Narrowing down the most important attributes in a leader was a more difficult exercise then I expected, and even more challenging is putting into words why certain attributes matter more to me in a leader than others, as an argument can be made for the importance of each depending on personal or professional views of what defines leadership. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Interestingly, my thought process on what matters most in a leader was very similar to the focus of Kouzes and Posner\u2019s (2011) opinion that credibility is the foundation on which leadership either fails or succeeds. The idea that to be a successful leader, one needs their followers to be both willing and confident in their leadership due to the perceived credibility really spoke to me \u2013 in fact, when I ranked my attributes, I started from \u2018what could I not overlook as lacking in a leader and just behind my number one requirement of \u2018caring\u2019 was \u2018competent\u2019. Meaning, I could not follow a leader I did not believe to be competent. There needs to be earned credibility that those in charge of decisions and actions that affect not just myself and my peers, but the company are at the very least caring of the people the decisions affect and competent in their position to make the call. This is perhaps even more important when digital learning environments (DLEs) are involved as many employees lack knowledge or skill regarding DLEs and are already facing barriers or obstacles when using this technology. As said by Sheninger (2022), \u201cIt all begins with trust\u201d (p. 1). When a follower trusts their leader and believes them to be credible and competent, and \u201conce the fears and misconceptions are placed on the table, leaders can begin to establish a vision for the effective use of technology to improve numerous facets of leadership\u201d Sheninger, 2022, p. 1) when faced with new and possibly challenging technology and DLEs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other attributes I believe to be crucial for leadership are \u2018inspiring\u2019 and \u2018forward thinking\u2019. It was through conversation with my teammates and the Unit 1readings that I came to appreciate just how much value should be placed on \u2018forward thinking\u2019, which I had initially ranked as middle of the pack. Castelli (2015) speaks to how there is \u201cneed for an effective approach leaders may deploy when assessing the long-term consequences of their actions and decisions\u201d (p. 217), in other words leaders must be thinking about the end results of their actions, and where each step forward leads \u2013 something that cannot be done unless they are forward thinkers, able to envision the big picture. Workman and Cleveland-Innes submit that \u201c\u201ctrue\u201d leadership is best defined in the outcomes that are achieved rather than the inputs applied\u201d (2012, p. 314), meaning leadership is not about based on the process or methods but more on the end results. Digital leadership doesn\u2019t change the requirement to inspire and be forward thinking. With the quickly changing landscape of DLE and technology, and the varying skill level of those using them, I\u2019d say they are more important then ever!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have always maintained that my professional legacy isn\u2019t in the \u2018how\u2019 I got things done, metrics I hit, or awards I achieved; my legacy is based on those who worked for me, my \u2018followers\u2019, that have since promoted and developed based on my leadership. That I was able to inspire them to reach success, show them their possibilities, and help them look towards the future while knowing they had full credibility in my helping them get there because I care\u2026..THAT is what I consider my legacy and what I believe is most important in a leader. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
References:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Castelli, P. A. (2016). Reflective leadership review: A framework for improving organisational performance.\u00a0Journal of Management Development<\/em>,\u00a035<\/em>(2), 217-236. Reflective leadership review: a framework for improving organisational performance | Emerald Insight<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2011).\u00a0Credibility: How leaders gain and lose it, why people demand it<\/em>. John Wiley & Sons. https:\/\/royalroads.skillport.com\/skillportfe\/main.action?path=summary\/BOOKS\/43184<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sheninger, E. (2014). Pillars of digital leadership.\u00a0International Center for Leadership in Education<\/em>,\u00a01<\/em>(4), 1-4. 7 Pillars of Digital Leadership in Education | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (hmhco.com)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Workman, T., & Cleveland-Innes, M. (2012). Leadership, personal transformation, and management.\u00a0The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning<\/em>,\u00a013<\/em>(4), 313-323. Leadership, personal transformation, and management | The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning (irrodl.org)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Narrowing down the most important attributes in a leader was a more difficult exercise then I expected, and even more challenging is putting into words why certain attributes matter more to me in a leader than others, as an argument… Continue Reading →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":292,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lrnt525"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0275\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0275\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0275\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0275\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/292"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0275\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=327"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0275\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/327\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":328,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0275\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/327\/revisions\/328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0275\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0275\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0275\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}