A500.3.3_Hescott_John_Organizational Leadership as a System

August 26, 2016

When I think about the distinction between organizational leadership as a system of thinking versus as a body of information, I see the former as a dynamic field full of ideas similar to those presented in the art of the possible.  When I view it as a body of information, it becomes more of a stagnant accumulation of information without the mechanisms to translate that information into action.  Organizational Leadership as a discipline is more valuable to me when presented as a system of thinking.  I have a weakness in some of my face to face inter-actions with others in my organization.  I am easy to read via facial expressions or body language.  This hinders my effectiveness as a leader when I run into obstacles in my quest to make the organization better.  I telegraph my frustrations non-verbally, even if my words are proper.  My effectiveness would be better served by learning about ways to think about my non-verbal approach when plans are not being executed efficiently.  A critical examination of my thinking in these situations, could re-orient my thinking into a positive state and eliminate my negative non-verbal facial expressions and body language.  This would help to facilitate the process of solving the immediate issue.  The continued practice re-orienting my thinking and consciously thinking about my non-verbal communications would end up eliminating my weakness.  A side benefit may also be that I would be able to play poker!  I have also been impressed by witnessing superior leaders confront failures, obstacles, and delays with a calm demeanor devoid of negative body language.  They also have that ability to sooth others in a tense situation with their tone of voice, their approach, and critical thinking while navigating through tough issues.  That calming effect takes the tension out of the situation and allows for a free-flow of ideas and information to take place.  This is usually a very effective approach, even when dealing with complex situations.

 

When applying organizational leadership as a discipline for my coursework, the perspective of how I view it is critical.  I need to view organizational leadership as a system of thinking and using it for dynamic, positive change within my field of study in order to be successful.  Organizational leadership would not be useful to me if it was only presented as a body of information containing facts and anecdotal information.  It appears to me that in order for me to be successful, I have to focus on an aspect of learning or solving problems by using systematical critical thinking.  Presenting the various topics, but especially organizational leadership as rote memorization of facts and information does not hold my interest and will not enable me to learn effectively.  An example of my point would be my proficiency in geometry, but not algebra.  When I was in high school, algebra did not interest me and my grades reflected my lack of interest.  For some reason, geometry did interest me and I got considerably better grades in that than I did for algebra.  Maybe this was because geometry requires critical thinking skills rather than rote memorization of how to solve equations.  This understanding of how I am built as a person can be viewed with another example.  I am terrible at playing checkers.  However, I play chess at the master level.  Checkers is supposed to be the easier game of the two, but it does not hold my interest as chess does.  Chess is extremely complicated.  It is also hard to master the nuances of the game.  I love it.  I hate checkers.  The bottom line:  If I can translate organizational leadership as a life skill of critical thinking rather than memorization, I will be more effective as a leader in my organization and as a student.

John H2O

A500.2.3.RB_Hescott_John (My Story)

A500 2.3 RB Telling my Story  Posted August 19, 2006:

 

I have tried to become a well-rounded self-actualized human being.  I faced many struggles to get to that goal, but several concepts that are important to me have helped me reach that point.  They are:

 

1. Faith & Spiritual Development (Catholic Religion)
2. Perseverance (The ability to survive and thrive beyond catastrophic circumstances)
3. Mental Development (Being well-read, comprehension, and analytical skills)
4. Physical Fitness (Wrestling, martial arts, military physical fitness)

 

Faith & Spiritual Development.  When I think of my faith, I have cognitive dissonance because I have not always lived up to that faith.  Cognitive Dissonance is psychological conflict resulting from incongruous beliefs and attitudes held simultaneously.  Some may call me a hypocrite, but cognitive dissonance is a better term for some of the following examples:  Catholics don’t believe in divorce.  I am divorced.  Catholics don’t believe in birth control.  I had a vasectomy.  As I have grown older and wiser, I regret having those conflicting things in my life regarding spirituality and faith.  I have grown in both of those aspects and now view the indiscretions of my youth with shame and regret.  Critically thinking about what has transpired, will tell me that one can’t change the past, but can only strive to do better in the future.  This means to learn from mistakes by not repeating them.  Why is any of that important?  It is important only if you examine what comprises us as human beings.  We have mental capabilities, physical capabilities, and spiritual capabilities.  I believe that all human beings have souls and that those souls will be held accountable for what they did or did not do during their time here on Earth.

 

Perseverance.  Many things in my life have been difficult to overcome and to succeed in spite of, but having the will to do so has finally pushed me through those difficulties.  I have always tried to set the example for my children that if you continue to work through difficult circumstances with faith and with willpower, then you will overcome many obstacles and disasters in life that seem insurmountable.  For example, I did not manage money well in my youth and my aforementioned divorce financially destroyed what little I had managed to accumulate.  Despite many setbacks and seemingly impossible odds, I have now achieved financial independence and success.  It amazes me because I view things differently now.  I question why people on lower end of the economic ladder spend money the way that they do.  For instance, one does not have money to pay for an energy bill, or a phone bill, but will spend money to get her hair done or a manicure.  Someone else may not have the ability to pay their rent or mortgage payment, but they will travel on vacation somewhere.  I find it amazing that their priorities do not appear be logically aligned.

 

Mental Development.  I have always placed a high value on learning and then thinking about what I have learned.  I love to read.  U.S. History, military history, and world history are my favorite topics.  I love to play chess and work to improve my chess IQ via study and playing consistently tougher competition versus a computer program.  I challenged myself by becoming a military pilot.  I always wanted to fly when I was young, but felt that there were too many barriers to achieve that goal.  When the opportunity presented itself as an amazing chance encounter, I took it and fulfilled my dream.  The mental aspect of flying turned out to be 80% or better of being a practicing military pilot.  Manipulating the flight controls is not hard once it has been practiced.  What is hard is all of the mental tasks that one must perform on the simplest of flights.

 

Physical Fitness.  I have always been a physical person.  I was a wrestler in high school, a martial artist in the style of Sho Bu Do Jujitsu, and have managed to achieve the maximum score on the Army’s Physical Fitness Test.  Even after having a hip and knee replaced, I have continued to work out and stay in shape.  Heart disease runs in my family, so I have dedicated myself to being a non-smoker and to continue focusing on cardio exercise throughout my week.

 

I utilized and learned things from these aspects of life together in my quest to become a self-actualized human being.  Learning how to better organize my critical thinking in my graduate program will enhance my ability to learn and critically analyze information in my life.  The benefits should be tangible on a personal as well as a professional level.

 

John D. Hescott

A500.1.5.RB_Hescott_John_Intellectual Perseverance

A500.1.5.RB_Hescott_John

Intellectual perseverance will help me achieve my goal of earning a Master in Business Administration – Aviation degree.  I have already encountered complications, dilemmas, and obstructions in my first week of coursework at Embry-Riddle.  I enrolled in this class with a high expectation that a critical thinking course would help get me on the right intellectual track.  Immediately, I had to deal with the fact that I would be unable to complete any coursework during the normal course of my work-day.  Our network is not up to date enough to support the ERNIE portal.  I had trouble finding the time to complete my course assignments.  Additionally, I had the dilemma of not only learning how to navigate the course work online, but needed to do it for two separate classes.  I also had difficulty getting my home printer to work during the first week of this course.  My obstacles this week are similar to a juggler that is used to juggling five balls at a time, but now to keep his job, he must learn how to juggle six.  My guiding truth and insight to this program is that although I have always desired to get a graduate degree, I am nearing a military retirement and I now need this degree to be able to continue my aviation career in the civilian sector.  I will overcome these obstacles so that my thinking may be broadened and my supervisory skills sharpened.  The goal is clear and the need is now well defined.  I am confident that once I have graduated, I will look back upon this time in my life as a difficult one that had to be endured, but ultimately lead to a fuller and deeper understanding of life itself.

My vision of a good leader is one that has several traits, along with that inexplicable charisma that translates a good leader into a superior leader.  A good leader must have the intellectual capacity combined with a visionary ability.  Can this leader combine his critical thinking skills with a vision that projects his organization into the future?  That type of vision needs to be short term, mid-term, and long term.  A good leader must have good communication skills paired with honesty.  Good writing skills or good verbal communication skills are greatly diminished if one is not perceived or known as an honest person.  He must be a good team builder along with having the ability to retain a superior team that he has assembled.  Many people can assemble a good team for a short duration, but the true test of leadership comes from the ability to retain a high quality team.  A good leader can set priorities while knowing which tasks to delegate to others that are part of his team.  Finally, a good leader can win respect from his subordinates via demonstrated results and maintaining a humbleness about himself, his accomplishments, and his organization.  A superior leader can cite accomplishments of members of his team consistently, while not pointing out his accolades to others.  These are some of the standards that I have already set for myself.  I am interested in learning if I need to expand my list.


John H2O