A635.4.3.RB-Build a tower, build a team- Trey McNeil

This week I had the pleasure of viewing the 2010 TED Talk Build a tower build a team by Tom Wujec. This video explained the Marshmallow Challenge where, according to Wujec (2010), the participants “learn very deep lessons about collaboration” (n.p.). You may be thinking, how is it possible to learn to strengthen my teamwork skills with marshmallows. Great question! You are a member of a four-person team at a conference that has just been issued a challenge. A paper bag is handed to you and eighteen minutes are set on a clock. As you open up the contents of the bag, you realize you are given twenty pieces of uncooked spaghetti, one yard of masking tape, one yard of string, and one jumbo marshmallow. The rules are simple, the team with the highest free standing structure (marshmallow on top) wins. What is your plan to build the best structure?

Wukec (2010) said that he has issued this challenge to approximately seventy groups and has noticed a pattern in the actions of the groups. He said that the group would spend the first several minutes getting oriented with the rules and construction materials. The group will then jockey for power for the next couple of minutes. Next is the planning stage, followed by the building and architectural process. The last thing step is to tape the marshmallow frantically to the giant base of spaghetti and hope for the best. Wujec (2010) stated that most people are looking for a-ha moments, but this tactic quickly turns into uh-oh moments of cleaning twenty pieces of uncooked spaghetti from the table.

As I am in pursuit of my graduate degree, one statistic I found interesting about the challenge was that the individuals with the lowest scores were recent graduates of business school. To add comic relief to the situation, some of the groups that build the largest structures were recent graduates of (drumroll please) kindergarten.  How could this be? Wujec (2010) explained that the children do not jockey for position or attempt to be the “CEO of Spaghetti Inc.” (n.p.).  The kids are not worried about being in charge or who is in charge. They simply see the project as a task that needs to be completed and jump into action. The older graduates begin the process by attempting to establish themselves as the leader of the group. This process not only uses precious time in the challenge but could cause friction between the group members. Brown (2011) warned that a successful group would share leadership function between all members. The children begin as a more cohesive group because they share leadership responsibilities.

Also, the MBA graduates are taught that there is one single perfect answer to the problem. I know I have been guilty of this line of thinking. When I first started the leadership program, I would sit for long periods of time trying to formulate the perfect answer. I am beginning to understand that there is not one single perfect answer to an issue as a multitude of processes could generate the correct answer. The children, on the other hand, do not think themselves into a circle about how to build the perfect spaghetti and marshmallow structure. They simply begin to build small structures and add to it as they go. Unlike the graduate students, the children start with the marshmallow and build by adding to the marshmallow. The graduate students begin with the structure and add the marshmallow as a last minute thought, causing the structure to crumble.

I believe one other reason the children performed better is that they still have a sense of imagination. As children, we believed anything was possible. We were all going to be astronauts, professional athletes, actors/actresses, or President of the United States when we grew up. The world had not yet proven that these dreams are impossible for most of us. The children imagined building a large structure and began to go to work. There was no planning or negative feelings of why one idea would not work compared to another idea. There was also no fear of failure. If the tower fell, then the kids would just try another method. As adults, we have lost our sense of imagination and prepare to the point of nausea. I am certainly guilty of over-preparation. Maybe if the graduate students took a page from the kids and were not scared of failing, then the result would have been a taller marshmallow tower.

Wujec (2010) also explained that a group of CEO’s with the help of the executive assistant tend to build taller structures than CEO’s without the help of an executive assistant. Why is that? Wujec (2010) said that the executive administrators have facilitation skills and can manage the process. I agree with his opinion. I know the executive administrator in our department is an excellent facilitator and problem-solver. They have their hands in multiple tasks each day and help to keep the office running smoothly. According to Mageean (2016), an administrative assistant will be valuable if they are flexible and have exceptional problem-solving skills. To successfully build a marshmallow tower, the participants must show flexibility and problem-solving skills.

I have taken part in this group building process and thoroughly enjoyed the activity. The activity was included in the LEAD program I attended at the college where I work. Like the other teams discussed, we tried to build around the spaghetti instead of the marshmallow and the structure crumbled to the table. We were able to salvage a structure and rebuild, but it was not very tall. Though the structure itself ended up being a failure, the activity was very educational. As Wujec stated, the challenge “forces individuals to collaborate quickly” (n.p.). Since I was able to experience the activity first-hand, I would without a doubt include it in a process intervention skills workshop.

Brown (2011) mentioned several types of process intervention including: clarifying and summarizing, synthesizing, questioning, listening reflecting feelings, and feedback observations. The marshmallow challenge could utilize synthesizing because it allows the group members to intertwine their ideas about building the tallest tower. Listening is a critical skill in this group challenge. Members should listen to each other to come up with a group consensus on how to construct the tower. Clarifying and summarizing is another skill that can be learned from this challenge. In my experience, clarification was a key to understanding the group member’s ideas for the construction of the tower.

The biggest lesson I took away from this video came from the kindergarten class. The kindergarteners built prototypes during the challenge to make sure things were going correctly along the way. At my job, I could benefit from conducting status checks along the way to make sure my marshmallow tower does not come crashing down.

References

Brown, D. (2011). An experiential approach to organizational development (8th ed.).  Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall

Mageean, M. (2016). The job description of an executive assistant to the CEO. Retrieved from http://oureverydaylife.com/job-description-executive-assistant-ceo-28091.html

Wujec, T. (2010). Build a tower, build a team [TEDGlobal]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/tom_wujec_build_a_tower

A520.3.4.RB-Supportive Communication- Trey McNeil

Communication is one of the most important factors in a leadership/follower relationship. As a leader, supportive communication is critical if you wish to build a bond with your followers. Supportive communication involves delivering negative feedback in a manner that does not put stress on the relationship, but, in turn, should strengthen the relationship.  According to Whetten and Cameron (2016), the eight principles of supportive communication are: (a) congruent, (b) descriptive, (c) problem-oriented, (d) validating, (e) specific, (f) conjunctive, (g) owned, and (h) requiring supportive listening.

In evaluating an e-mail sent by the CEO of a technology firm to 400 managers, it was immediately obvious to me that the CEO did not utilize supportive leadership. This email was very harsh in the way the CEO attempted to motivate the managers in making sure their employees worked at least a forty hour work week. Whetten and Cameron (2016) described that supportive communication should be descriptive and not evaluative. Evaluative behavior occurs when a judgment is placed on the action or character of the person in which you are communicating. The CEO’s email was one hundred percent evaluative. The e-mail read, “You either do not know what your employees are doing or simply do not care.” Communication cannot get much more evaluative in my opinion.

Whetten and Cameron (2016) also believed that supportive communication should be problem-oriented and not person-oriented. In reading the email, this CEO described the situation in a person-oriented manner. The email was littered with phrases like “you do not care,” “you created poor expectations,” and “you have a problem.” If the email had been written where the scenario was the focus, such as, “I have noticed that some employees are not working a full forty hours, and I believe should be a point of discussion,” then the communication could have classified as supportive.

Supportive communication should be validating rather than invalidating (Whetten and Cameron, 2016). Validating communication would make the recipient feel understood and accepted, where invalidating communication would make the employee feel negative about themselves. There is no doubt in my mind that if I ever received a message like this from one of my bosses, I would feel very negative about my management style. The e-mail is extremely accusing and makes no attempt to make the recipients feel valued. Regarding validity, this email fails with flying colors.

Supportive communication should also include two-way communication. This email was lacking the open communication aspect without a doubt. Whetten and Cameron (2016) stated that individuals could feel validated when they are given the opportunity to express their opinion. The message from the CEO did not allow any two-way opinions. The CEO stated, “You have a problem, and you will fix it, or I will replace you.” It does not seem like the CEO cared about any of the manager’s opinions. This CEO had their mind made up of how things were going to work and no other opinions were requested.

Whetten and Cameron (2016) stated that supportive communication should conjunctive. Communication that is conjunctive is connected to prior conversations, and disjunctive communication is unconnected to previous conversations. The provided email does not seem to be connected in any way to previous conversations. In my opinion, this email represents a threatening rant that, with a couple of changes, could have been a more supportive and productive message.

The final principle stated by Whetton and Cameron (2016) was that supportive communication involves supportive listening. Supportive communication should not be a one-way order. Effective supportive communication involves opening up a line of communication. It is not just ordering followers what to do without seeking their opinion. In the e-mail example, the CEO did not open up the lines of communication. They simply stated how they wanted things to be, and that was the end of the conversation. There was no passing go and no collecting $200.

As I read the email, I thought about how I could avoid receiving this type of message at work. In my opinion, the email was very threatening and had a negative tone, so I would never want to receive that type of e-mail. Any e-mail threatening my job is a no-go for me. My first thought about how to avoid an email of this nature was pretty obvious… do not arrive late or leave work early. Simply working eight hours should eliminate the threatening email. But, there are times when I may need to work less than an eight hour day over the next month. In fact, I was late today due to a doctor’s appointment. When I am arriving late to work or having to leave early, communication to my supervisor is key. On Friday, I was descriptive in my request and my supervisor was flexible in the communication in utilizing two-way communication and granting the late arrival. There was no issue in my tardiness because it was discussed with my supervisor and we arrived at an agreeing plan of action.

Another tactic that I could take to avoid some of the problems associated with the example email is by understanding my job. What I mean by that is I must understand that sometimes overtime is a necessity to complete all of the tasks associated with my job description.  I know that the previous fiscal year must be closed in July, audit preparation must be done in April, and the Foundation budget must go to the board in November. I know if I try to take a week-long vacation during these times then I would not be surprised if I received an email comparable to the email in the example. I do not believe my supervisor would be as direct and threatening, but the content would be similar.

To me, the most frightening part of the e-mail is that the CEO admonished the managers for creating a culture where the employees believe they can work only 40 hours a week. With what I have learned over the last couple of weeks regarding work-life balance and stress, I think I have settled on not working for a high-technology company.

Reference

Whetten, D. & Cameron, K. (2016). Developing management skills (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall/Pearson

A511.9.3.RB-Course Reflections- Trey McNeil

I have enjoyed this class, MSLD 511, immensely. My first two classes in the MSLD program focused on critical thinking and communication. Both classes were interesting and helped me develop skills that I lacked, but this was the first class to touch on leadership theories. I was excited to begin this class to start to learn the leadership concepts and theories, and I have to admit that I was not disappointed.

In the first module of this course, I was asked to provide my definition of leadership. After pondering the question for a while, I decided leadership is one’s ability to envision a goal and inspire or motivate others in the achievement of that goal. I am not sure I would change my definition, but I could have elaborated more on how the leader will inspire the follower. I have learned in this course that each leadership theory defines a different way the follower can be motivated. My description of the methods a leader may use to motivate followers was generic and could have been more detailed.

This course has opened my eyes regarding leadership and the different types of leadership. Before this class, I could have told you that I have had some poor leaders and some effective leaders in the past. I would not have had the ability to give further detail as to why. There were some who were just bad and some who were very good. This class has taught me why my previous leaders fit into the category of poor and effective.

I have learned in this class that an effective leader should not just stick to one leadership theory for all situations. I have had leaders in the past who are grouped into the “bad” category because they did not alter their leadership style to the follower or situation. One of my previous leaders would always use the directive (S1) style. According to Northouse (2016), the directing style consists of communication mainly focused on goals and support is the minority focus. All followers are not the same, so this style will not work for every follower. This leader should have adjusted the style to the followers needs to be more effective.

I have also had leaders that understood that trust was an important aspect of leadership or understood that each follower is motivated differently so utilized path-goal leadership. These leaders are grouped into the good leaders. This class has helped me understand what it takes to be an effective leader.

I aspire to be a leader that uses a plethora of leadership styles to develop the best relationship with my followers. I have mentioned in many previous posts that I believe people are the most important piece of the company. Sure production, goals, and turning a profit are all important, but none of that is obtainable without the heart of the organization, the people. I will do anything I could to take care of my followers. I believe that starts with developing trust. I would want my followers to understand that they have my trust and hope that the trust would be reciprocated.

 I would also utilize path-goal theory in the sense that all followers are not motivated in the same ways. I would hope to know my followers well enough to know what motivates them. Knowing what motivate them and removing the obstacles in their way can lead to a more productive, but more importantly more satisfied employee. I would also hope to be seen as empathetic to my followers. Nothouse (2016) defines empathy as understanding and identifying with others. If I am not able to identify with others, then I have lost the battle before it begins.

Finally, I would want to make my followers feel safe.  One of my favorite TED talks I discovered in this class was by Simon Sinek. Sinek (2010) explains that making the followers feel safe is an important part of being a good leader. He gives several examples where the leader was not worried about the company’s production or numbers. The number one priority was making the follower feel safe. This concept resonated with me, and I will strive to be a leader who makes their followers feel safe.

References

Northouse, P.G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7^th ed). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

Sinek, S. (2014). Why good leaders make you feel safe [TEDGlobal]. Retrieved from: https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_why_good_leaders_make_you_feel_safe?language=en

A635.3.3.RB-50 Reasons not to change/The tribes we lead- Trey McNeil

Change is all around us every day, whether we like it or not. Change is not based on our feelings. It will happen no matter how we feel about it. Everyone knows the saying that the only thing that remains constant is change. So, why do we have the natural fear of change? Why do we make excuses not to give change a chance? We are all guilty of doing this, so how can we change our negative thought regarding change?

According to Dr. Darryl Watkins (n.d.), there are 50 reasons not to change. Some of the common reasons (excuses) heard when facing change are: we’ve been doing it this way for 25 years, Why would we change- it’s working, It is impossible, It’s not my job, I don’t like it, We’ve never done it that way before, and we’re doing all right as it is. I have heard some of these excuses on a professional and personal level, and these excuses always bring up questions in my mind.

When I hear colleagues utter the words “It’s not my job,” I internally and probably visually cringe. My thought process is that we are all employed at the organization to help the company and each other succeed. When asked to make a change or do something additional, it may not be listed in the job description, but if it is for the best of the company or a coworker, then it is your job. On the flipside, I do not agree with being overloaded and used as an employee, but that is for a different blog, so I digress.

Another comment I have heard around the office is why change- it’s working. We recently went through a computer system change at the college where I work. The system was old, slow, and antiquated. The consensus around the office is that we did not need a new system because the one we had worked just fine. I agree it worked… very slowly! To answer the department’s question as to why a change was necessary; the new system would work too, much more efficiently.  I believe my coworkers were resistant to the change because they were scared they would be less efficient at their work. The new system has been live for approximately a year, and after some growing pains, it is evident that the change was a good for the department. Brown (2011) described a driving force as putting pressure on the organization to change. The age and speed of the old computer systems were driving forces that necessitated a change.

The final excuse for not changing I will discuss is, “We’ve been doing it this way for 25 years.” My first thought when I hear this excuse is, “Wow. Think about how much has changed in the last 25 years.” Some of the things that are essential to our job, like the internet, social media, and e-mail were invented in the last 25 years. We have no need to hand deliver office messages because of the e-mail. I am sure some people were resistant to e-mail when it began to infiltrate offices, but that worked out okay. Just because it has worked for the last 25 years does not mean there is not a better option available as our previous computer system at illustrated.

As I reflected on the 50 reasons not to change, I realized that I use some of these excuses. I do not care for change, but have acknowledged that change is inevitable, so it must be accepted. One reason I commonly use is “I don’t like it.” A new red light or stop sign could be added to my route and my first thought will be “I do not like it.” I believe this is a common knee-jerk reaction. I take the time to think about the reasoning behind the traffic signal and realize that maybe there were multiple accidents, so a light was added for safety. In the grand scheme of things, my resistance to change does not compare to the people’s safety.

I have also caught myself thinking that things are impossible or can’t be done. In these situations, I remember a saying my mom used to say all of the time… “Can’t never could.” I try to get myself out of the negative thoughts as quickly as possible because nothing is impossible. What if Martin Luther King Jr. believed that equal rights were impossible? Great changes occur because people believe they can.

I believe we can overcome the thinking that creates resistance to change by opening up our minds a little more. One excuse I hear occasionally is “We’ve never done it that way before.” There was a time where the processes that are currently in place in every office were tried for the first time. There is always a beginning point, so sometimes change needs to be attempted to create a more efficient ending product.

In his TED talk, Seth Godin (2009) argued that creating tribes is the newest way to establish effective leadership. Godin (2009) discussed the stages of leadership. First, was the factories, then TV, followed by leadership. Godin (2009) disputed that the newest style of leadership is created by finding the true believers, organizing people, and starting a movement. He stated that a true leader would look at a status quo and decide to change it. His statements are based on the human need to be connected. If individuals all feel the same way about a subject and bond together, then real change can happen.

If I were to put my feelings about tribe leadership on an old-fashioned scale, they would stabilize each other. On one hand, I love the idea of tribe based leadership. Godin (2009) mentioned the changes in the ASPCA driven by one man who did not believe in the purpose of the organization. The gentleman who had the idea to donate a pair of shoes for each pair sold created a great change that touched many people’s lives. A recent example is Donald Trump. He has seemingly created a tribe using the methodology mentioned by Godin (2009).

On the other hand, I believe that tribes could create divisions between individuals. Godin (2009) said that an individual must find the true believers to create a tribe. But in searching for the true believers, will they come across non-believers and create friction while trying to create change?

One thing that I can take away from this from this exercise is to remember that change is constant an also necessary. When change is presented, I should not turn my nose up at it without considering the outcomes. Since change is always taking place, it never permanently hurt anyone, because change can always be reversed or transformed into something else.

References

Brown, D. (2011). An experiential approach to organizational development (8th ed.).  Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall

Godin, S. (2009). The tribes we lead [TEDGlobal]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/seth_godin_on_the_tribes_we_lead?language=en

Watkins, D. (n.d.). 50 reasons not to change [Prezi]. Retrieved from http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/00/change.html

A520.3.3.RB-Constraints on Creative Problem-Solving

Problem-solving has always been an issue for me. I have never considered myself a good problem solver at work or in my personal life. As a child, I would sit in front of puzzles for long periods of time before finally giving up and walking away. In high school, I would look at my complex algebra word problems and think to myself, “Nope. Never going to happen.” Before I started the leadership program, I would read my girlfriend’s work with an overwhelming feeling of never being able to “solve the problem” defined in the prompt. Some of the constraints that have been roadblocks to creative problem solving are fear of failure, panic, lack of self-confidence, the need to be perfect, and lack of imagination. To one day be a creative problem solver, I must reduce these constraints.

I believe my biggest constraint to creative problem solving is my lack of self-confidence due to fear of failure. The fear of failure has a habit of creating mental blocks that stifle my problem-solving abilities before I start. I get in my own head and convince myself that I have no answers. I have such a large fear of failure that I would rather not even try to solve the problem than do something wrong. The leadership program has been a huge boost of self-confidence when it comes to self-doubt. There are times when I will read a prompt, start to get overwhelmed, and have an inner monologue littered with self-doubt, but when I begin to use the skills I have learned thus far, I overcome the issue.

Another constraint that sometimes gets in the way of my creative problem solving is my need to be perfect. This need is also linked to my fear of failure. I am not sure why I have such a need to be perfect, but when I am not, I become hard on myself and get in my own way. This process causes me to give up on the problems and shut down. The need to be perfect is a constraint I must push through during the process of creative problem solving.

Whetten & Cameron (2016) described the following four approaches to creativity: (a) imagination, (b) improvement, (c) investment, (d) and incubation. The one approach I struggle dearly with is imagination. Imagination is the creation of new ideas and drastic approaches to problem solving. Whetten & Cameron (2016) stated that problem solvers who use imagination are experimenters, speculators, and entrepreneurs who use creativity to develop new ideas. One problem I endure in problem solving is having a one track mind. As an accountant, things are very right or wrong, yes or no. I have issues breaking away from that personality when solving problems. I have had several people tell me that I could not solve a problem because I could not alter my thought process.

Lipcamon (2013) stated that the four types of conceptual blocks are (a) constancy, (b) commitment, (c) compression, and (d) complacency. Constancy is looking at a problem in a single way and using only one way to define and solve the problem (Lipcamon, 2013). As previously mentioned, I struggle dearly with complacency. My mind is a creature of habit, so I tend to use the same style of problem-solving for every problem. Just like many things in life, not all problems can be solved in one singular manner. I need to begin to incorporate imagination into my problem-solving routine. I also suffer from the conceptual block of commitment where I am committed to one solution or point of view and will not deviate from that point of view.

In 2011, I was promoted to Accountant II of the DSC Foundation. If I have not mentioned before, I was self-confident, but the first several months went okay. Fast-forward about nine months to the first audit under my reign. I ran into a problem where two reports that the auditors requested did not match. I began looking into all of the criteria that go into the report hoping to resolve the problem. When that did not work, many constraints began to act as roadblocks in the problem-solving process. I began to panic thinking that I did not post a journal entry or maybe entered something wrong. I then went through the constancy stage of running the reports over and over thinking that would solve the problem.

I became so committed to solving the problem one way that I was not able to think outside of the box to resolve the issue. I wasted too much valuable time trying to resolve the problem. Eventually, after I had thought I had gone through every possible scenario, I went to my supervisor for help. She solved the problem in about 5 minutes. There was a prompt clicked in one report and not the other. I looked over the criteria a countless number of times, but had convinced myself that was not the issue, so I never realized the criteria was different. I think about that scenario often, and use it as a learning experience. Like my dad used to always tell me, I made a mountain out of a molehill.

I learned that I need to think outside of my reasoning to solve a problem. I wasted time and energy going around and around when the problem could have been solved much easier by just taking a step back and thinking differently. Whetten and Cameron (2016) defined vertical thinking as “defining a problem a single way and then pursuing that definition until a solution is reached” (p. 150). In this instance, I could have benefitted from getting away from vertical thinking to solve the problem.

References

Lipcamon, J. (2013, April 03). Four obstacles to creative problem solving. Retrieved from http://www.diagnosticimaging.com/blog/four-obstacles-creative-problem-solving

Whetten, D. & Cameron, K. (2016). Developing management skills (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall/Pearson

A635.2.3.RB-How companies can make better choices- Trey McNeil

Choices and decisions are elements that play a daily part of everyone’s lives. With decisions lie indecisiveness. Should I?, Should I not?, I will!, No, I will not!... Okay, I will do nothing! This indecisiveness is an example of the waffling that goes on in my head all of the time when faced with a decision.  The decision could be as simple as what movie to watch or should I go exercise. I had a world class debate in my head tonight about when to begin this blog. Individual decisions can be tough, but throw in a second person, and the decision could become much more difficult. I know I am not the only one to have trouble deciding where to eat with my significant other. Sometimes I feel like we need a strategic plan just to pick out where to go to dinner. Now, consider how difficult it can be for an organization to make decisions. I picture upper management squabbling in a board room much like husband and wife getting testy with each other about household decisions. In her 2010 Harvard Business interview, Marcia Blenko discusses the topic of how organizations can make better decisions.

Marcia Blenko implies that decisions should be used as the building blocks of the company (Better Decisions, 2010). In her interview, Blenko argued that decision effectiveness correlates positively with employee engagement and organizational performance, discussed some impediments to good decision making, and listed four elements to good decisions. Blenko summed up the importance of decision making by stating that companies will have at a higher rate of production a better financial position if better choices are made (Better Decisions, 2010).

I will further examine the statement that decision effectiveness correlates positively with engagement by examining two employees with the same job duties at different companies. Since I am sitting at my desk in the office doing this assignment, we will say that the employee’s job is to make the legs of desks. The first employee, who works at Desk Incorporated, has the workspace, tools, and authority to make the desk. Because this employee faces no boundaries, they have no slowdowns in the production of desk legs.

 On the other hand, the second employee working at Desk World does not have as easy in a time making desk legs. Desk World’s policy is for the employee first to ask management for the tools needed to build the desk legs, and then they must be told which workspace they will be using that day, and then must wait on management approval to begin working on the desks. The employee at Desk World has a much harder time doing their job, which will slow down production and eventually begin to stall organizational performance.  Brown (2011) defined motivational climate as the employee’s morale and overall attitude affecting the level of performance. Desk World may not know they are guilty of doing this, but having their employee jump through multiple hoops just to do their job creates a negative motivational climate.

Blenko touches on the fact that sometimes companies are not able to make good decisions because impediments stand in the way of the decision.  When asked about some of the things that get in the way of good decision making, Blenko stated that a major problem these days is complexity. She said that many companies operated in a matrix or cube, so it is very difficult to determine who makes decisions in today’s companies (Better Decisions, 2010). The organizational chart that was once prevalent in determining company’s decision makers is now unreliable.

Some other impediments, in my opinion, are control and conflicting agendas. After college, I took a job as an accounts receivable clerk at a law firm.  The firm had three managing partners, who were the namesake of the company, and six or seven shareholders. It was always interesting when firm decisions were to be made. The three managing partners seemed to hold control over the other shareholders, creating a stalemate in the decision. Also, there were many times where each of the ten decision makers had a different agenda as to why the decision must be one way or the other. I was never in the board room when decisions were being made, of course, but it seemed like decisions were more difficult than they had to be. In my opinion, there were too many hands in the proverbial cookie jar. Control and conflicting agendas are not part of the recipe of a good decision.  Though I believed this was a good place to work, the impediments that got in the way of the decision making began to affect the corporate culture.

Blenko suggests there are four elements to good decision making: quality, speed, yield, and effort (Better Decisions, 2010). Quality relates to the value of the decision. An organization may ask itself, “Did we make a good decision for the company?” Speed relates to how quickly the company made a decision compared to the competition. Today’s business world is fast-paced and cutthroat, so companies must make effective decisions quickly or they will be left behind. Yield revolves around the extent the decision was made according to the plan. The company would take a step back to view if the decision worked out like it was planned. The effort is the organizational cost and energy expended while making the decision. Blenko compares the effort to Goldilocks, where the amount of energy and cost should be just right (Better Decisions, 2010).

After listening to Blenko’s four elements in good decision making, I began to think if there was anything missing from her list. Are there any other factors that go into decision making? My first thought was prioritization. Companies must make sure to prioritize the decisions in order of importance. But in re-examining the elements, priority could be linked to quality. As an accountant, my next thought revolved around the budget and if the decision will have an effect on costs, which ties into the effort. I had several “aha” moments where I thought I discovered another important element, but they all linked back to one of Blenko’s original elements.

There are several things that I learned from this exercise. First, my company does not make decisions based on an organizational chart. In my department, it would be easy to say that the VP of Finance is on the top of the organizational chart, so the decision lies with her. The Controller, Budget Director, Assistant Controller, or Director of cash management would be part of the decision based on the subject, so department decisions do not lie solely in the hands of the VP. On a larger level, it seems like the college president would have the final say in the crucial college decisions, but he has an executive staff that could have differing agendas, and ultimately answers to a Board of Directors.

I also learned that I need to begin to factor the four elements of quality, speed, yield, and effort into my daily decisions. I have a habit of only factoring in quality when it comes to my decision making. I often ask myself, “Did I make the correct decision?” I used quality and only quality to determine if I made a good decision. I believed I made the correct decision, so it was an effective decision. I need to incorporate the other three elements into determining if my decision is effective.

References

Brown, D. R. (2011). An Experimental Approach to Organization Development (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

How Companies Can Make Better Decisions, Faster - YouTube. (2010) Retrieved September 6, 2014, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbxpg6D4Hk8&feature=player_embedded

A520.2.3.RB-10 minutes a day- Trey McNeil

This week I had the opportunity to watch a 2012 TED speech by Andy Puddicombe. In this video Puddicombe (2012) discussed the benefit of spending just 10 minutes a day to slow down and think about the present while doing nothing. He described how just 10 minutes a day of self-reflection could reduce stress. He stated that thinking about your issues while doing nothing will help you see the problems in a different and less stressful manner. I decided to practice his techniques for three days to see what type of effect they would have on me.

When I read this prompt, I had two immediate thoughts about the subject. My first thought was I bet sitting for 10 minutes a day with my thoughts will do nothing for me. I imagined it would just be a waste of a valuable piece of my day. My mind races all of the time about everything. It is common for me to get no sleep because my mind will not slow down long enough for me to stop stressing about whatever it is I am thinking about at the time. Puddicombe (2012) discussed how we have the tendency to stress ourselves out about something in the future which causes us to worry about the future worry. That concept reminds me of a magician pulling out the never-ending handkerchief. Anxiety becomes nonstop and is hard to control, and I am a usual participant in the magician’s stress act.

My second initial opinion of the prompt was that if it did work, then it came at a great time in my life. I decided to take the max load of three graduate classes during the most challenging time of the year at work. I was also rear-ended over the weekend, so my mind has been a non-stop ball of stress lately.  Since I signed up for the third class, I have often caught myself thinking about my decision and feeling regret and worry. I know in the long run that this is the best thing for me, but my brain and my level of stress have not agreed on that subject. The last week has been very stressful, but as the video discussed, there are easy ways to help diminish the stress. Puddicombe (2012) mentioned that individuals stress and dread approximately 47% of their lives, which seems very depressing.  I thought to myself, “I bet I stress at least 60% of the time, so trying this exercise cannot make it worse.”

When I sat down to “do nothing” on the first day, I did not have an open mind about the techniques. I told myself that doing this exercise would only make me focus and stress on a single problem more directly. The mind frame I took into the exercise skewed the results as I did begin to stress more about a single issue. My mind wandered to my impending schoolwork and deadlines in a non-peaceful manner.  One positive aspect of this exercise was the controlled breathing. In a 2016 article entitled Here’s how you can meditate anytime, anywhere, Madeline Diamond discussed Tibetan Buddhist Master Mingyure Rinpoche’s thoughts on meditation. Rinpoche described how the most important thing to meditation was awareness of your breath.  Whetten and Cameron (2016) also mentioned deep breathing as a temporary stress reducer.  Armed with the information about how to control breathing and an open mind, I decided that Putticombe’s techniques deserved another chance.

The second attempt of being in the present was much more peaceful. I was able to be aware of my breathing while spending ten minutes doing nothing. My mind still wandered to my schoolwork, but in a much more peaceful and less stressful manner. Putticombe (2012) mentioned that there might be something on you are thinking about that seems to rotate continually around your head. Schoolwork was that issue, but instead of stressing out about it, I was able to see it in a different light. There was almost a calming feeling about the upcoming assignments like my mind was telling me everything will be okay. By my third ten minute exercise, I felt extremely calm and peaceful throughout the entire exercise. To be honest, it was rather enjoyable.

This exercise was very eye-opening to me. I have to admit I have egg on my face regarding the exercise. I never thought it would work for me, and I was wrong. I learned that ten minutes a day doing nothing but staying in the present could reduce stress. I have noticed over the last couple of days that I am utilizing Putticombe’s techniques. Just the other day, I began to get overwhelmed at work and took about a minute to take a couple of deep breaths to focus on the issue. I plan on trying to use this technique daily to help reduce the stress of my busy schedule. I believe slowing down for ten minutes is worth feeling peace and calm after the completion of the exercise.

This exercise taught me that remaining in the present is an excellent way to reduce stress.  The ten minutes of doing nothing allows the mind to view all of the stressors in a different light.  I found my mind was able to slow down and reexamine all of the things that were worrying me so that I could get a better idea of how to handle them. This exercise was almost the act of rewriting my anxiety. I enjoyed the opportunity of learning to better myself through ten minutes of doing nothing.

References

Diamond, M. (2016).Here’s how you can meditate anytime, anywhere, Huffington Post, Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/a-tibetan-buddhist-masters-simple-guide-to-meditation_us_57850a79e4b07c356cfe8158

Putticombe, A. (2012). All it takes in 10 mindful minutes [TEDGlobal]. Retrieved from: https://www.ted.com/talks/andy_puddicombe_all_it_takes_is_10_mindful_minutes?language=en

Whetten, D. & Cameron, K. (2016). Developing management skills (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall/Pearson

A511.7.3.RB- Inner works for authentic leadership- Trey McNeil

On April 11, 2015, my girlfriend and I were heading home from running errands. It was just a regular Saturday afternoon, but a real world experience was soon to happen that would change my views on many things. My girlfriend was driving my car when all of the sudden we were hit on the passenger side door and thrown into the ditch. She noticed we were going to get hit, so she was able to start to move toward the ditch to lessen the impact, which in all honesty probably saved me from serious injury. Once we got our bearings together, we began to get out of the car to see what happened with the other driver. When we stepped out of the car, we noticed something peculiar; there was no other car. The other driver left the scene of the accident and was later caught by the police. The accident was traumatic, but I learned more from the aftermath of the crash.

When the gentleman finally pulled over after leading the police on a short chase, his blood alcohol level was over two times the legal limit. His charges included two counts of driving under the influence (because he ran from both the Sherriff’s department and state police), leaving the scene of an accident involving injury because the airbag burned my arm, and resisting arrest. Case closed, right? Bad guy ran from police and got caught resulting in punishment, right? One of the many lessons I learned from this incident is that not everyone has to answer for their consequences. In the end, the driver spent one night in jail and had to take a drug and alcohol class.

In his interview, George (Soundnet, 2012) says that an individual has to process real-world experiences through reflection. In the following seven months, I had plenty of time for reflection. After we had discussed the event in the initial police report, we got calls from the victim’s advocate, my insurance company, my girlfriend’s insurance company, his insurance company, and the state attorney. We had ample opportunity to reflect and relive the incident.

 Before the dismissal of the case, I often reflected about decisions. I pondered how the poor decisions affected the outcome. This man did not have to make the decision to drive, and he did not have to run once he wrecked his car into mine. I have always been a cautious and calculated person, but since the wreck, I look at everything on a deeper level. At work, I try to think things through to limit the mistakes made.

One aspect I contemplate about often since the wreck is accountability. This gentleman never showed up to any of the depositions we attended. He never contacted us to apologize. On the night it happened, I asked the officer who eventually caught him if he ever asked if we were okay, which was no by the way. We were very adamant with the state attorney that we would like a letter of apology since the gentleman showed no remorse. After he had spoken with the defense attorney, he said that if we dropped the charges, we each would receive a letter of apology. Somehow, the gentleman got his lawyer to get that waived too. He took no accountability for any of the actions he made.

Since I started the MSLD program, I have thought about this often from a leader’s standpoint. In a company, this type of behavior would not simply be swept under the rug. An act of negligence and lack of consciousness can lead to the demise of not only a leader but the entire organization. Unethical behavior can be cancer to an organization. The actions of Bernie Madoff and the Enron scandal are a perfect example. I know that mistakes are going to happen because nobody is perfect. My leadership concept has changed in that once a mistake is made accountability must exist. Most of the time a mistake that is not dealt with or accounted for will cause more problems.

Another part of the wreck that bothered me was my lack of control. Northouse (2016) referred to a follower’s desire or locus of control. A couple of weeks ago I took Rotter’s locus of control test to determine that I had an internal locus of control. The lack of control that I had following the wreck was hard on me. I always had the mind-frame that I can control what happens in my life, but I could do nothing in this situation. We tried everything, but it was evident he was going to beat the charges.

George (soundnet, 2012) also stated that the inner work process involves seeking honest feedback from others. My girlfriend and I had many honest conversations regarding our opinions of the accident. We discussed how we see drivers differently now. We discussed how angry we are when we see a person texting while driving, or cutting around cars on the interstate like they were practicing for the Daytona 500. We discussed how unfair it was that we had to relive the wreck to multiple insurance companies and lawyers because we happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The thing we discussed the most was how lucky we were that she slowed down and partially got out of his way in time. There were multiple soul-searching conversations regarding what we learned from the incident.

When we realized that this guy was going to get off, we sought the opinions of our parents regarding filing a lawsuit. Several lawyers contacted us promising they could win our case. We decided to take our lessons and let it go.

The most important lesson I took from the accident was the lack of injustice in the world. As a child, I learned that good things happen to good people, but that is not always the case. I realized that as much as I want the world to be fair and just, it will never be. I recently saw a picture on the internet showing a lion. The caption read: if you expect the world to be fair with you because you are fair, you’re fooling yourself. That’s like expecting the lion not to eat you because you decided not to eat him.

This picture led me to strike a balance between the unjust cut-throat world as it is and the world I want it to be. What can I do as a leader to make a positive change?

References

[More than soundnet]. (November 1, 2012). Harvard's Bill George: Inner Work for Authentic Leadership. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmPu2LQ84ts

 Northouse, P.G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7^th ed). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

A635.1.3.RB.21st Century Enlightenment- Trey McNeil

This week I had the pleasure of viewing a YouTube video entitled 21^st Century Enlightenment. In this video, Mathew Taylor discussed how the world is not the same as it was in the 18^th century, so we need to begin to see the world in a different way.  I believe the name was chosen because, change is inevitable, so as the world changes we as humans need to alter the ways we seek enlightenment.

In his presentation Taylor (n.d.) said “To live differently, you must think differently” (n.p.) If we alter our thought process, in turn, we could alter our actions. Individuals cannot expect to be a creator of change if the actions they are taking now are not resulting in change. I am reminded of the coyote trying to trap the Roadrunner or Tom trying to catch Jerry by repeating the same actions… it will never create success. Albert Einstein defined insanity as repeating the same action over and over while expecting differing results. I am not suggesting that Taylor was going in that direction, but since thoughts lead to action, he made an excellent point.

Taylor (n.d) believed that most of our behaviors or social interactions revolve around the action of automatically responding to the world around us. The first class of the leadership program focused on critical thinking. If individuals could take the time to think through their actions before reflexively acting, then maybe we could begin to change our thought process, which could lead to a different and more empathetic world.

During his presentation, Taylor (n.d.) stated individuals needed "to resist our tendencies to make right or true that which is merely familiar and wrong or false that which is only strange" (n.p.). In this statement Taylor is saying just because you do something one way does not make it correct, and just because someone does something differently than you, it is not incorrect. He is implying that we as humans need to be more open-minded and accepting about the unfamiliar. I am reminded one of a conversation I once had with a supervisor. I wanted to alter a spreadsheet that was no longer current. I presented my changes to her, and she said, “But that is not how we have always done it.” She was transfixed on the familiar way things were handled, so in her mind, the spreadsheet was correct and did not need to be changed. My changes were unfamiliar, so they were incorrect. Open-mindedness to see that both sides could be correct would have been useful in this example.

Another example of believing that the familiar is right and the unfamiliar is automatically wrong or strange lies in politics. I understand we all see one side of the coin, but what makes that side unmistakably correct?  It seems, especially in this election, that because I am a Democrat or Republican, I am inevitably incorrect in my views to the other party. If we as humans can begin to separate the “you” versus “us” of politics and start to see things as “we,” then we can begin to develop empathy for one another and positive change is no longer just a dream. Taylor developed an argument that empathy is as important as education in the 21^st century, and if we can eliminate the thought that different views are wrong, then we could begin to work together to make the world a nicer place.

Taylor argued that our society should eschew elements of pop culture that degrade people and that we should spend more time looking into what develops empathetic citizens. I would love to believe this is a possibility as it is the reality in which I would love to reside. Unfortunately, our society has become one of greed and the need to be the best. The thought process of always having to be the best has led to the act of degrading others. It is a sad world to see because I have always believed that everyone should be treated with respect. I live by the motto my mom told me repeatedly as a child, “Treat others the way you would want them to treat you.”

Acts of kindness and showing manners are declining traditions, and our current pop culture plays a major role. The music industry now contains videos and song lyrics where it is the norm to degrade and objectify women. I don’t see a world resulting in kids growing up to open doors for women when they are predisposed at a young age to disrespect women. At the risk of sounding like my grandfather, they do not make music like they used to.  He was never exposed to music where women were talked down to and called names, which is why the older generation treated each other with respect and practiced empathy. If the world could grow to see that we are all the same no matter what gender, race, or religion, then maybe we can begin to search for what develops empathy. Unfortunately, I do not believe it is possible in my lifetime.

 At the end of the video, Matthew Taylor talked about atomizing people from collaborative environments and the destructive effect on their growth. In this comment, Taylor is referring to the collaborative actions of humans. I have mentioned several times that one individual cannot achieve the full impact of enlightenment. This journey will take everyone putting aside their differences and working together. This concept is reminiscent of a colony of ants. One ant will not be able to make a change, but the colony working together will have a much greater effect.  In an organization no individual is self-efficient, so it will take a collaborative effort to make a change.  As Bill Withers (1972) said, “Just call on me brother when you need a friend. We all need somebody to lean on” (n.p.).

I enjoyed Matthew Taylor’s presentation and it taught me several things. First, it taught me that empathy is an important factor in today’s society and that we should all try to be empathetic toward one another. I do not make it a habit of being intentionally rude to anyone, but my actions could lack empathy without intent. I must be cognizant of my actions to make sure I am always empathetic to other individuals.

The video also taught me that we all have the control of our thoughts, and changing the way we think could change the way we live. It is difficult for one person to change the world, but a small group can have power. Taylor (n.d.) stated, “Never doubt that a small group of citizens can change the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has” (n.p.).

References

Taylor, M. (n.d.). RSA Animate - 21st Century Enlightenment - YouTube. YouTube. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC7ANGMy0yo&feature=youtu.be

Withers, B. (1972). Lean on me [Recorded by Bill Withers]. On Still Bill. Los Angeles, CA: Sussex Records

A520.1.3.RB-Self-Awareness Blog- Trey McNeil

One of the reasons I chose the MSLD program at Embry-Riddle was because of the effects it had on my girlfriend. She is a recent graduate of the program, and I was able to witness her transformation first-hand. I saw her progress as a leader, follower, and person in general. The conversations at dinner about the leadership concepts and theories she was studying that particular week would always draw my interest. Also, I have had some leaders in the past that failed to be effective causing me to wonder what they were doing wrong. What could I do more effectively if I was a leader?  When I began the program a little over three months ago, I hoped the program would change me, and it already has is several ways.

The program is showing me the value in myself which I may have never discovered. Whetten & Cameron stated, “What we value, how we feel about ourselves, how we behave toward others, what we want to achieve, and what we are attracted to are all strongly influenced by our emotional intelligence, cognitive style, orientation towards change, and core self-evaluation” (p. 48).  I do not believe my values have been altered by the program, as I have had unwavering values for as long as I can recall.

I also do not believe my cognitive style has changed since beginning the program. According to Whetton & Cameron (2016), the three types of cognitive change are the knowing style, planning style, and creating style. I have always had the trait of preparedness, so the planning style resonates with me. As an accountant, I also rely on the knowing style which emphasizes facts and data. During the program, I hope to grow into the creating style. I have noticed a transformation in the areas of emotional intelligence, attitudes toward change, and core self-evaluation. 

Whetten and Cameron (2016) defined emotional intelligence as “the ability to diagnose, understand, and manage emotional cues” (p. 49). Before entering the program, I had the tendency not to pick up on others emotional cues and failed to regulate and control my emotions. As embarrassing as it is to admit, I was the person who would let me emotions get the best of me while watching a football game. I would get frustrated and yell at the TV about how I felt regarding a play call, interception, or missed tackle (as if Drew Brees or Sean Payton could hear me, or even cared).

Whetten & Cameron said that with practice, emotional intelligence could be enhanced.  Over the last couple of months, I feel that I have enhanced my emotional intelligence and am no longer as emotionally awkward as I once was. I have begun to respond correctly to the emotions of others, though I still need to practice to transform my emotional intelligence completely.

I have always had a difficult time with change. I struggle with changes as small as one of my TV shows getting canceled, a process changing at work, or a new stop light added to my work route.  Stability has always been my friend because the alternative can be uncomfortable. Tolerance of ambiguity refers to “the extent to which individuals are threatened by or have difficulty coping with situations that are ambiguous, where change occurs rapidly or unpredictability, where information is inadequate or unclear, or where complexity exists” (Whetten & Cameron, 2008, p. 62). In a business world, change can occur quickly, and information can lack clarity. Through this program, I have learned to be effective as a leader; I must be more adaptive to change… I must become more comfortable with instability.

I believe my most prominent change has occurred in the area of core self-evaluation. One negative characteristic I have always had looming over me is self-doubt. I have never believed that I was good enough for anything, and believed a failure was inevitable.  Whetten and Cameron (2008) listed self -esteem as one of the four components making up positive self-regard (the degree that people value themselves or feel capable as individuals). When I began college at Mississippi State, I believed I was going to fail. That self-doubt followed me to Florida as I believed for about the first year that my firing was certain.

Recently, my self-doubt nearly caused me not to begin the pursuit of my Masters. Though I was looking forward to the positive changes the program could have on me, I was also terrified. As I watched my girlfriend compose deep discussions and amazing blogs, I thought to myself that I would never succeed in the program.  Over the last three classes, the program has taught me that I can succeed and has begun to remove the cloud of self-doubt that has followed me for years.

Whetten & Cameron (2008) mentioned that when individuals see themselves in a positive way, they seem to perform more effectively in any given situation. In my recent performance review, my manager commented that she had witnessed an increased confidence in my behaviors. I was awarded the elusive superior rating in several areas of my evaluation, where one superior was a big deal in past evaluations.  I still have areas of self-doubt, but the program has helped me comprehend that I am worth more than I previously realized and helped me inch closer to the person I want to be.

Reference

Whetten, D.  & Cameron, K. (2016). Developing management skills (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall/Pearson

A511.6.3.RB-A leader from the past-Trey McNeil

Not long after I moved from Mississippi to Florida, I began working as an accountant at Daytona State College. In Mississippi, my only other professional job was an accounts receivable clerk, so I was not very confident in my abilities to perform at my new position. In fact, my degree was in banking and finance, and I realized the first day that the debits and credits were backward. I had a lot of learning to do and had a low morale and lack of confidence in my ability to adapt. Nosich (2016) describes transformational leadership as an individual creating a connection with another individual resulting in an increase in morale and motivation in both the leader and follower. I was fortunate enough to follow a leader who practiced transformational leadership and elevated my confidence.

The one thing I have learned during this leadership program is that the managers or supervisors are not always the real leaders. The leader I am referring to was not my director, but a coworker who took it upon himself to train me and show me the ropes. Bass (1999) referred to the four components of transformational leadership as idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration. My coworker was able to utilize all four components to motivate me in the learning process.

Northouse (2016) described idealized influence or charisma as being a strong role model who followers wish to imitate. Looking back and applying what I have learned about transformational leadership, I see now that I did want to emulate my coworker. He was only a couple of years older than me, he understood the system well and knew the accounting rules and regulations, he seemed well-liked by everyone, he seemed to be ethical and was a very nice person. One of the first things he told me when teaching me to use the accounting system was that I cannot make a mistake that is not able to be fixed, so do not be worried about doing something wrong. His words resonated with me and began to build trust.

Inspirational motivation is the ability to communicate expectations to followers while motivating and inspiring them to commit to the organizational or departmental vision (Northouse, 2016). My coworker was great at leading through inspirational motivation. Though my main job function was to enter deposits and balance bank accounts, he made me feel like a key component of the department. He used to tell me that without the deposits entered and the bank accounts balanced, he would not be able to run the reports used to develop the financial presentation to the board or the audit reports. He was able to incorporate my job function into the bigger picture of the college and that made me more motivated to work harder.

Intellectual stimulation was another element that my coworker was able to exhibit while training me. According to Norhtouse (2016), intellectual stimulation is allowing followers the freedom to be creative or innovative in their job performance. Some of the spreadsheets that were being used by the department were a bit outdated and bulky, so he allowed me to alter them. He told me that just because the format of the spreadsheet worked for him doesn’t mean that there is not a better format that will be more beneficial to both of us. This action was another component to the trust we built. I felt like he trusted me in the fact that he allowed me to make decisions to remove obstacles while trying to be a more productive employee.

Individualized consideration is the final component of transformational leadership. Northouse (2016) described individualized consideration as providing support while listening to the needs of your individual followers. My coworker took the time to understand me individually. He knew that I was filled with self-doubt and would make sure to compliment my work. He understood that letting me know I did things correctly would help me feel more confident about the work. He also knew that I tend to ask several questions when given a new or unfamiliar task. He always made time to answer all of my questions and concerns.

Having this individual as a coworker, teacher, mentor, friend and most importantly leader taught me a lot about myself. I still have issues with self-confidence but working with him and moving forward using the lessons he taught me lessened my concern of self-confidence. He once told me that I was smart and a great accountant and that the only person that did not see that was me. I always try to remember that statement when I feel self-doubt start to creep in.  Another important factor he taught me was the standards of acting in a moral and ethical way. I have always had a need to do the right thing, so it was soothing to work with another individual who believed in ethics as much as I did. I have had leaders in the past that did not feel the need to be ethical, and it was very non-motivating.

Transformational leadership can be a very powerful and motivating leadership tool. I was fortunate to work with a transformational leader who helped form my work ethic while boosting my confidence. This coworker moved (ironically to Mississippi) a couple of years ago, but we still talk occasionally, and I usually try to have lunch with him when I am home. As I pondered our department’s current leadership styles, I do not believe anyone is a transformational leader. We have some great leaders utilizing many different styles, but transformational leadership is not as prevalent.

References   

                 

Bass, B. (1999), Two decades of research and development in transformational leadership. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 8 (1), 9-32. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/135943299398410

Northouse, P.G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7^th ed). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage