Barbara Nast, Advanced Diploma in Human Resource Management (ADVHRM) - Internship Option 2010

PRLog (Press Release) - Mar 03, 2010 -
Commencing Spring 2010, Barbara (Bobbie) is seeking a challenging HR internship opportunity within the Greater Victoria Region.  


Articulation of Effective Leadership - Final Assignment Fall 2009

Introduction

In this paper I will address some basic leadership elements that I consider vital to the achievement of effective leadership. These leadership components are: leadership and influence, spirituality, emotional intelligence and self-awareness, and servant leadership and followership. While many other crucial factors inform effective leadership, these elements alone form a powerful foundation upon which effective and influential leadership can be achieved.

Leadership and Influence

Leadership is defined in our textbook as “the influencing process of leaders and followers to achieve organizational objectives through change.” (Lussier & Achua, 2008) The ability to influence others is fundamental to effective leadership. But what, exactly, is “influence” and how does one effect it? Influence is defined as “the process of a leader communicating ideas, gaining acceptance of them, and motivating followers to support and implement the ideas through change.” (Lussier & Achua, 2008) Influence is the most vital of the five key elements of leadership and it has enormous impact on the remaining four, i.e., leader-follower, organizational objectives, change, and people. (Lussier & Achua, 2008) To be an effective leader, one simply must have the ability to influence.

Spirituality

I believe that spirituality lies behind the very best effective leadership. According to Danah Zohar, “SQ, our spiritual intelligence quotient, underpins IQ and EQ. Spiritual intelligence is an ability to access higher meanings, values, abiding purposes, and unconscious aspects of the self and to embed these meanings, values, and purposes in living a richer and more creative life. Signs of high SQ include an ability to think out of the box, humility, and an access to energies that come from something beyond the ego, beyond just me and my day-to-day concerns. SQ is the ultimate intelligence of the visionary leader.” (Zohar, 2005)
Though intangible by nature, the impact and affects of spirituality are irrefutable. It is through spirituality that the effective leader is connected in relationship to something greater, grander, and beyond his or her self. It is the platform from which springs the leader’s sense of identity. Spirituality informs the leader’s sense of personal wellbeing and security, and therefore influences his/her internal locus of control. (Lussier & Achua, 2008) Spirituality allows the effective leader to step out from his/her pre-existing internal conflicts, as it invites the nonthreatening critical analysis of self, and welcomes the constructive feedback of others. Spirituality informs the leader’s personal values and therefore helps to distill his/her sense of purpose. With these intact, the effective leader can more successfully navigate conflict and change. Finally, the leader also realizes the resolve to act with authenticity at all times, and to persevere at all costs.

Emotional Intelligence & Self-Awareness

“The mastery of the art of leadership comes with the mastery of the self. Ultimately, leadership development is a process of self-development.” - Kouzes & Posner
~~~
“What distinguishes truly great leaders from those who are just mediocre is their level of Emotional Intelligence.” - Daniel Goleman
~~~
I believe that effective leadership necessarily begins with the person of the leader. Emotional intelligence (EQ) is a part of intelligence - one of the nine traits of effective leaders. (Lussier & Achua, 2008) Self-awareness is one of the four aspects of emotional intelligence, and it is key to the successful execution of the other three aspects described, i.e., social awareness, self-management, and relationship management. (Lussier & Achua, 2008) To achieve better self-awareness, the effective leader has consented to be vulnerable. He/she has ventured through Johari’s Window and fully explored the aspects of self that he proposed, i.e., the open, the hidden, the blind, and the unknown. (Lussier & Achua, 2008)
Self-awareness incorporates knowledge of our individual traits and personality, as outlined in the “Big 5 Model of Personality.” (Lussier & Achua, 2008) Such self-knowledge is vital, because it is the leader’s personality that informs his/her perceptions and attitudes; which, in turn, affect the leader’s behaviour. (Lussier & Achua, 2008) Because the effective leader has transcended ego, he/she can readily assume the role of follower, and thereby advance the interests of teammates, the organization, and the objectives the organization seeks to achieve. Self-awareness is therefore crucial to effective leadership, because it directly impacts the leader’s ability to lead.
Emotional intelligence enables the effective leader to reduce barriers to communication, i.e., filters. (Lussier & Achua, 2008) Mastery of self allows the leader to better practice active listening skills, as outlined in our textbook. (Lussier & Achua, 2008) Through the incorporation of active listening skills and maintaining a clear communications feedback loop (Lussier & Achua, 2008,) effective leaders know that they can better understand, influence, and motivate others. Finally, mastery of self incorporates room for attunement to one’s intuition.
~~~
“One of our greatest gifts is our intuition. It is a sixth sense we all have – we just need to learn to tap into and trust it.” – Donna Karan.

Servant Leadership & Followership

Servant Leadership is defined as: “leadership that transcends self-interest to serve the needs of others by helping them to grow professionally and personally, with an emphasis on patience, kindness, humility, respectfulness, honesty, and commitment.” (Lussier & Achua, 2008) While there are many superlative leadership styles, I selected servant leadership as my focus because of the characteristics it contains. These characteristics areas: listening, empathy, healing, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment, awareness, persuasion, and building community. (Lussier & Achua, 2008)
When once the effective leader achieves the multitudinous benefits of spirituality, and emotional intelligence and self-awareness, he/she can’t help but be compelled to demonstrate these characteristics. The effective leader feels a deep sense of responsibility and stewardship, and is motivated to use his/her knowledge, skills, and abilities (Dessler, et al. 2007) for the benefit and advancement of persons and causes beyond his or her self. Utilizing effective followership (Lussier & Achua, 2008,) the effective leader strives to affirm and mentor others; firstly, towards a recognition of their own unique talents and abilities, and, secondly, to the actualization of their own leadership potential.

Conclusion

Effective leadership is a process. Leadership is a journey, and the effective leader is the traveler. Spirituality is the inner compass, and emotional intelligence and self-awareness align the leader-traveler to “true north.” The ten characteristics of servant leadership provide the map by which the effective leader can trace and assess his/her progress. Influence is an indicator of likely success. And, finally, the arising of new leaders who are eager to embark on this selfsame journey is proof that, indeed, the destination has been accomplished, and the purpose, achieved.

Bibliography

Reference Sources:

Camosun College School of Business, BUS 214 Leadership Skills, In-class resources, including PPTs

Dessler, Gary, et al. Management of Human Resources-In-Class Edition, 2nd Canadian Edition. Toronto: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2007. Print.

Lussier & Achua, Leadership Third Edition, Scarborough: Thomson Nelson, 2008. Print.

Zohar, Danah. "Spiritually Intelligent Leadership" Leader to Leader. 38 (Fall 2005): 45-51.