Leadership Capstone Final Reflective Paer

Final Leadership Capstone Paper

D u q u e s n e U n i v e r s i t y

L e a d e r s h i p C a p s t o n e

M L L S 7 9 5

P r o f e s s o r : D r . J e r r y G r o v e s

7 / 7 / 2 0 1 4

Kemberly Gervasi

This is an application based integrative Leadership paper;

which highlights my overall learning development

throughout my master’s degree experience, and how I will

incorporate my education and new skills-set in assisting me

in achieving organizational leadership success and

sustainability well into the future.

1 Leadership Capstone

Table of Contents:

Introduction

Body of the Paper – Highlights of Leadership learning experience

Self-Analysis - Strengths and Weaknesses - Personality Traits

Leadership - Style and Approach - Centered Leadership - Transactional versus Transformational - Servant Leadership

Interpersonal Conflict - Conflict Management techniques - The Basic Core Concerns - The SCARF Model - Emotions

Critical Thinking Skills

- Leading and Coaching Across The Generations (Sticking Points)

- Assumptions and Stereotyping

Conclusion

References


Introduction:

This is an application based integrative Leadership capstone paper; which highlights my

personal overall learning experience throughout my master’s degree program. I will

attempt to incorporate what I have learned about myself and leadership in general and

how I will use my new knowledge, education, and skills to lead an organization and its

people, in the future. Coming from a 24-year career in military leadership, this

leadership program has been quite an eye-opening experience for me in that, the world

has changed and it has become smaller meaning, there is an increase in the

competitive economic marketplace. As a result, organizations have had to learn how to

change in order to become competitive and sustainable. Organizational leaders have

had to change their style and approach to leadership in order to build and lead

competitive and sustainable relationships, teams, and organizations. My personal

learning experience throughout my Leadership master’s program has been so vast;

nonetheless, I have attempted in incorporate areas of learning that address in particular

how mindfulness, a strong sense of self (emotional intelligence), and true caring and

understanding of people will assist me in becoming the best leader I can be. These

specific areas of learning were quite new to me and I gained a valuable skill-set,

knowledge base, education and bag of new tools and techniques that will assist me in

becoming the best leader I can be and how I will implement best practices in; building

relationships, teams, developing leadership skills in others and leading my future

organization and its people to great success and sustainability.


The authors’, [Rath & Conchie (2008)] state “all too often, leaders are blind to the

obvious when it comes to something of critical importance to them – their own

personality. They simply don’t know their own strengths and weaknesses. Without a

strong self-awareness of your strengths, it’s almost impossible to lead effectively.” (pp.

10-11). This statement says it all. Psychologists and other researchers, as well as

people in all walks of life, have long recognized the importance of cognitive intelligence

(IQ), in determining a person’s success and effectiveness. In general, research shows

that leaders score higher than most people on tests of cognitive ability, such as IQ

tests, and that cognitive ability is positively associated with effective leadership. Today,

researchers are recognizing the critical importance of emotional intelligence or EQ, as

well. Some suggest that emotion, more than cognitive ability, drives our thinking and

decision making, as well as our interpersonal relationships. Emotional Intelligence

refers to “a person’s abilities to perceive, identify, understand, and successfully manage

emotions in self and others. Being emotionally intelligent means; being able to

effectively manage ourselves and our relationships.” [Shriberg et. al. (2011) p. 145]. In

my Leading Mindfully coursework, we learned meditation techniques that will allow us

to be present and to take a step back and see the “bigger picture” prior to taking

action. I found this coursework especially useful to me because my personality traits are

all high (D’s), executioner, activator, achiever, judgmental, the need to take action, and

so on. I am conceptual in the need to know the history behind things and although I

am an analytical thinker, I will make decisions and take action based on the facts

directly in front of me. It is also very important to me to build strong relationships and


alliances. Therefore, my greatest learning experience was how leading mindfully helps

increase emotional intelligence and how it all is interlinked. This theory supports the

practice of leading mindfully in that, emotional understanding and skills impact our

success and happiness in our work as well as our personal lives. Leaders therefore can

harness and direct the power of emotions to improve the follower satisfaction, morale,

and motivation, as well as enhance overall organizational effectiveness. The SCARF

model is just one of the areas where, as a leader, I can develop my own self-

awareness and emotional intelligence and use this knowledge in identifying with and

building more collaborative, efficient, and effective relationships and teams within my

work environment. The SCARF model defines “status, certainty, autonomy, relatedness,

and fairness as key motivators for people and plays into our emotions and our decision

making processes. [Rock & Rice, 2014]. I find relatedness as one of the key elements in

assisting leaders in making the greatest connection with their constituents. They can

see me as a leader as being human and having the same basic core concerns and

human wants. This relatedness also assists in building relationships based on trust.

Additionally, I have been told more than once throughout my life and by fellow students

and my husband that I am a great story-teller. Story telling is thought to be one of the

greatest ways to relate and connect with people.

Researchers say there are hundreds of emotions. An important ability of a leader is to

understand the range of emotions people have and how these emotions may manifest

themselves. Most researchers accept eight categories of emotions that are recognized

universally. “These eight emotions are based partly on the discovery that specific facial


expressions make up four of the categories (i.e. fear, anger, sadness, and enjoyment).

The other emotions are love, surprise, disgust, and shame.” [Daft (2010), p. 146].

Leaders who are attuned to their own feelings and the feelings of others can use their

understanding to enhance the organization. For example, “studies of happiness in the

workplace find that employee happiness can play a major role in organizational

success.” (p. 147). The author, [Hsieh (2010)] in his book describes “three types of

happiness which are pleasure, passion (flow), and higher purpose.” [Meng Tan (2012),

p. 132]. The interesting concept behind these three levels of happiness the author

states is their sustainability. “The happiness that arises from pleasure is highly

unsustainable. Once this pleasure stimulus ceases, or you try to habituate it, your level

of happiness returns to its default level. Happiness that arises from flow is much more

sustainable and you are far less likely to habituate it. Happiness arising from higher

purpose is highly sustainable. This form of happiness is resilient and can last for a long

time, especially if that higher purpose stems from an altruistic origin.” (pp. 132-133).

What do you think is the most important aspect in work and life in general? Most people

will respond with communication. Communication can be both verbal and non-verbal

(as in facial expressions). Authors, [Wilmot & Hocker, (2011)] discuss “how one can see

communication in organizations as becoming a part of preventative conflict

management. They go on to explain how conflict in the workplace can present

challenges that affect one’s career development. Ignoring workplace conflict sets

destructive forces in motion that decrease productivity, spread the conflict to others,

and lead to lower morale. Conflict resolution draws upon the skills of emotional


intelligence. “ (4-5). “Emotional Intelligence is defined as the capacity for recognizing

our own feelings and those of others for motivating ourselves, and for managing

emotions well in ourselves and in our relationships.” [Goleman, (1998), p. 317].

“Recognizing feelings, self-motivation (the SCARF model), and dealing with feelings are

skills that pervade all of conflict management.” [Wilmot & Hocker, (2011), p. 6].

Communication and conflict are inextricably tied. Conflicts can arise simply out of lack

of well-communicated interests, needs, fears, concerns, and lack of understanding one

another because we have generational differences. We will discuss each generation and

methods, theories, and practices on how we can learn to better communicate and work

together; versus creating unnecessary conflict(s) and develop more collaborative,

effective, and cohesive work place environments.

The author, [Aguilar, L. (2006)] explains “biased, stereotypical, or otherwise demeaning

communication also undermines morale, teamwork, and productivity in your

organization. It can drive customers away. It can cause public relations fiasco. And, it

could be interpreted as an indicator of a hostile workplace.” (p. 9). Therefore, it is

imperative that leaders recognize bias and stereotyping in ourselves and others’ and

develop a policy that that this type of communication will not be tolerated and how best

to handle it when it occurs. The author also explains that “paying attention to one’s

words and nonverbal communication is being professionally competent and personally

conscious.” [Aguilar, L. (2006). p. 10]. This is important because most people do not

often times intentionally or even consciously communicate bias; nonetheless, if and

when we do, it can be hurtful; it can cause employee disengagement and breakdown.


As a leader, if this type of behavior is allowed and tolerated it can also cause employees

to lose respect for their organizational leadership. This opens the door for many other

issues to follow.

So, what is bias? [Aguilar, L. (2006] defines “bias as a predisposition to see things or

people in a certain way, either positive or negative.” (p.11). This predisposition may

stem from our cultural background and can be passed down from the generations that

preceded ours. Nonetheless, there is no acceptable place for it in today’s global and

diverse workplace. A stereotype is a “simplified, fixed belief about a group of people.”

(p. 16). The effects of stereotyping can be extremely hurtful to the group being

identified, mainly because most stereotypes are negative. We all have made them or

heard someone else making a stereotype. Those that stereotype are affected as well as

the person that holds the stereotype; in essence it hurts both parties involved. For

example, in my Leading and Coaching Across the Generations course work, I learned

that as a Gen Xer, my generation is often referred to as “slackers, whiners, and the

cynical and lost generation.” [Shaw, H. (2013). p. 78]. Now I may take offense to these

“stereotypical identifiers”, let them roll off my back or work hard to prove myself and

my generation otherwise. The Millennial generation is often referred to as the “entitled”

generation. Is this a fair statement? Could it be hurtful to those that fall within this

generation? Sure! I am a parent to four children of the millennial generation. The

stereotype of this generation’s “entitled attitude” is hurtful to me as their parent. The

“Baby Boomer” generation is often defined as an arrogant generation. They are bigger


and better than the rest of us. Would members of this generation agree or find this

identifier as hurtful to them?

The most important point is that both bias and stereotypes, whether intentional or

unconscious are hurtful, unfair, and often wrong because they come from a

predisposed, preconceived notion and/or assumption(s). Therefore, we need to ensure

we watch and choose our words carefully. And, as leaders, we are tasked with the

responsibility of ensuring we set the best example for our organizational members to

follow. Bias and stereotypes will not be tolerated and people will be held accountable

for inappropriate communication.

What I learned from this module is that whether intentionally or unconsciously we often

make biased assumptions and are or have been guilty of stereotyping individuals or

groups of people. Most often these acts are a result of our lack of knowledge,

understanding, and awareness of why people are the way they are. Now having learned

that each generation is indeed different and why; for example, “Millennials feel

entitled.” It isn’t that this generation feels they are entitled and shouldn’t have to work

their way up the corporate ladder or that they have no respect for their elders’ because

they sit in a meeting and text on their cell phone or work on their laptop. There are

reasons they do these things or feel the way they do. “Gen Xers are whiny slackers.”

No, we aren’t and this is why. I am armed with a significant knowledge, understanding,

and an awareness; that will better enable me to work with people from each

generation, build more effective and collaborative teams, increase awareness and

understanding of each generation’s differences, increase creativity, insight, and


innovation within my future organization. I will be able to develop training so others’

will learn about the generational differences and use the tools and skills I share with

them to work through organizational conflict and create clearer communication within

the organization.

Today is the first time that there are four generations in the workforce. We are referring

to the “Baby Boomers” born 1945-1964, Generation X born 1965-1980, Millennials’ born

1981-2001, and the “Linskers” born 2002- to date.” [Shaw, H. (2013). Each generation

is a product of their environment, culture, life experiences, challenges, parental

involvement, traditions, values and so on… Factor in our “bias, stereotypes’, and

assumptions,” is it no wonder organizations are experiencing issues (conflict) with their

personnel communicating and working together?

Robert Greenleaf’s renowned 1970 essay, “The Servant As Leader”, author [Kim (2002)

says “Greenleaf’s writings are a constant reminder of the high standards leaders must

set for themselves, if they are to be worthy of peoples’ full commitment.” (p.2). [Kim

(2002)] goes on to say of all Greenleaf’s writings, one passage stands out as one of the

most challenging for him which is; “The failure (or refusal) of a leader to foresee may

be viewed as an ethical failure.” (p. 2). In order to understand what Greenleaf means

by this statement we must first take a hard long look at what Kim’s true and real

definition of foresight is. [Kim (2002)] goes on to say, “Others’ may admonish us (as

leaders’) for not having exercised better foresight or for incorrectly anticipating the

future. They may call it a failure of planning or an error in judgment. But to call such a

lapse an ethical failure is such a strong stance that it respectfully calls for deeper


introspection. There are two models I would like to identify: First, forecasting versus

Predicting -- we might think that due to the “enormous complexity of today’s

organizations that exercising foresight is impossible. The author further explains this

conjecture might be true if we equated foresight with making accurate forecasts about

the future –which is impossible to do. However, foresight is more about being able to

perceive the “significance and nature of events”, before they have occurred-which is

achievable.” He uses an analogy to further illustrate the difference between forecasts

and predictions, his example “if it rains in the foothills of the Himalayas, we cannot

forecast exactly when the rivers will swell and flood the valleys, but we can predict with

certainly that the flooding will occur. The better we know the structure of the terrain,

the greater knowledge we have about the flooding to follow.” Thus, a leader’s ethical

responsibility is to know the underlying structures within her domain and be able to

make predictions that can guide her people to a better a future.” The second model;

Helping Versus Meddling -- “failure to know whether one is helping or meddling is

another ethical lapse. Why? Because it means that one lacks foresight to know the

future consequences of one’s own actions; and the actions of others. This statement is

intense but also very true. There are always consequences to our actions and others’.

So what is the difference and how can we know the difference? People may not

necessarily always have the right answer, for those that do need to know why it is true.

What is the explanation to the right answer? Understanding System Capability -- there

is an important link between understanding a system’s capability and having the

capacity to exercise foresight. We cannot always forecast the future however what we


can do is predict with absolute certainty changing our aim is actually meddling, not

helping. Taking action just for the sake of “taking action” without knowing cause and

effect worsens the state of affairs. This is not helping, which constitutes an “ethical

failure.”(p. 3).

Renowned author, [Kabat-Zinn, J. (1994)] states that, “paying attention in a

particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally, this is what

we refer to as leading mindfully.” (p. 20). In learning and mastering the art and balance

of leading mindfully, we can do this by taking a purposeful pause, addressing the

concern and not the trigger or situation, factoring in motivations, emotions, using

empathy and compassion toward ourselves and others which leads to a higher-degree

of emotional intelligence and the final result is greater leadership abilities.

[Meng Tan (2012) summarizes the connection between leading mindfully and

emotional intelligence stating, “We use mindfulness to train a quality of attention that is

strong both in clarity and stability. We then direct this power-charged attention to the

physiological aspects of emotion so we can perceive emotion with high vividness and

resolution. The ability to perceive the emotional experience at a high level of clarity and

resolution builds the foundation for emotional intelligence.” (p. 25). This then leads to

the ability to lead others with clarity, compassion, empathy, and recognize motivators

which leads to trust between leaders and those being led; the ultimate outcome is

stronger, more satisfying workplace relationships, more job satisfaction, higher levels of

morale, and greater levels of happiness.


I would like to take this opportunity to look at leading mindfully from another

perspective. Researchers suggest that “the leader’s mind can be developed beyond the

non-leader in four critical areas: independent thinking, open-mindedness, systems

thinking, and personal mastery. Taken together, these four disciplines provide a

foundation that can help leaders examine their mental models and overcome blind

spots that may limit their leadership effectiveness and success of their organizations.

Mindfulness in this context can be defined “as continuously re-evaluating previously

learned ways of doing things in the context of evolving information and shifting

circumstances. Mindful leaders are always looking for new ideas and approaches.

Because all four disciplines are interdependent, leaders working to improve even one

element of their mental approach can move forward in a significant way toward

mastering their minds and becoming more effective.

All that we have discussed thus far leads to centered leadership. [Barsh et. al.,

(2010)] defines centered leadership as a set of five capabilities that, in combination,

generates high levels of professional performance and life satisfaction. “The five

capabilities are at the heart of centered leadership; finding meaning in work, converting

emotions such as fear or stress into opportunity, leveraging connections and

community, acting in the face of risk, and sustaining the energy that is the life force of

change. Leaders who have mastered all five capabilities are also more than 20 times as

likely to say they are satisfied with their performance as leaders and their lives in

general.” The first and most important capability is meaning or purpose. Leaders who

have a sense of purpose in their work convey more energy, inspiration, engagement,


and motivation to their followers. Centered leaders therefore obtain a high degree of

job satisfaction for serving and contributing to something greater than themselves. This

is what the author [Meng Tan (2014)] refers to as passion or flow in the workplace.

This passion is transferred to others which results in a shared meaning or vision and

gives others a sense of meaning and/or purpose and greater job satisfaction.

Leaders that are “centered” have a greater ability to lead mindfully. This is turn

leads to servant leadership. Servant leaders have a high-degree of emotional

intelligence due to a strong self-awareness of their strengths and weaknesses,

personality traits, and the ability to understand others, establish trust and build strong

relationships and teams. They exude confidence, compassion toward others, and create

a work environment of positive and creative energy. Servant leadership means simply

“to serve.” Robert Wood Johnson, who built Johnson & Johnson; described servant

leadership as “the duty of a leader to be a servant to those responsible to him. Servant

leadership is leadership upside-down. Servant leaders transcend self- interest to serve

the needs of others, help others grow and develop, and provide opportunity for others

to gain materially and emotionally. In organizations, these leaders’ top priority is service

to employees, customers, shareholders, and the general public. In their minds, the

purpose of their existence is to serve; leadership flows out of the act of service because

it enables other people to grow and become all they are capable of being.” [Daft

(2010), pp. 175-177].

Servant leadership is based on the foundation of serving others versus serving

oneself. Its concept is based on autonomy, empowerment, participation, shared


authority, shared vision, and building a community of trust. In the beginning of this

paper I spoke of [Greenleaf (1977)] who coined the concept of servant leadership.

Greenleaf’s servant leadership model is comprised of four basic precepts: “1) put

service before self- interest this requires leadership making a conscious choice to help

others takes precedence over the desire to achieve a formal leadership position or

attain power and control over others, 2) listen to affirm others; this results in a fuller

understanding of problems others face. By understanding others, the servant leader can

contribute to the best course of action, 3) inspire trust by being trustworthy; servant

leaders build trust by doing what they say, being honest, giving up control and focusing

on the well-being of others. Trust grows from trusting others to make their own

decisions. Servant leaders gain trust because they give everything away – power,

control, rewards, information, and recognition, and 4). Nourish others and make them

feel whole; this requires that leader’s belief in the unique potential of each person to

have a positive impact on the world. Being close to people also means leaders make

themselves vulnerable to others and are willing to show their own pain and humanity.”

[Daft (2010), pp. 177-178].

In today’s global economic environment the questions are; can organizations’ transform

and if so, how do organizations’ sustain, compete, innovate, and survive? First and

foremost the responsibility lies with leadership. Leadership must know how to transform

their organizations, foster an environment of creativity, and understand the need for

change and transformation in order to stay in the game among the global competitive

market.


Organizational leaders will be better equipped to effect transformational change in their

organizations once they make the following distinctions. Culture is defined as deeply

held patterns, assumptions, and perceptions of beliefs and values. In the context of

organizational culture; “values can be specific and explicit. “[Isaksen & Tidd (2013), p.

302]. Can leadership change culture? According to [Schein (1992)], “there are three

main sources that form an organizational culture, first there are the beliefs, values, and

assumptions of the founder. Next, the learning experiences of members as the

organization grows can also influence culture. Third, organizational cultures can change

as a result of new beliefs, values, and assumptions brought into the organization from

new members and leaders.” [Isaksen & Tidd (2013), p. 304].

Now let’s take a look at organizational climate? Climate can be defined as “the recurring

patterns of behavior, attitudes, and feelings that characterize life in the organization.”

[Isaksen & Tidd (2013), p. 307]. Culture and climate are intertwined, generally

speaking, climate falls under culture as a result one affects the other. The distinction to

be made is that “climate is different from culture in that climate is observable at the

surface level within the organization and more amenable to change and improvement

efforts. Whereas culture refers to the deeper and more enduring values, norms and

beliefs within the organization.” [Isaksen & Tidd (2013), p. 308]. These enduring

values, norms and beliefs are much more difficult to change. Therefore we can easily

make the assessment that leaders should look to change their organizational climate in

order to foster an organizational culture of innovation.


Before we can begin to look at models for change we must look at the process of

Systems Thinking. Systems’ thinking is the concept of looking at organizations as a

whole having sub-parts and sub-systems. This includes people, departments, project

teams, technologies, processes, and resources within the organization. All these sub-

parts and sub-systems are all highly integrated. This is a ‘cause and effect’ in the

context of organization comprised of the people, processes, departments, technologies,

and resources; all make up the whole system therefore; we can make the correlation

that if one part of the system changes, the nature of the overall system is changed.

My final topic of discussion is transactional leadership versus transformational

leadership. The area of transformational leadership is very important to me because of

the direction of where I want to go as far as employment and the type of leader I want

to be. Now, having the complete knowledge of my strengths, weaknesses, personality

traits, and a higher-degree of emotional intelligence; I believe I will be successful in

leading an organization. Transactional leaders are more tasks oriented and running the

day-to-day operations. Now this is a very important key aspect of leadership. Managers

can run departments; manage tasks, processes, and people. Transformational leaders

however, lead people by inspiring, engaging, and motivating. Leaders that create and

inspire the organizational vision make transformations happen.

Conclusion:

Servant leadership means simply, encouraging others in their personal development,

and helping them understand the larger purpose in their work. Leader’s care how


employees feel about themselves, about their work, and about the people they interact

with. Leading mindfully practices support and enhance personal growth and

development of emotional intelligence which results in better control and management

over our own emotions. We can further develop this capacity by using various

meditation techniques as simple as taking a purposeful pause. Continued growth and

development in ourselves allows us to develop our skills and abilities in developing the

same in others. Leading mindfully will assist leaders in making more cognitive, moral,

ethical and overall sound decisions by being able to see the bigger picture, listen to

input and creative ideas from others. I have learned throughout my Leadership

graduate coursework various tools and techniques, what is important me and what

gives me meaning, purpose, job satisfaction, and ultimate happiness in my work. Now

armed with this information, it is my goal to obtain work that fulfills my personal and

professional needs which I will then do my best in leading mindfully to help fulfill these

needs in others, create a high-degree of emotional intelligence, job satisfaction, and

happiness for those I am tasked to serve. This is how I interpret the connection

between leading mindfully and servant leadership and how this will serve me in

achieving great success as a leader and serving others.


References:

Barsh, J., Mogelof, J., and Webb, C. (2010). How Centered Leaders Achieve

Extraordinary Results. Mckinsey & Co., McKinsy.com

Daft, R. L. (2010). The Leadership Experience; Global Economic Watch, 5th

Edition. Centage Learning, Mason, OH.

Fisher, R. and Shapiro, D. (2005). Beyond Reason; Using Emotions as You

Negotiate. Penguin Books, New York, N.Y.

Goleman, D. (…)

Greenleaf, R. (1977). Servant Leadership; A Journey Into the Nature of

Legitimate Power and Greatness. Paulist Press, Mahwah, NJ.

Kabat-Zinn, J. (1994). Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation

in Everyday Life. Hyperion, New York, N.Y.

Kim, D. (2007). The Systems Thinker; Leading Ethically Through Foresight.

Pegasus Communication.

Meng Tan, C. (2012). Search Inside Yourself; The Unexpected Path to Achieving

success, Happiness (And World Peace). Harper-Collins, New York, N.Y.

Keltner, J. W. (1987). Mediation; Toward a Civilized System of Dispute

Resolution. Speech Communication Association, Annandale, Va.


Moore, C. (1996). The Mediation Process, 2nd Edition. Jossey-Bass, San

Francisco, CA.

Wilmot, W. and Hocker, J. (2011). Interpersonal Conflict, 8th Edition. McGraw

Hill, New York, N.Y.

Shriberg, D. and Shriberg, A. (2011). Practicing Leadership; Principles and

Applications, 4th Edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Hoboken, NJ.


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Leadership Capstone Final Reflective Paer