AHE 576: Assignment 1.

2 – Analysis Carey Schroyer

INTRODUCTION:

Leadership is defined in a variety of different ways. Commonly identified characteristics, skills, and
abilities are inherently woven throughout the different definitions but there is no universally accepted
definition of effective leadership. Various theories define and explain different leadership styles so
understanding your strengths and weaknesses is important when developing and defining your
personal leadership style and philosophy. The results of the assessments confirmed several existing
strengths but they also identified several weaknesses that were new to me. I found it somewhat
discouraging when I ranked in the 3rd or 4th quartile. However, after some reflection and analysis I
realized the results were just data points and they provided an opportunity for analysis and growth
that is reflected in this discussion.

ASSESSMENT RESULTS:

As Colin Powell noted "Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their
problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help
or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership." Undeniably, leadership requires
solving problem that are often complex and/or ambiguous. As Whetten and Cameron noted,
embracing ambiguity in these circumstances is not always comfortable but it frees leaders to pursue a
spectrum of new possibilities that are not constrained by old thought processes or ways of doing
things. I knew lack of information and uncertainty made me uncomfortable but I didn’t realize the
inability to tolerate ambiguity caused people to see change as a threat rather than an opportunity.
The assessment results indicated I needed to work on all three aspects of ambiguity including novelty,
complexity, and insolubility. Accepting uncertainty, learning to tolerate more complexity, and
increased flexibility it will be a primary focus in my leadership professional development plan.

As Steve Jobs said "Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower." Creativity is essential
for innovation and the cognitive style test helped me better understand why. Whetton and Cameron
described cognitive style as the inclination each of us has to perceive, interpret, and respond to
information in a certain way based on two key dimensions. The results of this test indicated I prefer a
planning cognitive style and I was very weak in the creative cognitive style. I display many of the
characteristics associated with low cognitive creativity. For example, I like rules and procedures, I am
not emotional, and (as noted above) I am not comfortable with ambiguity. DeGraff’s break down of the
four types of creativity and their relationship to one another provided a better framework for
understanding how to improve creativity. Recognizing the different dimensions of creativity
particularly the difference between imagination and improvement was helpful in that it reinforced the
idea that no single approach is best. In addition, identifying and understanding how conceptual blocks
inhibit people from registering some kinds of information and solving certain types of problems was
eye opening. As a biologist I understand the physiological need and mechanisms needed to block or
filter information so we can cope and/or respond makes sense but I hadn’t thought of how this could
limit creative thinking and problem solving. All of the information gleaned from this chapter will help
provide a solid framework for improving my cognitive creativity and will be incorporated into my
leadership professional development plan.

As Henry Ford said “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is
success”. Many studies show effective teamwork has been found to dramatically affect organizational
performance. Additional studies note effective leadership requires the ability to create, manage, and
sustain teams. Understanding the importance of the four main stages of team development as outlined
AHE 576: Assignment 1.2 – Analysis Carey Schroyer

by Whetten and Cameron and how managers can respond to help the team effectively transcend each
stage of development is critical. According to Whetton and Cameron there are two critical factors that
characterize effective team leadership. The first is developing credibility and influence among team
members and the second is establishing a motivating vision and goals for the team. Table 9.4
describes seven simple and effective behaviors for building and maintaining credibility and influence
among team members. This section is a nice reminder that building credibility provide the foundation
needed to effectively lead teams. Using SMART goals and Everest goals and when to use them is also
important and this will be an area of focus in my leadership professional development plan.

As Jack Welch said "Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the
vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion." According to Whetton and Cameron creating a vision
and/or mission statement is not enough. An effective vision statement must be based on a vision of
abundance that includes both right and left brain analysis as illustrated by Churchill’s “Never Give In”
speech or Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. I found the specific behaviors identified in
Table 10.3 helpful and will use them when developing my high impact vision of abundance intended to
mobilize the energy and human potential of individuals who are to implement and be affected by it.
Finally, I will work on developing the skills and leadership needed to ensure sustainability and
irreversible momentum in my leadership development plan.

LEADERSHIP THEORIES:

Throughout this course we reviewed and discussed many theories, skills, qualities, and characteristics
associated with leadership. The following leadership theories have helped me further develop my own
definition and theory of effective leadership as outlined. Both the Great Man Theory and the Trait
Theory of leadership focus on who leaders are, they subscribe to the idea that leaders are either born
with or are made with certain qualities that will make them excel in leadership roles. Although studies
have identified specific qualities and characteristics of effective leaders these theories did not really
appeal to me. I subscribe to a growth mindset and these theories do not. In addition the trait theory of
leadership identified an overwhelming number of traits but did not provide explanations as to the
relationship between each characteristic and it’s impact on leadership. Futhermore, neither of these
theories considers the context of leadership.

The Transactional Theory of Leadership was interesting but also less appealing to me because it
embraced the idea that workers are not self-motivated but instead motivated by a reward-penalty
system. I do appreciate the structural and instructional components of the theory and the focus on
results and organizational structure but I think the potential limitations of this theory are problematic.
It seems this theory could easily promote the status quo and limit creativity and risk taking.

The following theories were more aligned with my leadership ideas. The Style Theory of leadership
emphasized the idea that effective leadership behaviors can be learned and this appeals to me as a
leader. The focus on balancing task behaviors (results oriented outcomes) and relationship behaviors
(concern for people) was interesting in that it focuses on the leader’s behavior, not just who the leader
is. I also embraced many aspects of the Situational Leadership and Contigency Leadership theories. I
liked the Situational Theory because it acknowledged the importance of the situation and suggested
the most effective and successful leaders are able to adapt their style and approach to meet specific
circumstances. The Contigency Theory embraced many aspects of the Situational theory but also
considered other situational factors such as how well defined the task is, the personality and authority
of the leader, and the composition and relationship of the group that is being led. All of these
considerations have been important in the leadership positions I have held. Although I agreed with
many of the foundational aspects of these leadership theories I still found myself unable to fully
AHE 576: Assignment 1.2 – Analysis Carey Schroyer

embrace a single theory. I think the flexibility of these theories can be problematic. The desire to
accommodate every situation could result in the perception that the manager is inconsistent,
unprincipled, and unpredictable to employees. I also think these theories put an extraordinary
amount of pressure on the manager/leader to analyze and assess every situation before making a
decision.

The transformational leadership approach seeks to motivate and inspire workers by selling and
uniting people around a common goal and vision. Transformation leaders like Steve Jobs changed the
world. He thought big and he didn’t give up, even when he was fired from his own company. I love the
idea of influencing rather than directing but this leadership concept is extremely intimidating to me.

CONCLUSION AND LEADERSHIP PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN:

When analyzing the different theories and discussing the concepts in class or online it became even
important to understand your own values, morals, and principles because leadership requires problem
solving and many problems are not black and white. My current definition and theory of leadership is
a combination of many of the theories we read and discussed in class. Ultimately, leaders must be able
to explain and defend their actions. It is much easier to do if you have clearly identified values, morals,
and principles that guide decisions. I believe effective leadership is both an art and a science that
requires continuous awareness and work. It requires understanding the interplay and utilizing the
skills, attitude, knowledge, and leadership style that works best for the leader, the employees, and the
organization to empower those in the organization to do great things.

My leadership professional develop is based on the areas of weakness identified in the various
assessments as outlined above and the need to establish a better work-life balance. I have consistently
prioritized work and school over relationships and this needs to change. I cannot continue at the pace
I am going and need to serious focus on self-care and sustainability. Acknowledging this has been
difficult but I have taken a big first step. It was hard but I declined an offer to teach Saturday classes
this summer in order to prioritize my health and the relationships that are important to me. I am
committed to becoming a better leader and it will start with fully defining my leadership philosophy so
I can clearly articulate a vision based on abundance. As mentioned, I have created a leadership
professional development focused on development the skills needed to think and manage creatively;
embrace ambiguity; and create, manage, and sustain effective teams. I have decided to establish a
“board of directors” to help me be accountable to these goals. I will meet with my BOD every two
weeks during the summer for 1 hour to discuss the goals, progress, and their perspective. As noted in
the first assignment I did not have time to do all of the exercises in the book but I think they will be
helpful and I will use them to develop the skills I have chosen to work on.
AHE 576: Assignment 1.2 – Analysis Carey Schroyer

Sources:

Inc.com (2016). 100 Answers to the Question: What Is Leadership?, [online] Available at:
https://www.inc.com/lolly-daskal/100-answers-to-the-question-what-is-leadership.html [Accessed 3
Jun. 2018].

Whetten, David A., and Kim S. Cameron.Developing Management Skills. Pearson, 2016.

YouTube. (2013). Ten Leadership Theories in Five Minutes. [online] Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKUPDUDOBVo [Accessed 4 Jun. 2018].