A633.7.3.RB_RuggerioSteven

Leadership: The Inner Voice of Change

Dan Cathy (2011) said, “Being a leader means being able to help others discover and then live out their potential by inspiring them to seek it every day” (p. 27).  Inspiration must be accompanied by practical application.  My passion to inspire followers flows from one of my core principles of leadership: Continuous growth.

            My life and leadership are anchored in the belief that I must maintain a state of learning and intellectual exploration.  Obolensky’s (2010) survey/test of my leadership in light of his Telling, Selling, Involve, and Devolve matrix highlighted two areas of potential improvement.

            First, the test determined that I currently lead from an Involve/Sell perspective in which it is harder for me to “let go and allow follower’s room for growth,” and secondly, I may be “working harder than necessary.”  Delegating was a difficult challenge for me early in my leadership.  Over the years it has become easier although it rears its ugly head at time.  By establishing trusting relationships, I have been able to delegate more often and in the process, avoid micromanaging. Moreover, the survey identified that I may also be using too direct of an approach in my leadership.  

            Operating from a place of continuous growth and improvement, these insights have helped me create an atmosphere where followers can lead and grow along with me. I’ve found that one of my greatest achievements is sharing in the successful maturation and development of those that I lead.  Watching younger men and women take the initiative and demonstrate courage in leadership has become the most satisfying aspect of leadership.

Has your thinking changed over the course of the past six weeks, if so; why, and, if not; why?

            The Strategic Leadership course and Obolensky’s Complex Adaptive Leadership have equipped me with the tools necessary to face and direct complex situations.  In the military, complexity is ubiquitous.  Traditionally, leaders were taught to understand the intricacies of each situation, to understand the enemy, and to lead with directness—believing the mission must always come first.  However, the military has changed, warfare and strategy has changed, and I have changed. 

            This course has caused me to look at every situation and realize there will be uncontrollable dynamics hidden within each one.  With countless leadership books in my office, Obolensky’s desire to “build on and not replace” them has equipped me to integrate his teachings into the writings of other great authors like Kouzes, Posner, Heifetz, Godin, Maxwell, Collins, and Kellerman.  Obolensky (2010) said, “Complex Adaptive Leadership is not about throwing away traditional leadership wisdom.  It is about challenging the underlying assumptions of leadership and seeing leadership in a different way, which means letting go (but not necessarily abandoning) some long held beliefs” (p. xiv).

            This course and assignments have pushed me to implement new interpersonal strategies, pause before acting, and release control to both the situation and the people.  With these tactics, I’ve been educated in the potential of people and the power of the process.

What is the significance of this in the context of your future leadership goals and objectives?

            In an article titled, Change Starts at 4 A.M., Tim Willard (2011) said, “As leaders, we are often pressured to stay ahead of the pack.  In order to do so we set out to be razor sharp.  We seek to grow our influence; we pride ourselves in our professional acumen and our ability to see beyond the status quo.  And, in the right order and context, these things are fine” (p. 97).  Recognizing the value and power of change, Tim continued and added, “But if we truly desire to be a voice of change, industry standard is not enough.  As we peer into the rich concept of change we come face to face with a definition of leadership that will, if we let it, change us” (p. 97).

This class, the discussions, Obolensky’s text, and the assignments have all impacted my definition and understanding of leadership.  But, the greatest change and the deepest challenge came as I sat alone and reflected upon my life and my leadership.  Am I making a difference?  Are people better because of me?  Are my motives clear, and more importantly, pure?  Have I become a better employee, pastor, husband, father, and friend?  These are the true metrics.  Like Willard said above, industry standards and bottom line profits cannot be the sole litmus test of our effectiveness as leaders.  The true test is, “Have I helped others become better?”  I believe I have.

My present and future leadership and influence will be determined not only by the immediate result but the long term—and sometimes painstakingly slow—changing of those whom have allowed me access to influence.  This course has helped me become a guide: One that is confident in complexity and adaptive in attitude.

Steve

Cathy, D. (2011). Chick-Fil-A Leadercast Journal. Voices of Change, 1-134.
Obolensky, N. (2010). Complex adaptive leadership. Burlington, VT: Gower Publishing.

Willard, T. (2011). Chick-Fil-A Leadercast Journal. Voices of Change, 1-134.

A634.9.5.RB_RuggerioSteven

Studying Ethics: Learning, Growing...and Changing!

The first sentence I highlighted within our course textbook was “Answers that depend on a single piece of evidence will always be inadequate” (LaFollette, 2007).  Entering this semester, I knew my system of beliefs would be challenged.  As a Christian leader, the principles that guide my life are founded upon biblical principles and the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.  Saying that is the easy part; there is a depth and a breadth to character that must be explored, evaluated…tested. 

This Ethics course guided me in that endeavor.  It required me to present more evidence on what I believe.  At the conclusion of this class, I still anchor my life on the Bible and desire to represent Christ in an honest, truthful way.  However, now I’ve also accumulated an ethical philosophy that has strengthened my morality and focused my actions.

I learned many lessons in this class.  Three key topics were:  eating, biases, and self-reflection.  Week six landed on my lap like a lead weight.  When Singer spoke of our eating habits, the convicting light of truth shone on my heart.  I was ignorant about food production and didn’t listen when people spoke of GMO and farm factories.  However, after studying and discussing the “ethics of what we eat” I stopped and began listening.

As a result, we have changed our eating habits.  Today we research our food, buy organic, and have placed eating and food production on our radar.  Ignorance in no longer acceptable.  I’ve bought products from Food Matters, watched the DVD Food, Inc., and have pitched in with a friend to buy a juicing machine. 

Unfortunately, in church settings, food is often ignored.  People rarely discuss gluttony and focus on more “hurtful” actions.  As a leader in the church, I believe this class has motivated me to address this area in people’s lives and the unhealthy lifestyles that accompany it.  Obesity destroys as many (or more) lives than blatant immorality.  Before I can speak to others though, I must implement the changes in my life.  Step one is underway.

The second lesson is in the area of biases.  LaFollette (2007) said, “Since we are prone to interpret our own behavior favorably, most of us are inclined to excuse it, while, if someone else acts the same way, we take offense.  Bias makes us more likely to act immorally” (p. 206).  Sadly, many people who regularly attend church are labeled as judgmental hypocrites.  We are often our own worse enemy in confirming these labels.  This class has reminded me of the power of bias.  While I’ve always expected bias to influence how I view people, too often I let it happen without question. 

Sometimes merely identifying and discussing our propensity to judge someone can shake reality into our lives.  One of the greatest benefits of this course has been evaluating my own motivations and interpretations.  Which, leads me to my third key lesson: focusing more on my motives and my life rather than trying to interpret and evaluate others actions.

LaFollette (2007) said, “Focusing mostly on ourselves and what we can do, we are more likely to make a serious moral difference” (p. 209).  Too many leaders are falling to immorality because they fail to evaluate the motives and selfish desires that rise up within them.  As I mentioned earlier, to make a lasting difference in other people, one must first experience a difference and transformation in their own life. 

Speaking from personal experience, I would never ask someone to go where I haven’t, do what I don’t, nor risk what I am unwilling.  Leading the way means first leading yourself. 

Reflect on your perceived value of this course.

This class has strengthened my ability to self reflect and make the necessary adjustments in my attitude, beliefs, and convictions.  Too often, ethics and character development are relegated to a few short videos and a CEO message.  True change requires effort.  This nine-week course has pushed me to evaluate who I am and ensure my actions are aligned with my professed values.

Ethical training is not a program designed merely to guard a company against immoral activities; but rather, an initiative that encourages a standard of behavior that represents excellent conduct, integrity, and service.  This course should be taught to all managers, leaders, and supervisors.  Focusing solely on job tasks and duty responsibilities may cause employees to disregard ethics as a crucial element in the success of an organization; not to mention, the growth and maturity of their own character.

Include both positive and negative aspects of your experience.

The positive aspects of this course far outweighed any negative elements.  One of my favorite aspects of this class was that it focused on real life issues.  It discussed sexual harassment, gun control, the death penalty, and racism: relevant issues with abundant headlines.  It covered the subjects that leaders must discuss regardless of the difficulty.  The direction of our society lies in the leadership of its people.  Ignoring hot topics can only make the situation worse.

The negative aspect of this course is not reserved solely for this course.  In two years I’ll turn 50.  Which means, I have full grown children and a 2-year old grandchild.  Active and adventurous, my family likes to spend a lot of time together.  We like to go new places and travel to other cities.  Moreover, as a leader at the church, there are more appointments than time.  Taking classes requires a lot of time. 

Balancing the demands of life with school assignments can be very difficult.  At the end of the day, I hope the trade-off (family vs homework) prove worthwhile.

What might you have done to improve your learning experience?

The train dilemma exercise initiated deep discussions with my family, coworkers, and pastor.  In the process it helped me understand the wide array of thought processes and priorities that people follow.  By acting as ethical interviewer and recoding the results, I realized I learned more. 

To be sure, the initial assignment evaluated my ethical values and principles; however, as I began asking others, having the deep discussions, weighing the consequences of their choices with mine, I began to understand what LaFollette (2007) meant when he said, “We should identify the consequences of our actions for others, for ourselves, and for the people we will become” (p. 7).

How might the University or your instructor provide additional support for your learning?

The instructors at ERAU understand the importance of digesting and applying the principles and goals of the leadership curriculum.  While the reading and writing are extensive, the course material coupled with the discussions and videos combine to create an interactive learning experience that immerses students in conceptual leadership theory.  The lack of mid term and final exams should encourage other universities to consider new teaching techniques that focus more on mastery and application than rote memorization.

As I mentioned earlier, one of the assignments that continues to be discussed is the train dilemma.  Short of providing more scenario-based assignments that challenge students to evaluate their own—and others—ethical views, the class covered more than I could have expected.

  

Were there topics covered that seem particularly relevant or irrelevant to your experiences and to what you expect to come in future courses?

Again, at the sake of sounding redundant, the course material was relevant, applicable, and challenging.  Pulling assignments from today’s headlines empowered me (and other students) with one of the leadership essentials: relevance.  Examining the effects of race, sex, power, money, and health requires students to evaluate where they stand on issues; and more importantly, how that stance will influence followers.

Steve

Reference

LaFollette, H. (2007). The practice of ethics. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing