Blog Entry 8 – Leadership and Team Work

Leadership is essential to encourage teamwork. Goals are accomplished when leaders step up and let the team know who is in charge and the direction they are headed. Throughout history, thousands and thousands of teams have accomplished great things, and the only reason they did do is because certain individuals were leaders, and these leaders bonded together to form a team.

College basketball is a great example of how leaders and teams need to work together. Basketball takes multiple individuals working together to win a game. Dribbling, passing, and shooting abilities are all personal and individual characteristics that someone needs to have to play basketball. The ability to communicate with each other on the basketball court is what makes the dream work. Knowing your teammate’s timing, ability to make plays, and overall compatibility with each other is key in basketball.

Michael Jordan is known as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He has learned throughout his career that when a team fails, or when he fails, you have to just keep working to succeed. He is quoted saying, “Some people want it to happen, some people wish it would happen, others make it happen.”

In the picture above, it is clear what “the best” player ever in basketball thinks about how important teamwork is to succeed.

I think that this quote is the foundation of my thought process of how crucial teamwork and leadership is. “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” reemphasizes that a person is better off working in a cohesive team.

Blog Entry 7 – Ethics and Leadership

If a leader is not ethical.. then who will be? A leader being unethical increases the chance that the followers will follow in their negative footsteps. As Professor Feinberg stated in an e-mail, “The military has a very well-conceived and very effective process of build followers and leaders.” This process is not done through leaders neglecting followers in times of need, rather it is done by leaders laying their lives down for fellow comrades and being willing to sacrifice their well-being. Marines are taught from the very beginning to lay down your life for your brother in arms if you must. This is something that so many of us Americans take for granted and something that is far too unappreciated.

I believe that this video clip is significant because it shows how much of a leader he was in the blink of an eye. He did not wait to try to figure out if he was more important that his service brothers, but instead he acted on courage and strength.

Whether in the military, in the education world, or in the business world, leaders and followers need to be willing to trust each other. Ethical leadership is conducted by being honest and transparent with others. It takes courage and strength. Followers typically fall into the mindset that leaders want them to do whatever it takes to help them get ahead. It does not matter if it is unethical, illegal, or even harmful, the mindset in some circumstances is that the company that you are working for is the only one that matters. The truth is that many companies need more ethical leaders in their leadership departments. Leaders need to be trusted with finances, inventory, and circumstances. An ethical leader does what is right in front of other people and when no one is watching. When I first saw the clip posted below, I was taken back. It is one of the first times that it really struck me that businesses need ethical leaders that can be trusted.

You see even though Javier thought that his boss wanted him to lie, he did not give in to his boss’ requests because of his beliefs. His ethical behavior ended up helping him receive not only a job promotion but a pay promotion as well! The end of the clip is quite entertaining as well, but this clip just goes to show that being an ethical follower and leader at all times is important.

Bolg Entry 6 – Communication

Communication in leadership can help create transparency and fluidity with everyone! As Dan Oswald put it, “Communication my be HOT. That’s Honest, Open, and Two-Way.” I really enjoy this quote because it makes the boring topic of communication seem spicy and… HOT! One person can try to communicate something at one other person or a group of other people, but in the end, communication does need to be honest, open, and two-way.

If a leader is trying to communicate something to an audience, it is very hard for the audience to trust him or her unless the leader is being honest. Earning trust is something that is accomplished through constantly being a reputable person while staying true to your word. Honesty does not always mean that the audience or followers will like the leader in every way, but it definitely ensures trust.

Being open to hearing feedback and responses is something that is critical in the art of communication and leadership. I know in my personal life I expect certain responses when I ask a question. This is a certain area that I could grow in when discussing leadership because in those moments I am not open to all of the possibilities that surround me. I am consumed with how I am going to respond or object to an idea that I do not agree with, therefor flawing my judgement. This is a common problem when leaders try to communicate ideas to followers and is one that can be overcome through being open.

Two-way conversations are the only way that both parties involved fully understand what is happening and understand why it is happening. When a teacher is giving instructions, the teacher needs their students to give feedback on whether they understand the task that lies before them or not. For example, if a person were removed from a room and instructed to tell around 300 Purdue students how to draw a plethora of shapes, the task would be hard to accomplish. The leader reading the instructions on how to construct the shapes might be doing the best they can, but by being out of the room, the walls create a barrier. The walls eliminate two way communication, therefor resulting in almost everyone failing an easy task. The truth is that there are many barriers, or walls, to two-way communication. With technology growing the way it is today, distance is a wall to communication that is quickly being torn down!

Emotions, past experiences, expected future experiences, and prestige are all walls or barriers to two-way communication. One of the best ways to break through these walls is to introduce the talking stick. The talking stick allows the leaders, followers, or even teammates simply have their chance to state their ideas, hopes, and goals without being interrupted. Once done talking, that person can hand the talking stick off to someone else. Then, the person with the talking stick is free to discuss whatever they would like as well. The idea of the talking stick is that it gives everyone a chance to not only be heard, but to feel like and know that they has their chance to give their valuable input. Communication isn’t always easy, but it is if it is HOT!

PS: Like we saw in class on Mr. Feinberg’s slide show in class, we have two ears and one mouth!