Category: Unit 5

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Unit 5 – Response to Monica Grace

Monica, I really enjoyed reading your inspiring article! She asked the question: “When is delegating not helpful to an employee or how much risk can you take?”

I believe that delegating is not helpful to an employee when they do not have the prerequisites or competence to complete the task. One of the characteristics of team effectiveness that Larson & Lafasto define is called “competent team members,” whereby the individual(s) should have the proper store of knowledge and experience to complete the desired task (Northouse, 2017: p. 377-378). Although an employee should be challenged and pushed outside of his or her comfort zone to grow, the task should still be in their breadth of knowledge and skill set. Delegation is an important tool that leaders need to fine-tune to build and grow an organization. It is the art of consistently reproducing the leader and exponentially growing skills, output, and results.

A rule of thumb that an article recommends to consider when a leader is trying to determine if he or she should delegate is called “The 70% Rule” (Schleckser, 2014). According to Schleckser (2014), the leader should delegate if the individual can perform the task at least 70% as well as the leader. Evidently, the most difficult part of delegation is for a leader to give up control and trust that the task will be completed to the best of the employee’s ability (Schleckser, 2014). This requires an understanding that the employee may complete the task using a different approach than the leader; however, the leader must value the time that can be reinvested into higher-level priorities vital to the growth of the organization. If the leader needs the task to be completed at 100% performance level, then the leader should not delegate the task (Schleckser, 2014).

Thank you for your post! Looking forward to reading more!

Christina

 

References

Northouse, P. G. (2018). Leadership: theory and practice (Eighth ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Schleckser, J. (2014, Aug 14). When to delegate? Try the 70% Rule. Inc. Retrieved on October 28, 2018, from https://www.inc.com/jim-schleckser/the-70-rule-when-to-delegate.html

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Unit 5 – Response to Norm Beange

Thank you for your wonderfully written post, Norm! I really enjoyed your insights on servant leadership. Norm posed the question to readers: “What are practical ways a Servant Leader can balance thinking about the day-to-day processes and the long term? Do you have an example of a leader who had achieved this balance?”

As noted, the struggle for servant leaders is focusing on long-term objectives while overseeing present operations. In response to your question, I think that a servant leader needs to focus on top priorities that will have the biggest impact on the vision of the organization, which means being committed to followers’ personal and professional growth. By helping followers grow, the leader will empower them to take on more responsibilities and projects, boosting creativity and innovativeness (Spears, 2002: p.29). The goal of empowerment is to ultimately develop more leaders at every level within the organization (Russell & Stone, p.152). By delegating, it creates richer decision-making as various perspectives are implemented, increases commitment to goals, boosts self-confidence and job enrichment, and lastly, allows more time for leaders to focus on day-to-day operations (Russell et al. p. 152). Through serving others and developing their full personal capabilities, servant leaders will create an organization where the lives of those cultivating the vision feel nurtured and cared for themselves, resulting in increased motivation and results.

With the servant leadership philosophy, the leader must first determine the direction and vision of the organization and then flip the hierarchy upside-down. I believe that as long as the servant leader has a clear and concise goal for all the followers to understand and if he or she focuses on the day-to-day operations of serving others, the leader will reach Maxwell’s 5th level of leadership. The 5th level of leadership means that the leader has connected and developed a relationship with followers, amassed results for the organization, developed people to the point where they credit the servant leader for their success, and ultimately, earned followers respect for who the leader is and  what they represent (Maxwell, 2015). At this point, a strong community has been built that is unified to accomplish a specific vision because the servant leader displayed empathy, stewardship, and subtle persuasion (Spears, 2002: p. 27-28). Servant leaders develop followers by modelling desirable behaviours. A leader that has done this would be the leader of my church back home whom always seeks how to add value to others’ lives. He always refers to himself as a shepherd and frequently asks others how he can better serve them. As a result, the church is one of the fastest growing churches in Ottawa.

I believe that the more clear and concise a leader’s vision is, the easier it will be for that leader to determine how to grow and train followers so that they feel more empowered in both the personal and professional setting. I’m not sure if this is what you meant by practical but I think by doing that, people will become motivated to focus on the day to day operations.

Christina

 

References:

Maxwell, J. (2015, August 30). John Maxwell 5 Levels of Leadership Full Video. Retrieved October 27, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oe6XacmIZms

Russell, R. & Stone, G. (2002). A review of servant leadership attributes: developing a practical model. Leadership and Organization Development Journal 23(2).

Spears, Larry C. (2010). Character and Servant Leadership: Ten Characteristics of Effective, Caring Leaders. The Journal of Virtues & Leadership, 1(1), 25-30.

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Unit 5 – Learning Activity 2

In Larry Spears’ article titled “Character and Servant Leadership: Ten Characteristics of Effective, Caring Leaders,” he discusses the qualities that contribute to effective servant leadership. This unique style of leadership incorporates followers into the decision-making process. Servant leadership is heavily based on strong ethical and moral principles, and improving both the lives of followers as well as the organization (Spears, 2010: p. 25). Spears identifies ten characteristics of servant leaders that are critical to an organization’s performance including “listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to the growth of people, and building community” (Spears, 2010: p.25).

When a team leader is coordinating a group project in an organization, he or she should ensure that all members are competent with the required knowledge, experience, and skillset necessary to complete the task. This means that a leader must effectively communicate with potential team members to determine if they would have a significant impact to the team. Ultimately, the leader is beginning to develop a community of individuals who are like-minded with shared interests and relatedness (Northouse, 2017: p. 230). Building community creates unity and provides members with a cause to serve that is greater than themselves (Northouse, 2017: p. 230). I believe that building the community that fosters connectedness is one of the first steps a leader must do to create an effective team for an organization. He or she must be sure that the individual’s personal goals align with the group’s vision.

Before an individual commits to the identity of the team, the servant leader must be able to properly convey the vision and direction of the team; he or she must be a visionary. Conceptualization means that a servant leader is a “big picture” person, transcending the day-to-day operations of an organization to envision a better future (Northouse, 2017: p. 230). A leader must see the future vision of the team before it is created in reality. In addition, he or she must clearly communicate to potential team members what the vision is and what is required to achieve it. This is to determine if the individual will fit well into the team’s community as they work together to achieve the vision.

This directly relates to the servant leadership characteristic of Foresight, which means that the leader has an ability to understand future trends based on what has occurred in the past (Northouse, 2017: p. 230). He or she has wisdom to understand “lessons from the past, the realities of the present, and the likely consequences of a decision in the future” (Spears, 2002: p. 28). Visionaries use a different lens to analyze the world to identify trends, creative solutions, and potential opportunities. The leader must have intuition to determine if the individual will have skills and talents that will be valuable to the team’s performance. Perhaps the leader had past experiences with a team member who had a certain level of knowledge and skill but it was not directly related to the vision; therefore, the team spent a significant amount of time and energy trying to catch the person up to speed. As a result, this put the team behind performance objectives. Or, perhaps, the leader predicts a technological shift, so he or she seeks out an individual who has technical knowledge and skill of a particular software program. Each of these examples show that a leader must use wisdom and foresight when making crucial decisions on how to build an effective team.

What is an example of a company that has embodied at least 5 characteristics of Spears’ list of servant leadership characteristics?

Christina

 

References:

Northouse, P. G. (2018). Leadership: theory and practice (Eighth ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Spears, Larry C. (2010). Character and Servant Leadership: Ten Characteristics of Effective, Caring Leaders. The Journal of Virtues & Leadership, 1(1), 25-30.

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Unit 5 – Learning Activity 1

Team Effectiveness

According to the Hill Model for team effectiveness, the two critical functions of team effectiveness are performance and development. Performance refers to task accomplishments; the quality of the results of the team’s work (Northouse, 2017: p.375). Whereas, development refers to how cohesive the team functions as a unit while individuals try to satisfy their own needs (Northouse, 2017: p. 375). ­

Hackman and Walton argue that there are six components that add to a team’s overall effectiveness including developing a compelling purpose, finding the right people, creating a real team, establishing clear and concise norms of conduct, forming a supportive organizational environment, and promoting team-focused coaching (Northouse, 2017: p. 376).

Larson & Lafasto define eight characteristics of effective teams, which include a “clear, elevating goal” (a compelling purpose to energize the team), a “results-driven structure” (task and team design or culture of an organization), “competent team members” (relevant education and knowledge store, and interpersonal skills), “unified commitment” (degree of identification with the team), “collaborative climate” (an environment conducive to openness, honesty, risk-taking, and creativity), “standards of excellence” (high performance is expected and regulated), “external support and recognition” (integrated systems to support teams with direction, data, resources, rewards, and training), “principled leadership” (effective team leaders grounded in a firm moral foundation) (Northouse, 2017: p.377-378).

While working on a team in my undergrad, we had the elevated goal of bringing an app to market, which was very exciting and compelling for all of us because it was only possible with the talents and skills of each member of the team. Since members were competent in different skills, this established a powerfully effective team where we could all focus on our strengths. For example, the team included the following five people: a finance student to calculate numbers, two software engineer students to build a minimum viable product, a communications students to help with the writing and outlining the idea, and I was the marketing student to prepare communication with the public. In addition, we worked incredibly well as a unit because we had developed trust in the collaborative team environment. As a result, we had a steady flow of creative ideas, as group members were comfortable to take risks, embodying innovative behaviour necessary for an effective team. Since we were all achievers that were looking to begin our careers or get accepted into graduate school, we had a clear standard of excellence: we all needed to achieve a grade within the 90th percentile. This clear and concise goal put pressure on the group to perform at a high standard as it set the standard for appropriate behavioral norms.

Principled leadership means that the leader has concrete moral values, beliefs, and exhibits trustworthy and ethical behaviour. Furthermore, he or she consistently fosters team effectiveness through the four following processes influence team behaviour which include “cognitive” (the leader used intellectual stimulation to assist group members in understanding the problem), “motivational” (setting and expecting superior performance standards and helping members achieve it), “affective” (setting clear goals, priorities, and strategies to help members in stressful or uncertain situations), and “coordination” (organizing tasks, people, member’s talent, and processes to the goals and environment) (Northouse, 2017: p. 379).

With regards to the last team environment that I described, I believe that the motivational component of principled leadership was the most effective. By setting clear expectations and priorities, team members felt the pressure to perform and operate at a level as to not disappoint other team members. We felt emotionally invested in helping other team members accomplish their long-term goals. In addition, if one member happened to be struggling with their part, someone would step up to help them with the problem by breaking it down into manageable tasks. It is interesting to learn about the various components that contributed to the overall effectiveness of the team from my undergrad.

How do we embody servant leadership in a team that is exhibiting toxic behaviours?

Christina

 

Reference:

Northouse, P. G. (2018). Leadership: theory and practice (Eighth ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

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Light of Many Lamps – Response to Georgeena

After Georgeena read the short story by Thomas Carlyle, she discusses the importance of finding truly fulfilling work that electrifies the soul. Unfortunately, this is not the case with many people as they simply work to pay the bills with little left over. She uses the analogy that unfulfilling work is similar to a machine that has been left on, arguing that people are becoming increasingly depressed due to lack of purpose. Often times, when people are unsatisfied with their work situation, they will bring that stress back home, poisoning their home atmosphere as well. Carlyle argues that individuals need work to give their lives purpose and meaning.

I personally believe that passion is found in the dance between our greatest fear and our deepest desire. This follows the old saying, “Do what you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.” The world needs more people to follow what lights their hearts on fire; this is where the cherished and prized creations are born. This is where the rest of world gets to experience and enjoy the fruits of an individual’s talent. Without people brave enough to follow their passions, the world would be robbed of creations such as The Mona Lisa, the IPhone, Michelangelo’s David, and many more masterpieces and technologies that supplement our lives.

Passion allows us to enter a “flow” state in which we are truly present and at ease with our true sense of self. It is a peak performance state where all sense of time is lost and we are completely engrossed in the task at hand. These are the moments that we seek to find in our work, but they can only be found when we are following our passion. Often times, people choose a career simply because they think it will have a decent salary or they have a slight interest in the topic. However, many people fail to consider all the aspects that come with achieving that specific career goal. François de La Rochefoucauld warns, “Before we set our hearts too much upon anything, let us examine how happy they are who already possess it” (Watson, 1951: p.10). People do not take into consideration the sacrifices that the career may require such as the enormous time and energy commitment. For example, many doctors did not fully grasp the time commitment that the career would demand, resulting in missed family BBQs and children’s soccer practices. It is crucial to ensure that it is your passion, or else you may miss out on life’s most cherished moments. Work takes up at least one third of our time in life, so we had better make sure that it brings us joy, happiness, and fulfillment.

Thank you Georgeena for your thoughtful reflections. Looking forward to reading more blog posts!

Christina

 

Reference

Watson, L. E. (1951). Light from Many Lamps. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.

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Light of Many Lamps – Response to Monica Grace

Monica reviewed the same short story by Arnold Bennett as I did but took a substantially different approach. This provided a different insight that I had not thought of while reading the story, likely due to different life experiences. It was interesting to see that we both touched on the western perception in which North Americans live as if they are immortal whereby time is worthless. However, she discussed the concept of time within the context of losing a loved-one. I found this to be an incredibly powerful example as I have never been through this and have not experienced this heartache. As a result, I likely live as if I am immortal and also treat my loved ones as if they are going to live forever. Her honesty inspired me to reflect on how I treat my loved ones and if I am appreciating them for the precious days that we have to spend together.

In addition, I also found her realizations to be quite moving. The one that really struck home for me was the one about “Relationships over Ambition” because I have been in Bennett’s place where I budgeted and accounted for every minute. Last year, I became slightly obsessive with efficiency and making sure I was operating my life at maximum productivity. This led to biohacking my body and other methods to ensure that absolutely no time was wasted. However, this resulted in avoiding friends or family as I figured it was “dead time” that was not helping me to accomplish my goals. I became so incredibly goal-oriented that I was sacrificing my closest relationships all in the name of ambition.

I also really appreciated the question that Monica Grace asked at the end, which challenged readers to ask themselves, “Is the sole purpose of advancing and improving ourselves in life a good reason for why we should not waste our time? Or is there a greater purpose in this life to live for?”

Based on my experience that I discussed, I would disagree with the first question because it can lead to burnout, and turn into an unfulfilling vacuum of the rise and grind lifestyle. André Maurois eloquently stated, “The greedy search for money or success will almost always lead men into unhappiness. Why? Because that kind of life makes them depend on things outside of themselves” (Watson, 1951: p. 18).

Although we may feel that we are accomplishing our goals, it is important to ask ourselves are these efforts for a greater purpose such as serving others? Or is it to simply to serve self-interests? In addition, I also agree with Monica that without God at the helm, our lives become directionless, meaningless, and without purpose. Without Him, we look for meaning in things such as accomplishments and goals to give us self-worth. Unfortunately, these efforts may be in vain as they lack the key ingredient to a life of purpose.

Thank you Monica for your transparency and vulnerability so that I could have these deep reflections about my own life! Looking forward to reading more of your posts!

Christina

 

 

Reference

Watson, L. E. (1951). Light from Many Lamps. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.