Leadership today takes a different type of person than it did in the past. The world has changed and leadership has changed with it, gone are the days of a leader sitting behind a large desk giving orders to others and telling them the right way to do things. Leadership has become a more interactive and responsive type of relationship. Denning (2011) described several dimensions of the interactive leader such as working with the world rather than against it, building on personal integrity and authenticity, benefiting from an understanding of different narrative patterns and most importantly that leadership entails active participation rather than detached observation. Three aspects of Denning’s view on today’s leadership that resonate with me most are the ideas that leadership participates, that leadership connects, and that leadership is free of ego. These characteristics are most associated with the view I have on my leadership goals.
When a leader is actively engaging in the workplace rather than simply observing their surroundings they are able to see things from a different perspective, the employee’s perspective. As Denning (2011) points out that when a leader is active they are more able to hold capacities for understanding, trust and respect, thus strengthening the bond with their employees. I have always has the belief that a leader should be actively involved in the workplace, I wouldn’t ask someone to do something I wasn’t willing to do myself. I also do not believe that there are tasks within the workplace that are beneath a leader either. As a supervisor I was just as willing to answer the phone, as I was to deal with upset guests, it was all part of the job.
While a leader is actively participating in the workplace they will, in turn, connect with their employees. Denning (2011) describes an interactive leader as sending a message or agenda with hopes to seek feedback from the audience, where a controlling manager’s message is often in the form of a lecture that has no room for listener interjection. Yulk (2013) used the term participative leadership to describe the decision process that allows others to have some influence over the leader decisions. Denning paints a picture of an audience filled with possibility when they are asked for their reaction to a story or even a problem. I believe in this type of interacting and feel it is best practice, however, I sometimes get caught up in the moment and forget to ask my staff for their opinion. I always debrief after a shift and that is when I often realize I have forgotten to engage with my staff over a decision in the moment. I am hopeful to implement this practice more as I work on improving my leadership skills.
For me, leadership is not about what it can do for me but what I can offer as a leader. Denning (2011) defines this as leading free of ego, which he describes as leading because one has something to give not because they are expecting something in return. This theory was very powerful for me, I have worked under many managers where this was not the case. They were leaders for the mere reason of being in power; they were looking for either respect for others of some other type of benefit. Whetten and Cameron (2011) talked about the balance of power and how leaders were influential because they used their power to help others accomplish exceptional tasks. When leaders let their ego’s become involved often the scale is tipped and there becomes an abuse of power where the leader uses power for personal or business gain. This type of leadership is not healthy for anyone involved. I would like to believe that I let my ego go when I step into the office, but I know that is not always the case. Sometimes the thought of losing a battle can overcome me and I refuse to back down, my husband might agree with that statement as well. I am determined to overcome this and to learn how to admit being wrong, or that another person may have a better solution, in order to create the best possible outcome for the business and all the people involved.
Denning (2011) provided multiple dimensions of leadership, and three of those stood out to me: the idea that a leader participates, a leader connects, and that a leader is free of ego. Throughout this course, I have learned a lot about how to convey my message through story, and with that my final story is about becoming the best leader I can be. To begin this journey I will strive to become a leader that reflects these three aspects of leadership, I will work every day to improve on them and to continually learn how to be a better leader.
Denning, S. (2011). The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling: Mastering the Art and
Discipline of Business Narrative. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons/Jossey-Bass
Whetten, D. A., & Cameron, K. S. (2011). Developing Management Skills (E. Svendsen
Ed. 8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Yukl, G. (2013). Leadership in organizations (8th ed.). Boston: Pearson.
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