Monica Grace

"They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendour"-Isaiah 61:3

Month: November 2018 (Page 2 of 2)

Response to Daniel’s Unit 7-Activity 1

November 11, 2018 / / 0 Comments

Daniel, thank you for your post on activity 1, was really well summarized and the question you posed got me thinking about my organization and how they apply ethical leadership.

The question Daniel posed was:

“Through reading the material and watching the video, does your organization have any of these “focuses” in place? What is something that you, or your organization, could do better to promote an ethical and moral culture?

I am privileged to work in a wonderful organization that has its basis, values and purpose in the Christian faith, which is a faith I also am personally convicted to follow because I have found a relationship with Jesus.

As a Christian organization we have a “code of conduct” we have to read and sign every year. There are also expectations because of our Christian faith that the kind of lives we lead in ministry are meant to be a “witness” or an “example” to those we lead. I am thankful for this and that we have policies and procedures in place when the “code of conduct” is breached. Generally, I think my organization does well in keeping a standard of ethical and moral culture.

Watching the video and reading the material, made me wonder if there are maybe some ways we could improve this even more. There are two issues I have recognized in my organization, that I will discuss more below as possible areas to improve in:

  1. Potential lack of accountability–sometimes our ministry job can be “remote” or very “individual”, which can lead to situations where staff do not behave “ethically” or potential issues are ignored/overlooked.
  2. Potential assumptions are made that because we are Christians, we all know what is ethical and therefore behave ethically.

1. Potential Lack of Accountability

I think when it comes to having stronger “accountability”, deeper relationships and in the context of mentorship is really key. Currently in my organization, having a mentor as a staff member is considered “optional”, but encouraged. However, because I lead a team, I made it mandatory thing for my staff, as I do not think “optional” is a good idea for people who are leading others in a ministry. Having a mentor (s) is important when it comes to living a life of example, integrity and accountability; especially at times of the year when we work more remotely. So far enforcing that my staff find and retain a mentor has been a positive thing and I think organization wide it should be required.

2. Potential Assumptions about Christian Behaviour

I know this does not just happen in my Christian organization, but sometimes in ministry or church settings, it is just “assumed” everyone knows what it means to live out an ethical Christian life based on the Bible. However, the reality is for some people they could have grown up with different ethical “norms.” Those “norms” could have been in a Christian context, different cultural and/or religious context or in an unchurched environment, and now perhaps they have come know Jesus, but are still growing in knowing what the Bible teaches and what it means to live out a Christian life. Also in Canada we live in a multi-cultural society and depending on the individual’s family and culture of origin, that is an added factor to how they view ethical behaviour. I have learned when it comes to Christian “code of conduct”, never assume, even if the person grew up Christian, it is important to “communicate the obvious.” Cross-culturally, there can be different interpretations of what is ethical even amongst Christians. This way expectations are always clear and there is no breakdown of communication. Also if the person does not agree or has a different understanding, then we can discuss it, figure it out and grow.

Monica

 

Unit 7-Activity 2

November 11, 2018 / / 0 Comments

Implications & Lessons from Wang, Oh, Courtright & Colbert’s Article

Wang, Oh, Courtright & Colbert (2011) produced an article of a meta-analysis of the relationship of transformational leadership on follower individual performance in three areas: 1) task performance, 2) contextual performance and 3) team and organizational performance (pp.230-233).

Wang et al. (2011) found that “transformational leadership is positively related to performance across criterion types and levels of analysis” (p. 255). Transformational leadership was more strongly linked with “individual level contextual performance over individual-level task performance” (Wang et al., 2011, p. 255). Lastly, transformational leadership was positively related to both “team- and organization- level performance” and had the ability to make individuals and organizations grow more in quality and size over time than transactional leadership (Wang et al., 2011, p. 255). The results supported the immense effectiveness of transformational leadership theory as a way to lead individuals, teams and organizations towards higher level and better quality performance (Wang et al., 2011, p. 255).

The implications for managers are as follows:

  • Due to a positive relationship between transformational leadership and individual, team and organizational performance criteria in a variety of situations; the implications are if managers effectively apply transformational leadership, it likely will lead to desirable performance outcomes across all settings in an organization (Wang et al., 2011, p. 253).
  • Transformational leadership is “trainable” and with such clear benefits, convincing and/or asking your organization to change towards this style of leadership or leading out in training your team in this way, could lead to positive individual and organizational outcomes (Wang et al., 2011, p. 253).
  • If you or your organization, truly seek to create a culture of transformational leadership, then setting and promoting people who embody this leadership style in upper management positions is very important (Wang et al., 2011, p. 253).
  • Though selection and training of transformational leadership is important, it is also important that managers create settings that involve employee teamwork and collaboration, in order for transformational leadership to flourish (Wang et al., 2011, p. 253).

Personally, the lessons I learned from this article that will make me a better leader are that learning more about transformational leadership, and being trained in it, is important; especially if there are evidently such positive outcomes on individuals, teams and organizations. My next steps would involve analyzing the leadership model of transformational leadership more, looking at some case studies of organizations who applied it, and lastly discussing it with other leaders in my organization to see if and how transformational leadership could be applied.

Ultimately, for me to become a better leader, I would need to start with modelling the four primary behaviours of transformational leaders (Bass, 1985). According to Bass (1985) and Podsakoff et al. (1990), those behaviours are: 1) inspirational motivation, 2) idealized influence, 3) intellectual stimulation, and 4) attending to the needs of followers by treating them as unique individuals and building trust. In my current team situation the behaviours I would most focus on embodying are: 1) inspirational motivation and 2) idealized influence as my team is going to be undergoing large structural changes involving a relocation of our place of work and merging two teams together (consolidating). Therefore, I think these two behaviours are important for me to live out as we move forward into a season of change. Communicating and modelling these behaviours will help the team know the vision and direction, and give them a sense of stability in an unknown environment.

Principles of Ethical Leadership

Ethical leadership theory is an approach that is still developing and growing, partially due to so many leadership scandals in both private and public sectors of society (Northouse, 2018, p. 335). Northouse (2018) states, “In regard to leadership, ethics is concerned with what leaders do and who leaders are” (p.336).

Northouse (2018) describes the five principles of ethical leadership as: 1) respecting others, 2) serving others 3) being just 4) being honest, and 5) building community.

1. Respecting Others

“Respecting others” refers to treating people “as ends in themselves and never as a means to an end”(Northouse, 2018, p. 346). Leaders who embody this principle see others with intrinsic value and worth and allow others to be who they are, with their unique creativity and desires (Northouse, 2018, p. 346).

2. Serving Others

“Serving others” refers to leaders who exhibit altruistic behaviours. Kanungo & Mendonca (1996) state “altruistic service behaviour can be observed in activities such as mentoring, empowerment behaviours, team building, and citizenship behaviours, to name a few.”

3. Being Just

This principle is about a leader’s concern with “issues of fairness and justice” (Northouse, 2018, p. 348). Leaders who embody this principle exhibit treating all individuals equally and fairly and not giving someone special treatment, unless the particular situation requires it (Northouse, 2018, p. 348).

4. Being Honest

This principle emphasizes the importance of being a truthful and honest leader (Northouse, 2018, p. 350). When leaders are dishonest it has negative repercussions, such as people losing trust, people’s respect for leaders diminishing, and weakened or broken relationships (Northouse, 2018, pp. 350-351).

5. Building Community

This principle is based around the definition of leadership whereby an individual influences a group to strive toward a common goal (Northouse, 2018, p. 351). This requires the group to have mutual agreement on the direction (Northouse, 2018, p. 351). A transformational leader will aim to move and persuade the group toward a common goal that is beneficial for both leaders and followers (Northouse, 2018, p. 351).

Personally, as I reflect on these principles, it is hard to pick only the two most important, as I see them all as very important. The two that I think are most important for me to focus on are 2) serving others and 5) building community because my team is heading towards a big transition. We are changing our work environment from one context to another and are merging with another team. With this in mind I see these two as most important to focus on because as I lead in “serving others” I can help create an “empowering” and “team building” culture that I recognize we need in our team. Also in order for our teams to merge well, we will need to really focus on building trust and building community as one team, being quick to resolve conflict and also establishing and moving towards a common goal as a unified team.

References

Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectations. New York, NY: Free Press.

Kanungo,R.N., & Mendonca, M. (1996). Ethical dimensions of leadership. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Northouse, P.G. (2018). Leadership: theory and practice (8th ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

Podsakoff, P.M., MacKenzie, S.B., Moorman, R.H., & Fetter, R. (1990). Transformational leader behaviours and their effects on followers’ trust in leader, satisfaction and organizational citizenship behaviours. Leadership Quarterly, 1, 107-142.

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.

 

Unit 7-Activity 1 “Ripple Effects”

November 10, 2018 / / 2 Comments

According to Northouse (2018), “the word ethics has its roots in the Greek word ethos, which translates to “customs,” “conduct,” or “character” ” (p. 336). Ethics is concerned with both what is underneath the surface of decisions, such as motivations and intentions, but also for how these characteristics effect others (Northouse, 2018, p. 336). Northouse (2018) states, “in regard to leadership, ethics is concerned with what leaders do and who leaders are” (p. 336).

For this activity, I will discuss the moral implications of leadership behaviour and then outline a few points of how I can enable my organization to “grow and flourish” in light of the Avolio & Gardner (2005) article and Van Buren (2013) video.

Moral Implications of Leadership Behaviour

One theme that was clear in regards to moral implications of leadership behaviours from the article and video is the concept of “ripple affects” of a leader. When a leader behaves “unethically” and/or “ethically” the effects are much greater and wider reaching. The leader can be compared to the first drop of water in a pond and their effects (whether “negative” or “positive”) are the ripples that are felt in their spheres of influence.

To outline this more, the “ripple effects” of the character and actions of a leader influence three main spheres of people: 1) smaller sphere, such as employees in their organization or other leaders they work alongside, 2) outer sphere, such as employees the leader distantly works with, clients, contributors and benefactors, 3) society at large, meaning the effects of leadership can broaden out into consumers of the product and/or observers of the organization.

1. Smaller Sphere

Van Buren (2013) states, “as the leader you are setting the moral tone and people will look to you.” This means that the “ethics” and “morality” in your organization and your people start with you. You have the responsibility to “create the culture” and be a visible “role-model” (Van Buren, 2013). This illustrates that those in your “closest sphere of influence” will be mostly deeply affected by your leadership and that will trickle out into the organization, whether through management or relational interaction.

An emerging leadership model “Authentic Leadership” sees the effects of the leader on the followers being very high (Northouse, 2018, p.197). Shamir & Eilam (2005) define authentic leadership as “followers who follow leaders for authentic reasons and have an authentic relationship with the leader” (p. x).  It is imperative to those who you have more of “a relationship” with that you treat and model how you want them to relate to others.

2. Outer Sphere

It depends on the organization, but generally as a leader, you cannot have “a relationship” with everybody. However, people more on the outskirts will still recognize and see your leadership’s effects and integrity. Bill George (2003) states, “we need leaders who lead with purpose, values and integrity; leaders who build enduring organizations, motivate their employees to provide superior customer service, and create long-term value for shareholders” (p. 9). For non-profits especially this “outer sphere” is also the support of the public and maintaining their trust (Van Buren, 2013). Non-profits are held to a higher standard of transparency and integrity than for-profit organizations; this is because they benefit from government support and donors in the community (Van Buren, 2013). When it comes to a leaders observable behaviour, this will carry out into outer spheres of influence and in the case of non-profits, into the community. Therefore, it is important to consider not just the end goal you are aiming to reach, but also the process, tact and ethics of how you get there (Van Buren, 2013).

3. Society at Large

Most organizations will gain “a reputation” over time. Reputation meaning they are generally known for something. If an organization has a reputation that is “positive”, society will generally be influenced in a positive way, if they have a “negative” reputation, society will be influenced “negatively.” An example that Van Buren (2013) discussed was how there is currently is very low trust in the U.S. for “non-profits” because of lack of financial integrity. Historically, for many non-profits, money has not gone to where they said it was going to go (Van Buren, 2013). Transparency to donors is key and this has implications in society at large, not just for the organization itself, but for other non-profits and the people who benefit from them. The more mistrust there is towards non-profits, the less people will give and the less people in society will “be helped.” The behaviour of non-profit leaders and their organizations, effects not just them, but other non-profits as well. Even wider, it effects society’s view of non-profits and therefore the benefactors of the organization are neglected.

Enabling my Organization to Grow and Flourish

I am thankful that the organization I work for has recently done two years of nation-wide research in terms of people’s perception of them and the effects of their ministry. Their research was talking to people who were previously involved with the organization, current people involved, and “outsiders.” After analyzing the data, they implemented some healthy and positive organizational cultural changes, when it comes to “ethical behaviour.”

On a smaller scale, as a result I would like to help my local staff team really develop into “authentic leaders” and two areas I could see this happening is:

1) Helping my staff members be “true to themselves”, rather than “conform” to organizational norms of behaviour in leadership (Avolio & Gardner, 2005, p. 321). This comes at a key time, since my organization has shifted its cultural values. Previously, the organization somewhat assumed Canada was the same across the board and this did not allow for local leadership to flourish. This resulted in teams being somewhat “forced” into a cookie-cutter mould. Now, local teams have been given more autonomy to do what is right for their context and also to help staff on the local team flourish and develop.

Shamir and Eilam (2005) define one of the characteristics of authentic leaders being that they do not fake it. They say that authentic leaders stay true to who they are and do not conform to expectations of others (Shamir and Eilam, 2005). This is really important in my staff team, because over the years many of us have had to fill roles on the team out of desperation or need, that were not necessarily our “gifting” or reflected our leadership style. I think this has hindered the growth of our team and our ministry. The reason we had to function this way was lack of man-power and organizational pressure. Now, with our local ministry having more autonomy, as well as the fact that we are consolidating and becoming one larger team, there is more of an ability to “specialize.” I think this will result in staff really discovering who they are as leaders and flourishing more.

2) Combatting cynicism in our team through leading by example as an authentic leader (Avolio and Gardner, 2005). Over time in ministry, it is easy to become cynical about the people we work with and the context we are working in (Luthans and Avolio, 2003).

Avolio and Gardner (2005) state, “authentic leaders are described as “leading by example” as they demonstrate transparent decision making, confidence, optimism, hope and resilience, and consistency between their words and deeds” (p. 326). I think leading by example and creating a more “positive” environment, though remaining realistic, will help our team’s morale and as a result help my staff flourish and in time help our ministry to grow.

 

Header photo: pexels.com by Pixabay shared under Pexels (BY) license.

Resources

Avolio, B. & Gardner, W. (2005). Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. Leadership Quarterly, 16, 315-338.

George, W. (2003). Authentic leadership: Rediscovering the secrets to creating lasting value. San Fransisco: Jossey-Bass.

Luthans, F., & Avolio, B.J. (2003). Authentic leadership: A positive developmental approach. In K.S. Cameron, J.E. Dutton, & R.E. Quinn (Eds.), Positive organizational scholarship (pp. 241-261). San Francisco: Barret-Koehler.

Northouse, P.G. (2018). Leadership: theory and practice (8th ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

Shamir, B., & Eilam, G. (2005). “What’s your story?”: A life-stories approach to authentic leadership development. The Leadership Quarterly. 

Van Buren, J. A. [Building Capacity]. (2013, March 29). What is Ethical Leadership? [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks2QGoIq5nA

Response to Sarah: Light from Many Lamps (Part 6)

November 9, 2018 / / 0 Comments

Sarah, wow, thank you so much for your refreshing and challenging post about Confucius’ statement,

“What you do not wish done to yourself, do not do to others.”

Your application of this statement to leadership was brilliant; that being a leader means proactively and respectfully giving constructive feedback, even when it is difficult. Currently, I have several situations where I need to submit constructive and respectful feedback, and as a leader I have a history of avoiding this. Though I am growing in this area, I still struggle to be confrontational and if given the option, I avoid giving constructive feedback.  I also experience a lot of anxiety before giving feedback, especially if I know the individual is more “sensitive” or there have been complaints they are unaware of.

Sarah, two statements that really struck me from your blog were:

1) “If I was in this person’s shoes, how would I want the situation to be handled?”

2) “It may seem like you are doing someone a favour by hiding the truth about their subpar performance, or complaints received, but the truth is, you are doing that person a disservice. You are denying them an opportunity to grow, and reinforcing a false idealization about their performance.”

These two statements were challenging and very applicable to my situation. Thank you for “respectfully confronting” me as a leader with your wisdom and your example of how you tell the truth to individuals in your organization.

Personally, I like to be an “encouraging” and “empowering” leader that helps people towards growth, but I recognize though encouragement is vital, constructive and honest feedback is just as important! You can encourage someone towards a “false idealization” about their performance and leave them stunted in their growth.

Though I find it difficult, I will look forward to these impending feedback times, as being honest is the most caring thing to do. I will trust God to lead me to speak with both “truth and love” (Ephesians 4:15) and approach the situation with humility, knowing I am far from perfect.

My question is: When it comes to complaints or issues with a team member, at what point do you recognize and suggest that their current work situation is not best for an individual? 

 

References

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

Response to Norm: Light from Many Lamps (Lincoln)

November 5, 2018 / / 0 Comments

Norm, thank you for your post on Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address. I appreciated your perspective on this reading and the six leadership traits you outlined that were revealed in Lincoln’s speech.

I related to your questions regarding leadership in the church context versus other contexts, as I work in a parachurch setting. I fully agree with your observations about the church being a place where leadership is “easy-going and quiet”, as that is viewed as “more spiritual.”

I may have still held that view, if I had not faced several complex situations as a new leader. In these situations the reality was I had to be decisive, aggressive (in a good way) and confident, or else consequences would have ensued. Unfortunately, I cannot go into details about these instances, as this is a public post.

I believe God allowed these difficult leadership situations to challenge and test me, as well as to grow confidence in me to “put my foot down” and “draw the line” when needed. Being decisive, aggressive (in a good way ) and confident is a necessary part of being a leader in a “spiritual” context too, because you will face difficult and/or destructive people and crisis situations, that call for directive leadership.

I also related to the problem you mentioned of “having the wrong person in the position.” I think there are two realities that make this situation tougher in the church than other contexts:

1) In the parachurch and/or church setting, staff may be “semi-volunteers”, “full-volunteers”, or raise their own support. Having the mentality of a “volunteer” and not having a directly paid salary can muddy the reality of “job expectations.”

2) Since church is so focused around relationships and community, people start to feel like “family”, and firing “family” is very difficult.

I think these two factors make “removing people” more difficult and less clear in the church setting, as compared to other contexts. However, it still needs to be done in truth and love, when necessary.

Lastly, the point Norm mentioned from De Pree (1989), which is the “first responsibility of a leader is to define reality” (pg. 11) made me reflect on how important “defining reality” is. In fact, I just had a conversation last week where I had to “define reality” for someone and it was not easy, but it needed to be done, else the consequences for that person were imminent.

“Defining reality” is speaking the truth and in our Canadian political correctness we find this hard. I think “defining reality” is one of the most important things a leader can do. If we do not know our “reality”, we do not know the ground we stand on, so we cannot know where we are going.

To illustrate this point, think of a map that has a “you are here” label on it. The “you are here” label shows you where you are located in the map. If you are in unfamiliar territory, that “you are here” is tremendously important for understanding the direction you need to go.

Norm, thank you for this post, it has allowed me to reflect, as well as inspired me to continue to help “define reality” for my team; especially as we undergo a move to a new location in January.

Monica

References

De Pree, M. (1989). Leadership Is an Art. New York City, NY: Doubleday Business.

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

Activity 3-Social Media Development Plan

November 4, 2018 / / 0 Comments

I found the article by Kandampully et al. (2016) incredibly insightful and applicable to my work context. Though I work in Christian ministry at a university campus, not in the hospitality field, I learned many relevant lessons from the article. I will outline one of the applicable points discussed in the article and then give a brief outline of a development plan for my staff team moving forward.

Jaakkola & Alexander (2014); Mascarenhas, Kesavan, & Bernacchi (2004); Zhang et al. (2015) state:

“Technology provides new tools to engage with customers through online platforms, social media, and customer communities, such that they function better as brand ambassadors and co-creators of value.”

This statement is applicable in the context of university campus ministry, since lately our staff team is noticing a trend of less students connecting with us in person, at a table or coming out to events to get connected. We have found more students will “like” our Facebook or Instagram page or check us out online, before deciding to come to an event or even in preference of meeting face-to-face. We think this may be as a result of the trends of Generation Z, the new generation of youth (ages 13-18), who currently are or will be entering universities (Barna Group & Impact 360 Institute, 2018). Barna Group & Impact 360 Institute (2018), define Gen Z as “screenagers” as they grew up “saturated by digital technology” (pp. 15-16).

We have noticed that even something as small as directly messaging people on Facebook who “like” our page and inviting them to an event seems to make it more likely that they will come. Also we have realized that Gen Z students are quick to judge the online media platform, almost as a testing ground, to see if this is a community they want to be involved in (Barna Group & Impact 360 Institute, 2018).

Another key thing we have noticed is what Gligorijevic & Luck (2012) point out, “In the past, firms often viewed each customer as a single entity. But today, customers are gradually considered as “social customers” who are always into Word-of-Mouth activities on online and offline contexts.”

We find that the majority of students who join our community on campus are what would be classified by Gligorijevic & Luck (2012) as “social customers”, meaning they come out to our activities because of Word-of-Mouth from other students who either bring them or suggest they check us out. Also according to Gligorijevic & Luck (2012) it seems Word-of-Mouth extends past offline, but into the online activities as well. Today, the snapshots of activities you post online are a part of “being social” and help students consider whether we are a community they want to join. Therefore, when students and staff involved in our ministry post things on social media about what we are doing, it is a part of drawing “social customers” (Gligorijevic & Luck, 2012).

Ostrom et al. (2015) says “in this sense, technology grants service firms new means to fundamentally change the context in which they deliver services.” In addition Rust & Huang (2014) and Yadav & Pavlou (2014) state this results in companies being able to “establish and maintain more personalized customer relationships.” These statements, make it clear that technology actually has changed the context of how services are delivered (Ostrom et al., 2015). Though campus ministry is not a “service”, like a hospitality company, we are a “service” in the sense of helping students connect to community and learn more about Jesus. We recognize we cannot purely deliver that “service” through online, but we can give people a “taste” of what that “service” is like through the social media platform.

In conclusion, we see that social media today is a means to which can actually establish and maintain personal connections. Though we see this as a growing reality, as a ministry we desire to provide not just online superficial connection, but a deeper connection to God and to community. I recognize that deeper connection to God and community is our main goal and that social media and technology only go so far. However, social media for the current generation coming into universities, could be considered as an “entry-way” for students to connect deeper into faith and community.

With this all in mind a basic employee development plan, could be the following:

1. Cast Vision/Create Urgency 

  • Currently, most of my staff and student leaders, do not see social media as “vital” to connecting with people, it is more “optional.” I want to help my team embrace both, their personal “online presence” and our organization’s “online presence”, as important and also as a part of our team culture.
  • In order for our and connection with new people online to really improve, the staff and student leaders need to be “on board” with an understanding of the need for a better quality/frequent social media presence on various platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat etc.).
  • This would happen through staff and student leader meetings, where the need for engaging and connecting with people through the online platform and bringing them into our community, would be emphasized. In order to cast vision, you first need to create a sense of need and urgency.
  • Through staff and student leaders first gaining a vision and motivation to connect with students online, it will pave the way for a strategy for engaging students.

2. Consult, Learn & Develop a Strategy 

  • As a team, we would spend time consulting different resources, such as: articles, books, youtube videos, experts in social media/marketing, and learning from current students who are really engaged online for “best practices.”
  • After learning as a team, we would work towards implementing a clear strategy of connecting with students online and building a better “online community”, that really shows who we are.

3. Do a Trial Project and Evaluate

  • After developing a clear strategy and plan, we would launch a trial potentially in September 2019, when our biggest intake of students is.
  • We would need to appoint a leader in charge to motivate the team.
  • As a team, we would need to have a clear execution plan and a way to evaluating the strategy afterwards.
  • After our “busy season” (September to mid-October), we would do an online survey of new students who got involved with us specifically about “how they got connected” or were “exposed” to the ministry. This would help us to gauge how much of an impact the online platforms (Facebook, Instagram etc.) made a difference to getting students connected.
  • Based on the feedback, we would evaluate the effectiveness of the strategy by seeing how many people connected with us and/or evaluated our community first through the online platform.
  • After evaluating, we would take next steps to move in the direction the results indicated.

 

Header photo: pexels.com by Tracy Le Blanc shared under Pexels (BY) license.

References

Barna Group & Impact 360 Institute. (2018). Gen Z: The culture, beliefs and motivations shaping the next generation. U.S.A.: Barna Group & Impact 360 Institute.

Gligorijevic, B., & Luck, E. (2012). Engaging social customers– influencing new market strategies for social media information sources. In Contemporary research on e-business technology and strategy (pp. 25-40). Berlin Heidelberg: Springer.

Jaakkola, E., & Alexander, M. (2014). The role of customer engagement behaviour in value Co-Creation a service system perspective. Journal of Service Research, 17 (3), 247-261.

Kandampully, J., Bilgihan, A., & Zhang, T. C. (2016). Developing a people-technology hybrids model to unleash innovation and creativity: The new hospitality frontier. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 29, 154-164.

Mascarenhas, O.A., Kesavan, R., & Bernachhi, M. (2004). Customer value-chain involvement for co-creating customer delight. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 21 (7), 486-496.

Ostrom, A.L., Parasuraman, A., Bowen, D. E., Patrício, L. , Voss, C.A., & Lemon, K. (2015). Service research priorities in rapidly changing context. Journal of Service Research 18 (2), 127-159.

Rust, R. T., & Huang, M.-H. (2014). The service revolution and the transformation of marketing science. Marketing Science, 33 (2), 206-221.

Yadav, M. S., & Pavlou, P.A. (2014). Marketing in computer-mediated environments: Research synthesis and new directions. Journal of Marketing, 78 (1), 20-40.

Zhang, T., Kandampully, J., & Bilgihan, A. (2015). Motivations for customer engagement in online co-innovation communities (OCCs): A conceptual framework. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, 6(3),311-328.

Coaching Call with Ryan-Activity 2

November 3, 2018 / / 0 Comments

This week I had the privilege of having a conversation with Ryan and learning about him personally and his role as a principal at a Christian school in Chilliwack.

Ryan became a principal fairly young in his career, about 10 years ago and he mentioned it took him some time to really feel “legitimate” as a leader and learn to own his “leadership hat.” Ryan really enjoyed being in the classroom and directly teaching, so when he was asked to be the principal he knew it would mean significantly less classroom time. However, he responded to the challenge and through the role has developed as a leader and the school has grown in size as well!

I asked Ryan the following three questions and summarized his responses below:

  1. When are you at your best? Describe a time when you performed really well, what were the circumstances during that time? 

Ryan has seen he is at his best when faced with challenges and needing to problem-solve. Though he admitted it is not always the most comfortable place to be in, he is thankful for the lessons he has learned and the growth he has experienced in those challenges.

One significant challenge Ryan faced two years ago, where he saw himself perform well, was when his school was undergoing a lot of drastic changes. They had moved to a new building and a staff member had to step away, which resulted in a vacant classroom with no one to fill it. He had no vice principal, so Ryan really had to learn to “own his position” and step up as a leader. At first Ryan could not see a way through, but then he pulled some key teachers together and problem solved. They put their heads together and with Ryan’s leadership came up with a brilliant solution for the circumstances! There were four aspects to the solution:

1) Ryan would increase his teaching time by 70%, along with some more limited principal duties.

2) They would hire some people for temporary positions to fill in the gaps.

3) They decided to merge their grade 6, 7, 8 and 9 classrooms into a cross-curricular/cross-grade program, that lasted 3 months.

4) Ryan, as he was more absent as a leader, due to having to teach so much more, made sure his communication was regular and clear. He communicated via email, through after school meetings, and impromptu meetings when necessary.

This experience caused Ryan to take a more daily and active leadership role. It was a difficult time, but it was a positive step. Ryan wisely stated that, “if we aren’t being challenged, we can settle into status quo.”

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

Ryan sees himself building a team of “lead teachers” at his school. He has discovered how much he loves working with and leading a team of leaders! He really wants to be able to work through teams. One thing he misses about not teaching students directly, since being a principal, is that he does not get to see their growth and development.

Ryan wants to start to see the teachers he oversees as “his students” and work towards developing their leadership. Ryan believes that he will be able to grow the school even more and have more impact, through building a team of “lead teachers.”

3. How can you get there? What are you ideas/action steps for realizing this preferred future?

Ryan had some solid ideas for steps he would take to get to his idealized future. One thing he mentioned was the reality of a huge lack of teachers at this time in B.C., so he recognized this could be a limiting factor for a time. He also recognized that in order for this future to happen, the school itself would have to grow in student and staff intake. Ryan thinks that as the school grows in size that positions of leadership will become a necessity.

In the meantime, he wants to strategically recognize some of his current staff who he sees leadership potential in and groom them. Also going forward he wants to hire people with this idea of “lead teachers” in mind. Lastly, Ryan wants to help by shifting the current culture and mindset of staff to being more of a “team mentality.”

Ryan also recognizes, that according to his Birkman, he struggles to delegate. Therefore, he knows in order for this all to happen, he need to learn to grow in delegation. Ryan knows that delegating is very important for working through teams and he wants to grow in learning to step back and trust the leaders he has set in place.

“Good Fruit vs. Bad Fruit”-Light from Many Lamps

November 3, 2018 / / 1 Comment

“Good thoughts bear good fruit, bad thoughts bear bad fruit–and man is his own gardener” (Watson, 1951, p. 170).

I appreciated James Lane Allen’s excerpt found on pages 169-174. Allen drew a powerful comparison between the human mind and a garden; by using the metaphors of plants, seeds and soil and relating it to the mind and thoughts and how they produce actions (Watson, 1951, pp. 169-171).

Personally, I do not agree with Allen’s emphasis on “divinity within ourselves”, as I think we can know the “divine” and God can dwell within us, but not that we ourselves are divine (Watson, 1951, p. 171).

I do agree that thoughts are powerful and will affect our actions and the outcome of our lives (Watson, 1951, p. 171). Since thoughts produce actions, it is important for a leader to guard their minds and their thoughts. As Allen says, “a man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of his thoughts” (Watson, 1951, p. 170).

Overall, the leadership lesson I learned, is that an individual’s character and the thoughts that result will influence their personal achievements and impact as a leader, either positively or negatively (Watson, 1951, pp. 169-174).

Personally, in my own leadership there have been times when I have been very discouraged and the actions of my life and leadership have reflected that mindset.  I also have had times where my mindset has been based in fear, which has come out in anxiety and trying to control things and people. To be honest, I sometimes regret those times in my leadership when my mindset was not “right” and produced “bad fruit”, as it affected other staff members and students. I am thankful for God’s grace, the patience and understanding of others, and that I can learn and grow from those times.

Currently, I am in a season where I am experiencing joy in my work and have grown a stronger mindset in leadership. This has been a result of an intense season of personal  suffering and through it I powerfully experienced God with me. I have grown a stronger resolve and a better perspective on who I am and my place in the world. Though I am nowhere near perfect, I have seen a change in my character, because of the work of Jesus in my life; producing joy, hope, and steadfastness. Without Jesus, I know in my natural self I would still be feeling discouraged and hopeless, as it was such a difficult time.

As a leader, it is important to regularly reflect, assess and analyze “the fruit” of your leadership and the impact you are having on others. As Allen says, “Act is the blossom of thought, and joy and sufferings are its fruits”(Watson, 1951, p. 170). This makes me ask, “What of my actions are having an impact on others,  either positively or negatively, and what thoughts motivated those actions?” It is important to keep in mind, that sometimes leaders have to make hard decisions or voice difficult things, that first seem negative, but actually in the larger perspective are positive and produce growth.

A great way to evaluate your character, thoughts and resulting actions as a leader is to consistently ask for honest feedback from the people you work with or lead. Also the most telling relationships to your character are those you are closest with, a partner, spouse, parents, siblings, friends or even a boss or co-worker you are close with. Ask them where they think you could grow in your character? You could even ask them what you are like to live with or work with?

A verse in the Bible, that reminds me this lesson is Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NIV),

“Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

Questions to reflect on:

  1. Take an honest look at your personal life and leadership, what kind of fruit are you bearing? Ask others for feedback.
  2. How do your actions portray the nature of your character and thoughts? 
  3. Do you want to change, yes or no? If yes, what do you need to do to change? If no, what are the consequences of that decision?

Monica

 

Header photo: pexels.com by Kaboompics.com shared under Pexels (BY) license.

References

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

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