A511.6.3.RB - A Leader From the Past

Think about your leaders from the past and reflect on their qualities. Did any of them exhibit the qualities of a transformational leader? Did the leader exhibit certain elements that made you want to work harder? In what ways were you transformed by the leader you are describing?

I have had many leaders in the past that have exhibited the various components of transformational leadership.  Reflecting on the past leaders, I have encountered, work for or with over the past years I must say there is one who stands out amongst them all.  As a manager, I reported directly to the senior manager providing him with an overview of the team daily performance.  The conversation was always centered around questions that beg him to ask what were your constraints and do the team have what they need to succeed?  This assertion of questions was his attempt to understand what the team needs so that he could change the culture of the team.  Although his approach authentic, it was also offered a lack of full ownership because he was extremely passive in decision making as well as his interaction with the hourly workers.  The responsibility was ultimately on the shoulders of the supervisor and managers.  This approach led to a negative culture because the team felt that they were mere numbers and measuring stick to performance indicators that he primarily was concern about. 

Because of my previous experience of this type of leadership, I became a concern that if this strategist type of leadership continued, it would lead to worst performance.  I schedule a meeting with the senior management to share my concerns and that of the team which stated in part, If we want the team to increase productivity, performance, and motivation the senior manager must become more personable by interacting with them.  This was the sentiments of many of the hourly workers “leadership only care about the numbers”, “all they do is walk through the area and never stop to say hello how are you today?”  People want to be inspired and feel that they are a partner in the company, not a number.  According to Northouse, transformational leadership is about improving the performance of the followers and developing followers to their fullest potential (Northouse, p. 167).  The senior manager scheduled a one-hour weekly meeting with the team members as a way to share his vision and direction for the team and create a two-way dialogue to hear about the things the team need to improve the overall performance and morale.  This transactional leadership approach led to additional training for a more technical task, innovative ideas on improving processes, and a platform for followers to be recognized and receive positive feedback.  Transactional leadership motives followers to exceed expectations, heighten their awareness about organizational goals.

As a leader I watched a senior level leader influenced by followers, help him transform from someone who practices the behavior of strategist that focus more on organizational constraints and perceptions to a strategist adapting transformational and transactional leadership, creating a shared vision that encourages both personal and organizational transformations.  I grew from watching how the senior manager was able to take immediate action by adjusting to the followers need and providing them with a platform of inclusiveness.  Under his leadership, I became a more attentive people and the various styles of leadership that one must pose to become an effective leader that leaves impressionable and irreversible marks. 

Reference:

Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory an

A511.5.3.RB - Mid-Term Reflection

You have reviewed a number of theories and concepts associated with leadership up to this point in the course. You have likely been associated with individuals who led using some or all of these principles. Therefore, you should have your own opinions about which leadership theories work well and which may be less effective or less representative of those used in the "real world." After watching the TED talk consider the following questions:

1.    How do you interpret Talgam’s ideas?

2.    What are the parallels or disconnects between Talgam’s ideas about how conductors lead and what you know now about leadership?

Consider it abstractly or theoretically, leadership involves many traits and style. Contrast leadership is viewed by others through the optics of an NFL who see the quarterback as the leader, NBA head coach, principal of a school, or a conductor of an orchestra.  The traits of a leader can be applied to anyone and perhaps everywhere.  In our studies, we identified that everyone can be a leader be it at home in their personal lives, or at the job. 

“Every act of creation is first an act of destruction (Pablo Picasso)”. This week topic is centered on a TedTalk “Lead like the Great Conductors” by Itay Talgam.  With just a gesture of the hands, Talgam brings what seems to be musical chaos to order, transforming noise to music by bringing structure as the conductor which comes from a skill approach process.  Although Talgam is in the position of leadership, it takes more than a title to lead an orchestra which people are willing to follow.  Talgam has invested more than a decade of his life as a conductor in his native country Israel, Itay Talgam, is now a conductor of people in business.  In Talgam’s TedTalk he shared how an orchestra conductor faces the uncertainties and challenges of being the leader of so many musicians; the creation of pitch-perfect harmony without saying one word.  Talgam illustrates key elements of leadership through videos of various conductors from around the globe.  I will attempt to bring my interpretation of the parallels between Talgam concepts what is known today about leadership are:

 

Happy Conductor:  A very free-wheeling, elated, and happy conductor as described by Talgam.  The happiness of the conductor which exudes does not only come from his personal story and joy of music.  His joyfulness comes from his ability to enable others stories to be heard.  Talgam points out that all the musicians being heard at the same time, whereas the instruments are an expression of their makers, even the builders of the beautiful symphony hall.  This is a profound statement and resonated with me.  When I led a group of mechanics as a production supervisor at Chrysler, I found a great deal of joy from enabling the mechanics to perform their personal best each day.  Providing them with the tools and material for their instruments which they use to make music of assembling the product.  Enabling them to make music by providing support to make decisions, based on years of experience created a happy environment which resulted in everyone modeling high performance and excellences.  

Commanding Conductor:  This conductor takes a more commanding stands providing the structure which falls on the directive style of leadership.  Not too long ago, about 3 years to be exact, this style of leadership led to a signed letter from all 700 members of La Scala musicians written to Riccardo Muti expressing their feelings which in part stated “you are a great conductor, however, we lack the desire to work with you, so kindly resign”.  These skilled professional musicians felt they were being used as mere instruments, not as partners, which prevented them from developing and growing.  In this situation of leadership, Muti did not alter his style.  He chose a commanding and controlling style that points to low-supportive and high-directive behavior.  The dynamics of this approach clearly illustrate that people do not gravitate towards leaders who are commanding which organizations are now making a shift in how they lead.  I recall an experience as a first-line leader where I was approached by a few of my followers who bluntly stated that I was too demanding and progressive which has caused others to bid into a different department.  This was an indictment on my failure to adjust to followers needs.  In simple terms, Leaders must recognize what followers need and adapt their style to meet the need.

Supporting Conductor: Carlos Kleiber is more of a hybrid style of leader that is balanced between supportive and directive in such a way that it enables the musicians to perform their best piece of work. Kleiber gesture is like a mother who gently guides her child in the right direction, but leave a space of autonomy that allows his musicians to add their own interpretation of his music. Kleiber's structure and his influential style forces everyone to follow his process that people have stated, “it’s like being on a rollercoaster” yet his conducting process forces everyone to operate within a certain parameter.  The amazing thing is, the rollercoaster is not a physical thing but a mental thing.  It’s a mental partnership between the conductor and the musicians which motivates the musicians to create the mental rollercoaster which produces some of the best music.  In today’s workplace leaders are becoming more path-goal driven, leading teams using participative, supportive, and achievement-oriented behavior.  On a weekly and monthly basis, we receive newsletters, videos, and blogs from leadership expressing their supportive viewpoints on how well we are doing.  Videos from the CEO encouraging everyone to continue performing, do what's right, and work safely.  My direct leadership takes time to meet with followers in weekly meetings to support new ideas and follow up on other ensuring they are getting their needs met or rationale why certain needs cannot be met.  This makes for a very productive and motivating climate which allow everyone to be connected as partners.

Talgam TedTalks help us see leadership from his perspective and through a different pair of lens that we traditionally do not see.  His contrast illustration of leadership his open my eyes to metaphorically see leadership as more than what I know it be traditional and it’s practical application.

Reference:

Northouse, P. G. (2015). Leadership: Theory and Practice 7th ed. Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publishing.

Talgam, I. (2009, October 21). Lead like the great conductors. TedTalk. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/R9g3Q-qvtss

A511.4.3.RB - Locus of Control

Reflect on the following questions in a well-written post on your Reflection Blog. 

Complete Rotter’s Locus of Control Scale Test. Based on your results, is your locus of control external or internal? Reflect on how your locus of control affects your leadership behavior and your responses to others’ leadership styles or is this a bunch of poppycock?

The locus of control of people is determined by the degree to which one behavior influence what actually take place in their life.  Many individuals may believe that they control what happens to them, perhaps this is because they believe that they make their decisions and are the masters of their fate taking accountability and ownership for what goes on in their life.  This is similar to the result pyramid theory that suggest that our experience fosters our beliefs, our belief, in turn, drives us to take action, and our action produce the expected desirable outcome.  People with this belief system believe the control on their lives come from their inner self.  According to Rotter’s locus of control theory, these individuals are internalizers.  Conversely, there are some people who believe they have no control over their lives, they are just victims to forces beyond their control or understanding.  These individuals carry the belief that they have very little influence over what happens to them, and that theirs not much, they can do.  People who believe that they’re lives are controlled are called externalizers. 

According, to the Rotter’s locus of control scale, I fall on the side of the internalizers.  Meaning that I believe the outcomes in my life is mostly because of my doing.  An example of this is when I decided to separate myself from my team members to show leadership that I have skills in areas that may not be fully expressed in my current role.  I schedule a meeting with my senior manager to discuss what I have in mind to not only increase my value on the team but to also create more agility.  I informed my senior manager that I will be working with the lead integrator on training new incumbents by teaching half of the course for the first 2 months, and thereafter I will begin teaching the entire course.  The result of taking action and controlling the outcome I desired led to recognition from leaders and team members that ultimately had beneficial value such as a high-performance review and increase pay percentage. Like the path-goal theory suggest, leaders, must adjust to their followers by influencing individuals perception of work goals, self-development goals, and paths to goal attainment (Gibson, Ivancevich & Donnelly, 2000).

My experience with leadership underpinned by the behaviors of others with emphasis on the locus of control theory has been extremely positive and the most surprising ways.  Most recently I was informed that the V.P of production operations stated to a group of gentlemen at the Johnstown, PA facility that I have been doing an remarkable job with the performance management teams (PMT).  The fact that I have a sense of self-efficacy to perform and produce positive results in any situation has allowed me to be promoted within my group as the person to get things done.  From my perspective locus of control is far from poppycock. leadership can predict my behavior in situations related to the PMT.  I believe internalizers can be compared to Maslow hierarchy of needs theory because we have need for inclusion, differentiation, autonomy, and job variety controlling our outcome.

Reference:

Connors, R., Smith, T. (2011). Change the culture, change the game: The breakthrough strategy for energizing your organization and creating accountability for results.

Ivancevich, J. M., & Gibson, J. L. (2005). Organizations: behavior, structure, processes. Irwin Professional Pub.

Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

A511.3.3.RB - Directive and Supportive Behaviors

Reflect on the following questions in a well-written post on your Reflection Blog. Blanchard (2008) includes a leader’s directive and supportive behaviors as the foundation of his situational leadership theory. Directive behavior typically represents a one-way communication where the leader directs the activity that the follower will complete. Supportive behaviors are considered “two-way” where the responses exhibit emotional and social support and the follower participates with the leader in the discussion. Consider some of your roles (parent, child, friend, leader, follower, etc.) and provide examples of how you use supportive and directive behaviors.

Situational leadership developed by Hersey and Blanchard who are management experts that argue that when leadership style does not match the with the team one is leading usually results in failure.  The theory states that different situations require a certain style of leadership.  From our studies of situation leadership, successful leaders are those who change their leadership style based on the current situation or demand of the people that one is leading.  Situational leadership is comprised of two dimensions: supportive dimension is a style of leadership that used with followers who are highly skilled but lack motivation to perform, they are people who want to be included in the decision-making process.  Supportive approach is when the leader spend more time focusing on how to bring out the skills of his followers to accomplish the goal.  Directive leadership is about directing task and activities of your followers. Accomplishing the goal or task becomes priority, and the leaders spends less time on supportive style behavior. Leaders have to determine what style should be used in any given situation as no one style can be applied to every condition or conflict, therefore the leader must analyze their followers to measure the maturity level and commitment to accomplishing the task. 

Working as a first line leader years ago, my manager made the decision to send all the new incumbents to my shift.  The new hires had completed their two weeks of in-class training giving them a baseline of knowledge to get started.  All of the new hires were in a state of (D1) low competence, high commitment.  Although they had the training which was in a controlled environment, it was now time to hit the floor to put that training to use.  The new guys struggled with locating information such as process specifications, navigating through the electronic work instruction (EWI), and how to submit a call for support.  My role was more of a coach or (S2) high directive and high supportive behavior.  I would take the time to understand the issue and then show them how to accomplish the task.  To improve his or her confidence, I would have them walk me through the process before leaving them to go at it alone.  As time went on I could see that most of the team became confident in their skill and required less coaching.  The team members knew how to accomplish their task, how to contact when assistance were needed and made decisions.  This enhance level of competence, forced me to change my style of leadership (S3) which mean I took a highly supportive and low directive approach to leading them. 

Another example of situational approach to leadership came while working as a project manager.  Like many innovative and technical, companies, we value the intellectual properties of the followers.  At Lockheed, we have what is called council meetings of performance management team which is composed of support staff, leadership, and large number represented team members.  The purpose of this forum is to bring continuous improvement ideas centered around cost, schedule, delivery, safety, and moral that would potentially yield a successful business outcome.  The meetings are generally ran by a supervisor, but I nurtured a represented team members through training to become co-lead to which they now run and manage most of the meetings.  My role initially started off as a (S2) high directive and high supportive, to match their (D2) low competence with low commitment. This was because the team had not yet bought into the concept of the meeting as we were in the forming and storming phase.  As the co-leads became more competent on how to lead the meeting along with proof that this process works my leadership style began to shift to (S3) highly supportive with low directive.  The leads and co-lead along with the represented team members play a active and vital role in the meetings and know who should carry assignments or task that come out of the meetings.  Situational leadership is an effective approach to recognizing ones behavioral style of leadership.  I believe is it not only strengthens the leaders ability to lead but also makes him or her more agile to the team needs and their abilities

Reference:

Northouse, P. (2015). Leadership: Theory and Practice 7th edition. Los Angeles: Sage Publishing.