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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