Short post - 1 pageBackground:Students will identify their OM approach by studying the history of OM. Chapter 1 discusses the impacts of the Industrial Revolution and the development of scientific man

Forum Assignment for the Week: 250 Words minimum
For this week's Forum, respond to the following:   

This forum is designed to engage us in a discussion involving a comparison between Kouzes and Posner's Leadership Practices and Senge's Five disciplines .  Support your assertions with scholarly source material.

Examine the document showing the table of comparisons and answer the following:

1. In what ways are the two sources suggestive of similar theoretical concepts and/or presentation?

2. How are they different?

3. What are your conclusions about the thinking of these leadership scholars as expressed in the table and with regard to additional sources you may elect to include in your discussion.

***Your post must also end with a "Question to the Class" - something related to the topic that you found thought-provoking and about which you'd like to know more and have further dialog. ***

No sources or citations required

General Instructions Applicable to All Forums:

 To receive 100% as a grade (the exemplary level) for the weekly forums, you should ensure that your responses meet the following criterion:

Critical Analysis - Discussion postings display an excellent understanding of the required readings and underlying concepts including correct use of terminology. Postings are made in time for others to read and respond as well as deliver information that is full of thought, insight, and analysis. The information presented makes connection to previous or current content or to real-life situations, and must contain rich and fully developed new ideas, connections, or applications. (It is important that you integrate the weekly readings in your response. One way to do that is to make position statements, then discuss supporting evidence (i.e. research and/or personal experience).
 

Professional Communication and Etiquette - Written interactions in the Forum show respect and sensitivity to peers' background and beliefs (Regardless of the position you are taking, please ensure that your participation comments are respectful to your peers’ background and beliefs).

Writing Skills - Written responses are free of grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors.  The style of writing facilitates communication. (Make sure your work is free of errors.  If there are any errors as outlined above, you will not receive 100% for the forum). 

This week’s lecture notes cover three main topics:

• Values

• Leadership credibility and self-awareness

• Set the example

Values

Most organizations have core values, and all employees are expected to uphold these values.  Leaders must remind all the basic principles and values upon which the organization was founded.  Core values are the foundation of an organization, and they rarely change.  It is a leader’s inherent responsibility to unite their followers with a corporate vision, core values, and measurable goals to harness their unconditional support.    A leader must set clear and fundamental values that move their followers.  Per Kouzes and Posner (2007), “values serve as guides to action, values are empowering, and values motivate” (p.53). An organization without values, standards, mission, vision or goals is like a tree without roots.  These components are vital to organizational survival, growth, and prosperity.  More important, an organization without values and standards at the core of their existence will ultimately achieve the self-fulfilling prophecy of organizational quagmire, discontentment, and a decrease in productivity.  Bennis (2003) stated that leadership without values, commitment, and conviction could only be inhumane and harmful.  Goleman, Boyatzis, and McKee (2002) described a dissonance organization as when people show up for work in body only, day after day, but they leave their hearts and souls elsewhere.  Values, standards, and goals are what drive the organization and its people.  Kouzes and Posner stated, “shared values make a significant positive difference in work attitudes and performance” (p. 63).  Effective leaders understand that the organization and its people are inseparable.  People are the strategic link, intellectual property, and heartbeat of the organization.  They develop and execute critical processes, protocols, and procedures to propel the organization to the next dimension of excellence and greatness.  Values, standards, and goals are what drive an organization and their people to achieve greatness, today and tomorrow.   

Leadership credibility and self-awareness

Credibility is crucial to be an effective leader and it demonstrates strong character.  “Credibility is the foundation of leadership” (Kouzes & Posner, 2007, p.37).  Many leadership experts believe that you can’t lead without credibility.  The people must respect and trust their leader to willingly follow.  To gain respect and trust from others, you must first respect and trust yourself.  A leadership assessment is useful to determine the level of respect and trust the people have in their leader.  However, you must be objective and open to feedback.  You must learn to control your emotions when soliciting feedback from others.  Authentic leadership assessments generate a vision, growth, and improvement.  Time spent conducting self-assessments can add major dividends to an organization’s success.  Leadership assessments can provide insight to leaders on how others perceive their performance and overall leadership abilities.  How you see yourself and how others see you as a leader can be different.  An assessment that provides immediate feedback to the leader is a good method to use to manage or avoid negative perceptions and implement change.  Kouzes and Posner discussed an assessment method called “Do a personal audit,” which is done by recording your actions or have the audit done by others.  Regardless of the assessment method or tool used, it is imperative that it is authentic, effective, and used consistently to achieve greatness within yourself and your organization.  Feedback from others can positively identify leaders’ strengths and areas that could be improved or further developed.  The feedback assessment process can increase self-awareness and it is extremely important to know yourself to become a better leader.  Goleman et al. (2002) described self-awareness as one of the dimensions of an emotional intelligence leader.  They defined self-awareness as having a deep understanding of your emotions, strengths, limitations, values, and motives.  Further, they stated that self-aware leaders are realistic and they understand their values, goals, and dreams.  Lack of self-awareness can affect a leader’s decision making, credibility, and vision.  Leadership assessments open the pathway for opportunities to achieve greatness.  Leaders should not be intimidated or afraid of feedback, instead, embrace it, learn from it, and grow into the leader you were meant to be.      

Set the example

A leader's affluence and example ratified in the hearts and minds of followers validate true leadership.  Leadership by example is one of the best ways to influence others to follow.  Followers must buy into the leader before they truly buy into the vision.  Leadership by example can never be taken for granted and should be assessed daily.  Leadership by example is the blueprint for excellence.  A leader must be a positive role model and set the example in all things always.  The model you set will be the blueprint you craft for others to follow.  As a leader, you must know yourself, know your job inside and out, know your followers, know your organization, and then seek to expand your boundaries. Kouzes and Posner (2007) identifies “modeling the way” as one of the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership. They stated that exemplary leaders must be models of the behavior expected of others to gain commitment to excellence.  Leaders are transparent and people assess them by the congruence of what they say and do.  Leaders define the value of their example by what they repeatedly do.  Therefore, when demonstrating leadership by example, leaders’ audio and video must be consistent.  Followers are always vigilantly watching their leaders’ actions to see if they are congruent with their verbal messages.  “Setting the example is all about execution” (Kouzes and Posner, p. 75).   Leaders’ actions are the key factor for the success of any organization.  Therefore, leaders must serve as positive role models and consistently demonstrate the highest moral standards of conduct and professionalism regardless of the situation.  Leaders are always on display for the world to see. 

References

Bennis, W. (2003).  On becoming a leader.  New York:  Perseus Publishing.

Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R. & McKee, A. (2002).  Primal leadership:  Realizing the power of emotional intelligence.  Boston:  Harvard Business School Press.

Kouzes, J. M. & Posner, B. Z. (2007).  The leadership challenge (4th ed.).  Hoboken, NJ:  John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

Readings:

Allen, M., Carpenter, C., Dydak, T., & Harkins, K. (2016). An interpersonal project leadership model. Journal of Information Technology and Economic Development, 7(2), 24-39.

Caldwell, C., Dixon, R. D., Floyd, L. A., Chaudoin, J., Post, J., & Cheokas, G. (2012). Transformative leadership: Achieving unparalleled excellence. Journal of Business Ethics, 109(2), 175-187

Garg, S., & Jain, S. (2013). Mapping leadership styles of public and private sector leaders using Blake and Mouton leadership model. Drishtikon : A Management Journal, 4(1), 48-64.

Mendez, M. J., Howell, J. P., & Bishop, J. W. (2015). Beyond the unidimensional collective leadership model. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 36(6), 675-696.

Segon, M., & Booth, C. (2015). Virtue: The missing ethics element in emotional intelligence. Journal of Business Ethics, 128(4), 789-802.

Seemiller, C., & Murray, T. (2013). The Common Language of Leadership. Journal of Leadership Studies, 7(1), 33-45. 

Xu, F., Caldwell, C., Glasper, K., & Guevara, L. (2015). Leadership roles and transformative duties - preliminary research. The Journal of Management Development, 34(9), 1061-1072.

The purpose of this paper is to present empirical evidence about the roles of leaders and how those roles mesh with transformative leadership as a new theory of ethical stewardship. 

Dr. Woody. (2011, March 7). Why personality matters in the workplace [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2011/03/07/personality-matters/