A511.3.3.RB - Directive and Supportive Behaviors

   Situational Leadership

 

   Like Situational Leadership, I have a situational personality to some extent. Blanchard describes Situational Leadership as a leader who “adapts their style according to the development level of the people they are managing”, meaning that they lead according to the type of leader the situation calls for (2008, par. 2). Well, that’s how I am in life. I adapt to whatever the situation calls for. If I am at home with my kids, then I am all four leadership styles: Directing; Coaching; Supporting; and Delegating. Every minute calls for a different type of leadership style and some even require me to switch in between.

     However, my style over-all in life would follow more of the Supportive leadership style. Whether it’s talking to a friend, my husband, my children, or co-workers, my first response to situations is to listen. I listen to what they have to say about a problem before deciding on a specific solution to solve the problem. For example, when dealing with my teenager I have to listen carefully to what he is saying, but I also have to be able to detect what he is saying without actually saying it. Once I know what the problem is I can then I can make some decisions on how to handle it. Of course with a teenager, you have to handle it without them knowing you handled it and if you are really good, do it in a way that they think they were the ones who handled it.

     As a follower of a leader, I prefer it when the leader has the style of Delegating. Since this style allows for the leader to have confidence in the ability of their followers and allows them the freedom to do their job, it works best for me. Most times I need little direction when it comes to the job, so when I tell my leader “I got this” she has the confidence that the job is being done correctly. Blanchard says this style allows the follower to feel they “run the show”, and I agree, because this gives me a stronger feeling of accomplishment and motivates me to do more (2008, par. 16).

Reference:

Blanchard, K. 2008. Situational Leadership. PDF. Retrieved August, from: ERAU.edu

A511.2.3.RB - Reflecting on Leadership Traits

Reflecting on Leadership Traits

     When considering what Stogdill described as important leadership traits, and evaluating the type of leader that I currently am, I see that I have a few of those traits that could make me a great leader. However, it would appear that more of the traits he listed are ones I need serious work on and currently hold me back. In general, I am not the one who would actively pursue a leadership role and the biggest reason for this would be the responsibility. However, it’s not the responsibility that holds me back, it’s the consequences if things don’t turn out well. Of course, my thought process about this is changing after the things I am learning in this leadership class. Being a leader isn’t about me leading a charge so-to-speak. It’s about enabling others in my team to use their individual skills together and aligning the right skills with the right task. 

    Self-confidence is another trait that Stogdill identified as important that I would also consider a leadership handicap of mine. It has gotten better over the years and with more experience, but I really struggle with having the self-confidence needed to lead a great team. Of course it depends on the assignment or the job that I am doing, but I have a really bad habit of questioning myself, so if a team mate also questions me, then my confidence goes right out the window. The good news is, I feel that this is a trait that can be learned and improved upon. 

    The traits I have that really allow me to shine as a leader are initiative, tolerance, and sociability. When it comes to doing a job, no matter what the job, I am usually the one getting people motivated to get going. I will be the first to take the initiative to start prioritizing parts of a project. Once you prioritize then you can find the right person with the right skills for each portion. 

    My tolerance for how people they do their job, different types of frustrations, delays, and set-backs on a project are all pretty high. I believe that you have to allow for a certain amount of freedom within your team so that they can do what they need to do. I feel that some leaders see this as a loss of control over the team or their position within their team, but I see it as allowing the team members to fine-tune their skills and self-correct when they identify any problem areas. 

    One trait that I feel I was born with is the sociability trait. I think most women were born with this trait, but some are better than others. I have always been the one to identify those who will work well together as well as identifying someone who could benefit by being paired with someone else. In everything I do, even in my personal life, I am always tactful and diplomatic about things. I am a bit of an introvert, which I feel works to my advantage. I feel it gives people a sense of peace and calm as well as feeling that I am trustworthy. 

    When it comes to trait’s versus skills in leadership style, I don’t believe it is an EITHER/OR kind of thing. I feel that it is an IF/THEN type of situation. IF you were born with the necessary traits to be a leader, then great! All you have to do is fine-tune them to become even better. But IF you were not born with them, THEN you can learn them. I believe everyone has the has the potential to be a great leader. 

Reference:

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

A511.1.3 Two-Way Street

                                                              Leadership Influence 

    Before beginning this week’s discussions about leadership, I was under the assumption that while there may be many different types of leaders, what it means to be a leader was encompassed into one definition. I was wrong. I was also wrong about what I thought that definition was. For example, I believed that leader was also a good motivator. Someone who saw the best in people and motivated them to bring that out. I now realize that the leader is not the one doing the motivating, but rather just creating the environment that allows people to self-motivate. But what does that look like? I’m not sure yet.

    I was also under the impression that a leader was of an authoritarian type figure. While not necessarily a person in a power position, they were someone who had a degree of power, but I guess it matters as to where that power came from and if it was given willingly.

    I think before, I thought that a leader had natural abilities that people naturally gravitated towards; kind of like someone with great charisma. Someone who knew how to get the job done, knew what to say, when to say it, and to whom to say it to. One definition, one umbrella. Of course, this is not that case at all. There are many different types of leaders and each situation calls for a different type of leader. Situational leadership suggest that the leader has to mold themselves to the people and the situation that needs leadership, not the other way around.

    I once worked for a woman who I would have just described as a great boss. I would not have necessarily called her a great leader. However, after going over this week’s definitions of leadership I realize that that was exactly what she was, a great leader. I would describe her as a great leader because while doing my own job, she noticed something that I was actually really good at. She started having me take on tasks that would allow me to showcase my strength in this area. It was noticed by the company because it generated more revenue, which of course benefited both my boss and me. She later told me that by doing that with me, she learned how to identify strengths in people and put those strengths to better use. Because she did all of this in a way that seemed to just naturally evolve I was thankful instead of feeling like I was being used.

A500.9.3.RB – Course Reflection

My End of Course Thoughts On MSLD 500

     I have been taking this Leadership course for 9 weeks now. It is coming to an end and here are my thoughts on this course. 

     First, I absolutely loved this course. I feel that it has made a crucial turning point in the way I now think about things. I realize that prior to this class; my thinking was very close-minded, contrary to what I would have said about myself prior.  

     Second, I had a pretty great learning experience in this class, so I am not sure that there is anything that could be improved upon. The discussion posts, the homework assignments, and the final project all helped to enhance the course and my learning. The reading material was perfect as well. It thoroughly described the content and allowed me to really understand the subject.

     Third, in a lot of the classes I have taken, not many professors bother with commenting back on discussion posts. There have been a few, but the way the professor in this leadership class commented was more thought provoking. She would prompt our thinking based on our posts. It really allowed me to see what critical thinking looked like and how it should be addressed.

     Finally, in my future courses I fully expect to think about them differently. I will address them from a different perspective and this will allow my thinking to be more open to understanding the subject matter more clearly. A lot of times, when I start a new course, I get overwhelmed right off the bat with the amount of work that needs to be done and even with the material. However, after taking this class I realize it is because I approach the course and the new material with a very close mind. This causes me to get overwhelmed from the start. Now, I don’t think I will do this. Since I know how to break things down and take each section at a time and analysis it, I will be more receptive to the information.

     I always feel a little smarter after each class I take, but with this course I not only feel smarter, I feel that I have been armed with new tools to help me get the most out of every class I take.

A500.8.3.RB – Good Presentation Design

It’s All About the Presentation

How things our presented has a huge effect on our daily lives. For example, when we go to a restaurant we most likely selected it not only because of the type of food they serve, but a large part of our decision in the first place was based on the presentation of the restaurant itself. Once inside, our decisions were based off of the presentations of the food. We select our mates based off of their presentation of themselves, and the same can be said about our friends. The point is, presentation (much like marketing) is what gets us interested in the first place.

The same is very much true when it comes to presenting new idea’s to your workplace, potential buyer, or whatever your particular job situation is. NO ONE enjoys sitting through mundane, boring, monotonous Power Point slides with the presenter literally reading word for word. In fact, it’s actually pointless if you think about it. Most of us tune them out, have wandering minds, or just plain ignore what the presenter is talking about. It’s a huge waste of time.

After taking this Leadership course and in particularly after this week’s assignment, I have realized more than ever just how important a good presentation is. Hans Rosling had one of the most fascinating presentations I have seen. I would have never paid attention to his topic if it were not for the way he presented it. He engaged the audience by keeping things moving. His video presentations were not full of boring facts and statistics. In fact, at one point it looked like some sort of game. He threw a few jokes in there and he moved around. I feel that the most important thing that he did was to keep things moving. There were not long pauses or any, “um’s”. He was confident in the material he was presenting and that made you want to listen.

In the future, even if I do not get as creative as he did with his presentation slides, I will definitely make sure to keep things moving, not bore people with tons of facts, and I will be more engaging. Also, no matter how I might be feeling about giving the presentation, I will not show it. People will think I am the world expert on that given subject.