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.

 

 

 

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.