Polyarchic Principles

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Obolensky’s “four + four principles” presents an interesting innovative means for adaptive leadership. These principles, Obolensky argues, are what is needed for groups to complete complex tasks in dynamic environments and are, in essence, inter-dependent.   

Figure 1: Four + Four Principles (Shannon, 2012)

According to Nick Shannon (2012), “Obolensky’s theme is that once certain core principles are understood and in place, then the job of leadership is far more fluid and adaptive than might be recognised by traditional leadership models. He argues that the context of leadership has changed much faster than our conception of, and assumptions about, what leadership actually is.” Through the discussion of these principles, it can be assumed that the understanding of such concepts and application in a given organization would require tremendous time and effort. “The difficulty, one might assume, is in getting the balance right and communicating the concept to employees” (Shannon, 2012). As within any position of leadership, many factors must be considered, if not monitored. Factors such as: business concepts, leadership theories, personal & professional skills, and most importantly, the human dimension. All have an impact (some more than others) in leadership effectiveness and performance.

Although Obolensky provides an innovative and thought provoking concept of adaptive leadership, I would find it difficult to apply in a method my professional background in military and public (law enforcement) service has demonstrated to be effective. The military counts on its leaders to be skillful professionals in many areas such as leadership, tactics, training, and diplomacy to name a few. By its very nature, units of Soldiers (or LE) have a defined chain of command which ensures force protection, completion of complex tasks, and the successful completion of a given mission. Moreover, within these formations, purpose, objectives and measures of success are well known by dissemination to the lowest level. This is accomplished by world-class training, discipline and empowerment. For example, should a situation arise where a leader is incapacitated, the next leader in-line has the duty and obligation to occupy overall control and is capable of seeing the mission through.

Developing adaptive leaders is in these professions is essential. Education, training and processes contribute to leader’s adaptive qualities. One such process leaders learn to become more adaptive is “OODA Loop” (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) Air Force Col. John Boyd coined. According to Derek Stephens (2013):

The OODA loop is a simple yet complex summation of how the human brain processes information and how humans react. First, you observe what is going on around you using your senses. Next, you orient to what is going on around you and put it into context with information rooted in your long-term memory, including training—both good and bad—life experiences, and your genetic heritage. After processing this information you must come to a conclusion about your surroundings, and you must make a decision to act or react. The final stage, if there truly is one, is the physical action. In order to process through the OODA loop, you must perform a physical action to implement the decision you have made. If your action is appropriate and effective you begin to gain the upper hand and can often process through more OODA loop cycles at a faster tempo than your adversary, which ultimately leads to victory.

As one would observe, this process can be lengthy, but with the proper training and “real world” experience, its user(s) can make an educated decision that supports their objective and purpose. While this process has proven successful in military action, it has also been adjusted for the corporate world for leaders and managers to remain effective and ahead in their respective fields.  

Obolensky highlights many important aspects to adaptive leadership. The take away for any leader should be the importance of meaningful purpose for any group/organization and the skills/will required to achieve objectives. Regardless of which model, concept or method one uses, without such guiding targets, even the most capable teams/organizations would fall short of success.

References

Obolensky, N. (2010). Complex Adaptive Leadership: Embracing Paradox and Uncertainty. Retrieved from https://erau.instructure.com/courses/35363/pages/a520-dot-8-1-dot-cr-readings?module_item_id=1582176

Shannon, N. (2012). Book Review: Buffalo Maps. Integral Leadership Review. Retrieved from http://integralleadershipreview.com/6202-book-review-buffalo-maps/

Stephens, D. (2013). Understanding the OODA Loop. Police Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.policemag.com/channel/careers-training/articles/2013/09/understanding-the-ooda-loop.aspx

Importance of Having a Coach or Mentor

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Write a blog entry on the significance, importance, and/or impact of having a coach and/or a mentor to help you in your professional journey.

Professional advancement and progression is a result of many factors. Factors such as formal education, specialized skills, networking, and development for further responsibility. Two of the most notable methods of skills development and professional development occur in the form of coaching and mentoring. Each are valuable in their own right. For example, say that an individual desire to be considered for a specific job or position and they seek the assistance of a professional coach. This coach will assess the individual’s current strengths and weakness and develop a plan of action to close a specific skill-gap over the course of an agreed upon time frame in order to increase the coached individual’s capabilities and skills. “Professional coaching brings many wonderful benefits: fresh perspectives on personal challenges, enhanced decision-making skills, greater interpersonal effectiveness, and increased confidence” (International Coaching Federation, n.d.). Mentoring on the other hand is a relationship driven, experience centric and self-awareness process that can occur over a longer period of time. Mentoring requires a relationship of mutual trust, respect and openness of thoughts, ideas and constructive criticism. “Mentors, by contrast, are role models who have “been there and done that.” They can offer timely, context-specific counsel drawn from experience; wisdom; and networks that are highly relevant to the problems to be solved” Janasz & Peiperl, 2015).

Having served over ten years in the Army, the military structure and constant leadership involvement fostered an environment of productive coaching and mentoring. Within the profession of arms, training is paramount. Each individual learns to master individual task, but most importantly, they learn how their individual efforts and capabilities contributes to collective success. Thus, at every training and learning event, there is always a leader to assist and coach one on to greater improvement. I have benefited from such a system and on countless occasions. The skills mastered improved my ability to be successful, making necessary adjustments and solve complex problems which ensured my achievements throughout my time in service.

However, I believe that as a result of senior leader’s mentorship, my personal and professional development was enhanced beyond becoming proficient in any one specific task. Although acquiring skills is important, through mentorship I was exposed to grater context, concepts, ideas, and how each plays a role in space and time. Furthermore, not only was I beginning to see others qualities and capabilities through a different lens, I began to see my own qualities and capabilities through the same lens. Knowing more about oneself is a good starting point towards improvement and fulfillment. As such, I invested more time and effort towards identify my own strengths and shortcomings. “Getting to know yourself is a lifelong pursuit, and there are no shortcuts to the journey…Learning about yourself means knowing what you want and setting about getting to that destination. That means you do have to do some introspection, but once you’ve settled on a direction: move out” (Addison, n.d.). Moreover, with a high desire for self-improvement in order to become an effective leader and asset to my organization, a plan of action and self-evaluation became a normal practice. Setting goals and reaching milestones are tools I have incorporated into my frame of mind to ensure my direction and efforts are aligned with my personal and professional objectives. “One of the hallmarks of every great leader is each continued to seek to improve themselves. To do that, we need to understand the ways we see ourselves and can improve ourselves” (Addison, n.d.). 

Reaching ones’ professional goals is solely in their hands. There are many tools and resources to assist with skills development and professional growth. Coaching and mentoring are two great means to achieve a higher level of excellence that can improve performance and fulfillment. One must be clear as to their professional desires and the effort there are willing to invest. In either case, a coach or a mentor will have the knowledge, expertise and wherewithal to ensure that the one in need of skills and development is better suited for their desired results.

References

Addison, M. (n.d.) Dynamic Dozen: Know Yourself and Seek Improvement. General Leadership. Retrieved from http://generalleadership.com/self-improvement/

International Coach Federation. (n.d.) Benefits of Using a Coach Retrieved from http://coachfederation.org/need/landing.cfm?ItemNumber=747

Janasz, S. & Peiperl, M. (2015). CEOs Beed Mentors Too. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2015/04/ceos-need-mentors-too

Team Roles

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High-performing teams are those that have negotiated the forming, norming, storming and performing stages; thus establishing a team dynamic that produces extraordinary results and solutions. In fact, “The most effective teams in this stage develop the capacity to perform beyond the norm. They achieve outcomes that are extraordinary. They extend the boundaries of what is possible. They become positively deviant” (Whetten & Cameron, 2016). As leaders, it is essential to understand how teams become high-performing through two key roles such as task-facilitating role and relationship-building role.

“Task-facilitating roles are those that help the team accomplish its outcomes or objective” (Whetten & Cameron, 2016). Centered around effective task completion, below are common task-facilitating roles.

·       Direction giving: Identifying ways to proceed or alternatives to pursue and clarifying goals and objectives.
·       Information seeking: Asking questions, analyzing knowledge gaps, requesting opinions, beliefs, and perspectives.
·       Information giving: Providing data, offering facts and judgments, and highlighting conclusions.
·       Elaborating: Building on the ideas expressed by others; providing examples and illustrations.
·       Urging: Imploring team members to stay on task and to achieve team goals.
·       Monitoring: Checking on progress, developing measures of success and helping to maintain accountability for results.
·       Process analyzing: Analyzing processes and procedures used by the team in order to improve efficiency and timeliness.
·       Reality testing: Exploring whether ideas presented are practical or workable; grounding comments in reality.
·       Enforcing: Helping to reinforce team rules, reinforcing standards, and maintaining agreed-upon procedures.
·       Summarizing: Combining ideas and summing up points made in the team; helping members understand the conclusions that have been reached. (Whetten & Cameron, 2016).

“Relationship-building roles are those that emphasize the interpersonal aspects of the team. They focus on assisting team members feel good about one another, enjoy the team’s work, and maintain a tension-free climate” (Whetten & Cameron, 2016). Indeed, with any team charged with producing results, the chance for increased stress and tension is high. Furthermore, relationship-building enhances team production by means of supporting and motivating each other. Common relationship-building roles are:

·       Supporting: Praising the ideas of others, showing friendliness, and pointing out others’ contributions
·       Harmonizing: Mediating differences between others and finding a common ground in disputes and conflicting points of view
·       Tension relieving: Using jokes and humor to reduce tension and put others at ease
·       Confronting: Challenging unproductive or disruptive behaviors; helping to ensure proper behavior in the team
·       Energizing: Motivating others toward greater effort; exuding enthusiasm
·       Developing: Assisting others to learn, grow, and achieve; orienting and coaching members of the team
·       Consensus building: Helping build solidarity among team members, encouraging agreement, and helping interactions to be smooth
·       Empathizing: Reflecting group feelings and expressing empathy and support for team members (Whetten & Cameron, 2016).

Of the two roles, I consider myself to be on the task-facilitating role side. In fact, entering military service as a young leader, I was highly task oriented and rarely bothered with relationship-building roles. Although I knew that building relationships and supporting one another was just as important, effective task completion was more important during that time. However, the more mature and experience me, now places a premium on relationship-building roles. Having been a leader for many years now, I believe that anyone can coach, train, or teach someone to complete a given task, yet not everyone has the ability to inspire, motivate and support others. Thus, it is important to have the right mix of team members that fall into the task-facilitating and relationship-building roles. In a high-impact and dynamic environment, it is important to have team members that can stay focus on the task at-hand and have those that can bring the team together and provide harmony within a chaotic situation.

References

Whetten, David A.; Cameron, Kim S. (2015-05-20). Developing Management Skills. Pearson Education. Kindle Edition.