Kelsey Klucas Leadership Blog tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2012-09-06:/kluc0035/kelseyklucasleadershipblog//16545 2012-12-08T17:47:07Z Movable Type Enterprise 4.31-en Emerging Definition of Leadership - 12 tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2012:/kluc0035/kelseyklucasleadershipblog//16545.380167 2012-12-08T17:36:43Z 2012-12-08T17:47:07Z I believe that leadership is the ability to consciously affect the world around you. We all have certain skills and values that are unique to us. To effectively lead, we must call upon those skills in accordance to our personal... kluc0035 I believe that leadership is the ability to consciously affect the world around you. We all have certain skills and values that are unique to us. To effectively lead, we must call upon those skills in accordance to our personal values and ethics, and we must understand what they are through honest reflection. In this honest reflection we must also understand our public perception and understand how we are perceiving others. Every action, big or small, makes an impact on the world, and leaders know that. They also are able to effectively lead by identifying the appropriate actions and approaches for certain situations and understanding how they will affect the dynamics of the group while constantly striving for self improvement. Using these skills and knowledge to achieve a personal vision makes for an effective leader.

I believe that leadership is the ability to consciously affect the world around you. We all have certain skills and values that are unique to us. To effectively lead, we must call upon those skills in accordance to our personal values and ethics, and we must understand what they are through honest reflection. In this honest reflection we must also understand our public perception and understand how we are perceiving others. Every action, big or small, makes an impact on the world, and leaders know that. They also understand that people all see situations differently. They are able to effectively lead by identifying the appropriate actions and approaches for certain situations and understanding how they will affect the dynamics of the group while constantly striving for self improvement. Using these skills and knowledge to achieve a personal vision makes for an effective leader.

This week I focused on the Saphiere article and the message that people perceive situations differently, have different values, and have different styles of approaching the situations. I think that it is very important that leaders understand that because if they don't understand that everybody is different, they will constantly run into frustrations when people behave differently than they would. It doesn't matter what techniques you use or how good your ideas are, if you don't acknowledge the fact that people are all different, you will constantly be setting your group up for failure. Groups are chaotic in nature and failing to account for that is a failure to effectively lead the group. The final product will almost invariably fall short of its maximum potential, and that reflects on the effectiveness of the leader.

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.

Sessions, L. F. (2010). How offline gatherings affect online communities: When virtual community members 'meet up'. Information, Communication & Society, 13(3), 375-395. doi:10.1080/13691180903468954

]]> Emerging Definition of Leadership - 11 tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2012:/kluc0035/kelseyklucasleadershipblog//16545.378304 2012-12-01T19:16:35Z 2012-12-01T19:35:46Z I believe that leadership is the ability to consciously affect the world around you. We all have certain skills and values that are unique to us. To effectively lead, we must call upon those skills in accordance to our personal... kluc0035 I believe that leadership is the ability to consciously affect the world around you. We all have certain skills and values that are unique to us. To effectively lead, we must call upon those skills in accordance to our personal values and ethics, and we understand what they are through honest reflection. In this honest reflection we must also understand our public perception and understand how we are perceiving others. Every action, big or small, makes an impact on the world, and leaders know that. They also are able to effectively lead by identifying the appropriate actions and approaches for certain situations and understanding how they will affect the dynamics of the group. Using these skills and knowledge to achieve a personal vision makes for an effective leader.


I believe that leadership is the ability to consciously affect the world around you. We all have certain skills and values that are unique to us. To effectively lead, we must call upon those skills in accordance to our personal values and ethics, and we must understand what they are through honest reflection. In this honest reflection we must also understand our public perception and understand how we are perceiving others. Every action, big or small, makes an impact on the world, and leaders know that. They also are able to effectively lead by identifying the appropriate actions and approaches for certain situations and understanding how they will affect the dynamics of the group while constantly striving for self improvement. Using these skills and knowledge to achieve a personal vision makes for an effective leader.

This week I added a section about self improvement. Although it isn't necessarily the first thing that pops in my mind when I think of a leader, it is actually a very important component of leadership. Without self improvement you aren't reaching your own personal potential and therefore you won't reach your full potential as a leader. When the leadership improves, the group performance improves, and therefore it is a win win. I think Boyatzis made some very good points in regards to self improvement and it I thought the models were very helpful in illustrating this.

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

]]> Emerging Definition of Leadership - 10 tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2012:/kluc0035/kelseyklucasleadershipblog//16545.377125 2012-11-21T21:11:13Z 2012-11-25T16:20:38Z I believe that leadership is the ability to consciously affect the world around you. We all have certain skills and values that are unique to us. To effectively lead, we must call upon those skills in accordance to our personal... kluc0035 I believe that leadership is the ability to consciously affect the world around you. We all have certain skills and values that are unique to us. To effectively lead, we must call upon those skills in accordance to our personal values and ethics, and we understand what they are through honest reflection. In this honest reflection we must also understand our public perception and understand how we are perceiving others. Every action, big or small, makes an impact on the world, and leaders know that. They also are able to effectively lead by identifying the appropriate action for certain situations and understanding how they will affect the dynamics of the group. Using these skills and knowledge to achieve a personal vision makes for an effective leader.

I believe that leadership is the ability to consciously affect the world around you. We all have certain skills and values that are unique to us. To effectively lead, we must call upon those skills in accordance to our personal values and ethics, and we understand what they are through honest reflection. In this honest reflection we must also understand our public perception and understand how we are perceiving others. Every action, big or small, makes an impact on the world, and leaders know that. They also are able to effectively lead by identifying the appropriate actions and approaches for certain situations and understanding how they will affect the dynamics of the group. Using these skills and knowledge to achieve a personal vision makes for an effective leader.

This week, the readings didn't necessarily make a huge change on my definition of leadership. My addition this week was the word "approaches". While I was reading the article, it became apparent that all groups go through the four development stages (Komives, et al., 1998). Although I had never really thought about it that way, when I looked back on it, all groups that I had been in had gone through this process. Our small group for this class was no exception. Additionally, I saw the importance of the methods of decision making. Of course there are going to be different situations where the different approaches are more appropriate, and I think as a leader that is very important to understand. The development stages were good to acknowledge, but the approaches are necessary for function, and that's why I added it to my definition.

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.

Yoon, S., & Johnson, S. (2008). Phases and patterns of group development in virtual learning teams. Educational Technology Research & Development, 56(5), 595-618. doi:10.1007/s11423-007-9078-x (in online sections folder of reading packet)

]]> Emerging Definition of Leadership - Week 9 tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2012:/kluc0035/kelseyklucasleadershipblog//16545.376540 2012-11-17T21:33:59Z 2012-11-17T21:40:11Z I believe that leadership is the ability to consciously affect the world around you. We all have certain skills and values that are unique to us. To effectively lead, we must call upon those skills in accordance to our personal... kluc0035 I believe that leadership is the ability to consciously affect the world around you. We all have certain skills and values that are unique to us. To effectively lead, we must call upon those skills in accordance to our personal values and ethics, and we understand what they are through honest reflection. Every action, big or small, makes an impact on the world, and leaders know that. They also are able to effectively lead by identifying the appropriate action for certain situations and understanding how they will affect the dynamics of the group. Using these skills and knowledge to achieve a personal vision makes for an effective leader.

I believe that leadership is the ability to consciously affect the world around you. We all have certain skills and values that are unique to us. To effectively lead, we must call upon those skills in accordance to our personal values and ethics, and we understand what they are through honest reflection. In this honest reflection we must also understand our public perception and understand how we are perceiving others. Every action, big or small, makes an impact on the world, and leaders know that. They also are able to effectively lead by identifying the appropriate action for certain situations and understanding how they will affect the dynamics of the group. Using these skills and knowledge to achieve a personal vision makes for an effective leader.

This week I added the section about our own public perception and how we are perceiving others. I think this ties in a number of the readings, but the part about perceiving others I think most directly relates to the Gladwell article. Acknowledging that we are making unconscious and conscious judgments and understanding that we ourselves are simultaneously being judged allows us to take control. We need realize which things we can and can't control and then act accordingly. I think a good leader understands this and is able to overcome the obstacles that he or she may face because of the Warren Harding Error.

]]> Emerging Definition of Leadership - 8 tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2012:/kluc0035/kelseyklucasleadershipblog//16545.375460 2012-11-10T21:42:42Z 2012-11-10T21:49:36Z I believe that leadership is the ability to consciously affect the world around you. We all have certain skills and values that are unique to us. To effectively lead, we must call upon those skills in accordance to our personal... kluc0035 I believe that leadership is the ability to consciously affect the world around you. We all have certain skills and values that are unique to us. To effectively lead, we must call upon those skills in accordance to our personal values and ethics, and we understand what they are through honest reflection. Every action, big or small, makes an impact on the world, and leaders know that. They also are able to effectively lead by identifying the appropriate action for certain situations and understanding how they will affect the dynamics of the group. Using these skills and knowledge to positively affect a situation makes for an effective leader.

I believe that leadership is the ability to consciously affect the world around you. We all have certain skills and values that are unique to us. To effectively lead, we must call upon those skills in accordance to our personal values and ethics, and we understand what they are through honest reflection. Every action, big or small, makes an impact on the world, and leaders know that. They also are able to effectively lead by identifying the appropriate action for certain situations and understanding how they will affect the dynamics of the group. Using these skills and knowledge to achieve a personal vision makes for an effective leader.

This week the change I made in my definition was in the last sentence. I changed "positively affect a situation" to "achieve a personal vision". I think that this is a distinction that I have been hesitant to make. While I do believe that a good leader is one that is positively affecting a situation, I know many effective leaders that have not. However, I think it is safe to say that the best leaders' personal visions are ones that promote a positive outcome. I think this was influenced mostly by the Lomas article because Apple is based on Jobs' personal vision. His leadership style was all about promoting his personal vision. He wanted the best, and he knew how to get there, but he was most successful because he was able to get people to share his vision, and I think that's what truly made him a good leader.

Lomas, N. (2011). "Ten leadership lessons from the Steve Jobs school of management." Silicon.com. Retrieved from http://www.silicon.com/management/ceo-essentials/2011/11/18/ten-leadership-lessons-from-the-steve-jobs-school-of-management-39748225/

]]> Emerging Definition of Leadership - 7 tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2012:/kluc0035/kelseyklucasleadershipblog//16545.373388 2012-10-28T19:04:52Z 2012-10-28T19:28:11Z I believe that leadership is the ability to consciously affect the world around you. We all have certain skills and values that are unique to us. To effectively lead, we must call upon those skills in accordance to our personal... kluc0035 I believe that leadership is the ability to consciously affect the world around you. We all have certain skills and values that are unique to us. To effectively lead, we must call upon those skills in accordance to our personal values and ethics. Every action, big or small, makes an impact on the world, and leaders know that. They also are able to effectively lead by identifying the appropriate action for certain situations and understanding how they will affect the dynamics of the group. Using these skills and knowledge to positively affect a situation makes for an effective leader.

I believe that leadership is the ability to consciously affect the world around you. We all have certain skills and values that are unique to us. To effectively lead, we must call upon those skills in accordance to our personal values and ethics, and we understand what they are through honest reflection. Every action, big or small, makes an impact on the world, and leaders know that. They also are able to effectively lead by identifying the appropriate action for certain situations and understanding how they will affect the dynamics of the group. Using these skills and knowledge to positively affect a situation makes for an effective leader.

The Get on the Balcony reading this week was probably one of my favorites of the course. I think self assessment is huge. If you don't know how you are being perceived or how your actions are, you are very limited as a leader. You don't understand which tactics are effective or how you should change. I added the bit about honest reflection in my definition, but I think it is a huge undertone. None of the other aspects of leadership can be fully effective without it. This seemed to be the overarching theme between the Heifetz and Linsky reading and the Kegan and Lahey reading. I think it is something that needs to be stressed heavily because all too often we have leaders that act in certain ways without understanding the implications of their choices. Self honesty can be really tough, but if you're able to effectively use it, you are going to become an exponentially better leader.

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.

Kegan, R., & Lahey, L. L. (2009). "Identifying Each Person's One Big Thing" (pp. 63 - 67). Boston: Harvard Business Press.

]]> Emerging Definition of Leadership - 6 tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2012:/kluc0035/kelseyklucasleadershipblog//16545.373291 2012-10-27T13:47:52Z 2012-10-27T14:00:07Z I believe that leadership is the ability to consciously affect the world around you. We all have certain skills and values that are unique to us. To effectively lead, we must call upon those skills in accordance to our personal... kluc0035 I believe that leadership is the ability to consciously affect the world around you. We all have certain skills and values that are unique to us. To effectively lead, we must call upon those skills in accordance to our personal values and ethics. Every action, big or small, makes an impact on the world, and leaders know that. They also are able to effectively lead by identifying the appropriate action for certain situations. Using these skills and knowledge to positively affect a situation makes for an effective leader.

I believe that leadership is the ability to consciously affect the world around you. We all have certain skills and values that are unique to us. To effectively lead, we must call upon those skills in accordance to our personal values and ethics. Every action, big or small, makes an impact on the world, and leaders know that. They also are able to effectively lead by identifying the appropriate action for certain situations and understanding how they will affect the dynamics of the group. Using these skills and knowledge to positively affect a situation makes for an effective leader.

The change I made this week incorporates the Astin and Astin reading. I really liked their metaphor about the band and understanding how you need to work with others, listen, and understand the dynamics of the group. I think too often people forget this component when trying to lead. They think that being the loud one or always having something to say is the definition of leadership, whereas I think there is a great deal behind the timing and content of your comments. Being loud doesn't mean you're being a good leader, it just means that you're the only voice that can be heard. Sometimes it the subtle undertones that bring the most to a group, and sometimes this can be true with leadership as well.

Astin, H. S., & Astin, A. W. (1996). A social change model of leadership development: Guidebook (version III) (pp. 4 - 27). Los Angeles: University of California Los Angeles Higher Education Research Institute.

]]> Emerging Definition of Leadership - 5 tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2012:/kluc0035/kelseyklucasleadershipblog//16545.371257 2012-10-14T22:06:31Z 2012-10-14T22:29:23Z I believe that leadership is the ability to consciously affect the world around you. We all have certain skills and values that are unique to us, and to effectively lead, we must call upon those skills in accordance to our... kluc0035 I believe that leadership is the ability to consciously affect the world around you. We all have certain skills and values that are unique to us, and to effectively lead, we must call upon those skills in accordance to our personal values and ethics. Every action, big or small, makes an impact on the world, and leaders know that. It is the ability to use this knowledge to positively influence those around you, that makes a good leader.

I believe that leadership is the ability to consciously affect the world around you. We all have certain skills and values that are unique to us. To effectively lead, we must call upon those skills in accordance to our personal values and ethics. Every action, big or small, makes an impact on the world, and leaders know that. They also are able to effectively lead by identifying the appropriate action for certain situations. Using these skills and knowledge to positively affect a situation makes for an effective leader.

This week I changed a few different things. Certain changes were just for clarity and flow, but the main change I wanted to implement was the recognition of situations. There was an interesting feel about the "permanent crisis" that the Heifitz, Grashow, and Linsky article discussed. One of the ideas that I came away with was that identifying appropriate approaches for situations is a very important aspect of leadership. You may have a whole toolbox of skills, but there are times when it is necessary for you to use them, there are also different degrees. Leaders must be able to understand which times they need to implement them. Without the ability to recognize this, many leaders fail to effectively lead because they are unable to adapt their leadership approach for each situation.

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-livee

]]> Emerging Definition of Leadership - 4 tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2012:/kluc0035/kelseyklucasleadershipblog//16545.371206 2012-10-14T13:46:37Z 2012-10-14T13:56:02Z I believe that leadership is the ability to consciously affect the world around you. We all have certain skills and values that are unique to us, and to effectively lead, we must call upon those skills in accordance to our... kluc0035 I believe that leadership is the ability to consciously affect the world around you. We all have certain skills and values that are unique to us, and to effectively lead, we must call upon those skills in accordance to our personal values. Every action, big or small, makes an impact on the world, and leaders know that. It is the ability to use this knowledge to positively influence those around you, that makes a good leader.

I believe that leadership is the ability to consciously affect the world around you. We all have certain skills and values that are unique to us, and to effectively lead, we must call upon those skills in accordance to our personal values and ethics. Every action, big or small, makes an impact on the world, and leaders know that. It is the ability to use this knowledge to positively influence those around you, that makes a good leader.

The change I made this week included the word ethics. Again, this is a major part of leadership that I failed to mention specifically. Although ethics are usually a part of the way a leader chooses to lead and encompasses the aspect of positive influence, it is probably important to include it specifically. You can lead without good ethics, as Hitler is so famous for. Often leaders are faced with tough decision, the "right vs right" as Kidder put it. Without your own ethics, making such decisions is near impossible. A good leader understands this and works towards cementing their ethics.

Kidder, R. M. (2003). "Overview: The ethics of right vs. right." How Good People Make Tough Choices (pp. 13 - 29). New York: Simon & Schuster.

]]> Emerging Definition of Leadership - 3 tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2012:/kluc0035/kelseyklucasleadershipblog//16545.368274 2012-10-06T16:37:16Z 2012-10-06T16:52:00Z I believe that leadership is the ability to consciously use certain skills to affect the world around you. Every action, big or small, makes an impact on the world. It is the ability to effectively utilize your skillset to positively... kluc0035 I believe that leadership is the ability to consciously use certain skills to affect the world around you. Every action, big or small, makes an impact on the world. It is the ability to effectively utilize your skillset to positively influence those around you, that makes a good leader.

I believe that leadership is the ability to consciously affect the world around you. We all have certain skills and values that are unique to us, and to effectively lead, we must call upon those skills in accordance to our personal values. Every action, big or small, makes an impact on the world, and leaders know that. It is the ability to use this knowledge to positively influence those around you, that makes a good leader.

My definition changed this week to include personal values. Lee and King's article drew on a very good point that I wasn't factoring into my definition. Unless leaders are leading in accordance to their personal values, i.e. walking the talk, they will not achieve their maximum effectiveness. When there isn't congruence between actions and words, not only is the leader personally at conflict with themselves, but also, their followers see the conflict (Lee and King, 2001). I believe this can lead to both parties losing respect for the leader and therefore inhibiting the extent to which the leader can lead. From personal experience, this is a major component that I look for in a leader, and is a major priority that I make when I'm in a leadership position.

Lee, R. J., & King, S. N. (2001). "Ground your leadership vision in a personal vision." Discovering the Leader in You: A guide to realizing your personal leadership potential (pp. 31 - 54). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Inc.

]]> Emerging Definition of Leadership - 2 tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2012:/kluc0035/kelseyklucasleadershipblog//16545.367256 2012-09-30T00:34:17Z 2012-09-30T00:58:38Z I believe that leadership is the ability to consciously affect the world around you. Every action, big or small, makes an impact on the world. It is the ability to recognize and take advantage of this power that makes an... kluc0035 I believe that leadership is the ability to consciously affect the world around you. Every action, big or small, makes an impact on the world. It is the ability to recognize and take advantage of this power that makes an effective leader.

I believe that leadership is the ability to consciously use certain skills to affect the world around you. Every action, big or small, makes an impact on the world. It is the ability to effectively utilize your skillset to positively influence those around you, that makes a good leader.

My definition this week changed a bit since the first entry. The main change was that I included the use of skills in my definition. To me, it usually seems like most leaders use these skills subconsciously, but now I'm not so sure. The Goleman article discussed the importance of emotional IQ and I didn't factor that into my original definition (Goleman, 88). I think it is a very valuable aspect of leadership.

Goleman, Daniel (2000). "Leadership that Gets Results." Harvard Business Review, 78(2), 78-90.

]]> My Definition of Leadership tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2012:/kluc0035/kelseyklucasleadershipblog//16545.364492 2012-09-07T00:01:36Z 2012-09-07T00:12:36Z I believe that leadership is the ability to consciously affect the world around you. Every action, big or small, makes an impact on the world. It is the ability to recognize and take advantage of this power that makes an... kluc0035 I believe that leadership is the ability to consciously affect the world around you. Every action, big or small, makes an impact on the world. It is the ability to recognize and take advantage of this power that makes an effective leader.

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