Final Reflections on Leadership

In my earlier post on Leadership Reflections, I was asked to identify the attributes which I felt a leader required to be successful working in digital learning environments (DLEs).  As I near the end of this course, I still believe that a leader requires the ability to be inspiring, strategic or forward-looking and possess effective communication skills.  However, I have gained a better appreciation for change management processes, the complexity of systems and now believe that a successful leader needs to recognize “a change in any part of the system creates change throughout the system” (Biech, 2007, p. 3).  I witnessed firsthand how a transformative change had impacted staff and their jobs.  Looking back, I believe that more change management mitigation strategies needed to be incorporated into planning as the staff did not receive enough communication, preparation and support for the impending change.  

Strong leaders working in complex organizational systems will always encounter  stakeholders opposing changes.  For this reason, leaders need to have a clear understanding of the organization’s objectives and strategic content from the perspective of each of the stakeholders (Antwi & Kale, 2014).  By understanding the different stakeholders’ perspectives, leaders are in a better position to effectively communicate the need for the changes.  I think aligning the varying stakeholders’ positions to the organization objectives and strategies is helpful for getting “buy in” from stakeholders.  

A wise mentor gave me two pieces of advice which has stuck with me all these years.  The first piece of advice was that we are all leaders meaning that we all have the ability to inspire change no matter how small.  This is especially true for those working in small teams of 3-5 people where small changes are easier to implement vs. larger teams that require “buy in”.  The second piece of advice she gave me was to always ask questions and to challenge the status quo.  Just because something has always been done a certain way, ask yourself if there is a better way? Or why is it done this way?  I have been in work situations where I have inquired about set processes and often received the response that it has always been done this way.  In many cases, staff recognize that their processes should be changed but often there is no one willing to step up to lead and/or  become the change agent.  I have also been in situations where managers will ask me if I have any suggestions/feedback because I am new and can offer a fresh perspective on their processes.  

Moving forward, I recently learned that there are leadership and change management learning opportunities at work.  I would like to continue to explore and learn more while building relationships and coalitions at work to see if there are opportunities to challenge the status quo.  

References

Antwi, M., & Kale, M. (2014). Change management in healthcare: Literature review. Monieson Centre for Business Research in Healthcare, Queen’s University.

Biech, E. (2007). Thriving through change: A leader’s practical guide to change mastery. American Society for Training and Development.