A640.9.2.RB- Final Project Reflection "Arts and Bees"

If I am being transparent, and I usually am, choosing my final elective was considerably difficult. I wanted to take a MSLD titled course versus another College of Business course because I like the design and the focus of the content. I was drawn to the fact that there would also be a mixture of writing styles in the assignments. A major deterrent was doing the Service Learning Project. Even as someone who loves academics and learning it was sort of a hard sell to think that I would have almost as many assignments as I would in a core course (which there are ten out of twelve core courses for this program) and do volunteer hours on top of that.

The lazy person inside me that juggles a full-time job and full-time school clinched up like someone would when jumping into a pool filled with ice water. I simply had an aversion to this idea, yet I kept circling it as an option much like vultures do. Granted it was also a hard-sell for some of my school mates, too. I almost had my school bestie ready to take it with me but at the last minute she jumped ship. Ultimately I decided that I really should stop being a weenie and woman up.

I have to say that I am incredibly glad that I did. Being the strategy girl that I am I decided that if I am doing this I have to hit the ground running. As soon as the class started and I read the service project requirements and then I got busy and found that place I wanted to volunteer and a contact. Living in an arts community and feeling like a living representation of the arts I decided that was what I was drawn to and what I should be spending my time and service on. Out of the many options I landed on Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, a non-profit organization.

I have said it many times but I still cannot believe that I had never been there and did not know basically anything about it. My community is not that big! So when I pulled up the sandy driveway I was not sure what I would be walking into or what to expect. My breath was taken away.  Every detail made it a truly elegant place, one worth of being a work of art itself. I got really excited to look around and start learning about who they are and what they do.

I kept a keen eye on every person trying to soak in aspects for my project. Learning leadership and theory from a book and writing about it while drawing from memory of personal experiences is one thing, but observing it in real life is another. After ten other classes it was not usually difficult to do the former. I felt like a leadership detective on a case. When I am at work I am immersed in the environment and being part of it and feel the effects of management decisions and the culture helps one understand the things that are present and a felt sense of what is missing. It is much harder to go to an unfamiliar place with new people and try to feel out what their organizational atmosphere is like, especially during an event. That in itself was worth its weight in gold.

If you want to be a true master of something you need to do and experience everything you can. The growing and learning never stops and this service project added to my expertise. It also felt like a debutant ball of sorts, too. I was revealing myself to my community in a leadership learning capacity and it was my coming out. It is like playing dress up and trying everything on for size as I "test drove" my soon to be new degree. But I want it to be more than a vanity prop because I want to do things, lots of things. I want to make a difference.

I cannot say enough good (and true) things about the ACA. It is a first-class organization. Even doing the research about the origins gave me a pool of information deeper than I could have dreamed of and the hours I spent volunteering gave me a direction in which to start. 

And once more I must say how absolutely bananas I am about the bee apiary that is on the property! About ten years ago I read “The Secret Life of Bees” and I gained and awareness and understanding of bees. As those years passed my intrigue and respect have grown. Maybe it is because human survival is closely tied to the ecosystem and bees are a huge part of that. Maybe it is because I romanticize all things bee. It was just one more thing that captured my heart and my respect for the ACA.

When I finished high school dance, cheerleading, gymnastics, and all the other art related activities were kind of over. Some are able to extend that into college and even less transfer that into their adult lives. When I moved to Mississippi for college I lost all of my connection to those worlds and I never reestablished them in my new environment. That is something that makes me feel loss. Once I came back home in my adult years I have danced in community theater productions and even was asked to choreograph a musical (which is like the hugest honor to me).

I still feel rusty though when it comes to that part of me. Seeing the ACA it makes me feel hope that I could have these things again throughout my lifetime. I dreamed of being a dance or gymnastics coach when I was in middle school. Now I dream of writing a novel or eight. I keep notes, scribbles, ideas so that once I am ready I have a place to start. It feels like there is a fire that has been rekindled and I am incredibly joyful for it.

Usually things are what we make of them. I could have complained my way through this project and took it at face value. I could have even chosen differently. I feel like with taking this class I answered a door of opportunity and fate did the rest. These good things found me again. Something in leadership that is easy for people to overlook are our own personal passions and finding sources of inspiration. When that well is dry it impacts what we do and our relationships with others, as well as the world around us.

With the culmination of all of this insight and knowledge I head into my final course in January. I feel full from this specific experience and have a happy heart thanks to the arts and bees.

In dedication: A very special thank you to the Atlantic Center for the Arts. 

A640.8.2.RB- Women in Leadership

There is a story I like to tell people because not only do I find it humorous but because I feel like it explains a lot about me quickly. I met my other half in Mississippi, a place that sometimes is like stepping back in time. Gender roles are still traditional as they might have been decades ago and the vast majority follow closely to the same path as their peers with little deviation. It is important to go to a good school, find a husband with a good job so that you can have a nice home and a nice family. Your family goes to church together and you are supposed to live happily ever after. The better you marry makes the difference in whether you need to work. However, some women choose to and that is okay. I have no qualm with this, though I feel like I am looking from the outside in and am just passing through.

One of my favorite places is the Agriculture museum because there is a cute little “old town” set up that you can walk through and even go to the old fashion store and get throwback candies and sodas. There is a garden, a gas station, the doctor, the general store, the school house, the church, and maybe a couple other buildings. The first time we went I was wide eyed and excited, it is the kind of place my imagination runs wild. I turned to Trey and asked, “What kind of job would I have chosen?” I threw out a couple things before settling on fire watch look out that would spend hours in the fire tower making sure things are safe. Trey looked at me sweetly with no malice and explained, “You would not be allowed to have a job. You would be burned at the stake if there still was one.” He countered with, “Or at least you would have started the women’s revolution, either way.”

I stopped abruptly on the gravel road, paused, looked around and then smiled. Yeah, that would be me for sure! Wait, why couldn’t I have a job? I forget what it was like for the women who came before me. But that is me, ready to mess things up by challenging the status quo. I was raised in Florida and feel like in general I was removed from a lot of these traditional ideals. Maybe it was part of the environment or maybe it was to great credit of my parents. I never felt like I was limited to what I could do in life. When I went to college in Mississippi only then did my eyes open to the fact that the world is still not entirely fair or equal all the time for everyone. This makes my twitchy justice side rage.

I came across a TED talk by Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook that was recorded in 2010. The discussion was centered on why we have too few women leaders? I was nervous about listening to it because I wondered if I would agree or not. Some of it I can relate one million percent with and other areas I am not sure resonate with me personally because of my choices in life. For example, I do not have an interest in marriage (but I might one day for legal purposes should I feel inclined) and my poor man-boyfriend of ten and a half years gets called names like partner, friend, boyfriend, manfriend, or cohabituer (I made that up, it’s French). I am also not going to have children. People tell me all the time I am going to change or I am going to regret it and feel sorry when I don’t. It is funny how people can make these assumptions about me when they cannot just jump inside and see that I have never walked a traditional path and that is cool with me. I am not doing it to be trendy or rebellious. I say it because I know who I am.

Because of this I probably will never have to decide between family or career. But it makes me upset that in society we are made to feel we have to choose. When I am asked either/or questions I always ask- why not both? So let me ask this… why can we not have both? I get it. There are not enough hours in the day. I see this for a colleague who recently became a mommy. 

As Sandberg (2010) suggests, women start leaning back and leave the table before they actual leave the table. My friend and I chat about it sometimes and that is not her intention and I think she is just going to have to find her sea legs while balancing the new roles. I have another colleague that I am tremendous friends with who has three children.  She explained to me that she has decided to focus on herself again which means working out, spending time with friends, and pursuing her Master’s degree- but people in her life make her feel selfish for these choices. “Stereotypes are not necessarily used intentionally to harm others. However, stereotypes can lead to discrimination in the selection and promotion of women to leadership positions, and therefore, can be very harmful” (Rowe & Guerrero, 2013, p. 414).

So I have to ask generally, as a cynical person toward having that type of family- why are so many people telling me this is what I need to do, especially knowing my ambitions, if they are going to turn around and fault me for trying to have it all and judge my parenting? Do people even realize this is what is happening? Please do not shackle me with what I “ought” to be doing. The peanut gallery's comments are not needed and I am not listening.

And just like we are back at square one I am ready to fight these notions for my friends and for all the people out there that feel like they have to choose or that they have to sit back. I am not comfortable with these implications we impose on certain facets of life. Research shows females respond in two ways to these stereotypes either by conforming or countering it. “Women who are confident are more likely to engage in stereotype resistance, and those who are less confident are more likely to assimilate to the stereotype” (Rowe & Guerrero, 2013, p. 414). It is soon to be 2016- why are we doing this to ourselves and others?  

One of my very favorite stories from Sandberg’s talk is the difference between her friend, herself, and her brother. They each take a class and put in varying levels of effort. Her friend puts in the absolute most, she puts in a lot, and the brother skirts by with a little help from each of them. After the test both women feel like they could have done a little more. The brother thinks he got the best grade in the class. Even boiling the story down from its original context that sounds absurd. “The problem with these stories is that they show what the data shows: women systematically underestimate their own abilities” (Sandberg, 2010, n.p.).

Even though I joke that I am ready to lead a revolution I find myself falling back into this sometimes. When I think about what is next after my Master’s I wonder if I am suffering from imposter syndrome. Am I actually good at anything at all or have I fooled people? Then I feel small and think maybe I should just do the same things I have always done and fear doing something new. I sort of cannot even picture what is next for myself if I am being entirely honest. The next logical step is maybe I should find a position where I formally lead people. But then I wonder if I would be any good at it and worry if I will fail. I also wonder if anyone would even listen to me? Sandberg (2010) continues her story:

A study in the last two years of people entering the workforce out of college showed that 57 percent of boys entering, or men, I guess, are negotiating their first salary, and only seven percent of women. And most importantly, men attribute their success to themselves, and women attribute it to other external factors. If you ask men why they did a good job, they'll say, "I'm awesome. Obviously. Why are you even asking?" If you ask women why they did a good job, what they'll say is someone helped them, they got lucky, they worked really hard. Why does this matter? Boy, it matters a lot. Because no one gets to the corner office by sitting on the side, not at the table, and no one gets the promotion if they don't think they deserve their success, or they don't even understand their own success. (n.p.)

Change often starts with one person at a time. Then they go on to tell other people what they overcame and maybe inspire others to try the same, even coaching them along the way. Heck, even if a group of people did it together- there is room for lots of people in my opinion, this could create momentum. Someone needs to get the ball rolling and in fact there are people out there right now trying to make a difference. I do not see Taylor Swift sitting in a corner and apologizing for herself. So when doubt, a poisonous emotion, creeps in I am going to remember Sandberg’s brother and say: “I am awesome. Obviously.”

Bottom line: it is time to stop putting Baby in the corner and finally watch her put herself in the corner office.  

References:

Rowe, W. G. & Guerrero L. (2013). Cases in Leadership. (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA. Sage Publications, Inc.

Sandberg, S. (2010, December). Why we have too few women leaders. Retrieved December 13, 2015, from http://www.ted.com/talks/sheryl_sandberg_why_we_have_too_few_women_leaders

A640.7.3.RB- How to Answer Case Study Questions

I remember when I decide to start graduate work because I asked around what my chosen program would entail. The answer I heard the most is everything is great except case studies are awful. Just the name of them sounds unappealing… case studies. Everyone said do not leave the case studies classes until the end or you will be burned out and not want to put in the work that you absolutely have to put in so I put that in the 1990’s rolodex in my mind.

When I realized how many forms of case studies filled the classes I felt heartburn instantaneously. Before ever doing a case study I decided I couldn’t do it if it was that bad. One of the most important lessons anyone will ever have in life is not to believe everything you hear. I am not everyone else and they are not me.

I am not even sure how I learned to do case studies or how I decided my approach. Two classes had a required format that looked for the macro and micro problems, causes, systems affected, alternatives, and recommendations. This was my first experience and my favorite. As it turns out I loved all the case studies in those classes. They were challenging but it was a pleasure to pick apart a story and ask questions as I glued it all back together in my response.

Other formats utilize questions in a directed manner that guide the learning and tailor it toward the various leadership theories. Some case studies use shorter concise scenarios. Others were quite extensive. One that stands out discussed a founder of Dickinson College that felt like it went back to the beginning of time but really just with roots based in England and the colonization of Pennsylvania and then moved through history to almost present day. Needless to say beware if you play me in iPad Jeopardy because I am armed with factoids.

I suppose my strategy for conquering them was to read them and hope for the best. I was not sure what to expect so I figured that was the way to get started. Admittedly between critical thinking training and being a Paralegal Studies major in my undergrad it was not as intimidating as it was made to sound.

Flash forward to today when I was browsing the internet for how to cook brie cheese and I landed on an ehow article. Anyone wondering how to do something and googled it has probably happened upon one of these articles. It did not tell me whether or not using a baking stone would char my cheese and burn down my house but at least I know the basics for having melty goodness that I can make at home. It just so happens you really can find anything on ehow including how to answer case study questions. Who would have thought? Not me.

The first paragraph caught my attention because the best I could articulate what a case study was is to say that I was going to “read a little story and answer it” so it has already one upped me. I can whip up an excellent analysis just do not ask me to explain it. The easier something is the harder I like to make it.

The two best points from my perspective were to 1.) Figure out what the question is asking you to solve and 2.) Imagine the problem and try to solve it (King, n.d.). While that sounds overly simplified the article points out that you should use what you already know to create the answer and not to gloss over the details such as the arrangement of the words and included facts or figures. Something that is not included is to beware of red herrings. Sometimes there is something you want to fixate upon that is just in there to throw you off the trail.

Another point I would like to mention is that for visual learners create a story in your mind as if you are watching a movie and try to picture what you are reading. The more in depth you can imagine it the better you will be able to manipulate the problem within the context of the story. Without fail when I read anything this is what I am doing. It does not work for everyone but finding your own strength and making it work for you is a great way to conquer cases or mostly anything else. You do not have to do it the same way as everyone else you just have to be able to do it the best that you can.

Reference:

King, J. (n.d.). How to Answer Case Study Questions. Retrieved December 6, 2015, from http://www.ehow.com/how_8342765_answer-case-study-questions.html

A640.6.4.RB- Authentic Leadership

Authentic leadership is proposed as the core of effective leadership needed to build trust because of its clear focus on the positive role modeling of honesty, integrity, and high ethical standards in the development of leader-follower relationships (Wong & Cummings, 2009).

Critics attribute authentic leadership as a way to manipulate and deceive followers. Martin and Sims (1956) and Bailey (1988) wrote that all leaders must be manipulative to succeed.

These two statements are two very different streams of thought. How could a form of leadership that advocates honesty and ethics be related to manipulation? A quick google search for the words “deceive and manipulate” renders articles about psychopaths.

After binge watching Marvel’s Jessica Jones all weekend the first thought I had went to the character, Kilgrave, who manipulates people using mind control. In order to have power he usurps control by force, constantly claiming he wants Jessica to have freewill in her decision making but always has a failsafe in place in order to keep her in check and in line with his demands, even going as far as harming other people so that she remains compliant. When leaders use manipulations tactics are they trying to keep control by any means possible because they realize they do not have true leadership?

One component of authentic leadership relies upon interpersonal definitions. Northouse (as cited in Rowe & Guerrero, 2013) states that positive outcomes stem from authentic leadership only when followers identify with the values of the leader and requires a high degree of buy-in for authentic leadership to be effective. Furthermore, most interpretations of authentic leadership center on “the notion that it is the opposite of the selfish and self-serving portrayals of corporate greed that dominated the headlines” (Rowe & Guerrero, 2013, p. 299).

It is difficult to accept that authentic leadership could encompass these positive things and have such negative connotations. When considering another form of leadership, servant leadership, it seems doubtful that the only way a leader can succeed is to be manipulative. Perhaps there is another way to view the word manipulative, another point of view, or frame to filter the negative first impression of the vocabulary. To manipulate means to handle or control typically in a skillful manner or to control and influence cleverly, unfairly, or unscrupulously with synonyms of exploit, maneuver, or engineer.

Another word rests in the same grouping: steer. If our leaders are an organization’s sculptor and the mission and its goals are like a malleable slab of clay, then it would be permissible and appropriate to guide the various pieces and parts toward the best outcomes through use of relational transparency and fostering a positive climate that relies upon self-awareness and an internalized moral perspective. Is manipulation as bad as we make it seem?

Or, for argument’s sake, flipping back to the other side of the coin and playing devil’s advocate is this line of thinking simply a hall pass for the ends justifying the means? After all, buy in usually results from followers already identifying with the espoused values. Do we see what we want to see? Does this type of leadership only recruit from likeminded individuals and if so, is that wrong? Or is there more to it, such as true caring, consideration, and development of our followers?

I am confident to say that authentic leadership demands us to consider these questions in order to find balanced information and follow the path of moral reasoning to reach ethical decisions. For now, it is okay to leave this as an open ended line of questions. Over time our life events, learning, and growing help all individuals become stronger, more authentic leaders.

Reference:

Rowe, W. G. & Guerrero L. (2013). Cases in Leadership. (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA. Sage Publications, Inc.

A640.5.2.RB- Leader-Member Exchange Theory

This post has perhaps been in the making for a while now and at first I was not sure if I wanted to avoid it or embrace it. I have a lot to say and some of it stems from a logical place while some of it does not. Perhaps that is one of the most fundamental essences of leadership; that we deal with people who are both logical and emotional simultaneously during a single conversation undulating between each and separately depending on the circumstance. These reactions are combined with our past experiences and the effects that our relationships and exchanges can have on us, which is very human and of course individualized in nature and context for each person.  

In my opinion this is how leadership diverges from management. What looks beautiful on paper is messier in real life. Being a true leader requires the ability to understand and sense differences in each person and not merely classifying all people as the same. This is where Leader-Member Exchange Theory (LMX) bridges this underlying idea. “LMX theory is the dyadic relationship between a leader and each of his or her followers” (Rowe & Guerrero, 2013, p. 200).

Something that I have observed with our current internet culture is that people have a yearning to be understood. We want to be heard and sometimes we want to feel we are valuable and important. Even if our mission is getting coffee we want to know how it contributes to the bigger picture. In an age of digital immediacy few wish to be anonymous. Our work lives are not much different from this notion. We want to our leaders to see us for who we are and what we bring to the table.

For me personally I am on a bit of a crusade that an organization is simply not as valuable as a person. We keep traveling in the direction that the idea of organizations and its needs should be upheld more than the people who make up a company and their wellbeing. I say nay, let’s put that in reverse. This is why LMX is impactful, because it realizes there is a symbiotic relationship between these things. What is good for one can be good for the other. There is no requirement that one should detract from the other.

I have always seen myself as being in a relationship with my job or organization. I am willing to give and take, but I am not interested in only being taken from. Few would accept this in a romantic courtship and when it is beyond one sided it is called unrequited. Those who seek healthy relationships wouldn’t stay committed if this was the premise and this has direct parallels to our work lives. If I am giving my mind and heart I want something for it, something that benefits me and replenishes me. Why is it that we think it is okay to run people dry and then discard them when there is nothing left? This is poor leadership.

Rowe & Guerrero (2013) summarizes the benefits of effective LMX stating:

Essentially, empirically based studies have found that where there are higher-quality leader-member exchanges, there are lower employee turnover, better employee evaluations, more frequent promotions, better work assignments, more participation by employees in decision making, enhanced commitment to the organization, more favorable attitudes toward the job, and great support and interest from the leader. (p. 201)

There is beauty to the coadjuvancy because both sides have equal representation in the relationship.  I have a belief that generally people want to do a good job but something goes awry along the way that causes a derailment. So what happens when this is overlooked and dyads are no longer aligned in fruitful harmony?

Rowe & Guerrero (2013) describes from the early studies an emergence of two types of groups: in-groups and out-groups. “In-group relationships develop when leaders and follower negotiate that follower do more than required by their job description, and leaders provide more than that required by the formal hierarchy” (Rowe & Guerrero, 2013, p. 201).

 Out-groups are much the opposite. They are physically present but do the minimum to retain their jobs, they give nothing more than required and leaders provide only what is contractually obligated (Rowe & Guerrero, 2013). Essentially this is an outbreak of organizational zombieism as these individuals mentally vacate or defect from their jobs.

In the song “She Wolf” Shakira muses, I've been devoting myself to you Monday to Monday and Friday to Friday. Not getting enough retribution or decent incentives to keep me at it. Starting to feel just a little abused like a coffee machine in an office. I don’t know about you but that doesn’t sound too appealing.

The implication of each of these groups is dramatic in terms of meeting goals and being effective organizationally. Without people the organization cannot meet its goals. When people are invested the results are better. Without fail, leaders have influence in this matter. In-groups and out-groups exist  in any group or organization and leaders participate in the development of each (Rowe & Guerrero, 2013). The more members in the in-group the better your team will do. The more players on the out-group team the more in trouble an organization will be.

Reference:

Rowe, W. G. & Guerrero L. (2013). Cases in Leadership. (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA. Sage Publications, Inc.

A640.4.4.RB- Developing a Case (Post-Analysis)

First and foremost I must say that I did not anticipate taking Cases in Leadership, a case study course, as my last elective and final course prior to capstone. But here I am and almost at the half way mark. This week we were challenged in developing a case study based on the readings and our own experiences.

Without exaggeration, when a student reaches this point they are about five hundred assignments in which includes discussions, blogs, papers, case studies, concept maps, quizzes,, presentations,  literature reviews, and team projects. Maybe a hodgepodge of a few other things, too. This being said, I have reached the point where I have discussed my current organization at length, beyond length actually, and have hit a wall with that so I wanted to dig into material that is a littler fresher and untapped.  A renewed resource of inspiration helped a limited amount.

In light of the exercise of building my own case study this week I felt a post-analysis of my trials and tribulations was in order. The following are my unfiltered thoughts and reflection of the ordeal.

As my name is Casey it is very difficult to write “case” over and over and leave off the “Y” so writing a case study and not a Casey study was a typing challenge in itself.  I think it was such a great idea at the Graduate level to have us developing cases but I underestimated how difficult I found it.

I wondered if building a case would help me in my understanding and analysis of cases in the future. Unfortunately for me that is a resounding no. In math there is a concept called “FOIL” first, outer, inner, last for the proper order for tackling equations. As you become more advanced you are called upon to reverse FOIL. With FOIL you have to figure out how to work the problem and reverse FOIL means that all the king’s horses and all the king’s men have to put Humpty Dumpty back together again.

Full disclosure, I am subpar with mathematics so I just figured out how to do the other types of problems better and skip what did not work for me personally. I haven’t thought of reverse FOIL since my first year of college so imagine my surprise that I felt like it was haunting me again. I am not sure that doing a case study in reverse helped me in the way that one might expect. I do not feel like I understand case analysis better. Forget helping out reverse FOIL, my brain now needs those king’s horses and men to help me put it back together again.

I hit a major writer’s block and everything was suddenly so incomprehensible as if I had never read a case study ever in my life. I think another problem was that I wanted to write the most stellar case possible right out the gate for my first try. I wanted to write the Hunger Games of case studies but instead it was more like when I tried to write my first poem in third grade. It takes practice and it takes work to become accomplished.  

Some issues with relevant to development is that it requires having a vision. Just like the creation of any art such as music or writing in other genres, if you do not have a voice or a point of view the case is not going to have any impact. Cases need to be relatable to real life situations that could be encountered in an organization and also needs to have a learning outcome. What is it that this case is saying? In reading this problem what are you learning? What is it important and why do you need to know how to handle it? There also needs to be a connection to real theory not an unfounded idea.

Bottom line I think that what I realized is that making a case study is harder than you think. I flopped around like a fish out of water before getting a full paragraph on the page. If anything I will have a matured appreciation when I read an interesting and well-written case from this point forward. It is one thing to do it but it is another to do it well.  

A520.9.5.RB- Power

For me the concept of writing is shrouded in beauty and with every word typed on a page a concept or idea can come to life and be on the edge of something wonderful. Anything that can be said or thought can be put together like puzzle pieces and allow us to take on the world. Every emotion can be conveyed whether an outcry for a better world or the celebration of a perfect moment. This entry is bittersweet because I look forward to weekly posts that marry together a leadership theory with a story to create a new application in a way that may have not been thought about before.

While all the stones have not been unturned this is my last formal reflection blog for my Master of Science in Leadership program. I will soon be embarking on two additional classes that will lead me to my last day of formal study on this journey mid-March and Graduation is set for early May. Though I am eager to be finished to have the reassurance that I made it to my goal it is always hard letting go of something that is beloved. As somehow who will soon experience “mastery” I will have other ways to share my knowledge and growth and be confident that I have the ability to soak up more knowledge and wisdom in whatever my next chapter may be, as these things should never cease in our lifetime.

Power is an interesting word because power is bigger than just a definition. There are some who seek it and some that would genuinely prefer not to have it. I would say that I am not a power seeker in the Voldemort sense of the word, yet I do have power. There are four personal characteristics that are important sources of power:

·         Expertise

·         Personal attraction

·         Effort

·         Legitimacy

The way that I choose to have power is that I wish to convert it effectively into interpersonal influence in ways that avoid the use of power (Whetten & Cameron, 2011). The same way I feel about the power of writing that it can have transformative purpose. My only wish is to make the others around me happy and if they were to change than to be better than they were before. I would say that I am strong in the areas of expertise and effort but where I truly flourish is through personal attraction.

Charisma is one of my favorite words and while it can have a dark nature I embrace it for the best features. I am a generally enthusiastic person about life, ideas and events which tend to be contagious. This is an aura I pride myself upon and something that I like about myself. I do not mean for how I connect with others to be superficial by any means but rather be useful for having others trust in me and open up to me. Another trait is agreeable behavior, which we associate with friendship, also plays an important role in personal attraction.

First and foremost I have the ability to be open-minded in a way that will  allow me to provide unconditional, positive regard and acceptance (Whetten & Cameron, 2011). I may initially understand or provide blanket agreement to everything I hear but I am open to listening to an explanation and learning about the things I do not know. I also use my patience to be emotionally accessible. If someone comes to ask me something or wants my help I see it as an honor to be considered and I ensure that I receive the request with kindness and care.

Recently I hit the two year mark at work and it is department tradition for your superior to write about your contributions and attributes which I am going to share despite being shy about praise at times:  

“Casey is an absolute joy to have on the team and she starts every day with a smile and an upbeat, can-do attitude. She puts her heart into everything she does and is always willing to try new concepts and implement different processes to improve the student experience. Not only is she passionate about her students but she has found ways to incorporate what she has learned in her graduate program into her daily routine while always trying to improve her outlook and “look on the brightside.” Casey is also very passionate about the safety culture and really cares about the well-being of her ERAU colleagues!” (Lawther, 2015, n.p.).

I am proud that I am able to not only make my peers comfortable and energized in my presence but that my actions are influential enough to be recognized by my director and other leadership. She is right that I absolutely put my heart into everything that I do. “A high level of personal effort is one of the most highly prized characteristics of employees because it means they are dependable, reliable human resources” (Whetten & Cameron, 2011, p. 290). At work I have many ideas and I am always pleased that they are considered and at times this means managing up to make things smoother and easier. I am fortunate that I have people I can work with, like my colleagues and director, who are also collaborators and open to whatever it takes to work toward the betterment of our mission, student success.

I think the unspoken truth about power and influence is that if you want it for yourself you want it for the wrong reason. It is too easy to get carried away and not do the right things especially when there is no one resisting you or telling you no. I am hopeful that I will only ever have as much power as I need to do good things for others so that I never abuse my power. I have a healthy respect and fear for the incorrect use of power and use this feeling to be my guiding light.

References:

Lawther, R., (2015). Personal communication

Whetten, D. & Cameron, K. (2011). Developing management skills (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall