Xiaojie Yu

week 15

2013-05-04T16:32:34Z

Last week's definition: A good leader should aware of people's different, listen to people's needs and adapt your leadership style based on their value.

This week's definition: Maintaining relationships online requires more effort than maintain offline relationships. However, leaders should be aware of the more communication media you use with others, the stronger relationships you built.

Analysis: this weeks reading talked about the on/offline relationships. According to sessions, Multiplex bonds have multi types of interactions "types" including online, offline and different forms of media. It's difficult to maintaing relationships online than offline. By building more communications ways with group members will help the relationships building. And communicating effectively across cultures is similar to the process of perfecting a circus performance, so mistakes, miscommunications, and other misses will be expected.

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
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.

Week 14

2013-04-28T03:03:23Z

Last week's definition: In order to help group achieve goals, leaders should understand group's different purposes, structures and times. And leaders must understand of yourself, different individuals while being self- ware. It is also important for leaders to overcome confilcts the team by communicating before coninuing work.

This week's definition: A good leader should aware of people's different, listen to people's needs and adapt your leadership style based on their value.

Analysis: According to Boyatzis's theory of self- directed learning, there is a gap between the leader his ideal self (who does he want to be) and the real self (who is he). The process could be shorter if this leader knows his strengths and value clearly by change the behaior and thoughts.

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

week 13

2013-04-20T16:33:24Z

Last week's definition: A Good leader should thinking more information before make the quick decision. And leaders should be able to make a conscious effort to avoid the fault of making judgement based on the first imprpessions. The rapid cognition will lead us astray to do the right choice sometimes. So prejudice and discrimination should be avoid.

This week's definition: In order to help group achieve goals, leaders should understand group's different purposes, structures and times. And leaders must understand of yourself, different individuals while being self- ware. It is also important for leaders to overcome confilcts the team by communicating before coninuing work.

Analysis: It's important for leaders to understand of yourself, and the different individual's strength and the roles they are playing to use them to improve team's efficiency. Especially when team is facing conflict, leaders know what and how to talk though it with the different individuals to overcome them before coninuing work.

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.

Week 12

2013-04-14T04:56:03Z

Last week defination: A good leader should have the ability of be adaptable and and enjoy the challenges in the new environments. Challenging could help both the team and leader grow. But leaders should be ready to take the risks of innovation and creativity of those challenges at the same time.

This week's definition: A Good leader should thinking more information before make the quick decision. And leaders should be able to make a conscious effort to avoid the fault of making judgement based on the first imprpessions. The rapid cognition will lead us astray to do the right choice sometimes. So prejudice and discrimination should be avoid.
This week's reading article The Warren Harding Error: Why We Fall For Tall, Dark, and Handsome Men talks about the error when we ascribe professional characteristic based on race or physical appearance or characteristics. It's a good example because this kind of mistake happens a lot actually. People make quick decision by the first impression without thinking too much. A good leader must avoid to judge a person from first look and be aware of personal prejudices.

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.

Week 11

2013-04-07T03:32:58Z

Last week defination: It is important for leaders to have self- reflection which is a necessary tool for them. By getting an overall view of the bigger picture while maintain leader's own role within the picture is positive goal for the team. And leaders could also be improved by receiving feedback from different angles and persons improve their leadership.

This week defination: A good leader should have the ability of be adaptable and and enjoy the challenges in the new environments. Challenging could help both the team and leader grow. But leaders should be ready to take the risks of innovation and creativity of those challenges at the same time.

Analysis: There is one article talks about culture and diversity of this week which is interesting because this is one of the most important topic of leadership management now. A good leader should have the adapt ability when he works in different places with different people. And it would be more productivity of work when he actually enjoy these challenge in the new enfironments. It also says diversity is creativity. Such as by balancing the equality of women in the management level of the company, set goals that are easier achievable for women. Just don't abide by society's expectation, but be ready to take the risk of the creativity.

"The Transcultural Leader: Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault, Nissan" Insead. Retrieved from http://knowledge.insead.edu/ILSTransculturalLeaderGhosn080501.cfm?vid=45

Week 10

2013-03-31T03:33:58Z

Last week's definition: Today's economic situation requires leaders have to develop their adapt ability. The developing of the skills including: how to analysis problem, how to make decision crisply, how to point out a clear direction. First of all, your leadership must based on understanding of your self. Secondly, you must be able to stabilize a situation along with make adaptive changes in the behavior and work of people (Heifetz, Grashow & Linsky 2009)

This week defination: It is important for leaders to have self- reflection which is a necessary tool for them. By getting an overall view of the bigger picture while maintain leader's own role within the picture is positive goal for the team. And leaders could also be improved by receiving feedback from different angles and persons improve their leadership.

Analysis: The most effective leaders should have high levels of self- reflection and self- awareness. And they should have the ability to stand out and get a higher level view of the situations. As leaders try to see the "big picture" of the organization, and improve their leadership by receive feedback from others are extremely important to operate the organization well. Because there is not always have a single right answer and leaders could not always be the right one.

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.

Week 7

2013-03-10T03:19:20Z

Last week's definition: Leadership is knowing yourself about what you want in the future and what roles you can be and to motivate others. In order to earn the respectful from others, Leaders should clearly define their ethical beliefs before make the decisions, and also build trust relationship with follower.

This week's definition: Today's economic situation requires leaders have to develop their adapt ability. The developing of the skills including: how to analysis problem, how to make decision crisply, how to point out a clear direction. First of all, your leadership must based on understanding of your self. Secondly, you must be able to stabilize a situation along with make adaptive changes in the behavior and work of people (Heifetz, Grashow & Linsky 2009)

Analysis: The world is changing everyday. In order to adapt these challenges and accomplish goals more efficiently, leaders need to be skilled at "fostering adaptation", "embracing disequilibrium", and "generating leadership" (Heifetz et al.,2009).

Reference
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

Week 6

2013-03-05T02:11:34Z

Last week's definition: Leadership is the ability to gather people with different ability, background and culture to work together for a common goals.

This week's definition: Leadership is knowing yourself about what you want in the future and what roles you can be and to motivate others. In order to earn the respectful from others, Leaders should clearly define their ethical beliefs before make the decisions, and also build trust relationship with followers.

"Leaders need to not be influenced by outer-sources, and make the most ethical decisions they can."(Paul,&Elder). There are many reasons between ethic differences. It is important for leaders to understand ethics because it plays a part in the leadership theory.

Sources:
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 Impediement." Understanding the Foundations of Ethical Reasoning (pp. 4 - 36). Dillon Beach, CA: Foundation for Critical Thinking.

Week 5

2013-02-22T05:00:29Z

Last week's defintion: Leadership could be defined by someone who have the ability to lead a group of people to achieve their common goals. That might including they have to make sure things are right, people are happy to do it or they have the ability to accomplish the task.

This week's definition: Leadership is the ability to gather people with different ability, background and culture to work together for a common goals.

Analysis: According to Terry, "I have no doubt that leadership can be taught. We learn from experience. That's what maturity is about." I have a better understanding of leadership and why I believe that I believe. People may have different views of leadership, but be confident to share your experience and knowledge of your leadership to the followers.

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.

Week 4

2013-02-12T20:01:15Z

Every leader have their own style, I think the strength finder assessment is really helpful for us to find out what our strengths are and use that as advantages. There are six leadership styles and four of them have the effect on climate and results(the coercive style, the authoritative style, the affiliative style, the democratic style, the pacesetting style and the coaching style). The coercive style is the least effective one because it means leader set the rules and people have no options that should only follow this no matter they happy with it or not. This kind of leadership could only use when the company is in crisis. The authoritative leaders give people the freedom to innovate, experiment and take calculated risks. The affiliative leader is good at establishing positive relationships. They make their followers like them, willing to share information and easy to build trust relationship. The democratic leadership style is also build on the trust relationship. The leader focuses on decision making based on the winning consensus. The pacesetter leader is smarter, faster than followers. This kind of style will be more effective when people have highly motivated and strong skills. Coaching is like the leader is able to develop people best. They offer developmental plans which could bring out the best result to the followers. It's personal growth to the people who have been coached.

Week 1

2013-02-01T01:54:03Z

Leadership could be defined by someone who have the ability to lead a group of people to achieve their common goals. That might including they have to make sure things are right, people are happy to do it or they have the ability to accomplish the task.