Category: Unit 7

As a manager, it is important to try and implement transformational leadership skills. In this article, the research shows that transformational leadership results in positive performance across all levels of an organization. It was also found that transformational leadership has stronger effects in certain environments. It has a stronger impact where employees have to work together as a team and also it was not as effective in an employment situation where task performance is the most important outcome. (Wang et. al, 2011, P 249-250)

The implications for a manager within an organization, is that you have to motivate your employees and followers to feel that they are valuable members of a team. The manager has to function well as a role model so that the followers are intrinsically motivated. This results in greater cooperation, commitment and performance. Another implication is that as a manager, you have to care about your employees and appeal to them at an emotional level. You have to provide many opportunities for the employees to feel like valuable members of the organization. This is an example of creating community as defined by Northouse, or creating a closeness or a synergy as described by Wang et. al (Wang et al., 2011, P 251) This provides organizations with valuable information. Leaders need to be a part of training and experiences that will enhance their transformational leadership styles. “Leadership development is an “ongoing processes where leaders and followers gain self-awareness and establish open, transparent, trusting and genuine relationships, which in part may be shaped and impacted by planned interventions such as training (Avolio and Gardner, 2005 P 322). Also, when selecting leaders, people that exhibit some of these skills should be considered. An organization would have the most benefit where people work together as a team. (Wang et al., 2011, P 253)

To become a better leader, I need to make sure that I am providing my students with the opportunity to feel respected and valued. I need to be a good role model and treat students fairly. “Leaders must be willing to be follower centered, must place others’ interests foremost in their work, and must act in ways that will benefit others.” (Northouse, 2016, P 344). I believe that abiding by these words, will help me to become a more successful leader.

“Ethical leadership is about being a good person and doing the right thing in the right way.” (Northouse, 2016). Ethical leadership is about the choices that leaders make and how they respond to their experiences.

Northouse states, “ Leadership is a process of influencing others; it has a moral dimension that distinguishes it from other types of influence, such as coercion or despotic control. Leadership involves values, including showing respect for followers, being fair to others, and building community. It is not a process that we can demonstrate without showing our values. When we influence, we have an effect on others, which means we need to pay attention to our values and our ethics.” (Northouse, 2016, P 348).

Northouse summarized the principles of ethical leadership as: respect, service, justice, honesty, and community. (Northouse, 2016, P 341).

I believe that respect is one of the most important principles. In my own practice, I am constantly trying to teach and model respect. It is one of our main classroom rules. I often ask the students to reflect by asking themselves these questions, “Am I respecting others? Am I respecting myself? Am I respecting property?” I explicitly teach listening skills, empathy and tolerance which Northouse suggests as a deeper definition of respect. (Northouse, 2016). I believe that respect makes other people feel valued. If you want someone to follow you as a leader and look up to you, they need to feel valued and feel like their voice and opinions matter. (Northouse, 2016).

I feel that honesty is also a very important principle. I was torn between honesty and community, however I have come to the conclusion that it is hard to develop a sense of community without first having established the value of honesty. A specific example in my classroom relates to a bullying situation. The student that was being accused of bullying had never been accused of something like this. She denied all of the accusations which made it very difficult to deal with. In this situation, it is clear that it is essential to establish honesty. When a student is nervous about a situation, I always start by reminding them of the importance of honesty. I start by telling them that everyone makes mistakes, however it is important for us to learn from our mistakes. I tell them that when we make a mistake, we have one problem that we need to fix, but when we are not honest and lie about our mistakes, then we have two problems that need fixing; the lying and the original mistake. This is clear to the students as they are able to identify that one problem is better than two problems. I believe that without honesty and respect, the other principles would be difficult, if not impossible, to establish.

References

Avolio, B. J., & Gardner, W. L. (2005). Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 315-338. doi:10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.03.001

Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership – theory and practice – seventh edition. Los Angeles: Sage.

Wang, G., Oh, I., 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. doi:10.1177/1059601111401017

“Because leaders usually have more power and control than followers, they also have more responsibility to be sensitive to how their leadership affects followers’ lives.” (Northouse, 2016, P 337) Leaders have a strong influence on their followers and because of this, they are obligated to do what is morally right. (Northouse, 2016). These obligations include treating staff fairly, creating policies and abiding to them, and knowing the difference between right and wrong. Van Buren suggests that a staff that is treated morally, will have higher efficacy which in turn creates a happier work environment that produces higher quality work.

In my career, I often think about my actions as a leader. As highlighted in the video, What is Ethical Leadership? as the teacher, I set the moral tone of the classroom. I believe that my students are always looking up to me to see my actions. If they witness me doing something that is morally sound, they will watch to see what my actions are and will be more likely to respond in similar ways. I try to instil good values in my students, especially during the Christmas season. Currently the school is trying to collect items for the foodbank. One day this week, I happened to forget my lunch at my house. A student asked me, “why don’t you go and get something from the food bank and eat it?” I explained to my students that this food is for people who are less fortunate than us and that the students who are donating it, didn’t intend for it to be used for people who have food but just forgot it at home. Had I taken the food, my students wouldn’t have learned a lesson about what is morally right or wrong. Van Buren says that being a role model is one of our moral implications as leaders. (Van Buren, 2013). To lead by example, there must be consistency between what I do and what I say (Avolio and Gardner, 2005, p. 326).  I believe that this example is one of many examples that come up in a classroom setting throughout the year. These moments provide us with the opportunity to teach morals and values, and to lead by example. They build community within a classroom and teach students the importance of respect. Northouse, 2016, states that these are also moral implications of a leader. (Northouse, 2016). In my own classroom, I always refer to The Golden Rule, which is to treat others the way that you would like to be treated. Although it may seem cliche, it is easy for young people to understand and easy for them to try and follow.

In previous years, there was a separation amongst our staff. Many of the more senior teachers had different privileges than staff who were newer. For example, they had the inside supervisions picked first so they wouldn’t have to go outside, they didn’t have to work with any of the students who needed Non-Violent-Crisis-Intervention, etc.. The new staff often felt burnt out but never complained because it seemed as though there were no other options as the work had to be done by someone. The new administration is working diligently to assist us in being a team. They are not letting more senior staff have the first pick at things. They are helping us to all work together to create a team environment. In the video, Van Buren tells us that communication and transparency are two values of organizations. She states, “an ethical leader models those values by treating all staff fairly and equitably and providing all staff with the information they need to make decisions.

It is important for an ethical leader to treat people the way that he/she would like to be treated, to follow moral standards and focus on the pathway towards the goal, not just the end goal. “How you get there is just as important as where you end up.” (Van Buren, 2013).

In summary, an organization that leads by example, promotes fairness amongst staff, that instils positive morals and values,  helps to create a strong ethical culture, which will result in a positive impact on its community and employees. (Van Buren, 2013).

References:

Avolio, B. J., & Gardner, W. L. (2005). Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 315-338. doi:10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.03.001

Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership – theory and practice – seventh edition. Los Angeles: Sage.

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