Why Should a Leader Grow?

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Teamwork

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Forming-Storming-Norming-Performing

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Chose or Lose

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Assignment 4 – Option 1 or Option 2

This post should be related in some fashion to chapters 7 & 8 in Lussier and the readings found in Fullan for that module.

Pareto Principle – 80 – 20

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Urgency and Importance – Setting Priorities

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Power from the Organizational Perspective

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Kim Carson Assignmnet 3 option 1 or 2

Kimberly R. Rothwell-Carson
EDUC 8021
Educational Leadership
Dr. Sivula
November 2, 2008

Effective communication: a motivational skill for principals

Communication is an important aspect of leadership.  Communication is the process of conveying information and meaning (Lussier & Achua, 2007).    It is a major competency of an effective leader.  Communication is an important factor in motivating others.  The ability to motivate others is another skill of an effective leader.
Ethical leaders with integrity will use open and honest communication (Lussier & Achua, 2007). In Stephen Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, the fifth habit is all about communication.  In discussing this fifth habit, Covey maintains that people diagnose before they prescribe in communication. ‘People do not attempt to deeply understand the problem first’ (Covey, 237). Seeking first to understand is the key to interpersonal communication. He continues by looking at communication through the character ethic.  He states that ‘the real key to your influence with me is your example, your actual conduct’ (Covey, 238).  If people do not trust your character, they cannot understand you, which limits their ability to be influenced by your advice.
What does a principal need to do in order to assure that he or she is an effective communicator?  Certainly, learning from the work of Covey and developing an effective style of communication is important.  This communication needs to be authentic. Authentic communication can be a motivator for faculty.  If you want the faculty to take on leadership and responsibility you must empower them to do so (Quay & Quaglia, 2005).  As a principal, it will be important to understand the faculty members and affirm their feelings and ideas as well as validate them in order to show appreciation. (Covey, 2004). Showing faculty how you came to decisions and actions is important as it will increase creditability (Covey, 2004; Quay & Quaglia, 2005).  This creditability will support authentic communication, which can motivate faculty and create an effective learning environment for all.

Covey, S. R. (2004). The 7 habits of highly effective people. New York: Free
Press.

Lussier, R.N. & Achua, C.F. (2007). Leadership: theory, application, skill
development ( 3 ed.). Ohio: South-Western Cengage Learning.

Quay, S. A. & Quaglia, R. L. (2005). Eight ways to motivate your staff [electronic
version]. Principal, 83(3), 40-42.

Constructive Criticism: an Oxymoron?

 ohn Ribeiro

     After reading Chapter 6; Communication, Coaching, and Conflict Skills (Lussier &Achua, 2007) the phrase constructive criticism took on a new connotation.

     This following sentence allowed me to rethink about a phrase that I often used without thinking about its actual meaning. “Criticism must be avoided at all costs, there is no such thing as constructive criticism; all criticism is destructive” (Falvey, 1982). If one wants to support another person that is perceived as being constructive but criticism does the opposite.

     How could the phrase, which has an oxymoronic tone, be used repeatedly without thinking about its true meaning? Has it become a cliché in our culture?

     What is constructive criticism? One definition states, “Criticism or advice that is useful and intended to help or improve something, often with an offer of possible solutions” (The Webster’s New Millennium™ Dictionary of English). When you closely analyze this definition the words criticism and advice seem to be at opposite points of the spectrum, both polarizing from a positive or negative perspective. Some words that become synonymous for advice are recommendation, counsel, suggestion, guidance and opinion all terms that reflect a guiding positive frame; for criticism some synonyms are censure, disapproval, disparagement and denigration. This definition of the phrase is as contradictory as the phrase itself.

     There are different types of criticism; placing blame, embarrassment and focusing on the person are some of them which are rarely effective (Lussier & Achua, p. 217-218). Criticism is the process of pointing out errors that a person does (p. 216). It is used in a negative fashion where the person who receives the criticism may become defensive, embarrassed and a damaged self-concept (p. 216).

     There is an abundance of websites related to this topic. Most of these sites address effective ways to give and accept constructive criticism. There is a site that gives steps in providing “Good Constructive Criticism”, again what is good about criticism? Is there such a thing as bad constructive criticism?

     In the sandwich approach (Lussier & Achua, p.216) both praise and criticism is given at the same time but even though one is told several good things about himself/herself, the one negative thing will be the one remembered. Perhaps as we think about the respectful approaches we should use to support others we should also be mindful of the terminology we use.

 

 

 

References

 

Constructive criticism. (n.d.). Webster’s New Millennium™ Dictionary of English, Preview Edition (v 0.9.7). Retrieved November 04, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/constructive criticism

 

 

Falvey, J.,To raise productivity, try saying thank you. (December 6, 1982). The Wall Street Journal, p. B1.

 

 

Lussier, R. N. & Achua, C.F. (2007). Leadership, theory, application, skill development (3^rd ed.) Mason, OH: Thompson Publishing.

 

 

 

Dale Carnegie

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Thought you might enjoy some inspiration!

Assignment II – Option 1 or Option 2

If possible try to relate this post to chapter 3 or 4 OR Fullan readings.

The Cycle of Scandals: History Repeating Itself, Will We Ever Learn?

John Ribeiro

Mutuality, generality, openness and caring, these instrumental values instruct us on the ethical way of conducting business (Bolman & Deal, 1991). Have businesses learned anything from history? In the article, “The Manager as Politician”, Bolman & Deal state that scandals are not unprecedented after a period of business prosperity. We learned about Enron’s unethical actions in protecting the company’s share price by locking in their employees so they couldn’t sell Enron shares in retirement accounts as the market plunged. In a news article entitled “Commentary: A Sorry Legacy the Street Can’t Shake,” Gary Weisse writes about the scandals that have plagued Wall Street, such scandals appeared during the 1930’s, the 1970’s saving and loans crisis, the 1980’s penny stock scandals and micro cap scandals of the 1990’s along with price fixing on the NASDAQ Stock Market. They all seem to happen after a period of business prosperity; the Bull Market. The irony of this is that the article was written in May, 2002.

 

Sub-prime lending practices prevailed during this past decade as lending institutions felt that their risk was low in awarding mortgages to individuals that in reality couldn’t afford them. Wall Street was experiencing a “Bull Market “climate and property values were skyrocketing. Mortgage incentives lured high-risk borrowers with “No Income, No Job and no Assets” loans,  and the interest-only adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM), with “teaser” rates below 4% which almost doubled after the initial period ended.

 

Not much has changed. We’re still seeing the same behavior because the whole culture hasn’t changed (Kurlantzick, J, 2003). The culture in the workplace remains one in which, even with more safeguards there is no notion that ethical behavior something to strive for, greed still rules the day.( Kurlantzick, J) People believe that these scandals will blow over. This article was written in 2003.

 

The coincidence of reading this assigned chapter in Education Leadership during the past several weeks as the national news reported about the bailout and the finger pointing on whose is responsible allowed me to deeply reflect on the Bolman and Deal piece. Probably this chapter should be shared to all in power as a constant reminder that history does repeat itself.

 

 

References

 

Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2007). The manager as politician. In the Josey-Bass Reader Education Leadership (pp115-133). San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

 

 

Kurlantzick, J. (200, October). Liar, liar: in the race to make money, some American businesses have been lying their pants off—but is success at any cost really worth the price? [Electronic version]. Entrepreneur, Retrieved on October 20, 2008 from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0DTI/is_/ai_109403729?tag=artBody;col1

 

 

Weiss, Gary, (2002, May). Commentary: A Sorry Legacy the Street Can’t Shake; The pattern: A disgrace, a crackdown, then little real change [Electronic version]. Business Week, Retrieved on September 25, 2008 from

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/02_19/b3782007.htm

 

Wikipedia, (2008). Subprime mortgage crisis, Wikimedia Foundation, (Last modified 20 October 2008). Retrieved on September 25, 2008 from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subprime_mortgage_crisis#Effect_on_corporations_and_investors

 

 

 

 

 

Test-Rich Text Format (.RTF) saved in Word in italics

The New England Educational Research Organization will hold its Annual Conference, Wednesday through Friday, May 6-8, 2009, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, at the Sheraton Harborside. The hotel is the most frequent NEERO conference venue located in downtown Portsmouth, with exciting dining and winding down activities nearby. NEERO welcomes presentation proposals for papers, posters, symposia, and research-in-progress roundtables.

 

Belinda J. Wilkerson
School Counselors: Own Your Power!
“How are students different as a result of what school counselors do?” This question (American School Counselor Association, 2003) reverberates throughout the publications of the American School Counselor Association (ASCA). The Education Trust’s National Transforming School Counseling Initiative (NTSCI) defines the new role of school counselors as leaders in the development of comprehensive school counseling programs (CSCP) and in school reform (Education Trust, 2003). The former provides professional development based on the ASCA National Model® (2005); similarly, the Education Trust has multiple publications, professional development opportunities, and a summer academy devoted to the betterment of the profession (Education Trust, 2007). Furthermore, the Center for School Counseling Outcome Research (CSCOR) strives to ensure school counselors can address the accountability questions about the effectiveness of their programs through evidence-based practices (National Center for School Counseling Outcome Research, 2000).
School counselors need to own their power; expert power (Lussier & Achua, 2007) resonates throughout the works of the organizations mentioned previously. By defining their roles and responsibilities, designing and implementing CSCP, and using data to show results (ASCA, 2005; Education Trust, 2003) school counselors are utilizing expert power. School counselors, for the most part, are Master’s level professionals; they are the experts and ought to wrap themselves in this power as though it was Superman’s cape.
A frequent complaint amongst school counselors is not having the ability to perform their jobs as they were trained (Gysbers & Henderson, 2000) due to the many non-guidance activities (ASCA, 2003) assigned to them. I believe that if school counselors exert their expert power to influence the people determining school policies, the outcomes would be better for the profession, which in turn would make for better student outcomes.
One suggestion for school counselors is to examine their perceived lack of power through different frames: structural, human resources, political, and symbolic (Bolman & Deal, 2008). Examples of school counselors viewing their programs within the context of each frame (Dollarhide, 2003) are “structural – build the foundation of an effective school counseling program; human resources – empower others; political – understand the distribution of power within the building and district; and symbolic – lead by example” (p. 306).
Overall, my recommendation is for school counselors to take ownership of their power within the context of the four frames.

References
American School Counselor Association. (2003). The ASCA national model: A framework for school counseling programs. Alexandria, VA: Author.
Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2008). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Dollarhide, C.T. (2003). School counselors as program leaders: Applying leadership contexts to school counseling. Professional School Counseling, 6, 304 – 308.
Education Trust. (2003). Challenging the myths: Rethinking the role of school counselors. Retrieved October 16, 2008, from http://www2.edtrust.org/EdTrust/Transforming+School+Counseling/publications.htm
Education Trust. (2007). National Center for Transforming School Counseling at the Education Trust. Retrieved October 16, 2008, from http://www2.edtrust.org/EdTrust/Transforming+School+Counseling/main
Gysbers, N.C., & Henderson, P. (2000). Developing and managing your school guidance program (3rd ed.). Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.
Lussier, R. N., & Achua, C. F. (2007). Leadership: theory, application skill development (3rd ed.). Mason, OH: Thomson South-Western.
National Center for School Counseling Outcome Research. (2000). Retrieved October 17, 2008, from http://www.umass.edu/schoolcounseling/.

Assignment 3 – (Option 1 or Option 2) Please so state

This post might be prompted from  Lussier chapters 5 or 6 and/or Fullan readings.  Make sure to bring a hardcopy of the same to class on November 8th.  Please include your option #, title, name.  Double check your A.P.A.

Post 3 – Individual and Team Leadership Capacity Building

Teri E. Bruce

November 5, 2008

Individual and Team Leadership Capacity Building

 

Several years ago, our leadership team participated in a seminar to promote group dynamics. Our facilitator, Rod Napier, worked with Fortune 500 companies and was known as a leader in this field. An instructor at the University of Pennsylvania, Napier “introduced the first prototype for 360-degree feedback” (Napier, 2008). This seminar was intended to build individual and team leadership capacity, thereby strengthening the institution as a whole. However, I question whether the seminar did more harm than good.

Difficult conversations were held and people were forced outside of their comfort zones throughout the seminar. There were certainly topics about which I was not comfortable discussing. For example, we were asked to describe the top seven things that have made the greatest impact on us. As I came up with my list, I found that I was not at all comfortable sharing my top seven with all of my colleagues, and consequently extended my list to fourteen so that I would have seven items that I felt comfortable presenting. Amongst my administrative colleagues, I am perceived by some to be more receptive to open group communication and reflection and yet even I held back.

Another component of our process, 360-feedback, was implemented as described in Lussier and Achua (2008). This model was not used for evaluative purposes, but rather to serve as a springboard for us to reflect upon our leadership styles. This is consistent with the findings of Rogers, Rogers, and Metlay (2002) which indicate that organizations that “derive the most benefit from the 360-feedback process use it for individual development planning, coaching, and feedback; and carefully manage every step of the process, from choosing who will participate to investing in extensive training for all involved employees.” Additional benefit occurs when personal action plans are developed and implemented based upon the feedback. Although we developed plans, our organization did not provide the structure for meaningful follow-through to occur.

It was daunting to complete a self-reflection and obtain anonymous feedback from superiors, peers, subordinates, friends, and family. More daunting was the prospect of reviewing the findings with those with whom we shared a close working relationship. And yet, the feedback was helpful when reflecting upon one’s leadership capacity. This process presented challenges on both individual and group levels as we were more accustomed to the “nuts and bolts” aspects of educational leadership.

Ultimately, collective trust was missing throughout the process. Although there were pockets of trust amongst the group, cohesive trust did not exist and did not evolve through the process. Without trust, both amongst participants and about the process, successful completion of reflective group processes cannot occur.

 

Lussier, R. N. and Achua, C. F. (2007). Leadership: Theory, application, & skill development. Mason, Ohio:     South-Western Cengage Learning.

Napier, R. (2008). A winding path to professional development. Retrieved November 5, 2008, from Rod Napier: Powerful Change Agent for Organizations Website: www.rodnapier.com .

Rogers, E., Rogers, C. W., and Metlay, W. (2002). Improving the payoff from 360- degree feedback. Human Resource Planning, v25(3), 44.