Self-assessment through Leadership Application

Self-assessment through Leadership Application

• Discuss a time when you lost trust in a leader, and describe the impact that experience had on your relationship.

The last time I lost trust in a leader was when my departmental head at work, Bob, asked me to give him a hand in helping his high school friend, Tim, create a website for his new online business. I was one of the “juniors” in the company given my young age and inexperience, but I had already become friends (or so I thought) with Bob, who had mentioned that he liked my “raw skills and wizardry” in computer projects. Regularly, Tim should have visited the company for assistance with his needs. Still, he had decided to strike a “friendship transaction” with Bob, so his project would be handled over the weekends or when Tim had “free time” outside the office hours.

Tim picked me for the project, but I ended doing the lion’s share of the tasks as he missed or only made “technical appearances” in two of the four sessions that we used to create a website for Tim. The betrayal came when he failed to pay for my services. We did not sign any payment agreements or agreed on how to share the pay, but I still feel that I should have received more than free meals and transportation from the project. The situation is even worsened by the fact that I saw him earn some cash and also the paycheck.

One of my takeaways from this incident was that a “follower” or an employee could also help a leader become better at the things that prove hard for him/her. I made this deduction from the fact that I blamed myself for not helping Bo find better ways of handling the situation. Bob had money problems and needed funds to pay his mortgage and school fees for his two sons, so he often had to work extra time, meet clients outside the work premises, and even worked for other clients at the same time he had me helping Tim create a website for his online business. Regardless, I should have informed him that I also needed a share of what he was paid for the job we did. Probably, he might have seen the problem in how he handled the situation.

• What is most likely to occur when leaders try to drive change at the organizational level without first addressing the issue of their credibility at the personal, one-on-one, and team leadership levels?

In such a situation, the leaders are likely to face the difficulties that come with change. Probably, the team members are expected to resist the new changes due to the following reasons:

• The people will feel awkward
• The team members will feel alone
• The people will feel inclined to focus on the old ways including the things they must give up
• The team will feel that the new changes come with the increased pressure that they cannot handle
• The team members could resist the new change if they feel that more resources (time and commitment from them)
• Failure to first addressing the issue of their credibility at the personal, one-on-one, and team leadership levels means that the leaders do not get to know the employees’ readiness to accept new changes. If only a few of them are ready for new ways, then the new measures could be greeted with resistance.
• Unless the leaders are first addressing the issue of their credibility at the personal, one-on-one, and team leadership levels, they are less likely to rightly “pressurize” everyone to accept the new ways. People readily revert to the old ways when the pressure to change is removed.
• According to the Lead like Jesus book, the core of leading like Jesus is love. In which of your relationships do you find it is a challenge to lead and love likes Jesus?

One of the relationships in which I fight it hard to lead and love like Jesus is when I have to guide other employees towards meeting the set goals of the company, such as meeting the deadlines for creating a website for a client. My relationship with the other employees as their leader (HOD) is best described in John 21: 15-17, in which Simon Peter became hurt when Jesus questioned his love for the third. Probably, he had sensed that Jesus was about to ask him to run some errands for him because he had been asked to feed the lambs and take care of the sheep the first two incidents he questioned Simon Peter’s love.

Similarly, I often have to “push” the other employees to undertake more activities within a short period when we have to work under a tight schedule. They might feel obliged to execute my requests, but they also express their dislike for the increased pressure. If I should lead and love like Jesus, then I should explain and try to convince the employees that I (as well as the company) need their help. Instead, I often view their genuine complaints as “excuses,” “arrogance,” or “arrogance.” I have never punished anyone for such issues because I understand that they make right complains, but I neither like nor expect them to show such reactions.

• Describe a time when emotions overpowered reason, and you acted according to your fears rather than your good intentions. What was the result? What should you have done differently?

One of the times when my emotions overtook my reasoning involved a clash with an employee who refused to work an extra two hours if I could pay him for the overtime. He knew that the company would not pay for the extra time because I made the call on their employees’ utmost faith because the client made a swift change on the deadline and promised to pay for the inconvenience and extra workload at a later date. As a result, I asked the employees to add more two extra hours to their work schedule to help meet the new deadline. Normally, I would have informed the human resource (HR) departments about my call and ask for an overpaying fee on the other employees’ behalf. Still, the HOD (Head of the department) for the HR sector had already left the office.

I planned to do report my decision the following day, so I only depended on the other employees’ faith and obedience to get the work done on that evening. All the employees understood, but one of them, Danny, felt that he would only cooperate with me if I paid. I took the matter personally, and when emotions clouded my judgment, I asked Danny to leave and asked him to not participate in the project because the other employees would get the job done without his help. The outcomes of this escaped proved costly and did not impress as we missed the deadline by three hours. I had to step in for Danny, the pressure and added workload often seemed unbearable and left me sick sometimes, and Danny reported the matter to the top management, so I had to be warned for my mistreatment of Danny. I made a truce with Danny through an apology.

• For each of the five “being habits” presented in the Lead Like Jesus book, discuss the steps you need to take to make positive progress.

Judging by the findings of Blanchard, Hodges & Hendry (2008), I would make positive progress through the following strategies:

• Steering change through context by explaining to the other employees why, what, how, and when a change has to take place in the workplace
• Modeling transparency and providing safe harbors where my colleagues can express their concerns, and confide in me instead of feeling alone in their thoughts
• Joining hands with my co-workers in “mourning sessions” to allow them to talk openly about their thoughts on what they have to give up for the change to happen
• Guiding a team through to short-term successes to enable them to see the fruits of their work before adding more elements
• Casting out doubts and worries about the sources of the resources need to make the change happen. For example, if the employees feel that the new tasks will take up much of their time, then I would assure them that the rewards of their efforts would make their time worthwhile
• Think about how well you serve those around you. What do you do to help those you lead life according to the organization’s vision?

Some of the skills that I use to treat the other employees and to lead them in line with the organization’s vision include honesty and transparency, proper time management, commitment, and flexibility. In the case of the latter, I approach nearly every task and situation with an open mind by leaving room for adjustments should things fail to work to plan. I also tend to see alternatives in almost every opportunity and believe that blending at least two courses of action gives better results. It is for that I tend to believe that employees should also have access to entertainment, have fun, and have “free time” at the workplace.

• Describe a time when you were learning something new and needed someone to push you beyond a failure or an easy early success so that you could get to a higher level of performance. Describe a time when you quit because nobody was around to help you step up to the next level. What are you doing as a leader to determine who among those you lead needs to be helped or pushed? What signs of being ready to quit do you watch for?

When I joined my current place of work, I only had skills and knowledge for web designing, and my prowess often made me one of the favorite employees to work on “big projects” of the competition. I became “famous” within a short period. I even made friends with some of the highly experienced employees, such as Tim, whom I succeeded in becoming the head of the Digital Solutions Department. However, it is my earlier success in web designing that spurred me to strive for success in other areas. For example, I looked up to Tim, but I also wanted to excel in some of the areas in which he did not do so well, so I worked and sharpened my skills in other fields of IT, such as programming.

Hard work and dedication helped me become Tim’s assistant, but I had to quit the role when the company’s board of directors asked me to act in Tim’s place when he moved on to another company. I felt that I was not tailor-made for the task and that Tim was nowhere to help and guide me on how to head the department. I had to quit until the election time when I felt that I had to make up for my “cowardice.” I won by a large margin and decided to improvise better strategies for handling challenges. As a leader now, I look to face situations hands-on to provide better solutions and avoid past experiences. For example, I look out for ready-to-quit signs such as doubts and procrastination.

• When your current season of influence ends, what do you want your legacy to be (e.g., improved service to your customers, enhanced development of the talents and gifts of the people under your influence, made a significant impact on the world around you)? Why? What two specific action steps can you take in the next 30 days to move you closer to your goal?

When my current season of influence ends, I want my legacy to be enhanced the development of the talents and gifts of the people under my influence. I want this legacy because influence spreads and has a cyclic and all-rounded impact. For example, the company would have an identity of molding its workforce to work towards common goals at every level. The best part of such a character is that it is transferable to all aspects of the company. Some of the steps (such as honesty and transparency, proper time management, commitment, and flexibility) that can push me towards this goal are ingrained in my work ethic. However, I would also use continuous learning and adaptability to attain better results.

• Discuss a change you were called to be involved in as a leader or a follower that was difficult for you. Reflect on the seven reasons why leading even positive change is hard (see Blanchard et al., pp. 252-257). What could you have done differently as a leader or follower to make that change easier and/or more successful?

When the company’s board of directors asked me to act in Tim’s place following his departure to another company, I had to quit because I found experience unbearable. I felt awkward and alone without Tim’s help and wanted to stick to the “status quo” of my work schedule. I should have accepted the role and learn to improve without Tim’s or anyone else’s help to make the transition easier for the board.

• Rath and Conchie (2008) set forth four basic needs of followers: trust, compassion, stability, and hope. Discuss how your top five strengths can be used to help meet these needs for the followers in your organizational unit.

My top five strengths include honesty and transparency, proper time management, commitment, flexibility, and communication. I use honesty and openness to draw trust and compassion from others by making them expect the truth and reliant on my trustworthiness. These qualities, coupled with proper time management, are also the foundation of stability as they foster steadiness and reliability. Lastly, I use my communication skills to raise hope in others by making them believe in the process and plans for doing things (Rath & Conchie, 2008).

• Identify, describe, and discuss the changes that would have to be made for “covenantal management” to be implemented in your company.

Since it is based on the notion of a shared community, covenantal leadership focuses on the interconnectedness of people’s lives. It holds that the responsibilities of one person (a leader) extend to the larger society (Hughes, Ginnett, & Curphy, 2009). For my organization to adopt this form of leadership, the following could have to be considered:

• Foster mutual responsibility such that the leaders help the other employees in their duties and infuse employees’ ideas in their leadership roles
• In showing respect for human integrity and recognizing the identity, uniqueness, and personhood (individuality) of all employees, my organization would foster unity and togetherness of its workforce
• Using your leadership journal and experiences while taking this class as inputs, reflect upon the things that you have learned about leadership while you have been taking this class.

I have learned many concepts about leadership from this class, some of which include:

• Leadership is a diverse activity that exists in many forms such as covenantal, democratic, bureaucratic, strategic, transformational, coaching, Laissez-Faire, and transactional leadership
• The diversity of leadership is also contributed by the fact that the “followers” or “subjects” have a role to play in how they are led
• Although leadership is a practical activity that requires participation, it should also be based on religious doctrines such as love
• Some leadership styles such as dictatorship should be disbanded
• Provided an assessment of this course. Ethical leadership has contributed to your understanding of leadership, and how that contribution came about.

My understanding of Ethical Leadership, as per this course, is that it focuses on respect for the values, beliefs, rights, and dignity of others (the “followers” or “subjects”). I adopted this line of thought from the concept of leading like Jesus in which the leaders have to respect and sometimes tolerate those under their leadership while also exercising their authority to get things done.

References

Blanchard, K., Hodges, P., & Hendry, P. (2008). Lead Like Jesus. Thomas Nelson.

Hughes, R. L., Ginnett, R. C., & Curphy, G. J. (2009). Leadership: Enhancing the Lessons of Experience (Ninth Edition). New York: McGraw-Hill Education.

Rath, T., & Conchie, B. (2008). Strengths-Based Leadership. New York: GALLUP PRESS.