Mitten Shaped Flights

  I don’t know about you, but when I hear my friends or coworkers using excuses, it really grinds my gears. This is especially true when they are some of the more classic excuses we know. Things like: ·        That won’t work here ·        We’ve always been doing it this way ·        There is too much risk to make that decision ·        Its impossible or it can’t be done When I hear people saying these things, my first reaction is generally being flabbergasted at how people so smart could act so foolish. However, if we know anything about human nature is that sometimes it just doesn’t make sense. But I can’t really fault them too much because there was a time when I used these excuses. It was a long time ago and prior to me really having an understanding on who I was and what I and those around me are capable of. It took a lot of practice, but I was able...

After reviewing the video by the Harvard Business Review (2010), it becomes clearer to me that the decisions organizations make, especially at the senior leadership level, directly impact the performance of the employees and the overall organization. In the sense of positivity, decisions influence many things, but the fact that the positive nature of certain decisions makes that influence even more impactful. Imagine if you will a decision that negatively influences employee salaries, benefits or more. Wouldn’t you expect that these types of decisions gravely diminish the morale and culture of the organization? Thus, making decisions that create negative influence are those that may create a work environment that decreases the effectiveness and output of the organization. The way in which employee engagement relates to decision making is quite impactful. The more employees are engaged in an organization is translate to the more they are involved with effective decision-making. We c...

  Where we’re going When I begin to think about the future of our society, I first look back into history to see the path that humankind has taken and why it is we’ve arrived at this juncture in time. About humanity, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry is quoted as saying, "I believe in humanity. We are an incredible species. We're still just a child creature, we're still being nasty to each other. And all children go through those phases. We're growing up, we're moving into adolescence now. When we grow up - man, we're going to be something!" (Daum, 2016). Considering that most of us that have been parents probably feel that the maturation of society is much like that of raising a child, in that we go through stretches of ups and downs that involve teachable moments. In essence, we’re training our children to understand right from wrong while guiding and navigating them through the perils of life. In many ways, this is the same of the entire human race,...

  After completing the exercise and scoring at the beginning of Obolensky’s (2016, p. 169) Chapter 10, I have come to recognize that I’m still not fulfilling my leadership traits as an adaptive leader. I will take this with a grain of salt, because of the way the answers to the questions were limited or slanted, but regardless, this exercise gave me a chance to pause and reflect. The scoring showed that I typically use Strategy #3, Involve. Although this is close to the ultimate Strategy #4, Devolve, it is still not where I envision myself being. It is more of a “pull” strategy (Obolenskey, 2010, p. 172). Further, my scores revealed that I’m both working too hard and I’m also taking too direct of an approach with my followers. I’m not immune from making mistakes and I can see how my scores reflect the style of leadership I’m using. I do think that I overcompensate and try too hard by using the “pull” strategy. When the Four + Four principles are in place, which includes the followe...

  As someone that started his career 20 years ago, I had to learn how to be a follower before I could be the leader. In doing so, I had to take orders, follow directions and learn to respond in a way that provided my leaders constructive feedback, otherwise it would appear like I was whining. I got better at being a follower and started learning leadership skills so that one day I could transition to be a leader. A lot of times not only was I still the follower, but due to the poor or nonexistent leadership, I had to step in and be a leader. On the micro level, a follower can go beyond the formal title and position and participate in the leadership processes. The Harvard Management Update (2009) gives us five ways in which we can do this by establishing goals, thinking systematically, learn from experience while it’s happening, engage others and provide feedback (p. 1). A particular time I’ve been a leader as a follower was when I was working as a robotics manager and my regional...

  Obolensky Asks Questions In chapter 1, Obolensky (2010) asks three reflective questions and if I were able to respond, I’d say a number of things related to leadership over time. I strive to learn from those around me, but that doesn’t always end up being the case. Most of the time I’m open to other’s knowledge about subjects and some of that rubs off on me. As is the case with leaders, I’ve had a lot of them, and some were great and others not so much. But my attitude has changed about the leaders in my life. I’ve learned to understand which ones I can align with, which has improved my overall career experience. My attitude towards leaders has changed directly because of my understanding of how leaders have impacted my life. I want to be around empowering and transformational leaders, but also those that use situational awareness and are authentic. These attributes are what I find that influences me to be more successful.   I’d like to tell you a story about my grandp...

  For the last 20 years of my professional career, I’ve found myself getting very familiar and acquainted with my teams. Prior to learning many of the things I have in my leadership courses, I was already making connections with coworkers and using enthusiasm to drive meaning. Transformational leaders set out to empower followers and nurture them in change. They attempt to raise the consciousness in individuals and to get them to transcend their own self-interests for the sake of others (Northouse, pg. 175). Although I routinely find myself falling into the authentic leadership style, I also realize that exhibiting great leadership means using multiple leadership styles based on the situation, thus situational leadership. I feel that I will continue to be a successful leader and build on those skills by reminding myself of the journey life has taken me to get where I am. It is easy to get caught up in the busy day of work, family and other priorities, so reflecting on the present i...