Crystal Colin

Leadership Definition-Week 14

2012-04-14T21:19:25Z

Last Week's Final Definition: Leadership is having the ability to be self-aware, to see the whole picture, and to use your strengths to influence a group to accomplish a common goal.
This Week's Definition: Leadership is having the ability to be self-aware, to see the whole picture, understand your followers, and to use your strengths to influence a group to accomplish a common goal.
Analysis of the Differences in Definitions: I changed my definition a little bit this week by adding 'understand your followers.' While this could fit under the part about 'seeing the whole picture,' I wanted to make it more specific after reading the article these week about communication styles. The different factors that affect our communication styles as leaders are so complex, and it is so important for a leader to be able to communicate effectively. While it's important to be self-aware and understand the context within which we speak, the goals and values we have, what our own self-concept is, and what our communication style repertoire includes, we also need to be able to see these things from the point of view of our followers. If we don't, we could have very differing thoughts while communicating. This leads to misunderstandings, misinterpretations, and many more complications that should have never been there in the first place. As a leader, we need to be proactive in our communication, rather than reactive after it is too late. This means foreseeing those communication errors before they happen and adjusting our styles as needed instead of waiting for the problem to happen, then working to clean up the mess and clear up any misunderstandings between you and your followers.

Sources: Saphiere, D. H., Mikk, B. K., & Devries, B. I. (2005). "Factors Affecting Communication Style: Starring acts in the circus." 47 - 82. Retrieved from http://www.download-it.org/free_files/Pages%20from%20Chapter%2003%20-%20Factors%20Affecting%20Communication%20Style-c2c273a32b32ce590fe42518fa48db05.pdf.

Leadership Definition-Week 13

2012-04-08T22:27:39Z

Last Week's Final Definition: Leadership is having the ability to be self-aware, to see the whole picture, and to use your strengths to influence a group to accomplish a common goal.
This Week's Definition: Leadership is having the ability to be self-aware, to see the whole picture, and to use your strengths to influence a group to accomplish a common goal.
Analysis of the Differences in Definitions: I felt that my definition of leadership actually fit really well with this week's reading. The self-awareness part of my definition goes right along with the model of the five discoveries of Intentional Change Theory. I think it is so important to consistently evaluate ourselves by deciding what our "ideal self" is and then comparing that to our "real self." If we see any gaps between the two, we need to come up with a plan to make a sustainable change to become our ideal self. This article reminded a lot of the previous article about grounding our leadership vision into your personal vision. I can think of the worst leaders I have had and all of them said one thing, but did a completely different thing. I respect those who are who they say they are and are striving to be the best version of themselves. This article was great!

Sources: Boyatzis, R. E. (2006). "An Overview of Intentional Change from a Leadership Perspective." Journal of Management Development, 25(7), 607-623. doi:10.1108/02621710610678445

Leadership Definition-Week 12

2012-04-07T20:22:45Z

Last Week's Final Definition: Leadership is having the ability to be self-aware, to see the whole picture, and to use your strengths to influence a group to accomplish a common goal.
This Week's Definition: Leadership is having the ability to be self-aware, to see the whole picture, and to use your strengths to influence a group to accomplish a common goal.
Analysis of the Differences in Definitions: Once again, I didn't change my definition because I felt that this weeks articles on working in teams were just some good advice for teams in general, not for a specific leader. I do think leaders should have a good understanding of group dynamics, the different dimensions that make up groups, and the stages of group development, but I don't think this knowledge is essential to be a successful leader. From the "Interacting in Teams and Group" article, I think leaders would be really great as teams work through the different development stages. Since conflict needs to be solved, a strong leader who can see the whole picture would be helpful to address issues and help teams move forward. A leader would also benefit from being able to understand -- even delegate -- group roles to members, help establish group norms and create the right climate for the type of team, and help handle conflict creatively so it can be beneficial. One specific area that only direct teams is when there is group decisions to be made. If a group wants to delegate decision making to one leader, the leader is obviously responsible. While all these things are helpful for leaders to know, I don't think it's essential because the group as a whole will all have input and can support each other in working through the stages and understanding group dynamics.

Sources: Komives, S. R., Lucas, N., & McMahon, T. R. (1998). "Interacting in Teams and Groups." Exploring Leadership: For college students who want to make a difference (pp. 165 - 194). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Definition of Leadership-Week 11

2012-03-26T01:45:09Z

Last Week's Final Definition: Leadership is having the ability to be self-aware, to see the whole picture, and to use your strengths to influence a group to accomplish a common goal.
This Week's Definition: Leadership is having the ability to be self-aware, to see the whole picture, and to use your strengths to influence a group to accomplish a common goal.
Analysis of the Differences in Definitions: I didn't change my definition this week because I didn't feel that any of the readings really changed my perception of leadership. I thought they were all very through-provoking and they made me look internally and assess how I act to people-especially people that are different than me. The one reading that I was really challenged by was the book excerpt about the Warren Harding Error. I have been at fault my times when it comes to making snap judgments about people I just meet. I can be lazy and not want to take the time to get to know somebody, but I am realizing how important it is to just take things a little further and look below the surface. I can name one time in particular where I made a snap judgment and thought a girl I met was really rude and wouldn't make a good friend. I spent time with her a week later, got to know her a little better, and she is now my best friend. This is an extreme example, but I think it shows how importance it is to be cognizant of the Warren Harding Error and be proactive in working against it to understand people for who they are and not who we think they are.

Sources: Gladwell, M. (2005). "The Warren Harding Error: Why we fall for tall, dark, and handsome men." Blink: The power of thinking without thinking (pp. 72 - 98). New York: Pushkin Enterprises.

Leadership Definition-Week 8

2012-03-08T03:06:43Z

Last Week's Final Definition: Leadership is being self-aware and using your strengths to influence a group to accomplish a common goal.
This Week's Definition: Leadership is having the ability to be self-aware, to see the whole picture, and to use your strengths to influence a group to accomplish a common goal.
Analysis of the Differences in Definitions: I changed my definition this week because I really agreed with the "Get on the balcony" article and thought the concept from it should be included in my definition. Having the ability to take a step outside of a situation and see the whole picture objectively is so important. I actually had a chance to bring this article up in a class this week when we were doing a case study and looking at the mistakes an executive in a company made. The main problem was his inability to view himself objectively, see what mistakes he was doing, and see what others thought of him. He was so stuck in his narrow mindset that he had no idea what was going on in his company. Being able to look at the whole picture is helpful, but a leader also needs to step back in and take action. This opens them up to new perspectives and other possible solutions to problems. It also helps avoid misperceptions. I really agreed with this article.

Sources: Heifetz, R. A., & Linsky, M. (2002). "Get on the balcony." Leadership on the Line: Staying alive through the dangers of leading (pp. 51 - 74). Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

Leadership Definition Week 7

2012-03-03T19:32:09Z

Last Week's Final Definition: Leadership is being self-aware and using your strengths to influence a group to accomplish a common goal.
This Week's Definition: Leadership is being self-aware and using your strengths to influence a group to accomplish a common goal.
Analysis of the Differences in Definitions: Once again, I've kept my definition of leadership the change, mainly because I thought these readings didn't apply to all of leadership; they focused on certain types of leaders. I absolutely loved "Becoming a Servant Leader: Do you have what it takes?" because this is the type of leader I resonate with the most. I have always strived to be a servant leader, but I've never considered the characteristics that really make up a leader. I felt that all eleven were ones that I have, although some much more than others. I agreed when the reading said some characteristics are easier to develop, while some are just more natural. Looking back on my leadership, empathy and calling for example have always been there and haven't changed a lot, but my listening skills have changed a lot over time. As I mentioned, I didn't want to change my definition to include something about servant leadership because not everyone is this type of leader. It was just a very useful article for me and anyone else who wants to lead in this way and wants to know which characteristics they can be developing.

Sources: Barbuto, J. E., & Wheeler, D. W. (2007). "Becoming a Servant Leader: Do you have what it takes?" Retrieved from www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic/live/g1481/build/g1481.pdf

Definition of Leadership-Week 6

2012-02-25T16:45:09Z

Last Week's Final Definition: Leadership is being self-aware and using your strengths to influence a group to accomplish a common goal.
This Week's Definition: Leadership is being self-aware and using your strengths to influence a group to accomplish a common goal.
Analysis of the Differences in Definitions: Once again, I have kept the same definition of leadership because I still believe it encompasses the new material from this week. "Leadership in a Permanent Crisis" talked about how leadership needs to remain adaptive and embrace disequalibrium in the midst of today's economy. I loved how this article really pushed for not only going in the emergency phase--stabilizing a problem situation--but also pushing the need to be in the adaptive phase in order to tackle the underlying problems. I think that leaders in all situations should at least be able to handle both these phases since we all have the potential to encounter problems that need fixing and understanding.The other point of this article that I thought really goes beyond the actions of a leader towards his or her followers was the fact that a leader needs to take care of themselves. I think this ties in to being self-aware and knowing what your limits are, how far you can reasonably challenge yourself, and when you need to take a step back so you don't lose yourself in the problem.

Sources: Heifetz, R., Grashow, A., & Linsky, M. (2009). "Leadership in a (permanent) crisis." Harvard Business Review, 87(7), 62-69. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=keh&AN=41997981&site=ehost-live

Leadership Definition-Week 5

2012-02-18T23:05:18Z

Last Week's Final Definition: Leadership is being self-aware and using your strengths to influence a group to accomplish a common goal.
This Week's Definition: Leadership is being self-aware and using your strengths to influence a group to accomplish a common goal.
Analysis of the Differences in Definitions: I kept my definition the same because I think that it still is conclusive enough to include the topic of ethics. The reading that really stuck out to me this week was "The Function of Ethics." The self-awareness part of my definition is very important to the ideas from this reading. As mentioned, humans are naturally egotistical and selfish in their thinking. It's important for a leader to be self-aware so that they can acknowledge their natural tendency to think this way. Once they are aware of this negative way they think, they can move forward to combat it and become more ethical people. Being very self-aware also helps a leader to think beyond the beliefs of their culture and society, which can put limits on ethical thinking (people get confused and believe that something that is a part of their culture is automatically ethical when it actually isn't).

Sources:
Paul, R., & Elder, L. (2006). "The Function of Ethics -- and Its Main Impediement." Understanding the Foundations of Ethical Reasoning (pp. 4 - 36). Dillon Beach, CA: Foundation for Critical Thinking.

Leadership Definition-Week 4

2012-02-11T17:04:50Z

Last Week's Final Definition: Leadership is using your strengths to influence a group in accomplishing a goal.
This Week's Definition: Leadership is being self-aware and using your strengths to influence a group to accomplish a common goal.
Analysis of the Differences in Definitions: My definition is pretty similar to my previous one, but I wanted to add in something about being self-aware as a leader. The reading by Lee and King was the reason I added self-awareness to my definition. In the article, the authors stress the importance of knowing your personal vision and core values in order to be an effective leader (2001). I completely agree with this because what you truly value and what you want in life will come out in your leadership, whether consciously or unconsciously. As a personal example, I value integrity and friendships so if I were leading a group at work to meet a deadline, I would lead them in a way that encourages honesty and I would be very relational and encouraging. It's important for people to know themselves so they can be strong leaders in situations that call for their strengths.

Sources: Terry, R. (2001). "Deciding what you believe." Seven zones for leadership: Acting authentically in stability and chaos (pp. 20 - 40). Mountain View, CA: Davies-Black Publishing, Inc.

Leadership Definition-Week 3

2012-02-04T19:21:55Z

Last Week's Final Definition: Being a leader both in a formal setting and an informal setting. A person can lead by example or by telling others what to do. They can also be chosen to lead or rise up as a leader on their own.
This Week's Definition: Leadership is using your strengths to influence a group in accomplishing a goal.
Analysis of the Differences in Definitions: I changed my definition from the previous one to make it more concise about what a leader is, rather than when they're a leader and how they become a leader. After completing the readings, I learned that leadership is very broad. I included the fact that leadership is about using strengths after I read the article by Clifton and Schreinder (2006). I agreed with this article when it said leaders exhibit specific strengths that make them more capable in certain situations, but I also believe that strengths alone won't make a leader effective. The followers are an important component to effective leadership, and there is also an aspect of the environment the leader is in, which is outside their own control.

Sources: Clifton, D., Anderson, E., and Schreinder, L. (2006). StrengthsQuest: Discover and develop your strengths in academics, career, and beyond. New York: Gallup Press. Pages: 26 - 70.

What Leadership Is

2012-01-20T17:21:15Z

This weeks's definition: I think that leadership is being a leader both in a formal setting and an informal setting. A person can lead by example or by telling others what to do. They can also be chosen to lead or rise up as a leader on their own.