Leadership in social work involves vision, ethics, empathy, and making a positive impact. Effective leaders are passionate, flexible, honest, and lead by example. They motivate teams towards clear goals and provide dedication to clients and coworkers. Developing leadership requires experience, learning from mentors and mistakes, and assertively seeking feedback. Challenges for social work leaders include funding and time constraints, while opportunities include volunteer experiences and leadership roles. Scholarly texts explore definitions of leadership, creativity in leadership, and core competencies defined by social work managers.

1. Leadership in Social Work
Shannon Farley

2. Interviewees
▪ Samantha Hudson- Regional Anti-HumanTrafficking Coordinator at
the Salvation Army, MSW, LSW
▪ Sherene Gardner- School Counselor / SocialWorker at Conger
Elementary, MSW, LISW- S, LSSW
▪ Jim Rundle- Clinical Director at HelpLine of Delaware and Morrow
Counties, Inc., MSW, LISW-S

3. What characteristics and actions define
a leader in social work?
Sam Hudson
• Empathetic, ethical, understanding,
knowledgeable and one with a vision
Sherene Gardner
• Flexible, doesn’t take things personally,
consistent, honest, takes responsibility
for actions, good with people
Jim Rundle
• Passion, commitment to making a
difference, genuine care for those in
need, integrity, honesty, strong desire to
make a positive impact
▪ Honesty
▪ Knows the position of those
supervising
▪ *doesn’t take things personally

4. How would you define a leader? Example
of good and bad leaders.
Sam Hudson
• Good leader: Leads by example, know what’s done
everyday, available with good boundaries
• Not so good: Disengaged, no understanding of worker’s
realities, unhealthy boundaries, manipulative, ulterior
agenda, creates or feeds hostile environment
Sherene Gardner
• Set vision, plan, motivates others to reach goals,
delegates tasks, keeps team accountable
• Territorial, controlling
Jim Rundle
• Dedication and genuine concern for clientele and
workers- done by word and actions, clear about goals and
solutions, actively seeks input from both, “IFYOU AREN’T
PART OFTHE SOLUTION,YOU’RE PART OFTHE
PROBLEM.”
• Aloof, arrogant, disconnected
▪ “If you aren’t part of the
solution, you’re part of the
problem.”
▪ “Leads by Example”
▪ Motivates Others towards clear
goals– setting people up for
success
▪ Dedication to both clientele
and coworkers

5. How does one develop their leadership
potential?
Sam Hudson
• Learning curve, learn from examples, one
has to be open to learning, can’t really be
taught in a classroom.
Sherene Gardner
• Experience, be a life-long learner,
learning from mistakes, observant
Jim Rundle
• Contact, supervision, and/or observation
with as many good leader role models-
watch, ask questions, seek consultation
▪ Observant of other good
leaders
▪ Willing to learn, especially from
mistakes and failures, open-
minded
▪ “learning curve”

6. How does a leader in SWK assess his/her
performance?
Sam Hudson
• Quality of services program offers, direct
feedback, morale of team (are people
constantly leaving?)
Sherene Gardner
• Reaching goals (personal and work
related), data, and feedback
Jim Rundle
• Outcomes of projects (not everything will
be a success, but most, learn from
failures)
▪ Seek Feedback
▪ Quality Outcomes
▪ Projects and Goals

7. What are some issues leaders in SWK are
facing?
Sam Hudson
• Overworked, underpaid, trying to
keep up, time management- meet
demands of position plus foster a
healthy work environment
Sherene Gardner
• Money issues
Jim Rundle
• Decreased funding- more creative
and wiser with funds
▪ Funding Challenges
▪ Time management
▪ Efficient

8. What opportunities would you recommend to
students looking to gain leadership
experience?
Sam Hudson
• Take leadership roles when you can, learn
and fail in safe environments
Sherene Gardner
Jim Rundle
• Alert to any and all opportunities from
respected leaders in area of interest,
observation, mentor, intern, volunteer
opportunities, enroll in what is manageable
and doable, assertively seek/request
ongoing feedback on their leadership
qualities, gaps, and areas to grow in.
▪ Opportunistic
▪ “Who you know”– Making
good connections and
impressions
▪ “Assertively seek ongoing
feedback on leadership
qualities, gaps, and areas of
growth”

9. What are some of the various pathways to
leadership as a social worker?
Sam Hudson
• Climb ladder- case manager
• Master’s
• Better when there’s experience in what they’re
leading
Sherene Gardner
• Becoming a supervisor, management positions,
community boards and SWK associations like
NASW
Jim Rundle
• Enrollment in college SWK or related field,
leadership courses, peer group with agenda of
leadership skill building and feedback, participation
in supervision by established, positive leaders
▪ Take leadership positions as
they come
▪ Know who you're leading and
what they do
▪ Peer group with agenda of
leadership skill building and
feedback

10. What resources would you recommend to
someone looking to learn more about being an
effective leader?
Sam Hudson
• experience, classes, organize and run
meetings, projects, etc. be willing to
take chances, "Put in the work for
what you want."
Sherene Gardner
• mentor you trust who emulates as a
good effective leader
Jim Rundle
• leadership courses in community,
online, or internet, good mentors
▪ Find a mentor(s)
▪ Experience
▪ Seek courses

11. What do the scholarly texts
say about leadership in
social work?

12. Social Work Management and Leadership:
Managing Complexity with Creativity
▪ Leadership has a wide range of interpretations, ill-defined
▪ expectation that we share a common understanding
▪ target audience identified as students as well as managers looking for new
approaches to their practice
▪ presents both individual and person-in-environment frameworks
▪ Leader v. Manager
▪ Leader can be in a low position, but have big influence due to other factors
▪ Lawler,J., & Bilson, A. (2010). Social work management and leadership:
Managing complexity with creativity. London: Routledge.

13. Leadership and Management Framework
Box 3.1What leaders and managers in social care do
• inspire staff;
• promote and meet service aims,
• objectives and goals;
• develop joint working/partnerships that are purposeful;
• ensure equality for staff and service users driven from the top down;
• challenge discrimination and harassment in employment practice and service delivery;
• empower staff and service users to develop services people want;
• value people,
• recognize and actively develop potential;
• develop and maintain awareness and keep in touch with service users and staff;
• provide an environment and time in which to develop reflective practice, professional skills
and the ability to make judgments in complex situations;
• and take responsibility for the continuing professional development of self and others.
(What leaders and managers in social care do – TOPPS Leadership and Management: a strategy for the social care workforce, 2004; cited in GSCC, 2005: 4)
Lawler, John. Social Work Management and Leadership : Managing Complexity with Creativity. Florence, KY, USA: Routledge, 2007. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 3 December
2015.
Copyright © 2007. Routledge. All rights reserved.

14. Leadership Themes
▪ vision and future focused
▪ effectively dealing with uncertainty & instability
▪ considering needs for change
▪ initiating, sustaining, and maintaining momentum through the
change process
▪ Lawler, J., & Bilson, A. (2010). Social work management and leadership:
Managing complexity with creativity. London: Routledge.

16. Creativity & Leadership
▪ Allow people to create own roles and positions- Sam Hudson
▪ Creative dialog and discussions
▪ Creative plans for personal development
▪ Lawler, J., & Bilson, A. (2010).Social work management and leadership:
Managing complexity with creativity. London: Routledge.
▪ John Cleese on Creativity video onYouTube- 36 min.

17. Facilitative Leadership in SWK practice
▪ Focus was on how to lead groups
▪ All about preparation with group processes
▪ How to prepare:
– What is our purpose?
– What are our goals?
– What's the end result of this group's work?
– What are the roles of group members?
– What are the strengths and skills of group members?
– Preparatory empathy- put yourself in group members' shoes
– Breshears, E., &Volker, R. (2013). Facilitative leadership in social work practice.
NewYork, NY: Springer Pub.

18. Leadership And Management Competencies
Defined By Practicing Social Work Managers
▪ National Network for SocialWork Managers
▪ quite extensive and complex skill set
▪ Ten Identified Core Competencies:
▪ Knowledge of Social and Public Policy Issues,Advocacy, Relations and
Marketing, Governance of mission and values, planning, program
development and management, financial development, evaluation, human
resource management, staff development
▪ Wimpfheimer, S. (n.d.). Leadership And Management Competencies Defined
By Practicing SocialWork Managers. Administration in SocialWork, 45-56.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J147v28n01_04

19. Information and Referral- 2-1-1 or 211.org
▪ Help find resources to meet client's basic
needs and then some
▪ Food pantries
▪ Homeless shelters
▪ Local events and activities
▪ so much more!

20. • Get volunteers for your agency or project
• Find volunteer/ advocacy opportunities
• Continuing education trainings (Women
and Addiction,Trauma, Meditation, etc.)
• 740-363-5000
• ConnectionsVolunteerCenter.org

21. • Find information on red flags and how to
identify
• Get a survivor linked with local resources-
transient crime
• Report a tip
• Print off materials
• Lots of great resources

22. References
▪ Breshears, E., & Volker, R. (2013). Facilitative leadership in social
work practice. New York, NY: Springer Pub.
▪ Lawler, J., & Bilson, A. (2010). Social work management and
leadership: Managing complexity with creativity. London: Routledge.
▪ Wimpfheimer, S. (n.d.). Leadership And Management Competencies
Defined By Practicing Social Work Managers. Administration in
Social Work, 45-56. http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J147v28n01_04