Leadership Philosophy: A Leadership Pledge

in Courage

As I reflect on my last quarter century as a

leader within my community and in

organizations, it is clear to me

that the greatest asset of any organization is

the people. However, keeping the people

(and consequently the entire organization)

moving forward is also the greatest challenge.

Parker Palmer states that “organizations are

habitats for human beings,” and that

“organizations should treat people as great

things,” (Module 2, Mentor Gallery). Employees

are the lifeblood of organizations and must be

given clear organizational values, empowerment

to innovate, and credible leaders.  

I view my leadership position as being responsible for creating and maintaining an environment where these needs are met.  Organizations are influenced by a dynamic world, so this is an ongoing process of evaluation and implementation.

Organizational Values

“Shared values are an organizations promise,” (Kouzes & Posner, 2007, p. 60).  

Our organizational values are the underpinning of our company culture.  Truth, openness and a constant drive for improvement are vital and complimentary values.  “Trust is established by being completely honest, open, keeping actions consistent with values, and showing trust in others,” (Yuki, 2010, p. 419). Openness means people are allowed, and indeed encouraged, to interact and share their views in an open and respectful environment. In Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Paulo Freire, believes that ideals must be developed within people, and active participation through dialogue allow ideas to become part of the discussion (Freiere, 2007).  Leaders must embrace feedback and utilize it to drive improvement.

Sustainable organizations are based clearly on articulated and shared values. "Shared values are the foundations for building productive and genuine working relationships," and shared values are "the glue that holds a team together" (Kouzes & Posner, 2007, p. 60).  In my own experience I’ve seen organizations flounder because of a disconnect between organizational values and employees. I have seen this problem arise for two different reasons. It can occur when organizational leadership fails to communicate values to employees. It can also occur when the organization itself has not embraced the values listed above. For example, I previously managed a large institution where the leader was very controlling and insular. The leader was unwilling to articulate values, but the values displayed indicated that she did not care about employee engagement or development. As a result, the organization was much less effective than it could have been and it resulted in high employee turnover (including myself).

Employee Empowerment

“Accountability results in feeling of ownership,” (Kouzes & Posner, 2007, p. 259)

Empowerment is the spark that gets teams moving and gets things done. “Leaders don’t get extraordinary things done by themselves,” (Kouzes & Posner, 2007, p. 27). For sustainable success to occur, leaders must first empower team members before they can truly hold them accountable for results.  Teams become vested stakeholders in the organization when they feel empowered.  The leader must also ensure that followers have competent skills, clear goals and sound direction.  When team members have the appropriate will and the skill to do the work, they will have the appropriate ingredients to be inspired, to innovate, and be resourceful in ways that help the organization to flourish. Employees must be given what Paulo Freire terms praxis, which is to mean the combination of free thought and action (Freire, 2007). Leaders should inspire an environment where individuals feel they can make a difference and a change. Team members should not be afraid to “break all the rules” or “choreograph your own steps” when it comes to form, style or traditional methods of conducting work, as spotlighted in the motion picture Strictly Ballroom (1992).  

Leadership occurs everywhere. In The Leadership Challenge, Kouzes & Posner (2007) state that, “Leadership is everyone’s business.  No matter what your position is, you have to take responsibility for the quality of leadership your constituents get” (p. 339).  We all have opportunities to be a leader at some level regardless of our position.  In my current sales oriented organization, most of our team members must work away from the office and need to be empowered as self-starters in order to succeed and meet company goals. They are in the field with customers. They have to coordinate many complicated projects with stakeholders such as vendors, project managers, program administrators and community based organizations. I have found that for employees to be successful, they must be given leeway (empowerment) to be creative and make good decisions on their own. Empowerment is like a seed that grows from the accomplishments of challenging tasks and good decisions that come from experience, repetition, and lessons learned from mistakes.  Empowerment helps to move along employees develop through “exposure to the higher level of moral decision making,” (Carey, 2005, p. 6).

Credible Leadership

“Listen carefully…with the ear of your heart,” (benedict of Nursia from the Rule of Benedict).

Credibility is considered to be the foundation between the leader and constituent (Kouzes & Posner, 2007). Credible leadership is about putting employees first. “People trust leaders when their deeds and words match” (Kouzes & Posner, 2007, p.41).  Followers consider leaders to be credible when leaders demonstrate acts of trustworthiness, integrity and sincerity. To me it is the important catalyst that sustains high morale in organizational life. “Morale is the lifeblood of any team,” Pat Riley. 

I have found that credible leadership, and the far-reaching benefits of high morale, fosters countless work-culture and productivity advantages such as team spirit, commitment to the organization and an ownership in the work they do.  I have experienced this particularly while leading political organizations where employees in a legislative office or volunteers on the campaign trail were much more likely to pour their heart into a campaign or to support credible leaders when their deeds matched their words. The campaign workers had developed pride stemming from the leaders credible reputation.  I have also seen organizations where the leader lacked credibility by being disconnected from followers, and as a result, employees or volunteers were much more cynical about their work and the group was deficient in positive morale.

In large corporate organizations, I have discovered that credibility is a quality rooted in the leader’s consistent behavior and that it is even more central at the mid-to-lower echelons of management where employees need to be engaged on a regular basis.  How leaders approach their people speaks louder than words. “It is only by understanding followers that they can best understand how to lead,” (Yuki, 2010, p. 419). 

One of the most rewarding ways I find to both show I care and to hear from others is by following the practice of “caring by wandering about,” or CAWA (Kouzes & Posner, 2007). This CAWA approach helps to encourage a climate of trust.  Credible leaders also avoid oppression by giving team members opportunities to solve problems (Freire, 2007). 

Leaders must act as a facilitator of dialogue and allow employees into the conversation or challenge them as “Partners.” One of the biggest ways we can value team members is to not interrupt when they are sharing a point of view or idea. As a leader I am mindful of my ratio of speaking to listening.

Conclusion

We all want to work for an organization and a leader we admire, nurtured by an environment where we feel we can make a difference. This begins at the top where the leaders set the example. “The secret is hidden in plain sight: good teachers cannot be reduced to technique; good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher” (Palmer, 2007, p. 104).

Employees get their cues from leaders who clearly and openly articulate the organizations values; who empower team members to take action; and in turn the team will deliver results for leaders who demonstrate credibility. These are the hallmarks of admired companies. Jack Lowe Jr., on the Leaders Attitudes towards People, states that: “People are good. People want to do the right thing. They want to be responsible; to help others; to be good at what they do. They want to be a part of a family, an organization that is good and that they admire,” (Mentor 2 Gallery). 

As the company greets new challenges, our values, empowerment and credibility will energize us to evolve for the better. These are the three necessary ingredients for us to survive, thrive and grow. As Margaret Wheatley writes in her book, Leadership and the New Science (2006), “a living system produces itself; it will change in order to preserve that self” (Wheatly, 2006, p. 20).  As we unfold a new chapter in my company, and I reflect on the lessons from all these sources and experiences cited above, I commit myself to these leadership principles, as an entrusted steward, and to continue to make our values transparent and meaningful for my employees to apply in our daily action.

References

Carey, M.L. (2005). The five frames. Retrieved February 11, 2013 from http://learn.gonzaga.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse&id%3D_4525_1&url%    

Freire, P. (2005). Pedagogy of the oppressed (M. Bergman Ramos, Trans., 30th anniversary ed.). New York: Continuum.

Lowe Jr., Jack. On the leader's attitude toward people. Gonzaga University, ORGL 500, Mentor Gallery, Module 2. Retrieved February 15, 2013 from http://guweb2.gonzaga.edu/orgl/mentors/lowe/human%20person%20values_broadband.swf

Kouzes, J.M., & Posner, B.Z. (2007). The Leadership Challenge (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. 

Miall, T. (Producer), & Luhrman, B. (Director). (1992). Strictly Ballroom [Motion Picture]. United States: Miramax.

Palmer, Parker.  On the "Great Thing" in organizational life. Gonzaga University, ORGL 500, Mentor Gallery, Module 2. Retrieved February 15, 2013 from http://guweb2.gonzaga.edu/orgl/mentors/parkerpalmer/great%20thing%20in%20an%20organization%201_broadband.swf

Palmer, P. J. (2007). The Courage to Teach Guide for Reflection & Renewal (10th anniversary ed.). San Francisco, CA: Josey-Bass.

Wheatley, M. J. (2006). Leadership in the New Science: Discovering Order in a Chaotic World (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler.

Yuki, G. A. (2010). Leadership in organizations (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.