Module 1 Leadership Gap

Your Blog 633.1.2 will reflect “questions to ponder” in Chapter 1 of the Obolensky text, which begins with a reflective exercise consisting of three questions. Create a reflection blog that responds to the questions asked in that exercise. 

If, for some reason, you have not received your text, the following are the Obolensky questions you are asked to consider and address: 

1. Has your attitude toward leaders changed in your life, and if so, how?
2. If we take as a starting point the attitude to those in authority/leaders as held by your grandparents, and then look at those attitudes held by your parents, and then by you, and then by the younger generation, is there a changing trend? If so, what is it?
3. Why do you think that this has occurred?

Additionally, as part of your Reflection Blog post, respond to the following:

While you live in a world with more information about leadership and leadership practices, why is there an apparent gap in the quality of our leaders, and how do you think the gap can be closed?

Leadership Gap

1) Has your attitude toward leaders changed in your life, and if so, how?

Early in my career, I used to think that leaders were always right and that I never needed to question their decisions. This perception changed as I cycled through several leaders as I worked in different organizations, who all exuded different traits, characteristics, and personas. Each leader had their own style, but what I could tell, as if through instinct, was how effective they were in their role. Some were good leaders, some were bad leaders, and some were a mix, or hybrid, with good days and bad days. One thing I learned is that leaders are people, too, and they are trying to figure life out and accomplish their role just as we are in our role within an organization. I used to hesitate in sharing my thoughts and ideas because I assumed leaders had all the answers. As I've grown a bit wiser, I've learned that it is okay to speak up when necessary, such as when a change may be necessary or if something is a bad idea. 

Some leaders are good at communicating objectives in an organization, whereas others struggle in this area. An example of this is that one of my early supervisors refused to accept feedback from his employees. He always assumed his direction was the correct answer and my teammates and I struggled to accomplish tasks effectively because we did not agree with the leader's direction and intent. I was not sure how to approach this and simply did what I was told (with loads of pent up frustration continually building up). It was not until I worked for a different leader who encouraged the thoughts and inputs of employees that I realized it is okay to speak up and ask to make changes for the betterment of an organization. I was amazed to see how minor differences in leadership style could result in such drastic differences in morale and motivation among followers. 

Wang et al. (2016) conducted a study on transformational leadership and feedback where they collected data via a survey from employees of a communications technology company in China. The researchers discovered that "trust represents the quality of the exchange relationship between follower and leader," and that feedback is more likely to occur and be more valuable when trust serves as an underlying mechanism of the relationship (Wang et al., 2016). Essentially, leaders who are more receptive to feedback and more willing to give feedback, in turn, results in more open communication channels, stronger relationships, and a more cohesive and motivated workforce. 

Leaders should always be willing to listen to new ideas and discuss potential methods of improvement. No one is perfect, and leaders who can demonstrate the vulnerability of not knowing all the answers often seem to garner more respect among followers. A new favorite quote of mine is by Lau Tzu who states, "the best leader is one whom the people hardly know exists, leaving them happy to say, once the aim is achieved, 'We did it ourselves'" (Obolensky, 2017, p. 6). This highlights how leaders should aim to have good relationships with their subordinates while aiming to make their jobs easier.

2) If we take as a starting point the attitude of those in authority/leaders as held by your grandparents, and then look at those attitudes held by your parents, and then by you, and then by the younger generation, is there a changing trend? If so, what is it? 3) Why do you think that this has occurred?

I believe that older generations, such as my grandparents, tend to hold up figures authority highly, and look to them as if they are on a pedestal. It seems like there is little questioning of authority, but the younger the generations get (to now, Gen Z), the more questioning exists. This is especially true with the amount of media available through so many forms of communication channels (e.g., television, web browsing, social media, etc.). Even Obolensky (2017) acknowledges that "the changes in technology and knock-on social changes are the most dramatic ever seen" (p. 5). For older generations, some remember a time when the only media existed in print form or on scheduled radio or television programs. Now, every person has a camera and Internet access at their fingertips, where we can see leaders at their worst, often more than their best. Some might say this transparency is a good byproduct of invention, but others might say it is causing chaos to brew. 

On the flip side, more senior generations tend to be less receptive to change and are less open to dissenting opinions, or any kind of conversation really. Perhaps some of this mindset comes from the authority people tend to have while parents - going from raising 2 year olds one day to, in the blink of an eye, arguing with teengers who have their own thoughts and opinions. In this sense, even though parents have been in an "authoritative" role for much of the parent-child relationship, this is a time where they should welcome the ideas of the younger generation. Collective minds are a breeding ground for innovative ideas and perspectives. An important takeaway is that people should aim to maintain respect throughout interactions from not only their peers and immediate generations, but from all people.

While you live in a world with more information about leadership and leadership practices, why is there an apparent gap in the quality of our leaders, and how do you think the gap can be closed?

I believe leadership gaps occur because some individuals are more willing to listen to the ideas of others and some are not. It is sometimes hard to relinquish control when a leader may feel like they built something from the ground up and therefore they should be in charge of all the decisions. As people get older, it seems that it may be human nature to get 'stuck in one's ways.' Open-mindedness becomes close-mindedness. There also seems to be a sense of becoming more individualistic rather than group-focused. The Forbes Coaches Council (2023) write that "a leadership gap is a situation where the leaders of a company are not effectively driving its mission and achieving its goals in some regard...and can manifest in many ways, such as poor employee morale, declining productivity, or missed opportunities." They continue to discuss 17 leadership gaps which include: lack of ownership, expectations not happening, not preparing emerging leaders, a bias toward management instead of leadership, unclear responsibilities, people operating in silos, lack of trust, lack of clarity, no succession plan in place, and more (Forbes Coaches Council, 2023).

I truly believe that no one can achieve greatness alone. Moreover, greatness does not last unless maintained; an organization must constantly be evolve and growing to maintain their competitiveness. While it is necessary to have leaders to drive the mission, vision, and objectives, I think an underlying necessity in any organization is teamwork and a communication loop that allows for open and honest feedback. By doing this, opinions and ideas will flow and a company will never remain stagnant. Additionally, employees will have a method to express their individualism and perspectives, which is important for one to feel valued in their workplace.

References:

Forbes Coaches Council. (2023, May 8). What 17 leadership gaps look like (and how companies can address them). Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2023/05/05/what-17-leadership-gaps-look-like-and-how-companies-can-address-them/?sh=20104ca577c3 

Obolensky, N. (2017). Complex adaptive leadership: Embracing paradox and uncertainty. Taylor and Francis. 

Wang, B., Qian, J., Ou, R., Huang, C., Xu, B., & Xia, Y. (2016). Transformational Leadership and Employees’ Feedback Seeking: The Mediating Role of Trust In Leader. Social Behavior and Personality, 44(7), 1201–1208. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.2016.44.7.1201