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The meaning of leadership

As I begin to switch my career path from academia to impactful organizational work, I am faced with the question of how to be an effective leader and follower in that context. By reading articles from Bradley University, Cause Leadership, and the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance, a few characteristics of effective leadership stand out to me:

1. Drive to achieve the organization's values
2. Interpersonal skills, such as emotional intelligence and conflict management skills
3. Problem solving and strategic planning skills

At OSU, I have also learned about the meaning of leadership through Dr. Haley Traini's graduate-level "Leadership Skills for Career Success" course. The course covered the meaning of leadership from a variety of perspectives, and it informed my view of leadership in one major way: there is a difference between leadership and authority. As described in The Practice of Adaptive Leadership, we get authority when people trust us to effectively do our job and pursue the organization's goals. But you can be an authority figure without actually pursuing change, collaborating with others, and experimenting. In this light, leadership is less of a job and more of a practice in which people are mobilized to help the organization thrive.

Effective leadership also requires effective followership. In The Courageous Follower, Ira Chaleff argues that we can't see the role of a follower as a docile conformist. Followership, like leadership, is a collaborative practice in pursuit of the organization's purpose. Courageous followers assume responsibility for themselves and the organization and seek out opportunities to fulfill their potential. All-in-all, followership goes hand-in-hand with leadership, and I want to be able to effectively play both roles.

My strengths

In Dr. Traini's leadership course, I tested my ability in a variety of different leadership skills and identified several strengths:

• Followership. One unit of the course was focused on followership. In addition to reading excerpts of The Courageous Follower, I completed the followership self-assessment provided in Leadership: Theory and Practice. These reflective activities indicated that I'm an effective follower. My background in philosophy has especially helped with independent thinking, as one of the main skills that philosophy aims to impart is the ability to understand and evaluate different perspectives or arguments.
• Systems thinking. Another unit of the course focused on systems thinking, a perspective that takes a big-picture, holistic view of systemic challenges. I had already begun thinking about systemic change in the context of my research in mathematics education, so I chose to push myself in this area in particular. As a result, I learned a lot about my strengths and weaknesses in systems thinking. This is showcased in an application assignment in which I reflect on my proficiency with the 14 Habits of a Systems Thinker. I then continued to research different systems thinking frameworks and ultimately held a 30-minute workshop on leading for systemic change using the Above and Below the Line (ABLe) change framework. You can find a copy of that workshop here, and you can find my reflection on the workshop here.

My growth areas

The leadership course also highlighted several growth areas for my skills as a leader and follower:

• Conflict management. The course included a unit on conflict management, including reading excerpts on Crucial Conversations. I have always been challenged by conflict management, particularly because I tend to lean towards a "competing" style of conflict management instead of a healthier and more effective collaborating style. Luckily, the reading for the course highlighted specific areas where I could improve. I go into more depth in a conflict management assessment I completed for the course.
• Lack of experience. While the course involved a lot of reading and reflection, I am lacking in direct experience working as a leader and follower in impactful organizational contexts. In short, the course taught me more about my strengths and weaknesses, but I need more authentic practice in order to develop my skills even further. So, moving forward, I plan on puruing more experiences where I can learn by doing, keeping the insights Dr. Traini gave me in mind in order to keep developing towards my maximum potential.