MSLD 511 Module 9- Course Reflections

                Prior to taking the Organizational Leadership course, many of the students in the leadership program were required to take the Leadership Found’s in Research course. During the course, students were assigned a project that focuses on their choice of an element or system and identify its importance in leadership. For the project, I decided to focus on empathy, or the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. Overall and as one of my sources for the project stated, only having the ability to perform your job is insufficient and that it is important for leaders to understand and connect with their surrounding environment: including people (Singh, 2014). It was concluded at the end of the assignment that empathy establishes and builds stronger relationships, as well as providing opportunities for leaders to gather additional data to be used for decision-making. As a result, my initial definition of leadership heavily revolved around the project (Travenetti, 2016):

…leadership is defined as the ability to motivate and lead groups clearly with consideration of everyone’s (including leader) thoughts, opinions, and emotions.

                As I went through nine weeks into the Leadership Found’s in Research course, I realized that my definition of leadership has slightly changed. Today, I believe that leadership is defined as the ability to motivate and lead groups in balance with everyone and everything involved. The past definition revolved a little too strongly towards all the people involved in an environment. Unlike the past, now I believe that leaders should never get too comfortable on “one side”. At one point of the course, students were assigned to watch a TED talk show by Itay Talgam. In summary, Talgam shared several video clips of musical conductors and used them as metaphors to explain different leadership styles. I personally found this video to not only be interesting, but it was very informative and provided actual physical visuals. For instance, he showed one clip of a serious-faced conductor who violently swung his baton to the music and another one with a happy expression who danced during the performance. The serious conductor represented a leader that is too commanding (directive), and the other represented a leader who follows too much (supportive). The important point made from the talk was that being too directive can cause followers to become unmotivated and stressed, whereas a leader who follows too much doesn’t have steady control or lack of involvement in leadership.

            
    Deeply considering Talgam’s video, I realized that establishing and maintaining people’s relationship is important, but too much of it might be “annoying” as Talgam mentioned. When I initially started working as an assistant campus director, my goal was to provide a more student-friendly and comfortable environment since in the past, I have dealt and understood the hardships students go through at the university. As much as I want to be nice, being too nice could be harmful for my position. For instance, I have a couple students that question me on how to enroll for courses. Since the system was confusing for me as a former student, I do provide walkthroughs. However I always ensure that I don’t become too helpful to the point that a student’s own responsibility becomes mine (student becomes too dependent on me). To avoid being too much on the kind side, I balance it out by speaking in a directive language, saying things such as, “it is the student’s responsibility…”. As a result, I believe that leaders should switch and use a combination of different leadership styles in different situations because a preferred form of leadership doesn’t work in all situations.

References:

Noisch, G. D. (2012). Learning To Think Things Through: A Guide to Critical Thinking Across the Curriculum. Boston: Peason Education.

Singh, P. (2014). Employees’ use of empathy to improve their job behavior. The International Business & Economics Research Journal (Online). Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/docview/1525361493/abstract/2F2815C3B74C411EPQ/1?accountid=27203.

Travenetti, K. (2016). Define Leadership [Blog]. Retrieved from https://erau.instructure.com/courses/42907/discussion_topics/572707?module_item_id=2073442

MSLD 511 Module 7- Inner Work for Authentic Leadership

Being a caring and empathetic individual has empowered me to become a more successful advisor. When students come up to me with a question, I consider the student’s point-of-view and find a solution that best fits them while following university policies. Considering students in decision making is one thing, however after watching Bill George’s video on authentic leadership, I realized that my advisement wouldn’t have been as effective without hands-on experiences.

As Northouse stated, there is no real definition of authentic leadership: it all depends on you (2015). George clarified this when discussing three important points on inner work. The first is that inner work involves real-world experience. Just as Northouse mentioned, authentic leadership can be conceptualized intrapersonally, which is the way where leaders focus on their knowledge, regulation, as well as self-concept (2015). Though putting myself in “the student’s shoes” can help me make more effective decisions, perhaps my leadership wouldn’t have been as effective without actual experience as a student from the same university I am currently working for.

Prior to getting hired as a university counselor, I was a fresh graduate from the main Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University campus in Daytona Beach, Florida. Many of my students (mostly undergraduates) look up to me because not only do I truly care for my students, but I’ve actually been through what many of the students are and will be facing. For instance, many of my students love my class recommendations because I’ve taken the same class before. Not only do I discuss what topics may be involved in the class, but I also provide information beyond that. This includes discussions about the level of difficulty for the class, the workload, as well as the timing on when the class should be taken in the degree plan. These are examples of George’s second point, where ones process experiences through some type of reflection.

Though my experiences enhance my overall performance, I can’t always depend on it. It is important for leaders to keep in mind that things change over time and that we all must be able to adapt and implement new things. This is George’s third point, where leaders seek honest feedbacks from others. Northouse also mentioned this when pointing out the interpersonal perspective of authentic leadership (2015). As a personal example, undergraduate students are required to take a research course prior to many upper-leveled courses. In the past, the only advice I gave to my students was that it should be taken as soon as you finished the prerequisites. Over time, some of these students come back and provide me more details on the class. In the end, I learned that students should take the course immediately after completing business statistics, as well as pairing it with an easier course due to the tremendous amount of coursework involved. Though I never got to experience this course, I went from my own perspectives to a blend of the student’s perspective: a closer result to actual experience.

References:

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

Sound, M.T. (2012). Harvard's Bill George: Inner Work for Authentic Leadership [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmPu2LQ84ts

MSLD 511 Module 6- A Leader From the Past

Though I’ve only worked as an assistant campus director for less than a year, I was able to make several improvements for my campus. I established new strategies to improve the overall function at my campus with the help of advanced computer knowledge, as well as making various outside connections to reach out to potential students. Of all the skills, my boss, along with many of my students look up to me for my caring and empathetic nature. However I wouldn’t have been able to obtain and enhance these skills without the help of another assistant campus director from a neighboring campus.

Immediately after being hired, my boss stationed me to a neighboring campus to receive training from Mrs. F (keeping her anonymous for privacy purposes). Mrs. F is a longtime acquaintance and is a very kind and cheerful individual. During the training sessions, we were often interrupted by students that walked in to seek assistance. As Mrs. F handled the students, I observed how she completed her tasks. Though her demonstrations provided me a general idea of how to perform the job, how she handled her students caught my attention.

Prior to the training, I lacked experience as an employee and therefore believed that having the ability to get the work done was all I needed to be successful. Though having the ability to perform is vital to any job, Mrs. F demonstrated the importance of care and empathy in a people-oriented position. At one point during the training, we had a student that came in and argued about the struggles of finding a class. Rather than just finding the class for the student, Mrs. F established a more welcoming, comfortable environment by talking with the student. Mrs. F spoke to the student like she was a friend of the student rather than a university counselor. She often made jokes and even shared her past experiences to let the student understand that she cares and want to help. Mrs. F also offered to make a degree map, which is a list of suggested classes for the student to ease the struggle of finding a class. In the end, not only did the student get what he wanted, but he was really satisfied with the outcome and responded in a similar manner as Mrs. F.

Another thing that inspired me was how she made her degree maps. Though a degree map is a simple list of suggested classes, Mrs. F told me to "always consider the student's side". She initially talked about the university requirements for the map, but she immediately told me to "never throw a bunch of random classes to the map". In short, she suggested me to put myself in the student's position and think critically on the pairing of the classes, workload, as well as the general life of the student. For example, Mrs. F pointed out that I should never mix a math class with another numerical class. Not only will different mathematical processes confuse students, but the workload might be overwhelming. She also mentioned other things such as the importance of family, as well as work schedules.

After working nearly a year at the university, I clearly see how Mrs.F depends on transformational leadership. As Northouse defined, transformational leadership is the way of changing people and it focuses on emotions, values, ethics, standards, and long-term goals (2015). Mrs. F demonstrated many of these traits by showing care for her students and satisfying their needs. This not only made the students satisfied, but it also encourages them to come back for future needs. During the training, I also saw many students come in to the office only to chat with Mrs. F. Not only does this enhance relationships with students, but it also provides a positive, successful image to the campus. Just seeing this outcome in-person seems rewarding, and as an individual who seek great success, I knew that doing more than getting the work done can make a completely different and more efficient outcome.

References:

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

MSLD 511 Module 5- Mid-Term Reflection

Itay Talgam provided several visual examples on how conductors performed in concerts. These were all excellent metaphors on how leaders should not and should lead their followers. The importance brought up from Talgam’s talk was that leaders should take part and be involved with their followers, but to not be over-involved to the point that leaders sound like the “big boss”. This concept was very similar from a past assignment from module three on directive and supportive behaviors.

Greg Bock was a Fire Chief from Alton, a small town of 30,000 in Illinois. Though Bock manages and plays the role of the “big boss” in his department, he didn’t want his coworkers to have this mentality. Instead, he showed his care and concerns: which included the 30,000 residents of Alton, “I’m not there to flex my muscle and show you who the boss is” along with how you must treat people like “they’re your best friend” (NPR, 2008). The reason Bock chose to lead this way was because everyone is involved- it’s more than just commanding and putting out fires.

Leadership is impossible without people, so it is critical for leaders to meet as many of the needs and want of people while pointing them to a direction the leader wants. Talgam pointed out a few things for us to keep in mind. In one example, he showed us a clip of Riccardo Muti’s performance. Though Muti is performing his “role” as the leader, he seemed too “commanding” (Talgam, 2009). This was a metaphor that leaders should take part of being a leader, but to not over-do it. I can relate and understand this message as an academic advisor. For instance, I can warn and encourage students to take a class that is rarely offered, but I should never force them to actually take it because the academic plan belongs to the student- meaning it’s their plan, and they can take the class however they want it.

Several of Talgam’s examples provided some importance of empathy. In the very first visual for example, it showed a very happy conductor that “went” with the music, but doesn’t seem to fully perform his “job” as a conductor. Talgam stated that this was a partial success (Talgam 2009). As a leader, it is important for leaders to not be too direct, but they need to have the ability to connect and share the feelings of others. I use this all the time as an academic advisor. Especially during difficult times, I try to relate with the student’s situation, keep in mind of it and implement all these into my solution. However being too empathetic can also be dangerous in leadership. As Talgam stated, “people can get annoyed” (Talgam, 2009). Personally, I believe that this is a similar saying to actions speak louder than words. Like the video, though being nice and happy is good, it only aides leadership. Followers are looking for actions, so it is critical for leaders to keep directive and empathetic leadership in balance. At the same time, being too nice can lead followers to take over too much to the point leading becomes difficult.

References:

NPR. (2008). A Small-Town Fire Chief Juggles Big Responsibilities. Washington D.C. doi: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94011870

Talgam, I. (2009). Lead like the great conductors [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/itay_talgam_lead_like_the_great_conductors/transcript?language=en#t-246000