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Personal Leadership PlatformScott S. CritzerDr. Gerry R. Sokol and Dr. Nancy PowersEDLP 705—Frameworks for Decision-making: Ethical PerspectivesVirginia Commonwealth UniversityJanuary 28, 2012Author NoteCorrespondence regarding this paper should be addressed to Scott S. Critzer, Assistant Principal, Randolph-Henry High School, 755 David Bruce Avenue, Charlotte Court House, Virginia 23923. E-mail: critzerss@vcu.eduPersonal Leadership PlatformLeadership is difficult to define. It has so many different contexts, connotations, and nuances that it is hard to pin down just what it is and what makes it effective. What one person sees as leadership is not viewed the same way by another and effective leadership in one situation may not be considered effective leadership in a different context. With this kind of latitude for broad interpretation, it becomes essential for aspiring leaders to constantly explore the different aspects of what constitutes effective leadership and to be rooted in a firm foundation of what they believe true leadership is. The pages that follow are a few of the pieces that constitute the platform that is the foundation of what I believe leadership to be.What should be the purpose of leadership?The purpose of leadership should be to achieve an end. As one person put it, “Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent” (Big Dog’s and Little Dog’s Performance Juxtaposition Site). While there can be a great deal of variation in methods and styles of leadership, the ultimate purpose should be to provide vision, guidance, support, and structure to a person or group of people in such a way as to provide them what is needed to achieve the desired end. Leaders help the group see or create a direction when none is clearly evident, guide the group when necessary on strategies for following that direction, help bring the group together as a cohesive unit in achieving that direction, and support the movement with effort, resources, and encouragement.What should be the relationship between the leader and his/her constituency?The relationship between the leader and his/her followers should be one of collaboration and collegiality. At the most basic of levels, this is rooted in the idea put forth by Drath (2002) that, “There can be no leadership without followers.” Indeed, in order to truly lead, a person must be able to get others to buy-in to their vision and follow direction. While there are situations such as a crisis in which autocratic leadership styles may be required, the most effective method for gaining the requisite constituency to define leadership is to act in a collaborative manner. This idea is illustrated in both the example of the leadership challenge of the Zoffner Piano Company that Drath (2002) uses and those challenges facing Kathryn and DecisionTech, Inc. in Lencioni’s (2001) work. In both works, the respective new leaders are faced with a challenge of taking over organizations and creating new leadership directions. While there are technical and tactical struggles unique to each organization and their challenges, it is ultimately the forging of a collaborative relationship and shared vision that occupies the majority of the new leaders’ time. In the end, it is the successful achievement of that collaborative atmosphere that determines the success of the two organizations.Under what conditions is shared leadership most successful?The idea of shared leadership implies cooperation and collaboration. Drath (2002) asserts that, “All Leadership is shared leadership” in as much as there must be a mutual understanding of world views among all participants in order for a leadership principle to be in effect (p.61). However, there can be differing degrees of collaboration and understanding within the leadership of an organization, and the extent to which the leadership is shared can be affected by many different factors. Ultimately,though, shared leadership is most effective when every member of the group shares the same ideas about what the direction of the organization is and how to achieve it. When the vision is cultivated through a collaborative effort and has meaning for all key stakeholders, as it ultimately did in both of the leadership examples previously mentioned, then a common vision exists and the issue of who leads is not quite as important. As with a crew sailing a ship, if everyone is in agreement on where they are going and how to get there, it does not matter who is manning the helm.What motivates constituents to contribute wholeheartedly?There are many different theories of what motivates people to commit and contribute wholeheartedly to an organization. I believe most strongly in a Theory Y approach. Theory Y suggests that motivation lies in the “social, esteem, and self-actualization levels,” as well as the physiological and safety levels (Finzel, 2000, p. 28). In order to get constituents to truly commit to an organization, a leader must make them feel that they are a valued member of the team and that their participation is vital to the success of the organization. One of history’s most effective leaders at achieving this was Robert E. Lee. Wilkes (1997) writes, “There may never have been a commanding general in the history of the world who had a bigger place in the hearts of his men than R.E. Lee. This, no doubt, was one of the chief ingredients in his ability to lead and motivate. Their confidence in his judgement, their certainty of his love and care for them provoked in t hem a corresponding love for him that is remarkable in any time…”(p. 276). To be sure, there are few examples of a group of people who believed in their cause and followed their leader more passionately than that led by Lee; and this example of the power of appealing to the people’s need to feel loved, appreciated, and valued still rings true today.In addition to the need for affirmation, appreciation, and value, the final most important motivating element is that of efficacy. In order to commit wholeheartedly, people need to feel that they have some element of control over their actions and the direction of the group. Collaborative efforts to create a common vision, not one handed-down from the top, and give workers a sense of choice (even if they ultimately choose what would have been required of them anyway) give constituents a sense that they have a say in how things are done and, as such, a modicum of control over their existence within the group. Having this “control” gives them a sense of ownership of the group and its decisions and makes it more likely that they will commit to the required actions since they “chose” to do them for the good of the group.What is your definition of effective leadership?Assuming a certain standard of ethical behavior, effective leadership is whatever leadership is successful in achieving the necessary ends. Every situation and organization is different, and while there may be foundational principles that a leader relies on regardless of the circumstances, if the ultimate aim of leadership is to help facilitate the group’s success, then the measure of the effectiveness of leadership lies in the achievement of this end. This results-based view of effective leadership suggests that a leader must be able to adapt their leadership style to some extent to the given situation. A leader with a strong affinity for what Bohlman and Deal (2003) call a Human Resource Frame, for example, might have to adopt a more Political Frame if the need for support becomes an obstacle to success. Likewise, a leader, like Elena in Drath’s (2002) work, who is only able to understand collaboration on one level may find herself in a situation of what Drath calls “Rational Dialogue” where she may be forced to relinquish “control” as she knows it in order to share leadership and achieve the desired goal. Both of these examples illustrate the need for a leader to be able to use a variety of different leadership styles and frames in order to effectively manage the challenges at hand.What personal characteristics are possessed by a successful leader? Regardless of the situation or organization, there are certain personal characteristics that a leader must possess in order to be successful. First, a leader, as the person at the forefront of the organization who is the least insulated from the pressures of outside interests, must have a strong sense of self and what they believe. This sense of self lends itself towards a high level of integrity. As a person in possession of power and all of the choices and opportunities for both good and bad that it affords, a leader must be deeply rooted in what they believe to be right and wrong or they are susceptible to falling victim to outside influences that can cause them to lose, among other things, the trust of their constituents. Lencioni (2002) suggests that trust, or the lack thereof, lies at the root of an organization’s ability to operate successfully. Therefore, if a leader lacks integrity, it makes it difficult to maintain the direction of the organization in the face of ever-changing pressures and, at the same time, keep the trust of the organization’s membership.If a leader possesses integrity and a strong sense of self, the next most important characteristic is to be people-oriented. This can take many forms and degrees, but if you follow the assertion put forth earlier that one cannot lead in the absence of followers, then it is essential for a leader to not only be able to but want to relate to others in such a way as to make them want to follow and contribute wholeheartedly. Again, both Elena and Kathryn in their respective leadership challenges spent a great deal of time dealing with the interpersonal aspects of those challenges as a means of creating a situation where the functional work could then get addressed.Finally, a leader must possess an ability to be visionary. While managers are simply able to take the direction provided for them and move forward with it, true leaders are able to envision a new path, use their interpersonal skills to communicate that vision to others and make them want to be part of making it a reality. As Finzel (2000) suggests, “A leader takes people where they would never go on their own,” (p.16) and the ability to see that as-yet-unseen direction is one of the things that makes a leader. What two preferences do you possess that you consider important assets in your leadership role?It is important as a leader to be self-aware, and one way to do this is to know what your tendencies or preferences in leadership situations are. My two preferences on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Learning Connections Inventory (LCI), respectively, that most lend themselves to successful leadership are my Extroversion and my affinity for Sequencing. While my MBTi Extroversion score (9) is not my highest preference, it supports my own personal knowledge of myself and how I prefer to operate as a leader. This affinity for personal interaction and a positive atmosphere lends itself towards the kind of collaborative leadership style that was discussed earlier as being a foundation for successful leadership. In addition, while many of the characteristics of my LCI “use first” preference of Sequencing (31) lend themselves to management skills, I find that there is a great deal of planning and organization that goes into effective leadership. The combination of my extroversion and my need for organization and sequence work together to help me plan, organize, foster, nurture, and maintain the kind of work relationships necessary to be an effective leader. What sort of leader do you want to be?My aspiration for myself as a leader is two-fold. First, I hope to be known as a leader of integrity, work ethic, and loyalty who possesses a strong sense of right and wrong and can be trusted to do the right thing regardless of outside influences. Even at the mid-level of administration at which I currently serve, I have felt the pressures of politics and agendas pulling at me in certain situations and have had to make difficult decisions that brought into contrast my principles and the desires of another person. My hope is to be able to successfully navigate and work within the social and political channels inherent to leadership while still holding fast to my vision of what I believe is right. My second hope as a leader is to be known, like such leaders as Robert E. Lee and John Wooden, as a people-centered leader who leads in a truly collaborative manner. While I have always valued the personal approach to leadership and seen it not only as one of my strengths but also as the style that is most comfortable for me, the process of exploring several different leadership philosophies as well as examining my own preferences through different inventories has served to reinforce the notion that that kind of approach is where my leadership ability truly lies. As both a leader and a follower, I have thrived in caring and collaborative environments and have seen the loyalty and dedication that kind of situation can elicit in people. I have been fortunate to work for several leaders who have successfully modeled the virtues of this approach to leadership, and my aspiration is to be known as this type of leader in the same way that they are. How do you understand the impact of the three texts we have used so far on your learning about leadership? If taken as one body of work, the overall impact of the three texts that have been used thus far by the 2014 Virginia Commonwealth University Ed. D. cohort would be to emphasize two ideas. The first is that there are many ways to achieve the task of leadership. Even though Bohlman and Deal (2003) suggest several different frames to consider when facing leadership challenges, they point out that there is no one right combination of elements that works in every situation and that the frames are merely, “maps that aid navigation and tools for solving problems and getting things done”(p. 18). Likewise, while Drath (2001) suggests that leadership must ultimately evolve from Personal Dominance to Rational Dialogue in order to be able to effectively address the full spectrum of challenges, he acknowledges that there is a place for each of what he sees as the three leadership “principles.” Thus, the leadership lesson is, as was suggested earlier, that the leader must be flexible and able to call upon a variety of different tools and approaches in order to achieve the desired end.The second overriding message of the three texts would be the importance of a collaborative, interpersonal approach to leadership. Whether it is the personal interactions and buy-in at the heart of Lencioni’s (2001) “functional” team, Drath’s (2002) idea that all leadership is shared and grows more-so as it evolves, or the realization that the four frames put forth by Bohlman and Deal (2003) are all rooted in human interaction, it is impossible to overlook the importance of the interpersonal aspect of leadership. What else has influenced your Leadership Platform?As a reader and observer of the first-order, I am constantly noting the leadership actions taken by those around me and those leaders like Robert E. Lee and John Wooden whose actions I can only read about. In the sense of what I hope to be, I have tried to take from these leaders those elements and lessons that I have observed to aid in the accomplishment of successful leadership. I gleened from Wooden’s actions, for example, the importance of self-sacrifice and of making the individual members of the group feel deeply accountable to the whole. From Lee, I have taken the importance of humility and the return that a leader can gain from the love and affection they show for their followers. I have taken my father’s examples of duty and service-based leadership, of being the first to step forward in a situation of need and of doing what is right and what is needed regardless of public opinion. To this I have added my former chemistry teacher and basketball coach, Randy Howard’s, sense of hard work and perseverance. All of these traits and beliefs distilled from the leadership of those before me have helped to create the foundation of what I believe true leadership to be.ConclusionLeadership is difficult to define, and, as Drath (2001) suggests, it is whatever someone recognizes it to be (p. 8). While some of what has been discussed in this paper may vary from the elements that others recognize as leadership, it is my means of knowing leadership. Like all leaders, I am an amalgamation of my experiences, backgrounds, and knowledge. Each new interaction, leadership task, and course assignment helps me gain more leadership tools and sheds more light on what my preferred leadership styles and abilities are. However, while these elements of my leadership may grow and evolve, I feel certain that my foundational belief in the value of a people-centered leadership based on integrity, values, and vision will remain the same.ReferencesBig Dog’s and Little Dog’s Performance Juxtaposition Site (2012, January 26). Retrieved from:., L.G., & Deal, T.E. (2003). Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership.San Francisco: Josey-Bass.Drath, W. (2001). The Deep Blue Sea: Rethinking the Source of Leadership. San Francisco:Josey-Bass.Finzel, H. (2000). The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make. Colorado Springs: Cook CommunicationMinistries.Lencioni, P. (2002). The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.Wilkes, J. S. (1997). Call of Duty: The Sterling Nobility of Robert E. Lee. Nashville: CumberlandHouse Publishing. ................
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