Leadership

PSYCH 485 blog

Leadership within the Army

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My grandfather (Raymond) was in the Army for 20 years. He accomplished missions by overseeing the communication section and managing brigades. Eventually, he reached the rank of Master Sergeant and became a leader of 60-250 soldiers. He had many instances in which he was required to be a strong leader amongst his soldiers. Based on his stories I can see that he displays transformational leadership. Transformational leadership occurs when a leader transforms and motivates their followers to perform to their fullest potential (Northouse, 2021, p.191). Raymond did this by transforming soldiers into a high functioning team.

Soldiers followed Raymond because of intellectual stimulation. Intellectual stimulation occurs when a leader stimulates followers minds to creatively solve problems (Northouse, 2021, p.193). Soldiers came to Raymond straight out of training and typically felt they knew everything and could not be taught anything new. New technology made tasks easier to handle but he found soldiers lacked the knowledge of how to fix obstacles because they did not understand how things functioned. He had to re-teach many of them using old equipment. Eventually soldiers came to enjoy Raymond’s methods and looked forward to developing the skills to understand the technology that they used. Here he displayed the personality characteristic of desire-to-influence. To influence he made sure to show his competence in the subject be explaining how systems and devices worked. This effected his followers by increasing their confidence that they would be able to do their job effectively because they now had the proper tools and knowledge to handle obstacles.

Based on his stories I recognized that his soldiers held an aspect of transformational leadership known as idealized influence. Idealized influence occurs when a leader becomes a role model to his/her followers (Northouse, 2021, p.191). He was forced to reteach them manners, discipline, teamwork, and even basic hygiene. Most people would not do things like this but because of his personality characteristics of strong moral values he was unable to allow his soldiers to keep acting the way they acted. He decided then to communicate his expectations and eventually his followers identified with him, accepted his expectations, excelled in performance, and were obedient.

When I interviewed Raymond and asked him questions about his time in the Army you could see that he truly cared about his soldiers. We can see aspects of individualized consideration. Individualized consideration occurs when a leader supports their followers as well as listening to their specific needs (Northouse, 2021, p.193). He remembers one soldier who did not know how to sweep and mop properly. Other soldiers came to him for advice of personal problems that they were dealing with. He became a role model to them because of the support he showed to everyone’s individual obstacles. He also helped to change their perspectives of life. His soldiers looked up to him and decades later he still receives calls and visits.

Within the Kouzes and Posner model we see that Raymond enabled others to act by building trust valuing teamwork, respecting all, and creating a comfortable environment. We see this comfortable environment through the pranks that they would pull on one another. Within the Kouzes and Posner model we also see that Raymond encouraged the heart. Encouraging the heart is defined as rewarding individuals for accomplishments (Northouse, 2021, p.200). He did this by rewarding soldiers with medals, certificates, and even three-day weekends to those that did good work.

Since this was the Army and Raymond displayed a high rank there was no transactional leadership. Transactional leadership occurs when a leader exchanges with their followers to accomplish tasks (Northouse, 2021, p.186). When I asked Raymond if he ever needed to encourage soldiers to work with rewards, he immediately answered “no…my word was final”. Similarly, laissez-faire was not displayed either. Raymond was not one to let his soldiers dilly-dally or hope things went well. He was a very hands-on leader who ensured all operations were running smoothly. In fact, after receiving countless soldiers who lacked the knowledge to get out of problems, he began having his soldiers do a brain dump of everything they knew, so that Raymond could decipher what was correct and incorrect.

In conclusion, Raymond displayed transformational leadership in his soldiers. He showed aspects of transformational leadership such as intellectual stimulation, idealized influence, and individualized consideration. He showed personality characteristics that closely align with transformational leadership such as desire to influence, and strong moral values. Lastly, within the Kouzes and Posner model exhibited enabling others to act, and encouragement of the heart.

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Virtual Teams and Leadership

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My 12-year-old little brother loves playing video games. If my mom did not yell at him to get off his computer, he would probably play on it for hours. Most parents cannot understand how a child would prefer to sit in a room all day instead of going outside on their bikes. Sometimes, I watch and get dizzy from the screen moving in all sorts of directions. Other times I am fascinated to see how he directs his team in and out of the enemy lines, teaches them how to accomplish something they may have trouble on, or even congratulates them on their success. It is interesting to see how leadership can play a role in a virtual team setting. I believe he possesses important group aspects that help develop group leadership, he maintains principled leadership, and he interacts using achievement-oriented leadership

I say the word team and not group because my brother and his friends had a single mission, each doing their part to get there. A team is a group of people that have a single mission, everyone is responsible for their part, if their part is not completed then the final product might not be achievable (PSU WC, 2016, L. 9). Within this team group roles included a few people collecting supplies, others keeping watch, others-building things, etc. Sometimes certain members were given specific supplies like the best guns because they were the best fighters and could better keep watch or defend. Although there was competition, (because let’s face it they are12-year old’s), there was also a common notion that they needed to work collectively to complete the mission. The size of their group typically depended on who could play online that day. On average there were about 5-8 group members. Cliques are subgroups of people who share common interests and as a result have the same goals, values, and expectations (PSU WC, 2016, L. 9). Since these were all friends from school there clique was probably the gamers, there goal was to play games like Fortnite, call of duty: modern warfare, 2K22, 2K21, Minecraft, etc. when they got home and complete goals.

One of the outcomes that I saw in my brother’s team was a collaborative climate. This occurs when a team can trust each other to work well and rely on one another (PSU WC, 2016, L. 9). After the group roles were set each of them trusted each other to do there assigned role with precision and accuracy. In the beginning my brother had to coach his group members through principled leadership. Principled leadership occurs when a leader uses team-oriented behavior to help followers (PSU WC, 2016, L. 9). When one of his friends was unsure of how to perform a specific move or defeat a bad guy he supported them by coaching them through it on his microphone. After everyone understood how to perform their specific roles the group maintained competent team members. Competent team members create good performance because they have the necessary skills and correct number of members needed to perform the task (PSU WC, 2016, L. 9). In this virtual group, all members now had their necessary skillset and had a group size of 5-8 group members.

Of all the leadership behaviors in the path-goal theory, my brother maintained an achievement-oriented leadership style. Achievement-oriented leaders preserve high standards of excellence and seek continuous improvement in followers (Northouse, 2021, p. 136). This occurs because each mission gets more difficult and oftentimes requires different levels of skill advancement. My brother always wants to get him and his team past every obstacle and that means he must have competent team members who could perform their group roles. Although I am unsure how my brothers’ friends react to his teachings, I can conclude that their desire for control frustrates him. My brother struggles with not overreacting when his friends make snide remarks on tips that he mentions. In a way his followers have a big internal locus of control. An internal locus of control occurs when someone needs to feel in charge of their work (Northouse, 2021, p. 137). His high expectations can cause arguments when trying to complete a challenging or complex mission.

In conclusion, my brother continues to learn how to become a good leader every time he plays with his friends through virtual teams. He currently possesses group aspects such as the correct team, size, and clique to successfully emerge as a leader. He also maintains both collaborative climate and competent team members, he does this through principled leadership. One thing my brother needs to work on is achievement-oriented leadership behavior as this type of behavior can sometimes clash with certain group members internal locus of control, which can lead to arguments.

 

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Babysitting and Leadership – Blog Post 3

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We see leadership in a variety of settings at work, at home, even amongst family. As the oldest of many cousins, I am usually the person to go to when someone needs a babysitter. Leadership was pushed on me from quite an early age. Anytime the adults wanted a date night, dinner plans, or even vacation it was my duty as the oldest to take care of the children. Since I was not an adult or adult figure toward my cousins and brother, I created projects or activities for them to complete and adapted influential tactics and social influence to maintain power.

When I first began my babysitting journey it was a struggle to get any of the kids (around 3-6 years old) to pay attention, much less do what I asked of them. I began by using reciprocity, one of Cialdini’s 6 principles of social influence. Reciprocity involves influencing others by giving them something (PSU WC, 2016, L. 7). This typically involved putting a cartoon on the TV, in order to influence them to stop running around the house. As I got older, and my cousins got older (around 7-10 years old) I noticed we all moved into, liking, another of Cialdini’s 6 principles shown. Liking is characterized as people listening to who they like (PSU WC, 2016, L. 7). My cousins seemed interested in all the things I was doing and were no longer easily distracted by the TV. Suddenly they wanted advice on how to do their nails, hair, lipstick, etc. Fast forward another few years, I was beginning to drive and got a job. Suddenly I gained the social influence known as authority from Cialdini’s 6 principles. Authority occurs when someone is in charge (PSU WC, 2016, L. 7). I was considered an adult amongst my cousins. I handled issues as an adult did not simply call my parents when something went wrong.

Throughout the process of my babysitting journey, I used a variety of influential techniques. In the beginning I closely relied on pressure tactics. Pressure tactics typically involve threats (PSU WC, 2016, L. 7). Since I had no true authority I relied on statements like “if you do not listen, I’m calling mom.” Eventually, I used the exchange tactic to control the children. The exchange tactic involves a variety of favors to influence others (PSU WC, 2016, L. 7). One example, I remember using with my little brother was “if you do the dishes, you can stay up an extra hour.” As everyone got older and questions such as, “but why” were limited I began using rational persuasion. Rational persuasion influences others by using logical arguments to control others (PSU WC, 2016, L. 7). Sometimes my cousins would want to go shopping while I was babysitting. One way I would use logical arguments is by explaining that I only have a learners permit and can’t drive without an adult in the car.

Sometimes I would offer activities for the kids to complete. I used the method of participative leadership to accomplish this. Participative leadership occurs when a leader allows followers to be involved in decisions (Northouse, 2021, p.140). I found when I allowed them to choose an activity, they showed a lot more enthusiasm and positivity. When I dictated tasks and activities there was always a fight for control. If the activity was not dangerous, I was fine with giving them some control. One example I remember was when I had a group of kids and the girls wanted to play with barbies and the boys wanted to play a game called Jenga. I was fine with both groups participating in there activities with minimal direction from me.

In conclusion, the journey of learning different leadership tactics through babysitting was a fun and exciting adventure. As I grew, I gained a new sense of power that came with adulthood, I was no longer looked at as a child. When I did not have the power to control others, I used many influential tactics. Of the influential techniques I used pressure tactics, exchange, and rational persuasion. Of Cialdini’s 6 principles of social influence I used reciprocity, liking, and authority. Lastly, I found participative leadership to be the most useful in this situation.

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Lifeguards at Great Wolf Lodge

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If you have ever been to Great Wolf Lodge, you will notice the strict walk and stance that lifeguards are required to comply with. It’s similar to how British soldiers walk. With one hand holding a rescue buoy, the other is in a tight fist moving up and down as they march back and forth. This is a very strict technique. Every so often fake children are thrown into the water to keep the lifeguard’s vigilante and always on the lookout for danger. From the outside looking in everything looks fine. If the lifeguard does their job well, they got a congratulatory pat on the back and thumbs up from coworkers.

This attitude tells me that supervisors were achievement-oriented leaders. Achievement-oriented leaders place hurdles in front of followers with the expectation and confidence that they can get through it and will ultimately improve their performance (Northouse, 2021, p. 136). By always keeping lifeguards on their toes, timing how long it takes them to respond to emergencies and providing training and certifications such as CPR training you would think they were trying all that they could to ensure subordinates were performing at their highest level.

Looking at reviews on Indeed is a different story. Many reviews state that favoritism played a huge role in who received privileges, scheduling appears terrible, and many were overworked with a lack of bathroom breaks. One former employee stated that management treated lifeguards like numbers, was constantly watched and written up for small things (Indeed, 2021). This tells me that leaders showed a lack of consideration in their leadership behavior. Consideration according to the style approach, means building trust, comradery, and fellowship amongst a team or group of people (PSU WC, 2016, L. 5, p.5). If you constantly have to watch your back because you know everyone is only out for themselves then trust will never be built.

We see self-defeating behaviors within Great Wolf Lodge. Within the style approach we see the self-defeating behavior of, Inability to build relationships. This typically occurs when a leader is unable to meet the needs of followers (PSU WC, 2016, L. 5, p. 9). Many of these employees were high school students who were looking for part time work while they were in school. Management was unable to meet their needs of a basic schedule that would work around their school hours. Another need that was not met was bathroom breaks. One review stated that the supervisor struggled to schedule time for breaks do to short staffing, another stated that they were required to stand for 7 hours straight.

In conclusion, when analyzing leadership from the outside looking in at Great Wolf Lodge, it looks great. I saw achievement-oriented leadership. Lots of motivation, opportunities, and positive challenges to me were great signs of leadership. After reading the reviews I realize I was wrong. Within the style approach we see that lack of consideration, and self-defeating behaviors were prominent.

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Blog Post 1 – Escape Room and Leadership

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Recently, my family and I completed an Escape Room event. We were required to escape from a candy store. With very little items in the room all 8 of us erupted into chaos trying to dig up a clue. My uncle ended up taking charge and giving out instructions for each of us to follow. We almost completed the Escape Room in record time but because of the initial panic we fell just short. How did my uncle become a leader in this situation? He was not given this role. He does not possess noticeable qualities or traits. Why did all 7 of us follow his direction without complaint? I believe he possessed an emergent leadership and personal power to established direction and support in followers.

It is interesting how, a leader has power when they are able to affect follower’s beliefs, attitudes, and courses of action (Northouse, 2021, p. 10). This leadership can either be gifted by a manager or boss, or it can appear without influence of a position. My uncle was not given a position of leadership, no one assigned him this role. He simply began giving out directions and everyone followed. When someone’s leadership surfaces in a situation, this is called emergent leadership. This type of behavior is pretty common with my uncle. If he took a five-factor personality model test believe he would have scored high in openness and extraversion. According to Northouse (2021), openness aligns with being informed, creative, insightful and curious; while extraversion aligns more with being sociable, assertive, and positive (Northouse, 2021, p. 35). These are two personalities that align strongly with leadership, so it does not surprise me if he matched these descriptions. In this situation I believe power plays a role is leadership as well. French and Raven (1965) were able to identify six bases of power, those include: referent, expert, legitimate, reward, coercive, and information (Northouse, 2021, p.11). My uncle had been to over 10 escape rooms across the country. I would almost say he was an expert. Based on French and Raven’s 6 bases of power, I believe my uncle had an expert power. Expert power occurs when a leader is knowledgeable in their subject. Why did that expert power, encourage us all to follow his lead?

According to Northouse (2021), “followership is about how individuals accept the influence of others to reach a common goal (Northouse, 2021, p. 373). In this case our goal was to escape the room. For many of us any plan was a good plan as opposed to chaos. I believe most of us followers were, exemplary followers. An exemplary follower is someone who both thinks independently and is actively engaging (Northouse, 2021, p. 390). Since this was an escape room, we were all completed our individual tasks. One person took on the locks, another person looked for clues we may have missed, while another was trying to comprehend the number sequence. We all actively engaged in our surroundings in compliance with the groups mission, but we were independent in our processes.

One reason why I believe we were all so productive was because of our need to be a part of a group. Psychologist William Schutz (1958) argued that one of humans’ strongest interpersonal needs is to know whether they belong to the group (Northouse, 2021, p. 371). In this situation no one wanted to be the person who was not contributing to the activity, we all wanted to find a clue. With so limited number of clues and puzzles we all worked as hard as possible to find even the smallest of things. I remember finding a few clues and feeling a sense of accomplishment, excitement, and recognition.

In conclusion, after an exciting game of escape room I came to realize the factors that made my group one of the fastest times. As a leader my uncle possessed many leadership qualities including emergent leadership, expert power, and high levels of openness and extraversion. The rest of the group (the followers) maintained exemplary followership and strived to contribute to the group.

 

References:

Northouse, P. G. (2021). Leadership: Theory and Practice (9th Edition). SAGE Publications, Inc. (US). https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9781071834473

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