MSLD 511 - Module 9 - Course Reflections - Madeline Campbell


My original definition of leadership that I developed nine weeks ago was, “Leadership is a trait gained through application in which the subject influences those around them in various means towards a common goal.” I would not make a change to my original definition of leadership. I still view leadership as a word that is extremely difficult to define. Scholars are still studying leadership and honing traits to become the best leader. This nine-week course expanded my original tunnel vision view of leadership and revealed I was blind to the fact that there are numerous theories and hypothesis’ regarding leadership. However, my overarching belief that leadership is a skill that anyone can hone still holds.

Learning about differing views of leadership and how an individual can approach followers was very eye-opening to my own leadership habits. It broadened my spectrum of how to lead, what can be done and different ways in which leaders can approach followers. Studying leadership has helped me realize that I need to actively work on every aspect of my life being a leader. Yes, I need to word emails in specific way, but also non-verbal communications are play a large role in leadership.

Simon Sinek stated in his Ted talk How Great Leaders Inspire Action, “But very, very few people or organizations know why they do what they do. And by "why" I don't mean "to make a profit." That's a result. It's always a result. By "why," I mean: What's your purpose? What's your cause? What's your belief? Why does your organization exist? Why do you get out of bed in the morning? And why should anyone care? As a result, the way we think, we act, the way we communicate is from the outside in, it's obvious.  But the inspired leaders and the inspired organizations -- regardless of their size, regardless of their industry -- all think, act and communicate from the inside out” (Sinek, 2009). This simple statement, “Why do you get out of bed in the morning?” can change ones view of their life. This can motivate people if you are leading them in this particular perspective. I have to wake up with a purpose and cause each morning, or I know I am personally very demotivated. Even if I were to have a high pay increase, if I cannot answer the “cause” questions, I cannot be who I am professionally. I would say I am a mixture of different leadership styles. I find myself wanting to be a situational transformational leader, and incorporate LMX and Path-Goal theory as well. I also find myself leaning towards a democratic, participative leadership style.

Drew Dudley stated in his talk, Everyday Leadership, “…I've come to realize that we have made leadership into something bigger than us; something beyond us. We've made it about changing the world. We've taken this title of "leader" and treat it as something that one day we're going to deserve….We take moments where we truly are a leader and we don't let ourselves take credit for it, or feel good about it” (Dudley, 2010). I am very far from holding a position within my work environment where I have an official title of “leader.” However, I can see areas in my position where I am a leader to numerous people. I do not mean this in an arrogant way whatsoever and I do not want to over-step any boundaries. My ultimate goal would be to run my own company, or become a manager within a business. I hope to hone my leadership qualities and skills today until I get to the position where I can influence and inspire others to work with humility, dignity and worth for a greater good.



Dudley, Drew (2010) Everyday Leadership. Retrieved on May 15th, 2019 from https://www.ted.com/talks/drew_dudley_everyday_leadership/transcript?language=en

Sinek, Simon (2009) How Great Leaders Inspire Action. Retrieved on May 15th, 2019 from https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MSLD 511 - Module 7 - Inner Work for Authentic Leadership - Madeline Campbell

I have had three “real-world” professional experiences since I graduated from my undergraduate studies in 2016. All three have been extremely instrumental in shaping who I am professionally, how I carry myself and how I adorn leadership qualities when need be. Each position I have held has grown me in ways that were originally outside my comfort zone, but now are no longer. My daily thought as I drive to work has always been: be who I am to my core, be kind, work hard and treat each individual I encounter with worth and dignity. This is where my personal and work ethic stem from. Being self-aware of my work-habits, conversations and work-ethic has also aided in developing who I am professionally. One key example of how I learned to be self-aware and adopt positive qualities instead of negative was in my first sales position. My two managers (I shared an office with one of them) were very sporadic in emotions, would yell and scream often and had inappropriate relationships with co...
Read more

MSLD520 - Module 2 - 10 Minutes per Day - Madeline Campbell

At first, the thought of spending ten minutes a day doing nothing made me a little stressed and anxious, as I feel as though my “to do” list is never ending. My initial thought was, “why not use those ten minutes to work on my Fall travel or start on homework?” However, throughout the last 4-5 months, I have learned and am learning the art of taking time to reflect and take time out of school and work to do things that I love. Taking ten minutes a day doing nothing helped me to learn that ten minutes can fly by and I learned that some of my stress is self-induced.   After listening to Puddicombe’s talk, he made multiple statements that stood out to me about stress and resting our minds. He states, “we are no longer present in the work in which we live and we miss out on things most important to us” (2012). With the influx of work and school lately this is true for my life. When I am trying to enjoy time with family, I am thinking about all the work that needs to be done bef...
Read more

MSLD520 - Module 5 - What makes us feel good about work? - Madeline Campbell

There are numerous things within my position that motivates me to work hard and with a purpose. The first would be my family and working for them. I know the current position I carry is very important to me, my husband’s life, and educational goals. Working at Embry-Riddle was a goal of mine before I graduated with my undergraduate in 2016. I reached that goal 2.5 years later, but it was something I was able to achieve, to become a part of the ERAU family and what it consists of. Therefore, with that in mind, family is my first goal. I work hard to help support a life with my husband, to save for our future children, to provide support and care of our family members to bless them and to give to others within our community that are in need of groceries, or a meal, etc. I go to work every day with this in mind and grateful for my position at Riddle. Much of my personal beliefs, ethics and morals also play a role in going to work and working hard for others and not my own personal goals...
Read more