A520.2.3.RB - Conflict Management

In a recent conflict that I was engaged in involving myself and a manager from another department, we used the collaborating method to reach a solution. At our update meeting that takes place half-way through the shift every day, he did not agree with a decision that I wanted to make. The decision I wanted to make would have been good for our department and the morale of my team, but may not have been the best for the building. The other manager had been in the building for 5 years so he was much more tenured then I was, but I felt like the decision I wanted to make was the right one and that his decision was going to have a negative impact on my team without actually helping the building.

We discussed it briefly during the update in front of the other managers, but decided to discuss it between the two of us in another room. We talked with one another for about 15 minutes, discussing the positives and negatives of each one of our points of view and how it might impact individual teams and the building as a whole. We eventually made the decision to rotate one of my team members to another department rather than let my team go home early. This prevented one of my teams from going home an hour early, which lowered morale of both the team and the individual who had to work in the other department.

In the end, the move did not do the building any good because of several other variables that night. I had to repair the morale of the team the following week and explain to them why I made the decision I did. I thought it was worth a try to help the building without favoring one team over the other, but the team did not see it that way. I am an operations manager before I am a manager for specific teams, so I felt like I had to support the opinion of the other manager who I had the conflict with. Our relationship allowed us to effectively manage the conflict, even though it did not have the intended results. 

A520.1.6.RB - Self-Awareness

There are many variables that affect the self-awareness of an individual, but in my personal experience, the MSLD program has allowed me to reflect on my personality, values, and thinking style and has made me more aware of myself as a leader, both in a personal and professional capacity.

My awareness of my strengths and weaknesses through self-evaluation has been one of the most improved areas since beginning the program. There have been several courses with self-evaluations, self-surveys, and activities that allowed me to evaluate how I could contribute positively to an organization as a leader, and what areas I could work on to become a better leader.

I have also been more confident in showing and integrating my personal values into my decision making at work. I always assumed that it would be hard to gain acceptance by others if my values were different, but I was wrong. I have been able to act genuinely in every facet of my professional life because of the community I work within, and I gained the confidence through the program, classmates, and instructors I have worked with thus far.

My cognitive style, or ability to think critically and act upon these thoughts, has improved since starting the program. In my very first course, thinking critically was the main learning lesson, and it gave me the tools and education I needed to develop deep, creative thought around every subject in order to become a more effective, efficient, innovative leader.

In addition, my attitude toward change is also different. Learning about transformational leadership and how change affects the organization and employees is remarkable to me, so I have become more open to this idea. I use change in a part of my daily routine, figuring different ways to keep employees happy and also various methods for developing them. Change in the workplace is good if it’s in the hands of a positive leader.

Overall, the program has had a positive effect on me and my self-awareness. It has helped me improve in several areas of leadership, given me the confidence to embrace my personality and values, and it has opened my eyes to who I am as a leader.

A520.1.2.RB - Self Awareness

I think that this self assessment was a good indicator of how I react, feel, and how I would respond in different situations in my personal and professional life. In the results, some of my strongest points were my locus of control, my openness to feedback, my awareness of my own values, emotional intelligence and core self-evaluation, and my cognitive style indicator. I think the majority of this has to do with the fact that I have a very diverse background with experience in various job fields and environments. Each organization I have worked for has had different values and goals, so I have had to learn to adapt and recognize my strengths and weaknesses and use them for my development and the benefit of the organization. 

In my opinion, the results were accurate and were a good indicator of my strengths and weaknesses. This tool was especially useful in helping me narrow down my weaknesses so that I can target them and create a plan to improve on them. For example, I scored in the median percentile on the tolerance of ambiguity scale, meaning I have mixed feelings about situations. I look at promising and threatening situations equally, when I should be more promising in thought, being that I am usually upbeat, fun, and optimistic in the workplace. This was surprising to me, but I viewed it as an opportunity to improve. My  naturally competitive personality has quite a bit to do with this, but I need to start looking at the positive in every situation and challenge myself to view obstacles as being good for development and growth, rather than a threat. It's challenges and difficult situations that make leaders like myself better and more developed. On the opposite end of the spectrum, my  openness to feedback self awareness scores were very high. I think that because I am open to feedback and aware of my weaknesses and strengths, it is easy for me to identify and improve in areas. My willingness to learn and adapt is my strength that allows me to do this.

Overall, the information and feedback from this assessment will prove to be beneficial to me in this course and in my journey as a leader. The results can be used and built upon for an indefinite period of time and will be used as a development and learning tool for myself. For a short term goal, I plan on incorporating my weaknesses into this course to help with my development, and my strengths for the development and learning of others. 

A521.9.4.GA - Reflections on Leadership

Denning’s applications of leadership are going to prove to be quite beneficial for me in not only a professional capacity, but also a personal one. These leadership traits and skills that Denning provides equip me with the tools needed to lead a team to accomplish a common goal for any organization in any field.

Leadership that Participates – This leadership dimension may be the most useful to me in the future, being that I am a relationship-oriented leader who puts significant emphasis on building relationships and engaging team members. Gaining trust, forming relationships, and leading by example through engagement and participation are the core behaviors that I should be displaying in order to be a participative leader.

Leadership that is like Conversation – Part of being a relationship-oriented leader is communicating openly and effectively with subordinates and managers. The key here is communicating as equals rather than two different groups or types of people that are not on the same level. By communicating as a member of your team, rather than someone in a position of authority, you and the audience will relive the story together. Active participation, increased attentiveness, and engagement are just a few of the positive side effects of conversational leadership.

Leadership that Fits the Modern Need – Leaders in today’s workplace need to be dynamic and flexible to adapt to changing business and organizational needs and wants. I would like to become a manager by which the rules set forth by the organization are flexible enough for my team to be dynamic, transformational, and high-performing. Possessing a multitude of traits and qualities that good leaders should possess will make an organization and its teams receptive and strong.

Good leadership cannot be summed up in these areas, but I hope to improve on these in order to be more effective and efficient.  

A521.8.4.RB - Making Contact

I feel that I am very comfortable and skilled when it comes to striking up a conversation with strangers. I have a very diverse background and upbringing that allows me to do this. In the 8 years that I have lived on my own, away from my family, I have had 4 different jobs and have lived at 5 different addresses. During my time at each job and address, I have had to initiate and develop relationships with complete strangers, and in some cases, rely on these strangers to save my life because of the location and the circumstances of my job. For these reasons initiating and engaging in conversation with strangers is not difficult for me, nor is it uncomfortable. I also have a very outgoing personality and have been called a people pleaser, so this helps with my comfort level around strangers. I think the more people, the easier it is for me to control the room and tailor messages. I feel very comfortable talking in front of large crowds, especially when I do not know the people in the room and the subject is familiar to me.

I grew up in a family of 14 children, most of them being younger than myself. There were numerous times when I had to take control of the group, which required strong communication and leadership skills. This allowed me to gain confidence when talking in front of others. I also left my hometown and family at the age of 18, being stationed overseas for my first assignment with no family or friends. I had to develop and improve on my communication skills and self-confidence to be able to meet new people at my first base and form relationships with them.

A521.7.4.RB - Knowledge Sharing Story

“Trust me, I have been doing this for 15 years and that’s not going to work.” This was the loadmaster’s response to my plan for loading an aircraft engine onto a C-130. I was a technical instructor and aircraft services supervisor for the Royal Saudi Air Force in 2009, and my team had been sitting out in the 130 degree heat for an hour waiting for the loadmaster to approve our request. The way that the loadmaster wanted to load the engine was not working, and after crunching some numbers and re-visiting regulations I had figured out a way that I thought would work. The loadmaster was skeptical of trying my method because I was young and I didn’t look like I knew what I was doing because of my age.

I sat down with him and explained how I came up with my method and why it would work. He was still a bit nervous about it, and the language barrier did not help the situation, but after he consulted the pilots and flight engineer he gave me the nod of approval. My team set up some wood by the ramp to create shoring for the engine to roll up while being pulled by the aircraft winch. We then tied a secure chain to the engine and connected it to the winch and tightened the winch just enough to start pulling. I placed 2 spotters by the ramp to ensure that the engine would not hit the ground while going up the ramp. The engine made it half-way up the ramp when we had to adjust the shoring to account for the length of the engine and the proximity to the ground and top of the aircraft ramp opening. We adjusted the shoring a few more times but the engine eventually made it safely up the ramp and onto the aircraft.

After the engine was secured to the aircraft floor, the loadmaster thanked me for my expertise and my confidence. He said that my knowledge was unexpected but appreciated. I believe that this moment was very significant in my development. My team seemed to trust and respect me a little bit more after this event, and it gave me the confidence I needed to challenge others and trust my knowledge and experience. 

A521.6.3.RB - High Performance Teams

High performance teams possess characteristics and traits that all organizations need and want. High performance teams exceed expectations, develop personally and professionally, possess passion and strength, and adjust rapidly to different situations.

I have had the opportunity to work on high performance teams within my organization. One of the teams was very diverse, comprised of individuals from different personal and professional backgrounds. We started out somewhat reserved and introverted, but as the team developed and succeeded in projects tasks, we opened up and became more comfortable with the team and with our strengths and weaknesses. We helped each other find and improve on our weaknesses, and utilized the strengths of one another to exceed the expectations of each assignment.

It was very helpful that each one of us shared values that were consistent with the organization. We believed in working very hard, communicating freely and sharing ideas, and having fun while doing it. I don’t think the team would have done as well without sharing these values. It helped us form personal connections with one another and made it easier to define goals and roles of each team member for each assignment.

One negative experience I’ve had with a work group was during a meeting. My partner and I were told by the manager of the group that we needed to assemble a presentation for the managers meeting that was being conducted a few weeks later. I thought I was going to assemble the presentation, and he was going to present it. When it came time, he ended up passing the torch to me and I had to present it, even though I was not ready for it. It made me uncomfortable and I felt that the trust between us was compromised. A positive experience I’ve had with a team was when one of my teams had a disagreement about how our business was going to be run. Because of our relationships and respect for one another’s expertise in the business, we managed to come to a quick decision that benefited the organization and team members.