Norm, you covered several different topics in your post and I found it very interesting to read. I was thinking about writing my post this week on Durant’s chapter so I read yours with added interest, to see how you analyzed it. I also liked your question, however I feel that Durant would ultimately say no, seeing how fulfilling it was for him to have that “good family life” (Watson, 1986, pg. 246).

As you transitioned into team dynamics, I definitely agree with you on the importance of a leader to be happy or at least, “a satisfied person” (Beange, 2018). In my experience, I have worked with several leaders that have clearly not been happy for various reasons. Although they were reasonably effective as leaders, I feel that they did not maximize their effectiveness due to their underlying issues.

Using the importance of a satisfied leader as a backdrop for discussing constructive controversy was my favourite part of the post. I find that I don’t use constructive controversy that much in my field, so I really enjoyed your reminder of how useful it can be in a team dynamic. At times, my work can get emotionally charged and the point you make about it releasing energy appealed to me, and I made a note to try and implement it in the near future.

Daneen

Resource

Beange, N. (2018, November, 16). Light From Many Lamps – Will Durant.[Blog post]. Retrieved from https://create.twu.ca/norm/2018/11/16/light-from-many-lamps-will-durant/

Watson, L.E. (1986). Lights From Many Lamps. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.