Well, I certainly do not feel very “transformational” today! Working with my team on the second movie review this week was like pulling teeth. The assignment has been submitted, but I am far from happy with it.
Most World Campus students, including me, piss and moan about group assignments. We really are a global community, with members from different backgrounds, cultures, and time zones. Thus, these projects can be extremely difficult to coordinate. Most often, my experience has been that the assignment gets divided into parts to be completed individually, and then get layered into a finished product. Typically, there are issues with flow and writing style. The goal is usually to “just get it done.”
In this class, we were asked to truly collaborate. In both movie reviews, I tried different approaches to make this happen. In both movie reviews, I failed miserably. Both projects turned into the usual race to “just get it done.”
Transformational leaders are able to inspire and motivate. In a team effort, that would include creating a shared vision, encouraging and empowering team members to try new things, facilitating tolerance of different viewpoints, and considering individual needs. Leading by example is an important component (Northouse, 2013). I tried, I failed.
My old nemesis, power and control, reared its ugly head in this assignment. There were significant differences in leadership philosophies between another team member and me. This was a great opportunity for us to learn from each other. Rather, we got into a power struggle over the topic and never recovered. I don’t believe that he thinks I am very charismatic. In the end, he took his toys and went home.
The only thing that I feel good about is finding a missing group member. The other two wanted to give up on him. But, once he joined the team, he was a valuable contributor and very pleasant to work with.
Our group reviewed a “real” transformational leader. Robert Pio Hajjar is a motivational speaker who has Down syndrome. In 2006, he used his life savings of $62.05 to cofound a nonprofit organization called Ideal Way. This foundation is “committed to the vision of “a world where everyone feels Included, Deserving, Equal, Appreciated, Loved” (Ideal Way, 2014). We all could certainly learn from his positive and enthusiastic example. This is the URL for one of his speeches on YouTube:
Robert puts me to shame. The only thing I managed to transform this week was me – into a raving bitch!
References
Hajjar, Robert Pio. (2009). Best Buddies 2009 Regional Conference. Hamilton, Ontario. YouTube: Uploaded by IdealWay.Inc. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROWbyKVLYr8
Ideal Way Website. (2014). Retrieved from http://ideal-way.ca/
Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.