MSLD 511 Module 9 Course Reflections


Reflect on the following questions in a well-written post on your Reflection Blog.

Revisit your original definition of leadership from Module 1. Would you make any changes to your definition of leadership? In what ways have learning about these leadership theories informed your own view of leadership? What type of leader are you or do you aspire to be?

 

My definition of leadership the first week of class was: Someone who can influence and create positive growth in an individual, group, or organization by the intentional coaching of others through communication. Overall, I still like my definition because it includes what are some of the most important aspects of leadership: relationships, growth and communication. However, I think I would change the word “coaching” now that I know that according to situational leadership the word coaching has a different meaning then what I was intending. Coaching is a high directive and a high supportive behavior that the leader uses to help a follower who is learning how to ride the bike, but still needs training wheels (Blanchard, 2008). As a result, I would change my definition to: Someone who can influence and create positive growth in an individual, group, or organization by being authentic with others. I added the term authentic because: a.) The theory of authentic leadership really resonated with me personally and, b.) To be authentic, a leader must be self-aware to understand their own values and then use this information to inform their behavior and how the communicate with those around them (Northouse, 2016). In this way the word “authentic” implies communication and the behavior that I was trying to express by using the word “coaching”. 

One way these leadership theories have changed my view of leadership is that it reinforced the understanding that leadership is about others. In order to be about others there has to be a humility and a self-awareness on the leader’s end to be successful (Goleman, 1998). Another major way that my view of leadership has changed is the understanding of the two-way street and the leader-follower exchange (Northouse, 2016). Being a leader doesn’t have to be dependent on job title. As mentioned before, I’ve always struggled with this and the word leadership brings an image of someone in an expensive suit in an executive office. However, this class has helped me to understand that I can be a leader by being a positive influence with those around me and finding ways to reach a common goal.

A leader that I hope to become is an Authentic Lollipop Leader. What the heck is this? As mentioned, the authentic leadership theory resonated with me personally. It didn’t involve traits or multiple characteristics in order to be a leader. Instead authentic leadership calls leaders to be to be true to themselves and true to others (Leroy, Planksi, 2012). By being self-aware I can better understand my values and as a leader and behave in a way that informs followers of my values. By doing this, followers can see my integrity and can respect me for it. Also with authentic leadership, followers are constantly reminded of the bigger picture beyond themselves. Through the leader’s authenticity followers develop a sense of loyalty to the shared purpose which is also intrinsically motivating (Northouse, 2016). As for the lollipop part of the leader I would like to be, I am referring to Drew Dudley’s Ted-Talk video where he explains everyday leadership as “lollipop moments” (2010). Dudley says, “As long as we make leadership something bigger than us, as long as we keep leadership beyond us and make it about changing the world, we give ourselves an excuse not to expect it every day, from ourselves and each other.” (2010). In other words, I want to dare to be a leader every day by helping others see the power within themselves. 

 

References:

Blanchard, Ken. (May 2008). Situational Leadership. Leadership Excellence. ProQuest Central (25,5) p.19.

Dudly, Drew. (September 2010). Everyday Leadership. TEDxToronto. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/drew_dudley_everyday_leadership

Goleman, D. (2004, 01). What makes a leader? Harvard Business Review, 82, 82-91. Retrieved from

Leroy, H., Palanski, M. E., & Simons, T. (2012). Authentic leadership and behavioral integrity as drivers of follower commitment and performance. Journal of Business Ethics, 107(3), 255-264.

Northouse, Peter G. (2016). Leadership Theory and Practice 7th ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

 

 

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