A511.7.3.RB_MilliganSteven

Reading the article Getting Personal on the topic of Leadership it was interesting to learn that a number of the leaders discussed used their manner of dress and appearance to express their style of leadership.  Being in the military it is much more difficult for me to be able to do that.  Going to work every day I am dressed exactly the same way as everybody else in the office.  Because of this I have to be able to find other ways to express my leadership style. 

In the article they discuss the idea of learning through our adolescent years and how as time moves forward we learn what works for us.  I fully agree with this and believe that as we learn about ourselves we can apply these things to our leadership and adult personalities.  The article states, “Effective leaders keep working at this art. They develop a close understanding of their differences. In particular they become aware of what is different about them that makes them attractive to others. They learn to use these differences to their advantage in a leadership role” (Goffee & Jones, 2006).  As we learn and grow we realize that there are many things about us that make us unique.  It is important to develop those things and learn to use them to our advantage. 

           

When I was younger I wanted to be just like my Dad.  He studied martial arts and could kick anybody’s butt.  He was a leader and held many different leadership positions and wasn’t afraid to speak his mind.  As I grew older I quickly realized that although we had many similarities in our personalities we also had many differences and I wasn’t going to be just like my Dad.  While this was disheartening and for a while I didn’t think I could be successful because of this I also realized that my “perfect” father also had weaknesses where I had strengths.  I had a better sense of empathy and was quicker to listen to a situation whereas he would often speak now and think later.  I was more likely to use my ability to “sweet talk” people when I needed something whereas he was more likely to get mad and frustrated and try and force them to help him out.  While I have to admit his tactic did work on many occasions I also feel that my style works more often with better results.  

           

The article lists many great leaders that have many unique personality traits that help to make them great.  I have to imagine that sixteen year old Bill Gates didn’t understand that his geekyness would lead him to becoming one of the richest men in the world with a wife, children and a lifetime of philanthropy.  As a young person and even an adult it can be difficult to want to keep the things about ourselves that make us unique.  On many occasions we just want to fit in and avoid standing out for others to take advantage of.  Once learn that many of the things that make us unique can help us to be successful leaders we can build upon our strengths and hopefully strengthen our weaknesses.  One of the things that make me unique is that I understand when I make mistakes and am not afraid to share those mistakes and learn from them.  I often talk about things I have done that have led to me looking like a fool and I have talked about how I have learned from those things.  As I talk about my life and failures and successes others are able to learn from my mistakes and even laugh as I tell my ridiculous stories.  I use this often to break the ice and show my subordinates that I am adventurous, fun loving and not afraid to throw myself out there and get dirty.  For a long time I didn’t realize that this could be used as a leadership tool, however, subconsciously I understood that I was able to more quickly connect with people this way.  The article states, “To begin with this is unconscious, but, at some point, individuals make conscious choices about what works for them and how much they are prepared to adapt” (Goffee & Jones, 2006). 

            Adaptation is key and without adapting some of these traits we develop as children can diminish our ability to lead.  For example, as a teenager I used to think it was funny to argue with people.  I could argue people in circles and after a while drive them insane to where they would just give up and do what I wanted.  I used this on my parents on many occasions.  I quickly learned that because of this my relationships with others suffered and it wasn’t till several years later that I had an awakening and realized it was me that was driving others crazy and not the other way around.  Over time I was able to learn to choose my battles and rather than argue I learned to carry a respectful conversation.  I also learned to listen to others and often realized that the side I was arguing was often the wrong one.  I learned that listening to others could often get more done in half the time than arguing could. 

         

         When learning to lead it is important to think about what your goals are in your new position.  My favorite story in the article is about John Latham.  Latham was the head teacher of an award winning school.  In his new position as head of the school he approached the role as someone who could get things done.  Rather than come in and try to change a bunch of things like the prior leadership he searched out the things the teachers truly needed fixed and started fixing them as soon as he could.  This helped the faculty understand that he was there for them and that he was going to get them the things they needed to do their job.  He used this approach to win their hearts.  In the future when he would approach them with ideas on changes they would be much more willing to listen rather than shut him out.  Had he approached them with a boss-like attitude and started demanding they listen to him the results probably would have been much different.        

Through any person’s time as a leader they will be given ample opportunity to question and veer away from their beliefs or core values.  These core values and personal integrity are important to leading successfully.  The text refers to behaviors that are related to integrity “as morally justifiable include observing the same rules and standards applied to others, being honest and candid when providing information or answering questions, keeping promises and commitments, and acknowledging responsibility for mistakes while also seeking to correct them” (Yukl, 2013, p. 342).  When we are able to define our core values and abide by them it makes decision making much easier when faced with moral dilemmas.  When we abide by these values and have integrity we can then be honest with our subordinates and co-workers knowing that every decision we make is the best we know how.  We can admit to our mistakes and do our best to fix them because we know that we will always do our best to consistently make the right decision. 

Leadership is difficult and requires constant learning and the ability to adapt to different situations.  When we are able to find our strengths, apply our unique traits in a positive way and consistently abide by our core values we can learn to make a positive difference and lead people effectively.  Just like John Latham or many of the other leaders discussed in the article we can apply our own unique traits and understand that our goal as a leader is to not only accomplish the goals the organization has set for us but to take care of those that make it happen also.

References

Goffee, R., & Jones, G. (2006). Getting Personal on the topic of leadership. HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL DIGEST, pp. 32-34.

Yukl, G. (2013). Leadership in Organizations. Boston: Pearson.

   

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When we have meaning in our lives it can change everything about how we perceive our world.  For years I struggled to find meaning in work, school, in relationships and at home.  Because of this each of these aspects of my life were not to the degree of quality I wanted them to be.  In school I had no interest in my degree and therefore had very little interest in learning the topics I was studying.  I had very little interest in pursuing a career in my field of study and therefore had little incentive to work hard in my classes.  It did not matter that I was paying money for those classes, without meaning the desire to achieve good grades did not exist.  At work I found very little meaning in what I did and found no reason to work hard or pursue advancement in my career.  In relationships I found that they would come and go and not lead to anything meaningful and had no desire to continue those relationships. 

            Meaning is a powerful driver of force in our lives and the lack thereof can have a devastating effect on our daily progression.  When we find meaning it can change everything and help us to succeed in the face of great opposition.  When I found a degree path I enjoyed, a career that meant serving others and a greater purpose and a spouse and family that meant the world to me I found meaning in places I never thought I would.  My life changed and my level of happiness increased exponentially. 

            As leaders it is important that we help people to find meaning in their work and their lives.  While we cannot force this upon them, we can help them along the way and help them to search out and find meaning in places they may not have known existed.  When people are able to find meaning in their work they can often endure challenges and work conditions that otherwise would have caused them to give up and walk away.  In the article Getting Beyond Engagement to Creating Meaning at Work, Dave and Wendy Ulrich explain more about meaning in the work place.  They state, “Even in unfavorable circumstances, people can experience an activity as meaningful when it resonates with chosen values, connects them with people they like, raises their sense of competence, or gives them an “ah-ha” moment of insight.” (Ulrich & Ulrich, 2010).  In leadership we can help employees experience this meaning.  This is done through a number of ways.

            Friendship and relationship building can help those around us find meaning in their jobs.  When I first joined the Air Force I did not find a lot of meaning in the field of logistics.  The idea of moving items from one place to another was not that exciting to me.  However, over time I learned to understand the meaning of it and without these items my fellow airmen would suffer and not be able to accomplish their missions.  Promoting a positive work environment can help us to find meaning also.  When work is not enjoyable and people dread showing up the work output and quality will suffer.  We can facilitate change by promoting open lines of communication, moral events and helping to ease tensions when work gets a little crazy.  We can also help others in the workplace to see the big pictures.  When we work we get focused on only the role we play in the organization but if we can see how the stuff we do everyday affects the greater machine that we are a part of we can understand the importance of what we do.  We can also encourage employees to use their strengths to improve the workplace and their jobs.  If we can find the strengths of each employee and encourage them to use those to foster a positive environment we can help them to find meaning.  They see that they are worth something to the company and have more to offer than just the menial tasks they accomplish day in and day out.  In the article it states “From what we know about how the human brain works, the ability to create meaning is also enhanced by challenge (solving a problem that is not too hard or too easy), emotional safety (fostered by friendship, fairness, and self-esteem), autonomy (structure but not micromanagement), and, perhaps most importantly, learning from experienced meaning-makers” (Ulrich & Ulrich, 2010).  If we can create intellectually stimulating, positive and friendly environments we can help those we work with to find more meaning in their professional lives. 

Sometimes in order to be able to better the work lives for our employees we need to change the way things are done at the company.  Leading change can be difficult and often times come with a lot of resistance.  This is usually met with phases that lead to change.  These three phases are unfreezing, changing and refreezing.  In the unfreezing phase “people come to realize that the old way of doing things are no longer adequate” (Yukl, 2013, p. 78).  This is when they start looking for ways to improve their lives.  If we can’t change things during this phase they may look for other career options and leave the company.  At a company I used to work for some new senior leadership was introduced.  They were so terrible and created an environment of hostility and disrespect that employees started leaving the company in droves.  Those that stayed tried to make changes and when they realized it wasn't possible they to left the company.  As leadership it’s important we don’t let this happen and make the changes necessary before those we rely on decide to leave. 

The next phase is the change phase. This is when “people look for new ways of doing things and select a promising approach” (Yukl, 2013, p. 78).  If we can open up discussions and look for new ways to make changes from those that do the work every day we can vastly improve the lives of our employees.  Last night I was able to sit and listen to a group of U.S. Air Force Chiefs discuss ways we can improve our Air Force.  One suggestion was that we listen to our young airmen, listen to their expertise and make the changes they suggest.  They are the ones that do the job every day and have the most insight into improving processes.

The final phase is the refreezing phase.  This is when “people look for new ways of doing things and select a promising approach” (Yukl, 2013, p. 78).  In order to establish change we need a plan to make the changes and stick to those changes.  Change is not always easy and often comes with growing pains.  Once we can establish that change is needed and are able to put those changes into effect it is important we stick to it.  It can be easy to revert back to the more familiar inefficient methods.  Doing this leads to failure and a lack of progression.  Implementing change can be difficult and can come with resistance.  In the text Yukl establishes some key guidelines for easing this process.  It’s important that we communicate a clear vision of what benefits we can find in the change.  We then build a coalition of supporters.  These people will help to establish and continue the process of making these changes.  We then fill key positions.  If we can establish competent managers that can help to push these changes others will follow and see the benefits as they go through the processes.  Communication is very important during this process and we need to consistently explain the changes and how it will affect both the work and the employees.  As the changes continue and time goes on we need to keep up the communication and inform them of the progress and the benefits that are taking place because of the changes being made.  One of the most important things we need to remember during this process is to always show an attitude of optimism.  We can’t always see the positive effects of change until some time has passed.  Keeping a positive attitude will help to ease the process and show our employees we are willing to make the changes along with them. 

Change is not always easy but when implemented correctly can have long lasting positive effects.  We can make changes in companies and organizations that can lead to increased quality of life, learning and innovation.  These can lead to stronger companies with more loyal employees that are willing to work harder and smarter to get the job done.  When we make changes and then show appreciation and positive reinforcement it shows subordinates that we care and we are there for them.  We need to help them understand that we can learn from both successes and failure and as we do this failures happen less often, the rate of success increases and the environment we work in becomes a more positive, stimulating and encouraging environment for everyone.   

 References

Ulrich, D., & Ulrich, W. (2010, June 2). The Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from blogs.hbr.org: http://blogs.hbr.org/2010/06/getting-beyond-engagement-to-c/

Yukl, G. (2013). Leadership in Organizations. Boston: Pearson.

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The study on Remote transformational leadership sought to explore several different questions: does physical distance has an effect on transformational leadership and leader subordinate relationships, and if transformational leadership and charismatics in e-mail can affect subordinate performance. These studies were accomplished through both the vignette technique and in a laboratory setting. 

The first of these studies was accomplished through a vignette.  Twelve MBA students who had recently listened to a lecture on transformational leadership were each given a questionnaire to fill out.  They were asked to answer a number of questions relating to a particular fake scenario.  The scenario presented three possible e-mails sent from a leader figure to a subordinate.  Each e-mail was based on a separate leadership style.  These styles are transformational, management-by-exception and laissez-faire.  The e-mails were from Mark (the leader) to Jeff (the subordinate). 

The first of these styles used the transformational approach encouraging and praising Jeff, suggesting that if he has any questions he can reach out to Mark for help in accomplishing the problem if it is needed.  The second e-mail followed the management-by-exception style and informed Jeff that he would be watched closely and that any mistakes would not be tolerated.  The final e-mail was presented in laissez-faire style and suggested that Mark could really care less about the situation, he would be gone for the weekend, and that it was up to Jeff to figure it out, if he wanted.  In the text Yukl describes this as “passive indifference about the task and subordinates and as the absence of effective leadership” (Yukl, 2013, p. 323)

In order to further answer the question posed by the researcher, two specific questions were posed for this method.  The first question posed was, “can recipients perceive and accurately identify leadership “styles” communicated by e-mail? Second, is receiving an e-mail with a positive leadership method as opposed to a negative message perceive to be associated with positive outcomes” (Kelloway, Julian, Elizabeth, Julie, & Bernadette, 2002, p. 164).  In this study, students read the scenario and answered the questions.  The results were as follows, the e-mails sent in a laissez-faire style had no effect, the e-mails sent in a management-by-exception style had a negative effect and the e-mails sent using a transformational style had a positive effect.  To both the questions asked for the first study, the answers would be yes.  Students can perceive leadership styles and the positive e-mails would have a positive effect. 

The purpose of the second study was to build on the first, asking whether or not students who read an intellectually stimulating e-mail would show higher levels of task motivation and perform better than those that read an e-mail from a charismatic leader. This was accomplished through an experiment involving 105 college students.  Each student was assigned the task of sorting out a list of items in order of importance to survival.  Before being assigned to groups they were to sort out the rankings individually and then were put into groups to complete the task again from a group standpoint.  Before beginning the task, each student was presented with an e-mail that contained either a charismatic message presenting the leader’s vision and confidence in the students, while the other e-mail contained an intellectually stimulating message encouraging participants to “think outside the box”.  According to the research, the group that had read the intellectually stimulating message performed better with higher scores than the groups that had read the charismatic leader’s e-mail.  Much like in the first research method, the researchers hypothesized that the students who read the intellectually stimulating e-mail would perform better than the students reading the e-mail from the charismatic leader.  In both studies the researchers hypothesized correctly. 

Both of these studies are important for several reasons.  They ask a variety of questions which are relevant in our day and age.  We live in a technologically advanced world that has brought about a great deal of change in the way we communicate.  Much of our communication is done through e-mail in many cases foregoing personal contact with our leadership for days.  Because of this, it is important to understand how we affect our subordinates as leaders and what we can do to help and encourage them in the most effective way possible.  Through positive e-mail, that encourages and stimulates the thinking of our employees, we can be better leaders who help them create positive change within our organizations. 

The first studies shows that positive forms of electronic communication are very important in boosting the productivity of those we are asked to lead, while the second study shows that intellectually stimulating e-mails will help them show more motivation and perform better.  The most interesting piece of the second study was that both e-mails were positive, the only difference was that the second e-mail was also intellectually stimulating and encouraged participants to think outside the box rather that rely on the vision of the leader.  Yukl groups intellectual stimulation in the text with transformational leaders, and suggests that it “is behavior that influences followers to view problems from a new perspective and look for more creative solutions” (Yukl, 2013, p. 322).

I would suspect the reason the group that read the intellectually stimulating e-mail performed better was due to the fact that those that read the first e-mail were too worried about accomplishing the task the way the leader wanted them to, rather than thinking for themselves, and approaching the situation in the way they thought best.  Transformational leadership is important in that it is meant to develop, encourage, and motivate employees to think for themselves, and want to perform at a high level.  Yukl explains, “Transformational leaders probably do more things that will empower followers and make them less dependent on the leader, such as delegating significant authority to individuals or teams, developing follower skills and self-confidence providing direct access to sensitive information, eliminating unnecessary controls, and building a strong culture to support empowerment” (Yukl, 2013, p. 329).  When we approach leadership in this style, we can help to improve and build up subordinates.  If our goals are to help build quality, independent future leaders and workers, the positive outcomes for the organization and the individuals will be great, and will only help to build on our own success as leaders within our organizations.

References

Kelloway, K. E., Julian, B., Elizabeth, K., Julie, C., & Bernadette, G. (2002). Remote Transformational Leadership. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 163-171.

Yukl, G. (2013). Leadership in Organizations. Boston: Pearson.

  

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To be good leader and manager there are a number of traits that are needed in order to be truly effective. These are listed in the text as a specific set of traits relating to leadership effectiveness. Each of these traits are often seen in leaders due to the typical environment and responsibility they hold. Depending on the leader a person may have one or all of these traits. For myself I feel that I have to some degree all of these traits but realize that I need to continually work on each of them.

High energy level and stress tolerance is a trait that is needed for leaders and managers.  Managers are required to carry a lot of responsibility while being willing to work longer hours and until the job is done. For low energy people with low stress tolerance levels this may be impossible for them.  I’ve realized in my own life that as I prepare for the next day and make sure I have people I can count on to help me out the more my stress levels go down. While stress tolerance is very important it’s also important for a leader to be trained and have a good understanding of how to deal with stress. Often times exercise, healthy eating and positive thinking can help to bring stress levels down. I have found that in my role I have at the moment it can be very stressful and fast paced. I am able to use my energy and interpersonal skills to help those around me deal with stress in an effective manner. It can be difficult but I have found that if I prepare for the next day and week I rarely find myself surprised or thrown off by anything. Even when things come up out of the blue I have enough control over my day to be able to handle the new things that are thrown my way.

Self-confidence is also important for a leader to have. To be effective and have the desire to go after difficult objectives and goals a leader needs to know they can achieve these things even if they are not sure how to go about it. Yukl states in the text, “Leaders with self-confidence are likely to be more decisive in a crisis where success often depends on the perception by subordinates that the leader has the knowledge and courage necessary to deal with the crisis effectively” (Yukl, 2013, p. 140). Self-esteem is clearly an advantage when it comes to leadership, however, it can become excessive and can cause a leader to make poor decisions that are too risky. I have had to learn to build my own self-esteem over time and often struggle with the notion that I do not always know what I am doing. I have to use positive thoughts and reinforcement to force myself to get over this and remind myself that with hard work I can be a good leader.

An internal locus of control is another important managerial trait. A person with a strong internal locus of control “believes that events lives are determined more by their own action than by chance or uncontrollable forces” (Yukl, 2013, p. 140). This helps these people to be more future oriented, having a desire to be in control of what happens to them. This is something I have had to work on throughout my own life. It is easy to blame things that go wrong on other people or circumstances. In elementary school it was easy to blame bad grades or not finishing my homework on the teacher. As I grew up I learned that no matter who I blamed it was always up to me to fix it. Being able to take control of my own life and what happens in it is a key aspect of learning to lead and manage people.

A leader needs to have emotional stability and maturity.  Leaders deal with a lot of stress on a daily basis. This stress comes from both the work place and the lives of their subordinates. If a leader finds themselves to be emotionally falling apart it can make it difficult to lead others. This isn’t to say however, that a leader can’t use examples of when they have struggled in life to help others that come to them. I myself have been able to use things I’ve gone through to help others make it through difficult situations they are in. When people come to me as a leader I need to be in a place emotionally that enables me to be able to help them. I have had people come to me with terminally ill spouses, questions about school and how to get in shape or family problems or just to talk because they are too stressed with the daily frustrations of life. If I find myself to be in a tough place emotionally I need to find a way to come to terms with what is going on in my own life so I can be available to help others.

Part of being a leader is having power over others to some degree. This power can be motivation to help or hinder those around us. Yukl states that “someone with a high need for power enjoys influencing people and events and is more likely to seek positions of authority” (Yukl, 2013, p. 142) This can manifest itself in a positive or detrimental way. Leaders with a personalized power orientation will use this power to aggrandize themselves to satisfy their own desires rather than to help others.  Motivation for being a leader is an important part of leading. If a person’s motivation is not in the right place it can lead to a manager being ineffective. A leader with socialized power orientation is willing to exercise that power in order to benefit others. This makes it a much more beneficial orientation. They build up subordinates and make them stronger and more effective while creating pride in each person and the unit as a whole. If a leader’s motivation is to help and build people up they will be much more effective. I have found within my own experiences that days where I can go home and know that I have helped someone I am much happier and much more excited about going back to work the next day. Power is not about making myself to be a bigger and cooler person. Power is about bringing good into the world. The power we have the more good we should bring. From a leadership perspective if we can help others to become better, more efficient workers with high self-esteem and strong emotional-intelligence than we can be assured that we are successful. If our goals are contrary to these we may to step back and reexamine our intentions. I believe we can accomplish the goals of whatever organization we are with while taking care of the people from the organization.

A well-established understanding of contingency theories and variables can help us to see more clearly how we can be more effective as leaders. Depending on the situation and the variables at play our style of leadership may need to change. Whether the change is a new work environment, new subordinates, new bosses or a change in company policies these are all variables that effect work on a daily basis. Even the different personalities of each worker is a variable that may force the leader or manager to have to change their leadership style. Depending on who I am dealing with means I have to change my leadership and communication styles. Some people like a more outspoken person that corrects them on the spot. Others may need someone that talks to them about how to fix things and helps them to figure it out for themselves. Some people need motivation while others are self-motivated. Each person is different and requires a different type of leader.

The path-goal theory suggests that we can help our subordinates clearly see a path to reach the end goal. It is our job to help them visualize that path and understand it is possible to reach the goal. If we make the goal seem too hard to reach it can demotivate. I have used this theory at work on several occasions. When we have a lot of work to get done I remind my team that if we can do it right and work together it shouldn’t be a problem. Sometimes the goals aren’t that difficult to reach, it just happens that the path is laden with clutter that makes it hard to traverse.

A theory that I personally struggle with is the Cognitive Resource Theory. This theory suggests that using two traits (intelligence and experience) is a key part of leadership and effective accomplishment of goals in the work place. I am by far the least experience person in my office and am still expected to lead those people. To a degree I have to trust (but verify) that they are doing their job in the right way and getting it done the way they should be. Over time, as I become more proficient in the day to day work this will change as my expertise grows. Because I am less experience than others I rely heavily on the expertise of the non-commissioned officer in charge of the office where I work. We are generally a team. While he is much better on the knowledge side of the house while I tend to be more personable and outspoken. This combination helps us to work together as a team and make sure that production in the office is high.

I have noticed that over the past few months that moral in the office has been very low. I suspect that previous leadership in the office had very little understanding of situational variables. These are variables that can influence group performance greatly. Some examples of these included in the text are “the formal reward system and intrinsically motivating properties of the work” (Yukl, 2013, p. 186). Due to the repetitive nature of some of the work in the office it can be difficult to make this as a form of motivation. The formal reward system however is much more effective. When we accomplish a task with professionalism or receive high marks during an inspection or exercise it can be beneficial to use the reward system. Thanks to their efforts during a previous inspection we will be having an office BBQ followed by early release. There is a two-fold purpose behind this. The first is to reward for hard work and the second is to bring office moral up so that work is done more efficiently and the days are more enjoyable.

Leadership is by no means a one way road. Many paths can lead to success as a leader. The important thing is to have a well-rounded understanding of leadership styles and how to use them. To be a good leader we need to understand how important leadership traits, motivation and power effect not only leaders but those they lead and how variables effect leaders and the work environment.

References

Yukl, G. (2013). Leadership in Organizations. Boston: Pearson.