Chapter 12 thoughts

Part 1: Yes, I think history has shown us that women have been underrepresented. How long did it take until women could vote? drive? work? Years ago, their primary responsibility was to take care of the house. They did not have a balance between work and life-because they had no work. Now, we see women in college, holding high positions in a professional setting, etc. At times, this can cause stress in finding balance between work and life. I don't think it is out of control by any means thought.

Part 2: I agree with Teresa in the point that men and women can be both. I do, however, agree with Dan in that men typically act in a different way than women. I think men are naturally more aggressive and incorporate that into how they pursue goals in a professional setting. I am not saying women are not aggressive, but they are frowned upon when they act that way. I am going to say generally yes they apply; but there are always exceptions.

Part 3: I touched on this a little bit in part 2. I only talk about personality traits. I think you can use history as something to back up this statement, but I don't think that is fair. Historically, leaders are men. This is a distorted view because women were not allowed the same privileges years ago. Even if women were better leaders-they could not show it. I also do not want to get yelled at again, so I will wrap up this issue.

Part 4: I only think women are viewed negatively in leadership roles when they assume the "bitchy" stereotype. This contradicts the mindset of women being friendly, unselfish, and quiet. I think there are countless examples of stubborn men who have trouble working for a woman. There are plenty of women in the world who hold a position of power and leadership and do it without being looked down upon. I think women are still breaking into leadership roles in society, and it will only get better for females as time goes on.

Chapter 11 response

It is natural for different cultures to have different views on leadership. When you ask a classroom full of kids from St. Norbert who have come from similar backgrounds, you would get a lot of different answers as well. You could conduct the same survey just for a portion of the state of Wisconsin and get completely different answers. And that is just WI! Imagine the entire world.

Different cultures teach, develop, and form different leaders and different types of leaders. Cultures can vary by extremes in places you go. Societal demands change the way you live. We live in America and are lucky to have the freedoms we have.

Each culture has a different lifestyle, demands, expectations, etc. Because of these variables, what they define as leadership will vary as well. Some people in the professional world look at leadership completely different than someone who has to scrounge for food every night to feed their family. Different people/cultures face so many different challenges. Not only leadership, but all aspects of life will be different based on cultural changes.

Chapter 10 response

I think too much failure can be detrimental for a developing leader; especially if a lot of failure comes at an impressionable age. People can only take so much. If an aspiring leader constantly tries and puts in a lot of effort, and fails- it is tough. I think motivation is crucial for a good leader. How can someone motivate themselves to keep trying if all they do is fail? I know this is an extreme case, but people build up situations in their minds. People distort reality all the time. Too much failure can make some people think that all they will do is fail. No effective leader can go into any situation with that mindset.

To go along with this, I think a weak support system is a negative for an aspiring leader. If you surround yourself with people who only bring you down, how can you surpass your own expectations and succeed? Constantly being around trouble makers and people with weak morals only create more obstacles. Hanging with those who want to reach their full potential and strive to get ahead in life will help you do the same. Listening to your parents, and choosing your friends wisely eliminate so many complications in life. We here at St. Norbert are fortunate enough to be around other students who come from good backgrounds and have a strong moral fibers for the most part. There are very few kids here that pull others down with them.

Response to Ch 13

Ethics is a very tricky component when dealing with leadership. Relating some of this back to the cultural component of leadership, i think that the US being so individualized and so profit focus, sometimes the ethical aspect gets shoved aside. Decisions are made not based on what is morally ethical, but on what will provide the most profit or recognition for me. I think humans act deliberately and each action is done with the intent for some reason x. Ethics get clouded when the choice should be making, does not coincide with the one we are making. I think leaders that lead with intent to change or the intent to motivate need to base actions on ethics. Ghandhi, or Martin Luther King Jr, acted from an ethical concept of non-violence and changed the lives of millions of people. When used the right way, effective leaders can act through an ethical standpoint and still be change driven!

Response to Ch. 12

I think there are several differences between men and women in our leadership roles of society. This dates all the way back to the foundation of our society under patriarchical domination. My issue with the gender gap in society is how women use that as an excuse. There are so many other principles in our society that stem from ancient values also. The thing that heals those gaps is education and time. Women are becoming more main stream in the workplace. Women are earning higher degress than they have and they are taking on harder positions comprable to men.

The first argument that men have a more vested capital interest than women do i would say histrocially has been true. Now that women are more on the job scene and more focused on career, the family aspect of that capital investment argument is going by the wayside. Families are not as big as they have been and with more women working and focusing on that component, the family size will remain small and women will stay in the workplace as long as men.

The second argument comparing transformational leadership styles to they typical transactional style of men should not be an issue for argument. No matter what the style, the effectivness is how you use it. Men can be transformational and be effective leaders.

I agree with Erica for the third argument, men need to get off their high horse before i will talk about this issue :)

I think for the fourth argument, women do get a stigma if they are hard-headed, strong and agressive leaders. If a man does those same things, he is assertive and a woman is acting like a bitch. I think the stereotype of women as soft, nuturing, quiet observers needs to stop. I do not think that one needs to be mean and boistrous to be seen as a leader, i think there needs to be a balance, for men also.

Ethics Response

I think ethics and morals should be the basis for how we make decisions as leaders. Also they can be a soundboard for our previous choices because we usually learn from our past decisions if they are good ones or bad ones. The Christian ethics class we take for this minor teaches us about the different way people think about different ideals, such as the death penalty, abortion and other controversial topics in our society. People who are the leader need to know what the situation is that they are involved with and need to determine a way if it is ethical or not. The understanding of virtues and other concepts related to ethics helps people determine if the decision they are making is allowable. People need to think with their hearts when trying to make a decision, which is what morality is. If there was a business ethics course it would be more helpful because it would be more focused on the business part of leadership, like working in an organization.

Ch. 12 Response

This is not a strong reasoning for women being underrepresented because as Erica said more women are going to college and getting a higher education than they were back in the past. It is also unfair that women get 75 cents to every man's dollar. Men also are becoming "stay-at-home dads" and take care of the family when their wives are at work.

The second question I agree with because women get more involved when trying to get things organized with a problem or something they are trying to figure out. Men are just to the point at trying to figure stuff out. They do not lay everything out like women do.

The third statement I disagree with because women have the same advantage as women do at being a leader in any situation. This argument does not even make sense because they have no real data that they express.

Yes, women are negatively stereotyped when they are in a leadership position because some people do not expect them to do a good job. I think this is a bad stereotype because women have just as much opportunity to get a job done as men do. This is just like women in media, where they are the housewives and the men are the ones who go to work, such as "Family Guy" and "The Simpsons." Those are some examples why these stereotypes are not right.

Ch 10 Response

Leadership is a trait in a person that is learned and born. People can take different classes or learn from other people on how they can become better leaders. People also have skills already with them in life that makes them a good leader, where an example is Dr. Martin Luther King.

There are also some barriers that leadership can have to have it be good. Through our fraternity there is always the president who leads the meetings, but he gives everyone in the group the ability to talk and express their ideas on what they think can help the group in any way. He sometimes also has to tell people to be quiet and not talk when other people are talking because that is his job. He is also to run the meeting.

Another barrier is that a person must be able to work together with other people. They must not be the people giving all the instructions because this is not going to be a positive experience for the followers. They must have a say in the ideas. I agree that change is an important part of leadership because people must be able to accept change in any situation. An example of this is having a president who is African American. People who are racist must accept that this is a society where people need to accept each other for who they are. Those are different ways a leader can be positive.

Response to Chapter 13

I think morals and ethics should be used as a basis for how leaders interact with followers and the decision process. Leaders should also use ethics for a soundboard for previous decisions and use for future decision. I agree the some unethical situations are a result of a leader’s incompetencies. A leader should have the knowledge about the situation, the people involves, and if the decision would be morally permissible. The ethics course at St. Norbert College provides various ways to determine what actions are moral permissible or impermissible. These methods can be used to determine whether a leader’s actions are permissible, especially for political or business leaders. The understanding of virtues, actions, motives, and habits allows leaders to understand what is permitted in society and how to judge others as leader’s. Once again, I think Philosophy Ethics can be useful for leadership studies, but a business ethics would be more useful in understanding ethics and leadership.

Chapter 11 response - leadership and culture

Every culture has different views of everything, class, family and religion. We come from a byast side in that leadership is generally earned and we work for what we get and that is how it always is. Theoretically that is true, but family influence and power have a big say in that also. This is seen most easily in presidential families and the political sector. The American dream is a beautiful idea, but is that how it really is?

Many collectivist cultures see leadership as an earned, attained position. Leaders are those who are trustworthy first and foremost. They are the people that are friends with you, fit in with your social circle and have a record of humility. Leaders are sacred positions.

There are also countries that base leadership on family. Kings and Queens. Is that the best method for breeding leaders? What type of people are raised in that environment of priveldge and birthgiven power?

Leadership is different across every country. The way that these power regimes are successful is how they interact with the people and if they hold up to cultural ideals of power.

Response to Chapter 11

I think the four main dimensions of leaderships are very important when interacting with other countries. In the Intercultural Communication Course at St. Norbert College, we spent a great amount of time studying: individualism-collectivism, masculinity-femininity, uncertainty avoidance, and power distance. Based on the different cultures, people will interact and interpret verbal and non-verbal communication and roles of people differently. An individual culture focuses on the individual success of a person to get ahead in society, whereas collectivistic culture focuses on working together within the community for group success. Depending on if a culture is individualistic or collectivistic, will affect the structure of groups and the roles of leaders. Uncertainty avoidance is another key factor for leadership in different cultures. If people do not know about a culture or people within the culture, than they avoid them to reduce uncertainty. A leader needs to feel confident and learn about cultures, so that they can interact within a culture without feeling uncertainty. Power distance is in different cultures indicates how much space should be allotted for the people in power or who with stand leadership roles. This needs to be understood for different cultures to respond to power distance and the acceptance of behaviors based on status.

Cultures have different forms of leadership based on the expected roles for people within the culture and the people in power. The culture dimension discussed need to be examined to determine the bases of the culture and their leadership roles. Assuming these dimensions, may lead to failure for leaders in different cultures. Cultures are not usually adaptable to change because they have been participating and following a system they have always believed in.

Ch 9 Response: Success

I would gauge success on how the results and impacts of the project are portrayed. If the students have learned a lot from what we taught them, then I think it would be a successful project. We have had some problems, but we overcame them and proceeded on what we needed to do. The students said they learned a lot so I would consider this to be a successful project. They learned more about leadership and how they can improve on their strategies.

I would say that this is similar to the education programs put on through different organizations on this campus to get other organizations educated on different issues. They want the audience to learn as much as possible and this would be a successful project if they do. Also for our fraternity when we are trying to work on projects, when we are finished they are usually successful because we get them done right, like our Gold Star application. Everyone worked together to get it done and have it turned in on time.

Chapter 13 Insights

Ethics is defined as "of or pertaining to morality" and "the science of morals, the moral principles by which a person is guided".  

Chapter 13 talks about the grey line between ethics and effectiveness, and not always being able. Sometimes being ethical is being effective and sometimes being effective is being ethical. Unethical situations are sometimes a result of leaders' incompetencies. The chapter talks about the dimensions of ethical leadership: ethics of leader/follower relationship, ethics of a leader as person, ethics of the leadership process, and the ethical decisions of leader. 

This chapter also mentioned altruism and how it is a motive for acting.

Do you think our morals and ethics should be the basis for how we act as leaders? Or do we make decisions as leaders and use our ethics as a soundboard for previous choices?

Response to Chapter 11

I think to be a successful young leader today self efficacy, leaders learning motivation and capabilities, readiness to change, and capability between congruence of organization and leader. Self-efficacy is necessary to determination/desire to learn about self strengths and weakness. Leaders need to have the desire and motivation to accomplish and achieve goals at head. The need to be able to receive feedback and be motivated to change based on the feedback. Leader's readiness to change is essential, especially in today's society. Leaders need to keep up with the world, environment, and even community. Leaders need emotional and cognitive development to embrace change within the world. There needs to be a congruence between organization and leaders otherwise high stress. Leaders need to have the steps and understanding for leadership development when working with people when with other people. As young leaders, I feel these are essential characteristics that affect leadership development. By attributing these traits, will enables to be successful in the real world workplace.

Chapter 12 Women and Men as Leaders

The chapter discusses women’s underrepresentation in leadership roles based on four general types of explanation. The first type explains there is a sex difference in human capital investments, in which the gender gap in workplace leadership is that women’s capital investment in education, training, and work experience is lower than men’s. Women’s capital investment is reasoned by women have less job experience and consistency of employment than men do. Also, motherhood and domestic obligations to the families cause women to suffer from loss of income and experience. Do you feel that this is a strong reasoning for under representation for women? I feel women have a happy balance between their personal lives and work experience. More women are going to college or receiving higher education.

The second type compares the leadership styles of men and women. Female leaders/managers tend to adopt a transformational style and use more rewards to encourage appropriate subordinate behavior, in contrast, men are more likely to engage in different aspects of transactional leadership (active and passive management-by-exception) and laissez-faire leadership. Do believe these styles apply to you based on your gender?

The third type of explanation considers the evolutionary psychology argument that is in the nature of men but not women to be motivated to lead and dominate others. I did not agree with this agreement and found it an invalid argument.

The fourth category of explanation focuses on prejudice and discrimination. I think that prejudice and discrimination occurs when women take on masculine traits for leadership roles. This opposes the common qualities for women roles in society that usually consist of friendly, unselfish, and quite. Do you think women are negatively stereotyped when they are in leadership roles? Do you think people have negative attitudes toward female leaders in our society?

Ch. 11 Leadership and Culture

Chapter 11 is about the differences of characteristics of cultures.  The Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness (GLOBE) defines leadership as "the ability of an individual to influence, motivate, and enable others to contribute toward the effectiveness and success of the organizations of which they are members."

There was research done on the differences of different continents, such as North America and Europe, where North America tended to focus on leader-group interaction and the European studies tended to place leadership in a broader, social, legal, and political context.  The North American group is more oriented on having a boss and just getting things accomplished, whereas Europe is more focused on people having different ideas putting towards the group.

There are four culture dimensions discussed in this chapter:

- individualism-collectivism

-masculinity-femininity

-uncertainty avoidance

-power distance

There are major distinctions between developed and developing countries where on average the developed world countries have significantly higher per capita income than do the developing countries and that developed world countries rank higher on the Human Development Index (a composite index, which indicates the presence of good education, health care, and quality of life).  

Why do you think that countries have different leadership characteristics or ideas on what leadership is?

There are differences because the countries have lived like this their whole lives.  They have not changed and think that this is a perfect idea of leadership and goes along with what they have believed in forever.  There are differences because there are also different ideas they have in their culture on what is right and wrong.  In the developing countries they might have not been taught what is right and wrong for leadership, so they may think that their leadership is right.  The US is businesslike because they are more a developed country and know what they are doing, and Europe just agrees with everyone and they are collaborative to each other.  This is why the countries are different.

Chapter ten - Leadership Development

Chapter ten discusses ideas similar to that of the leadership development model we all know and love so well! How does one develop into a leader and what aids that process?

Obviously there are some stated characteristics that make an effective leader:

- self-insight

- self-efficacy

- self-determination

- motivation

- capability

One needs to have self insight to understand their personal strengths, weaknesses and situational approaches to conflict, motivation and drive in order to lead others. Leaders also need to be aware of feedback and be able to receive it in a positive light in order to grow and change. 

Change is another major component in leadership development. Change is driven by leadership and those initiatives to make that process happen. 

Leadership does not happen on its own. Leadership is supported by the organizational structure and the congruence between said organization and the leader. Those two entities, to have effective leadership, need to be able to work seamlessly. Not without conflict, but with open communication flow and support to instigate change. 

What are some barriers in the positive development of a young leader?

Leaders are born and made. There are certain steps one can take to try to be a good leader. I was always very out-spoken, boisterous and organized. I think those are skills that made me the person and leader i am today. This was not always the smoothest path. Learning to manage my boisterousness and love of talking in a productive way was a challenge for me. Letting other people delegate to me and not always take the majority of work load was and still is a problem for my leadership style. Given these problems, i have and still have a positive support system through my family, friends and teachers that push me to be a better leader. 

What Determines Success?

In any situation, class, project, initiative; success is always the hardest thing to determine. I think success is best measured by those who did, planned, enacted or employer the activity. 

In the mind frame of social work and interning at United Way, success on a community scale is very hard to reach. The community always needs more, there is never enough money and more and more demographics of people are being missed. The big picture is the focus. Success cannot be measured in short terms. Change is a very hard thing to initiate. In my involvement with social work, i think success is any program, plan or start up that benefits some aspect of the community. It may not change statistical data on homelessness, the poverty index or battered women's shelters intake numbers, but it helps and it always is done with the best intentions. 

I think the planning portion of the leadership event judges the success the most harshly since they planned it. I think overall most things have some sort of success value. There are always things to be learned, ways to change for the future and areas for improvement. 

Repsonse to Successful Leadership

I agree with the main themes found in the book that distinguishes between successful and unsuccessful leadership. I gauge success by both the end result and the impact one has with others. How leaders interact and engage with others affects the success of the end results. Successful leaders need to take into consideration the context of the environment and the other people involved. The competency of the leader effects how they interact in specific situations and respond to the different people.

We have run into a couple bumps in our leadership project, but we have all work together to make this project exist. The end result how the project turns out will not fully determine the success of the project, but the collaboration and the individual leadership from each person. The communication with one another could have made the project unsuccessful, but we came together as a team to fix the problems that occurred.

Chapter 8

I found Sashkin and Sashkin's approach to be the most useful for transformational leadership. They focused on:

• communication
• trust
• caring
• "risk"
• self-confidence
• empowerment orientation
• vision
• organizational context

I think communication, trust, risk along with vision, and self-confidence are the more crucial points of this approach. These are the characteristics that a transformational leader requires. They also work together. Your followers need to be able to trust you as a leader. You need to communicate your vision to them, otherwise you are simply a manager. Self-confidence is a necessity if you are going to be able to inspire those around you. Nobody will believe in a leader who does not believe in him or herself. No leader will possess every beneficial characteristic. I thought these approaches incorporated a lot of good things. This approach had the best combinations of behaviors, traits, and contexts.

Ch. 8 Post- Late...

I will have to agree with Teresa's idea of what leadership trait, which is the Kotter and Heskett: How Leaders Build Culture. I am in a fraternity and we go with all 4 of the traits put on by this trait, such as changing, having a vision, communication of the vision, and people in charge to take leadership roles. Everyone needs to get along in a group and make decisions quickly, which is why you have a leader to keep the group on track. There sometimes need to be changes to be accepted. Some actions are taken after behavior and the other are taken off the traits of the leader. Transactional leadership can be difficult if the followers do not agree, but works really well if they work together well. This is why transactional leadership is a well put together leadership style.

Chapter 9: Successful or Not??

Numerous studies have been conducted to determine whether leadership is considered successful or not. Before researchers can reach a conclusion, they must determine the criteria. Because success and leadership are so complex, researchers must first narrow down what is being studied.

Chapter 9 looked at how success is defined, what is considered important, and the situation in which the leader is being evaluated.

People studying these results need to know that what might be considered successful for one leader may not work for another. The role of the leader should be taken into consideration as well. Criteria for low to middle managers won't always be the same as high level executives.

According to Leslie & Fleenor, equated successful leadership with high performance ratings from subordinates. The book said that another way of defining a successful leader is one to whom the organization is willing to give increasingly broader leadership responsibility. McCall, Lombardo, and Morrison thought successful executives are defined as those who were identified as having and living up to their potential. Success was also defined in terms of the outcomes achieved by the group/organization. The final approach was the leader's ability to bring about change in the group.

The book states that there is no best way to determine the success of a leader.

Chapter 9 outlined key themes for distinguishing between successful and unsuccessful leadership:

• Balance concern for task efficiency, human relations, and adaptive change
• Develop intrapersonal and interpersonal competence
• Engage in transformational and charismatic behaviors
• Think and act in more complex ways
• Overcome deficiencies that limit success
• Seek a wide variety of leadership experiences

Do you gauge success more by the end result or by the impact you have with those you are working with? How will you determine whether our leadership project is a success or not?

At this point in my life I define my success as a leader by the group/team's success and failures. From an athletic viewpoint, winning correlates with success and losing is failing. The reactions I get from parents of teammates reaffirms my ability to lead. I think of their complements and kind words as a bonus. I think our success with the project will be realized with the follow-up visit with the kids. We will not be able to determine the impact we make on the kids until we see them for the second time.

Chapter 8 Response

I think that transformational leadership is very interesting. I think it is a very humbling approach to leadership, seeking those traits in others and trying to cohesively collect others around a common theme. 

The approach i would pick is the Kotter and Heskett: How Leaders Build Culture. I think that in any team, organization, group, club, or any group of people, a common sense of purpose and cultural identity is a real driving factor in overall participation and performance. The four strategies used by these types of leaders are:

1. Creation of the need for change

2. Development of a direction-setting vision

3. Broad-based communication of the vision 

4. Encouraging subordinate managers to take leadership action

The main concept has defined a set of leadership actions, some of which are behaviors and others of which seem to be more like traits or characteristics of leaders. The leaders need to have an outsiders perspective, yet an insiders knowledge. 

I think the main concept is really unique and i wish more major organizations could get past themselves and see the big picture and motivate those internally to try and adapt and change to fit the overall need. A transformational leader has a very difficult task, yet if done correctly and with the right support, is a terrific approach!

Chapter 7 Response - Late sorry!

I think the great man theory is valid and outdated. I think there are certain inherent skills and personality traits that make a person more easily able to follow, more charismatic and thus followed. I think that leadership can also be taught to an extent. Obviously being leadership minors we are being taught how to be good leaders and what good leaders do. 

I am a very big believer in the situational approach to leadership. I think that every person should have their own style and secret set of strategies they use, but every situation is different and should be approached differently. I think by doing a situational approach, it sets each act apart and makes it special in a way. 

An example of my personal leadership situational approach would be when i taught Catechism classes to second graders. Being that i was in high school and closer to their age than middle age women, they treated me differently; more like a friend. I had to change my approach to be more flexible and light hearted to try to reach them at a level they can understand. Normally i am very scheduled and task oriented. Second graders do not think in such a way so in that situation i had to take my schedule and adapt it to their time frame and roll with it. 

Good leaders have their traits and know how to use them when appropriate in any given situation. 

Chapter 8-Transformational Leadership Approaches Summary

Transformational or charismatic leadership have been called the “new paradigm” of leadership. According to Burns, “a transformational leader looks for potential motives in followers, seeks to satisfy higher needs, and engages the full person of the follower. The result… is a relationship of mutual stimulation and elevation that converts followers into leaders and may convert leaders into moral agents. The book reviews eight leadership approaches that consist of: James McGregor Burns: Defining A new Paradigm, Bernard Bass: Leadership and Performance Beyond Expectations, Warren Bennis: Behavior Strategies of Exceptional Chief Executives, James Kouzes and Barry Posner: Best Leadership Behaviors, Elliot Jaques: How Leaders Develop Requisites Organizational Structures, David McClelland/Robert J. House: Leadership and Power Motivation, John Kotter and James Heskett: How leaders Build Culture, Jay Conger and Rabindra Kanungo: Charimatic Leadership Behavior, and Marshall and Molly Sashkin: The Visionary Leader-Leadership That Matters. The authors illustrate common behavioral, personal, and context competencies founded throughout the eight approaches of transactional leadership. The four behavioral aspects of leadership found in the theories consist of communicating a vision, creating empowering opportunities, and caring/showing respect for followers. The three shared personal competencies found in the approaches are vision, the power need and its expression, and self-confidence. The context of leadership is the organizational environment or the culture surrounding the leader. Understanding the culture, enables leaders to build and act based on the situation and followers.

I agree that transformational leadership is more effective than transformational leadership, because it focuses on expressing a vision and motivating followers to their full potential through behavioral, personal, and situational aspects of leadership.
Of the eight approaches, which do you think are most useful for transformational leadership? From experience, do you agree with the common competencies established in the eight approaches?

Chapter 7 Response

I think the leader’s effectiveness will be dictated by the given situation and the intelligence and experience of the leader. Situations will mediate how the leader will respond and different people will react to situations in different ways. The intelligence and experience of the leader will influence how they would respond to a situation based on their perception of the situation.

I agree with Dan and Tom that in some situations that a person normally leads needs to be the follower. People have different “fluid” intelligence, which refers to cognitive ability to deal with novelty. In new situations some leaders might not have the experience and knowledge to lead. “Crystallized” intelligence also influences how the leader will react to a situation, which refers to automatization of response that is reflective of experience and mastery. Seeing how we are going to graduate in two months and start new jobs, we cannot walk into the office and establish executive leadership. We would need to follow to learn and gain experience to understand situations. After a while we could establish leadership based on the intelligence and experience gained. This is true for the workplace and other leadership roles.

Chapter 7 Response

I think the situation dictates how a leader will react or even assert themselves. I think it is important for leaders to have the ability to adapt to different situations. One style will not work for everyone everywhere. People respond to things differently. A leader needs to observe the situation and understand how to be most effective. The answer may not always turn out to be what you think. It is quite possible that in some situations that a person who normally leads needs to be a follower.

I agree with Dan when he mentioned knowing the situation. It is more difficult to lead in a situation where you don't really know what's going on. This might be a case where one becomes a follower until they catch up to speed. We have already studied intelligence as a factor for leadership. We have recently studied that there are 2 types of intelligence. How can someone lead a group of people without knowledge in what they are leading them?

Chapter 7 Summary and Question

Chapter 7 is about the different traits that leaders have. There are two approaches to Carlyle's "great man theory" which are the trait approach and the behavior approach. The trait approach are the traits a leader has and the behavior approach is explaining how a leader acts in different situations, and also if leaders are people oriented or task oriented.

There is also explanation about how people act in different situations. Some research said it was not the characteristics or behavior of the individual, but his or her position in the flow of information that led to emergence as a leader. Another study said the main rationale for this finding appears to be that the more eye contact a person has with others and the more controls he or she has of the situation, the more likely it is that he or she will be identified as a leader.

There is also the contingency model, which shows different traits of how people are leaders and how they go about doing this. Most of the theories and models in this approach consider the situation the leader is and describes his or her characteristics as a leader.

Seeing that these contingencies have to do with the situation and how you use your leadership skills, do you agree with this statement and if so explain why, and maybe provide an example. I do believe this is a true statement because if you know what you are doing in a situation, then you will have better leadership skills and will express them better than someone who is not familiarized with this situation. An example of this is if you are starting a new job you will not be a good leader because you will just be learning the technique of doing this job well. When I was younger, I used to be in Boy Scouts, and when I first joined, I was just learning what I had to do. When I became older in the group, I would help out and teach the younger scouts at becoming better scouts and show them what to do. That is why the situation depends on your leadership skills.

Thomas' Thoughts on Ch. 6 by: Thomas

I have come to understand my own schema through my surroundings growing up. Just like everyone else, my parents were very influential. They molded the way I live my life. There have been a couple of family friends who I have sought advice from. Throughout the years, I have had numerous coaches. There have only been a few special ones that have impacted me on a level outside of athletics. They taught me things about life and simply used sports as a means to an end. My friends have also influenced me greatly.

One phrase I constantly use is, "Life is about developing relationships." They are not all good. I have learned more from bad experiences and enemies than people I get along with. I also believe strongly in learning from mistakes.

I like to people watch. I learn from others all the time. I like observing how people do things, and why they do them. I take my observations of others-whether good or bad, and apply them to my life. Sometimes it's a trick or phrase, other times I see how I would not want to act in certain situations.

My schema has developed as combination of two things:

• direct learning from those whose opinions I really cherish and respect
• silently observing others

I think high school is childish and simply the gateway to college or the rest of your life. Looking back, I think of how many times I went against my morals or beliefs simply to fit in. I also think people need that 4 year experience to help them determine what they want to or don't want to become.

Now that I am in college I feel like I can be myself.

A common theme I have found running through college kids is how much more accepting they are of others when they get to college (just as Dan stated). If we are more accepting of others, and stand up for what we believe in, it is much easier to impact others. Also, higher institutions of education have less people who are naive or close-minded.

I use my competitive drive as a means to influence change. I don't think I am going to change the world, but I do think I can change a few lives. Also, by simply shutting your mouth and opening your eyes and ears, you would be amazed at what you can learn. The only chance I have for change is that those who listen/pay attention take to heart what I have to offer.

Chater 6 Response

Schema is defined as the basic building blocks of knowledge to be the symbols or categories that are stored in long-term memory. People are affected by their environment around them and how they interact with people. Also how the person’s experiences are in effect for how their leadership will be interpreted. If they are in an unfamiliar place they might be shy and not be able to show their leadership skills well enough.
I also agree when the book says, “leadership is not simply the result of possessing knowledge; instead situations must be perceived, and these situational perceptions must be related to knowledge structures.” I have been through a lot of situations during college where I can examine myself and see how my leadership skills have developed. I have grown over the years from different people in my life by observing them and developing my own leadership skills and morals. My friends and parents have helped me put this all together and make me an all around person with going to a liberal arts college.
I have done many assessments during my college career to show what characteristics of leadership I have and use them in different situations. During different activities in college, such as my fraternity, living with others, and working on campus, I can use these different skills in different situations in life and for my future. My schema has been shaped since freshman year, where I have changed my morals of accepting everyone in every situation I encounter, which I learned from friends and family. My friends taught me to accept everyone for who they were and not be so judgmental, which I was during high school and my earlier years before college. This might make me naïve because I cannot trust everyone I meet. I have also learned how to put these skills into different situations in school.

Response to Chapter 6 Information Processing and Leadership

According to the text, a schema can be identified as “the basic building blocks of knowledge to the symbols and categories that are stored in long-term memory.” Theses categories are used to interpret and adapt to surroundings in a given situation based on personal experiences. The information processing and leadership takes into consideration that the schemata of the leader and subordinates are different. The environment can also have a positive or negative affect on how the leadership is interpreted by the leader and the followers.

I agree with the fact that “leadership is not simply the result of possessing knowledge; instead situations must be perceived, and these situational perceptions must be related to knowledge structures.” As a leadership minor and a college student, I have reflected on my own person schema (the source of my behaviors). My personal schema has been developed and influenced by my parents, teachers, advisors, sports, and activities I have participated in throughout my life. My studies at St. Norbert College within my major and minor course I have learned essential information to be better leader in my desired workplace. My behaviors are influenced by obtained knowledge, experiences, environment, and interpretation of others in a given situation.

I agree with Teresa that throughout my college career I have done a variety of self assessments, and from experiences I have learned how to communicate, understand information, and how to teach others. Through various experiences with social groups, roommates, and on-campus involvement I have an understanding on how I behave or react in a given situation. My schema has been shaped in a significant way since freshmen year. I use to be more timid in situations, where the environment was perceived to be negative or unfamiliar. Now, I approach these situations with a positive attitude and confidence, because I have the knowledge and experience to embrace more leadership roles.

Information Processing and Leadership Chapter 6

Like many other leadership studies, this chapter focuses on how leadership works. There are many traits that correspond with leadership, and as minors i think we have beaten these traits to death at this point. We all get that leaders have certain traits that distinguish them as leaders. This chapter takes those traits various leaders possesses and turns them into action. The action of a leader is dependent on those actions of the followers. This chapter claims that leadership is, "a social process, one involving both a leader and a follower. Leadership is the investigation of how one individual, labeled a leader, influences a second individual or group, labeled the follower. 

The process to get things flowing between said leader and the followers are information sharing. This is a process in understanding the schema of the leader and that of the followers. Schema for the leader are the source of one's own behavior, and for the follower, the schema are the standards against which these behaviors are compared. This chapter centers in on many studies done on leadership methods and management styles and how people respond to leaders. How does a leader get things done? In many corporate jobs i would imagine, and with the economy, fear drives people to do quality work assigned by their leader (manager, boss etc). I think passion has been a long standing means to make change. It is with the given information that leaders can understand their environment, their audience and their aim. Over the course of my college career, i have done many self assessments, and analysis of me and how i obtain information, give it out, communicate and what makes me tick. Those are essential in order to properly understand ones own influence and then taken a step further in understanding those subordinate to a position of leadership. 

The question part of this blog that i will post is in relation to ones schema. All of us are leadership minors and have had and still have roles of leadership. We are those with the ability to influence, the mind to challenge, and the will to change. How do we come to understand our own schema (the source of ones own behaviors)? In a college setting how do we use our schemas to influence change?

I can say in my life, my behavior and schema has been partly from my upbringing and my education through my parents. Seeing how they behave and generally learning right from wrong. College has taught me the kind of person i want to be, and shaped my behavior around gathering traits and qualities that give me the step in becoming a competent, passionate, dedicated and well rounded person. My schema is shown in how i interact with my friends. The devotion i have to my education and the hopefully positive nature i give off. My schema is shaped through years of observation and assessment on the behaviors i want to portray. 

Personal Influence as Leadership

I think there are many traits that define a leader. Obviously many of the individuals discussed in conversations of leadership have been known and credited with many influential roles and ideas on how to lead. 

I think a leader needs to be influential, honest, steadfast, eager, positive and encouraging. They need to know how to engage a group and rally support. I don't know if i think a leader always needs to go against what everyone thinks. I think the group variance needs to be broad enough as to not result in groupthink. 

First and foremost i would say my parents are leaders in my life. I did not want to be too cliche, but i would like to put my boyfriend up as a leader in my life. He is one of the most honest, encouraging, encompassing people i have ever met. We are very opposite in many ways, but his approach to people, work, goals and integrity are something to be admired. When people say that they know someone better than they know themselves, i honesty think this is true in our case. There have been so many times where my eyes have been opened to new thoughts, methods and mind frames on how to approach life. He forces me to be an open and honest person. I think those qualities and expectations he has for me, make me a better leader. I want to try and replicate those skills to use in my interactions with people. I am a very scheduled person, he isn't. I am all over the place. He helps keep me balanced. Things like that are crucial in leadership and his influence has shown me how to be more flexible in leadership, but also about understanding myself and my capabilities.  

Chater 5 Response

I'll have to agree with some of Lao-tzu's traits of a wise leader. I think they should be hardworking, honest, able to time the appropriateness of actions, and fair in handling conflict. First, they must be hardworking because no one will follow you if work hard and get events in control of the group. Next, they must be honest with the group because they cannot be lying to them or if something is going wrong in the group, they must tell the group and make them do it over so it is right that time. They need to be able to make the right calls sometimes. Lastly, they need to be fair and listen to each person's ideas and not go along with what everyone thinks.

I do not agree that the leader needs to be totally selfless. This goes along with the being fair when handling a conflict and listening to everyone's ideas. They need to be able to get along and the leader is the one who is to make the right decision. I am against being overpowering because the leader needs to consider of every person's say in the group, but should be the one who makes the final decisions, and gets the meetings going again so there is not arguments taking up people's time. They need to have a set schedule of the meeting like an agenda, so they can have a checklist of what needs to be done.

I would have to say my parents are like this. They have told me to work hard at school, and if I do that it will pay off in the long run. They has also told me things that have happened to them when they my age and we talk about that. They are honest, fair and care about me me a lot. I always know they are empowering over me because they can do whatever they want to keep my life safe and the best, and they know it is best for me. My dad and I talk about my future, like what I am going to do with a career, what goals I need to set up, tells me my weaknesses, which I know he is just telling me these so I can work on them and do my best. He also helps people all the time, like my neighbor or my grandparents because he cares about them a lot, which is a good trait he has, and teaches me to do the same by helping people and caring for them, like how I usually call my grandparents every week to see how they are doing. This makes them and me feel good because I am caring and understanding.

I agree with some of Lao-tzu's leadership characteristics. I think a wise leader should be hardworking, honest, and able to time the appropriateness of their actions. If a leader does not work hard, how can they expect their followers to work hard? Honesty is essential. If you are not honest as a leader, you cannot be trusted. Lastly, there are times when tough calls need to be made. I am more cautious when he mentions being fair in handling conflict, and being selfless. A wise leaders should be selfless but only to a certain extent. A leader needs to take into consideration the people they are leading. A good, trusting relationship needs to be developed between leader and followers. However, constantly putting others first might create problems for finishing one's own work. When handling conflict, I agree with Lao-tzu in that it should be handled fair- but fair for who? This part needs to be worded more carefully. Leadership is not always the easiest thing to do, and there are times hard decisions need to be made. Sometimes people will be upset and angry with you. You cannot play devil's advocate all the time.

Throughout the years, I have had numerous "heart-to-heart," talks with my dad. He would call it "tough love." There have been occasions when I thought he was not being fair; but he was acting in my best interest. It was not always what I wanted to hear or do, but it was the right thing to do. Both of my parents empower, are honest, fair, think, and put both my sister and I first. They love us dearly and I love them dearly. I am choosing my father from a professional standpoint. We talk business and about my future. I trust my dad's professional opinion and he is always straight with me. He tells me what I need to do, what I need to work on, and how I can reach my goals. He informs me of my weaknesses. It is hard to swallow criticism- I think that is human nature. He lets me know about these things now so I can work on them and correct them for the future. He has helped me break/change some of my habits that detracted from my productivity in the classroom. We talk about mistakes he has made in the past and what he has learned from them. One of his strong suites is networking. I feel like he knows everyone on earth. He is very proud of my sister and I that he brings us up to other people and always wants us to meet new people. My father works extremely hard for others. He does this not only to support the family, but he knows that others will turn around and help him out if the need arises.

Chapter 5 Response

I agree with some of the leadership traits described in Lao-tzu’s from the text. Hardworking, honest, able to time the appropriateness of actions, fair in handling conflict are among the leadership traits that I agree with. From experience, hard work and devotion has been vital in good leadership, because hard work enables people to succeed in what they are trying to accomplish. Honesty plays an important role because a person needs to be true with themselves and others to be an effective leader. I agree with Shelly when an honest opinion can be difficult, especially when going against a popular opinion. Honest opinions need to be stated though when trying to accomplish change. Able to time the appropriateness of actions I believe comes from a person’s experience and how to manage a given situation. Theses actions stem from background and experiences that I believe by experimenting and learning overtime will develop in personal leadership. Dealing with conflict goes along with appropriateness of action, because given certain situation fairness needs to be understood for good leadership.

I do not completely agree with the traits of being selfless and able to ‘empower others.’ Leaders should have an agenda for the goals they are trying to accomplish, which means they cannot be solely concerned with others. From my experience, a leader needs to provide a certain degree of belong for the followers, but also focuses at the tasks at hand. Along selfless, I do not agree with the word ‘empower’ in the description given. The word empower should be replaced with motivate. The ability to motivate people allows leaders to succeed, because people are encouraged to accomplish goals, whereas ‘empower’ demands accomplishments through force.

My advisor at St. Norbert College has motivated me, been honest with me, and fair to me. I have developed my personal leadership skill through his courses and discussions with him. I have been motivated to do the best I can in college and how to be successful in my college career. Honesty has helped me realizes my strengths and weaknesses, even though hearing weaknesses might have been difficult at times. I was able to learn from my weakness that improved my academic career. Honesty and fairness from my advisor encouraged me to study abroad and has shaped my college career.

Chapter 5

"The wise leader, according to Lao-tzu, was to be selfless, hardworking, honest, able to time the appropriateness of actions, fair in handling conflict, and able to 'empower' others (to use a more current vernacular)." p. 101 of the text.

I wanted to write more about the quote from our text. I completely agree with Lao-tzu's description, although I might slightly disagree with selfless. I think that great leaders think of others first, but I don't think a leader should be completely selfless. I think you need to take care of yourself in order to help care for others. Okay....so, I have one disagreement and a minor one at that. But, overall, I think leaders think of others first when it comes to making decisions, group tasks, etc. Hardworking - I think we all work hard at our SNC career and that makes us better leaders. I believe it's important to be honest, even when your honest opinion is not going to popular with those around you. This is sometimes very difficult, but it's important to honest to everyone....including yourself. The ability to time the appropriateness of actions - this is an interesting quality and I'm not sure how you learn to do such a thing. But, some people truly have a talent for knowing the right time to say or do something for maximum effect. Coming from a background of having been an RA and a hall director, I can't say enough about needing to be fair in handling conflict. There is nothing like a building full of roommate conflicts to make you understand how important it is to be fair to everyone. And, the ability to empower others...do you remember some of the people who have empowered you? When you are working with leaders that empower you, it is a truly great feeling. I love that feeling! It really makes you feel powerful to know that you have the complete trust of the "person in charge" and are able to do what you think you need to do.

So, who are the leaders I think of as I talk through these ideas? Martin Luther King, Jr.? Ghandi? Mother Theresa? No....although these words may describe those people. This quote makes me think of people who have personally touched my life. They make me think of my mother, brother and sister. I think of former supervisors, friends, faculty members. The beauty of Lao-tzu's quote is that it makes me think of people I know, people who have helped me become a better person.

Think about those people who have empowered you, been honest with you, fair to you and thought of you first. Pick one and tell me a little about him or her and a situation where these kinds of things happened.