Assignment 1: Sector Reflection

By Courtney L. Teague EDD-9100S-OL4-34228 Educational Leadership Simulation

Nova Southeastern University February 17, 2013

2 Communication process between sector members Strengths and weaknesses The economic sector was able to respond very quickly to approve the method of communication. The sector members were able to communicate their opinions with respect of others. My sector was able to resolve conflict early through differentiation. Differentiation includes defining the nature of the conflict and simplifying their positions with respect for one another (Northhouse, 2012). Nothing happens until people talk and one must never assume that anyone knows anything (Finzel, 2000). Our communication process included using BlackBoards discussion board, email, and Elluminate. We did not want our teammates to be uninformed, therefore, we communicated in public forums and provided recaps in meeting minutes. After reading my requests to meet for my sector and city council, I realized that I did not ask fellow city council members to meet in the same tone as I did my sector members. I was a bit rude to the city council members. My meeting invitation was a result of frustration. I was frustrated that my fellow city council members did not respond soon enough to the discussion post or email. My invitation to meet was a demand. I also noticed that I disguised my opinions as questions and when my sector members asked questions, I took offense that they did not trust my judgment. As Clawson (2012), suggested, opinions should not be disguised as questions because the leadership language construction would create a defensiveness and shifts the focus from the speaker to the listener. One of the teammates indicated that she would not be able to attend the meetings prior and we made sure that we explained expectations clearly. Another teammate was a poor communicator, there were often times that we thought the teammate

3 was no longer enrolled in the course or either was ill because of his untimely response and lack of engagement. Opportunities and threats After assessing the weaknesses of communication methods with my sector members, it provided opportunities to use other communication tools and to take advantage of other technological advances besides using Elluminate. The obligations of personal life served as a threat to our sector. Sector members had prior obligations in which they committed to prior to the class session. One of the sector members did not have access to the Elluminate session and was unable to attend. However, she called in and I placed her on speaker phone so she could participate in the meeting. Strategic planning and objectives Strengths and weaknesses Our sector consisted of leaders who possessed a managerial characteristic. Fellow sector members were able to think and consider ideas to create effective strategies for our sector . As Northhouse (2012) suggested, leaders must be able to develop careful plans of actions based on the known information to achieve the goal, which was accordance to our mission and vision of our sector. Naivety and uncertainty were weaknesses in our sectors strategic planning. Since this was the first period, we were unaware of what to expect, therefore I think developed careful plans without taking bigger risks. However, this weakness is in turn an opportunity for the next period.

4 Opportunities and threats The opportunities presented in period 1, included the opportunity to learn and absorb new information and apply it towards new goals. After learning about the process of strategic planning, I was able to implement in my personal life and apply the process to my career goals. The threat that our sector faced was the lack of input from one of the sector members, honestly I do not think he understood the importance of providing his input. However, the sector determined that our mission has to be implemented and we continued to make plans to accomplish the mission. Sectors mission and vision development Strengths and weaknesses A majority of my sectors members were able to participate and identify the mission and vision. Each of my sector members understood that values would influence every aspect of our lives and used values to set the parameters for the decisions to be made in which the values constituted the bottom line for the economic development sector (Kouzes & Posner, 2002, p.48). The development of vision/mission statement should not be done in a vacuum (Kouzes & Posner, 2002). Our sector found a common ground by simply answering the question, What do you want the sector to accomplish? Our sector collectively developed mission/vision statements and revised them to reflect our common beliefs. There was a weaknesses in developing our sectors mission and vision statement. Our sector did not include a timeline to complete our mission. When developing a plan,

5 the goal and timeline should be kept in mind. A plan should be driven by a timeline to keep the sector on task (Searcy, 2003). Opportunities and threats After creating the mission and vision statement for our sector, I saw it as an opportunity to revise my personal and business mission and vision statements. The threat that our sector faced is that everyone has personal missions and visions however, they did not voice it during this period. It placed the question of if the sector members were comfortable with our sector to voice their thoughts. Leadership styles Strengths and weaknesses Our sector demonstrated team leadership. The economic sector worked in a team environment. Team is defined as a number of persons selected to complete a set of operations. Not one person on our team had the corner on truth (Finzel, 2000). It appeared that a majority of our team was willing to participate and provide their input. Each of the sector members recognized the importance of being a lifelong learner. Learning is related to acknowledging that one has more to learn and what one knows is not enough (Clawson, 2012). The weakness our sector faced was the inability to relate to one of our team members and assess his leadership style. Opportunity and threat The opportunity that team leadership has presented has allowed us the opportunity to exercise our collaborative leadership skills in a virtual controlled environment. The threat that impacted our leadership style is that everyone wanted to be a leader and

6 provide input. I was afraid that too many leaders would have created a leadership conundrum. To balance the threat, our team provided rationales for our reasons. Culture of the sector Strengths and weaknesses Culture is a collective group of people who share values, beliefs, assumption, and expectations about the way the world is or should be (Clawson, 2012). Honestly when I thought about collaborating with other doctoral students from various concentrations, I was a bit hesitant because I have become accustomed to working with fellow instructional technology and distance education students. I was served a double dose of stress because I had to work with fellow sector members as well as city council members. I was faced with challenges within the City Council. Each member of the City Council came as a representative of his/her sector. Each member had the agenda of his/her sector and was determined to have his/her voice heard. Opportunity and threat Collaborating with my peers allowed me to see that culture means different things to different people. Cultures was traditionally defined values, customs, and artifacts of a people (Finzel, 2000). Groups have distinct cultures and possess individual artifacts, customs, defined values. The threat imposed is that in the future sector members may not share the same culture, thus hindering the flow.

7 Future meetings Strength and weakness Our sector has agreed that we would keep future meeting dates and be prepared. One of our team members will not be able to attend our Saturday meetings due to prior obligations. Opportunities and threats Our future meetings will include voice and text because it gives clarity to the tasks to achieve. If sector members are unable to attend the meeting they can access the recorded conversation which also demonstrates the transparency in our group. The threat that our sector may face is the failure of technology. We have no other plan in place. Group Cooperation Strengths and weaknesses Our sector cooperated. Our sector members demonstrated an understanding of the mantra of exemplary leaders, You cant do it alone (Kouzes & Posner, 2002). As a result, we assigned roles and responsibilities at the beginning of the period. One of the biggest weaknesses of our group was at times we felt unsure about our decisions and we questioned our rationale for what we accomplished. We allowed our uncertainty to get the best of us! Opportunities and threat The opportunity to mature and grow as a leader is an added benefit of working together. One single threat that can impact the group is the fear of taking a risk.

References

Clawson, J. G. (2006). Level Three Leadership: Getting Below the Surface 3rd Ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall. Finzel, H. (2000). The top ten mistakes leaders make. Colorado Springs, CO: Zondervan Publishing House. Kouzes, J. & Posner, B. (2002). Leadership the challenge. (3rd edition) San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Northouse, P. G. (2012). Introduction to Leadership: Concepts and Practice. Thousand Oaks: Sage. Searcy, K. (2003). Write the vision developing a life plan. Montgomery, AL: KCS Ministries