December 2, 2016
For
the readers of this blog, I highly recommend Nick Obolensky’s book, “Complex Adaptive Leadership 2nd
Edition”. At the beginning of
chapter 10, Obolensky poses some tough questions for the reader to gage what
sort of leadership style that he has. As
in many cases throughout this excellent book, there is not an easy answer or a
one-size-fits-all solution. Full
Disclosure: I scored heavily in the
strategy 3 range after taking the quiz.
As I
thought about why this is so, I thought back to a time when I took a
personality test that labeled me as an “equalitarian” type of leader. An equalitarian leader shies away from making
directive commands and authoritarian stances.
Maybe I need to balance this tendency out with a mixture of various
leadership styles which are essential to complex adaptive leadership.
My
thinking during this course has changed and has stretched to reach higher
levels. By scoring heavily in the
strategy 3 category probably means that I would rather guide subordinates to
come up with their own solutions rather than tell or direct them on how to do
it. I think that I may have missed the
selling point of explaining new changes and benefits of those changes when answering
the quiz questions. I felt that if I
could skillfully guide a subordinate to the proper conclusion, then that would
mean that I was empowering them. Additionally,
there are times when directive leadership and telling a subordinate to do
something becomes necessary.
From
another point of view, when someone challenges you for solutions to a problem,
your brain begins to think of ways to solve the issue or overcome the
challenges presented. My instructor for
this course has been successful in getting me to look at myself and figure out
what barriers I had to material that was presented.
For my
future goals as a senior leader within my organization, I will need to guard
against heavily relying on only one strategy as a leader. I will use Obolensky’s book as a reference if
I feel that I am slipping into old, unproductive habits. I have a type A personality and it can be
difficult for me to let others do work that I feel I could accomplish faster or
better. That attitude seems to contrast
with the equalitarian label that was bestowed upon me so many years ago. I need
to develop trust in others that they will perform and not “let me down” on
important issues. This course has gone a
long way in rounding out my own personal style.
In fact, since I put the needs of my organization above all else, the
organization will ultimately benefit from the lessons I have learned as I
attempt to implement them efficiently and effectively.
John
H2O
Reference:
Obolensky,
Nick. (2016). Complex Adaptive Leadership 2nd Edition. New York: Routledge
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