Category: LDRS500 Leadership Foundations

LDRS500 2018

Posted on

Unit 7, Activity 1 – Indigenous economic development ethical leadership

Without ethical leadership, organizations risk exposure to a negative reputation, demoralized staff, a culture of mistrust, fiscal loses and legal implications. In every organization there are expectations amongst stakeholders that the leadership will uphold the highest standards when it comes to ethical leadership. An indigenous economic development organization has many stakeholders to consider to be a flourishing and sustainable organization. It can be one of the most challenging yet also rewarding areas to work in.

When considering values and beliefs of an indigenous economic development organization, these come from internal employees, the indigenous government, band members, outside government stakeholders, other indigenous peoples as well as the general public. Balancing expectations of all can be achieved, provided the leaders set the tone for the organization. For example, indigenous economic organizations work under a variety of government structures. Some are elected in Chief and Council positions, some are hereditary positions or a combination there of. In addition, when it comes to elected positions, each government sets their own term for how long a person holds office. One challenge of an indigenous economic development organization in upholding ethical leadership, is the pressure of the current government to keep the membership happy. This can occur in both an elected and hereditary government system. The best way an indigenous economic development organization can prevent leaders from being negatively influenced by the current government, is to create a legally binding board of directors that the leader of the economic development organization must be accountable to. This board of directors should be a mix of internal stakeholders but heavily outweighed by outside board members whom stand nothing to gain and expect the leadership to act ethically. If the leadership of the economic development organization does not act ethically the board of directors should hold the authority to terminate the employment of the leader and not be influenced into making decisions based on the current government. If a nation wants it economic development arm to be around for generations to come, this is an important step in securing its future and its success.

The public also plays a major role in deciding what values and beliefs constitute ethical leadership of an indigenous economic development organization. For example, if you were to eat at a café that you purposely went to, in order to support an indigenous organization, would you think it be appropriate if that café was not recycling? How about if the indigenous café served farmed fish? There are social responsibilities an indigenous organization must uphold because of the expectations of the public. In a day of truth and reconciliation, public support is higher than it has ever been because of shared public values. Taking care of the environment is a common shared value and indigenous economic development organizations are expected to uphold this public value.

Another stakeholder of an indigenous economic development organization are the band membership which are often the ownership of the indigenous economic development organization. This can get tricky when considering ethical leadership and so having strong policies and procedures in place can avoid any conflict of interest problems. An example of where this can occur is the membership is expecting that its members have first priority at all jobs. Implementing strong Human Resource management practices with ensure that the organization is not breaking the law and showing favoritism’s. There are opportunities in indigenous led organizations to apply to the Human Rights code to allow preference to indigenous people when hiring, however there are rules and processes that must to be followed. It’s important though, to ensure that the employees working those jobs are qualified, or divides may occur between indigenous and non-indigenous employees. Capacity building for indigenous people is about helping indigenous people to get qualified and to be successful. It’s not about providing a “hand-out” but instead a “hand-up”.

Government and memberships of communities are both concerned with the financial integrity of an indigenous economic development organization. Indigenous organizations with employees working on reserve receive taxation benefits. There are also exemptions from purchases made by Status Indians purchasing on reserve. Excellent record keeping is important because if an organization is not following the law, there can be tremendous financial implications and public shaming. The public does not always understand the Indian Act, how it came to be and within it, why indigenous people sometimes are entitled to taxable benefits. There are negative perceptions surrounding some of these benefits and if an indigenous organization is thought to be breaking the law in this regard, it could receive a great deal of negative publicity. This could embarrass the organization and the membership. Yet, another way indigenous organizations are impacted by government and its membership is with the First Nations Transparency Act. Indigenous economic development organizations and their governments are required to go through an external financial audit each year, with the results posted online and presented to the membership. The purpose of this audit is to ensure accounting principles are followed and there is no fraud. Without ethical leadership there cannot be fiscal responsibility which in turn could mean, the end of an indigenous economic development organization.

In closing, indigenous economic development organizations that have high ethical standards with leadership and its employees can be highly successful. Particularly today, there are many individuals, government officials and the public that want to support indigenous economic development organizations to be successful. There is however only one chance to do things right and any unethical behavior can be damaging for years to come. The truth and reconciliation movement has benefited indigenous nations by creating public sympathy and a desire to want to help indigenous organizations, particularly those that want to help themselves. This olive branch however comes with a great deal of responsibility and so a strong culture of ethical behavior is integral to the success of an indigenous economic development organization. What are some other ethical and moral beliefs that the public holds with its indigenous organizations? Do you think it is fair that indigenous organizations are held to this standard given the history of inter-generational trauma?

Posted on

Light from Many Lamps, Unit 6

Growing up in Greater Vancouver as an indigenous person was not easy. My mother came from poverty and dealt with the aftermath of growing up in a family and community where alcohol and other abuses were prevalent. I know now I was part of a vulnerable population that would be disadvantaged in life, because of the color of skin and my heritage. Or at least I thought that would be my destiny.

As a young person in elementary and high school I felt ashamed of my family and hid my culture as much as I could. I remember feeling embarrassed about friends knowing too much about my family and doing my best to keep them at a distance. Having said that I know now, given where my mom came from I would say we were doing pretty good. She moved us to a nicer neighborhood and although we didn’t have much she did her best to give us a normal and healthy life.

Upon graduation my life was turned upside down as my mom could no longer afford to live in Metro Vancouver. She was faced with the decision to move to a northern town where some of my other indigenous family resided. I knew I would be destined to no post secondary education, likely married with kids at a young age and without many career prospects if I moved with them. On top of that I was upset about leaving my friends behind. Faced with this decision I knew I had to find a way to stay and so found myself a place to live and a job at the age of 18, 5 days after high school graduation. At first I was very angry about my mom leaving me in this situation but quickly had to realize that that anger was not going to accomplish anything. Something inside me told me that I needed to be self-reliant and stand on my own two feet. I can almost recall to the day when I said to myself that I would no longer be dependent on anyone and moving forward I would only count on myself to live the life I wanted.

The article in Light from Many Lights, Part 5, Number 4. Ralph Waldo Emerson, My life is for itself and not for a spectacle…what I must do is all that concerns me, not what people think, discusses self-reliance as an important thing in self-discipline and development of character. What I did not expect after my anger subsided is that my life would in fact get better. Initially I struggled, I admit. It took about 5 years for me to get my footing and be able to balance the responsibilities of adulthood. I had to learn how to budget, pay bills, and how to cook for myself. With only a high school education I slugged it out working two jobs at not very good companies. That experience however taught me that I needed to find a way to get to school so I could better myself. I put myself through college and found a great company with room for advancement. In addition to my career I was careful to find a life partner that had similar values as me, and would be a good husband and father.  Even though today I have life challenges like everyone else, I can say I am content with the life I’ve built.

I’m now a proud indigenous woman working for my community. I’ve been able to learn about my culture and family and as a result understand the history and why indigenous people have struggled. Thanks in part to the truth and reconciliation movement, I no longer need to feel embarrassed about my heritage. Along with getting reacquainted with my community I’ve learned about traditional teachings that make sense to me and am thankful that, for some reason I followed many of these principles. For one I have learned that everyone has a gift and its important to nurture these gifts. Without knowing it at the time, my career path has allowed me to utilize my gifts. I had a mentor that helped me with career coaching, and although I found myself questioning what it was that I wanted to do, I instead just did what I was good at. There were times I was not always happy in my job but I realize now it was all in an effort to prepare me for my role today. I am sure that the adversity I went through as a child and through my work experience was my ancestors guiding me so that I could lead my community through reconciliation. Ralph Waldo Emerson said (Eichler Watson 1951) “Trust thyself; every heart vibrates to that iron string. Accept the place the divine providence has found for you, the society of your contemporaries, the connection of events. Great men have always done so…

In an indigenous community we can sometimes be harsh on one another and bring down the very people that are working hard to help others.  While I trust myself and my destiny I still have feelings and as a leader can be the target of gossip and negative intentions. For the most part I have managed through these situations but its hard when working with family as inevitably there is no off switch to the gossip even when I try and walk away. People seem to think I need to hear about things, mostly because they care and want me to counter. I never do and walk away but admit my heart wears heavy at times. Knowing I’m on the right path and being exposed to this kind of negativity I hope to learn from other leaders how they can continue on their path they were destined for with negative chatter in the background. It’s one thing to know better but in practice what do others do to stay on the path of living a self-reliant life and keeping the mind and hearth healthy?

Lilian Eichler Watson, 1951, Light from Many Lights, Part 5, Number 4, page 176, New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Posted on

Unit 6, Activity 3

For my example of technology use in hospitality, I will explain how I am currently supporting a business and Manager directly reporting to me.

In 2011 while on maternity leave I worked to develop the lelem’ hospitality concept which is a business plan that involves indigenous restaurants, accommodations and gift stores. Since this time I have successfully developed a gift store, full service restaurant and two express restaurant locations as well as future plans for three more locations. The business is highly popular and is a demonstration of how indigenous people can participate in the economy while building internal capacity in terms of employment. The business has provided a bricks and mortar example of how our company can be trusted to deliver as well as be considered as a good business partner in other future land development projects. While the success has been great, I have also been concerned that we are not maximizing systems to make effective management decisions. In the end the more time management spends on accessing information, the less time they are spending training employees and engaging customers. As a result I made the decision to investigate a new Point of Sale (POS) system, inventory management and scheduling tool. The new tools also provide additional capacity such as online ordering (soon to be implemented), line busting utilizing tablets, better reporting on the spot, to ensure the business is adequately staffed.  Also included is an integrated inventory management system to ensure food costs are kept in line as well as we so we do not risk running out of product and upsetting customers when their favorites are not available. One thing I did not anticipate with the introduction of the new tool is how motivated the staff would be. When employees see Management investing in the business it makes them feel a sense of pride and that the company cares. This in turn translates to happy customers as staff are excited and in a good mood. This is important as in the hospitality industry specifically, people continue to hold the highest value, at least from the customers’ perspective (Ottenbacher, Gnoth, & Jones, 2006).

Another use of technology I have been exploring investing in is an employee development plan. My company recently invested in an online HR management tool called HR web. One function of this tool is an employee performance tool. While in its infancy, it has the ability to remind Managers to set up regular and ongoing meetings with their staff to coach them on performance. Taking things a step forward I am also exploring technology based options for employee recognition. In the systems I have investigated they allow Management to recognize employees or employees to recognize one another. Management has the ability to set up a points system whereby the employee can redeem for gifts. Many employee recognition software programs allow for companies to include their own gifts or gift cards such as movie theater tickets, restaurants or retail stores. Other gifts can be things such as shadow the company President for a day. Essentially the company can be as creative as it wants.

Another tool I will be implementing this summer to improve employee moral and performance is an employee communications TV which will be accessible in employee lounges. Communications will include announcements on new hires, achievements of employees and group efforts. It will also connect the satellite businesses to the head office and share announcements such as environmental remediation works in our traditional territory as well as company accolades and awards. Ensuring employees are informed about the on goings of the organization ensure employees feel part of the team as well as proud of the corporations values. My ultimate goal is to ensure employees feel valued and are excited about contributing their ideas. Technology has the ability to traverse every aspect of the organization and provide a platform to help people innovate (Bugshan, 2014; Lee, Olson & Trimi, 2012;Zhang et al., 2015)

Posted on

Unit 6, Activity 2

Role playing with Wafa was an interesting experience to learn about her incredibly busy life, balancing both work and family. Wafa has a bachelor’s degree in medical laboratory science, and has been working for more than 10 years in healthcare system. She has three kids and enjoys travelling and learning a new things.

Wafa works in a laboratory, where she needs to have exceptional organizational skills. When the trauma room in the emergency department send patients’ specimens as a stat, that’s the time when Wafa works at her best. Wafa is required to report patient’s results with virtually no time available. This is part of her point of care testing that she provides to patients in the Emergency (ER), Critical Care Unit (CCU) and High Acuity Unit (HAU).

Wafa’s coworkers and department lead, see her as someone that can get work done efficiently. Wafa prioritizes her work list according to the timeline that she sets for herself and to accommodate her coworkers needs. When Wafa’s coworkers ask for help, she is happy to provide troubleshooting tips to resolve. Being in charge, the role requires responsibility for managing all aspects of works during the operation. This can be processing patient’s samples or delegating tasks between co-workers. In that regard, Wafa’s focus is on providing the best care and reliable results to her patients to ensure their satisfaction in every interaction. In addition to that Wafa ensures patient results are reported within the proper turnaround time and takes appropriate action when this does not happen.

Wafa’s current goal is to complete her MA in Healthcare Leadership as well as pursue a Management position such as team lead or site supervisor. As an emergent leader, Wafa needs to be knowledgeable on how to operate in her working area within the lab. She must communicate effectively with the rest of the team and frontline staff. She must do this within a manageable timeline, keeping everyone informed. Wafa knows she must delegate and assign work to her team and share responsibility as well as accountability. Wafa employs problem-solving skills that she has learned during her work experience. To a certain extent, by doing so it enables Wafa to learn skills so that once in a Senior Manager position, she will be equipped to deal with stressful situations that require her to stay calm and focused. Wafa works to employ leadership skills such as active listening, motivating staff, and clearly communicating organizational goals. In working with staff she provides them with an employee development plan, to help them to reach their goals as well as align them with the organizational mission and values. Wafa knows that supporting employee’s in decision making, requires empowering and motivating them to be autonomous and self-directed.

I would say that Wafa is well on her way to achieving her goal of a more senior leadership position. She is goal oriented and has taken those plans into action by pursuing her MA in Healthcare Leadership. She displays the right attitude in wanting to achieve organizational goals as well as she is someone that is always willing to step in and help where she can. Wafa is a constant learner, always wanting to improve herself. Wafa is an example of a servant leader and is set up for a successful career in her organization.

Posted on

Unit 6, Activity one

Leaders in organizations are often self-directed human beings as outlined in Malcom Knowles, the foundational thinker of andragogy, point one. The reason for this is because often leaders are people that have life experiences to draw on, as well as the work experience to be able to show others the way. Age does not determine if one is mature enough to be a successful leader. In most cases though, the majority of leaders I have worked with are older. I don’t believe this is because they make better leaders but perhaps more so because they have enough life experience to be self-directed. They’ve often spent their career working up to the current leadership position they are in. I have however, experienced good leaders that have moved up quickly in an organization and are young. These exceptional individuals often have plenty of credentials behind their names and or have gained valuable experience at a young age. They possessed the natural leadership abilities and throughout life, were involved in activities where they gained valuable leadership skills.

In my example, I’ve been employed and working in leadership roles for over 25 years. In my early years as a leader I was often challenged by older employees who did not have the confidence that I could do the job. I had to work extra hard to demonstrate that I could be successful. I did not have the on-the-job work experience to draw on and so was reliant on good mentors to show me the way. I did however have plenty of life experience in leadership roles particularly in sports. I also had post-secondary education to draw on and was a quick learner. As I aged though I noticed that life as a leader became easier and I attribute this to a few reasons:

  1. I became more of an independent thinker and self-directed, the higher up an organization I was. I began to realize that when problems reached my level it was because there was no clear answer. I had to be self-directed as I was often creating new policy and faced with a problem the organization had not seen before.
  2. At the level I’m at now I remind myself that as a V.P., I should not be running to the President, every time a problem requires a solution. I need to demonstrate good judgement and show that I am capable of being self-sufficient and therefore one day step into the President role. Having said that I’m also astute to know when the President needs to be briefed on a situation. I prefer to go to her explaining what the problem is, what my solution was and what I think some of the consequences might be so that she is prepared. She seems to appreciate this style of leadership as her plate is already quite full.
  3. I’ve gained valuable operations experience in my career. As a young leader there were processes I thought were a pain and didn’t understand the need for them however after having gained enough experiences I’ve learned through firsthand experience why these processes are in place. I find I’m now trusting in processes and not questioning them as much as I know eventually I will see the reason behind it.

In closing, life as a leader in midlife has become easier. With a compliment of good life mentors, lots of work experience and the opportunity to continue with my education I’ve become a better-rounded leader. Although my life experiences provide me with the skills to do the job efficiently, I find myself in a position where the workforce is changing and employee expectations are high. This is part of my journey in pursuing my MA in Business Leadership. I want my leadership style to be relevant and also know that my employees and my community are counting on it. I believe every employee deserves to come to work with a leader that wants to do and be their best. I know I still have lots to learn, particularly with younger generations. How do I create a space that is open and welcoming for example? How do I address the needs of the younger generations so that I can reduce attrition and make my company a place worth staying?

Posted on

Invictus movie – key leadership lessons

In 1995 South Africa was struggling to move forward from segregation to integration. The nation was divided by long standing beliefs and prejudices fueled by the separation of white people from from the black population. Nelson Mandela, an anti-apartheid revolutionary, and new to the role of President, was struggling to find a way to bring his country together. The movie Invictus, based on true events stared Morgan Freeman who portrayed Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon playing the role of Francois Peinaar, the all-star Captain of the all-white rugby team called the Springboks.

South Africa, would be the home to the rugby world cup, and so Mandela encourages both whites and blacks to come together for the love of their countries team. Instead of focusing on their differences which seemed to set them apart, he focused on what they had in common. Mandela knew he would have a challenge ahead of him as he was surrounded by a population that had been influenced by prejudices for generations. He knew however that if he could get his people to open their minds and their hearts, they could put their differences aside and unite as a country. Mandela was in a leadership role with what almost seemed like an impossible task. Even though he could not predict the outcome he did not give up on his vision.

Nelson spent years as a political prisoner which prepared him for his role of President. He was a leader that had a tremendous amount of courage and was willing to step outside the norm of common thinking. This cost him dearly, with having lost many years of his freedom. Mandela knew though that doing the right thing is never easy. Other great leaders in history too have had to show courage in order to show others the way. He knew never to give up, even in his darkest hour, if it meant changing his country for the better.

As a political leader, Nelson Mandela knew he had the attention of the world and could leverage his influence in order to put pressure on his countrymen to do the right thing. He was a speaker of the people and was the voice to those that were unable to speak for themselves. In an effort to bring reconciliation to his country though, he knew he had to encourage the black people to make the first step. He did this by encouraging the black population to come out and support the Springbok Rugby team. Mandela took the approach of forgiveness which opened up discussions on truth and reconciliation.

Mandela was known as a person that tackled issues head on. In the movie when he was first in office, employees were packing their bags expecting to be fired. He immediately addressed the issue by calling a meeting with his staff to dispel any rumors and then followed by giving his expectations, wasting no time.

Perhaps a more challenging leadership role in the movie Invictus, was that of Francios Peinaar. Francios was faced with changing the beliefs of white people that had been enjoying a comfortable and privileged life. Prejudices that had passed down for generations both in government, family and in everyday life. The effects of segregation made life difficult for the black population as crime and poverty were prevalent. This created a whole other level of socital issues including mental health and effects from drugs and alcohol. In turn this created fear amongst the white people that the blacks could not be trusted.  Francios Peinaar’s father in the movie, spoke of the kind of mistrust when he said “they are going to take our jobs and drive us to the sea” (Invictus movie 2009).

In the end, the movie Invictus showed how the country was able to come together and head down the path of reconciliation. The country went on to win the world cup which brought all people together to celebrate a common win. Throughout history there have been examples of leaders that have helped to create common ground for all men, woman and children. In Canada today for example, we are only at the beginning of reconciliation with indigenous people. One cannot help but see the similarities of the apartheid movement with the Canadian Indian Act. Canada however does not have a Nelson Mandela leading the way. With Canada being as large as it is and with many indigenous communities in remote areas does this make the topic of truth and reconciliation less of an interest amongst other world issues? If so how does Canada come together and unite a country that has also experienced segregation, poverty amongst indigenous people and all other social issues that have come from years of abuses to our indigenous people?

 

 

 

Posted on

Unit 5, Learning Activity 2

Spears (2010), identified ten characteristics of effective and caring leaders. Three actions a leader should take when coordinating a group project are listening, persuasion and commitment to growth of people.

In a group dynamic there are individuals that are more dominant than others and if given the opportunity to take over, might very well do so. In a group dynamic it is important that all team members feel heard and included or the risk is some team members may not choose to participate. I’ve been on projects where there is a team member that doesn’t speak but then has something very profound to say that might not have been shared unless the team leaders was astute enough to ask. When team members feel their ideas are valued they will likely feel more compelled to participate and share ideas.

Another characteristic that is of value in a group setting in persuasion. Again certain individuals if given the chance will dominate and take over a group project. There will also be situations whereby team members may disagree on a topic or direction. An effective leader is able to listen to all sides and gain consensus as a group on how to move forward. More so, an effective leader is able to make both parties feel valued and heard. Productivity on projects at times risk delays if participants feel their contributions are not valued.

The third quality of an effective leader in a group setting is commitment to growth of people. As an organization grows its important for succession planning to have future leaders ready to take on and lead projects. An effective leader will recognize an employee that is emerging as a leader and is developing their skills. A strong leader will recognize these individuals within a group and allow them to take on a stronger role, perhaps even leading the group. Knowing when to step in/out will build confidence in the employee and allow an organization to grow in capacity. It’s a very humbling approach and in my experience some of the best leaders display a great deal of confidence and security in their roles that they don’t need to feel threatened by new and emerging leaders.

In leading projects I see the value of a project charter in identified roles and responsibilities. What happens though when a team falls off the rails and a new project lead is required. Can a team really ever recover from this type of situation?

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

Posted on

LDRS 500 Unit 5 Learning Activity 1

Two critical functions of team effectiveness are performance (task accomplishment) and development (team maintenance). Performance refers to the quality of the outcomes of the team’s work. Did the team accomplish its goals and objectives in a quality manner? Development refers to the cohesiveness of the team and the ability of the team members to satisfy their own needs while working effectively with other team members (Nadler, 1998).

While working on a project at a museum, my office constructed a collaborative team to accomplish the development of an indigenous space. The team members were highly motivated in completing the task and creating a presence in the traditional territory. Team members could not wait for it to be completed and to be shown to the nation and other stakeholder. Team members includes a cultural educator, construction manager, creative designer, project manager and traditional knowledge keeper. The team had experience in developing a previous museum space that was also successful and so this project would be building off the last experience. Characteristics in the group that created team excellence were (Larson & LaFasto, 1989) a clear and elevating goal, competent team members, unified commitment, collaborative climate, standard of excellence, external support and recognition as well as principled leadership. My role in the group was as a project manager which was to keep the team members on task and on budget. In the end we developed a beautiful space that attracted visitors from all over the world.

In my next project example,  I will describe how Principled Leadership allowed my team to achieve an important task of preparing for an impending flood. Principled Leadership is effective team leadership that has been found to consistently relate to the team effectiveness (Zaccaro, Heinen, & Shuffler, 2009). Leadership has been described as the central driver of team effectiveness, influencing the team through four set of processes: cognitive, motivational, effective and coordination (Zaccaro et al., 2001).  Recently my community was at risk of major infrastructure being damaged due to effects of flooding on the Fraser River. We were on a tight timeline to move and pack up an office building as well as sandbag infrastructure that could not be moved. In this case it was very important for me to get in and quickly direct staff, take care of logistical needs and have a future plan in place. I knew what needed to be done and due to my previous experience in emergency management I could see the team was looking to me for direction. There was no time to hesitate in taking on a leadership role.

I first clearly communicated to the staff the seriousness of the situation and the task at hand, who was needed to do what and in how much time there was ( an example of cognitive process). On site I directed staff on tasks to complete and was first and last on site. As soon as I saw someone standing with nothing to do I assigned them a new task.  I knew from my training that these types of situations could be stressful and so in order to manage the situation it is best to keep employees working as well as busy (and example of an affective process). I also got in and equally got my hands dirty so that employees would see the pace of work that was needed (an example of motivational process). I set up an incident command post and based roles and responsibilities on technical expertise. For example the IT staff were assigned to remove the server and ensure all staff were set up to work from home. The construction staff were in charge of the electrical disconnection and so on (an example of a coordination process). In three days our team packed up an office of 25 (including heavy furniture), disconnected electrical, plumbing and data cables, sand bagged two buildings, removed all computers, printers and servers, relocated the server and set up all employees to work remotely. It was truly an amazing accomplishment by all and required all team members to know their role and do so effectively. In the end it was an excellent example of team work and ability to demonstrate our business resiliency.  In an emergency situation things happen quickly. Team performance can be monitored by the outcome however there isn’t time to monitor team development or how cohesively the team is working. In the example I gave during the flood there were two employees not getting along and I had to be quite sharp with both of them and ask them to put their feelings aside and remind them we had an important task at hand. Do you think it is ok in times of emergency to use more aggressive tactics to get employees back on track? Can this lead to negative feelings/resentment or in this case was it an effective way to quickly get control of the situation and perhaps was actually managing the effectiveness of the team?

Larson, C.E., & LasFasto, F.M.J. (1989). Teamwork: What must go right/what can go wrong. Newbury Park, CA: SAGE.

Nadler, D.A. (1998) Executive team effectiveness: teamwork at the top. In D.A. Nadler & J.L. Spencer (Eds.), Executive teams (pp.21-39). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

Zaccaro, S.J., Heinen, B., & Shuffler, M. (2009). team leadership and team effectiveness. In E. Salas, G.F. Goodwin, & C.S. Burke (Eds.), Team effectiveness in complex organizations: Cross-disciplinary perspective and approaches (pp.81-111). New York: Taylor & Francis Group.

Zaccaro, S.J., Rittman, A.L., & Marks, M.A. (2001). Team leadership. Leadership Quarterly, 12, 451-483.

Posted on

Situational Leadership, Unit 4, Learning Activity 2

Awareness in Situational Leadership according to Spears (2002), identified Awareness as one of ten characteristics of a servant leader. He describes awareness as “a quality within servant leaders that makes them acutely attuned and receptive to their physical, social and political environments. It includes understanding oneself and the impact one has on others. In comparison, Northouse (2016) describes emotional intelligence as our interplay between our emotions and thinking. It is our ability to understand emotions and apply this understanding to life’s tasks. Goleman (1995, 1998) takes a broader approach and describes emotional intelligence as self-awareness, confidence, self-regulation, conscientiousness, and motivation. Put simply, the difference between Awareness and Emotional intelligence is that awareness is the ability to adapt to what is happening in the outside world such as a community or organization (external influences) while emotional intelligence is how one might respond and evaluate a situation internally within one’s own self (internal influences).

The first person that comes to mind as a servant leader is my current boss leading my company. Tumia is the President of Seyem’ Qwantlen Business Group and has held her position as Councilor for the Kwantlen First Nation since the 1990’s. Tumia graduated from UBC with a law degree and leads the community in lands, business and community services. As Spears (2002) identified 10 characteristics in Greenleaf’s writings, each one speaks to the style of leadership Tumia has with the organization. I’ll describe an example as to how she displays characteristics as a servant leader:

Listening – Tumia has exceptional listening skills. She always allows others to speak, evaluates the information before speaking. Both internally with employees and community members she is a person that people feel comfortable with in trusting her with their concerns.

Empathy – Tumia always shows empathy by sometimes paraphrasing what the other person is telling. She takes the time to acknowledge the persons concerns before jumping in to address the issue or solve the problem. She is also astute enough to know that sometimes people come to see her and just want to be heard. Not everyone is looking for her to solve a problem.

Healing – Tumia is a highly intelligent and competent individual. She has a great deal of knowledge in terms of how to address complex situation and in how to help people overcome personal problems.

Awareness – As a Councilor to the Kwantlen First Nation, Tumia is very culturally aware and is able to stand in two worlds. She understands cultural traditions and respects values that have been taught through generations and at the same time understands that the community’s survival is dependent on change.

Persuasion – Tumia is never know to manipulate others to follow. I am continually amazed at how she handles negotiations or community consultations. She is highly educated and comes across without an agenda. She is able to present the facts so that others can make up their minds for themselves.

Conceptualization – Tumia’s vision for the Seyem’ Qwantlen Business Group and the Kwantlen Nation I consider to be revolutionary. She understands the need for governance, culture, community services and economic development, all serving an equal purpose in order to create a healthy community. In the business group we are taught threw her leadership to take into account how our decisions might impact all facets of a healthy community. This vision is clearly communicated and known to the employees.

Foresight – Tumia is much attuned to the current climate in intergovernmental relationships. She is able to gauge community, government and public interest in any given situation and as a result will adapt accordingly.

Stewardship – Tumia never takes advantage of her leadership position. She is truly there to serve the people of Kwantlen. She has the opportunity to be employed elsewhere for a much higher wage however stays to help her community prosper.

Commitment to growth of the people – Tumia has helped to build amazing capacity with the Kwantlen community and for indigenous people. She supports employee growth, often promoting from within. She also supports employees with the educational goals by ensuring there is support.

Building community – Tumia is changing the face of Kwantlen and setting up future generations to be independent and self-sustaining. She is creating employment and increasing the skills and capacity of its members.

As I’ve observed in watching Tumia, being a servant leader requires a strong commitment toward the betterment of others and putting employees and customer’s needs first. It requires immense discipline. As a team member, and as a person second in command, I would describe myself as more of a transformational leader. Our combination works well with different employees and different situations. As a new and emerging organization and with indigenous employees whom are building capacity, a servant leader is not always the best approach however conversely for the more senior and independent employees, working under a servant leader has been exactly what is needed. I wonder though is it possible to practice being both a servant leader and a transformation leader when the situation requires it? Is there an example of a leader that is able to do both interchangeably effectively?

References

Goleman, D. (1995) Emotional intelligence. New York: Bantam.

Goleman, D. (1998) Working with emotional intelligence. New York: Bantam

Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage publications.

Spears, L.C. (2002). Tracing the past, present and future of servant-leadership. In L.C. Spears & K. Patterson (Eds), Servant leadership: Developments in theory and research (pp. 11-24). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Posted on

Transformational Leadership Unit 4 – Learning activities

Bass and Riggio (2006) as stated in Northouse (2016) “suggested that transformational leadership’s popularity might be due its emphasis on intrinsic motivation and follower development, which fits the needs of today’s work groups, who want to be inspired and empowered to succeed in times of uncertainty.” Northhouse (2016) said “transformational leadership is a process that changes and transforms people. It is concerned with emotions, values, ethics, standards, and long-term goals. It includes assessing follower’ motives, satisfying their needs, and treating them as full human beings.”

Leaders today are tasked with motivating and inspiring staff and as such, I’ve observed a change in the workforce with employees interested in more than just a pay check. The internet has opened up opportunities and with a large global economy, competition for employees in some fields extends worldwide. Employees are well aware of their options and in many cases want the opportunity to achieve great things. One employee that comes to mind is a gentleman with my organization whom is looking for advancement. He enjoys the autonomy he receives in growing the business as well as the support the company provides him in being a participant in the board of directors for a non-profit organization, relevant to his industry. At the same time he is interested in work-life balance which is why he is content with being an internal entrepreneur for my organization as opposed to going it alone.

In history I see many indigenous leaders as transformational leaders and one such leader that comes to mind is my great, great, great grandad, Grand Chief Wattlekanium. Wattlekanium was situated at a Kwantlen village site in New Westminster when he encountered Simon Fraser’s expedition. It is likely that he heard of movement to the west however may not have encountered people like Simon Fraser in his lifetime. The encounter created all different responses from the Kwantlen people including fear, curiosity and anger. Wattlekanium had the foresight to know that establishing a relationship with the explorers and eventually the Hudson’s Bay Company meant that his people would be safe. He knew if the warriors attacked Simon Fraser and his crew that more explorers would come and likely attack the Kwantlen people. Instead he moved the village site to Fort Langley and leveraged protection from raiding island nations that often took the Kwantlen people as slaves. Later he established a strong trading relationship, taught the settlers how to survive the long cold winters and supported interracial marriages to encourage even stronger dependencies. Considering Kouzes and Posner’s model Kouzes and Posner (1987, 2002), as stated in Northhouse (2016) the model consisted of “five fundamental practices that enable leaders to get extraordinary things accomplished: model the way, inspire a shared vision, challenge the process, enable others to act, and encourage the heart”. Wattlekanium changed history for his people and ensured the survival of future generations. Faced with adversity he chose a peaceful and civil model that his people felt comfortable following. He knew the status quo would not do and so made the best of a difficult situation. The reward for his people meant that they no longer had to live in fear of attack from raiding nations and that they would receive tools or other trading materials that would make life easier. Of course we know the history of what local indigenous people were exposed to including smallpox, loss of lands, and cultural expropriation, all the way up to more recent times with residential schools. Alternatively though, across North America Indigenous communities were being wiped out entirely. Today the Kwantlen people still exist because of the actions of Wattlekanium. Transformational leadership in indigenous communities is necessary as society begins to understand truth and reconciliation. In current media, Squamish Chief, Ian Campbell has included his name on the Mayoral candicy for the City of Vancouver. I wonder, will he be a transformational leader for the City of Vancouver and create a new path for indigenous people?

Photo: James Mulleder/CBC (May 14th, 2018)

References

Bass, B.M., & Riggio, R.E. (2006) Transformational Leadership (2nd ed.) Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

James Mulleder/CBC (May 14th, 2018)  http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/squamish-chief-ian-campbell-puts-name-forward-for-vision-vancouver-mayoral-candidacy-1.4661485

Kouzes, J.M., & Posner, B.Z. (1987) The leadership challenge: How to get extraordinary things done in organizations. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

Peter G. Northouse (2016) Leadership Theory and Practice. Page 161. ISBN 978-1-4833-1753-