What is the Leadership Perspective?
Understanding the Leadership Perspective starts with re-focusing on the Helping Triangle, as shown in Figure 2A. There is point “A” – Potential Clients, point “B” – The Authorizers, and point “C” – the agency. As we consider the Helping Triangle as seen in Figure 2-A, we see the focal point is at the center of the triangle at point “0”. It is not at any of the three corners or on any of the three sides.
As Figure 2B illustrates, draw a straight line from point “A” passing through point “0” to the mid point of the line connecting “B” and “C”.
Next, as Figure 2C shows, Draw a straight line from point “B” passing through point “0” to the mid point of the line connecting “A” and “C”.
Now, as Figure 2D shows, draw a straight line from point “C” passing through point “0” to the mid point of the line connecting “A” and “B”.
Finally, as Figure 2E shows, label the mid point between “A” and “B” as “1”, the mid point between “B” and “C” as “2”, and the mid point between “A” and “C” as “3”.
As we go clockwise around the outside edge of the Expanded Helping Triangle as seen in Figure 2E, we have “A”, “1”, “B”, “2”, “C”, “3”, and back to “A”. “0”is inside the Helping Triangle where the internal lines cross.
Imagine we are at point “0” inside the Triangle as shown in Figure 2E. There are six lines radiating out from our location at point “0”. They connect us to potential clients and the First Mover – “A”, the Initiators – “1”, the Authorizers – “B”, the Implementers “2”, the agency – “C”, and to the Providers – “3”. – I refer to the Helping Triangle as illustrated in Figure 2E as the Local Helping Triangle.
Now recall the analogy of the eco system. There are numerous other organisms – other agencies, organizations, individuals, and entities – outside the local Helping Triangle and many of them have local Helping Triangles of their own. From our position at point “0” we also connect with many of those outside organisms. Conceptually, draw a connecting line between point “0” and each external individual or entity potentially affecting or affected by what happens within the local Helping Triangle. The result is a spider web like figure with multiple dimensions. “Human services is not a single services delivery system but a complex web of helping agencies and organizations whose primary goal is to assist people in need.” (Woodside & McClam, 2009, p. 15) We are located at point “0” within the figure, at the center of the complex web of helping agencies and other important stakeholders. From there, we have what I call the Leadership Perspective. – I reference the multidimensional Helping Triangle with its web of connections as the Expanded Helping Triangle or simply as The Helping Triangle.