It’s all about the context

Over the past few weeks interning at Voices of September 11^th, I have become acutely aware of the contingency theory of leadership, and especially how this concept interacts with the particular work I am doing.

The contingency leadership theory states that a leader’s effectiveness is determined by his or her ability to match their leadership strengths and techniques to the specific situation at hand.  In other words, the primary focus of this leadership style is on context.  The leader must be aware of their environment and cater their strengths to it.

Throughout my time at my internship, I have had trouble putting a definitive label on the leadership style being used.  Every time I notice one dominating, this quickly shifts to another with a mere change of events. This frustrated me; the lack of definition made me question all that I had learned about concrete leadership styles.

However, I recently had an epiphany on the matter. It was precisely this lack of clarity which made me realize that the nature of the nonprofit is so unique in that the context is what defines the organization.  Each nonprofit has its own goals, and, as the name implies, such objectives are not self-serving.  As for Voices of September 11^th, there is a clear context which gives rise to the organization as a whole, and thus, given this context, a specific set of qualities within a leader which will allow them to succeed.

The leader of Voices of September 11^this compassionate, knowledgeable, kind, and high spirited, despite the gloomy context.  Most importantly, she has a strong connection to the cause, which gives her the motivation to lead well and aim for success, particularly as there is no organizational profit to be made.

This context is a very specific one; it is framed by one historical event and how this continues to impact the contemporary world. With that, a very specific leader is needed in order for success.  Not anyone could take on the challenge of dealing with tragedy day in and day out, and especially of motivating others to do the same.  A leader who is perhaps very task-oriented, strictly focused on structure and goal completion might not be as successful in such a context. Someone who is committed to positive interaction and the wellbeing of others while still maintaining productivity, as is the case for the founder and director of the organization, is more well-suited to this particular job.

Thus, as the contingency theory of leadership shows, the interaction of context and leadership traits is certainly very important for success.