A511.9.3.RB - Course Reflections

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

Revisit your original definition of leadership from Module 1. Would you make any changes to your definition of leadership? In what ways have learning about these leadership theories informed your own view of leadership? What type of leader are you or do you aspire to be?

During the past several weeks I have thoroughly enjoyed learning how to develop my leadership skills using conceptual and proven theories through my studies, scholarly research, and course discussions.  How I apply these attributes will boil down to identifying those opportunities and inducing the leadership skills to which this course has offered. 

In my previous definition of leadership, I stated “There are collections of information that provides leadership hypotheses as well as leadership theories that aimed at defining true leadership. “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant” Max DePree. I believe leadership is having the capacity and passion to galvanize individuals to a shared meaningful purpose and the charisma which stimulate action.  Northouse & Guy (2016) provides 4 components of leadership: (1) Leading is a process, (2) leadership involves influence, (3) leadership occurs in groups, and (4) leadership involves common goals.  They conclude by defining Leadership as a process whereby an individual influence a group of individuals to achieve a common goal.”

Would I make any changes to my definition of leadership?  I would say no, I will stand on how I define leadership as it is a reflection of my experience as well as research taken from various scholars.  However, I would add more dimensions to what leadership is as more and more scholars develop and refine leadership theory.  Leadership at it’s core is still about the interaction between members of a team and the leader.  Leaders are thinkers, catalyst or change agent whose decisions affects other people.  Leadership behavior implies that you use influence in all interpersonal relationships that focus on accomplishing a goal or task. Leadership is an evolving phenomenon, Northouse (2016) stated, there are as many different definitions of leadership as there are people and is much like the words democracy, love, and peace which mean leadership could have several meanings. 

In what ways have learning about these leadership theories informed your own view of leadership?  I believe the learning of leadership has help me identify intrinsically and extrinsically what leadership is. Learning what it should look like and feel like from a philosophical stand, what it should look like externally, and feel like internally.  Leadership theory has informed me that it’s about inspiring ourselves as well as others to greatness and accomplish the things that we are tasked to do.  My view of leadership has been influenced by the works of great historical leaders and great scholars who consistently seek and study the art of leadership.  For me I the leadership theories beg me to self-internalize after asking what is my leadership style? Are you operating under authentic leadership? Authentic leadership theory has shaped my view of true north leadership which is about knowing who you are and staying true to self.  Adaptive leadership is one style that peeked my interest and invites me to study it more and of course put into practice.  Taking a step back from the fray to identify and diagnose the problem or walking to the balcony to understand if the work is adaptive, adaptive and technical of technical and giving the work back to the people and avoid micro-managing are all skills I look to build upon.

What type of leader are you or do you aspire to be? My leadership style is a hybrid between someone who is an authority-compliance leader, which is one who place heave emphasis on task and job requirements and less focus on people.  Communicating with people is usually when there’s impact to the organization affecting cost, quality, schedule. The other side of this is team management. This style focus on both the task and the relationship with the people, while promoting team work to a high degree that drives team members commitment to the work at hand. In my position I spend a lot of time chasing problems that usually calls for me to deal with other leaders, engineers, production control and supply chain management.  Those relationships are driven by the authority compliance side of me.  On the opposite end, I deal with represented employees to which I spend time understanding their needs, talking it through for potential solutions and working with them to resolve issues.   

The things I ultimately like to master is self-awareness and adaptive leadership, which is about seeing ourselves distinctively and understanding who we are as a person and how we fit in the society.  Continuing to master myself and giving myself fresh perspective on who I am becoming while modeling adaptive approaches. By using adaptive instruments which I feel overlaps several leadership concepts I can enhance who I am in the frame of an authentic leader.   

Reference:

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

A511.7.3.RB - Inner Work for Authentic Leadership

Consider George’s three points: inner work involves having real-world experience, process that experience through some type of reflection, and seek honest feedback from others. What kinds of real-world experiences have been most instructional for you? How and where do you take time to reflect? From whom can you receive honest feedback? How have these practices (or lack of them) affected your leadership abilities?

Authentic Leadership

One may argue that authentic leadership the gold standard for leadership.  Authentic leadership according to our readings in this weeks, module is about the authenticity of the leader. Northouse (2016), asserts that people are apprehensive and insecure about the world around them because they desire leadership they can trust who are genuine and honest.  Defining authentic leadership has become very subjective as scholars and researcher have their viewpoint on what it means.  The intrapersonal perspective is more on the intrinsic side that is centered around self-knowledge, self-regulation, and self-concept.  This perspective is noted to come from a leader’s personal experience that is genuine and real.  Another way authentic leadership is defined is from the leader’s interpersonal perspective.  This way is more about the leader and follower relationship which merge and develops out of a series of exchanges.  Finally, authentic leadership may be identified as a developmental perspective, which can be nurtured in the leaders, developed over time, and or by life experiences.  In our readings Northouse stated, authentic leadership is a pattern of leader’s behavior which is grounded in the positive psychological qualities and strong ethics.  Mahatma Gandhi is arguably one of the most authentic leaders of our time.  It was ones stated, people followed him not for what he was but for who he was, a transparent leader who experience racial discrimination, prejudice, massacre, and violence that was imposed upon him and other Indians.  This was the turning point which encouraged him to work for the people to fight back the injustice, poverty, and famine of the people. 

Inner Work for Authentic Leadership

Know Thyself-Inscribed on the temple wall at the Delphi in Greece during the sixth century B.C.  So, the advice to know yourself is thousands of years old.  But how do you know yourself at the deepest level?  Part of knowing your inner self is to experience life, adapt and evolve.  Obtaining self-awareness as a leader is central to becoming an authentic leader which is the first element of emotional intelligence.  Becoming a self-aware leader, you must first accept who you are which can be challenging.  As you become more self-aware, then it becomes easier to accept your true north, your authentic-self.  The important element to self-acceptance is to love your unconditional self which is your strengths and weakness.  

In the short interview with Bill George (2012) he stated, to find your true north you have to understand self which is partly gain through real world experiences.  Next you have go through the process of internalizing which can be done by meditation, self-reflection, pray, or share those experiences with a trusted source.  According to Bill George (2007), this is way to hold self-accountable and to learn from one’s mistakes and or past.  Finally, you open yourself up to honest feedback from the trusted circle of friends.  Knowing your inner-self is to understand the culture you thrive in, what role on the team are you best in, and your natural interest.  I believe it is very difficult to regulate your emotions, control your fears, and avoid speaking out of turn when someone has crossed your sensitivity line.  This happened to me when a leader did not accept my answer to a question so he turned and asked a collogue which brought on emotional stress as if my answer was skewed or incorrect. A self-aware person can recognize his shift in behavior and make the necessary adjustments to prevent embarrassment to himself.  I of course let it be known that I felt he doubted the authenticity of my answer and I do not appreciate it.  Later a trusted person provided feedback as to how I could had handled the situation without feeling stress and embarrassing my leader.  I agree to proactive counting backwards 3,2,1 before responding which gives me a few seconds to re-frame my first emotional reaction.  A person who can listen to feedback, can let go of his or her ego, accept constructive criticism will see their mistakes and own them are operating in their authentic self.  By practicing these skills and techniques I have built more effective relationships and create room for dialogue when something cause internal stress.

Reference:

George, B. (2007). True North: Discover your authentic leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

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

A511.7.2.DQ - Gandhi The Servant Leader

There are several famous examples of servant leadership throughout history including Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King Jr., etc. Pick one individual from history who embodies the characteristics of a servant leader and explain your choice in the context of your readings on servant leadership. For your two responses, evaluate the claims of your classmates within the context of your understanding of the theories.

In our readings Northouse stated, authentic leadership is a pattern of leader’s behavior which is grounded in the positive psychological qualities and strong ethics.  Mahatma Gandhi is arguably one of the most authentic leaders of our time.  It was once stated, “people followed him not for what he was but for who he was”, a transparent leader who experience racial discrimination, prejudice, massacre, and violence that was imposed upon him and other Indians.  This was the turning point which encouraged him to work for the people to fight back the injustice, poverty, and famine of his people. 

Servant Leadership

There are many people who consider Mahatma Gandhi to be one of the greatest leaders of the twentieth century.  His leadership can be attributed to different leadership styles and traits.  But the servant leadership theory could be the top of the list of theories or approaches describing Gandhi’s leadership, throughout his life.  Gandhi displayed ten characteristics of servant leadership identified by Spears (2002) from Robert K. Greenleaf’s work on the subject of servant leadership.

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “If you change how you think then you will change how you feel and what actions you take.”  Mahatma was one of many Authentic leaders who touched the heart and mind of people across the nations through his servanthood. Gandhi’s traits and practice of leadership broke the traditional leadership mold.  He exhibits a personable style of leadership that was humble and totally devoted to the service of helping others.

Through Gandhi’s awareness, stewardship, and conceptualization he exposed the oppression that both Hindus and Muslims faced.  He fought against the oppressors using his platform to organize followers to resist the oppression in a non-violence manner.  Gandhi influence to keep his followers from combating violence with violence even in during the onslaught of the 1919 Amritsar massacre the led to the death of thousands of followers.

In 1930, Gandhi led the salt march which demonstrated conceptualization and stewardship.  Gandhi tracked 10 miles per day in a 24-mile journey to arrive in time to meet the press in the effort to mitigate the British oppression of India by bringing this injustice to the world news.  

Unfortunately, Gandhi was met with an untimely death as he was assassinated on the grounds of Birla House, New Delhi.  Gandhi had a desire to improve the lives of others and propagated non-violence.  Mahatma Gandhi, who was known as the “Father of the Nation” led the independence struggle for India.  Gandhi’s motives were both intrapersonal and interpersonal as he worked to clean up the villages, building of schools and hospitals placing the good of his followers over his own interest.  Northouse (2016), tells us that a servant leader is attentive to the concerns of their followers, empathize with them, and nurture them.  Gandhi once said, “our prime purpose in this life is the help others” I believe this is the framework of a servant leader.

Reference:

A&E Television Network. (May 4, 2018). Mahatma Gandhi Biography. The Biography.com. Retrieved from https://www.biography.com/people/mahatma-gandhi-9305898

Gandhi, M. (n.d.) Service Quote. Retrieved on April 20, 2015 from http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/5810891.Mahatma_Gandhi

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