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Response to Monica Grace

I thought that the quote that Monica used by Sheryl Sandberg was exceptionally powerful. I have wanted to read Lean In for quite some time now. I have never considered the internal aspect that can be quite disempowering for women, in which we conform to societal norms of how we are supposed to act. Furthermore, if women do succeed and achieve an elite position of leadership, they tend to experience the “imposter syndrome,” which is likely due to years of societal pressure (Grace, 2018). Therefore, if women succeed in a male-dominated role, they may not feel entitled to it. I found the specific quote by Sheryl Sandberg to be powerful, “Young women internalize societal cues about what defines “appropriate behaviour and, in turn, silence themselves” (Grace, 2018). In my personal experience, I often find myself not speaking up because I feel that someone likely has a better answer or solution that I do, so this quote was very empowering for me. Evidently, this is something that I will need to overcome in my leadership journey if I ever want to have influence in an organization or impact in the world.

In response to Monica’s question: “Why do you think is it so hard for women in the workplace to be seen and/or accepted as powerful?” I believe that it is difficult for women to be accepted as powerful because it transcends deeply entrenched beliefs of women’s role in society that are found in cultural, political and social institutions (Hawley, 2016). There are societal norms that have been reinforced for centuries, since they are incredibly subtle and indeterminate, it is difficult to eliminate them because they are embedded in virtually every sphere of influence. Thank you for the post, Monica!

Christina

References

Grace, M. (2018, Nov 17). Activity 1-External and Internal Barriers. Retrieved on November 18, 2018, from https://create.twu.ca/monicagrace/2018/11/17/activity-1-external-and-internal-barriers/

Hawley, J. (2016, Feb 2). Why women’s empowerment is essential for sustainability development. Retrieved November 17, 2018, from https://www.iied.org/why-womens-empowerment-essential-for-sustainable-development

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Unit 8 – Learning Activity 2

By taking the Gender-Leader Implicit Association test I was surprised to learn that even though I consider myself to have progressive views with regards to women in leadership, I still have gender biases since I received a positive score. Evidently, the beliefs about women are culturally entrenched in society and they are subliminal because they remain unnoticed below our conscious threshold. Due to its indeterminate nature, it is unsurprising that women experience this subtle bias in the corporate sphere while trying to rise to positions of leadership in a company. According to Nugent and colleagues (2016), many women across all regions have reported that they have felt undervalued, excluded, or dismissed because of their gender (largely as a result of stereotypes and cultural norms) (Nugent, Pollack, & Travis, 2016: p.7).

Although many companies are now becoming a visibly diverse workforce, the inclusion to participate fully within the workplace and corporate culture is still problematic (Nugent et al., 2016: p. 5). Inclusion entails that a company embraces employees for their “uniqueness and belongingness” (Nugent et al., 2016: p. 5). Many organizations believe that if they have achieved visible diversity then they question as to why they need to emphasize inclusion as well. However, this ideology is what reinforces the problem that is being sought to eliminate. In order to facilitate workplace inclusion, it is important for employees and leaders to be able to “see” or describe inclusion, otherwise the problem will not be alleviated (Nugent et al., 2016: p.6). I believe that this is the case many women face while trying to achieve elite positions of leadership within the corporate sphere: senior management mistakes visible diversity for inclusion. As such, many women find it increasingly difficult to explain the glass ceiling that prevents them from moving up.

There are a couple ways that leaders can reinforce inclusive behaviour within the workforce: creating a shared understanding by establishing clarity of what inclusion would look like and visibly rewarding inclusive behaviours (Nugent et al., 2016: p.7). Firstly, a large part of the issue with inclusion in the workplace is that it is grossly undefined and indeterminate. Therefore, establishing clarity and creating dialogue with employees about what inclusion looks like and how it differs from diversity (Nugent et al., 2016: p.7). A leader should talk to employees and inquire about a time they felt valued and included, and another time where they felt dismissed (Nugent et al., 2016: p.7). It is important for the leader to listen and validate the employees’ feelings and varying experiences to fully grasp a conclusive picture of the organization. Secondly, a leader should use positive reinforcement to illustrate desirable behaviour and ultimately broadcast to the organization a shared vision of inclusion (Nugent et al., 2016: p.7). Management should develop a rewards system to further reinforce, promote, and encourage inclusive behaviours (Nugent et al., 2016: p.7). Leaders should promote richly diverse and inclusive work environments “will not only help make societal institutions, businesses, and governments more representative, but it can also contribute to more ethical, productive, innovative, and financially successful organizations” (Northouse, 2017: p.414). Evidently, promoting inclusive behaviours for women will have a beneficial outcome for the organization.

Have you personally seen or experienced exclusion in the workforce?

Christina

 

References

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

Nugent, J., Pollack, A. & D. Travis, (2016). The Day to day experiences of workplace inclusion and exclusion. Retrieved from http://www.catalyst.org/system/files/the_day_to_day_experiences_of_workplace_inclusion_and_exclusion.pdf

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Unit 8 – Learning Activity 1

Society has longstanding beliefs towards women in elite leadership positions that are so subtle and ingrained that it is almost undetectable. Women, such as the situation Lisa Weber faced, frequently face the glass ceiling effect while attempting to move into a leadership position. The glass ceiling is a metaphor, which means that women face an invisible, impassable barrier as women attempt to rise to positions of leadership within organizations (Northouse, 2017: p. 404). The media reinforces longstanding beliefs that are entrenched within society. It has a powerful role in shaping our perceptions by creating a strategic frame, which means to highlight or promote certain aspect of an event or issue in order to convey an intended interpretation or solution (Murphy, 2010: p.212). Therefore, one can understand the prevailing ideology in society by analyzing how the media portrays various scandals through the use of language in the coverage. I would like to pose that the media is reinforcing the glass ceiling effect through strategic framing. I would like to further exemplify my argument by analyzing the gender contrast between the coverage of Martha Stewart and a more important corporate scandal that was committed by the Enron executives (Stabile, 2004: p.315).

The Case of Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart was a highly successful businesswoman who acquired fame and status by building a billion-dollar empire out of her cooking business and TV show (Stabile, 2004: p.316). Stewart had essentially transcended her traditional gender role and became a wealthy, independent woman. Stewart did not conform to heteronormative models of female behaviour and thus women like Stewart are not tolerated for long as they deviate from societal androcentric norms (Stabile, 2004: p. 317). Therefore, it came as no surprise that the media latched onto the story when Stewart was caught insider trading. Stewart was charged with obstruction of justice and lying to investigators about the sale of her ImClone stock, a deal that netted her approximately $51,000 (Stabile, 2004: p.318). Once the media caught wind of her impeding downfall, she was a hit story. According to Murphy’s (2010) study that looked at themes over a 25 year period related to Stewart’s media coverage, the predominate language that was used in the media had moral blameworthiness undertones such as “corporate scandal,” “corporate survival,” “out of the kitchen,” and “the business of domesticity” (Murphy, 2010: p.226). One article described her downfall by stating, “Martha Stewart may be the diva of domesticity, but there’s one New York judge who think she’s the queen of lies” (Stabile, 2004). The tone depicts a spiteful gleefulness at her demise (Stabile, 2004: p.324). According to Stabile (2004), the majority of the media coverage attacked Stewart’s appearance, emotions, and personality (Stabile, 2004: p.326) Unfortunately, Stewart’s case was minor in comparison to the widespread corporate misconduct that was taking place (Murphy, 2010: p.210).

The Case of Enron

In contrast, the corporation Enron, which was rated as the “most innovative company in America” by Fortune magazine, filed for what was the largest bankruptcy in US history in 2002 (Healy & Krishna, 2003: p. 3). Enron had committed a classic pump and dump scheme at the height of the deregulation period. This is where executives give the illusion that the company is thriving to artificially pump the stock up. In addition, Enron encouraged employees and their families to invest their retirement savings so that they would have part ownership. In reality, the company was going bankrupt and losing money and the executives hid the losses in offshore companies, claiming that they were unaware of the company’s financial position. Therefore, when the stock value was at its peak (pump) all the executives sold their stock (dump) and consequently, shares dropped from $86 to $0.26 (Healy & Krishna, 2003: p. 3). The executives sold off over $1 billion worth of their stock while the accounts were frozen for the average shareholder.

In contrast to Stewart’s $51,000, CEO Kenneth Lay walked away with $200.7 million from Enron. The estimated loses totalled to approximately $72 billion (CNN library). Employees who had invested in Enron’s retirement plan lost about $2.07 billion and retirees lost $2 billion in their pension fund (Stabile, 2004: p.318). However, the language in the media was vastly different in Enron, which referred to the situation and the executive using little adjectives to describe the facts: “former Enron executive,” “an altruistic corporate giant,” “Kenny boy,” and the common theme describing the “cozy relationship” between auditors and corporate clients” or the de-regulatory climate; there was little recognition of moral blameworthiness (Stabile, 2004). The Enron executives were described merely in regards to their employment status.

Although, there are differences between the two cases as Stewart’s case was individualistic whereas the Enron case was largely systemic. When it comes to men involved in a corporate scandal, the issue is delivered as facts. However, when it comes to women, a double standard emerges in reporting where the women are demonized for transcending the societal role. There was a nation wide Schadenfreude when it came to Stewart’s misfortunes – that is, the guilty joy one feels at the misfortunes of the high and mighty (Huget, 2004 & Hu, 2011). As Margaret Atwood states, “We still think of a powerful man as a born leader and a powerful woman as an anomaly” (Northouse, 2017: p. 404). Stewart violated normative codes of femininity because the private sphere is a male-dominated arena. So when a successful woman breaks the law, the woman’s entire life is under scrutiny and contempt (Stabile, 2004: p.326). Evidently, the amount of attention devoted to Stewart was disproportionate to the newsworthiness of the case in comparison to corporate scandals that merit a greater amount of moral blameworthiness as depicted in Figure 1 (Stabile, 2004: p.319). These two examples not only show a large discrepancy in societal gender perceptions of leadership but also that the media heavily influences our beliefs and arguably reinforces the glass ceiling effect.

 

Do you know any examples of women in power that have experienced disproportionate coverage from the media?

 

Christina

 

Reference

 

Baykal, L., McAlister, D. & Sawayda, J. (n.d.). Martha Stewart’s Insider Trading Scandal. Retrieved on November 16, 2018, from https://danielsethics.mgt.unm.edu/pdf/martha%20stewart%20case.pdf

Healy, P. & Krishna P. (2003). The Fall of Enron. Journal of Economic Perspectives 17:2, pp. 3-26.

Huget, J. (2004, August 24). Pardon Me, Your Schadenfreude is Showing. Retrieved on November 16, 2018, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/wellness/2004/08/24/pardon-me-your-schadenfreude-is-showing/5ce2d927-5f81-49ee-a1bf-55afda02dee1/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.807875c3f5c1

Hu, J. (2011, October 11). A Joyful & Malicious History Of ‘Schadenfreude.’ Retrieved on November 16, 2018, from https://www.theawl.com/2011/10/a-joyful-malicious-history-of-schadenfreude/

Murphy, P. (2010). The Intractability of Reputation: Media Coverage as a Complex System in the Case of Martha Stewart. Journal of Public Relations Research, 22(2), 209–237. https://ezproxy.student.twu.ca:2420/10.1080/10627261003601648

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

Stabile, C. A. (2004). Getting What She Deserved: The News Media, Martha Stewart, and Masculine Domination. Feminist Media Studies, 4(3), 315–332. https://ezproxy.student.twu.ca:2420/10.1080/1468077042000309964

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Light of Many Lamps – Response to JsonHealer

Many people get to the end of their time on this planet and realize that they had many dreams that were never acted upon due to the paralyzing fear of failure. Fear has destroyed more dreams than failure ever has. William Shakespeare warns us, “Our doubts are traitors, And make us lose the good we often might win. By fearing to attempt” (Watson, 1951: p. 151). Consequently, we admire and reward the few who are able to push passed the persistent uncertainty and boldly step out, summoning the courage to realize their dreams. Life is discovered between the dance of our greatest fear and our deepest passion, while serving something greater than simply self-interests. Those who transcend their fears and have the courage to demand more of this life are those influential and admirable individuals such as Theodore Roosevelt. This unnerving courage is what we name the intangible, unexplainable, illogical concept called faith.

Faith is what all great leaders and influencers have in common. As stated by Voltaire, “Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe” (Brainyquote, n.d.). It is the very fabrics that bridge our current reality and our desire of which we hope to achieve. The greats have only accomplished magnificent feats because they had a dream to change the world and the audacity to believe in their dream. Evidently, dreams die when the path to reaching a goal is not clear. The act of believing that the dream is possible is challenging in and of itself because having faith is scarce. The majority follows the minority; the few that can harness doubt and fear and replace it with unwavering faith and courage, as Theodore Roosevelt said, “Believe you can and you’re half way there” (Brainyquote, n.d.).

Just as Theodore Roosevelt did with America, people look to a leader when trials and tribulations offer uncertainty. People look to someone who has the courage to believe in a better future. This can be applied to many organizations when they experience doubt and uncertainty, a leader must emerge that courage and faith to believe in something greater than the present. For one of life’s greatest disasters would be getting to the end of life, standing before God, and providing the innumerable excuses as to why you could not start that charity or business, invent that product, give that love and support, or discover that cure. As leader we must have faith and remember, “All things are possible in him that believeth” (Mark 9:23). Evidently, the old adage still remains true: it’s not the things you do in life, but the things that you don’t do. A study found that 33% of Americans regret major life decisions, citing the following reasons: not pursuing their dreams (39%), avoiding risks in their personal life (36%), and not taking risks in their career (38%). It is a reminder that we need to have the courage to pursue our aspirations and dreams, the burning desire to overcome doubt, and the faith to believe in that what is not seen. For it would be a great shame to get to the end of your life and realize that you never truly lived.

I loved your article Jsonhealer! Looking to reading more of your posts!

Christina

 

References

Brainy Quote (n.d.) Theodore Roosevelt. Retrieved on November 11, 2018, from https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/theodore_roosevelt

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

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Unit 7 – Response to DawnES

Although I did not directly answer the question that Dawn posed, she did inspire me to develop some interesting thoughts. In her post, Dawn eloquently articulated principles of effective ethical behaviour and how ethics are the strong foundation to authentic transformational leadership. However, if transformational leadership is not grounded in strong morals and values, it may turn into pseudotransformational leadership. This is where the leader is narcissistic, exploitive, and manipulative with a warped code of ethics and moral compass (Northouse, 2017: p. 165).

Pseudotransformational leadership is the complete opposite of authentic leadership because the only goal of this type of leader is personal gain without concern for the collective good (Northouse, 2017: p. 165). It is especially threatening because this type of leadership nonetheless has the alluring and inspiring appeal of transformational leadership; however, the ethics are inherently skewed. These leaders dominate and direct followers according to self-interests (Northouse, 2017: p. 165). They exploit and engage in ruthless capitalism with little regard for the well-being of others.

Pseudotransformational leaders are incredibly persuasive with their message, but it is distorted with dishonesty and exploitative undertones (Kraft, n.d.). Whereas authentic leaders wish to foster trust and engage in coaching and mentoring, pseudotransformational leaders prefer blind obedience (Kraft, n.d.). In addition, these types of leaders do not appreciate individuals that question their authority, preferring ignorance and submission. In contrast, authentic leaders welcome intellectual stimulation and debate to encourage critical thinking (Kraft, n.d.). There are tons of examples in history, such as Hitler and Jeffery Skilling, where transformational leaders had all the effective characteristics except strong ethics, resulting in destruction.

Evidently, ethics are the foundation that a organization is built upon. If it is built on shaky ground, it will not withstand high-stake decisions and moments where a strong moral compass is needed to fall back on. I found that it was extremely interesting to read up on the dark side of transformational leadership and the importance of ethics.

Christina

 

Reference

Kraft, D. (n.d.). Pseudo-transformational Leadership in the Workplace. Retrieved on November 11, 2018, from https://work.chron.com/pseudotransformational-leadership-workplace-30748.html

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

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Unit 7 – Response to Monica Grace

I thought it was effective how Monica used the analogy of a water droplet falling into a body of water, creating ripples that gradually increase. She draws connections that this is the same impact that leaders have in the lives of their employees, the organization, and the world at large. A leader sets the tone of an organization, behaviour and decisions following ethical suit (BuildingCapacity, 2013).

This reminds me of Peter Singer’s thought experiment where he asked readers if they would save a drowning child while sacrificing a new business outfit on the way to work (Singer, 1997). Once everyone agreed, he asked if it would be any different if there were distance between readers and the child, such as a country or nation. His main premise was is that for a small sacrifice for Westerners to pay, it saves a child’s life (Singer, 1997). He argues that the costs are incredibly small for the benefits that it may reap. Ultimately, Singer wants to challenge people’s underlying ethics with regards to helping strangers. He relates it to LH Lecky’s analogy of human concern as an expanding circle, in which it begins with one person and gradually expands to affect and transform others’ perspectives (Singer, 1997). The idea is that the circle continuously grows from: the family, to the community, to the nation, to a coalition of nations, and then to all of humanity (Singer, 1997). In essence, substantial change can begin by one person’s ethics and thereby raising the level of consciousness of a large group of people through the ripple effect. It becomes an expanding circle or ripple, creating enormous change in the world.

Ethics within an organization is the same way because it begins with the leader setting the tone with regards to what behaviour is acceptable vs. what is unacceptable. There is no limit to the amount of people that a leader’s ethics can inspire, benefit, or harm: the effect is exponential.

Thank you for the post Monica!

Christina

 

References

BuildingCapacity [Poster]. (2013, March 29). What is ethical leadership? Retrieved November 2018, from You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks2QGoIq5nA

Singer, P. (1997, April). The Drowning Child and the Expanding Circle. Retrieved on November 11, 2018, from https://www.utilitarian.net/singer/by/199704–.htm

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Light of Many Lamps – Response to SJasmins

Sarah effectively articulated the Confucius’ principles related to his primary message “what you do not wish done to yourself, do not do to others” (Watson, 1951: p. 196). This is taken from the Golden Rule of Christianity: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. I liked how Sarah related these simple principles to the importance of establishing trust with followers because trust is what allows a leader to have influence. Followers have to trust their leader’s character in order to have their thoughts, beliefs, and actions influenced by an individual. As Sarah pointed out, integrity makes a leader worthy of trust.

I believe this dovetails into authentic leadership. In a society where authenticity is rare, it has become more valuable than ever. People are starving to follow authentic influencers that take off the masks of social norms and share their true struggles and hardships. Social media has made authenticity especially valuable. We live in a world where everyone showcases the highlight reel of their lives, creating a cycle of envy and inadequacy. Authentic leadership is a philosophy that advocates for genuine and “real” leadership especially with the public’s increasing demand for trustworthy leaders in the wake of corporate scandals and “fake news” (Northouse, 2017: p. 197).

Authentic leadership requires an intrapersonal perspective that consists of true “self-knowledge, self –regulation, and self-concept” as to not unknowingly or mistakenly treat others poorly (Northouse, 2017: p. 198). Authentic leaders have strong codes of ethics by understanding their own values, where they behave in ways that are congruent to their own personal constitution (Northouse, 2017: p. 200). When they experience hardships or tough decisions, they do not compromise their ethics because the values have been predetermined before for high-stake situations arise. Ultimately, this instils trust amongst followers as they see their leader acting ethically in difficult situations. Evidently, leaders set the moral tone for the organization because both ethical and non-ethical behaviour trickles down through the organization (BuildingCapacity, 2013). Confucius’ principles relates not only to an individual’s personal life but also to the ethical corporate sphere.

Thank you Sarah for your thought-provoking post! I really liked how it fit in nicely with this week’s topic. Looking forward to reading more!

Christina

 

References

BuildingCapacity [Poster]. (2013, March 29). What is ethical leadership? Retrieved November 2018, from You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks2QGoIq5nA

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

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

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Unit 7 – Learning Activity 2

Transformational leadership entails a leader motivating and inspiring followers to perform beyond expectations while sacrificing self-interests and serving the common good (Wang & Oh, 2011: p. 224). Furthermore, transformational leaders tend to challenge the status quo, which may result in increased performance levels due to both creativity and innovation (Wang et al., 2011: p.228). The article by Wang and colleagues suggested that transformational leadership was positively related to desirable individual, team, and organizational performance (Wang et al., 2011: p.253). Moving forward, Wang and colleagues suggest that organizations should choose the right people with transformational leadership personality traits (i.e. extraversion and emotional stability) and they should offer training programs to enhance management’s leadership styles (p. 253). In addition, transformational leadership is most effective in collaborative team environments.

I can use transformational leadership principles to motivate my followers by encouraging them to serve higher-level needs such as the common good. It is important to link their work to serving a cause greater than themselves, yet inspires followers to become their best self (Northouse, 2017: p. 168). In addition, this win-win leadership style not only serves a higher purpose but also increases desirable performance in the individual, teal, and organization. I will also remind myself to constantly look for individuals that show potential for transformational leadership development. However, it is crucial that these individuals have a strong code of ethics because transformational leadership can be used for harm.

Ethics is concerned with the virtuousness, values, and morals of an individual’s character and motives (Northouse, 2017: p. 336). Ethics provide a guide for decision-making with regards to what is good and bad, or right and wrong (Northouse, 2017: p. 336). Whether implicitly or explicitly, ethics are the backbone of all decisions. Ultimately, ethics direct the choices that leaders make and how they respond in various situations (Northouse, 2017: p.336).

The two ethical leadership principles that I believe are most important are respect for others and manifesting honesty. Firstly, I believe that respecting others is most important because we currently are experiencing ruthless capitalism where people are more motivated than ever to accomplish the American Dream at the expense of others. For example, traces can be seen of this as with the case of Enron where thousands of people lost their retirement savings because they were simply seen as a means to an end in a pump and dump scheme. Leaders need to respect followers’ valuable individual differences with respect to their own wants, needs, and dreams (Northouse, 2017: p. 346). The needs of both the leader and the followers need to be effectively fused together. Secondly, ethical leaders are honest by avoiding the harmful action of dishonesty. Leaders need to be honest so that they are trusted by followers and seen as being reliable and dependable (Northouse, 2017: p. 350). If leaders are not honest, followers will lose respect and the leader’s influence and impact will be compromised. Dishonesty and lying mean that a leader is open to manipulating and betraying the relationship with followers in order to suit personal interests (Northouse, 2017: p. 350). I believe that these are the most important because a leader needs honesty in order to reinforce respect, which ultimately creates trust in the leader-follower relationship. Without these, the leader will have little to no influence on follower’s actions, beliefs, or decisions. Therefore, the leader will not have impact in achieving desired goals.

If a leader has broken these two ethical leadership principles (respect and honesty) once, do you think the leader can make amends in full and become an effective leader again?

Christina

 

References

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

Wang, G., Oh, I.-S., Courtright, S. H., & Colbert, A. E. (2011). Transformational leadership and performance across criteria and levels: A meta-analytic review of 25 years of research. Group & Organization Management, 36(2), 223–270. https://ezproxy.student.twu.ca:2420/10.1177/1059601111401017

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Unit 7 – Learning Activity 1

Within our turbulent world, authentic leadership is needed more than ever. From fake news to corruption to white collar scandals, the public is anxious and apprehensive to have an ethical, authentic leader that is compelled to act in a way that appeals to not only universal principles of social justice, equality, and benevolent values, but also positive directed emotions of gratitude, kindness, and goodwill (Avolio & Gardner, 2005: p. 318). Ethics encompasses the principles, values, and beliefs that ultimately distinguish the differences between behaviour that is right and behaviour that is wrong (BuildingCapacity, 2013). The purpose of a leader is to influence a group of individuals towards a common goal (BuildingCapacity, 2013).

As the video (BuildingCapacity, 2013) stated, leaders set the moral tone for the organization because they uphold the values and set the cultural tone. Furthermore, the values and beliefs of top management trickle down through the organization, impacting every individual’s decisions and actions. A leader reinforces trust when he or she acts in an ethical way. Especially being in the nonprofit stream, it is incredibly important for a leader to be ethical because nonprofit organizations survive on the public’s support, which is maintained through trust (BuildingCapacity, 2013). Therefore, it is pivotal for nonprofits to maintain “high standards of transparency and integrity if they wish to maintain the support of the community” (BuildingCapacity, 2013).

For example, my organization was exploring the possibility of beginning a nonprofit organization to provide gently used furniture to women that have been abused and are starting their lives over. We went to several women’s shelters to discuss this idea and partner with one. However, there was one shelter that we spoke to in which we got the sense that management was going to look over the furniture before giving it to the abused women. This is a prime example of a nonprofit organization that has non-ethical leadership that operates here in the lower mainland. It is important for an organization to encompass the two values of communication and transparency (BuildingCapacity, 2013).

Therefore, it is crucial that a leader has a strong moral compass to make decisions. In the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Steven Covey discusses that the most important aspect of becoming a high effective leader is developing strong, uncompromising principles that will be nonnegotiable in the high-stake moments of life (Covey, 1989). There are moments and decisions that showcase a leader’s ethics. He argues that what distinguishes great leaders from poor leaders, is that they have strong values that can be equated to a personal constitution (Covey, 1989: p.115). Similar to a declaration of right of freedoms in which no law can violate citizen’s rights, a leader’s decisions must be judged to the level of ethics that does not violate their personal constitution. Evidently, this illustrates the importance of developing a strong personal constitution before the trials and tribulations come. We must decide who we are going to be before we are tested and in the situations where our integrity and character could be compromised. For example, a few weeks ago when I was beginning the MA of Leadership, we were asked to develop our own personal constitution, so I have included mine. My personal values include, but are not limited to:

  • Continuous personal growth
  • Uncompromising integrity
  • Hearing both sides before judging
  • Defending those that are absent
  • Avoiding gossip
  • Maintaining humour
  • Acquiring wisdom from others
  • Relentless discipline
  • Unwavering honesty
  • Being sincere but decisive
  • Listening trumps speaking

These values will be the backbone for what I want to accomplish because it will ultimately inspire trust in my character. People need to trust their leader and what they stand for. I developed this list a few years ago. However, I revamped it slightly during a strategic leadership assessment in my Strategic Leadership class.

Moving forward, in my organization I will foster growth by further basing all of my decisions off my personal constitution in order to become a more strategic and authentic leader. As stated, trust and transparency are both rare and valuable in a turbulent society. I believe that this will provide an environment cohesive to growth.

What is your personal constitution that you will use to guide each and every decision to maintain your ethics as a leader?

Christina

 

References

Avolio, B. J., & Gardner, W. L. (2005). Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16, 315–338. https://ezproxy.student.twu.ca:2420/10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.03.001

BuildingCapacity [Poster]. (2013, March 29). What is ethical leadership? Retrieved November 2018, from You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks2QGoIq5nA

Covey, S. (1989). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

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

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Unit 6 – Learning Activity 2

Currently, John holds several leadership position as he is a pastor of a church, a director of church planting initiatives, and a research catalyst for an up and coming graphene company. I spoke to John to discuss his goals and professional development.

When are you at your best? Describe a time when you performed really well?

John believes that he performs his best when he has the ability to exercise his creativity when bringing together solutions from multiple disciplines. While he was the director of church planting, he helped train people for a competency-based program called the “Immerse Program.” John’s seminary is featured as one of the best seminaries in Canada as a result of that program. This was accomplished by bringing together behavioural training and correct goal-setting, combined with evaluating the purpose of the seminary training and developing a system where people are being trained for the exact results that are being evaluated (as opposed to educating that are based on preconceived notions).

What were the circumstances during that time?

Through Immerse, they were given a mandate to plant a certain amount of churches. However, they did not have the resources to recruit people and pay them sufficiently. For example, there was another organization that was able to offer church planter apprentices a salary of $60,000. It was necessary to think differently and creatively as to how to develop their own pool of potential church planters. There strategy was to find people early on with a heart for the ministry and help them discern if becoming a church planter was to be their pathway. The Immerse program was a much earlier buy-in in which training and recruiting was performed all the way through the process. Previously, church-planting systems would wait until people thought that they were qualified and would walk them through that process until they were qualified.

Where do you want to be in five years from now? Describe your idealized future as if it were already happening?

“In the corporate world, I would like to have the firm in a position where it is globally influencing, whereby the company is providing great products and resources for the under privileged. Whether that means providing safe drinking water or having an environmental or economical impact, the freedom to use some of that influence to direct resources to help hose that are less privileged. An integration of a business and global opportunity.”

How can you get there? What are your ideas for realizing this preferred future?

John takes a 2-prong approach with regards to his idealized future. He believes that he is growing a business that requires “priority, energy, clear decision-making, and ensuring we are assessing potential markets that have quicker pay-off, as well as longer term projection that have a greater future. It is all about finding the balance.” Second, John wants to work towards starting a non-profit organization to raise money for Christian schools in Pakistan.

What skills/behaviours are essential for success in your role as a manager (Rockwell, 2017)?

With regards to John’s role as a research catalyst with the graphene company, John spends a significant amount of time assessing partners and coordinating research, which entails finding the right researchers. Since the researchers are partners as opposed to employees, the company does not have as much access to them. This means the company cannot direct them as easily so there is a significant loss of control. Therefore, John must find people that are highly motivated, achievement-oriented, and capture the vision of the company. The researchers also need to be generous and willing to take on a collaborative approach. John describes it as a “together future.”

What’s important about communication in your role as manager (Rockwell, 2017)?

John believes that timeliness is the most important aspect with regards communication in his role at the company. He states, “There are thousands of people that have entrusted and invested in the company with the hopes that the management will bring it to fruition. Therefore, I need to ensure that the research team understands the goals that the company has, and bring together industrial partners to help make those goals a reality. The research team needs to have continual communication with management so that the key decision-makers are aware of both progress that has been made and hurdles as they come that may threaten the company.”

How do you want people to feel about themselves when you’re communicating with them (Rockwell, 2017)?

John wants people in his organization to feel empowered so that they can achieve more and ultimately he states that he wants people to “embrace the truth of who they are.”

Christina

 

Reference

Rockwell, D. (2017, March 5). The Anatomy of Performance Enhancing Coaching Conversations. Retrieved on November 4, 2018, from https://leadershipfreak.blog/2017/03/05/the-anatomy-of-performance-enhancing-coaching-conversations/