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As a new mom, I am learning the importance of creating boundaries and enforcing rules.  I am to be a leader and find new ways to motivate my little one to want to comply.  How is that possible?  How can I conduct myself in a manner to which she will eagerly choose to do what is expected? What can I do to give her a cause, reason or meaning to her daily actions?

The role in my professional life is also expecting the same critical thought.  As a team leader, I must ask myself what expectations I am setting.  I must determine what I am doing to help inspire those around me to make positive change that reinforce the vision and mission.  This is no easy feat. 

The secret is not to do this alone.

In the case of my daughter, I have to find out from her what motivates her.  I need to determine of the things that motivate her, what can be utilized to help her understand boundaries and comply with rules.  As she ages and develops a greater understanding, I can then begin to provide more reasoning behind the rules and regulations.

As a team leader, I can look to those on my team to find out what motivates and inspires them.  Some may be inspired by ideals such as work ethic and achievement.  Others may be motivated and inspired by growth and ultimately the bottom dollar in their pocket.  Still others may be motivated by the legacy they are leaving behind.

Nevertheless, to be effective at providing the inspiration is found in the charismatic transformational leadership style. I have to help those on my team come together and see the gains we are making as a team. We need to form a significance in why we do what we do.  We need to join together and make our vision stronger. We need to continue to develop meaningful connections and improve on them daily.  

It may not be easy, but it will be well worth it- both personally and professionally.

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 In the article, Remote Transformational Leadership (Kelloway et al, 2003),  the researchers set out to determine factors that contribute to follower satisfaction when transformational leadership styles were evident.  The hypothesis was that students would be able to distinguish between ledership styles and subsequent satisfaction levels would increase as transformational leadership styles were presented.  Research methodology utilized in the study included the controlled experimental method with the vignette approach employed to evaluate responses on self-reports and manipulation checks employed for validity.  The results did support the research goals in that respondents demonstrated a significantly greater amount of interpersonal justice and job satisfaction with transformational leaders as compared to laissez faire and management by exception leaders.  The research is valuable in that it demonstrates the type of leadership qualities that positively influence followers not only in face to face interactions but in the more rapidly growing sector of remote communications and organizational structure.
As a remote leader, I can definitely find merit in the finding and am thankful there are researchers out there that are willing to put forth the effort to build on the current body of knowledge and support those that are leading thousands of miles away from their followers.  It is definitely not an easy task to evaluate remote leadership, nor is it an easy task to be a remote leader.  The research findings help me establish greater confidence that not only can I continue to be effective as a leader, but I can also foster the transformational leadership style even if face-to-face interactions are only possible through Skype or other video messaging software platforms.

Resources:

Kelloway, E., Barling, J., Kelley, E., Comtois, J., & Gatien, B. (2003). Remote transformational leadership. Leadership & Organization Development Journal Leadership & Org Development J, 163-171.

Yukl, G. (2012). Leadership in organizations (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

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While this entire course has shed light on the immense nature of organizational leadership, this week's readings and course material really provided insight that I had not previously gained.  The interview with Kanter allowed an exchange between my direct supervisor and C-level executives that may result in a positive cultural shift in our business operations.  As the text cites, technical positions tend to have persons that are too "zoomed in" and unable to see the larger picture, though IT also lends to those that have a great sense of creativity and vision.  
This week, I was forced to look at my own ability to zoom out, not get caught in the details and look at the overall vision.  Too often I find myself trying to achieve and meet external goals set by others.  While I do set goals and will take risks that I foresee would benefit the company, I do not spend a considerable amount of time cultivating a vision that is newly developed.  Usually, I will take a new vision that has been set forth by the Chairman and if allocated the task, I will run with it.  However, I have not stepped out on my own to come up with novel ways to do business.  I would like to discuss the appropriateness of doing this with the Chairman and see if he would like to have a method for which I could continue to develop the skill of being a visionary.
In reading about managerial motivation, I was humbled to see that my motivations were not narcissistic in nature, but were based on a high level of emotional maturity and a need for affiliation, achievement and socialized power.  I tend to operate consistently in accordance with the expectancy theory of motivation.   The area for which I feel I am needing to redirect effort is the independent level for which I tend to operate.  As a project manager, I am required to make sure I can handle what comes my way.  That being said, I need to realize that I am part of a larger group and, when appropriate, request assistance or delegate tasks.  This will afford others the opportunity to really shine and gain new skills.
Due to the situation variables in which followers are currently operating with highly complex tasks that are taking a considerable amount of effort and causing a significant amount of stress, I am currently operating in line with the Path-Goal theory, which allows our team to continue to grow through task-oriented behavior with supportive leadership assisting each step of the way.  I am already seeing gains in the employees on my team and I am so thankful for the effort they are putting forth.  It is great to see how hard work really can pay dividends.

Harvard Business Review. (2011). Zooming: How Effective Leaders Adjust Their Focus.

YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saNj6B0Vasw&feature=youtu.be

Yukl, G. (2013). Leadership in organizations (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall

A.511.3.3.RB_TAYLORHEATHER

In my current position at The Echo Group as a Project Management Team Lead, I find myself wanting to develop skills to be a better leader.  While the theories of power and influence discuss the acquisition and loss of power, the impact of leadership , the methods of establishing effective power/influence tactics and an ability to understand impact on others in the organization, I still find myself wondering how to develop a better leader within.
I ask myself what my current sources of power are in my current position.  Expert power is utilized as I have the highest educational and occupational background in the behavioral health field as compared to my followers.  However, my followers have seniority in years within the company.  They are seasoned in experience as a software vendor.  They are willing to learn from me as they notice behaviors that I employ that are producing successful results.  This is building my legitimate power.  I ask myself what about the nature of the power utilized.  I look at my motives for gaining expert knowledge in the field.  Am I trying to outshine my peers?  Am I intrinsically wanting to understand more about the industry?  How will I motivate those on my team to want an equal or higher level of knowledge?  How can I promote that within each employee?
I contemplate whether the power source and nature of the power is utilized in daily interactions. How am I offering knowledge and skill acquisition opportunities to my followers?  How am I creating opportunities for them to develop professionally?  How am I investing in their future?
I reflect on the impact such power has on follower relationships.  The feedback I receive is positive, but I have to be mindful that a behavior between leader-members could be inauthentic praise of a leader for the purpose of advancement of the follower.
I then analyze the leader-member exchanges (LMX) that are occurring in the workplace.  While others state there are clear indicators of favoritism and decisions based on political standing, I feel the greatest amount of dysfunction is due to lack of objective data for analysis by executive leaders.  The current climate is in such flux that leaders have a difficulty removing the smoke and mirrors to assess clear indicators for success.  Therefore, all they are able to base their decisions on at the current time is limited and skewed data as well as personal evaluations of minimal observational data.  To combat this with my team, I set clear objective goals and assess the team's ability to meet the goal through clear objective measures.  Each individual receives personal authentic praise that is not broadcast across teams, but is recognized within the team to limit a perception of favoritism.  I am sure there are power and influence tactics that I need to further develop, but I hope the members that are present within the current leader-member exchanges know how important they are to me. Not as employees, not as followers, but as valued people.  I have a desire to help them reach their career goals and I know it is possible with the right leader.  It is my duty to become that leader and it is an honor to be in a position to do so.

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Am I supportive?  While I would love to answer that question with an affirmative response, I honestly will say that I am not as supportive of a leader as I ought to be.  In my daily work, I tend to be more of an independent performer than someone that is "considerate and friendly" (Yukl, 2013, p. 63).  While I do show acceptance for others and I maintain an overall demeanor of optimism and cheer, I do not spend a significant amount of time helping others.  This may be due to lack of space in my work day to be both a team leader and a team member.
I am expected to maintain a full project work load, manage others on my team and meet the same productivity standards of those on my team.  There is no authority and much responsibility with the team leader position.  It is a difficult position to hold at this stage of the business operations.  That being said, it is a challenge and an opportunity.
So how can I be more supportive?  The biggest area of improvement that I could make as a future leader, and even a current leader, would be the willingness to help with personal problems. My immediate supervisor, the Chairman of the company, is amazing at being willing to help his employees with personal problems.  Just this past week, I was in the hospital due to what was believed to be a minor heart attack.  That was my first day of personal leave since returning to work 1 weeks after delivering my baby through emergency C-section.  I highly value work and I try not to let personal life detract me from work.  My boss was so willing to help decrease stress and ensure my health was top priority.  He valued my health more than I did.  On Friday, he called to ask if I was doing well and what he needed to do to make things better for me as an employee.
I find though that I generally operate with a "no excuses" mentality.  After the passing of my parents as a child, my grandparents operated under a "tough love" approach.  I was sent to school sick.  I was sent to school tired.  I was sent to school mentally and emotionally exhausted. It taught me that life is messy, but you have to keep living.  I now value that mentality.  However, my view is not necessarily the view that others would appreciate.  In fact, it can really rub people the wrong way.
For example, in a recent email I sent to my team, I shared a video from "Kid President."  This young man takes time to try to encourage people to improve their quality of life and that of those around them.  He keeps a motto that we should all "Be Awesome."  After sending the Pep Talk video, I sent another email that gave an order to the team members.  The subject line read "No Excuses- Be Awesome!"  In that email, I provided a follow-up Kid President video which gave the behind the scenes real life story of this young man.  It shows his battle with Osteogenesis Imperfecta.  The idea was to promote a sense of purpose and encouragement for those on the team.  It also was a way to show the team that with the right mindset, they could overcome significant obstacles.
While great intentions were there, and teammates did appreciate the emails, there is something to be said for still remaining open to help when excuses are needed.  To have the Chairman extend such care to me during a time of need, how much more will it mean to my team to have their leader open and willing to support them through both personal and professional experiences?
What does this new awareness mean for me?  I need to come to a place where I can be soft enough to be approached with personal problems and allow for the development of trust relationships, but still be structured and task-oriented to allow for followers to adhere to the expectations set before them.
Another area that I need to improve upon is providing praise and recognition.  I spend too much time focusing on my own work and attempting to gain recognition for the work completed, that I miss out on opportunities to advance those around me.  Authentic recognition has meant so much to me when I have worked hard on a task.  To know I can provide others with that sense of accomplishment is an honor and one I will work hard to ensure is not taken for granted.

References:

Yukl, G. (2013). Leadership in organizations (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall

A Pep Talk from Kid President to You. (2013). Retrieved November 1, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-gQLqv9f4o

The True Story of Kid President. (2013). Retrieved November 1, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcZVGjG6LWM