I
feel that it has been so long since I last submitted a blog. I ended up having
to drop my last class due to attending the Army Recruiter Center Leader Course
which I am graduating this week. I thought it would be hard to regain the
traction to keep going after taking a break for a class but I am extremely
eager to get back to it again. The class in which I am now enrolled is MSLD 633
– Strategic Leadership.
We
are, of course, just beginning this class so I don’t have a full grasp of even
what to expect to learn from it. Usually that picture becomes a little clearer
around week three or four. What I have gathered so far, though, is that the
class presents a unique approach to leadership that challenges our traditional
hierarchical leadership structures in complex environments and suggests a
polyarchy structure where team players at all levels present themselves as
leaders as the preferred leadership approach (Obolensky, 2014). However, for
this first blog, the intent for us to answer a few reflective questions without
having a grasp of any of the concepts other than what we already know about
leadership. In fact, the three opinion based questions presented are on the
very first page of text.
The first
question presented is how my own attitude toward leaders has changed in my
life. This is such a hard question to answer because my views and attitudes
toward leadership are vastly different than what they once were yet they did
not just change overnight. In fact, I don’t even think that I can pinpoint when
my views began to shift. Just as we don’t have visibly noticeable growth (or
shrinkage for the chubby guys like me on a diet) overnight, neither do our attitudes, views, and
beliefs change overnight.
The change is ever so gradual over the years. Since I was still rapidly
changing and developing in high school, perhaps the best beginning reference
point would be the start of my professional career. When I enlisted, I had no
understanding of the difference between management and leadership. The two were
completely interchangeable. I viewed my senior leaders as unapproachable
entities that were just in charge of the people that were in charge of me. However,
as I advanced through the ranks, I began to realize that there is a vast
difference between management and leadership and that leaders are motivational
individuals that provide purpose and direction. Therefore, my attitude changed
from one of complete subservience to one of willful teamwork.
When
we consider the changes in views and attitudes toward leaders between
generations as a whole (i.e. comparing the views that our grandparents had
versus the views that our parents had and now what today’s generation has), we
can see a trend toward a lack of respect. Granted, that is a very
subjective statement and others may disagree with me but I imagine that the
majority would agree that respect for authority has waned over the years. I
remember the stories that my father would tell me – things like, “Son, if I
ever talked to my mother that way, I would be whooped so hard that I wouldn’t
be able to sit for a week!” Of course, it seemed that my attitude correction
ended with that. I suppose that shows a trend toward tolerance of the
questioning of authority and a celebration of independence. As an Army
recruiter, I interact with today’s youth on a daily basis and can tell that
their view toward those in roles of authority and leadership would not be
tolerated when I was their age. However, though there is a negative connotation
with this change, perhaps there is a silver lining. Perhaps part of the
rejection of traditional authority and leadership stems more from an increase
of information. As an example of this, think back to the Civil Rights movement.
Do you think that Rosa Parks was the first to refuse to move on the bus or that
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was the first to speak of equality? Of course they
weren’t but the news traveled and inspired others. I am not trying to equate
the perceived rejection of authority in today’s youth with Civil Rights heroes
but perhaps part of the “rebellion” stems from the immediate availability of
information. Perhaps we are not trending so much toward a rejection of authority
and leadership so much as trending toward the need for justification and
validation of directions.
Today,
we live in a world that is fascinated with the study of leadership. In fact,
leadership training is a rapidly developing industry. In part, this is because
“we have changed the context of
leadership faster than we have changed our assumptions about what leadership actually is” (Obolensky,
2014, p. 20). This lack of definition has caused a vast gap in the quality of
established and developing leaders today. My opinions about the above questions
logically explain part of this quality gap. However, this isn’t necessarily a
bad thing as new approaches to leadership are developing that challenge
traditional thinking. Think back to the first generation of any new superior
product. The first-generation iPhone was revolutionary but is completely
obsolete today. The first hybrid cars flopped. The first high definition
televisions were luxury items available only to the super wealthy. Perhaps this
new breed of leaders is still in the early stages of development but will soon
replace the established hierarchy of leadership. I am excited to discover if
this next class supports or refutes my opinions.
Obolensky,
N. (2014). Complex adaptive leadership:
embracing paradox and uncertainty (2nd
ed.).
Farnham: Gower.
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