A511.8.3.RB Gender

A511.8.3.RB - Gender

Gender Starts At The Top

I defiantly agree with the analysis of Ms. Kanter, within cooperate America there are gender based discrimination situations.  As a human resource officer I had years of training geared towards helping organizations understand the equality of everyone.  Every organization has its challenges but the overall tone and treatment of females within a workplace starts at the top of the leadership ladder.  A clear understanding, tone, and support of female inclusion and equality by leadership can truly make the deference within an organization.  I believe Ms. Kanter and Yukl make similar arguments when it comes to gender discrimination. Understanding the benefits of equality is critical “in cultures with high gender egalitarianism, there is less differentiation of sex roles and most jobs are not segregated by gender (Yakl 2013, pg 366),” making the organization and workplace a comfortable environment.  I have to extend this idea beyond just male/female because discrimination in any form is wrong and has no place in any organization.  

Set the Example

Gender based decimation exist around the world and although America has gained leaps and bounds compared to other countries in the world, in the way of organization, training, education, rules, and laws generated to diminish discrimination.  I believe there would be an extremely high level of gender discrimination in America if no laws were established to mitigate the problem.  Because we have to have laws against gender discrimination says without them male leaders would practice it. Even with laws in place, there is still a gap in the number of women in high-level positions throughout corporate America.  The United States government has done a good job opening doors for women especially in Washington DC, but as the example our government has dragged its feet over the years.  Since our government’s inception the first female Attorney General Janet Reno was appointed in 1991 and the first African American female Loretta Lynch just weeks ago. What kind of message does that send to corporate America when the federal government takes so long to appoint females to positions of power?  It’s a step forward, but it requires more work as “the strong tendency to favor men over women in filling high-level leadership positions has been referred to as the glass ceiling (Yukl, 2013, p.371),” and it needs to be broken.

The Military

Within the military, its been through pressure from Washington DC that has forced the armed forces to open of military careers previously closed to women. Although a number of combat arms positions have opened up, careers in Special Forces have remained closed.  Many women consider this a form of discrimination, but I believe if a female qualifies for a position, they should have the opportunity to serve in it.  The military is based on government driven guidance, it has come a way to go and has lots of room for increase improvement.  As the military leaders in Washington look at the 2016 elections, if Hilary Clinton wins she will become the first female Commander and Chief.  I believe there will be significant change in the military and its structure specifically focused on the inclusion of females in combat and leadership roles not previously considered fit for women.  This is true because “women are more likely than men to possess the values and skills necessary for effective leadership in modern organizations (Yukl, 2013, pg 371),” and the military will be the forefront of the change over the next decade of female inclusion.

Ref.

Yukl, G. A. (2013). Leadership in organizations. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.

A511.7.3.RB - Self-Awareness

A511.7.3.RB - Self-Awareness

I am a military officer with 20 years of military service, as I reflect on my career as a leader I have to think about what it took to become a good leader.  What made me different from the individual with the same rank and time in service standing next to me?  Is the person next to me a better or worse leader, what could I learn from him in order for me to become better.  Is my core values the right ones or do I need to improve them? The military like any corporate organization is extremely competitive.  In the military everyone is a leader in some capacity where some choose to lead a large organization, some a small team, and others are comfortable leading just themselves.  As good leader, “keeping promises and commitments, and acknowledging responsibility for mistakes while also seeking to correct them (Yukl, 2013, pg332),” is the hallmark of leadership. With this said, I cannot acknowledge the positive without negative takeaways from military leadership. 

Good leaders follow, learn, lead by example, and inspire others.  Negative leaders most often create the harsh working environment, but in essence provide the best examples to of what not to do as a leader.  The competitive nature of the military coupled with working in multiple environments helped me to grow and learn from both good and bad leadership. The experience has helped to shape my leadership style and make me a better leader.  I have worked with servant, authentic, and ethical leaders, their positive leadership styles I found to the most helpful in my development. Servant leaders whose helped others to grow through empowerment and individual development made the strongest impact on personnel and the organization.   Those leaders who worked closely, understanding and supporting subordinates were the most successful because they were considered sincere individuals.  This would cause organizations to work harder because the leader displayed ethical behavior and was authentic in nature.

At the root of my leadership are my core values, I didn’t understand or know how to label them until I joined the Air Force in 1995.  My core values are integrity first, service before my own needs, and excellence in everything I do.  Three simple values have shaped me to be a servant leader where I am focused on others rather than myself.    Integrity is first because as a leader, subordinates, peers, and senior leaders must be able to trust my dedications and actions.  Second is service before my own needs, this means I am in service to my organization, family, and the community.  I will sacrifice my desires and needs to help others first.  Lastly is excellence in what I do I will give 100% effort in everything I do no matter how large, small, or tedious the task.  When needed, I will ask for help as it will overall benefit of  the organization.

I have learned over the years that “servant leadership are similar to those suggested by theories of supportive and empowering leadership and theories of spiritual and authentic leadership (Yukl, 2013, pg349).” Admitting my lack of knowledge or weakness in an area has benefitted me.  By recognizing shortfalls, in myself, my personnel or the organization, has proven critical to my success.  By seeking help from others who are knowledgeable on the subject or task has been one of the most successful leadership traits I have gained.  The learning point is I don’t have to have all the answers, being humble and asking for help makes the difference to the organization and personnel. Leaders who want to be successful will need support from subordinates, peers, and senior leaders.  When faced with a task that is beyond the organization’s capability, asking for help is the right thing to do and keeps with the core values of integrity first, service before self needs, and excellence in what I do.   

Ref:

Yukl, G. (2013). Leadership in organizations (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

A511.6.3.RB - Meaning

A511.6.3.RB - Meaning

Gaining Support

As a leader and a follower of leaders, I understand change is inevitable because working environments are often in flux and can be driven by a senior leader, organizational policies, regulations, and laws.  Today, leaders are often tasked with convincing followers or senior leaders to follower their vision and direction.  How a leader accomplish the task is often the most difficult. The hardest task in creating a cause or meaning in a vision or direction is the gaining the buy-in from subordinates, senior leaders, and sometimes elements (peers) in order to meet expectations and intent of the proposed task.  Without buy-in of those affected by new ideas or changes within the workplace, success is unlikely.  Leaders who understand “efforts to implement major change in an organization are unsuccessful, and resistance to change is a major reason for failure (Yukl, 2013, pg 80),” the better off they are.  I believe a leader must identify the “cause” or ‘meaning of the task at hand then develop supportive reasoning for the direction the leader wants them to go.  When leaders “tap into the unique desires and values of individuals engage people’s hearts as well as their heads and hands, (Ulrich, 2010)” the leader will gain the support they need to accomplish their tasks.

Create and Maintain Support

Within the military there is often leadership turnovers, with the turnover comes changes, personal preferences, and beliefs.  A good supporting staff takes note of the changes and develop ways to implement change without creating a negative impact to the organization. The most difficult impact to an organization is a change in senior leadership, especially when the new senior leader is inexperienced in the position. Organizational staff leaders understand “Even the people who initially endorse a change will need support and assistance to sustain their enthusiasm and optimism as the inevitable difficulties and setbacks occur (Yukl, 2013, pg 84).” Good staff leaders make the effort to curtail the negative impacts of a bad senior leader by maintaining a strong relationship with subordinates and gaining support for the new directions they are given. A good senior leader takes a few months to analyze a new organization, taking notes of the positive and negative operating procedures and administration policies.  Then slowly over the course of six to twelve months create the “meaning” of their mission and organizational direction.  Any leader, who fails to take a comprehensive approach, organizational analysis, and personnel development, will often meet resistance and untimely fail.

The Leaders Role

A role-centered approach is the best route a new leader should take when they want to institute changes and creating meaning or purpose within their organization. A leader should consider the long-term goals of an organization and how it impacts subordinates, their workflow, the day-to-day operations, and longevity of the organization.  Through a subordinate developmental program, a leader will help garner their support, understanding, and dedication their over time. If a leader strives to “promote positive work environments through attention to characteristics like humility, selflessness, order, and openness, (Ulrich, 2010)” within the workplace, they will be successful. In addition to the subordinates, there are external components such as lenders, suppliers, and logistical supporting elements that can benefit from understanding that an organizational stance and goals.  This will help curb turbulent situations when they arise especially during times were a situation “involves a prolonged transition period of adjustment, disruption, and dislocation (Yukl, 2013, pg 84).” There is a leadership balance that must be maintained in order for their vision and direction to take hold in their organization.

Reference

Yukl, G. (2013). Leadership in organizations (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.

Ulrich, D., Ulrich W., 2010, Harvard Business Review, Leadership: Getting Beyond Engagement to Creating Meaning at Work.  https://hbr.org/2010/06/getting-beyond-engagement-to-c