Reflections of Leadership

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In Chapter 12, Denning explicitly describes his dimensions of leadership. Reflect on those dimensions and how you expect they will impact the way you lead in the future. Include specific examples of how at least THREE of Denning's dimensions’ manifest in your own application of leadership.

Being an interactive leader means having the ability to be multi-dimensional and actively involved with those whom you lead and the environment in which you and they operate in. In many cases, this is easier said than done. Denning (2011), through the art of storytelling has provide valuable tools for leaders to inspire and influence others into action that the traditional method of management fails to achieve.  “The use of narrative opens up leadership capabilities that are not available to someone operating solely in the traditional management mode of command, control, regulation, and optimization” (Denning, 2011, p. 269). Furthermore, Denning (2011), provides the following dimensions of an interactive leader:

·       Works with the world rather than against it: The leader is capable of understanding how the world/environment around them works, how it affects them & others, and the nature ebb and flow. They are not fixed in one position, but are flexible and can leverage their skills fluidly. They understand that traditional incentives and rewards are not suitable for an ever changing and dynamic environment.   

·       Both adds and subtracts elements from the leadership palette: The leader uses their abilities to enhance their effectiveness in the traditional management structure by the use of creative skill. Furthermore, they are able to steer clear of creating a toxic environment by serving only the bottom-line.

·       Builds on personal integrity and authenticity: Leaders that are genuinely concerned about other’s wellbeing, ideas, and success create teams and organizations where others are more willing to be adhere to the leader’s values and direction. Such a leader fosters relationships build on trust and respect.  

·       Doesn’t depend on the possession of hierarchical authority: The leader isn’t solely reliant on their positional power, but on their skillful ability to inspire and influence others with active engagement.  

·       Benefits from an understanding of the different narrative patterns that can be used to get things done in the world: The leader’s ability to evoke their teams/organization’s imagination of achieving success by innovation and creativity is a result of their skillful storytelling and highly developed emotional intelligence.

·       Entails active participation in the world rather than detached observation (p. 270): In order for the leader to understand and know their environment and those in it, they must be an active participant oppose to being detached and separated from it.

Of the dimensions Denning (2011) provides, I believe the three that will manifest in my leadership are:

·       Works with the world rather than against it: Having been a leader in the military and in State government, I know firsthand that there are many circumstances that are beyond anyone’s control. This is where I believe that I am at my best. Having a clear direction and a firm grasp of the “bigger picture” has propelled my to achieving success in my personal and professional life. This has allowed me to challenge others to get the most out of them and at the same time give them the benefit of the doubt when they stumble. I believe that this process is important because it forces me to be agile and always looking for leadership tools to employ in various situations without being limited in thought and practice.

·       Builds on personal integrity and authenticity: I believe that every leader should possess and exercise some level of integrity and authenticity if they are to be the example. As a former military officer, this method of leadership was (and still is) expected in every facet of one’s personal and professional life. Moreover, it’s important to me that everyone I deal with knows what type of person I am and that I will deliver complete effort require of me; because I expect the same.  

·       Entails active participation in the world rather than detached observation: I have always enjoyed being a “hands-on” leader. I want those that I lead to know that I am not asking them to do something that I haven’t done or would not do myself. Actively participating with others in whatever situation is necessary, they can count on me to be there with them.

Reference

Denning, S. (2011). The Leader's Guide to Storytelling: Mastering the Art and Discipline of Business Narrative (J-B US non-Franchise Leadership). Wiley. Kindle Edition.

Making Contact

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How comfortable are you striking up a conversation with someone new? Are you able to "work a room" with ease? In your blog, reflect on aspects of your personality and/or upbringing which make you able to relate to strangers easily—o r not so easily. What lessons can you take from Chapter 14 of Messages to improve your ability to connect with others?

Making contact with others and being able to strike up a conversation is an important social skill, at least so I have learned as I have matured personally and professionally. Growing up, I was considered standoffish and more reserved compared to my peers when around new people. I had always participated with team sports, so I was comfortable interaction among those I knew and those that belonged to like groups. Yet, during the latter years of high school and early years of college, being around and meeting new people became more of the rule.

Also during this time, I began interning and volunteering with local law enforcement departments and various juvenile court offices. I observed and experienced firsthand how effective one could be in a stressful situation when they possessed the ability to communicate with others they had never met before. Furthermore, many of these public service professionals championed their cause by meeting other professionals and networking; thus extending their influence and reach.

The two biggest communication obstacles I worked to improve and sharpen was my body language and active listening. According to McKay, Davis, & Fanning (2009), “One of the biggest ways you can turn people off is through body language. Shy people characteristically avoid eye contact, keep a blank and expressionless face, and physically retreat from others” (p. 209). So in an effort to promote an openness and inviting posture, I would actively monitor my body language to ensure my arms and legs didn’t instinctively cross. “Crossed arms and legs indicate a defensive, protective position, while an open posture indicates a willingness to listen” (McKay et al, 2009, p. 210). Moreover, because I was not a fan of “small talk,” I typically wanted to get to the point of the conversation as soon as possible as a result of my internal fears and monologue. This method hardly lent itself towards a joyous and effective conversation. As noted by McKay et al (2009), “The inability to listen is the most common cause of conversational disaster. Some people can’t listen because they are preoccupied with their fears of embarrassment, others are perennially preparing their next remark, and still others fail to listen because they are too busy advising or winning an argument” (p. 214). Thus, to incorporate active listening, I applied effort towards listening to others stories, point of view, I would ask questions, and clarifying what I thought they were saying. “It should be clear that listening is more than merely keeping your mouth shut. You carefully attend to what is said, you remember it, and you feed it back” (McKay et al, 2009, p. 214).

With much practice and a lot of trial & error, I have been able to improve my ability to strike up a conversation with a perfect stranger without creating a socially awkward situation. One benefit of being able to speak with strangers is learning something new from someone or experiencing the fun in expanding one’s curiosity. “Prying is fun. It helps you satisfy your curiosity and also get more information so you can keep the conversation going’ (McKay et al, 2009, p. 217).

Reference

McKay, M., Davis, M., Fanning, P., (2009). The Communication Skills Book. New Harbinger Publications. Kindle Edition.

Secret Structure

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In your Reflection Blog, discuss the structure and techniques shared and how you might use them.

This week’s video of The Secret Structure of Great Talks, Nancy Duarte (2010) highlights the power of an idea. That ideas, when effectively communicated and that resonate with others, have the potential to inspire and invoke action. “Because if you communicate an idea that resonates, change will happen and you can change the world” (Duarte, 2010). Although effectively communicating an idea is key, the method of communicating this idea is equally important. For example, Duarte (2010) notes that “there’s something kind of magical about a story structure that makes it that when its assembled it can be ingested and then recalled by the person receiving it.”

In her quest to find out why when a story (idea) is told in a presentation format, it fails to have the same effect. Duarte (2010) explored many mediums and discussed hero archetypes in which the presenter as the hero and star of the show would inevitability take hold. “I realized right away that that’s really broken. Because I have an idea, I can put it out there, but if you guys don’t grab that idea and hold it as dear, that idea goes nowhere and the world is never changed. So in reality, the presenter isn’t the hero, the audience is the hero of our idea. (Duarte, 2010).

Duarte (2010) then analyzed memorable speeches/presentations given by Steve Jobs and Martin Luther King Jr and highlights many of the methods that contributed to their ideas affecting significant change. As a result of her analysis, Duarte (2010) identifies that both speakers magnificently mastered the ability to communicate their ideas by drawing an audience’s attention to “what is” compared to “what could be,” with a “call to action” and end with describing the total bliss once everyone has come around to their idea (Duarte, 2010).

I believe that Nancy Duarte (2010) did a fantastic and compelling analysis on how storytelling can be effective in a presentation format in an effort to communicate an idea. Specifically, as a visual learner, I was excited to see the analysis in diagram form. Doing so, in my opinion, gave greater weight to her purpose and made a complex topic easier to follow. Being able to process Duarte’s (2010) results, I feel confident that I could incorporate many of the methods highlighted such as, moving from what is to what could be, call for action, ending in bliss, using repetition & metaphors in order to connect and resonate with an audience. Ideas are important as long as they are effectively communicated and resonate with others. Duarte (2010) provided valuable insight and data that indicates that with the right process, a person is better suited to affect others and invoke change.

Reference

Duarte, N. (2010). The Secret Structure of Great Talks. TEDX. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/nancy_duarte_the_secret_structure_of_great_talks. 

High Performance Teams

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Based on this week's readings from the Denning text, identify the elements of high-performance teams and apply them to teams with whom you have worked in your organization. Next, Identify the importance of shared values and discuss the influence of shared values on your team's performance. Finally, examine the four patterns of working together and detail one positive and one negative experience. What could you have done to influence the outcomes?

High performance teams display the following elements according to Denning (2012):

• High-performance teams actively shape the expectations of those who use their output—and then exceed the resulting expectations.5
• High-performance teams rapidly adjust their performance to the shifting needs of the situation. They innovate on the fly, seizing opportunities and turning setbacks into good fortune.6
• High-performance teams grow steadily stronger. Over time, members come to know one another's strengths and weaknesses and become highly skilled in coordinating their activities, anticipating each other's next moves, and initiating appropriate responses as those moves are occurring.7
• The members of a high-performance team grow individually. Mutual concern for each other's personal growth enables high-performance teams to develop interchangeable skills and hence greater flexibility.8
• Fueled by interpersonal commitments, the purposes of high-performance teams become nobler, team performance goals more urgent, and team approach more powerful.9
• High-performance teams carry out their work with shared passion. The notion that “if one of us fails, we all fail” pervades the team.10 (p. 155-156).

Being a part of a high performance team is an extremely fulfilling event. For instance, while serving on a specialized security detail, each member of the eight-person team possessed many of the same fundamental expertise and experiences. However, each team member specialized in a specific area such as: close-in protection, driving, weapons, and breaching to name a few. Furthermore, each member was capable of familiarizing or training the other team members in their specialty so that the safety and security of the team was enhanced. Within this high performance team, everyone had their own responsibilities, however, coordination and communication was essential as everyone was vested in the overall outcome. Aside from the technical expertise and experience of the team, its shared values was the driving force to effectively learn and communicate with each other. According to Denning (2012), “collaboration rests on values” (p. 157).

Denning (2012) identifies the following as categories of working together (p. 160-161):

• Working group: In this groups each member has a defined responsibility and timeline that is gear towards achieving the group’s overall objective. As a result, there is little need for members to collaborate or coordinate efforts which prevents active communication and a shared investment in other members.
• Team: Traditional assembled for a specific purpose with stated objectives, which is led by a team leader and are usually disbanded once their job is complete. Teams have a share a goal that requires a “high degree of interaction among the unit's members, who got to know each other's strengths and weaknesses extremely well” (Denning, 2012).
• Community: Are groups that share a common interest and/or passion; members are self-selecting. These groups facilitate shared knowledge and even provide action relating to their communal goals.
• Network: Is a method for people to share information and provide input on common topic or issues that span the globe. Unlike in a community, it is likely that those in a network do not have as much personal interaction. “They use the network to stay informed about events, books, or articles of common interest and occasionally discuss issues…Those who join make no mutual engagement to do anything in particular except stay in touch by way of the list” (Denning, 2012).

A positive experience I have had (and continue to have) is being a part of a military/veteran networks. One important network that many current and former military professionals take part in is RallyPoint, which discuss countless topics such as: leadership challenges, policy issues, initiatives, pending transitions, deployment challenges, and so much more. In one particular case, a leader posted an issues that he was having with one of his Solders (leadership challenge) and was opening up discussion for possible courses of action and recommendations from the many leaders that have experienced the same issue. Like many other leaders, I highly recommended digging further into the Soldiers life because there usually is something going on in the Soldier’s life that causes them to decline. As a military leader, unlike in the civilian world, a leader has a duty to learn about their subordinates (personal & professional) in order to get them back on tract and support them. Furthermore, I also recommend that constant engagement and professional counseling would help the Soldier feel supported without an authoritarian overtone. Finally, I recommended that the leader look into services (counseling) that the military provides before the situation became unsalvageable. Without such a network, leaders such as the one looking for advice, would have had limited resources. Yet, by discussing this challenge in a forum where others have had similar experiences or have different perspective on the matter, can constructively discuss and provide guidance to others is valuable. Because in the end, the leader’s actions will directly affect his Soldiers life.

A negative experience I had was when I served as a member in a working group that was established to relook an organizations training requirements, training standards, measures of effectiveness, and develop courses of action for the commander to consider for future operations. This working groups consisted of various level of leadership and subject matter experts. Thus, there was a wealth of knowledge and experience to achieve our given task. Yet, when comments and ideas were submitted to address the topics, the working group leader appeared to develop their own criteria and input. Leaving the rest of us wondering why we were there in the first place. I believe there was little anyone person could have done to influence the outcome because of the military’s structured chain of command and reporting system. Although everyone contributed their best efforts to the working groups objective, the decision to present the courses of action/recommendation was beyond our responsibility. However, I used the experience as a learning tool as to when I seek the advice and input from other capable professionals, I give the proper consideration and more importantly, weigh the ideas/input against the vision, end state and intent with the group collectively.

Reference

Denning, S. (2012). The Leader's Guide to Storytelling: Mastering the Art and Discipline of Business Narrative (J-B US non-Franchise Leadership). Wiley. Kindle Edition.

Aligning Values

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Based on the readings in the Denning text and the assessment you took in A521.5.1 identify in detail the process of developing and aligning organizational values. Identify the three basic components of an ethical community and discuss how they might be applied in your organization. Are there values that are missing from your organization?

Discuss how you might develop those values and also align them with the values of the individuals in the organization.

Organizational values are vital in creating an environment of trust and that also encourages guided action. In short, values must be purposeful and support how the organization conducts business with its employees, customers, and stakeholders. “Values need to have a purpose… to always err on the side of living up to promises—even if they are merely perceived promises—to inspire absolute trust” (Satell, 2015). The organization at large (top down), must inculcate and demonstrate their commitment to the organizational values through action in order to establish what Denning (2011) describes as “A genuinely ethical community,” that consists of three basic components such as: trust, loyalty, and Solidarity.

·       Trust: the general expectation among members that their fellows will behave ethically toward them.

·       Loyalty: acceptance of the obligation to refrain from breaching one another's trust and to fulfill the duties entailed by accepting that trust.

·       Solidarity: caring for other people's interests and being ready to take action on behalf of others, even if it conflicts with personal interests.

(p. 131-132).

Denning (2011) highlight three important methods to develop and align organizational values. First, organizational workshops would allow its values to be expounded and discussed in a safe and professional forum. Doing so would also allow individuals to reflect on their personal values and the corporate values, which would increase the compatibility if they overlap or recognize there is minimal overlap and decide to move-on. “Clarifying values, for instance in a workshop on the subject, can lead people to understand how they are personally connected with the organization's values—or not” (Denning, 2011, p. 134).

Second, organizations must make a clear distinction of their espoused values and their operational values. Denning (2011) notes, “If companies want to embody certain values, then they have to begin by ascertaining what values are currently operational. Only then can they decide which values they want to change and how to go about it (p. 136). Identifying the

Lastly, transmitting organizational values through narrative can be a powerful method because such narratives highlight these values where the listeners (employees) can draw a desired conclusion in a settle way. “Telling a story embodying the values and letting the listeners themselves see the point can be effective. A light touch is desirable, without ramming home the point with an abstract label or a moral” (Denning, 2011, p. 140).

Coming from a military police background, our organizational values were firmly rooted. Not only were we as Soldiers expected to live by the Seven Army Values of Leadership, Honor, Duty, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage; as law enforcement officers we had the added expectation of establishing trust and confidence with those we interacted with in a law enforcement capacity (military & Army civilian community). I believe this organization value mindset was so effective was because prior to law enforcement duties, the supervisor would reiterate and refresh these values to ensure that our purpose remained at the core of every action and decision made. Furthermore, holding ourselves and each other accountable for our actions gave great weight to the organizational values. In any situation, these values would provide a guide and standard of behavior and performance.

References

Denning, Stephen. (2011). The Leader's Guide to Storytelling: Mastering the Art and Discipline of Business Narrative (J-B US non-Franchise Leadership). Wiley. Kindle Edition.

Satell, Greg. (2015). How To Define Your Organization’s Values. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/gregsatell/2015/11/27/how-to-define-your-organizations-values/#1b467f33694b