Leadership is mold-able to each situation. There is not one type of leader that is above all the rest. This is because there are many different strategies to motivate and delegate people. Each group of followers may prefer a different method of leadership style for them to produce the greatest results. Really the best attribute a leader can have is flexibility. They need to change to the situation and the people that they are instructing.

Something I learned is that a leader does not have to do all the work. They need to listen to the ideas of the group and help get everyone's voice heard. It is important that everyone in the group feels comfortable to share their ideas otherwise the group could miss out on some great advice. It is the leader's job to create this open environment. They need to create inclusion. Not only does this help the current group to be more productive, but it also allows more people to join the group.

Effective leadership is creating a mutual relationship with the followers so that that task is completed using teamwork, in an ethical way. Breaking this statement down you can see that the leader and the follower are just as important roles. Leaders would be nothing if they didn't have followers. Therefore there needs to be respect between the two. If there is no respect between them, then that creates a giant obstacle to finishing the mission. The reason I used the word teamwork in the above statement is because in a team everyone contributes something differently. Each member can have a solo task that is their job to complete. The leader needs to make sure that every member is motivated and feels important within the group. This is different from a manager because a mangers sole job is just to get the job done. Solving the mission in an ethical way is also important because without ethics the group loses creditability. Without credibility anything the group accomplishes will not be acknowledge for the worth it deserves.

My philosophy comes a lot from how I have been treated while in groups. Some experiences were bad and some were good. What I know is that gathering ideas from multiple people and then adding on to them always seems to produce the best results. I also take being ethical very seriously because at the end of the day what is most important is your confidence and your reputation. I do not feel good at all if I feel like I have cut corners or broke rules to achieve what I want.

My attitude about leadership differs from the beginning of the class because now I see that anyone can be a leader. Even people that are more shy and less likely to speak up can make great leaders. Those quiet people can even make better leaders because they have spent the majority of their time listening. It is because they know how to listen that they can hear ideas that have never been done before.

Preparation for group success

During one group project the class was split into two groups and then each team had to solve a word problem. The part that was most interesting to me was how the set up from the beginning of the project played such a crucial in determining the success of each team.
My group set up the table in the middle of everyone and allowed all group members to express their feelings. Each members' ideas were heard and acknowledged. Because of this, everyone continued to contribute throughout the assignment. This was made possible because everyone could see each other and the board we were writing on. The puzzle was eventually solved through much trial/error and teamwork.
It was very interesting to me how the other group said that they set up their table against the wall so only a few people could see the board. The more outspoken voices were the only ones contributing and getting their opinion heard. This effected the rest of the group dynamics. A lot of this team quit partially through because they were uninterested. This group did not complete the assignment and the morale at the end was very low.
Discussing the group set ups really got me thinking about how the tone of a group is set right from the beginning. The group I was not in, sent a very different message then we did by pushing the table against the wall. They basically were saying that only the people that could push themselves to the board were the only voices worth hearing. I'm sure that the people standing in the back gave up quickly since contributing was too difficult.
The decision our group made to take the extra 5 seconds to move the table out from the wall was the first step to success. Making everyone feel accepted is going to benefit the outcome heavily. This needs to be applied in future leadership opportunities. I am going to make sure I take the extra time to make the people around me feel valued and appreciated. Morale is extremely important in obtaining maximum results. I can a test to this from past experiences too.
I think it was Aubrey that mentioned working with different managers at her job with varying authority styles. I can agree with her that working with uplifting and positive managers makes us do our job better. If my supervisor acknowledges me when I walk in the door my mood immediately increases. Setting the tone of the day on a positive note sets up the rest of my day for a good outcome.
Both of these examples are just small steps that do not take much time. It is the little details that end up making the greatest impact. When the environment for ideas is positive and open, people do their best work. I want to always apply this ideology into my life. At the end of the day, most work is meaningless but building relationships can last forever. I never want my reputation to be someone that just cares about the outcome and not the journey.

The Value of Values

According to the book Exploring Leadership, values are the guide to your actions and vary greatly from person to person. It is very important to have a good understanding of your values so that when you are faced with tough decisions you can rationally determine the answer that is most true to YOU.

A leader needs to know their values because keeping consistency when in charge is key.  Followers want to be able to know that their leader is going to stick to a plan and not waiver every time a little opposition is created. The only way positive change is going to occur is if everyone is working toward the same goal under the leader's direction. If the leader is changing viewpoints constantly then it makes it difficult for the team to accomplish anything.

My values come a lot from the way I was raised and my relationship is God. Some of these values are self worth, humbleness, integrity, determination, and following God's plan for me. If I am presented with a task I make sure that my actions do not compromise my values. Relinquishing my values causes me to lose direction, lower my confidence, and eventually fail the mission.

Last night while watching TV I saw a great example of differing values during a challenge. If you have ever seen the show Naked and Afraid you know that they sends a man and a woman into an abandoned area for 21 days. Last night the man Jeff, and the women Eva, had completely different values on their relationship with nature. Eva felt that all creatures/humans are equal and people should be thankful for the gifts mother nature provided them. Jeff on the other hand was of the Mormon faith and believed that God gave them the Earth to use entirely for human needs. Their values played key roles in how they survived the Madagascar desert.

 When a giant black widow spider nest was found near their camp site, Eva did not want to kill them. She said it is not worth the bad karma to kill the spider eggs since they had not done anything to them. This could have cost the pair their lives if they hundreds of eggs hatched during the night. Jeff also made a sacrifice during the adventure for his values. At night the desert got down to freezing temperatures, but he would not huddle up with Eva to stay warm. This was because he believed that as a married man you should not touch another women like this. Because of Jeff's value in purity he made the life threatening decision to keep his distance. In the end, both Eva and Jeff were proud of their decisions. They both thought the other one was crazy though for putting them at such risk for their personal beliefs.

There is no one right way to lead because all styles have differing pros and cons. The only stipulation is those leadership values need to be acknowledged and upheld for followers to trust your lead. 

Introduction Assignment

The reason I registered in this class was because in my opinion natural skills and resume facts about yourself can only get you so far. To achieve true success you have to be able to convince people you can handle what they are asking you to do and that you can do it better than anyone else. This class will help me with this because leadership is all about getting people to follow you and trust your actions. What I want to get out of this is class is to be able to come off to people as open minded, yet intelligent. I want people to be open to what I have to say, because I gave them the same respect.

                 I do not believe a leader has to be loud. I believe a leader just needs to captivate the attention of the audience. A leader can do this in a couple different ways. One way that I think is very productive is to come down to the level of the audience. No matter what kind of experience a leader has, they are not going to be respected unless they reciprocate that respect to the mentees. This means that a leader should never ask someone else to do a task they would not do themselves. A leader needs to work twice as hard as everyone else. They need to put half their effort into the job everyone else is accomplishing and they need to use the other half of their effort into making the decisions. A leader needs to do the work themselves because they need to know the problems and strengths of the mission. A man/women will only lead to the best of their ability if they fully understand the task and the people.

                The biggest part of a leader to me is trust. The people have to know that their leader is looking out for them. If the people can do this then they will follow the leader's command. Without this trust the leader will not be able to accomplish anything. The leader also needs to trust the people though. Whoever is in charge needs to know that when they delegate a task it is going to get done. This leader-people trust is built over time and confidence. I believe most people are skeptical to trust at first, which means they need to see their leader in action before they know he or she can be followed. Also it depends greatly on how the leader carries them self.  Anyone who is shaky in their voice or walks hunched over appears to not believe in themselves. If I can't even believe in myself, then it is not fair to ask a group of people to follow my command. When you are a leader, you are constantly watched under a microscope. This form of trust is hard to build up and easy to lose.