people in the group
(vi) It develops positive attitudes on the importance of work
(vii) It cultivates the awareness of accountability and responsibility to an individual
3. POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS
Relationship is away in which people group or countries behave towards or deal with each other, the relationship can be economical cultural political or even social [including love affairs]
Positive relationships is the passionate and abiding desire on the part of the two or more people to produce together conditions under which one can express his or her feelings real self to produce together a climate in which each can flourish for superior to what one could achieve alone.
OR
POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP can be defined as a state of having meaningful, loving, supportive and supportive relationships between two or more people or groups.
Building positive relationships is very important because we depend on each other however one must start with building confidence within one self we all want to build positive relations by forming bonds with different types of people i.e. bosses, colleague’s friends and family
Many of us have made it in a wrong way it’s never too late to say we still have room to modify our behavior patterns by breaking our bad relationship habits and learn good interpersonal communication skills which are sending out the good right message to others.
Trusting yourself in whatever you do to others treating yourself as a respected individual the same kind of people will be drawn to you
Positive relations are very important we need two things in life
• To avoid loneliness
• To be appreciated and loved for who we are
We are brought together by positive relationships and loneliness reminds us that we are missing someone or something in life. We seek fulfillment in the relationships by others by loving just like the way we love ourselves.
We can only change ourselves by learning how to love and we should learn to accept ourselves just and you will be able to love and accept others
PRINCIPLES FOR DEVELOPING POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP
In order to develop positive relationships, someone needs to understand the following principles of human behavior;
(i) Time and patience. Building positive relationships is like building a house; it takes a lot of time and patience to accomplish.
(ii) Applying the principle of brotherhood and allowing others to become more responsible.
(iii) Applying people to make choices.
(iv) Avoid finding faults in others; focus on their strengths and not their weaknesses.
(v) Withdraw from conditions that can easily lead to power struggles.
(vi) Changing your negative behavior can most effectively influence the negative behaviour of others.
(vii) Every human behavior has a social purpose. It should be noted that some people misbehave because they are searching for self-attention and some look for revenge.
(viii) Avoid retaliation if offended; instead, express goodwill. This is because retaliation stimulates further violence.
(ix) People must appreciates other people’s positive behaviour.
Importance of positive relationships
Positive relationships among people of a community are very important because they create environment of cooperation accountability peace and security in the community.
Moreover positive relationships has the following importance;
(i) Cooperation among people will be encouraged through trustworthy that may develop from good relations
(ii) Crime will be controlled as good relationships will create peaceful situations or environments people will leave and believe in fraternity and brother hood
(iii) Unity will be created hence limiting individualism and cooperativeness
(iv) Positive relationships maintain a sense of goodwill among ourselves.
(v) They promote good principles that ensure success to everyone, partners, family, friends and work colleagues.
(vi) Positive relationships enlighten the people on how to make the right decisions in relationships.
(vii) People will land their hands together in waging war against the common enemies for example poverty ignorance diseases etc. In so doing people will plan their own strategies such as poverty alleviation projects i.e. introducing success helping groups in social matters.
Note
Things which indicate one’s confidence can be seen in many ways which are:
• One’s behavior
• One’s body language
• One’s speech [how one speaks]
• What you say
Difference between self-confidence and non-confidence
|
Self-confidence 1) Being willing to take risk and go extra miles to achieve better
things |
Non confidence Being un willing to take and go
extra miles to achieve better things |
|
2) Doing what you believe to be right even if others criticize you. |
Staying in your comfort
zone fearing failure and avoid taking risks. |
|
3) Waiting for others
to congratulate you on your accomplishments |
Explain your
own virtues as often as possible as many people |
|
4) Accepting accomplishments graciously Thanks I really worked
hard on that perspective am pleased you recognized my efforts. |
Dismissing accomplishments off handedly on that prospective was nothing really any one
could have done it |
Importance of self-worth and confidence
(i) Self-worth skills enable you and individuals to protect their life by not engaging in dangerous things like drugs alcohol beverages and marijuana.
(ii) It makes an individual to work hard value work and enjoy their achievements through their hard efforts.
(iii) It stimulates accountability and creativity among people thus increase the income to an individual family and community.
(iv) Gives power and ability to an individual on how to defend their correct decisions.
(v) Enables individuals to defend their rights and struggle for their violated rights.
(vi) Self-confidence enables an individual to gain experience from both happiness and sadness.
(vii) Self-confidence also promotes individuals’ personality in terms of dressing and communication skills.
(viii) Gives power to criticizing bad behaviors that affect an individuals or society.
GUIDING QUESTIONS.
(i) Explain the meaning and importance of life skills.
(ii) Explain the meaning of leadership, a leader, good leadership and importance of good leadership.
(iii) Identify and explain ten qualities/characteristics of good leadership.
(iv) Identify and explain the types of leadership styles.
(v) Explain the meaning and importance of team work.
(vi) Explain aspects of teamwork.
(vii) Explain principles/compounds of team building.
(viii) Explain the meaning and importance of positive relationship.
(ix) Explain seven principles for developing positive relationship.
(x) Explain the meaning and importance of self-worth.
(xi) Explain the meaning and importance of self-confidence.
(xii) Explain aspects of building self-confidence.
