{"id":275,"date":"2020-03-31T09:50:07","date_gmt":"2020-03-31T16:50:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0101\/?p=275"},"modified":"2020-03-31T09:50:07","modified_gmt":"2020-03-31T16:50:07","slug":"final-reflections-on-leadership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0101\/final-reflections-on-leadership\/","title":{"rendered":"Final Reflections on Leadership"},"content":{"rendered":"

In my first blog post for LRNT525, I discussed how leaders should motivate and inspire their followers.\u00a0 I described a leader as someone who: leads with a reflective approach, lives by honesty, demonstrates behaviours that are linked with enthusiasm, and optimism (Castelli 2016, Kouzes & Posner, 2011). I still believe this, however, all of these behaviours are demonstrable. I can vision a leader performing reflectively, being honest, acting enthusiastically and optimistically.\u00a0 But what if we couldn\u2019t see someone any longer?\u00a0 What if the only method we had to demonstrate who we are as leaders becomes the words we type or the words we speak.\u00a0 On February 9th<\/sup>, I discussed leadership behaviours.<\/p>\n

However, in nine weeks, our world has become something that we, none of us, have every experienced. It is a world where we wait for the latest update on the Covid-19 pandemic. I am either watching the headlines to hear the update, or I search on the internet to read the latest update, or I type an email to my Manager to update my working at home progress for the day.\u00a0 My world is defined by updates \u2013 and each update is a method of communicating that relates to hearing, seeing or reading.<\/p>\n

My new mantra and what I have studied and learned through real life experience in the last nine weeks is that leaders in a complex world of digital innovation or crisis – communicate. <\/em>Sheninger (2014) stated that leadership involves engaging stakeholders in two-way communication and Castelli (2016) referred to two-way communication and trusting open and transparent communication.\u00a0 Engaging people, communicating with them and trusting in who they are is vitally important.\u00a0 However, after nine weeks and lots of complex change in our world, I now believe that not only are leadership \u2018behaviours\u2019 important but also, leadership communication separates the true leaders from those that behave as leaders.<\/p>\n

Communication goes beyond hearing, seeing and reading.\u00a0 It involves empathy \u2013 understanding the other person\u2019s perspective and respecting their perspective because it is specific to them.\u00a0 Leading with empathy is directly related to the success of interpersonal relationships (Castelli, 2016 as cited by Davis and Hayes, 2011). As leaders communicate with others, through written or spoken language, how they incorporate the feelings of others, their anticipation, concerns and biases set apart those who lead with empathy and those that do not. Particularly during times of crisis, followers want and need empathetic communication so that they feel their needs are being met.\u00a0 During the current pandemic, people are becoming unemployed. They want to know what is going to happen next.\u00a0 They are being provided with the information keeping in mind the perspective of the receiver of the information.\u00a0 Empathetic communication bridges the divide.<\/p>\n

A good leader bridges the communication divide by providing information that is relevant to the person or circumstances.\u00a0 Castelli (2016) stated that empathy is a qualification for effective leadership and that communication improves the leader\/follower relationship. I would suggest that Covid-19 has produced a world of leaders who innately lead with empathy. Whether a leader\u2019s actions affect the country or the workplace, they communicate every message with, \u2018we are concerned for you and your safety\u2019. They are bridging the divide between them and us and creating an environment that thrives on empathetic communication.<\/p>\n

I hear over and over again that after the pandemic the world will not be the same.\u00a0 This is true for many reasons, but for the sake of leadership, I believe it to be true. Unfortunate circumstances have created leaders who are truly concerned for their followers. \u00a0Leading and communicating with empathy is our new normal.<\/p>\n

I believe I can lead change in my organization by working with leaders to show them that empathic design principles, co-designing with empathy and communicating with empathy are actually innate in what they do every day.<\/p>\n

References<\/strong><\/p>\n

Castelli, P. A. (2016). Reflective leadership review: A framework for improving organisational performance. The Journal of Management Development, 35<\/em>(2), 217-236. doi:http:\/\/dx.doi.org.ezproxy.royalroads.ca\/10.1108\/JMD-08-2015-0112<\/p>\n

Kouzes, J. & Posner<\/em>, B. (2011). Credibility: How leaders gain and lose it, why people demand it (2nd<\/sup> ed).<\/em> Retrieved from: https:\/\/viewer.books24x7.com\/assetviewer.aspx?bookid=43184&chunkid=179682918<\/p>\n

Monsell, C. (2020, February 9), Inspire and motivate people into action [Blog post]. Retrieved from: https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0101\/inspire-and-motivate-people-into-action\/<\/p>\n

Sheninger, E. (2019, December 19). Pillars of digital leadership. Retrieved from http:\/\/leadered.com\/pillars-of-digital-leadership\/<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In my first blog post for LRNT525, I discussed how leaders should motivate and inspire their followers.\u00a0 I described a leader as someone who: leads with a reflective approach, lives by honesty, demonstrates behaviours that are linked with enthusiasm, and… Continue Reading →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-275","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lrnt525"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0101\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0101\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0101\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0101\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0101\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=275"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0101\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":276,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0101\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275\/revisions\/276"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0101\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0101\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0101\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}