Celia's Blog tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2012-01-22:/drake195/myblog//15602 2012-04-15T06:46:32Z Movable Type Enterprise 4.31-en April 14, 2012 tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2012:/drake195/myblog//15602.351106 2012-04-14T05:02:53Z 2012-04-15T06:46:32Z Last week's definition: Leadership is a way to express knowledge and allocate equal authority amongst a group or team. In order to fulfill the duties of a leader and produce the best results, it is important to address group members... drake195 Last week's definition: Leadership is a way to express knowledge and allocate equal authority amongst a group or team. In order to fulfill the duties of a leader and produce the best results, it is important to address group members individually as opposed to the group as a whole. A leader must also keep in mind the importance of group dynamics. The output of a group is directly related to how well the group works together.

This week's definition: same (save for a bit of tweaking on the last sentence)

This week I chose to keep my definition the same. Upon reading about the Intentional Change Theory in Richard Boyatzis' research article I felt the ICT appropriately tied into my personal definition of leadership. The ICT is best described as the desired changes in an individual's behavior, thoughts, or feelings. The ICT is a theory that suggests the only way to achieve these desired changes is for the individual to want to make that change. Boyatzis states, "Adults learn what they want to learn," which coincides with adults changing what they wish to change and making the effort to do so. Boyatzis also notes the importance of reaching these goals by focusing on a "strengths based" approach as opposed to following a specific guideline, that way the individual is working in the best way that suits them.

I noticed the connection between Boyatzis' findings and my personal definition in his focus on the individual as opposed to a group on the whole. Whether it be the leader or a specific group members, the ICT is generally aimed towards changing and enhancing an individual's behavior or perceptions. Of course, I feel very strongly about placing importance on one person at a time in order to receive the best feedback and ultimately word toward being the best you can be.

]]> April 6, 2012 tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2012:/drake195/myblog//15602.349978 2012-04-07T04:02:55Z 2012-04-08T05:45:45Z Last week's definition: Leadership is a way to express knowledge and demonstrate equality amongst a group or team. In order to fulfill the duties of a leader and produce the best results, it is important to address group members individually... drake195 Last week's definition: Leadership is a way to express knowledge and demonstrate equality amongst a group or team. In order to fulfill the duties of a leader and produce the best results, it is important to address group members individually as opposed to the group as a whole.

This week's definition: Leadership is a way to express knowledge and allocate equal authority amongst a group or team. In order to fulfill the duties of a leader and produce the best results, it is important to address group members individually as opposed to the group as a whole. A leader must also keep in mind the importance of group dynamics. How well a group works together is directly related to the output a group produces.

This week I attempted to clarify my previous definition. It seems to be hard for me to put into words exactly what my goal of the definition is but essentially when I state "allocate equal authority amongst a group..." I mean I believe a leader should be an example of what is right and fair and direct other various leadership positions appropriately and equally. Of course, only in a perfect world is a leader always "right and fair"! But, these are my beliefs and after much group work in my time at the University I enact these beliefs whenever I am in a leadership postion. In addition to my clarification I also added a brief statement about group dynamics from this week's readings. Group dynamics are important to pay attention to because they are always changing. A group should always strive to produce positive dynamics and it is helpful, and sometimes necessary, for a leader to enforce this.

I was excited about this week's readings because of a class I took previously focusing solely on the concept of small group work. I am a communications major and group work seems to be a large part of my studies. Group work is a struggle for almost everyone I know, but what many people do not understand is that it is possible to achieve great results in a group setting. To be honest, I think everyone should take some sort of a small group communications class and most of our problems would be solved!

Komives discusses the models and theories to working in a group setting. The forming, storming, norming, and performing stages in group development are what I view to be the key to success. Once these four stages are understood, it is easy (and somewhat enjoyable) to get to know fellow group members and allow for successful group interaction. As I mentioned in my definition this week, group dynamics is also very important. During the storming and norming stage, a group tends to develop and grow accustomed to the pattern of teamwork that works best for them. The dynamics between the group is especially important at this time because it is constantly variating. Roles are distributed amongst group members and sometimes tension can be high and it is important for a leader to moderate this in order to prevent conflict.

Bibliography
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.

]]> March 30, 2012 tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2012:/drake195/myblog//15602.348670 2012-03-30T15:33:35Z 2012-04-01T04:29:08Z Last week's definition: Leadership is a form of management that often produces best results when a leader is dedicated to focusing on team members individually as opposed to the group or team as a whole. This week's definition: Leadership is... drake195 Last week's definition: Leadership is a form of management that often produces best results when a leader is dedicated to focusing on team members individually as opposed to the group or team as a whole.

This week's definition: Leadership is a way to express knowledge and demonstrate equality amongst a group or team. In order to fulfill the duties of a leader and produce the best results, it is important to address group members individually as opposed to the group as a whole.

This week I altered my definition. I had been wanting to break up my previous definition but was unsure how and after reading this week's assigned passages I felt this was a fitting time to make the changes. I believe a leader must always consider the sensitivity level amongst his or her group members. In my opinion, it should be the first priority, but unfortunately in many situations, it is not. As a leader, it is also key not to discriminate or give anyone a step-up based on looks, or as I like to call it, judging a book by it's cover.

Malcolm Gladwell discusses what I still see occurring in today's society; the Warren Harding error. I'll be honest, I had never heard much about Warren Harding prior to reading this passage, but was extremely intrigued by it. It is terrible to admit but I see the curse of the Warren Harding error occurring almost all the time. It is something we would all like to believe does not exist, but unfortunately may always be around. That is why it is extremely important to my moral compass that I never address anyone in a demeaning manner, so much so that I often over think it. I believe as a leader, though, you see the best results in teams that have their guards lower based on the feeling of belonging and equality, and I believe it should be a main focus to achieve this goal in any group.

Bibliography
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.

]]> Week 7 tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2012:/drake195/myblog//15602.345870 2012-03-10T06:22:10Z 2012-03-11T06:16:29Z Last week's definition: Leadership is a form of management that often produces best results when a leader is dedicated to focusing on team members individually as opposed to the group or team as a whole. This week's definition: same This... drake195 Last week's definition: Leadership is a form of management that often produces best results when a leader is dedicated to focusing on team members individually as opposed to the group or team as a whole.

This week's definition: same

This week I have chosen to keep my definition the same because I believe the two readings directly pertain to and supplement my definition. In Heifitz's article, he discusses ways to step back and take an outsider's perspective on the situation or group at hand. I believe this relates to my definition in the sense that as a leader it is important to be able to put yourself in the position of others in order to get a good sense of the atmosphere and be aware of any changes that need to be made.

Kegan and Lahey's article discusses ways to pinpoint someone else's "one big thing" they should always strive to improve. I like to refer to this as constructive criticism and view it not necessarily as being called out for something that was done wrong but instead work to become even better. This is critical in a group setting and especially important that a leader support the improvement for someone else's "one big thing" in order to reassure leadership involvement.

]]> Week 6 tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2012:/drake195/myblog//15602.342525 2012-03-04T01:42:25Z 2012-03-04T07:42:56Z Last week's definition: Leadership is a form of managing various group members to create a goal that provides results in a strategic and organized manner. This week's definition: Leadership is a form of management that often produces best results when... drake195 Last week's definition:
Leadership is a form of managing various group members to create a goal that provides results in a strategic and organized manner.

This week's definition:
Leadership is a form of management that often produces best results when a leader is dedicated to focusing on team members individually as opposed to the group or team as a whole.

This week's readings centered around various styles of leadership. D.W. Wheeler and J.E. Barbuto's article discussed servant leadership, while A.W. Astin and H.S. Astin's article focused on leadership in terms of collaboration and teamwork. I chose to change my definition because I believe a big factor in leadership is learning to effectively work well with others. Astin's article explains the importance of listening in order to enhance the group's productivity. I agree with this statement and think it is extremely crucial to allot everyone a say in order to distribute the roles of leadership in a fair manner.

Barbuto's article hones in on servant leadership, a form of leadership that entails a leader to dedicate his entire purpose to serving the needs of others. Someone who I believe fits this role is the President of the United States. The President essentially fights for a job to aid in fulfilling the needs of the citizens first and himself second, however sometimes there are candidates who do not necessarily reflect upon that. I personally liked Barbuto's article because I can relate to many of the 11 characteristics a servant leader must represent. I believe both of these articles are excellent references to utilize for anyone striving to be a better leader, listener, contributor, and communicator.

]]> Week 4 tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2012:/drake195/myblog//15602.339163 2012-02-19T04:10:53Z 2012-02-19T06:45:41Z Last week's definition: Leadership is a form of managing various subjects to create a goal that provides results in a strategic and organized manner. This week's definition: Same This week I have chosen to keep my definition relatively the same... drake195 Last week's definition:
Leadership is a form of managing various subjects to create a goal that provides results in a strategic and organized manner.

This week's definition:
Same

This week I have chosen to keep my definition relatively the same save for a few minor changes. In last week's definition I used the word 'subjects' instead of a more appropriate, fitting title such as group members. I would like to change subjects to group members to allow for a more clear definition and focus in on what leadership is managing.

I have decided to keep my definition the same after reading this week's passages because I believe the readings supplement my definition. This week's readings honed in on ethics, a very important part in leadership. I believe ethics coincides with the part of my definition where I state "providing results in and organized and strategic manner" because a leader should take the most ethical and beneficial approach to achieving said results. I enjoyed reading this week's passages because I personally have always taken a care-based thinking (Kidder, 25) approach to most of my decision making. As a leader, I believe it is crucial to adopt this way of thinking when dealing with tough choices in order to perform ethically and professionally.

]]> Week 3 tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2012:/drake195/myblog//15602.338072 2012-02-12T04:16:40Z 2012-02-12T06:37:11Z Last week's definition: Leadership [is a method of management that] should focus heavily on encouraging and empowering group members and those who any given leader may potentially associate with. This week's definition: Leadership is a form of managing various subjects... drake195 Last week's definition:
Leadership [is a method of management that] should focus heavily on encouraging and empowering group members and those who any given leader may potentially associate with.

This week's definition:
Leadership is a form of managing various subjects to create a goal that provides results in a strategic and organized manner.

This week I'm altering and adding to my personal definition of leadership. After reading the assigned readings for the week, I found that Terry's "Deciding what you believe" applied to the additions I've added to my definition. Terry discusses a few key criteria that make up leadership that I identified with including "Leadership gets Results" (p. 29), "Leadership Focuses on the Relationship (Team)" (p. 26), and "Leadership is Made" (p. 24). I believe "Leadership gets Results" coincides with the part of my definition that states "creates a goal that provides results" and this falls under the category of "Leadership Focuses on the Relationship (Team)." I also believe my definition demonstrates how "Leadership is Made" because it mentions the responsibilities leaders face.

Lee and King's article also pertains to my definition because it discusses the concept of value. It is key to conduct a notion of value toward someone in a leadership position in order to obtain results. Both of the readings this week resonated very well with my growing definition of leadership.

]]> Leadership tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2012:/drake195/myblog//15602.336826 2012-02-05T04:28:12Z 2012-02-05T04:53:30Z After reading Lee and King's "Ground your leadership vision in a personal vision", I altered my definition of leadership a bit. I believe leadership should focus heavily on encouraging and empowering group members and those who any given leader may... drake195 After reading Lee and King's "Ground your leadership vision in a personal vision", I altered my definition of leadership a bit. I believe leadership should focus heavily on encouraging and empowering group members and those who any given leader may potentially associate with. As a leader, it is often imperative that he or she put others first and themselves second in order to achieve optimal results.

]]> Definition of Leadership tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2012:/drake195/myblog//15602.332273 2012-01-22T07:42:43Z 2012-01-22T07:46:28Z I believe leadership is the act of one person using their ideas and knowledge to take charge of a group of people. Leadership can also refer to one designated person whom others can turn to in need of help or... drake195 I believe leadership is the act of one person using their ideas and knowledge to take charge of a group of people. Leadership can also refer to one designated person whom others can turn to in need of help or encouragement.

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