Remembering Sergoit

ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP MANAGEMENT (OLM) COURSE

WEEKLY JOURNALS  

August 23, 2012

Our first day in class was a mix of both excitement and uncertainty. I was excited because I was beginning a new phase in my academic career but also uncertain because I didn’t know what to expect. Our discussion began by exploring leadership and what it is. I realized that leadership is something we can see and experience every day and everywhere - family, school, church, work, community, etc.

As I reflected deeper into my own leadership experience, I realized I have been in some leadership positions at my local church where I served as a youth leader and later the Local Church Council Chairman for eight years. In my place of work, I have worked with others and also supervised staff. These opportunities have helped me to learn and grow.

However, it also dawned on me that I have another role in the family where I am a husband to my wife and a father to my children. As the family head,  I have the responsibility to provide, protect, and ensure they have all they need, this is the very place where values that guide society (and the world) are formed. This is a huge responsibility, as the head of the family must ensure that all family members receive what they need to get from me in order for them to achieve their goals in life and maximize their potential. Is my leadership worthy of my responsibility? And is it worth being emulated? These are questions that I must find answers to at the end of this course.

August 30, 2012

Today’s class was held at the Computer lab downstairs. The idea was to get to learn from the librarian how to access library resources on the website. This was useful since I was getting to know a new learning environment and these are the resources that would help me in my work.

The slides on leadership styles were quite intriguing as they reminded me of how we often fail as leaders to recognize opportunities and seize them. Our inability to understand ourselves makes us blind to our actions. Through the leadership assessment test, I discovered who I was - a participatory leader--scoring between being autocratic and laissez-faire. At first, I thought this was the best score and I felt good about myself. Later, as we went deep into the discussion, evaluating the pros and cons of each style I realized leadership is not about being in either of these categories rather it is about understanding who you are and when to apply each style under suitable circumstances.

September 6, 2012

My reflection focused on leadership styles (Autocratic, Democratic, or Laissez-faire) and traits.  It is important to ask myself, coworkers, or a group to glean insights into what they think about my style of leadership. Skills are important in leadership- (Technical, Human or Conceptual). These are important in NGOs like CRS which emphasize having employees with high technical skills, human and conceptual necessary for fundraising and managing projects. I have developed these skills in my workplace. However, in my leadership style, I found I am more inclined towards relationships rather than being task-oriented. This, I realize is partly because, in peacebuilding, relationships are important. I also consider it a cultural influence and is probably my greatest strength. However, as a leader, I believe it is paramount to develop a balance so that I can be effective.

September 13, 2012

In today’s class, we had a chance to tap into the wisdom of Dr. Amanda G. McKendree who took us through the theory and practice of conflict communication lecture. It was a great experience reflecting on my own conflict styles and approach to conflict. As the lecture went on to discuss communication skills, knowledge, and areas for conflict management, I began to identify my own common approach to resolving personal conflicts. The test we took in class helped me to realize that I love peace and harmony and will go to great lengths to avoid conflict. Although I sometimes try to confront my fears and view conflict as an opportunity, I find it more challenging when I have to face it as a leader. This requires humility,- and a great sense of self-awareness.

September 20, 2012

Viewing the video that depicted the leadership of Mo Cheek helping a teenage girl to sing the National Anthem was the most inspiring thing to ever happen. This was in my view the best example of servant leaders exemplified by the likes of Jesus, Gandhi, Mandela, and Mother Theresa.   “Servant leadership is a practical philosophy that supports people who choose to serve first,- and then lead as a way of expanding service to individuals and institutions.  Servant leaders may or may not hold formal leadership positions but encourage collaboration, trust, foresight, listening, and the ethical use of power and empowerment.  

September 27, 2012

            Reflecting on the many opportunities around us enables us to grow and improve our leadership skills. For example, Notre Dame has many on-campus opportunities for graduate students who wish to volunteer to lead in the many activities designed to support the student community. These include participating in clubs such as the Campus Ministry, and so on.

            These opportunities can inspire leadership talents in us and can help contribute to change around us. However, I find it when taking up a challenge, such as undertaking a project that involves others, one has to overcome the fear of making mistakes and how others are likely to judge you. This fear impedes progress. The moment I take up a step towards accepting mistakes that I made, I become stronger, overcome my fears, and my load becomes even much lighter. This attitude reinforces the idea that taking up a challenge builds a leader and is meaningful.

October 4, 2012:  Video show and dinner at Dr. Theresa Rick-Kelly’s home

This was one of the rare occasions we received an invitation to have dinner at the home of our Professor.  It was one of my best moments learning how humble the US Professors can be. Our Professor Dr. Rick-Kelly and her husband welcomed us to their beautiful home. My favorite meal that evening was Turkey.

After dinner, we watched a movie about the leadership of Nelson Mandela. Although Mandela was imprisoned by the South African apartheid regime and jailed for 27 years on Robin Island, he had no grudge against his tormentors but promoted reconciliation among South Africans.

Important lessons from Mandela’s life include the following:

·       He was a role model that led by example

·       He embraced diversity and believed in the values of oneness of all humanity. Even his own bodyguards were to be from different races.

·       He earned respect from his fellows and from the South African people of all races

·     He demonstrated through his actions and speech that leadership is about showing generosity to his enemies by acting differently.

There are many leadership lessons from Mandela’s leadership styles that we can emulate. These are; humility, leading by example, being servant leaders, having the foresight and ability to conceptualize, being charismatic, and so on.

October 11, 2012

A visit to the Snite Museum was a great opportunity to learn about the power of art in communication when telling a story. On this day I learned that is important to first observe and describe what you are seeing before rushing to interpretation. Being keen on details (choice of color, size, position, gestures) to understand the artist’s impression. Culture has a powerful influence too on our perceptions and how we interpret our world. As a leader, it is important to recognize the time we are living in and how we interpret things. We need to be more analytical, and aware of our own cultures and the way they influence our perceptions and the interpretations of things around us.

October 25, 2012

It was fascinating to go through the subject of motivation and gain a deeper understanding of the subject. The Professor was motivating too as she engaged the class in a rare discussion on this subject. Even though the topic was not new to me as such, it sounded totally new and brought a realization that it’s an area where I had not taken much time to understand how it affects leadership.  

The various theories of motivation that we learned helped me understand why people in organizations act in certain ways. My favorite theory of motivation was Maslow's because it is very practical and has almost all the components that I consider necessary for human needs. I learned how motivation is important to have people accomplish what they need to do.   In the Motivation to Lead Assessment exercise, my score range was 40, implying that I was uncertain about my motivation to lead. This was rather confusing but it nevertheless, reflected the need for me to develop and establish a deeper sense of personal awareness where I would fully understand my strengths and weaknesses in leadership. 

Another lesson in the theory was the need to balance power, achievement, and affiliation. Although I scored high on the affiliation, which resonates well with my cultural orientation, I feel I need to balance these qualities in a way that power comes to the top, followed by achievement and affiliation at the bottom. 

November 1, 2012

Reflecting on the NGO experiences in Cambodia the lecture by Adam emphasized the challenges that NGO workers experience: culture, critical thinking, and complexity. These have an impact on the way leaders navigate through complex situations confronted by realities of culture and remain steadfast to the goals of the organization. As a leader one needs to remain focused but also take into account the realities.

Barriers in communication involve being able to understand and communicate relevant concepts and ideas in a way that makes sense, and at the same time showing respect to the people you are working with. Critical thinking: the ability of a leader to decide what to believe or what to do. Reflecting on my own situation where I also work, such an environment of diverse cultures and complex situations brings our leadership styles to the test. As a leader, I need to have the necessary expertise and experience to help me navigate through these challenges.

November 8, 2012

Paradigm change in a lifetime was our subject of discussion today. It is obvious that change occurs and once they do they change our circumstances. People react to changes with fear, excitement, denial, confusion, or apathy. Change upsets our understanding of the reality of things, requires risks, requires new behaviors, and threatens us on all levels. Changes are hard to adopt but those who do not change may lose and those who change benefit. How has this affected my career? The basic goal is to make fundamental changes in order to cope with a new, more challenging environment. It is important to understand that changes in norms and shared values typically come late in a change process.

November 15, 2012

The presentation by Ana Hanafin, the former Irish Minister for Education on leadership roles was insightful. She shared that integrity is necessary for leaders who want to fight corruption and promote good governance. As a leader in government, one needs to work with broad-minded people including NGOs and other service sectors that complement government efforts. It was interesting to watch her react defensively when she was challenged on her role in the government that was accused of corruption and impunity.

November 29, 2012

Today was a presentation of our group work after spending days of preparation. Our team- the Irish Leader was confident that they would put up a good presentation. Although our team did a fantastic job, I was particularly impressed by the Group 1 presentation and how knowledgeable they were on the subject of accountability and the NGO management practice in Africa.  

Working together to organize the presentation was a personal learning experience.  I got to appreciate the strengths of my colleagues.  Rita was quite good at preparing slides and coordinating with us. Christina too was very good at conceptualizing and putting ideas together while Adhik Badal did a commendable job of bringing fresh perspectives to the group. This demonstrated to me the importance of teamwork, listening to one another, showing respect, and organization skills. At the presentation, the team exhibited courage, charisma, eloquence, being articulate, and a good understanding of the issues.