A511.9.3.RB_GowensBrianne_Course Reflections

Original Leadership Definition (Module 1): A leader is someone who has the ability to motivate and inspire others, thereby influencing them to work towards a goal.

As I reflect back on my original definition of leadership, I think about all of the ways the readings from this MSLD 511 leadership course have informed and shaped my vision of leadership. Prior to starting this course, leadership seemed like such a simple concept. Initially, a leader in my mind was just a person who stood out as the one individual in the group whom others chose to follow. A manager, on the other hand, was an individual others do not necessarily chose to follow, but do follow because of organizational hierarchies. A leader doesn’t always come with the power to make decisions, but followers often follow the direction of the leader because they are motivated and inspired to do so. Managers usually have the power to make decisions, but their followers may be acting out of obligation instead of passion. All of these ideas were present in my mind before the course began and, in some ways, they were further cemented as the course progressed. There were some key ideas, however, that changed my view of leadership and made me think more seriously about the type of leader I aspire to be.

For example, learning about the trait and skill leadership theories has made me want to put a renewed focus on working to improve traits such as intelligence and charisma. I will do this by utilizing some of the tips I learned from Antonakis' (2015), such as using hands motions during speech to convey passion. Learning about the path-goal theory has helped me recognize the value in making organizational goals clearer, and highlighting a follower’s path to reach those goals. The path-goal theory has also strengthened my belief that rewards for good performance are an effective motivation tool. The situational approach reminded me that I can be a strong leader in a single situation, but a truly skilled leader will be flexible and adapt to all kinds of different situations. These and many more of the theories learned during this course have given me a new perspective on what it means to be an effective leader. 

I still feel that my original definition of leadership is a good one, but if I could change it slightly based on what i’ve learned the last nine weeks, I would add something. I think my current definition lacks the directive quality that well rounded leaders need to have. 

According to Northouse (2016), directive leaders aren’t simply people who order others around. Rather, directive leaders help others by giving direction when followers need it. In my opinion, one of the keys to providing direction is knowing when (and when not) to do it. If a leader is too directive, they can gain a reputation amongst the team as a micro-manager. According to Blanchard (2008), a high directive/low supportive leader tells people “what, how, when, and where to do various tasks” (p.19). Being highly directive isn’t necessarily a bad thing because, like I mentioned, there is a time and place for this type of leadership. Followers like the thought of being empowered by their leaders so that they have to autonomy to decide how to do their work, but they also like the idea that a leader will step in and give firm direction when the team is unsure what to do. 

I aspire to be a balanced leader, who has knowledge about the topic I lead, am able to connect with and inspire people, and am able to make definitive decisions and direct followers on how to execute. My new definition of leadership reflects my revised thoughts on what a successful leader looks like.

Revised Leadership Definition (Module 9): A leader is someone who has subject-matter knowledge, has the ability to motivate and inspire others, provides firm direction when needed, and can thereby influencing followers to work towards a goal.

References

Antonakis, J. (2015, March). Let’s face it: Charisma matters [Video file]. Retrieved from http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/Let-s-face-it-Charisma-matters

Blanchard, K. (2008). Leadership Excellence.  An integrative definition of leadership. International Journal of Leadership Studies, 25(5), 19. 

Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publishing.

A511.7.3.RB_GowensBrianne_Inner Work for Authentic Leadership

I have been working in the field of contracts for over thirteen years and as I reflected on this question, I realized the real-word experiences that stand out for me most are the ones that included confrontation. This confrontation usually came in the form of a face to face contractual negotiation with a supplier or a customer, and sometimes they included internal negotiations as well. Prior to face to face negotiations, I do a lot of preparing and strategizing. This process of preparing and then executing on a strategy has been extremely educational and instructional for me.

Although George discussed the importance of reflecting verbally, I find that my best reflection is done in writing (George, 2012). When I’ve had a difficult conversation or a tough negotiation, I tend to go straight to my computer and summarize the situation in an email. Sometimes I send the email to a colleague and sometimes I don’t, but the process of re-living the experience and documenting it helps me in two ways. First, it helps me vent. When I’ve been in a confrontation, I have a lot of frustration that builds up. I am very emotionally connected to my work, so if I feel that things didn’t go exactly as planned, I can get very tense. Summarizing the situation helps relieve that tension. The second way this helps me is the organizational aspect of it. I tend to like things organized and clearly documented, so I find it soothing to spill my thoughts in an email for the purposes of record keeping. Northouse (2016) stated that authentic leadership is often nurtured and developed throughout the leader’s lifetime, and reflecting via written notes is a form of nurturing for me.

Most of my reflection is done internally, but I do have a couple of colleagues that I can receive honest feedback from. There is one person in particular who used to work in my group but moved out of my group approximately one year ago. I feel most comfortable receiving feedback from him because he’s removed from my chain of command. Even though he’s removed, he has a basic knowledge of my experiences because he used to be in my group. 

I have found that I get the most honest feedback if I request it off-premise. For example, if I have these discussions with my colleagues during lunch or after work at a happy hour, they seem to be more open to speaking candidly. Alternatively, if we are eating in the lunchroom or chatting at our desks, feedback tends to be more vague. I think the obvious explanation for this is the worry that others may hear our discussions. Sometimes people are even concerned with the perception that comes with two people talking quietly to each other. There may be an automatic assumption that the two are discussing something negative about other colleagues or about the organization.

My methods of reflecting and seeking feedback have certainly impacted my leadership abilities. I believe the practice of reflecting via written notes and emails has actually helped me stand out from my peers. I recently had to travel oversees for a meeting with one of our customers and each day after the meeting, I sent comprehensive notes to my leadership team. These notes included summaries of the conversations, my general impressions of the meetings, and action items for all parties. Another colleague of mine traveled around the same time and did not send these notes. When each of us had returned from our trips, two managers commended me for taking the time to send these notes, and one manager even recognized me in our staff meeting for being so thorough. This practice has helped me gain self-efficacy, which includes the ability to recognize situations that have an outcome valued by an individual (Helland & Winston, 2005).

This method of reflecting was calming for me, but it has also helped me recognize a behavior that other leaders find valuable to the organization. Behavior, passion, consistency, and connectedness are all characteristics highlighted by George as dimensions of authentic leadership (Northouse, 2016). Each of these four characteristics are also highlighted with the habit I have created of reflecting with comprehensive notes. 

References

George, B. (2012, Nov.). Harvard's Bill George: Inner Work for Authentic Leadership [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/SmPu2LQ84ts

Helland, M. R., and Winston, B. E. (2005). Towards a Deeper Understanding of Hope and Leadership. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 12(2), 42-54.

Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publishing.