Throughout this week’s lesson and discussion, I kept coming back to the topic of women in leadership.  Historically, women have had to overcome many battles over gender discrimination and equal pay rights.  Although women have come far in a relatively short period of time, there are still barriers to overcome in the fight to remain equal in the workplace and in leadership roles.  This topic resonates with me much more than the obvious reason, that I am a woman.  After studying this topic in the majority of my classes in the last two semesters: Leadership in the Work Place, The Sociology of Aging, Employment Laws for Business, I find myself with the same conclusion: that there is so much more to be done.  Engaging in various forms of communications is a step in the right direction.  Education is imperative in understanding the inequality women face and in overcoming these inequalities.

Despite the Equal Pay Act of 1963, women still get paid less than men. According to The White House  (n.d.) “On average, full time working women earn just 77 cents for every dollar a man earns” (para. 1).  This not only impacts the earning potential of a woman over a career but also reinforces the glass ceiling. Glass ceilings prevent women from moving up higher and glass walls “prevent them from moving laterally into areas that lead to higher advancement” (Bennett-Alexander & Hartman, 2012, p. 346).  Northouse stated, “Even in female-dominated occupations, women face the glass ceiling, whereas white men appear to ride a glass escalator to the top leadership positions” (p. 353).

Despite facts, there are people that still do not believe wage inequalities exist.  Despite facts, there are people that still do not believe that the class ceiling exists.  Perhaps an explanation lies within the ignorance of these facts.  To overcome this barrier, both employees and employers need to be well informed.  Assertiveness is an important trait when overcoming barriers.  If there are not enough opportunities within the organization to move forward, then there are options: Ask for more opportunities that give you room to grow and ultimately flourish.  If you are at an impasse with the employer, perhaps the best option is to look for an employer that is not only proud to provide diversity in the work place but will actively provide you with the resources necessary to in order to succeed, excel, and to lead.

 

 

References

Bennett-Alexander, D. D., & Hartman, L. P. (2012). Employment Law for Business (7th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership:Theory and Practice (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

The White House. (n.d.). http://www.whitehouse.gov/equal-pay/career. Retrieved from http://www.whitehouse.gov/equal-pay/career. 

An important part of authentic leadership is based on the relationship that the leader has with his/her followers.  Strong relationships are based on a mutual trust of the leader and the followers.  The strength of the relationship is also based on honesty.  Without honesty, the authenticity of the leader is diminished.  How followers respond to the actions of the leader is affected by the actions of the leaders.  This interdependent relationship is interpersonal.  Mertz (2013) “Interdependent leaders are stronger than independent ones because of the relationships built and maintained” (para. 2).

Another aspect of authentic leadership is based on intrapersonal skills.  (PSU WC, 2013, L.12, p. 3).  The authentic leader has a clear sense of self-identity.  Authentic leaders know their own strengths and their weaknesses.  The decision that these leaders make reflects on their personal knowledge of strengths and weaknesses.  Having a strong sense of self is an ongoing process that involves introspection, reflection, and can change with experience.  The interpersonal relationships are also an ongoing process.  Leaders cannot expect their relationships to thrive without constantly working on improving them.

The developmental approach of authentic leadership is the most widely accepted out of the three parts (especially given that the Authentic Leadership theory is not fully developed) (PSU WC, 2013, L.12, p. 6).  People can learn how to become authentic leaders although; I think the traits needed cannot be substituted.  An authentic leader cannot replace a strong sense of self, with an idealized sense of self, and have the same results. Without a realistic understanding of one’s self, the “authentic” leader is not attained. 

 

References

Mertz, J. (2013). Happy Leadership Interdependence!. Retrieved on June 23, 2013 from http://leadchangegroup.com/happy-leadership-interdependence/.

Penn State World Campus (2013). PSYCH 485 Lesson 12: Authentic Leadership.  Retrieved on June 22, 2013, from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/su13/psych485/001/content/12_lesson/03_page.html.

Transformational Leadership is a process that changes and transforms leaders, which as a direct result, changes and transforms the followers.  The interdependent relationship between the leaders and the followers are an important part of this theory. Cherry (2013) “Transformational leadership is a type of leadership style that leads to positive changes in those who follow”  (para. 2).  These are the types of leaders that we are more apt to follow because of the positive changes the leaders strive to implement.  Transformational leaders are inspirational leaders.  This type of leadership style leads to more positive results than other types of leadership.  When leaders inspire their followers, the motivation to change is intrinsic.

Transformational leaders typically share the same types of characteristics.  These characteristics are vision, rhetorical skills, image and trust building, and personalized leadership (PSU WC L 10., p. 4).  All of these characteristics are essential in order for Transformational leaders to be successful.  Without a strong vision, followers will not be able to picture the changes that the leader is working on. When vision is lacking, people will not see the correlation between the problems and the solution.  A leader that possesses strong rhetorical skills can share their vision, which reinforces the followers’ own vision in being able to see the end result.  A vision becomes reality with strong rhetoric skills. Without the necessary skills, the vision remains a dream.

The interpersonal relationship that Transformational leaders have with their followers is an important part of making the vision a reality.  Followers have trust in their leaders.  The leaders earn this trust by maintaining their positive image in their lifestyle.  The bond is broken when leaders are not honest with their followers.  Transformational leaders need to lead by example, not just by dictating their wants.  The personalized style pertains to understanding people and being “adept at picking up social cues” (PSU WC L 10., p. 4).  Transformational leaders keep their followers’ well being in mind, at all times.    

The sacrifices that these leaders make for greater good, is another positive example of this leadership style.  Transformational leaders have a strong sense of self, which results in self-confidence.  These leaders tend to be role models to their followers. In turn, followers will feel a sense of empowerment. The relationship that the leaders have with their followers, results in followers actively working for the greater good.  The outcome is more likely to be positive when both the leader and the followers work together in making the vision-a shared reality.

       

 

References

Cherry, K. (2013). Transformational Leadership. Retrieved on June 15, 2013 from http://psychology.about.com/od/leadership/a/transformational.htm.

Penn State World Campus (2013).  PSYCH 485 Lesson 10:  Transformational Leadership. Retrieved on June 16, 2013, from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/su13/psych485/001/content/10_lesson/04_page.html.