A521.9.4.RB - Reflections on Leadership

In Chapter 12, Denning explicitly describes his dimensions of leadership. Reflect on those dimensions and how you expect they will impact the way you lead in the future. Include specific examples of how at least THREE of Denning's dimensions manifest in your own application of leadership.
 

Denning starts this chapter with the quote “to be understood is to be open to understanding”.  This resonates with me because I live by similar quotes, “to be a great leader, you must also be willing to be a follower or to be a great teacher one must first learn to be a student.”  Today’s leaders take great responsibility in communicating organizational objectives, mission statements and vision statements. Interactive leadership (when a leader takes it upon themselves to include others as much as possible, by delegating tasks and not doing all of the ‘leader’ jobs by themselves) has many advantages for all stakeholders to include leaders, employees and the organization.  For this assignment, I will reflect on three dimensions presented by Denning and how they impact the way I have led in the past and how I will lead in the future. 

Dimension one - The first dimension is “the interactive leader works with the world rather than against it” explain why the previous statement is such a powerful one.  Leaders should not fool themselves by thinking that they alone can change the world.  Leaders need to let subordinates know that they are a vital part of the organization and unit success depends on collaborations of everyone involved.  Interactive leadership uses communication to connect with the employees, while earning employees’ respect. According to Denning (2011), open communication provides an opportunity for the leader to better understand their employees, listen to them more actively, and receive & response to feedback. If interactive leadership uses communication correctly leaders will have the opportunity to learn the current organization culture.  By learning the current organizational culture, leaders can establish an environment in which they work with their employees and not work against them. In the past, I have always felt that I was a good listener; however I now realize that I can do a better job in active listening. 

Dimension two, “interactive leadership benefits from and understanding of the different narrative patterns that can be used to get things done in the world”. According to Denning (2011), the storytelling “begins and ends in listening”, meaning that leaders have to have an open mind when it comes to receiving information. Leaders need to have a sense of how different narrative patterns can be used to generate specific and measurable responses in those who are listening.  By understanding different narrative patterns, leaders can use narratives in support of goals, values, and to build upon employee experiences.  From a personal perspective, I believe one of the primary characteristics of an effective leader is the ability to identify patterns and trends which, can only be mastered through practice. 

Dimension three, “interactive leadership builds on personal integrity and authenticity”. This dimension places leaders under the microscope which their integrity and credibility is constantly evaluated by subordinates.  When used correctly it allows leaders to demonstrate their true character and build trust and loyalty with employees. Subordinates look at interactive leadership as a way to see if a leader places their employee’s interests above their own personal agenda.  Employees want to know if leaders really walk the talk. I don’t think there is an issue with my credibility; however, I must be aware that there is a chance that my audience will change.  

A521.8.4.RB Making Contact

How comfortable are you striking up a conversation with someone new?  Are you able to "work a room" with ease? After, reading the required chapter, I can clearly state that I don’t have any problems striking up a conversation with someone new in most situations.  However, for me to initiate a conversation with a complete stranger there has to be an objective for me to initiate the conversation.  I know this sounds weird and standoffish but, I think I have always been this way since my childhood years in which many people thought I was shy.  This personality style has even been confirmed by numerous personality assessments, especially my Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Assessment results which identified me a ISJT; introversion, sensing, thinking, judgment (http://www.personalitypage.com/ISTJ.html).  In layman’s terms it says that I am an introvert who is often confused as being an extrovert in public situations.  Now if I am approached, I will not be rude and I will have the conversation; I just don’t like to be the initiator without reason.

When I am teaching, conducting meetings, or even attending a conference, I do my best to work the room and mingle with as many people as possible.  Make no mistake about it; I do have an appreciation for the importance of networking in today’s society. Not to sound like a total jerk, I have been known to start talking to someone in line at the grocery store.  However, to me it’s a time filler; very seldom do I remember their name or face.  My wife says whether I admit it or not I enjoy "working a room"; getting to know new people and finding out who is who.   

In the assigned chapters of “Messages”, there are a few useful guidelines (three to be specific) I could use to assist me with improving my contact skills.  Nonetheless, I feel it is hard to teach old dog new tricks, especially since the current process has not failed me yet.  The text states that I need to give what I would like to receive.  However when something bores me or my interest is lost, my body language, particularly my facial expressions and rebuttals to the conversation will tell a different story.  This is when my active listening skills kick in, but in a negative way. Instead of connecting with others, I will often find myself asking people to justify or defend their thoughts to make the conversation more challenging and interesting.  The drawback is many times people feel they are being attacked and some have even been slightly offended.  From my perspective I am looking for someone who can have an in-depth conversation that has meaning.  The last useful guideline that I think I could use to assist me with improving my contact skills is easing up on how intense my eye contact is.  Although McKay, David and Fanning (2009) say that making eye contact is normally consider social interaction, as a way to invite to a conversation; I personally may sometime go overboard.  As I mentioned in the weekly discussion forum, in some situations, it can make people feel uncomfortable, even though it is not meant to.   

The next flaw I am aware of is the fact that I am distrusting of individuals that I do not know.  I feel that trust is something that has to be earned; even in conversations.  Maybe that is why I push so hard when someone says things I think are questionable.  This is compounded by the fact that I am very uncomfortable when people enter my personal space. I know what my flaws are and how they are based when it comes to this subject.  I have a hard time coming out of the teacher mode.  I have to remember that everyone is not a student and it is not my job to get everyone to think about the words that come out to their mouths.  

  

Reference  

McKay, M., Davis, M., & Fanning, P. (2009). Messages: The Communication Skills Book. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications.

 

A521.7.4.RB - Knowledge Sharing Story

In my adult life, I have had the pleasure of being both an educator and what seems to be a career student.  Through all of this, I have witnessed the best and the worst of the American education system.  I have been exposed to individuals who have been viewed as underachievers, some as overachievers, the individuals who was totally lost in the education world, the educators who cared, the educators who did not care and even the nasty business side of academia that few witness.  The individuals I have come in contact vary in demographics and range in age from 14 to 65 years old.  I would like to think that my shared personal story, particularly this one, provides knowledge of hope to individuals who desire to be the educators that make a difference in the business based world we live in. 

Early in my military career, I embarked on a special duty as a trainer.  For the first time in my career, I felt that I found a job in which I was truly satisfied with what I did on a daily basis; thus fueling my desire to want to do more in the educational field.  When I had just finished my bachelor’s degree, a close friend advised me to take a job as a substitute teacher.  This way I would be exposed to various levels of the education system; thus assisting me in truly finding my calling; where I wanted to be in the educational arena.  After doing this for over a year, I had completed my first master’s degree; this now allowed me to teach higher education in colleges and universities.  During the time of my self-explorations of becoming an educator, I was also a student; gaining as much education I could to support my experience level and credentials.  I was able to have empathy for both the students and the teacher; which gave me a unique perspective on teaching.  The first knowledge sharing point of this story is; once you find what you love; find way to overcome obstacles to achieve your professional career goals.  However, there is another knowledge sharing point to this story. 

This is where my story takes a turn.  Too often, I hear the horror stories and complaints from students about how teachers only teach one point of view, theirs.  I am lucky because I have the unique experience of being both the student and the teachers at the same time in my life; giving me an understanding of how they feel.  What I have learned is education is about teaching individuals to thinks with purpose.  I often share a story that was given to me from Dr. J. Jeffery Tillman, Director of the Graduate Program, Wayland Baptist University.  “I am not very strict on questions that are opinion based.  You can tell me the sky is red and I will not say you are wrong.  What I do expect is for you to defend your answers with factual evidence from the textbook and history, not just your opinion alone.”  Because of this phrase, I now share these words with every class I come in contact with, “If you leave my class and answer questions that are posed to you with the words, Professor Washington says…, then I have failed you as a teacher.  My job is to teach you to think, not regurgitate information I provided to you word for word.”

Because of these same few words, I am very dedicated to my students, no matter what level they are on.  I am now 46, and have been teaching since 1999; and every year I learn how to become a better educator.  This brings me to the second knowledge sharing point of this story is; remember that teaching is not about memory.  It is about opening a door for someone so they can learn.  It is about imparting knowledge and skills to a learner, which they can use in their life. 

A521.6.3 RB: High Performance Teams

Elements of High-Performance Teams -There are many definitions of High Performance Teams (HPT).  After reviewing many of them, I would define a HPT as a selected group of individuals who are assembled with the objective of achieving superior results from highly complex task.  In his book “The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling” author Stephen Denning (2009) provides common characteristics for a community and high performance teams. HPTs exemplify the following:

·         They actively shape the expectations of those who use their output… empowered with full responsibility for their success

·         They rapidly adjust their performance to the situation…they are provided a high level of trust and autonomy from senior leadership.   

·         Grow steadily stronger…over time, members come to know one another's strengths and weaknesses… as they solve the challenges, the HPT grow stronger and stronger

·         Through the group action, the individuals grow… because of a positive learning environment of shared visions, individuals gain new skills…personal growth and development is not seen as a threat, newly learned skills benefit the team and the individual.

·         They are fueled by interpersonal commitments…they understand that the team goals trumps the individual goals…they have a unified commitment, understanding how to balance individual differentiation and communal integration.

·         Work is often carried out with shared passion…having a higher standard of excellence than ordinary teams.  HPTs often adopt such mottos like ‘‘if one of us fails, we all fail''.  (Denning, 2009, p.156)

Other elements not mentioned by Denning, but are common to today’s business environment include; value synergism, communicate effective dialogue instead of debate, practice continuous improvement, and diversity are just a few.   

Elements of Shared Values – I believe values are the core beliefs that guide the desired behaviors of individuals on a HPT.  These shared values set the culture that determines interaction internally and externally. The thought process behind the importance of value is multiplied when shared amongst teams that lack policies and strong leadership.  I agree with how author Ken Blanchard summarizes the importance of shared values, “When aligned around shared values and united in a common mission, ordinary people accomplish extraordinary results.”

Four Patterns of Working Together – According to Denning (2009), the four patterns of working together are: work groups; team; community; and network. Work groups are where people temporarily working together too achieved a common goal.  Normally, they do not share processes of operation, they lack interaction and each has their own specialized task.  Negative Experience - I worked for a major aviation manufacture where the environment where the environment was all about self-preservation.  Although this was a horrible environment when it was supposed to be team based, it did teach me to be self-sufficient in that organization, but did little in the way of helping to build a strong team dynamic.  Teams – A team is comprised of people linked in a common objective.  There is a high degree of interaction and collaboration between members.  Community – A community is comprised of many smaller or disparate sub-structures of people sharing the same interest for the benefit of all to include certain interests, opinions, religion or ethnicity.  Network - A network is a normally a very large population with the same values and interests; however this is not a tightknit group.  Positive Experience - Recently, I joined a professional networking group, Linked In. This networking group helps share common career aspirations and values; plus I can use this as a source of information.

What could you have done to influence the outcomes? – As far as the negative experience, I accepted the responsibility because I failed to push the team toward becoming a HPT. Knowing what I do today, I would have asked for a team meeting team and emphasized what we were all hired to do. Bottom line is it was a lack of commitment that kept this team from achieving better results.   

Reference:

Denning, S. (2009) The leader's guide to storytelling: mastering the art and discipline of business narrative. San Francisco CA: Jossey-Bass

A521.5.4.RB - Aligning Values

Identify the three basic components of an ethical community and discuss how they might be applied in your organization. Are there values that are missing from your organization?
Discuss how you might develop those values and also align them with the values of the individuals in the organization.

Denning (2011) describes the decentralization of ethics as a shift from a focus on ethical values to pursued values, in a clear and precise way that provided me with a different perspective on the subject of values and ethics.  When it comes to ethics, there are as many conflicting ideas that come to mind.  Denning (2011) states that a “genuinely ethical community has three basic components that include trust, loyalty, and solidarity.  In chapter 6, Transmit Your Values, Denning (2011) defines each term as the following:

• Trust is defined as the general expectation among members that their neighbors, friends and coworkers will behave ethically toward each other.
• Loyalty is defined as acceptance of the obligation to refrain from violating one another’s trust and to fulfill the duties entailed by accepting that trust.
• Solidarity is defined as caring for other community member’s interest and being ready to respond on behalf of others.

I am not sure if I agree with Denning on the fact that these values as if they are building blocks for any community or organization.  A more universal perspective would require taking many factors into consideration to include things such as demographics, population and location.  However for this discussion, I will focus on the values identified by Denning. 

The first ethical value that Denning (2011) discusses in his book is trust (see definition in previous paragraphs).  I think there is a huge gap in trust in my organization.  The term trust may be spoken word in verbal terms but the actions are totally different.  I briefly mentioned this point in an early class discussion forum; how individual values sometimes can precede community and organizational values.  Denning describes trust as the general expectation among members of an organization; however, I don’t know how an organization that is influenced by so many internal and external factors can overcome the lack of trust issue among its employees.  There needs to be a complete overhaul in the culture.  To be fair, the organization I work for does try to instill specific values, thus eliminating unethical and abusive managerial practices. The problem is follow thru; holding individuals to an acceptable behavior based on these values.  The biggest issue that exists is the divides that is caused by the union.  The lack of trust leads to another issue, the effect it has on organizational loyalty (which I will discuss later). 

Denning’s second basic component of an ethical community is loyalty.  Loyalty can be perceived in different ways.  Many times I have pondered the question of whether employee loyalty is to the person in charge, to the organization or to the almighty paycheck.  If I had to advise my organization about how to address the issue of lack of loyalty, I would use the words’ of a Wharton University Management Professor Adam Cobb (2012), “When you are talking about loyalty in the workplace, you have to think about it as a reciprocal exchange.  My loyalty to the firm is contingent on my firm’s loyalty to me.  What must be kept in perspective is the fact that there is one party in that exchange which has tremendously more power, and that is the firm.”  Until these words are clearly understood, I feel there will always be a loyalty issue in my organization.  

The third basic components of an ethical community are solidarity.  Trust and loyalty both influence solidarity in the organization in which I work.  There is a sense of solidarity in the organization, but it is divided; management versus employees, and both are strong.  As I mentioned earlier, the union is the foundation for this solidarity on one hand and the reason for division of solidarity on the other hand.  Solidarity, in its practicality and concreteness, is hard to apply because human beings will always gravitate towards those with whom they share similarities, which totally contrast with the concept if putting a collective of diverse people together in order to form organizational solidarity.  For the term solidarity, I will have to somewhat disagree with Denning.  We, as human beings, will by nature act in way to serve our own best interests, whether intentionally or not.  Organizations, like the one I work for, are always trying to get individuals to adopt the interests of the group instead of looking out for their own interests.  Often there is resistant to this course of action.

What I did find in the discussion forum is I have a lot in common with my classmates when it comes to values.  After reading several inputs by classmates, I see that we as a whole are quick to question organizational values and that of some of their employees (management levels), but we are not so quick to question our own values; especially when it come to how our values fit in with the  organization. 

References:

Denning, S., (2011). The Leader's Guide to Storytelling: Mastering the Art and Discipline of Business Narrative (Revised and updated ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Cobb, A., (May, 2012). Declining Employee Loyalty: A Casualty of the New Workplace. Retrieved from http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/declining-employee-loyalty-a-casualty-of-the-new-workplace/

 

 

A521.4.3.RB - Subtleties of Communication and Hidden Messages

Make no mistake about it, verbal and non-verbal communication sends a very powerful message to the receiver when used correctly.  However, for the person delivering the message, communication that is delivered incorrectly can be ambiguous and very noticeable by your audience.  Inconsistency in communication can cause a loss of credibility and the audience may be less trusting of what the speaker is trying to convey.

When it comes to body language, I am very aware that I use it as a main factor for my communication style.  “Understanding body language is essential because over 50 percent of a message’s impact comes from body movements” (Denning, 2011).  As an instructor, Denning’s statement speaks volumes about my performance in my current career position; body language is a very large part of how I deliver information and how my students receive information from me. 

During the later years in my military career, I often found myself communicating to several different audiences, while having to address the same message.  The problem for me is that I have a problem of showing my nonverbal expressions at the wrong time.  To compound that, I can be impatient with some people and it shows sometimes in my nonverbal body language. McKay and Davis (2009) stated that some of these non-verbal signs of impatience include sighs, frowns, and crossed arms and legs. To this statement, I am 100% guilty.  At times, I worked closely with senior management, while managing first and second line supervisors under me and subordinate employees.  Many times information was provide to me that I did not agree with. My nonverbal expression would often show my disagreement but it did not matter, because my job was to follow orders.  On the same note, I had to deliver this information to all subordinates under me and show I supported it 100%.  However, in this situation, I had to be very aware of my nonverbal.  I want to make sure that my nonverbal expressions did not undermine my verbal message.   

This process is often carried over into my personal life.  In my personal life, my wife is the first person to point out to me when my verbal and nonverbal communication contradicts with each other.  As I said earlier, I am a very impatient person and if I am not interested in something someone is saying, I will not give them the attention they deserve.  My children know me very well when it comes to my nonverbal communication.  To this day, they know when I rub my bald head over and over and when the wrinkles appear on my forehead thay know I am either stressed or upset…no matter what my voice communicates. I used to think they were exaggerating until my wife confirmed this. 

This week’s reading assignment confirmed I am very aware of my strengths and weaknesses when it comes to my communication skills.  To this day I am still learning to modify my communication approach, reducing the delivery style conflict and improving the communication processes I use.  I now try not to come off as being insincere or disingenuous.

 

References:

 

Denning, S. (2011). The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling: Mastering the Art and Discipline of Business Narrative. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons/Jossey-Bass.

 

McKay, M., Davis, M., Fanning, P. (2009). Messages: The Communications Skills Book. (3rd ed.) Oakland, CA; New Harbinger Publications, Inc.

 

 

A521.3.4.RB - Personal Reflection

Recall two or three situations from your childhood or early adulthood that had a formative impact on you. Describe the situations and relate how they impacted you. Pick situations that have affected how you act and feel in an organizational or team-based environment.

Looking back at my life when I was younger, there are many situations that have formed me to be the person I am today.  When I turned eleven, my father began to take me to work with him in his auto body shop.  At the time, I was too young to work and my mother wanted me out of the house doing something positive so I did not hang out with the bad elements in the neighborhood.  The auto body work my father used to do amazed me and I wanted to learn how to repair cars and make money like he did.  On many occasions, my father would explain to me that it was not as easy as it seemed and to become good, one must take small steps before taking on the major jobs.  Deep down, I thought I was good at fixing things with my hands.  When I arrived at the shop, the only thing my father would let me do was to clean and sweep the floors.  I did these taskings for about four weeks before I asked for other responsibility; always receiving the answer of no from my father.  Finally, my father sat me down and explained to me that the most important part of painting a vehicle was the prep work.  If there was any type of dust in the shops painting room, there would be damage to the wet paint and weeks of work would be ruined.  That lesson taught me that it not always the biggest things you do in life that make the biggest difference.  To this day, I have lived by thing motto in everything I do.  I find encouragement and prided in work that I produce no matter how miniscule.  I often use this story to motivate past and present employees.  I can truly testify that it has had a positive effect on every organization and team I have been in contact with.  This lesson has shaped me as a person, father, supervisor and leader. 

On the same note, another lesson came from this same situation which had a formative impact on me as person.  After I learned of completing all task with pride, my father started paying me.  I did not expect any pay and asked why he was giving me money.  He said anytime you are paid for doing something you become a professional; and with this title comes great expectation and responsibility.  My father was very clear in his point that with received pay comes the expectations that you will do the job correctly to the best of your ability.  Sometimes the pay would be good and sometime it was very small I monetary value.  I quickly had to learn that I get paid for the quality of my work product.  To this day, I find myself instilling the same values in everyone around me that I can influence; to include employees and my own children.  From a person perspective, both lessons have assisted me in the ability to clearly communicate expectations with my peers, supervisors, and students as it was explained to me. 

A521.2.3.RB - Danger of Stories

In her TED presentation, “The Danger of the Single Story”, Ms. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, presents a powerful speech on how society can be influenced by a single one sided story.  Ms. Adichie followed the first step in telling a successful springboard story by ensuring the story is one of truth; using her own life as the main protagonist.  She emphasizes the power that a single story can have and how society has manipulated this process to influence individual the thought process. 

 

She began her speech by identifying herself as a victim of misunderstandings because of single stories provided to her by her parents and others close to her as she grew up.  Chimamanda explains how preconceptions of adults like her parents, college roommates and friends and even professors had influenced her world view of society as a whole.  One powerful example she analyzes is the view of the American society on the country of Mexico and its poverty. Now looking back on my own upbringing and reflecting on her talk session, I can clearly see how a single story can influence how we define a selected group of people, how we stereotype a geographical location, how we dismiss a certain genre or style of music, or even a type of food.  To be fair, stereotypes exist and will always exist in some aspect of our lives, thus making it difficult to distinguish fact from fiction when we are exposed to such thought process so early in our lives.  This is a perfect example of the power of the single story. 

I share in Chimamanda’s experience when it comes to the power of the single story.  Much of my adult life was spent in the military where stories have a very powerful place in society.  There is one story that seems to follow me everywhere I go.  Early in my military life, I lived in and traveled around Europe.  This exposed me to cultures too numerous to list.  However, I quickly realized that American culture had a different view of other cultures especially the Arab/Muslim culture.  Too often, I would hear high ranking officials speak in very negative ways of these cultures, especially when the conversation of the Koran was included.  My first bachelor’s degree was from a Baptist University (name withheld), where it was mandatory to study the bible so at that time it did have an influence on how I viewed certain aspects of religion.  However I quickly realized that some cultures had the same type of negative view of Christian religion and the Bible.  There was one defining point that is imbedded in my brain.  One of my professor stated, “If you are going to question a thought process (single story), learn the other persons viewpoint…read both the Koran and the Bible and then we can have a conversation on them.  Ignorance will get us nowhere.” It was then that I realized that I have the power to overcome the power of a single story when told by a single protagonist.  To this day, I have accepted a philosophy when teaching at any level.  I inform my student if you leave my class and say Mr. or Professor Washington says this or that is like this, then I have failed you.  My primary job as an educator is to teach students to think on their own; so that they do not become a victim of the single story. 

We often receive information about people, cultures, locations and even events and before you know it we are drawing conclusions based on what some else told us.  Based on Adichie’s story, maybe society should slow down and learn about such information.  At the same time, if we are not careful we will pass this same thought process on to our children.   From this TED session, I will draw the conclusion that Chimamanda is truly a skilled story teller, using humor and actual examples of her own experiences to deliver a powerful message. On the other hand, if I do not learn more about Ms. Chimamanda through my own research, I am being a hypocrite and again falling for the influence of the single story.  It is important to understand that behind a single story; facts are often manipulated or omitted, thus serving the single-mindedness of the individual telling the story.

A521.1.4.RB - Stories in Your Organization

In my currently assigned organization, the one story that keeps rearing its head is the one dealing with the federal government budget.  This is a story that has many faces and points of view. I have been an employee of the federal government for over 27 years in many capacities and the story changes from year to year.  The story always starts with a negative story line and depending on who is telling the story, it can be very descriptive.  Many time these stories describes how events will happen and what will happen if certain situations do not happen…and so on and so on.  However with all this negative rhetoric, so far the world has not ended, the US economy has not imploded and collapsed, people have not started jumping off cliffs yet and we are still the most influential country in the world as we know it.  Personally, I feel these repetitive stories cause undue stress while feeding on the fears of individuals (like the stories of old concerning plagues, werewolves, and vampires) and speaks volumes about "who we are and what we stand for as a people".  Do we intentionally manipulate stories to benefit our own personal agendas?  There is no doubt in my mind that the individuals telling the stories provide meaningful and dramatic details so that the audience will want to hear the story.  At the same time, the story tellers of this situation often spark imagination by inserting phrases such as “Just imagine…”  and “What if…”; adding just enough audience-engaging drama and revealing just enough personal past experiences to provide validity and strengthen the story’s believability.  I know from prior experience that this very circumstance has affected many peoples idea's about the United States government culture as a whole.  The thought of inefficiencies, selfishness, the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, all paint a negative image of the government to the average citizen.  From personal perspectives, I have learned to try to avoid these stories because normally they focus on situations I cannot influence.  However, every now and then some radical individual tells the story and baits me in with their long term synopsis of the organization and what direction they may go in the future.  Although such stories may seem harmless, they have both a direct and indirect impact on organizations.  These stories are often bottled up as negative rumors that flow from agency to agency, from office to office, and even cubicle to cubicle. Good luck to anyone who tries to tame this grapevine of rumors.  With these stories, morale often takes a downward spiral, you can often see the stress such stories cause in the faces of some employees.  Although we know these stories are often over dramatic, when told with passion, we listen to them knowing that they will stress us out. With such stories being told, the culture of the organization has become one of distrust, uncertainty and disloyalty.  So to answer the question of whether these stories promote the goals and ideals of the organization, the answer is definitely no.  I don’t think such stories will ever go away; they will just be changed to fit the audience.  These types of stories were here before I arrived and will be there when I am long gone.    

A520.9.5.RB – Power

Are you comfortable developing sources of personal influence to gain power? I think I am very comfortable with developing sources of personal influence to gain power. I feel that as long as your actions benefit the organization, the use of power can be a good thing.  The part of personal power I use the most is expertise.  I am always trying to upgrade my experience level; using sources of personal power to be seen as an expert at my job, thus influencing my sources of influence. This is one of the reasons I have been taking educational class for 15 years, which takes extra time and effort in learning.  The more knowledge I possess about the aspect of my duties, the more I can influence my peers to making good decisions.  As an expert you gain a positive reputation.  I truly believe that your reputation is vital when you are considered as a field expert by subordinates, peers and organizational leaders.   

 

Do you embody the characteristics of likeable people depicted in Table 5.4 (p. 290)? The answer to this question is no.  I do not feel that I embody the characteristics depicted on Table 5.4 (p. 290).  The most important thing to me is a professional relationship, not how much someone likes you.  I am not big on social exchanges that do not relate to the task at hand.  I normally do not go out of my way to have conversations with individuals, unless it is job related. One factor that has influenced my actions is a large part of my career was spent as a supervisor. As a rule, I tend to associate with my work colleagues within the workplace (work related), and I choose not to have relationships with my colleagues outside of work. One for the flaws I have when I do have social exchanges with peers is the fact that I find myself gravitating to those with similar interests and backgrounds.  I have to be careful here as to not single individuals out. 

 

Are you able to use influence both up and down your organization considering the information in Table 5.5 (p. 293)? To be a great leader / teacher, you must also be a great follower / student.  Serving both roles helps to appreciate what the other has to endure on a daily basis.  Due to this experience of being in both roles, I feel confident that I am able to use my influence both up and down my organization. 

A520.7.3.RB - Importance of Having a Coach and Mentor

Write a blog entry on the significance, importance, and/or impact of having a coach and/or a mentor to help you in your professional journey.

I have experienced both mentoring and coaching from both side of the coin.  Both terms are often misunderstood; however when used correctly they can serve as important factors in the employee development.  I think the impact of having a coach and/or a mentor can be beneficial to help you in your professional journey.  However I also think if it is not managed correctly it can have a negative effect on your career.  I cannot recall a time in my professional career where I have not been exposed to some type of coaching or mentoring process.  We often take our parents for granted when it comes to these roles, so I will not discuss that aspect.  From my school days I can remember my third grade teacher, Ms. Hodges always giving me advice on how to be a respectable young man…we stayed in contact until she passed.  That was a mentorship that put me on the right path of life; someone beside my parents who advised me. As far as sport in high school, the coaching process was short lived.  While you played for the school, the coaches had a vested interest in you performance.  It was said that they had an interest in the person, but as soon as you senior season ended you were told to enroll in another class and that relationship ended as soon as it began.  The one time in my life where I can say both coaching and mentoring had a long term effect was my career in the Air Force. 

From the first day I showed up at my first duty station, I was being coached and mentored to some degree.  Someone more senior to you was assigned to assist you in transitioning into a new way of life and an individual, normally your supervisor, was giving you performance expectations.  Mentoring as a whole, not coaching has had the biggest impact on my professional career which is grounded in my military career. I had goal of one day achieving a Bachelor’s degree, but not a graduate degree.  Because of great mentors, I am now working on my third Master’s degree.  Their continuing investment in me personally has assisted me in achieving goals a much larger scale than I imagined.  This has opened numerous doors for professional advancement.  I believe in the phrase pay it forward.  Because of the great mentors I have experienced I have tried to provide the same dedication and commitment to young professional I seen potential in. 

A520.6.5.RB: Team Roles

Consider how you generally relate as a team-member.

Understanding your role as a team member is something very individuals attempt to understand.  Most people to include myself want the role of leadership when it comes to team dynamics.  I often have to self-reflect on my role when it comes to how I relate to peers.  I have learned that even at a more mature stage in my life, I must work to improve my relationship building skills as part of my daily routines at my current workplace.  I often here that team player should create positive energy by being optimistic and complimentary to team members.  Encouragements is important, however I must be honest with myself because I struggle here.  I do not like to encourage peers who do not put forth an honest work effort. 

Do you actively engage your team to accomplish its mission?

When it comes to my role as a task-facilitator or team leader, there are several improvement steps I must take to actively engage my team to accomplish its mission.  I must work hard to increase the level of trust with my team members; I must make sure my communication is clear, positive and consistent, when is come to being a positive contributor to achieving team goals.  I realize this is an area I need to work hard at but the first step to improvement starts with understanding where you stand as a member to your team.

Do you work to improve the team cohesion and collaboration?

The answer here would be yes.  Even though I am not the best person when it comes to relationship building, I have a deep desire for the team improve team cohesion and collaboration on a professional basis.  The key word here is on a professional basis not a personal basis.  I see the world as it is not my job or goal to see that everyone is happy when it come work. I deeply believe that a team needs s collaboration and cohesion to be effective.

A520.5.3.RB - Forrestor's Empowerment

I would agree with many recognized leaders that state that many professionals use the term “empowerment” without comprehending the true meaning of the term.  I have seen and experienced numerous variations of empowerment usage and my definition would be a combination of all of them.  The idea of empowerment is based on the theory of giving employees, control of resources and authority to make decisions that benefit the organization.

The article, “Empowerment: Rejuvenating a potent idea”, provides examples of organizations that focus on the fallacy that “one size fits all” or what I describe as “one bandage can cover all wounds” process of empowerment.  However data showed that the bottom line is the process was not successful.  The article provides an overview of nine principles of developing empowerment in employees. Those 9 principles are as follows: Articulating a Clear Vision, Fostering Personal Mastery Experiences, Modeling, Providing Support, Emotional Arousal, Providing Information, Providing Resources, Connect to Outcomes and Creating Confidence.  Also discussed were attributes of empowerment, which are, Self-efficacy, Self-determination, Personal consequence Meaning and Trust.

Author Russ Forrester, also discussed the process of the social learning theory of motivation which encourages organizations to consider power sharing by senior leadership.  However, the process has to show a tangible benefit.  Without a doubt it must be understood that delegation is key to empowerment. 

No matter how you look at delegation, it is not as simple as it would seem.  When management delegates certain duties and tasks, management retains overall accountability and the majority of responsibilities to ensure tasks are completed correctly.  On the flip side of the coin, empowerment can be a process where employees can gain trust from superiors through their actions.  The article summarizes empowerment with the fact that, as one size does NOT fit all!  Leaders and managers must use the historical lessons to learn how to properly apply delegation!

 

 

A520.4.3.RB

In the video, “The Three Things We Work For (Money Isn’t One of Them)”, Andy Mulholland explains his theory on why people are motivated beyond money.

 

·         The first motivational factor I want to discuss is, “I want interesting work".  Andy gave a very good example of how he was offered opportunities that enhanced his emotional ties to the organization.  His story hit home with me on how we have to look at personal growth challenges over money alone.  I can personally testify to this being true. Personally, I have received many great job offers, but they never really met the needs of me or my family.  While pursuing my second graduate degree, I did a research paper on the importance of job satisfaction.  The findings supported the fact that money actually did not rate in the top 5 motivational factors supporting job satisfaction.

 ·         The second motivational factor is having the ability to expand my job skills.  Having the opportunity to learn on the job is a powerful motivator.  As the saying goes, “knowledge is power and the more knowledge you have, you valuable you are to your organization.” Expanding your skills strengthens your versatility when faced with challenging tasks.  I do not think I know anyone who wants to do the same task every day for the next 20 years.  In order for an organization to build upon an employee’s skill set, both the organization and the individual must determine the skills the individual needs and then provided a way to not only train them, but an provide opportunity to expand on that growth. 

 

·         The third motivator in the video was the desire to be recognized. According to the words of Mr. Mulholland, "value me for what I can do, and how I can work.”  Overpaying someone to make them stay, won't work in the long run!”  Sometimes a simple thank you or hand shake goes along way when it comes to motivation.  You know what they say; motivated employees are more productive employees!

Additionally, 3 motivators that have a major impact on me are as follows:

Immediate Feedback…Tell me when I am doing wrong so I can improve.  I feel it is an essential part of learning and it can improve overall performance.

A flexible work schedule…personal time off and the ability to modify my schedule have more value to me than money.  This motivator is a win-win for me and my family.

 

Last, but not least, is what many of us will not admit to being a motivational factor; money.  To have the ability to purchase goods and services for yourself and your family is a motivator in itself.  People often say I love my job and I don’t do it for the money.  Well I tell them, “If that’s the case, go to work for free”.

 

A520.3.5.RB - Supportive Communication

Whetten & Cameron (2012) defined developing management skills as “communication that seeks to preserve or enhance a positive relationship between you and another person while still addressing a problem, giving negative feedback, or tackling a difficult issue”.  As identified in the textbook, proper use of supportive communication guidelines is a way to achieve this goal. 

·         Differentiate between coaching and counseling situations - Counseling is focused on addressing issues that are current and from the past.  Many experts believe that counseling can be a life-changing series of events.  Through supportive communication in the work environment, the goal is to change the performance levels for the present and for the future.  Coaching, on the other hand, focuses on the present and future issues.  In my work environment, using supportive communication during coaching can be very instrumental in improving performance results.

·         Communicated congruently - For this situation, to integrate supportive communication successfully, I must make sure my facial expressions do not overrule my words.  Sometimes I know what the correct words are that needs to be said, but deep down the words you want to say are different. 

·         Use descriptive statements - To integrate supportive communication successfully for this area, I have to be careful not to evaluate certain issues before I have examined them, leading me to subconsciously use descriptive statements.  By using descriptive statements during supportive communications, hopefully, I can learn to remove personal bias out of my conversations. 

·         Use problem-oriented statements - The bottom line here is to make sure I use problem-oriented statements rather than person-oriented statements during conversations.

·         Use validating statements/Use specific statements - Facts, facts, facts; this is something that I believe strongly in.  With facts, I can make sure the topic is focused and supports the conversation.  The focus should be more specific, meaning we should focus on what is causing the need for supportive communication which can lead back to the root cause of the problem.

·         Use conjunctive statements that flow smoothly - I think it is very important to repeat parts of the conversation to ensure everyone received and interpreted the same message and at the same time acknowledge what was said by others.  I also believe pauses in the conversation are very important to allow time for reflection of the statements in the conversation. 

·         Demonstrate supportive listening - I think everyone can use improvement in this area.  The listener must be very careful with non-verbal actions such as body language; the listener can misconstrue this as being inattentive to what they are saying.  I have learned are the most important thing is maintaining eye contact during the conversation with the speaker.

Supportive communication is a skill that can be very beneficial to anyone serving in a leadership position that has to make key decisions.  By remaining focused on how I can best utilize supportive communication, I feel I can continue improving my communication and leadership skills.