Transformational Leadership...

James McGregor Burns discovered transformational theory long ago, this theory, helped to define a very commonly used and effective style of leadership.  According to Burns, "leaders and followers help each other to advance to a higher level of morale and motivation”.  He stated that the differences in leadership lies in the behaviors and characteristics of different individuals.  Burns also claimed that transformational leadership, “redesigns perceptions and values, and changes expectations and aspirations of employees”.  This style of leadership is claimed to be based more off of the leader and not off of a “give and take” relationship that can be found in transactional leadership.   Transformational leaders are supposedly claimed to be the best style of leader simply because they are said to have the best interest of others in mind while they are leading the group towards a effective goal.

http://www.transformationalleadership.net/imarticle.php?articleid=210443

Presentation 1

Personal Refelection

In this post I will walk you through my leadership map starting with what I believe is the appropriate way to approach leading a group:


Step 1:

Situational (child)

This theory establishes respect if handled correctly based on the ability and willingness of the team or group being led.  The stages of this theory includes relationships such as telling, selling, participating and delegating.  Through this theory and approach I believe that fairness and equality are two values that re important because you need to to make the people who need to be handheld (participating) feel less than others.  I was able to relate this theory to the way I felt I was raised as  a child.  As a kid you are more used to a "telling" type of relationship, in this stage you are told what performance orientation works best for you.  My parents told me what to do a lot and her i am today, a leader :)


Step 2:

Transformational (teenager)

This theory is purely situational.  It states that a leader must bring out the best in their followers and inspire and motivate them as individuals.  Honest and Integrity are important because in challenging situations a defense mechanism may be to lie but honesty is the best policy and keeping your integrity is huge.  I believe this form of leadership is good in middle stage of growth or the teenage years because lots of influences come your way.  you've already established a leadership role in the first phase and now its handling situations and rolling with the punches.

*Here is were I am between (transformational) sticky situations and LMX which is figuring out relations with the people you are leading in your young professional life*

Step 3: 

LMX Theory (young professional)

As you move into more of the professional world it is important to decide what/how much info is okay to tell your followers for fear that you may lose your respect you built through the prior phases.  You may have pulled out people you can relate to and trust so you must choose whether you need be a stranger, acquaintance or partner with. Trust and truth are important because you need to know you can depend on and share with.  Relationships to environment is huge because it defines what type of bond to build.


Step 4:

Vroom and Yetton's Normative (professional)

This is the last phase of leadership because after you've established you leadership role then you are left with making high quality decisions and going with it.  A huge part of this is motivating and inspiring to enhance decision acceptance.  And a lot of this theory depends on a lot of responsibility in your own self to make the right decisions.  Another large part of this theory is how a leader takes info and decides what to do with it.  Reliability and commitment on others.  "knowledge and truth" are important because this stage you know (last stage) and must be an established individual which implies that you will tell the truth.




I'm noticing a trend here...I think that trust is a value I believe is important and might serve as a outline of what I think I might try to practice most as a leader...

Ryann's Theory Map!

Vroom and Yetton’s Normative Model

This theory says that, “decision acceptance increases the effectiveness of action” and “Participation increases decision acceptance”. When I first read this I completely agreed with it, which is why I chose to elaborate and research more on it. I think that once you make up your mind about committing to a decision or action, whether it is a leadership role or not the individual will most likely make the action effective.

Vroom and Yetton’s Normative Model involves decision quality and decision acceptance to make it work. Decision quality by definition is the, “selection of the best alternative, and is particularly important when there are many alternatives. It is also important when there are serious implications for selecting (or failing to select) the best alternative”. Basically this states that it is important to weigh out all options and it also implies how important it is to make the right decision during the crucial parts of different processes.

Decision acceptance is, “the degree to which a follower accepts a decision made by a leader. Leaders focus more on decision acceptance when decision quality is more important”. Without the backing of followers leaders have nothing so it is important that their followers will accept the decisions they make. This is hard for leaders to predict, however, because they can’t necessarily mind read how their followers will feel. But at least the followers will see that the effort is made and that is all that matters.

Vroom and Yetton defined five different decision procedures:

A1: Leader takes known information and then decides alone.

A2: Leader gets information from followers, and then decides alone.

C1: Leader shares problem with followers individually, listens to ideas and then decides alone.

C2: Leader shares problems with followers as a group, listens to ideas and then decides alone.

G2: Leader shares problems with followers as a group and then seeks and accepts consensus agreement.

Different situations seem to affect each of these different interactions between the leader and followers. A1 and A2 are much more autocratic so when decision acceptance is important and followers are unlikely to accept an autocratic decision then these methods are more often used. C1 and C2 are more consultive so when decision acceptance is important but followers are likely to disagree with one another this is not appropriate because they do not give opportunity for differences to be resolved. In the case of G2 this is used when decision quality is not important but decision acceptance is critical this is the best method to use. Also with G2, when decision quality is important, all agree with this, and the decision is not likely to result from an autocratic decision this method is best.

It is recommended to use this model when, “there is a clear and accessible opinion about the decision quality importance and decision acceptance factors” in a situation. It is stated that this model is defined more by rational logic than by long observation, I think this is why this theory is so clear and easy to point out.

http://changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/theories/vroom_yetton.htm

Midterm 3/22/2011

Midterm Temp Ate

Contingency vs. Situational

Contingency: 

Is basically a theory that states that leaders must adapt to certain situations considering the circumstances.  With most stressful circumstances a task based leader is more appropriate because they are more apt to not worry about peoples' feelings and they tend to focus more on getting things done so they are more appropriately directive.   

Fiedler states that, "stress is a key determinant of leader effectiveness".  Which means that under pressure leaders perform better, which further proves why task based leaders will pull through more effectively.  Fiedler also says that, "intelligence is more effective and used more often in stress-free situations. Fiedler has found that experience impairs performance in low-stress conditions but contributes to performance under high-stress conditions".  Overall the theory sums up that as a leader you can change a situation but you can't change the person.  

An example of a real life experience that backs up this theory is when a deadline is pressing and other employees have not necessarily pulled their weight on a  project then it comes down to the supervisor/manager to complete the project.  They must rearrange the situation and lead well under pressure in a task based way so that they are not angered or unproductive because of their relationships with the employees who slacked off on their project.

 

Situational:

The situational theory states that, "situational leadership proponents emphasize that to be a successful leader, the manager should not only use the management style that comes naturally but also use the styles that fit the situation at the moment.  This style decision is based on the needs and maturity levels of the employees".  This basically means that a leader must be perceptive of what their team can handle so that they can lead in a way that is not too overwhelming or makes sense under the current circumstances. 

The situational leadership also includes four basic leadership behavior styles:

(1) high task-low relationship (telling); 

(2) high task-high relationship (sell

ing);

(3) low task-high relationship (participating); and

(4) low task-low relationship (delegating).

The theory states that, "The most effective leadership style depends on the readiness level of group members". Readiness, as defined in the article includes two components; ability and willingness.

An example of this would be coaching a basketball team.  If the team cares more about being a team and about bonding than you would want to be more in a participating mind set as the coach more so than the delegating, selling or telling mind set, you would need to help and be super involved.

The Office...

So we've all seen the office, which is one of the funniest shows on earth in my opinion.  It is also one of the best examples of horrible leadership as well! However, there are some pretty apparent leaders that come through because they have to compensate for Michael (the boss's) lack of leadership quality.  In this episode the major issue is dealing with office PDA, we will see double standards come out and direct and indirect ways of people dealing with it.

http://www.nbc.com/The_Office/video/pda/1290033/


Pam: Task/Relationship. She is relationship based, she just want's to make sure everything is okay.  In the beginning of the show she decides to give Darryl, a fellow employee, a sympathy card because his grandmother died.  She has seniority and a voice in the office so by doing this she is opening up lines of communication and establishing an open door for him to come talk to her if he needs someone to talk to which therefore strengthens their bond. 


Michael: He is basically the boss.  He is mostly path/goal driven.  He is an interesting character because he acts like he knows everyone and knows what's going on but he doesn't.  He has been assigned the leadership role somehow yet he really only looks out for himself so he will do anything it takes to accomplish his goals.  In this episode he disagrees with the "no PDA" guideline and he is upset that this is not what he wants but his overly obvious PDA with his girlfriend bothers everyone.  So he tries to accomplish his goal in this episode by making his unhappiness extremely obvious in order to accomplish his goal to bring PDA back to the office.


Darryl: is in the LMX acquaintance stage of leadership.  He is trying to be nice and maintain the peace within the office but he is also concentrated on getting his work done.  He has moderate relationships with everyone else but it isn't anything to close because he is concentrated more on getting his work done so he can go home because he seems irritated with everyone in the office all of the time.

Blog Comparisons...

After reading through some of the students' blogs in our class I realized how important it is to have a tone and a voice that runs consistently throughout the blog itself so that the readers know what to expect and feel comfortable coming back to and reading it...that is after all why people blog right? To attract a following of readers and to share their personal, consistent view on different things?

Well, I came to the conclusion that;

Emily Anne Rowe's Blog is rather similar to mine in the sense that we are both focused on completing the assignment, however, we like to spice it up with fun questions and pictures!  As I'm writing I feel like I have to constantly ask myself questions, and I have no problem with just typing them out as I'm thinking them, it actually helps the thought process a bit.  As far as pictures go, they just make everything so much more interesting and exciting even! We also have a few similar traits relating to the PMAI test we are both lovers and creators so I think that that might be an attribute as to why our blogs are so similar :)

Dan's blog on the other hand is a completely different story...

He is HILARIOUS!!!! Oh my gosh, this is by far the most entertaining blog I have come across yet (no offense anyone) he keeps a very funny running theme throughout the entirety of his blog that encourages us to stay engaged.  He takes the assignment one step further by adding much needed humor to an originally rather bland assignment, every time! I think that his color choice could not be more different than mine either which also sets a different tone for the blog itself at all, it's more edgy and resembles more of a "leader-ship" style rather than a "relaxing, peaceful" style of blog.  Props to you Dan...you influenced me to spice my blog up a bit!  

Shadow Archetypes...

As most know... to every active archetype there are going to be repressed archetypes too as they are a type of counterpart to your active archetypes.  The archetypes people scored the lowest on, represent qualities that one may have repressed. These archetypes also provide potential energy for you to use and may also influence your unconscious behaviors.


Mine are:

Innocent: you assume that every cloud has a silver lining.  Innocent individuals are very dependable, nice and positive.  In my mind, I think that I am rather innocent, so this is something I have to make sure I look out for this later in my life when I take on a strong leadership role.  Being innocent, people could take advantage of you because they mistake your good hear for naivety.

Orphan: you assume that it pays to be careful.  It's interesting because after reading this because after comparing "orphan" and "innocent" they could not be more different.  The funny thing is...is that they are both my shadow archetypes...hmm.  Usually people in this role are resilient, tough and realistic.  These qualities are all very important aspects of being a leader however an important piece of advice that I thought that I could apply to my life is "Disconnecting responsibility from blame, so that you can take responsibility for your life without blaming yourself or others when things go wrong".

Shadow archetypes are good things to look out for as they are a sign of weaknesses since they are repressed.  It's nice to be aware of weaknesses because it gives us something to look to to improve in our lives.

Active Archetypes!

Archetype by definition is an original model of a person, ideal example, or a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated; a symbol universally recognized by all.


In the case of our PMAI test, we are labeled as individuals who are represented by different archetypes.  Mine personally are;

Jester: you assume that life is meant to be enjoyed.  I am complimented by this comment because I do see a little bit of myself as a jester, in awkward situations I do try to find the light in them and sometimes I tend to make a joke out of something that is semi serious to break the tension. I was a bit offended because the description says at the end that some people may think I don't take life seriously enough and that I need to get a life!

Creator: you assume what can be imagined can be created.  I guess this description means I'm a bit of a visionary person.  The description says that as a leader Creators are entrepreneurial, innovative and unorthodox.  These are very important qualities to have in a leader, without having an innovative mind set than nothing would get done overall.

Lover: you assume that love is the answer.  I realize that I always give people the benefit of the doubt and I think that this is because I initially love people and trust them.  Sometimes this mind set can get a Lover in trouble or taken advantage of.  As a leader, most often times leaders are passionate, charismatic and intense.  Charisma was one of the most important character traits that I admired so I hope that this archetype about me is true!

I learned quite a bit about myself from taking this test, my active archetypes describe so much about why I have the views on things that I do.  In a way it's comforting to have the label of being not only a Jester, or a creator, or a lover, but being all three!

A little about myself...

Hello Everyone! 

Welcome to my blog first of all, second of all I would like to introduce myself!  My name is Ryann Hastings and I am a graduating senior at San Diego State.  I cannot even believe that the past four years have gone by so fast and I hope that the next few are as amazing, eye opening and inspiring as the last! 

As I prepare for the next step in my life after graduation I decided that I would sort of get some of my ideas about leadership out into the open since a leader is what I plan to be someday… 

In this blog you will read more or less some of my visions, opinions and ideas concerning leadership and what it means to me.  I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoy spilling out some of my ideas. 

Enjoy!

Pros and Cons of Trait Based Leadership Theories

Trait based leadership theories argue that some people are simply born with traits that shape who they are as people.  These traits are not necessarily learned but are instilled in ones brain/personality, hence the theory of a “natural born leader”.  In this post I will discuss some of the pro’s and con’s of these particular theories:

Pro’s

·      Having a list of specific traits makes things fairly simple to compare and categorize people into the leadership role.

·      If we can recognize some of the same traits that are on the “list” in ourselves or in others we may be inspired and potentially convince others or ourselves into taking on a leadership role.

Con’s

·      There is also an argument against this theory that people can develop leadership ability through their life trials and experiences. 

·      This list may be “restricting” because if you go to the list and automatically assume that you aren’t a leader because you don’t possess any of the qualities on it, one may get discouraged and give up on being a leader.

Leadership Traits I Admire and Why

To be a leader there are certain things that one must be born with.  Some of the most important traits that cannot be learned but are crucial happen to be…

Charisma by definition is, “a special personal quality or power of an individual making him/her capable of influencing or inspiring large numbers of people”. 

Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, even Adolph Hitler…were marvelous public speakers hence their enormous following.

Creativity is crucial…without creativity the world would be less interesting.  It takes a creative mind set, which is a gift that few posses, to inspire and motivate people in different ways to keep things interesting.

Self Confidence, some may argue that this is not necessarily a “trait” because people can develop it over time but I think that it comes from a good upbringing which stems from birth.  Another view on that could be that it is a trait that is instilled in you whether you have all the tools from birth or not, look at Helen Keller, she was deaf and blind yet she still had the self confidence to inspire and succeed.

About Me and Leadership

My ideal leader is a person that shows strength and confidence while still staying composed and classy.  In times of high stress, a true leader will not falter or show that he/she is feeling weighed down or overwhelmed.  This is important because if the followers see when a leader starts to flounder their trust and admiration starts to diminish.

I believe that a leader has to know the people they are leading, to get to this point one must actually take personal time as much as possible with each and every person they can to get to know them.  Out of this time empathy grows and a genuine, loyal relationship starts to form.  With these actions inspiration will increase and a good leader is one who inspires.

Some of my most favorite leaders are those who are understated but still great, who keep their emotions concealed and still come off as composed yet passionate.  They don’t ask for recognition but do the things they do out of pure goodness and legitimate concern for the group they are leading.

I realized that these thoughts concerning leadership stem from my grandmother, for she is one of the most understated, controlled and regal figures that I know.  When I think of her, I think of how she lives her life with an aire of selfless compassion and she does it not for her self, but for her family.  She is a true figure to look up to.  My love for my most admired leaders such as Audrey Hepburn, Jackie Kennedy and Mother Theresa all have a little bit of her characteristics or should I say visa-versa?

A leader should be driven by the well being of their followers, with good intentions, any project can and will be completed with success.

Some of my personal favorite leaders!

Some food for thought

Here are some of my personal favorite quotes said by great leaders throughout time...

•Go to the people. Learn from them. Live with them. Start with what they know. Build with what they have. The best of leaders when the job is done, when the task is accomplished, the people will say we have done it ourselves.


- Lao Tzu

•If your actions inspire others to dream more,
 learn more, do more and become more, 
you are a leader. 


- John Quincy Adams

 

•I light my candle from their torches.

  - Robert Burton