ABSTRACT
Leaders make decisions. They react to information. They defer to others or are quite directive. They manage others’ anxieties while struggling with their own. They exhort, discipline, comfort, and motivate. They convene and listen to others. How leaders perform such behaviors is a matter of their particular mixtures of temperament, training, comfort, and ability. Some are able to perform some of the acts necessary to lead effectively, such as making decisions, and not others, such as including and engaging others. Some are less able to guide and direct, preferring to let others assume organizational authority. Others quite naturally involve themselves just enough to guide and support others while enabling them to take ownership of their work. Each leader constructs certain relationships with others based on his or her tendencies and abilities. In caregiving organizations, those relationships powerfully shape members’ abilities to remain resilient.
