Vision Blog

            Vision is a key component of leadership and is the expressed desired result for better organization and society. A vision comes from the needs and wants of both the leader and the followers, but it is the leader that reinforces this vision and makes sure it comes about with the equal cooperation of their followers. A vision provides the followers with a stimulus for change. A plan for what they must do to make change occur and plans for the future. A example of this can be a law or stimulus package passed by a government like the stimulus package in the U. S. that sets out the plans for stimulating the economy.  While there are many vision statements such as for food chains and businesses, but above all the best known and remembered through history are those that bring about change. A popular vision such as known to us today stems from Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech discussing the vision of social equality and an end to discrimination. This vision MLK presented to the public almost 50 years ago inspired people to fight for a brighter future for them and the generations to come and voiced out what his oppressed followers wanted. While MLK’s vision was only supported by a certain portion of society it was nevertheless the desired result of these people, but needed the extra motivation and push for necessary action to help achieve the vision. Part of the vision of the charter school I work at is that their all of their students will succeed academically and socially. As a school they want the students to be able to do well in school and have brighter futures. My personal vision is a world in which no one person will have to bear the agony of sadness due to untreated mental disorders. I plant to contribute to this vision by devoting my life to helping these people find happiness and help prevent this form of pain for future generations to come. I want to help other people find happiness because I myself have suffered from a mental disorder and do not wish for others to go through what I have gone through. A mission is a statement of core values and purpose of an individual or organization. This is something that is lifelong and is a personal purpose that an individual will accomplish or is living by already. For an organization this can be what it stands for and what is important to them. The mission of my work is to make sure every student succeeds by giving them a curriculum taught with a hands-on approach. I am able to contribute to this mission because I provide some of the hands-on tutoring and help to my students to make sure they do well on their assignments. My personal mission statement is to live life to the fullest as a strong-willed, independent woman and help others find happiness.

Blog 7

Toxic Leadership Blog

           

            Toxic leadership has two types of leaders: intentionally toxic and unintentionally toxic. Both cause harm to their followers and others whether they meant to or not. Intentionally toxic leader enjoy harming others and will do so for personal gain. An example of such a leader can be Adolf Hitler or Mussolini who used fear and violence for their own personal gain. The only example of such a leader in my life I can think is my friend Gloria. She is very manipulative and will do anything to get what she wants even if it means hurting a friend. Also one of the behaviors of toxic leader is treating followers well, but making them hate others. Gloria also does this by making her friends hate a person because she doesn’t like that person. An unintentional toxic leader causes harm by performing careless and reckless actions. A behavior of a toxic leader that also goes along with this is misdiagnosing problems and failing to solve them. An example of such a leader in my life could be the principal at the school I work at who makes decisions that cause more problems and doesn’t really know how to deal with these problems. There are many types of toxic leaders both the ones that I can identify with most in my life is the absentee leader and the bully leader. An absentee leader is almost never there for their followers and does not do really lead their followers. One of the teachers I work with is an absentee leader because he is always leaving the classroom and almost never does his job. I am always the one who has the explain how to do class work and answer questions because he just sits at his desk the whole day. I always have to walk around the classroom and make sure the students are doing their work and understand what they have to do. A bully leader is someone who is very insecure about themselves and puts others down who outperform them. I knew a bully leader when I was in elementary school named Judy. She would always tease me and put me down in front of others because she was jealous of me for getting good grades. She was very insecure about herself and did not really know to interact with other people or make friends. When you are dealing with a toxic leader you can either talk to that person or walk away from that situation. In my situation with the absentee leader at my work I sometimes try to talk to the teacher. In the case of Judy I should have tried to talk to her about why she did not like me and try to fix the problem.

Followership Blog

           

This week we discussed followership and the different kinds of followers there are: isolates, bystanders, participants, activists, and diehards. There are two types of followers that really stood out to me: bystanders and activists. Bystanders are people who observe but don’t participate. They go along with the status quo and don’t stand up and fight for anything; they blend into the background of the organization. Bystanders are people who watch a crime being committed but stand and don’t do anything to stop it because they are waiting for the person next to them to do something. Bystanders can also be seen in clubs and organizations as the people that just show up at events, but don’t take part in anything. Sometimes I find myself acting as a bystander when it comes one of the club I am in, I receive all the emails about events, but never find the time to go to any events or meetings. Bystanders also remind me of my students who will just sit in class and not do anything, but listen occasionally. Activists are followers who are very much into their organization and their role. They work very hard on behalf of their leaders and organizations. Activists take charge and get things done. Activists are loyal and trusted allies of organizations. An activist is someone who is not the leader, but works with the leader to make sure things get done.  I consider myself an activist when it comes to my mock trial club, where I find myself working closely with my team leaders to get things done and sometimes go beyond my role to help out my club. Even at work I can be considered an activist because I sometimes end up doing the teacher’s job of instructing the students on how to do their class work; I answer questions that the teacher should have covered in lecture. We also discussed two different sides of a debate. The first side was all about survival of the fittest and everyone should strive to be a leader. The other side was there are too many cooks in the kitchen and everyone should strive to be a good follower. Both sides make good points. It is nice to have more leaders who can help lead the followers like in a orchestra where there are section leaders to make sure no one messes up. It’s also good to have followers to carry out the task of the leaders, because without followers nothing would get done. In my experiences at work I find that it’s good to have more teachers in the classroom because children need more individual attention sometimes to learn. There are also cases where it’s good to have more members in a club if you want to get more things done. For example in my mock trial club we need more members if we want to compete against other schools.  

Process Theory Blog

Week 6: Process Theory

            The relational leadership model according to the reading has five components; two of them are inclusive and ethical. Some of the things the inclusive component refers to is to know yourself and other, being open to differences, and listening. It’s important to know yourself and others because it helps you better understand a situation and how to assess it. By open to differences you can achieve your goals better by being more open minded to new ideas. Having the skill to listen to problems will help you lead better in different situations. For example, if you are trying to work with a large group of people on project you have to be able to understand these people, be open to new suggestions, and listen to them if you want to accomplish your goal. I have had to learn to understand my students at work, be open to trying new techniques with them, and listen to them in order to perform well at my job. If I do not keep an open mind to their different attitudes towards school I won’t be able to help them if I just assume they are all alike. To be ethical is to understand the values of others, be able to confront behavior, and be trusting. Being ethical comes with taking into consideration different belief systems, being moral, confronting different types of reactions, and trusting others. For example, if you are working as a teacher you need to be able to understand the different values of your students when teaching certain subjects. As well as being able to confront bad behavior when necessary and trust your students sometimes. In my experience I have found that if I need to take into consideration the values of each of my students when I am introducing political views because each student comes from a different background with a different set of values and beliefs. I also have to be able to confront bad behavior a lot and be able to act appropriately. Sometimes I also need to just trust my students to do the right thing and trust my instincts as well. In class we discussed the social change model which is inclusive and sees leadership as a process rather than just a position. This model is focused a lot more on empowering others and being to understand them better to empower them. I am very inclusive at work and try very hard to get to know and understand my students before taking action. This model sees leadership as the process that leads to change occurring through inclusive components of leadership being utilized. Instead of leadership being a role for one person to take on, leadership is a process that helps others achieve greatness and bring about change. An example of this can be seen in charitable organizations that work together. When I take on responsibility as a leader in study groups I try to help others achieve a common goal by working together.

Week Four

Behavioral and Situational Theories Blog

           

The behavioral theory composes of two important tenets: leadership can be learned, and predisposed traits do not make a leader, but rather leadership traits are learned. Basically a leader is not born, but rather a leader is made. We learn through trial and error how to be a leader. It’s hard pin point exactly what traits make a leader because not every leader is the same An example of this theory can be seen from situations where people are thrown into roles of leadership sometimes and they must learn over time and their mistakes how to be a good leader. The situational theory says that different situations demand different types of leadership and that a effective conforms to such situations. There are two types of situations that this theory applies to directing and coaching. When you are directing you have to tell others what to do and how to do things. You have to make important decisions and solve problems. This pertains more to the business world where the manager or person in charge must direct their team or members on how they want things done. The manager or person in charge must be able to solve problems and make vital decisions. When you are coaching there is two way communication with both you and your members discussing the situation, but ultimately you make the final decision. A coach does lead their team or members, but both parties has input in decisions pertaining to the team or group. A sports coach does have to tell their team what to do, but the team gets discuss alternative options with the coach.

The reading talks about a three-skill approach: technical, human, and conceptual. Technical skill is about having knowledge and proficiency about a certain work or activity. Technical skill applies to working in places such computer software companies where you must know how to program software and to use it. If you are a leader of such a company you must know the basics to teach people how to do their job and solve problems. Human skill requires the knowledge and ability to work with other people. Basically it’s a people skill that helps you work well with your peers and superiors and get your work done. Having good human skills as a leader helps you get people to work effectively and together. Conceptual skill is the ability to work with an idea. A leader must be able to understand the basic concept of a problem and formulate an idea to solve that problem. A manager must understand what the company wants and be able to work with that goal.

I have been in situations where I have had to learn to become a better leader at work. I started off not knowing my students and as time went on I figured ways to be a better tutor. I also have had to know the material (technical skill) that I am tutoring in to do my job.

Week Three

Week Three: Great Man and Trait Theories

          The Great Man Theory is a very broad and basic conception that puts the characteristics of a leader under a stereotype. According to this theory a great leader is born from a wealthy, royal family. A leader is a heroic, political figure that emerges in the time of great need. This kind of leader only really exists in fairy tales, because in real life great leaders come from a variety of backgrounds. While fairy tales and stories from our childhood greatly influence what we believe a true hero or leader must be, in reality a leader is not born. The type of leader the Great Man Theory refers to is a hero such King Arthur and Hercules. While King Arthur did exist, he was not born into his position of power. Alexander the Great may have been born into his leadership role because of his father’s legacy, but he had tutors and teachers to show him the way. One part of this theory I can relate to is that sometimes in times of need a leader does have to arise. In my case I have had to take on a role of authority when working in groups or situations where there is no order. I cannot say I was a great leader, but I took charge of the situation because a leader was needed and usually the work got done in a timely manner.

          The trait theory states that are certain desired traits a great leader should possess, while it has been greatly disputed whether or not these traits make someone a good leader. One thing that really stood out from the research is that leaders in one situation may not necessarily leaders in another situation. For example, the character traits Rosa Parks possessed may not have been enough to help her win over Nazi Germany the way Adolf Hitler was able to. The same with the latter, Hitler’s traits would not have sufficient or appropriate to lead a civil rights movement. I can see this as true in my life because the way I take charge with my students at work may not be the right way in going about with people my own age. Especially if my peers are older than me and do not need the same voice of authority to get their work done as my students do. One more thing I noticed was that the five major leadership traits actually are important in being an effective leader. A leader should have the same IQ as their followers so they can understand them. A leader needs to be confident in their decisions if they want them backed up by the people. A leader should be determined and keep fighting to get things done. A leader should have integrity and a set of principles if they want to be respected by their followers. Lastly a leader should be sociable and able to communicate with the people. If my students didn’t respect me and couldn’t feel comfortable with me, they would not listen to me.

Week Two

Just as our society and culture have changed and evolved so has leadership. From the very beginning of time there has been some form of leadership taking place helping people survive. As people have formed civilizations and eventually states some leader has been in charge making this happen. With each era leadership is defined based on social and cultural context of society. The history of leadership begins with tribal leadership. Tribal leadership is primarily constitutes a strong, fierce leader that had proven themselves to their tribe in terms of strength. This person must win over the tribe with their size, agility, and strength. Their appearance and expert abilities give them the respect of their people. Sometimes tribal leaders are given their position of power based on their family being in power. Tribal leadership needs leaders that are skilled in helping the tribe survive and stay safe. The Pre-Classical leadership delved into the era of kings and queens. Fear of the afterlife gave religious functionaries power over the common people. People were becoming very religious and afraid of being punished by God for sinning. Religious functionaries began to assert power from this fear of the afterlife. People looked to Priests and the Church for guidance. In some societies kings were said to have a special connection the Gods, which gave them the ability to guide the people to do their bidding in order to please the Gods. In the reading it talks about how the king was the hero that we could surrender are wills to and he would keep us safe. He was the true, honest, able man we could put our faith into and know we are in good hands. People during the pre-classical era needed someone to guide them and tell them what to do. It makes sense that the king’s subjects would be so loyal to their king and see him as some kind of prophet. Males were the dominant leaders in both eras. In the reading it talks about how a good leader must put the well being of others before themselves to enhance self. By putting others before you, you become a more effective leader.

            Classical leadership was defined by making a profit and economic stability. The followers were seen as inefficient on their own and unable to make decisions for themselves. The leader saw himself as the ultimate authority. People during this time period were concerned more about making money. A direct example of this is in the business world where leaders of major corporations needed to make profit. Leadership resorted back to the followers being dependent on the leader for direction. The employees now had to depend on their bosses to help them achieve financial stability. Progressive leadership came about with economic stability no longer being the main concern, but rather producing quality. Business leaders were now financially secure, but needed to change their tactics to stay in the game. Their employees now wanted more decision making power.