Emotional Intelligence
Leadership is very important in steering an organization towards the set goal in the current challenging environment. In this week’s discussion, the focus of leadership was on emotional intelligence. This is part of leadership that has been very common in the political arena, but is now becoming common in management. Hacker and Tammy (2004) define emotional intelligence as the ability to identify, evaluate, and then control emotions of a group, another individual or oneself. This leadership approach requires a lot of psychological intelligence on the side of the leader. It involves telling people what they want to gear and in a manner that will elicit their emotion to act in a manner that is desired by the leader. The leader must first identify with the followers. He or she must make followers believe that he is part of them. The leader will then use this opportunity to influence the thinking of the followers by drawing their emotions to what the leader believes is the right path.
The most engaging moments for the researcher with this topic in this week
This is one of the topics that were very engaging to the researcher in this course. What particularly drew the attention of the researcher was the fact that a leader can possibly draw emotions of the followers to act in any manner he or she desires as long as she has the intelligence to do so. For a long time, the researcher has marveled at the ability of some politicians to influence the thinking of the voters even when their policies are not the best. This course offered the answer to this question. It was also amazing to learn how business managers can use emotional intelligence to influence actions of the employees.
The moment the researcher felt most distanced from what was happening in this week’s course
At one moment, the researcher felt distant from what was taking place in this week’s course. One such incident was when it became apparent that most leaders who apply emotional intelligence in their leadership- especially the politicians- use it to their own advantage at the expense of the followers. At this moment, the researcher felt that this leadership approach makes it possible for leaders to make fool of their followers.
Actions of others that the researcher found most affirming or helpful in this week’s course
It was reassuring that most of the students in this course vowed to use this type of leadership to change the face of this country foe the better. It was also found it helpful when the tutor explained and encouraged the class how emotional intelligence should be used to influence a positive change in the society.
The most surprising moment in this week’s course
It was surprising to learn that although emotional intelligence has been in existence for a long time as a leadership approach, most administrators in this country have failed to use it in managing the followers. This would help in applying this leadership approach in daily life and in future when the researcher gets into a managerial position.
What the researcher would do differently if this week of the course could be re-lived
If this week’s course were to be re-lived, the researcher would try to engage in applying this leadership approach among fellow students in order to determine its impact before moving on to other leadership approaches.
Ethical Leadership
Ethical leadership is very important in the current society. According to Bustin (2004), for one to be a leader, he or she must have a moral authority over the followers. A moral authority can only be gained if one acts morally as a leader. Ethical leadership is particularly important where there is a form of democracy. The recent researches have shown that democracy is becoming very popular in the workplace. The management units must therefore, act morally when they expect to give direction to the employees. For instance, when a leader is corrupt, he or she cannot control the actions of the followers because he is already compromised in his leadership. Similarly, a manager cannot demand commitment from employees if he does not show signs of commitment.
The most engaging moments for the researcher with this topic in this week
In this week, the researcher found the issue of maintaining ethics as a leader very engaging. Of interest were how ethics is defined in different contexts and how a leader should understand these contexts. In this week’s course, it was clear that what one particular group considers ethical may be unethical in another group. As a leader, it is important to understand this diversity in the current globalized world. The researcher found the process of understanding what is ethical in different contexts very engaging.
The moment the researcher felt most distanced from what was happening in this week’s course
In this week’s course, it was clear that ethical leadership is what very few leaders have marveled at in this country. As the course progressed, it was becoming apparent that even within these institutions very many leaders in different capacities are not acting ethically in various fronts. The researcher felt distanced by this revelation because this institution natures future leaders of this nation in various capacities.
Actions of others that the researcher found most affirming or helpful in this week’s course
During this week, the tutor was very concerned with how the learners can understand ethics in different contexts. The tutor made it clear that ethics is not universal, especially in the global world. The tutor was helped in making learners understand how a leader can ensure that he understands different contexts of leadership. It was affirming when the researcher realized that the entire class was willing to try and maintain ethics in all their actions within the class as a way of internalizing this leadership approach.
The most surprising moment in this week’s course
As was mentioned earlier, it was surprising to know that what a community in Canada would consider ethical may be very unethical in a community in Saudi Arabia. This is because of the difference in cultural practices. As a leader, one should try to follow ethics on the basis of the immediate environment, while still being conscious of the global context of leadership.
What the researcher would do differently if this week of the course could be re-lived
It this week of course would be relieved, the researcher would try and emphasize on the practical aspect of maintaining ethics not only within the classroom, but also in all the activities that one engages in during this week. This way, it would be possible to determine the reaction of the community, and determine if this may earn one some sense of respect and authority among members of the society.
Servant Leadership
Servant leadership is a leadership approach that has been talked about widely both in management and political leadership. It involves being servant to the followers by not only offering leadership, but also giving them service they need whenever they need it. However, Bustin (2004) says that it is much easier to talk and advocate for servant leadership that to live the talk. Most of the political leaders would promise servant leadership when vying for various positions only to disown it when they acquire power. What makes servant leadership hard to practice is the fact that when one acquires power, he or she ends up feeling that he deserves to be treated as a superior person.
The most engaging moments for the researcher with this topic in this week
The research on servant leadership was very engaging. Most of the books and journals that were researched demonstrated the fact that servant leadership still remains very rare in most of the organizations in the world. Leaders in most firms prefer being leaders, with very strict channels of communication and a chain of command from the top manager to junior supervisors. After reflecting on these findings, the researcher looked at the leadership offered in this institution as the background of the study. Unfortunately, it was clear that the leadership approach offered was not very close to servant leadership. Most of the offices based their approach of leadership on strict rules and regulation, with authority flowing from the top management to junior employees.
The moment the researcher felt most distanced from what was happening in this week’s course
In this week’s course, the researcher felt distanced by the attitude of most of the learners of this unit. Unlike in the previous weeks where learners agreed that it was important to practice what was being taught in their lives, during this week learners did not have a similar attitude towards this leadership approach. Most of the learners made it clear that when they gain leadership, they are willing to be ethical in their actions, and employ good leadership traits. However, they did not believe that being a servant to the followers was part of good leadership.
Actions of others that the researcher found most affirming or helpful in this week’s course
During the lectures, it was a pleasant fact to realize that the tutor had been applying servant leadership. The tutor was sensitive of the learner’s sentiments and was open to opinions of the learners as long as there was a good reason behind their opinion. This earned the tutor respect and love among students, a fact that demonstrated that servant leadership may also be a source of substantial authority.
The most surprising moment in this week’s course
During this week’s course, it was a surprise that some of the great leaders such as Richard Branson who owns the virgin Group have embraced servant leadership. This has employees of this firm committed to their work because they feel that the management is concerned with their welfare.
What the researcher would do differently if this week of the course could be re-lived
In this week’s course, the researcher never made a serious attempt to encourage other learners to embrace servant leadership. If this week were to be re-lived, the researcher would try to convince other learners to embrace servant leadership in their actions.
References
Bustin, G. (2004). Take Charge: How Leaders Profit From Change. Irving, Texas: Tapestry Press.
Hacker, S. & Tammy, R. (2004). Transformational Leadership: Creating Organization of Meaning. Milwaukee: Quality Press.