On The Shoulders of Giants

Last weeks definition: Leadership is knowing one's self in such a way that it is possible to contunue personal growth while effectively getting to know others and aligning unbiased personal and leadership visions in order to set examples through actions so that others will feel compelled to act the same and will gain the tools necessary to lead others.

This weeks definition: Leadership is knowing one's self in such a way that it is possible to contunue personal growth while effectively getting to know others and aligning unbiased personal and leadership visions in order to set examples through actions so that others will feel compelled to act the same and will gain the tools necessary to lead others.

After reading this weeks articles, I decided not to change my definition. It is already so long and covers so many topics that adding something about communication would just complicate it more.

I think that if a leader is following the definition that I have finished this class with, he/she is already communicating effectively and probably unconsciously considering all of the elements that were discussed in "Factors Affecting Communication Style" especially the questions to consider about context (Saphiere). I also think that the article by Sessions is useful information, but not relevant to the definition of leadership since it discusses certain situations, but not really how to lead.

Saphiere, D. H., Mikk, B. K., & Devries, B. I. (2005). "Factors Affecting Communication Style: Starring acts in the circus." 47 - 82.

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

Last weeks definition: Leadership is knowing one's self in such a way that it is possible to contunue personal growth while effectively aligning unbiased personal and leadership visions in order to set examples through actions so that others will feel compelled to act the same and will gain the tools necessary to lead others.

This weeks definition: Leadership is knowing one's self in such a way that it is possible to contunue personal growth while effectively getting to know others and aligning unbiased personal and leadership visions in order to set examples through actions so that others will feel compelled to act the same and will gain the tools necessary to lead others.

I added 'getting to know others' to my definition because I think that it is important for leaders to understand individuals in order to know which roles in the group that they can fufil - encourager, follower, etc (Komives).

I think that this new addition also covers the main points of the other articles too. "An Overview of Intentional Change from a Leadership Perspective" talkes about how people have to change intentionally, and I think that noticing these changes in others takes intentional observation (Boyatzis).

I also think that while groups and individuals are very different, the first step towards understanding a group dynamic is understanding the individuals within it. Because of this, I did not feel the need to diferentiate in my definition after reading the Yoon and Johnson article.

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.

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

Last week's definition: Leadership is knowing one's self in such a way that it is possible to continue personal growth while effectively aligning personal and leadership visions in order to set examples through actions so that others will feel compelled to act the same and will gain the tools necessary to lead others.

This week's definition: Leadership is knowing one's self in such a way that it is possible to contunue personal growth while effectively aligning unbiased personal and leadership visions in order to set examples through actions so that others will feel compelled to act the same and will gain the tools necessary to lead others.

After studying this week's readings, I decided to add 'unbiased' to my definition. I never really considered how biased opinions would affect leaders, I just assumed that leaders would treat everyone the same because that is what will make people trust a person enough to want to learn from them and look up to them as a leader. However, the readings reminded me that more often than not, we are not aware of our biases and that it takes conscious effort to improve our attitudes when they are based on unreliable 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.

Tatum, B. D. (1997). "Defining Racism: Can we talk?" Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? (pp. 3 - 17). New York: Basic Books.

Kezar, A. (2000). "Pluralistic Leadership: Incorporating Diverse Voices." The Journal of Higher Education, 71(6), Nov. - Dec., 2000, pp. 722-743

Last week's definition: Leadership is knowing one's self in such a way that it is possible to effectively align personal and leadership visions in order to set examples through actions so that others will feel compelled to act the same and will gain the tools necessary to lead others.

This week's definition: Leadership is knowing one's self in such a way that it is possible to continue personal growth while effectively aligning personal and leadership visions in order to set examples through actions so that others will feel compelled to act the same and will gain the tools necessary to lead others.

I felt that it was important to include personal growth in my definition because according to "Identifying Each Person's One Big Thing" everyone has at least one area in their life that they can improve. Just because someone is a leader doesn't mean that they are done improving. I think that "Get on the balcony" describes a skill that is important for leaders to master and use often.

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.

Last week's definition: Leadership is the aligning of personal and leadership visions which guide a leader to set examples through actions in such a way that others will not only feel compelled to act the same, but will gain the tools necessary to lead others.

This week's definition: Leadership is knowing one's self in such a way that it is possible to effectively align personal and leadership visions in order to set examples through actions so that others will feel compelled to act the same and will gain the tools necessary to lead others.

The main point that I got from Astin's "A social change model of leadership development" was that self knowledge is aligned with knowledge of others. It is important for leaders to have knowledge of others so that they can lead in a way that others will respect and respond to. I thought that "Leadership in a (permanent) crisis" gave good advice for leaders.

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

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.

Last week's definition: Leadership is the aligning of personal and leadership visions which guide a leader to set examples through actions in such a way that others will not only feel compelled to act the same, but will gain the tools necessary to lead others.

This week's definition: Leadership is the aligning of personal and leadership visions which guide a leader to set examples through actions in such a way that others will not only feel compelled to act the same, but will gain the tools necessary to lead others.

After thinking about the readings for this week, I decided not to change my definition. I thought that Kidder's 4 paradigms were interesting and important to be aware of, and his 3 principles for analyzing right vs right decisions could prove to be very useful tools for leaders, however, they do not define leadership itself. Paul and Elder also brought up some great points about ethics and a reminder that social, political, and legal aspects of our lives are not necessarily grounded in ethics. I also thought this reading could be a good tool, but not an inherent aspect of leadership.

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

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

Last week's definition: Leadership is the building of knowledge in order to set an example through actions in such a way that others will not only feel compelled to act the same, but will gain the tools necessary to lead others.

This week's definition: Leadership is the aligning of personal and leadership visions which guide a leader to set examples through actions in such a way that others will not only feel compelled to act the same, but will gain the tools necessary to lead others.

I changed my definition a little this week. I felt that it was appropriate to acknowledge the fact that leadership must combine with personal goals, and that these visions must work together in order to result in great leadership. This theory came from the Lee and King reading, which I found interesting. I like that they acknowledge that we have lives and goals separate from our leadership roles, but that we must combine them in some ways so that we are not trying to be two people at once.

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.

To me, leadership is setting an example through actions in such a way that others will feel compelled to act the same. It is also important to continually seek examples from others in order to always keep and open mind and build upon current knowledge to avoid past mistakes.

Leadership is the building of knowledge in order to set an example through actions in such a way that others will not only feel compelled to act the same, but will gain the tools necessary to lead others.

I reworded my original statement in order to be a little more concise and understandable. I also added the idea that leaders should prepare their followers to lead others in turn. This was a key point that I got from the Rath and Conchie reading. They state that "Reaching the level where your life's work and mission continue in perpetuity requires not only being a leader yourself, but developing the people who follow you to be effective leaders as well." (Rath & Conchie) I think that this is important to add because if leaders give their followers great information, but not the skills to pass it on, knowledge will never be available to people once the leader is gone, or people in other areas etc. It is important to teach these skills so knowledge can continue to be shared.

Rath, T., & Conchie, B. (n.d.). Understanding why people follow. In Strengths Based Leadership (pp. 79-95). New York, NY: Gallup Press.

To me, leadership is setting an example through actions in such a way that others will feel compelled to act the same. It is also important to continually seek examples from others in order to always keep and open mind and build upon current knowledge to avoid past mistakes.