A633.1.2.Leadership Gap_Reyes,Cassandra

Chapter 1 of the Obolensky text begins with a reflective exercise. Create a reflection blog that responds to the questions asked in this exercise.

Additionally, while we live in a world with more information about leadership and leadership practices why is it that we have an apparent gap in the quality of our leaders and how do you think we can close this gap?

            Leadership appears to have shifted the last few years for a number of reasons. Everything from culture, technology, age and everything in between has allowed for traditional leadership strategies to switch gears and become more flat in structure. Because of this, adaptation in leadership skills, trends and tactical approach has become imperative in the success of any organization whose business is looking to thrive in complex or chaotic business settings.

            As a follower of great leaders, as well as being a leader myself I feel as though my attitude towards leaders has changed over time. I think this may have something to do with the change in times as well as becoming older and experiencing certain things for myself. When I was younger I did what I was told with no question. My parents raised me to be respectful of adults and do what was asked of me. This trend in leadership lasted for a few years. That is until I reached adolescence. Once I became old enough to think for myself, I was questioning everything and everyone around me. I wasn’t deliberately trying to be rude or disrespectful but I quickly started to have an opinion on things and wanted that opinion and my thoughts and suggestions to be respected in the same way I was being told to respect others.

            Unfortunately, things didn’t really work like that. If I questioned what I was supposed to do or didn’t do what I was told, I was informed that I was being impolite or bad mannered. I was confused, why was it that I was to follow instructions as they were given or reap the consequences of my disobedience, but it appeared that no one seemed to care what I thought or felt about things. I learned very early on that leadership was something that differed from culture to culture, age group to group and wasn’t something that could be established as static across the board. I guess this is one of the reason’s I enjoyed management early on in my working life. It was interesting to see who could do what they were told, who would do what they were told and those who seemed to try their very best to let everyone know that they were their own leader and following was not an option on their agenda.

            There are a few reasons why leadership has changed over the years. As the text states “we hold our leaders to account more now than we have done. In the past we assumed they were more capable than us and therefore we were happy to follow. However with the fast pace of change, the older generation has been left behind more than ever before” (Obolensky 2010 pg 4). With the younger generation having the ability to research information and manage and maintain leadership roles at a younger age, respect amongst older generation leaders is sometimes challenged and can cause conflict in both personal and business settings.

            The change in leadership can be attributed to a number of existing and continuously changing reasoning. Leadership has shifted over time from a top down management to a more participative leadership style. Rules and orders have been replaced with “individualized thinking and individual ownership over tasks” (Evolution of leadership). Authorative leadership has transitioned into participative leadership which has offered a more central decision making process, flexible environment and collaborative managers.

            The world today is more complex in nature and requires the ability of managers and leaders to be adaptable to the fast changing, uncertain environments that many businesses experience. “Knowledge and wisdom are becoming wider spread and this needs leadership needs to be more dynamic and honest” (Obolensky 2010 pg 6). Leaders these days need to be more in tune with their surroundings changes and flexible in their leadership styles. While the attitudes of authority and leadership may have changed over the years, I think it is important to remember that leadership styles of all sorts are beneficial in a variety of organizational structures. The leadership type and style should reflect the organizations configuration in order to ensure its short and long term success.

 Cassandra R.

References

The Evolution of Leadership. (n.d.). Mind Resources Institute of Learning and Innovation,2(2),9.

Retrieved from http://www.mindresources.net/web/institutejournal5/Article2.pdf

Obolensky, N. (2010). Complex adaptive leadership. (1st edition.). London, UK: Gower/Ashgate

A632.9.3.RB_Role of Emotion in Decision Making_Reyes,Cassandra

The first story occurred when there had been a lot of turnover in my department the last few months. The last few employees we had just did not seem to be able to perform up to the standards we needed them to. It was frustrating as we were desperately trying to full all of the positions in our department and as one employee would come in another would leave. We needed a dedicated team and we needed one fast. On his third round of interviews my boss asked for me to take part in the interview process. I was shocked as I had never been asked this before but a bit happy as I would finally have some say in who may be hired. My boss narrowed his choices down and asked that I have a mini interview with the final two choices.

            I got some questions together to ask the potential new hires. I had an idea of the types of questions my boss was asking so I wanted to be sure to go a totally different route. I put together some questions that had to do with teamwork and group conflict and other things that had come up in the past. How these two interviewees answered these questions was extremely important to me and I would make my decisions based off of what they told me. I wanted to be sure I asked what I needed to know but also give them a fair chance as this was a phone interview and I knew my opinion was important to my boss.

            The next day I went ahead and called the two individuals. I did my best to make them comfortable and informed them that I would be asking them a variety of questions. The interviews seemed to go ok but throughout the time I was on the phone with both of them I did not feel as though they would be right for our team dynamic. Team dynamic had been a major issue in the past and it was imperative we got it right this time. I ended my calls and reviewed my notes. While I had made some good notes on each of them, I didn’t have a great feeling on who to choose. I didn’t know what to tell my boss. He was counting on me to give him my final choice but I just didn’t feel as though any of the two were a right fit for our team or department.

            The day after the interviews my boss called me into his office. I was confused as to what to tell him and scared to what he might say if I told him how I really felt. I decided that it was in my best interest to be honest with him and to tell him what I truly thought. If he valued my decision then I believed that he would value my honesty. I was confident that if I just gave him an honest answer he would appreciate it and we could move forward. I informed my boss that I had done the interviews and told him that I wasn’t sure either of the two would be right for our department. He looked at me and smiled. “I thought you might say that” he said. My boss went on to tell me that those were the best choices that the management team had to choose from and they were also on the edge of whether or not they were right for the department. They figured if they had asked me to interview them then they could get a final choice according to how I had felt.

            I was relieved! Being honest had been the best choice and we were all on the same page. While we didn’t hire either of the two individuals, my management team thought it would be best to continue doing interviews until the right individual came along. We waited a few more months, completed another few rounds of individuals and finally found the right person. She is currently in training and appears to be a great fit for the team so far. While we could have all chosen someone from the final two individuals, it would not have been very beneficial to the team. The management team and I are happy we waited it out and hired the right person for the job.

            The second story occurred when I found out I was pregnant with my first child. While the pregnancy was little unexpected, my husband was thrilled. He had always loved children as he had grown up in a large family where they all were very close. I was happy but very very afraid. I had grown up in a very small family and none of us really got along. My mother and I had a volatile relationship and it was rare when we would get along for extended periods of time. I was scared to have a child because I wasn’t sure what kind of mother I would be. I never wanted to have the same type of relationship I had with my mother with my children. When you become pregnant almost everyone asks what you would prefer to have. The truth was it didn’t matter whether it was a boy or girl. I just wanted them to be healthy. However, when I really sat back and thought about it, I thought to myself that I wanted a boy. I knew my reasoning wasn’t logical. Just because I had a boy didn’t mean my relationship with him would be great just because he wasn’t a girl, but I couldn’t help the thought considering me and my mother’s relationship.

            When my husband and I found out we were having a girl I was elated but then the fear of my future relationship with my daughter was all I could think about. What if she didn’t love me? What if she loved her father more? What if I wasn’t a good mother? Question after question rang through my head for months. When the time came to give birth, I was more than ready to become a mommy. I was excited and while I was still apprehensive on my new duties as a mother, I was ready to give everything I possibly could to my daughter. When I saw her for the first time I knew this relationship could be different. It was as if I had been given another chance at perfecting another mother daughter relationship and I was up for the challenge.

            My daughter is now almost nine months old and while I was not very confident in becoming a mother at first I feel as though this is a journey that was made for me. I feel as though my daughter is my best friend. There have been days when I am feeling down and she looks at me and smiles as if to tell me everything is going to be ok. She is my best friend and she doesn’t even know it. I can only hope that when she gets older our relationship can blossom into something promising and wonderful. I know there will be times when it may be difficult as she grows up but I feel as though if we try really hard, we can get through the journey together.

Cassandra R.

           

           

A632..8.3. Reflections on the Cynefin framework_Reyes,Cassandra

Create a reflection blog based on critically thinking about how the Cynefin Framework can benefit your decision-making. Consider the chart on page 7 of the HBR article "A Leader's Framework for Decision Making" and discuss decision-making in multiple contexts; include two specific examples of decisions in multiple contexts that you have made. Detail the considerations from the various contexts that influenced your decision. Critically assess the Cynefin Framework and describe 5 ways it can provide an improved context for decision making.

            The importance of decisions these days relies on the ability of leaders to not just view the problems or situations that may occur but be able to assess how to effectively deal with the situations with stride and make decisions that are efficient and substantial. Without the ability to effectively maneuver through the obstacles of problematic decision making, leaders would be unable to shift their management styles to the necessary context in order to make the decisions that are flexible and adaptable.

            One day while at work, I received a phone call from a student who was livid. As I picked up the call I wasn’t even sure who I was speaking with as the student refused to provide me with his information but instead nailed all his anger into me as if I was the one who had deliberately tried to hurt him in any way. As I spoke to the student I had to fight tooth and nail just to get any information out of him. He was extremely unhappy and he wanted me to know it. I had no idea why but I knew that in order to get this call under control, I would have to investigate a whole lot to get the information I needed and the answers he was looking for. I spent about 15 minutes just letting the student vent. I let him call me every name in the book and allowed him to inform me what he really thought about our University. It was interesting to hear how much he “couldn’t stand” our University and why he regretted even thinking to come to Embry-Riddle.

After he was done venting I began to calm him down and started to ask him some questions to which he had started to answer. I was able to verify that he had spoken with someone in another department who had informed him of the wrong information and was accidentally copied on an email that stated that his graduation advisor “didn’t speak to students.” This is the information that had made him so angry. I spoke to the gentleman for about an hour and informed him that I was here to help in any way that I could and spoke with the advisor who accidentally copied him on that last email. She spoke with him and apologized, as he had misinterpreted her email. The student left happy however the process to get him to that point was extensive.

Another situation I experienced happened just this past weekend. My husband and I had just bid on a house this past weekend. Every weekend for the past month including weekdays as well, we were looking for homes. The process was debilitating. Last weekend we thought we had finally found the right house and placed a bid on what we thought was a great offer. The seller met us in the middle and we immediately agreed to the offer. We also offered to pay closing costs without question however after looking over the contract we noticed that the seller had listed that he would not offer home warranty. The back and forth of the contract was exhausting.

We thought for two days on whether or not we should move forward with the plan. We figured since he met us in the middle we could try and do the same and suggested that everything was a go except the home warranty insurance. We suggested he pay the home warranty for one year’s time not to exceed the amount of $485.00. We thought it was a great offer and that the buyer would have no reason not to accept it. We were wrong. My realtor called us back the next day and informed us that the seller had rejected the offer as we had included the home warranty in the contract and that was not something he was willing to pay. He had just been made an offer for more than what we had agreed to pay and it was a cash offer. We had lost the house and we were seriously disappointed. I couldn’t believe how far we had come and how quickly we lost everything. The process had taken so long that I think the time and effort put into searching for the home was what bothered us the most. We were at a loss. We would have been closing on our dream home next month and instead we were stuck in our apartment for who knew how long before finding out other dream home.

The decisions I had made in the above two examples seemed like easy fixes at first, but when looking into the detail of the issues it was apparent that they included all contexts of the Cynefin framework. Problems that appear to have simple fixes can often lead to bad decisions even if they do not appear chaotic in nature, The Cynefin framework can offer solutions to a variety of different contexts as well as an openness to change to provide leaders with the skills necessary to adjust their decision making styles. Leaders who use the Cynefin framework will learn various attributes such as sense, categorization and response as well as increase their extensive analytical skills. They will also learn the ability to steer clear or move through obstacles such as entrained thinking and analysis paralysis. The use of the Cynefin framework offers leaders the capability of effective decision making and a new approach to traditional leadership styles.

Cassandra R.

A632.7.4RB Collabortaive Decision Making_Reyes,Cassandra

Reflect on the role of collaboration and getting to resolution in the process of decision-making. Rarely, if ever, do our decisions affect only ourselves. Consider the importance of getting other stakeholders involved; how can they help you make a better decision for all? Detail a specific situation where you are faced with the decision, describe the process you went through and the outcome you were seeking. Identify 5 ways stakeholder involvement can help you make better decisions. Did you achieve your objective? Looking back at the decision you made and its consequence was there anyone else that would have added value to the process? Identify 3 ways you may use this learning experience to make better decisions in the future?

“You changed your mind again?” I asked my husband. “Every time we take two steps forward, I feel like we were taking five steps back” I said with frustration. This was yet another conversation that we were having about purchasing out home. We had finally agreed on buying a home in the area of Port Orange area and after looking in the Deltona area my husband had found what he thought could be the house of our dreams. “It’s beautiful hun. Just think of all the land we could own!” I was instantly frustrated by the whole experience and thought to myself that once we moved, I would never want to move again. The process was debilitating and it was taking everything in me not to lose it.

            My husband and I were originally searching for homes ourselves with the help of a realtor and considering we weren’t getting anywhere we thought it would be best to include a third party who was better informed with the process of buying a home and a professional in today’s market. We had already planned a meeting with our realtor Samantha to view homes in Port Orange when my husband found the home in Deltona. “I need house closure” he stated with a smile on his face. Let’s just go see it so I can hate it. I agreed to his request with anticipation and moved forward with the plan of driving to Deltona to hate this so called dream home.

            The minute we got to Deltona, I could see the anticipation on my husband’s face. He was excited to see the house but nervous at the same time as he knew what that would mean if he really did end up loving it. We drove up to the empty home and were both amazed. The house really was beautiful. It was located on 5 acres of land with no houses near it and a large pool in the back. The inside was just as beautiful as the outside it appeared and we were both clueless as to what to do next.

            “I say we wait until we meet with Samantha and see what we find in the area where the good schools are located. I think that’s important for Isabella. She needs a good school and a good home in a good location. I want her to be around friends and family. I think it’s important for all of us.” My husband looked at me and said “You’re right. Let’s just wait and see what Samantha shows us.” He seemed so disappointed I had hoped and prayed that Samantha had something great for us to view to get our minds off that house.

            Samantha showed us three homes, all of which were beautiful in their own way; however the fourth home was amazing. The minute we drove the community we knew this was where we wanted to live. The community was gated and the landscaping was amazing, but even better, it was 1 mile away from a blue ribbon school in the area. Samantha had nailed the type of home and location we were looking for. It was great to see how she had taken each of our likes and dislikes and formed a consensus on what she felt would be best for our family. We were so happy to have gotten her involved in our job hunting process as she had put all of our desires and needs into perspective. Without her help, my husband and I would have done the house dance for what felt like years to come.

            Using Samantha as a realtor was the best decision we could have made. She not only helped my husband and I better communicate but offered us the knowledge we needed on the current market and the opportunities that were available to us. As first time home buyers we were so excited to begin the process of getting our home that we were not actively listening to one another. Working with Samantha made us sit down and listen to each other’s wants and needs in a home and the steps we could take in further realizing the necessities of one another’s desires. She helped us to create a vision that included both dreams for both me and my husband’s tastes, but even more importantly provided suggestions and ideas as to what we should expect to include for our daughters future as well. Samantha helped us to create a circle of partnership and instead of fighting one another, my husband and I were finally on the same page as to what was needed for our family’s future. Samantha’s inclusion in our decision making and our trust in her judgment and professional expertise allowed for us to effectively move through the circle of resolution and make decisions that would benefit for us in the long run instead of meeting our shot term wishes.

            At the end of it all we decided that we had finally reached a consensus on what we were both looking for and in turn achieved our objective. We decided to make a bid on the home and are currently awaiting the results of the owners answer. We are hoping that we are able to get the home we love however we aren’t putting all of our eggs into one basket. We have another date with Samantha to view a few more homes that we might like just in case we are unable to get the current home we fell in love with. The best part about it all is that even if we don’t get this home, we have the tools necessary to move forward in choosing a new home as we now know the direction we would both like to go and the end result we both desire. Without the assistance of Samantha and her expertise, I do not believe that we would be in such a good place. Looking back it would have been nice to have the opinions of some friends and family, however during the process we also realized that the more opinions we had, the more difficult it became to make a decision and once we opened the door for other’s opinions, it became difficult to close that door again leaving us frustrated and spent.

            In order to make better decision in the future this experience has taught me the power of listening, communicating and how to move successfully through the resolution process. My husband and I have learned to listen more closely to one another, communicate our wants and needs and that of our family and our future and how to come to a resolution should we face another tough conflict in which it is absolutely necessary that we agree upon the final result. Without this experience and the inclusion of Samantha, I truly believe that it would have taken much more time to come to an agreement on the future of our family or we would have both made a decision that we were not truly happy with.

Cassandra R.