A Leadership Manifesto

This past week was the last week of my Leadership in Public Administration class. In a very short amount of time, nine weeks to be exact, I have learned about thirteen different theories or approaches to leadership. One of the last things the professor challenged the class with was to create our own leadership manifesto.

I had never thought about what my leadership manifesto was.  Did I even have one? According to Merriam-Webster's online dictionary, the definition of a manifesto is "a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives, or views of its issuer." As I thought about it, I realized that I already knew what my manifesto was but I had never committed it to paper.

I have had the opportunity to a member of the board of directors of two different nonprofit organizations. I served as president of the organizations and still continue in a leadership role as part of the national leadership team. I have been a Girl Scout leader and, most importantly, a mom.

So what is my leadership manifesto? I thought about what type of leader I hope I am and have been.  I am sure there are times when I did not meet these expectations but one thing I have come to accept is that we are all human, we make mistakes, and the best you can hope for is to learn from your mistakes.

Kathy's Leadership Manifesto:

1. To always be fair and give people the benefit of the doubt.  The number of cherries in a can of fruit cocktail is unknown but you divide them equally. Buy a jar of maraschino cherries and use that to even out the number of cherries.

2. To be honest even though at times it may be hard.  If you are known as someone who is honest, your word carries weight. People know that they can believe what you say.

3. To encourage others to be the best that they can be.  Everyone has the potential for greatness. We all make mistakes. Sometimes we take side trips along our journey. No matter what path you are one, you have something to offer. Keep picking yourself up and going forward.

4. To always look for the positive aspects of any situation and to share that optimism with others. Every situation has a positive and a negative side. Look for the positive and that is what you will see. Use every opportunity as a learning opportunity. Ask yourself "What did I do correctly? What can I do differently next time?"

5. To cultivate an atmosphere of learning and a sense of security for stepping outside one's comfort zone. There is always more to learn. There is no "stupid" question. When you are comfortable you become complacent. Take a chance and step outside your comfort zone because that is when you grow.  Don't be afraid to fail. We all fail at some point but if I can, I will do whatever I can to encourage you to keep going forward.

6. To help others identify ways they can make a difference. Everyone influences someone. I once heard the phrase "No man is an island; no man stands alone." I wish I knew where that originated from because it is true. What we do has an effect on at least one other person. 

7. To follow through on anything I say I am going to do. If I say I am going to do something, I will do my very best to make it happen. If for some reason I do not, I will be honest and admit where I have made a mistake or did not followed through. It may take some time to make some things happen, but given the chance and the time, I will always do my best.

The past 9 weeks have been a very interesting and enlightening time. You are never too old to learn or try something new. I challenge you to step outside your comfort zone and see where it leads you.

Kathy

I would like to thank Craig LaBorde for giving permission to use his pictures of the fence and the sunset.

Gender, Culture, and Leadership

Welcome to my blog and to my 8th post. The past 8 weeks have truly been a journey and by stepping outside of my comfort zone, I have once again grown. I have learned how to blog and how to prepare and present PowerPoint presentations.

This is the last week of my leadership class at Troy University. This past week, I read about gender, culture, and leadership.  Unlike the previous chapters in the textbook, the last two chapters were not about a theory or approach to leadership. Instead, they were about the roles that gender and culture play when it comes to leadership.

This country has come a long way when it comes to trying to achieve equality in the workplace. An employer cannot discriminate, or at least not openly. Women no longer stay at home and just raise kids and keep a house. Today, women are actively participating in the business world, but they still only occupy a very low percentage of top level positions. Women are still paid less than men even though they may be equally qualified and have the same education and experience. If you are a woman of color, the discrepancy is even greater. Why? Why has this been allowed to continue? What will it take to change it?


A couple of weeks ago I blogged about a book titled Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg. Sheryl Sandberg pointed out several reasons why this inequality still exists and what needs to happen to change it. In my textbook Leadership: Theory and Practice, the author, Peter Northouse mentions a study that Sheryl Sandberg also mentioned in her book. It is the Heidi/Howard case study done at Harvard Business School.

The Heidi/Howard case study involved a real-life entrepreneur named Heidi Roizen. The researchers had half of their students read Heidi's story and the other half of the students read the same story, but the name had been changed to Howard. The students were then asked what their impressions of Heidi or Howard was. Heidi and Howard were rated as being equally competent, but Heidi was viewed as being selfish and probably a person you do not want to hire or work for.  Howard was viewed as a colleague you would want to have. Same information, two different names - one a woman's name and the other a man's name. The only difference is the implied gender of the person the students were reading about. This case study was conducted in 2003, you would think that we would have progressed much further by then but apparently, we hadn't.

 

What about the role of culture? Now that so much business occurs on an international level, the culture of different countries come into play. To be successful, a person needs to understand the culture and the norms of the people from other countries that they are trying to conduct business with. People tend to view the world based on their experiences and what they know. If a person is not aware of the etiquette and customs of a foreign culture, business transactions that had potential can be shot down.  It is very important to consider the culture the other person comes from and how that impacts how they view the world.

In 1991. Robert House initiated a research program called GLOBE (Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness). Through this research, ten "cultural clusters" have been identified. Countries are grouped into one of the clusters based on the following cultural dimensions: uncertainty avoidance, power distance, institutional collectivism, in-group collectivism, gender egalitarianism, assertiveness, future orientation, performance orientation, and humane orientation. By know which GLOBE cluster a country is categorized as being a part of, you can determine what is important to people from that country and what motivates them. Valuable information to have when conducting business on the international level.  Knowing your audience. Knowing what you should and should not do to be successful in your international endeavor.

I would like to thank everyone that has taken the time to stop by and read by blog posts. I have greatly appreciated the comments and feedback that has been shared.

Again, I would like to thank Craig LaBorde for giving me permission to share some of his photographic work in my blog.

Until I blog again,

Kathy

Leaving A Leadership Legacy

What do I want my leadership legacy to be? That is a question that I have been asked. I have never stopped and thought about how I want me to be remembered as a leader and what I want to leave behind. A leader's legacy is more about the significance of what the leader has done instead of the success of the leader. A leader's legacy remains with an organization after the leader has gone and what the leader has accomplished remains and continues on.


In the leadership class I am currently enrolled in, I have been exposed to wide variety of leadership theories and approaches. As of today, I have studied thirteen theories or approaches to leadership and there are two more to go.



Can a person be a leader simply by their job position? Yes, but does not always mean people want to follow you.  In the 5 Levels of Leadership, John Maxwell describes this as level 1, positional leadership. People follow you because they have to. People can also follow you because they want to. John Maxwell calls that level 2 and the people following you have given you permission to lead them and they will follow because of the relationship you have with them.

Can a person be a leader when they are part of a team? Absolutely. When you are part of a team, especially an effective team, the members work together to identify problems and find solutions.

Can someone be a leader when they are helping and encouraging others? Yes. A supportive leader is one that is empathetic, shows concern, and treats employees with dignity and respect. If you are using those characteristics to help and encourage someone, wouldn't that make you a leader?

I have had the opportunity to assume leadership roles and I have learned something new every time. I have made mistakes, we all do, but I try to learn from my mistakes. I believe I learn best not only when I step out of my comfort zone but also when I make mistakes. I have always thought that the story of the butterfly teaches a very important lesson. Sometimes it is the struggle and not the destination that is the important step.

Does any one style describe the type of leader I have been or want to be? No. My style is a combination of many leadership theories and approaches. It is unique just as I am unique. When people think of me in terms of leadership, I would like for them to think of me as being helpful, approachable, encouraging, a team player. I want people to follow me because they want to and not because they have to. I want to be approachable so that when there is something I need to change, someone will bring it to my attention.

So what about my leadership legacy? I think I want it to be that I put the needs of the organization and fellow team members before my own needs. I have had the opportunity to coordinate and assist writing the bylaws and policy & procedures for a nonprofit organization. It was very rewarding work and they remain in place and are amended as needed. I would like to be remembered as someone who when I see a need in the community or an organization that I work to find a way to fill that need. I would like it to be that through my actions I was able to make a difference for others. I will not be successful 100% of the time, but it is a goal to strive for.

What will be your leader legacy?

I would like to thank Craig LaBorde for giving me permission to include his photographs as part of my blog.

--Kathy