Personal Learning Leadership Audit
Key Concepts
Total Quality Leadership
The total quality leadership paradigm is about people. Many American companies treat employees as commodities and the score is settled every pay period. However, the total quality leadership represents more than using people as disposables, it requires adding the human touch and valuing their contributions in the organization. According to Deming, “The greatest waste in America is failure to use the abilities of people” (as cited by Covey, 1990, p. 264). Employees must be valued by the organization in order to maximize their performance capabilities and engagement.
Habit 5: Seek first to Understand
Everyone wishes to be understood, and many do not understand therefore mis-communication is born. When we do not understand we have a tendency to mis-trust and guard communications which leads to defensiveness. Empathic communication represents looking beyond your own needs in communication with others. According to Covey (1990), “True empathic communication shares faithfully not only words, ideas, and information, but also feelings, emotions, and sensitivities” (p. 273). In order in achieve total quality in any organization; communication to understand and to be understood is essential.
Transactional Leadership
Transactional leadership is more about managers overseeing a single task of project, and driving to get the project completed. Covey (1990) describes, “Transactional leadership focuses on the bottom line and is event-centered” (p. 285). There are times and situations were transactional leadership is required, however transformational leadership provides for a more well-rounded leadership model. Covey (1990) explains that, “The goal of transformational leadership is to “transform” people and organizations in a literal sense – to change them in mind and heart; enlarge vision, insight, and understanding; clarify purposes; bring about changes that are permanent, self-perpetuating, and momentum building” (p. 287). Clearly, organizations that operate with transformational leadership achieve better long-term results in their employees as well as achieving organizational goals.
Business Constitution-Clarify Values
A very important step in preparing and developing your own constitution is to clarify values to the reader. A draft must provide the foundation for individuals to take part in building their constitution, and involving others for input and to take ownership. Covey (1990) expresses that, “The best mission statements are the result of people coming together in a spirit of mutual respect, expressing their different view, and working together to create something greater than any one individual could do alone” (p. 293). Mission statements represent a vision for employees to come together and operate under a common vision to produce results, and provide a work environment that fosters collaboration and teamwork in the overall success of the organization.
All stakeholders
The connection between the stakeholders in an organization and a well written mission statement is critical. The mission statement is a necessary document to manage an organization to thrive, and the lack of a good mission statement will cause an organization to fail. The failure of organizations exists when leaders do not follow a plan, lack ownership, or do not support community involvement in the mission of the organization. Covey (1990) states, “The leaders of corporations should have a high sense of responsibility about some social problems and get involved and encourage high involvement by members of the organization” (p. 299). From employees to shareholders all rely on the organizations’ mission statement and leaders to operate the organization, realizing profits to benefit all parties.
Natural Laws of Change
Integrity is one of the most important characteristics that a leader can have when leading employees. It can shape your personal and professional development as well as how well the leader is trusted. People are responsible for their own integrity or lack thereof. Integrity offers security in knowing your own value system and represents a life-long process for continued success. Covey (1990) shares, “The more we can build our own lives around natural laws of principle, and become principle-centered in ourselves, and them live by those principles in our relationships with others, the more our mutual trustworthiness grow and deepens” (p. 305). If we do not have principle-centered integrity within ourselves, our relationships with others especially with employees will suffer and they will demonstrate the lack of integrity.
Importance of Concepts
Total Quality Leadership
My place of employment has a leadership model to ensure that leaders are valuing their employees. Employees are managed with care and open doors policies exist throughout the organization. All senior leaders plan time to call their second and third level employees to invite feedback and how the senior leaders can assist in an opportunity or maybe just to clarify the bank’s performance. According to Covey (1990), “…drawing from their people their greatest capacity to contribute ideas, creativity, innovative thinking, attention to detail and analysis of proves and product to the work place” (p. 264). This process enables senior leaders to obtain feedback to understand leadership derailments and address employee viewpoints.
Habit 5: Seek first to Understand
Since I have been in the workforce for 34 years I have observed many different communication methods and practices. Effective communications makes a dramatic difference in organizations and with employee engagement. With most leaders, effective communications takes practice, time, and is consistently developing to increase its effectiveness. Communications must be represented in a clear, productive manner to realize expected results. Covey (1990) states, “Only through sincere, genuine, and accurate two-way empathic dialogue may the parties involved thoroughly understand exactly what is happening and why, how they are benefited, and what their responsibilities and opportunities are because of it” (p. 273). In my communications with others, I attempt to not only speak with clarity however, also explain the whys, the benefits, and outcomes of the communication message.
Transactional Leadership
Our place of employment operates under the transformational leadership approach. However, transactional leadership does exist as well. Within my own team, I recognized some leaders who managed by transactional leadership approaches. They got the job done, they take the bow for the results, and hang on to the past and present weak links instead of using their power to develop, and forward think with collaboration of others to realize successes. I actually identified this weakness and addressed the opportunity by blending their transactional leadership behaviors with the offsetting transformational leadership behaviors to identify strengths and weaknesses. This provided a great learning foundation to learn and apply a model which matches processes and results which increased collaboration with other business line partners. I have developed a SMART plan to address when transactional processes are required within my team as referenced as Exhibit “A” in this paper.
Business Constitution-Clarify Values
In applying this concept, I have refreshed my department’s own mission statement and service level agreement. Our existing document lacked specific information and was too general. Once I clarified and redefined the actions explaining our processes it provided better direction and support to others. According to Covey (1990), “It is the exact wording that clarifies and gives tremendous focus to the mission statement” (p.293). I asked the team to each take a section of our service level agreement and view it as a constitution clarifying what do we do, and what do we do to provide help to others. The focus was refined to center more on teamwork and results with specific action in how the measure results from the team. I have developed a SMART plan to address what steps taken to refresh our constitution for my team as referenced as Exhibit “B” in this paper.
All stakeholders
In the organization where I work, we have very good direction with long-term planning which is contained in our mission statement. It is well designed and addresses the mission of success for employees, shareholders, and stakeholders. Covey (1990) states, “It takes a lot of judgment, discernment, and sense of stewardship about all stakeholders-all who have a skate in the welfare or success of the enterprise-including all customers, suppliers, distributors, dealer the community, and the public at large” (p. 299). Our organization truly understands the value in community involvement and by helping others in the community, it helps our organization grow.
Natural Laws of Change
Integrity is a principle-centered value system that no person can escape. When employees observe a leader who lacks integrity, the employees usually do not trust the leader as well. Employees tend to be more vocal regarding this behavior of a leader more than any other principle. Covey (1990) states, “There are proactive people out—people who are inwardly directed by their own value systems—and they have the internal discipline and the commitment to live by that value system (p. 305). It is important to align integrity with excellence and make it important in all aspects of your live, personally, professionally, and spiritually. I have developed a SMART plan to address a method to increase the awareness of integrity as referenced as Exhibit “C” in this paper.
SMART Plan – Transactional Leadership
Exhibit “A”
Specific • Direct Reports
• Coach difference between transactional and transformational leadership
• Direct report meetings and conference calls
• Communicate task force roll out within 30 days
• Some leaders may not see difference as it applies to their leadership styles.
• Leaders will again additional resources and methods to address leading.
Measureable
• Have leaders be able to identify and manage in knowing when transactional leadership is required.
Attainable • Using principle-centered leadership styles, approach the team to understand why communication is different.
Realistic • Leaders will collaboratively address differences in a shared approach and can apply new learning to work processes relating to leading their team.
Timely • Time frame is ongoing and tangible to the organization to increase employee engagement by better leadership patterns with projects and committees.
SMART Plan – Clarify Values
Exhibit “B”
Specific • Leaders and employees
• Redefine department’s mission statement
• Staff Meetings and conference calls
• During annual planning session, and update annually
• Refreshed mission statement would provide additional clarify for others to read and understand the additional ways and reasons behind the operational support system.
• To provide to a more detailed statement to support partners and explain how and purpose
Measureable • Increased awareness to others regarding the responsibilities and accountabilities of the operational teams
Attainable
• Process requires the team to accept ideas and suggestions from the entire team.
Realistic • 100% support and implementation from team is required in order for refreshed statement to become actionable.
Timely • Launch and communicate refreshed mission statement every January 15th.
SMART Plan – Nature Law of Change
Exhibit “C”
Specific • Leaders
• To development self-reflections of integrity
• One on one coaching and development sessions
• Continuous and modeled behavior
• Principles and moral compass may be different to others than self.
• Integrity is an important characteristic for a leader to demonstrate, and when observed by others allow the trust level to increase within the team.
Measureable • By level of trust when employees and team.
Attainable • Education and development to outline what integrity and trust provides for a team when behavior is practiced.
Realistic • Model the behavior for others to observe and follow.
Timely • Continuous improvements in human relations and increase in trust levels observed.
References
Covey, S. R. (1990). Principle-centered leadership. New York: Free Press.
