According to Northouse (2019), assigned leaders are those within our organizations who have been given a formal title, like Department Heads or Team Leaders. A title, however, does not guarantee influence. Some of the most influential people within an organization, do not have an assigned title. These people are referred to by Northouse (2019) as being emergent leaders. These are the people who when they speak up at staff meetings, other people stop and listen. They gather followers over a period of time due to their personable nature, likability factor and ability to communicate effectively. Specifically, these people are noticeably involved, informed, seek opinions, initiate new ideas and are firm but not rigid in their viewpoint (Northouse, 2019). \u00a0The closer someone appears to be fit in with the group’s objective, the more likely someone with the above characteristics will emerge as a leader (Northouse, 2019). I don’t know about you, but I find that when it comes to forming groups or teams (especially when it comes to content with which I might not be very familiar), \u00a0I am always drawn to working with those individuals who are confident, and who appear to know their stuff well, who are easygoing and approachable. \u00a0These are personality traits Northouse (2019) mentions \u00a0that were found to be directly related to leadership emergence in Smith and Foti’s (1998) study of 160 male college students. \u00a0They specially narrowed down their results to three primary traits; confidence, dominance and intelligence (Northouse, 2019, p.8).<\/p>\n
Before this year, I didn’t know a lot about Career Education at the high school level. In fact, I had never even taught in a high school. \u00a0After teaching elementary and middle school, \u00a0I decided one day that \u00a0I would really like to teach in a high school. \u00a0So when a brand new opportunity opened up, I leaped at it! \u00a0After a two and a half hour long interview, I was offered the position. \u00a0As excited as I was, I was very nervous and felt woefully inadequate. I read everything that I could get my hands on and relied on my professional network as a sounding board and a place to ask questions. \u00a0I attended every single meeting and conference that I could. \u00a0A lot of these meetings take place at the School Board Office with representatives from other high schools and members of the District Instructional team. \u00a0I began to feel more confident in my knowledge of the curriculum, and was happy to share the highs and lows of Career Education that we were experimenting with and experiencing at my high school. \u00a0It hasn’t \u00a0been an easy year trying out new ideas and embedding new curriculum, and I was really vulnerable in sharing some of the challenges that were faced. \u00a0I was a little bit surprised when other members started to email me questions, asked to meet with me outside of these meetings to learn more about what we were doing, and began to ask to be a part of my group during meetings. Less than seven months in, \u00a0I have now been invited to be a part of the District team in creating new curriculum outline drafts and to speak at the province wide Career Education conference in Vancouver next year. \u00a0I am actually amazed and to be brutally honest, I feel rather fraudulent as I think I still have so much to learn from others. \u00a0I’m about to be very vulnerable in admitting that what is most interesting to me is that while I have gained recognition as an emerging leader by individuals at other schools and within the school district, \u00a0I am struggling at times to build credibility in my career role within my own school with staff members. \u00a0This is something that I would like to examine further and reflect as to why that is and what I can do better.<\/p>\n
I became most excited while reading Northouse’s differentiation between management and leadership, at ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/create.twu.ca\/awalkinthewoods\/files\/2018\/05\/yes.png\")
one point even writing the word ‘YES!’ in huge capital letters with a huge exclamation point and underlined twice for special emphasis in the blank space at the side of the page. \u00a0What I was reading made perfect sense to me! \u00a0I could personally relate to what he was referring to on several levels.<\/p>\n
There seems to be a misconception that exists, that if someone has the title of Manager that they are the leader. While, most of us have had the opportunity to work with people who are great at keeping order and stability in our workplaces and at managing , it is important to note that just because someone is a great manager of procedures and information, it does not mean that they are a leader.\u00a0Northouse (2019) explains, that management was only created at the start of the 20th century as a means to provide structure and assist with creating order out of chaos. In contrast, leadership is a centuries old method of producing positive change and upward mobility (Northouse, 2019).<\/p>\n
That’s not to say, one can exist without the other. They are co-dependent as Northouse (2019) states when he quotes Kotter (1990, pp. 7-8);<\/p>\n
“Both management and leadership are essential if an organization is to prosper. To be effective, organizations need to nourish both competent management and skilled leadership (Northouse, 2019, p.12)”.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/create.twu.ca\/awalkinthewoods\/files\/2018\/05\/steve-jobs-300x190.jpg\")
and align the people to build the teams. He was inspiring and energizing to listen to and his employees were empowered to be creative. Once a vision was established, Steve Jobs left the rest of the day to day organizational tasks to his management team and he continued to concentrate on creating positive change. ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/create.twu.ca\/awalkinthewoods\/files\/2018\/05\/doing-things-right-300x142.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/create.twu.ca\/awalkinthewoods\/files\/2018\/05\/question.jpg\")
Do you ever find yourself chafing at what feels like stifling organizational rules that you see as limiting potential and being reactive instead of proactive? \u00a0As it pertains to Bennis and Nanus’ quote “Managers are people who do things right and leaders are people who do the right thing (2007, p. 221).” How would you (after giving it some time to observe and reflect) as an emerging leader (or an assigned leader) question process and promote change respectfully?<\/p>\n