A641.2.3.RB_SiegmundWayne

 Am I a Resonant Leader?

          The first time I heard of the term, 'resonant leader,' I was in my last course and chose to look at what my next class would be about. I immediately understood based on my physics background that it had to do with resonating with others. I felt I was going to really enjoy this course. For as long as I can remember, I have been a highly self-aware individual. One of my favorite past-times (and still is) was going to a bookstore, heading to the Personal Development section, and pulling books to learn more about me and how to become the next best version of me. 

          Up until the beginning of this course (MSLD 641), I felt I was a resonant leader of sorts; always reading people, self-aware of my emotional disposition, and managing it around others to develop a relationship. The development of a relationship was, in part, reflective of the environment I interacted with them albeit at work, home, the grocery store, the neighborhood, etc. Each environment gave meaning to those individual relationships. Each environment told me what boundaries to have and what boundaries were not required. Of course, this had to do directly with what vulnerabilities I was willing to share which were dependent on the type of relationship I felt I should have with each individual. Was it someone I met in passing at a gas station, or someone I sat down within a coffee shop discussing our families with? At other times, rare as they may be, it had nothing to do with the environment and everything to do with the connection and conversation.

          I do not feel I am the resonant leader that I thought I was. While I am a good reader of people, and very self-aware of my own emotional state and manage it well, I am discovering there is much more I can do to become the leader whose primary job is to connect emotionally with others and direct their strengths and weaknesses to support and positively impact the overall mission or organization; to inspire them to work together for the sake of a personal or united vision. Nath (n.d.) states, "Organizations everywhere need now to realize the benefits of primal leadership by cultivating leaders who generate the emotional resonance that lets people flourish." My mindfulness should be centered around reflecting on these things. I have been naturally reading, empathizing, and connecting with people all my life without really being conscientious about the process. Now I feel I need to wake up. I need to pay close attention with a sense of purpose; to develop my intent of becoming the resonant leader and not just someone who works in a leadership position that can simply connect with people. "When leadership is resonant, followers become upbeat and enthusiastic and vibrate with the leaders. Resonance amplifies the emotional impact of leadership" (Goleman et al., 2002).

          The truth is that I do not know if I inspire people. I have never asked anyone. There has been a few in my life that I recall coming up to me to let me know that my gymnastics career has inspired their child in the gym, or how my discipline and focus to make it through Navy SEAL training has inspired them to try as well, but I have yet to discover or learn that my leadership behavior has inspired anyone. I do not try to inspire anyone. I feel if my passion for what I do comes through my language and, or performance, it will inspire others, with or without my awareness. In truth, I am surprised I never thought of becoming this type of leader on my own without having to first read about it. What is nice about reading about it and connecting aspects of resonant leadership I am already practicing and been doing so for years is that I now have a much greater, broader, more meaningful concept as to how to be the resonant leader I desire. I now have a map to navigate and discover with.

References:

Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R. & McKee, A. (2002). The new leaders: Transforming the art of leadership into the science of results. Retrieved from https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/51222222/The_New_Leaders.pdf?1483720144=&response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DThe_New_Leaders_Transforming_the_art_of.pdf&Expires=1623570215&Signature=N1OhRsUh3X~Ku7rML6xuvX2vRP2M0dRKxncMC5dNqMO8EgNZPH9RPBZgRouiHiQzAMjFgVa5HIVtPBRF3CgGjVdyotx8k~Ngy7PYIP4RODcG43Val-lPRTy7W658YZp5rjRk7jdHANxRTuFvCeLvHojdq-vK2JP0gqxopLUE0LSV~uylFsgKnEUHKj-U1kE1BZJvgTLH57zYyE0JZiUo8MltL~s3NpETIvwMw-fLbFnww25lvMXe1fR7ejW1XyzdwEkmLCAFQ5qcgf93RMRDl6VGLlEYuF3CVshyvL5PCE7ncHEr3nTedTk9451iZ5MUvj2~LPyDLG0P~T60SJWojw__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA

McKee, A, Boyatzis, R., & Johnston, F. (2008). Becoming a resonant leader: Develop your emotional intelligence, renew your relationships, sustain your effectiveness. Harvard Business School Publishing

Nath, B. (n.d). An examination of the relationship between emotional intelligence, leadership styles, and leadership effectiveness [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Jaypee Institute of Information Technology.

A641.1.3.RB_SiegmundWayne

 What Is Great Leadership?

          Growing up, I have had many teachers, coaches, mentors, and instructors. Few of them were great leaders, while others were doing their job. Often, the ones I found approachable were the ones I felt truly wanted to help, guide and support. These individuals would use their years of experience, and unbeknownst to me at the time, would provide words of wisdom I would not completely understand for years to come. Many of these leaders had a job to do and focused on getting that work accomplished. Much of my interaction with them was fleeting moments of question-answer encounters, leaving me feeling unsupported, despite the answer given. The few compassionate leaders always took the time to listen to my question or concern truly and replied, showing me that what I had to say was valid.

          As a young competitive gymnast, I had always read about a world-famous gymnast and coach, Abie Grossfeld, and hoped that someday I would be coached by him. I had read that Abie was an accomplished Olympic coach with a unique way of communicating with his gymnasts. In time, Abie would become my coach at Southern Connecticut State University. My experience of him was slightly different than what I had imagined. Abie was much older and less involved physically in coaching other than using a rope and belt system rigged on the ceiling in the gym to support the gymnast in the air while the gymnast learns. Throughout the years, as an elite competitive gymnast, Abie and I engaged in numerous conversations, always standing by to offer the truth and practical guidance when he thought it necessary. Did Abie work to be an empathic or compassionate leader?; I do not believe he did. I feel he was sincere, honest, and cared about our development, not only as gymnasts but as people.

          Abie’s passion for the sport of gymnastics fueled his motivation to coach the skills that took him decades to refine. His impact on me left me feeling cared for, inspired, and motivated to become a better gymnast, a better person. Over time, I have learned to become the man that continues to reflect and apply many of his lessons for life, such as; 'no matter how good you get at gymnastics, always remain humble,' 'gather all the facts before passing judgment,' and 'technique before power.' These bits of wisdom I discovered years later can translate beyond gymnastics and into everyday life, where we see opportunities to do so. Abie is a great man and, through his care, sincerity and honesty built an everlasting relationship with all of his past gymnasts. As Jennifer stated of Boyatzis (2012) in our Discussion post (1.2), "effective leadership does not have to do with who's the smartest... or who invented the key product, or sold the largest account... the effective leader builds the relationship."

          In 2012, after 12 years in the Navy, I met who was to become my platoon Officer-in-Charge (OIC), Joes Sanchez. To this day, I find it challenging to think of him, never mind, writing his name and reflecting once again on how his words and actions hurt me. Jose was a new and young Lieutenant in the United States Navy and engaged from self-interest rather than service. As a First Class Petty Officer, I had a good amount of experience already and was older than many, if not all, of my peers. While deployed with him, he felt it necessary to wield his power and send someone home in the middle of deployment. I was his target for some reason beyond my understanding. Being sent home for multiple stated reasons that carried no truth had profound negative emotional implications on my part. It indeed was a traumatic emotional experience, one I would ask for support with years later. Looking back with a more objective perspective in discussion with a counselor, it appeared that Jose came from a place of insecurity and doubt and selected me because I was a perceived threat to his leadership position. Menon and Thompson (2010) shared that "Anxiety about our own performance underscores our insecurities." Taking time to reflect even now and know that all attack is a natural reaction to fear, it helps me to understand better what Jose may have been going through and allows me the mindful space to forgive him and let what I have been holding onto, go. 

          While the impact of Jose's words and actions had profound adverse effects on my career and emotional state for years to come, I can finally sit in reflection and heal a bit more. This blog turned out to be an unexpected gift. The impact of our past leaders has profound effects on who we become. Sometimes, the impact we receive emotionally from our leaders affects our perceptions and decisions at the moment. We must be mindful of our emotions and shift them to become and remain a positive force for others.

References:

Boyatzis, R. (2012, May 21). Resonant Ledership - UNC Kenan-Flagler.                                                            Retrieved: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxjNu6kSpKc&t=96s

Menon, T., & Thompson, L. (2010, April). Envy at Work. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved:  https://hbr.org/2010/04/envy-at-work.

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Transformational Strategies

          The efforts Jim McIngvale made to turn around the drop in the housing market n 2008 and the $30 million fire that destroyed his warehouse took a strong sense of 'can do' and a belief in a strategy to get his company's culture shifted enough to adapt to a market that Gallery Furniture was not performing well in. It appears the series of unfortunate events was Jim's perfect stage to implement culture change. However, it took a specific technique that Jim utilized after reading "Influencer: The Power to Change Anything" from the Wall Street Journal. Had I been in Jim's shoes after these devastating events, I would have been reaching for straws. Jim took this opportunity to change a 30-year cultural behavior into one that placed the customer first and foremost. 

          It is easy to relate to Jim's decisions when placed in a crisis situation. A holistic look at his company when his company was threatened to no longer exist was the perfect opportunity to create organizational transformation. In Jim's case, the strategic changes he made were directly related to culture and therefore was able to manage the risk based on his vision.

          Stanley McChrystal learned to integrate himself into a very dynamic culture that had literally changed overnight. The force he used to lead fell on the backbone of history's leaders and now McChrystal had to humble his perception and become open to subordinate's know-how in order to learn the ways of the force and adapt if he was to continue to be an effective leader in a new emerging landscape. Stanley soon realized he was dealing with a decentralized force spread out around the world consisting of young and old personnel bringing with them a whole new set of skills and understanding about their individual jobs. Stanley had to learn how to communicate, mentor, trust, support, gain trust, and motivate them via technology. 

          In his corporate environment, the military, corporate culture is strong; where members' commitment and sharing of values were tightly interwoven. In this environment, there is no opportunity to single-handedly change the culture. Stanley's strategy to adapt to the global environment in which he worked was by shifting hs perception. Due to the fact Stanley's leading style no longer was compatible with the new emerging culture, he had to manage his strategy of self-change around the culture. I can only imagine the difficulty of changing one's lifelong understanding and perception of interacting with their environment to an inverted way of thinking; listening and learning vice giving orders.

           In both environments, the struggle to manage risk and employ strategy in and around culture can be a daunting one. Understanding how best to mitigate risk all the while employing a strategy that will effectively produce desired results in support of an organization's vision allows hope for organizational transformation to endure.

References:

Brown, D. R. (2011). An experiential approach to organizational development. 8th Ed. Upper Saddle River: NJ. Pearson.

McChrystal, S., TED2011 (2011, March). Listen, learn...then lead. Ted Talk. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/stanley_mcchrystal_listen_learn_then_lead#t-925407

Vitalsmarts (2012, Septemeber 17). Influencer: Gallery furniture case study. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=90&v=E20RW75Fhu4&feature=emb_logo

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Self-Managing Teams

          Self-managed teams introduce a capability when properly developed and implemented that not only replaces a typical organizational team but improves its functionality, its intrateam integration, production, organizational awareness, and output. In addition, self-managed teams often find greater job satisfaction through quality work, and rewards and benefits (Brown, 2011). These self-managed teams also enjoy autonomy; independence that leads to ownership of a project or goal. This pride that comes with such autonomy leads to a great deal of satisfaction when meaning is not only provided behind its purpose but meaning given by those claiming ownership. Knowing that you are a part of a team that has been empowered to make decisions on behalf of an organization is a renewal of that empowerment. If an open-books policy is provided along with a culture of clear flat communication, I can see an additional benefit of having a sense of organizational ownership that only comes with trust and support by upper management.

          While there are many benefits to self-managed teams, Brown (2011) cautions on several considerations when developing, or using such teams: "self-managed work teams may not be appropriate to the task, people and context; the organization does not perceive a need to change; managers and leaders are vague about their roles; organizations that do not reward performance are likely to run into problems; a lack of training can cause self-managed work teams to fail; because there are fewer layers in an organization, there are fewer opportunities for advancement into managerial positions; and building self-managed work teams is not a one-shot activity" (p. 353). These issues, while definite concerns within an organization supporting self-managed work teams would be best utilized while developing them so as to be aware of such pitfalls and avoid them.

          In my current community, we have what is called working-groups. Depending on the level of the organization you are working in, this name may be referred to as something different but they are all generally the same. Nonetheless, these groups function relatively the same as self-managed working teams. My time in these working groups has been the most rewarding and enjoyable of my tenure. I enjoyed autonomy, open-books access, freedom to provide input, develop new policies, Operational Directives, and Operations Center Standard Operating Procedures with the full support of higher management. However, withstanding any extra incentives, the enjoyment of the autonomy and freedom of work along with the quality of our results lent much in the way of benefits of working within such a team. I would love to develop, be a part of, or even coordinate such self-managed teams!

         As a Navy Chief, I feel I can draw numerous parallels in competencies required to be an effective external manager. A Navy Chief manages and leads all the while mentoring up-and-coming leaders (the internal team leader). I do not often inject my input but leave the decision-making to the rest of the platoon (self-managed working team) to develop solutions and accomplish tasks. I simply support and facilitate what they've been directed to accomplish. If they require some guidance along the way, I am at their disposal 24/7. Throughout my time as this external manager, I suppose the competencies I would need to be effective would include being a coach, teacher, mentor, cheerleader, goal definer, vision provider, resource manager, grand communicator, and facilitator. Brown (2011) offers "The coordinator functions largely as an energizer, teacher, and facilitator by encouraging the team's self-managing behaviors, learning, goal-setting, creativity, self-evaluation, feedback to one another, new ways of problem solving, and group problem solving." As in most cases of leadership development, I always find it best to be a part of what you want to manage and lead so as to have the experience to fully understand the depths and nuances of how to best go about becoming and performing as an effective external manager.

References:

Brown, D. R. (2011). An experiential approach to organization development. Boston, MA: Prentice Hall.

INSEAD (2008, September 22). Self-managing teams: debunking the leadership paradox. Youtube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=RDCMUC9aeQQ-NqjHS3nfiod2PMSA&v=GBnR00qgGgM&feature=emb_rel_end.

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Eco Seagate

          Eco Seagate is a 5-day team-building outdoor lab experience involving 40 teams of five people competing in multiple events culminating in a "40-kilometer adventure race through a course consisting of biking, climbing, traversing unknown terrain with a vague map, kayaking, traversing canyons on cables, and running" (Brown, 2011).

          What appears to be nothing more than a grueling 5-day competition with your co-workers is, in fact, a team-building experience none of the participants will soon forget. Ordinary working folk in an organizational environment is typically independently comfortable at their desk, in the lounge, using the restroom, smoking outside and socializing with their colleagues. Place these individuals in an austere environment they have never navigated nor traversed, and many, if not most instantly become dependant for help and support. This type of co-dependency requires trust, faith, commitment, compromise, listening, observing, and problem-solving. People participating in Eco Seagate are more-less forced to rely on each other to accomplish team tasks.

          There is great value in introducing a corporate organization to a multi-day outdoor team building adventure where not only are they learning to look to each other's talents and skills, but to their own and how to incorporate and integrate them within a team and an environment of many unknowns. Bill Watkins, CEO of Seagate, felt the value would lie in taking the team-work and leadership skills developed at Eco Seagate and bringing it back into the organizational environment (Brown, 2011). While this may be true, I believe it goes beyond the workplace environment. When ordinary people have an ordinary experience, it changes them. They perceive themselves as different, more capable, more confident. In addition, they may even learn to look at others differently, as if they may bring more to the table than what is seen. To come to learn one has the ability to go beyond what they thought was possible physically, mentally, and emotionally is an individual revelation and inspiring. People grow through these types of experiences and are nothing short of invaluable.

          The awareness, skill-building, team-work, and integration learned out in an environment that is uncomfortable and exhausting, yet exhilarating, present in numerous opportunities to see the effects of decision-making at the individual and team levels instantly as well as over time. Where false confidence once stood, where insecurity once had held, and doubt lingered, now is replaced with quiet confidence, self-surety, and faith in one's self to apply and integrate into a team effort. Coming to understand the inner workings of a team can enlighten communication, assumptions, team skills and talents, integration of intrateam processes, and constructive feedback. Only through gains like these can a developing team break through to high performance where each team member can anticipate the requirements, expectations, and reactions of the other team members in a timely and efficient manner.

          My organization not only could but does benefit from a similar type of event that lasts much longer and focuses on the individual as well as team fortitude. The endurance, integrity, and fortitude required are more of a rite of passage rather than an annual event though. Nonetheless, the team-building events involved are not only invaluable but necessary. Only high-performing teams are expected in my community. Anything less will not be tolerated. I believe any organization where individuals are required to work together in teams should experience something like the Eco Seagate event at least once if not more.

References:

Brown D. R. (2011). An experiential approach to organizational development. Boston, MA: Prentice Hall.

Friki (2018). Navy seals buds class 234 //part 2 of 6// it pays to be a winner. Dailymotion. Retrieved from https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6y83rr

Seagate (2008, April 25). Eco seagate 2008 1/3. Youtube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCOfOFMiLtE&feature=youtu.be

          

A635.5.3.RB_SiegmundWayne

Brainstorming with Steve Jobs' NeXT Startup Team

          In the working groups Steve Jobs created at Pebble Beach, California in the early '80s, it appeared the culture was formed around a raw, entrepreneurial mindset where devising a company, a logo, a product, and getting it to market was what the retreats were all about. Getting away to a relaxing, enjoyable off-site location where the group can co-create was a vital component in allowing brainstorming to occur and sustain. Once the brainstorming discussions began, all that mattered was what each individual brought to the discussions that pushed to the growth of the new company up.

          Based on the personalities, characteristics, and disposition of the members of the NeXT Startup Team, I believe I would have fit in as a contributing team member offering insights in numerous areas to include the schedule's deadline, defining the problem, cutting costs, tying periodic progress with vision, marketing, and motivation. My approach to all of these areas typically begin with listening to what others have to say and understand where they may be coming from as well as understanding where it appears they want to go in the discussion. Once I have a firm grip on where the group wants to go with the brainstorming session, I typically would offer an idea or perspective based on a relative experience or an idea not yet considered that may affect the problem set.

          My independence attribute lends me the ability to think for myself, problem-solve, and create independent of the working group, offering up unique ideas and solutions. In the realm of achievement, I would leave the identification of milestones achieved to Steve Jobs. As the Chairman with the vision the team is working towards, he would be the one to measure and determine which achievements are worth mentioning and which ones were not. In this brainstorming environment, I do not require much in the way of recognition. A feeling of contribution would be enough. Being recognized as a valuable contributor would settle my dust in terms of this attribute. My ability to assess risk versus gain in this environment would come out as the devil's advocate. I would point out opposing concerns that may need to be but have not yet been considered. I would approach financial issues initially theoretically, then pragmatically. This approach helps me understand where we want to go as well as how we will get there in terms of funds. Leveraging a strong characteristic of problem-solving within innovation motivates me to brainstorm right along with others; bouncing ideas in more of a smaller sidebar group instead of a Chairman-led brainstorming group. Nonetheless, this characteristic would allow me to confidently bring up issues and their potential solutions. Finally, my multi-tasking attribute keeps me focused on details as well as time schedules; issues discussed at the retreat. Creating a reverse timeline from the 'due date' back to current time can show incrementally what is required at any given time segment and if it is possible to accomplish within the given time frame.

          Being aware of the other member's area of expertise and experience, I would tend to be a bit more reserved trying to capture what is being said, how well it is being delivered, and how others are receiving them. This observation in communication also assists me in becoming aware of the group's conversational transaction effectiveness. In truth, at the end of the day, I would be learning about each individual's job position and responsibilities and how everyone interacts. Having this information affords me a certain amount of confidence in knowing when to speak up, what to offer up, and how to deliver it most effectively. I would have loved being a part of Steve Jobs' NeXT STartup Team brainstorming retreat.

Reference:

Job's Official (2017, November 23). Steve jobs brainstorms with the next team 1985. Youtube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Udi0rk3jZYM.

          

          

A635.4.3.RB_SiegmundWayne

Build a Tower, Build a Team

          It makes sense that while MBA students may be trained to find the single right plan, children go through an iterative process of building prototypes and learning from each what works and what doesn't (Wujec, 2010). I know from watching my own children that they explore ideas and try to make them a reality. When it becomes a reality, they decide if it turned out the way they intended it to; if not, they try something else. In general, I agree with Wujec's (2010) explanation, however, I also feel it is not so black and white all the time. Depending on any given child in a group working together, they may get discouraged because they don't feel they have any good ideas to contribute. On the contrary, one child may feel only their ideas are good and try to take over hampering the team effort.

          Personally, I think kids perform better than MBA students because they are more attuned to their creativity. Children don't necessarily know what's possible and what's not and therefore explores numerous options given their resources. Most children are also very good at asking for help in assisting in what they want to accomplish whereas adults may be less inclined to ask believing it is their job to do the work and no one else's. In addition, because children often play, they are apt to work through problem-solving as they discover something that either needs to be understood, changed, or created. My oldest daughter, as a school project, had to develop a cause and effect scenario, record how it works, and submit it for review. After an hour of collecting baskets, utensils, string, toys, and boxes, she had to work through multiple set-ups that included a pulley system that would eventually trap a rat. After many revisions, it worked - hypothetically (it was a toy rat). "Some research suggests that the way kids play contributes to their ability to solve divergent problems; a problem that yields itself to multiple solutions" (Dewar, 2014).

          I believe CEOs are or can be, victims of their own successes. The more CEOs make decisions that help them problem-solve, the more their approach to problem-solving will remain the same as long as they see themselves as successful. With that said, an executive assistant may be that outside, objective perspective the CEOs need to get beyond their limited view on the problem. In addition, an executive assistant that has known the CEO for some time may understand how the CEO thinks, thus looks at the problem-set in such a way that provides a solution amenable to the CEO.

          If I were to facilitate a process intervention with respect to Wujec's (2010) video content, I would pay close attention to the team's behavior; individual as well as between themselves. I would look for those that have taken a back seat or feel left out. I would approach them asking what they think makes the task so challenging and what ideas they had. I would also look for contention between the team members and distract them with some new ideas, or thoughts on how they can move forward. I may provide comments of encouragement and support to facilitate how they feel about their efforts. I would also ensure everyone understood exactly what the directions and the objectives were. Mostly, I would be observing and listening to their teamwork activities to follow their cohesiveness and effectiveness and offer quick injections of how they can better utilize their resources.

          One of my favorite things to do is step out of a working group and assess it's behavioral and process activities for efficiency. Understanding that children improve their problem-solving skills through all types of play peaks my curiosity as to how I can implement a similar process amongst adults without actually giving them toys. Playing with brainstorming as an approach over just providing a task to problem-solve may be on par, or perhaps making a game out of it may also prove beneficial to the creative process.

References

Dewar, G. (2014). The cognitive behaviors of play; Effects on the learning brain. Retrieved from https://www.parentingscience.com/benefits-of-play.html

Wujec, Tom (2010, February). Build a tower, build a team. TED Talk. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/tom_wujec_build_a_tower_build_a_team#t-254391