The Leadership Challenge - Essay Example

Learning Journal Of the many topics in this I shall be reflecting on the ones that have touched me most. One of my favorite topics in the course is Leadership & Motivation. Perhaps it’s because I’ve come across a number of leaders in my life who possessed different qualities and had their own styles of leadership. I, myself have been a leader in many ways, and learning more about leadership, I’ve come to evaluate my effectiveness as one. Being interested in the topic, I’ve done my own research to enrich me some more. There have been many definitions of leadership, but I think my favorite is Clark’s (2008). He defines leadership as follows: “Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent. Leaders carry out this process by applying their leadership attributes, such as beliefs, values, ethics, character, knowledge, and skills” (Clark, 2008, para.3). Leithwood & Riehl (2003) posit that a good leader has a clear vision of where he is going and sets directions to others towards that vision. He collaborates with other people on ways and means to reach their goals and not focus the authority on himself. In doing so, he empowers them to be confident in their abilities and motivates them to welcome challenges and opportunities. Because of his positive influence, he gains the respect of everyone to follow his lead while pursuing a common mission for the growth and development of the organization. For me, such a leader is leading a noble course in his life, one who makes a difference in other people’s lives and one who leaves a valuable legacy behind. I believe leaders inspire a shared vision with their followers. They communicate their vision well enough for their followers to understand clearly, and together, they see an uplifting and ennobling future (Kouzes and Posner, 2007) . The course on leadership included a large chunk on motivation. A leader needs to be able to motivate his team members. Handy (1999) reports that the initial goals of motivation research was to encourage individuals to provide better service to their employers by exerting more effort and maximizing their talents at work. Having a well-motivated workforce may be equivalent to better work productivity and success in the achievement of goals for the organization. Additional advantages are lower level of absenteeism and staff turnovers because the employees are satisfied with their work. This also means that training and recruitment costs are lowered because work positions are always reliably staffed (Dawson, 2009). To me that makes a lot of sense because what is the point of maintaining teams and training them to be effective if they are not motivated to do so? It takes a great leader to be able to do and understand that. Money and other status symbols like higher job positions and titles, more spacious and opulent offices, and the like do not really increase one’s motivation (Kohn, 1999). This may seem unbelievable, but each time a person is extrinsically-rewarded for doing something, it reduces their intrinsic motivation. I have personally experienced this in my youth. I enjoyed doing some crafts and then people started to notice them. I was approached by one admirer of my work and suggested that I sell them so I can make money out of my hobby. I considered it, and at first, it was exciting, especially after I received my first sale. However, as orders came in, I found myself complaining that it was stressful already instead of enjoyable. My initial fulfillment in doing my craft for the sake of my own personal enjoyment was diminished as the money made for selling them increased. Employers need to remember that intrinsic motivation spurs an individual to perform well and to high standards because the person does something on his own volition and commits to doing his best in the task (Kjerulf, n.d.). Knowledge of member motivation is an advantage for leaders. When this knowledge is applied, it becomes a win-win situation for both parties since the team members are motivated to pursue shared organizational goals while the leaders encourage the productivity in his organization. Another topic I enjoy is on the management of groups and teams. I never took much notice of the difference between the true meaning of groups and teams until we discussed it. Now I understand why I feel a warmer affinity to the word “teamwork” than the word “groupwork”. Teams share a deeper relationship beyond just being grouped together due to likeness. Teams celebrate each member’s uniqueness as it complements the others’ qualities. They need to work together and envision the same things. When they are successful in creating harmony in their relationship, I believe they can do anything they set their goals on. Reading beyond the lectures, I found out that groups have its own growth patterns. Usually, groups go through growth patterns, especially if members stay with each other for a prolonged period of time. Various theories on group development commonly identify the stages groups go through. Wheelan’s (1994) Integrated Model of Group Development describes the first stage as a period of member dependency on the leader and powerful group members to lead and to provide guidance and direction. The second stage is referred to as a period of Counterdependency and Fight, where members begin to disagree among themselves and assert their own individual opinions about group procedures and procedures. Since the group’s task is to develop a unified set of goals and operational procedures, this stage inevitably develops conflicts. Such conflict tests the strength of the member’s trust in each other, and if they are successful in overcoming the conflicts, a climate of trust and safety in expressing oneself is established. This paves the way for the third stage, which is the Trust and Structure phase, wherein commitment to the group and willingness to cooperate is very much evident. Mature negotiation about roles, organization and procedures are transacted, and members work to solidify positive relationships with each other. The fourth stage, which is the Work stage of group development lives up to its name as team productivity and effectiveness is intensified. The members of the group are assumed to have resolved many of the issues of the previous stages and are more ready to work towards the achievement of group goals and task accomplishment. Wheelan’s developmental description of the integrated model somehow parallels Tuckman’s model (1965), which is one of the most commonly cited models of group development (Cassidy, 2007). It was formed from a meta-analysis of 50 research-based studies of group development and identifies the stages as Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing. Tuckman and Jensen (1977) later added the stage Adjourning, as they wanted closure in the life cycle of groups (Cassidy, 2007). I find it amazing that scholars really exert effort to understand and explain such processes. Learners like me become enlightened when we get to understand processes. When we find ourselves in one stage, we would know what to do and expect. Still another topic I want to reflect on in this course is on Human Resource Management. The changes are truly impressive. Globalization has made it possible to consider several issues such as managing diversity, ageing workforce, skills shortages, work-life balance (WLB), outsourcing HRM and measuring HRM effectiveness. Over just a few years, employment methods have been added to the traditional 9-5 desk schedule of most employees. Now, people are allowed to work in the comfort of their homes, saving on transportation, clothes and food expenses. Work-life balance is achieved by most people at a time when work has become increasingly competitive and stressful. I welcome this change, knowing that my nature will not be comfortable sitting in an office for eight hours. I believe in multi-tasking and know that I can achieve more when I am on the move. That is why I am all for tele-commuting, hot-desking and even job-sharing. It allows me more flexibility and is a challenge to my discipline and time management skills. If I had the opportunity to be the manager of a company, I would be one to advocate for life-work balance. I understand most employees stress about this, and sadly complain that it is usually work that wins out in the delegation of their priorities. I can be open to flexible schedules, job sharing and working from home if these are viable options to be productive at work and provide quality of life for the family. The era of globalization brings to us the conveniences of high technology, so these may be availed of to ease the jobs of workers, and that implies that they have opportunities to work from home as long as such technology is provided for them. Part of human resource management is acceptance of cultural diversity. I have been fortunate to be part of an organization that had very diverse members. The concept of diversity is broadened to include all “individuals who bring unique perspectives or outlooks to the organization” (Schakelford, 2004, p.53). That means, it not only includes the traditional categories of race and gender, but also people with disabilities, gays and lesbians, and other non-traditional categories considered having “diversity of thought” or those from different disciplines, college degrees, socio-economic backgrounds, etc. The organization’s leaders were advocates of equal opportunity and did not discriminate against people who were much different from themselves. Translated to the work environment, I believe that a culturally diverse workplace bursts with positive energy that can be very motivating for workers. The organization I was part of is considered an “inclusive workplace”. Mor Barak (2000) defines it as one that: “values and uses individual and intergroup differences within its work force; cooperates with and contributes to its surrounding community; alleviates the needs of disadvantaged groups in its wider environment; and collaborates with individuals, groups, and organizations across national and cultural boundaries” (pp. 339-340). This is not to say that my organization perfectly adhered to this definition, although I would say it came close. All organizations encounter conflict in various forms and degrees, however, the culture of the organization makes it easy to resolve them due to the high respect and acceptance of differences. The practices I learned from that organization taught me lessons on good management. We valued the exchange of alternative points of view. This fostered thinking “out of the box” and brought fresh perspectives to surface. Uncertainty was tolerated at times, because it pushed us to come up with various solutions until we got the right one. Brainstorming sessions strengthened bonds shared between members as we strived to pursue best options together and cooperated to come up with a group decision. We also respected each other’s experiences and shared our own, as this enriched each other’s knowledge and possibly increased understanding and tolerance of differences. Finally, exposure to other cultural values was treated as opportunities for learning. Everyone stood to gain from learning about others. Reflective Account Taking this course is truly an enriching experience for me. In each lecture, it is usual for me to be overwhelmed with the topics discussed. Sometimes, it seems as if I am hearing it for the first time, what with all the technical terms dropped on my over-stimulated ears! However, on hindsight, I realize these are topics I’ve known in practice – either observed them in action, done them myself or believed the concepts are what they are supposed to mean in the first place. As an adult student, I know I am at the threshold of choosing a career path I will find fulfillment in. The world suddenly seems too big for me and I am faced with endless possibilities. I know that even if I finish my education, I will continue to be a learner. My hunger for knowledge and new skills is unquenchable. I see that as a positive trait. My learning journal shows that I am mostly interested in people. The topics that deal with the specifics of business management do not attract me as much as the topics I have written about in my journal. I am drawn to learning about people and how they work together towards a particular goal. I learned how leaders should be and that my own ideals were validated. In this age when leaders easily fall into corruption, I still believe that a leader should be strong enough to hold on to his integrity and values. I also learned that motivation has various levels and kinds. My own experiences in motivation becomes a strength for me because I know I will not be easily swayed by material rewards. However, it may also be a weakness because in business, one goal is to make money. Decision-making is also something I could not firmly claim to be my strength. Because I have the tendency to consider so many things before I come up with a decision, I usually end up delaying making a final decision until its too late. I know I have to learn to be more decisive by knowing how to weigh things better. The rational needs to be balanced with the emotional outcomes. I know that I get along well with people. From my accounts in my learning journal, I had positive experiences with people of diverse backgrounds and personalities. Sometimes, since I am so into learning more about them, I become too easy to manipulate. It is difficult for me to say ‘no’. I guess that makes me likeable but at the same time, I end up doing more favors to others than I can handle. Time management is also a challenge for me. That is why I am open to alternative modes of employment apart from a fixed daily desk job. I am a very active learner and need to move around. I feel fulfilled when I get to do many things at once. However, I know that when I get engrossed in a certain activity, I forget about the time. I need to learn more time management techniques so I can meet all my short term as well as long term life goals. Overall, my action plan includes continued learning all throughout my life. This course has propelled me even more to do that with the additional readings and research I did in relation to the topics of my interest. If there are other opportunities to learn more like seminars, workshops or conferences offered then I will gladly attend. I shall be more open to new experiences, because I know that experience is the best teacher, and in every experience, there is much to learn – either a new concept or idea, a new skill or a new perspective in life. I shall also continue to relate with people from all walks of life since they are a good resource for learning. My dealings with people will help me strengthen my decision-making skills and help me learn to balance my relational skills with my rational skills. That way, I will not be easily exploited. Coming up with small projects of my own will help me improve my organizational and time-management skills. Something as simple as planning a social event creating a small garden or even starting a small-scale business will surely put me to the test. Life-long learning has now become one of my goals. I intend to fulfill it to the utmost. In other words, I shall live my life to the fullest. References Clark, D. (2008) Concepts of Leadership in Hutter, A.D. (1982) Poetry in psychoanalysis: Hopkins, Rosetti, Winnicott. International Review of Psycho-Analysis 9, 303-16. Retrieved on October 20, 2010 from http://nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadcon.html Dawson, C. (2009) Introduction to Business, Entrepreneurship and employability. MMU, Manchester. Handy, C. (1999) Understanding Organizations. 4th edition. London, UK: Penguin. Kjerulf, A. (n.d.), “Happy Hour is 9 to 5: Learn How To Love Your Job, Love Your Life and Kick Butt at Work” Retrieved on August 30, 2010 from http://positivesharing.com/happyhouris9to5/bookhtml/happyhouris9to56.ht ml Kohn, A. (1999) Punished by Rewards. Houghton Mifflin Kouzes, J. & Posner, B. (2007). The leadership challenge, 4th edition. San Francisco, Ca: Jossey- Bass Liethwood, K.A. & Riehl, C. (2003 ) What We Know About Successful School Leadership. NCSL Mor Barak, M. E. (2000) “The Inclusive Workplace: An Ecosystems Approach to Diversity Management”, Social Work, Vol. 45, No. 4 Shackelford, W. G. (2003) “The Changing Definition of Workplace Diversity”, The Black Collegian, Second Semester Super Issue 2003 Read More