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The Power And Influence Section

The Power and Influence section impacted my understanding of leadership in many ways. I gained knowledge on all aspects of power and influence. Leaders will use their power and influence to motivate their peers to reach an end goal. Power and influence is the basis for all types of leadership styles. Throughout this section of class I found myself relating to the readings and using these materials to grow as a leader.

The first main idea I related to was how desperately we need trustworthy and responsible managers. The book Power and Influence by John Kotter opened my eyes to this issue. Kotter states, “Competent and responsible performance in managerial and professional jobs inside complex organizations is more important today than ever before.” This particular quote stood out to me because of my past experience. Managers have the capability to make or break an organization. Some of the benefits to having a good manager include, lower turnover rate, happier staff, more productivity, and higher sales. All these benefits save the company time, money, and create a positive atmosphere to reach the end goal.

The second main idea taken away from this section is the kind of relationship to uphold in a professional setting. This was another topic I related to because of my past experience working at a breakfast restaurant. This particular manager did not understand how to properly talk to the employees and effectively communicate his desires for performance. The breakfast restaurant has three levels of authority, the owners, head chef (manager), and servers. Management created a complex social aspect, in return, set them up for failure when it comes to employee retention. Kotter states, “ With this great increase in social complexity has come a corresponding (and predictable) increase in conflict among people at work and in the effort spent trying to overcome this conflict.” Conflicts at work are mainly communication problems. Communication and professionalism are key factors to having a well run business.

Overall, this section helped gain a new perspective on leadership. The basis of all leadership styles is how a leader can use their power and influence to motivate their peers. The main ideas taken from this section include, the need for trustworthy managers, and how to communicate within complex organizations. One of the major concepts gained from this section was reflecting on my own leadership skills. I took these findings and put them into my own practices. This section gave me insight on how to use power and influence to be an effective leader.

Question 2: How did the Servant Leadership section impact your understanding of leadership in organizations? Give examples to support your conclusions. (400-450 words)

The servant leader portion of this course was very interesting to learn about. To be a servant leader there are certain requirements to fulfill. All of these requirements seemed to engage my attention when thinking about the type of leader I want to become. Not all people can be servant leaders. Servant leaders have the mindset to put everyone before themselves. Learning about servant leadership was my favorite section to learn about.

My original impression of servant leadership was, “only pastors can be considered servant leaders.” I was wrong! As I started to read further into Greenleaf’s Servant Leadership book, I found that anyone can be a servant leader. Servant leaders have certain characteristics that enable a person to lead with passion. Some characteristic resonated with me more than others and these include, awareness, listening and understanding, acceptance and empathy. These characteristics stood out to me because of how relatable they are. I found myself relating to servant leadership more than any of the types we learned about. I believe servant leadership exemplifies characteristics that I currently possess, and will continue to possess as I grow as a leader.

The second concept taken from the servant leadership section is the understanding of the organization behind the business. In order to effectively run a business with servant leadership style in mind, having the knowledge behind the business is essential. As a servant leader, persuading and influencing is a huge factor. The end goal is to make people understand why they are doing what they are doing and motivating them to be the best they can be. Greenleaf mentions in his book that knowledge is one of the best resources to use when exuding power and influence within the workplace. When you have knowledge of the business you can effectively communicate your wishes and desires. You will also have the knowledge to talk about the business to customers and better understand their needs of the company. This can benefit the organization as a whole.

In conclusion, I learned and understood the basis for servant leadership. I thought comparing people, in regard to the characteristics of servant leadership, thoroughly helped me understand the concept. The two main concepts that stood out to me were the characteristics needed to be a servant leader, and the knowledge needed to be a servant leader. These were the two concepts that I related to the most and will put in action as I develop as a leader. This section was fun to learn about and engaged my attention from the start.

Question 3: How did the Transformational Leadership section impact your understanding of leadership in organizations? Give examples to support your conclusions. (400-450 words)

Transformational leadership was another section I thoroughly enjoyed learning about. As of right now, I can see myself as a transformational leader and enjoy developing as this type of leader. There were many different aspects to transformational leadership that intrigued me. My question in the final discussion thread was, “how long does it take to be affected by transformational leadership.” Transformational leadership can be a lengthy process and was compared to a mother raising her kids. This comparison is the reason for writing my discussion question. I believe that I gained the most knowledge of leadership from this section. I was very engaged and thoroughly intrigued throughout all of the readings.

The concept that stood out to me the most was how long it can take for a peer to be affected by transformational leadership. According to Aviolo, everyone develops at different times and individualization is important for the maximum growth of a peer. Developing someone and coaching them through a system can be difficult because everyone learns differently. Understanding the peer and creating an atmosphere that is comfortable and easy to grow can be challenging. As a leader, being a role model and enabling room for failure might be necessary to succeed later on. Samantha Guenther answered my question and her response was relatable and helped me better understand the concept. I loved doing the discussion thread for this section because other students had the same questions as me. Overall, the discussions were very helpful and helped me grow as a leader.

The second concept that I learned during this section was how transformational and transactional leadership differ. The way I understood the difference was that transactional leadership was short term, whereas, transformational leadership was long term. I came to this conclusion because of an article written by David Ingram. He mentioned, “transactional is the day to day operations that keep the ship afloat.” This screamed short term to me because of interactions that would incur if you were to be a transactional leader. “A transformational leader goes beyond managing day-to-day operations and crafts strategies for taking his

company, department or work team to the next level of performance and success.” This quote was the clarifying moment that separated the two leadership styles. Transformational leadership is going above and beyond to make sure the business is headed in the right direction.

This section was so intriguing to learn about. I created many connections throughout this section. I thought the difference between transactional and transformational leadership was an interesting. The most important concept I learned about was to understand your peer in order to help them. Using individualization to help your peer will help them gain the best possible outcome. I felt I also related to this section of the course and will use these materials to grow as a leader.

Question 4: Describe how this class has impacted your views on effective leadership. Describe how you intend to be an effective leader in your (future) organization. (500-600 words).

This class has helped me gain the knowledge needed to be an effective leader. I believe I have the tools to grow and perfect the foundation I built to become a leader. This class was one of the most beneficial classes I have taken. I have always thought of myself as a follower and never saw myself as the leader. I know I have the capabilities to be a wonderful leader. I thought the group projects were a great way of learning how to communicate directions and expectations to the group. Personally, there was a learning curve for me when it came to communicating with my group. I tend to be shy and soft spoken in front of people I barely know. The group projects helped me find my voice and develop my leadership skills at the same time. This class also impacted my views immensely. There were so many things that I knew about leadership, but they finally all clicked together after taking this course.

The power and influence section of this class opened my eyes to a couple different things. I learned that all leaders use power and influence, but it’s how you use the power and influence that determines your own leadership style. Knowing that you can use power and influence in different ways made me aware of the type of leader I want to become. I believe taking characteristics from each leadership style will make me well rounded and understanding leader. There are so many aspects of every leadership style that intrigue me.

This leads me to my next topic, servant leadership. I never heard many things regarding servant leadership. This class helped me fully understand the potential impact servant leaders have on their peers. Servant leaders have the power to motivate and interest their peers from the start. Servant leaders have to have a love for charity and helping other be the best they can be. This aspect of servant leadership is the most important characteristic in my opinion.

The third section of this course was transformational leadership which is the most common form of leadership. Transformational leadership is the platform for growth. Transformational leaders go above and beyond to make sure the organization succeeds. This leadership style requires the unique individualization tactic. Everyone develops at their own rate and need an individualized plan in order to succeed to their full capability. Transformational leaders plan ahead and create an atmosphere for growth and stability.

In conclusion, I can relate to all of these leadership styles in different ways. Power and influence, servant leadership, and transformational leadership all have one thing in common, growth. Leaders help peers grow and motivate people to be the best they can be. I would consider myself a growing leader and have amazing tools to build my own unique leadership style. I believe that taking all the material learned from this class will truly benefit me as a leader. I know there are aspects of my leadership techniques that need improvement, but I will strive to be the best leader possible.

This class has helped me gain the knowledge needed to be an effective leader. I believe I have the tools to grow and perfect the foundation I built to become a leader. This class was one of the most beneficial classes I have taken. I have always thought of myself as a follower and never saw myself as the leader. I know I have the capabilities to be a wonderful leader. I thought the group projects were a great way of learning how to communicate directions and expectations to the group. Personally, there was a learning curve for me when it came to communicating with my group. I tend to be shy and soft spoken in front of people I barely know. The group projects helped me find my voice and develop my leadership skills at the same time. This class also impacted my views immensely. There were so many things that I knew about leadership but they finally all clicked together after taking this course.

The power and influence section of this class opened my eyes to a couple different things. I learned that all leaders use power and influence but it’s how you use the power and influence that determines your own leadership style. Knowing that you can use power and influence in different ways made me aware of the type of leader I want to become. I believe taking characteristics from each leadership style will make me well rounded and understanding leader. There are so many aspects of every leadership style that intrigue me.

This leads me to my next topic, servant leadership. I never heard many things regarding servant leadership. This class helped me fully understand the potential impact servant leaders have on their peers. Servant leaders have the power to motivate and interest their peers from the start. Servant leaders have to have a love for charity and helping other be the best they can be. This aspect of servant leadership is the most important characteristic in my opinion.

The third section of this course was transformational leadership which is the most common form of leadership. Transformational leadership is the platform for growth. Transformational leaders go above and beyond to make sure the organization succeeds. This leadership style requires the unique individualization tactic. Everyone develops at their own rate and need an individualized plan in order to succeed to their full capability. Transformational leaders plan ahead and create an atmosphere for growth and stability.

In conclusion, I can relate to all of these leadership styles in different ways. Power and influence, servant leadership, and transformational leadership all have one thing in common, growth. Leaders help peers grow and motivate people to be the best they can be. I would consider myself a growing leader and have amazing tools to build my own unique leadership style. I believe that taking all the material learned from this class will truly benefit me as a leader. I know there are aspects of my leadership techniques that need improvement but I will strive to be the best leader possible. This class has helped me gain the knowledge needed to be an effective leader. I believe I have the tools to grow and perfect the foundation I built to become a leader. This class was one of the most beneficial classes I have taken. I have always thought of myself as a follower and never saw myself as the leader. I know I have the capabilities to be a wonderful leader. I thought the group projects were a great way of learning how to communicate directions and expectations to the group. Personally, there was a learning curve for me when it came to communicating with my group. I tend to be shy and soft spoken in front of people I barely know. The group projects helped me find my voice and develop my leadership skills at the same time. This class also impacted my views immensely. There were so many things that I knew about leadership but they finally all clicked together after taking this course.

The power and influence section of this class opened my eyes to a couple different things. I learned that all leaders use power and influence but it’s how you use the power and influence that determines your own leadership style. Knowing that you can use power and influence in different ways made me aware of the type of leader I want to become. I believe taking characteristics from each leadership style will make me well rounded and understanding leader. There are so many aspects of every leadership style that intrigue me.

This leads me to my next topic, servant leadership. I never heard many things regarding servant leadership. This class helped me fully understand the potential impact servant leaders have on their peers. Servant leaders have the power to motivate and interest their peers from the start. Servant leaders have to have a love for charity and helping other be the best they can be. This aspect of servant leadership is the most important characteristic in my opinion.

The third section of this course was transformational leadership which is the most common form of leadership. Transformational leadership is the platform for growth. Transformational leaders go above and beyond to make sure the organization succeeds. This leadership style requires the unique individualization tactic. Everyone develops at their own rate and need an individualized plan in order to succeed to their full capability. Transformational leaders plan ahead and create an atmosphere for growth and stability.

In conclusion, I can relate to all of these leadership styles in different ways. Power and influence, servant leadership, and transformational leadership all have one thing in common, growth. Leaders help peers grow and motivate people to be the best they can be. I would consider myself a growing leader and have amazing tools to build my own unique leadership style. I believe that taking all the material learned from this class will truly benefit me as a leader. I know there are aspects of my leadership techniques that need improvement but I will strive to be the best leader possible. References

Greenleaf. “What Is Servant Leadership?” Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, www.greenleaf.org/what-is-servant-leadership/.

Avolio. “Leadership: Current Theories, Research, and Future Directions.” Leadership: Current Theories, Research, and Future Directions | Annual Review of Psychology, www.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev.psych.60.110707.163621.The Power and Influence section impacted my understanding of leadership in many ways. I gained knowledge on all aspects of power and influence. Leaders will use their power and influence to motivate their peers to reach an end goal. Power and influence is the basis for all types of leadership styles. Throughout this section of class I found myself relating to the readings and using these materials to grow as a leader.

The first main idea I related to was how desperately we need trustworthy and responsible managers. The book Power and Influence by John Kotter opened my eyes to this issue. Kotter states, “Competent and responsible performance in managerial and professional jobs inside complex organizations is more important today than ever before.” This particular quote stood out to me because of my past experience. Managers have the capability to make or break an organization. Some of the benefits to having a good manager include, lower turnover rate, happier staff, more productivity, and higher sales. All these benefits save the company time, money, and create a positive atmosphere to reach the end goal.

The second main idea taken away from this section is the kind of relationship to uphold in a professional setting. This was another topic I related to because of my past experience working at a breakfast restaurant. This particular manager did not understand how to properly talk to the employees and effectively communicate his desires for performance. The breakfast restaurant has three levels of authority, the owners, head chef (manager), and servers. Management created a complex social aspect, in return, set them up for failure when it comes to employee retention. Kotter states, “ With this great increase in social complexity has come a corresponding (and predictable) increase in conflict among people at work and in the effort spent trying to overcome this conflict.” Conflicts at work are mainly communication problems. Communication and professionalism are key factors to having a well run business.

Overall, this section helped gain a new perspective on leadership. The basis of all leadership styles is how a leader can use their power and influence to motivate their peers. The main ideas taken from this section include, the need for trustworthy managers, and how to communicate within complex organizations. One of the major concepts gained from this section was reflecting on my own leadership skills. I took these findings and put them into my own practices. This section gave me insight on how to use power and influence to be an effective leader.

Question 2: How did the Servant Leadership section impact your understanding of leadership in organizations? Give examples to support your conclusions. (400-450 words)

The servant leader portion of this course was very interesting to learn about. To be a servant leader there are certain requirements to fulfill. All of these requirements seemed to engage my attention when thinking about the type of leader I want to become. Not all people can be servant leaders. Servant leaders have the mindset to put everyone before themselves. Learning about servant leadership was my favorite section to learn about.

My original impression of servant leadership was, “only pastors can be considered servant leaders.” I was wrong! As I started to read further into Greenleaf’s Servant Leadership book, I found that anyone can be a servant leader. Servant leaders have certain characteristics that enable a person to lead with passion. Some characteristic resonated with me more than others and these include, awareness, listening and understanding, acceptance and empathy. These characteristics stood out to me because of how relatable they are. I found myself relating to servant leadership more than any of the types we learned about. I believe servant leadership exemplifies characteristics that I currently possess, and will continue to possess as I grow as a leader.

The second concept taken from the servant leadership section is the understanding of the organization behind the business. In order to effectively run a business with servant leadership style in mind, having the knowledge behind the business is essential. As a servant leader, persuading and influencing is a huge factor. The end goal is to make people understand why they are doing what they are doing and motivating them to be the best they can be. Greenleaf mentions in his book that knowledge is one of the best resources to use when exuding power and influence within the workplace. When you have knowledge of the business you can effectively communicate your wishes and desires. You will also have the knowledge to talk about the business to customers and better understand their needs of the company. This can benefit the organization as a whole.

In conclusion, I learned and understood the basis for servant leadership. I thought comparing people, in regard to the characteristics of servant leadership, thoroughly helped me understand the concept. The two main concepts that stood out to me were the characteristics needed to be a servant leader, and the knowledge needed to be a servant leader. These were the two concepts that I related to the most and will put in action as I develop as a leader. This section was fun to learn about and engaged my attention from the start.

Question 3: How did the Transformational Leadership section impact your understanding of leadership in organizations? Give examples to support your conclusions. (400-450 words)

Transformational leadership was another section I thoroughly enjoyed learning about. As of right now, I can see myself as a transformational leader and enjoy developing as this type of leader. There were many different aspects to transformational leadership that intrigued me. My question in the final discussion thread was, “how long does it take to be affected by transformational leadership.” Transformational leadership can be a lengthy process and was compared to a mother raising her kids. This comparison is the reason for writing my discussion question. I believe that I gained the most knowledge of leadership from this section. I was very engaged and thoroughly intrigued throughout all of the readings.

The concept that stood out to me the most was how long it can take for a peer to be affected by transformational leadership. According to Aviolo, everyone develops at different times and individualization is important for the maximum growth of a peer. Developing someone and coaching them through a system can be difficult because everyone learns differently. Understanding the peer and creating an atmosphere that is comfortable and easy to grow can be challenging. As a leader, being a role model and enabling room for failure might be necessary to succeed later on. Samantha Guenther answered my question and her response was relatable and helped me better understand the concept. I loved doing the discussion thread for this section because other students had the same questions as me. Overall, the discussions were very helpful and helped me grow as a leader.

The second concept that I learned during this section was how transformational and transactional leadership differ. The way I understood the difference was that transactional leadership was short term, whereas, transformational leadership was long term. I came to this conclusion because of an article written by David Ingram. He mentioned, “transactional is the day to day operations that keep the ship afloat.” This screamed short term to me because of interactions that would incur if you were to be a transactional leader. “A transformational leader goes beyond managing day-to-day operations and crafts strategies for taking his

company, department or work team to the next level of performance and success.” This quote was the clarifying moment that separated the two leadership styles. Transformational leadership is going above and beyond to make sure the business is headed in the right direction.

This section was so intriguing to learn about. I created many connections throughout this section. I thought the difference between transactional and transformational leadership was an interesting. The most important concept I learned about was to understand your peer in order to help them. Using individualization to help your peer will help them gain the best possible outcome. I felt I also related to this section of the course and will use these materials to grow as a leader.

Question 4: Describe how this class has impacted your views on effective leadership. Describe how you intend to be an effective leader in your (future) organization. (500-600 words).

This class has helped me gain the knowledge needed to be an effective leader. I believe I have the tools to grow and perfect the foundation I built to become a leader. This class was one of the most beneficial classes I have taken. I have always thought of myself as a follower and never saw myself as the leader. I know I have the capabilities to be a wonderful leader. I thought the group projects were a great way of learning how to communicate directions and expectations to the group. Personally, there was a learning curve for me when it came to communicating with my group. I tend to be shy and soft spoken in front of people I barely know. The group projects helped me find my voice and develop my leadership skills at the same time. This class also impacted my views immensely. There were so many things that I knew about leadership, but they finally all clicked together after taking this course.

The power and influence section of this class opened my eyes to a couple different things. I learned that all leaders use power and influence, but it’s how you use the power and influence that determines your own leadership style. Knowing that you can use power and influence in different ways made me aware of the type of leader I want to become. I believe taking characteristics from each leadership style will make me well rounded and understanding leader. There are so many aspects of every leadership style that intrigue me.

This leads me to my next topic, servant leadership. I never heard many things regarding servant leadership. This class helped me fully understand the potential impact servant leaders have on their peers. Servant leaders have the power to motivate and interest their peers from the start. Servant leaders have to have a love for charity and helping other be the best they can be. This aspect of servant leadership is the most important characteristic in my opinion.

The third section of this course was transformational leadership which is the most common form of leadership. Transformational leadership is the platform for growth. Transformational leaders go above and beyond to make sure the organization succeeds. This leadership style requires the unique individualization tactic. Everyone develops at their own rate and need an individualized plan in order to succeed to their full capability. Transformational leaders plan ahead and create an atmosphere for growth and stability.

In conclusion, I can relate to all of these leadership styles in different ways. Power and influence, servant leadership, and transformational leadership all have one thing in common, growth. Leaders help peers grow and motivate people to be the best they can be. I would consider myself a growing leader and have amazing tools to build my own unique leadership style. I believe that taking all the material learned from this class will truly benefit me as a leader. I know there are aspects of my leadership techniques that need improvement, but I will strive to be the best leader possible.

This class has helped me gain the knowledge needed to be an effective leader. I believe I have the tools to grow and perfect the foundation I built to become a leader. This class was one of the most beneficial classes I have taken. I have always thought of myself as a follower and never saw myself as the leader. I know I have the capabilities to be a wonderful leader. I thought the group projects were a great way of learning how to communicate directions and expectations to the group. Personally, there was a learning curve for me when it came to communicating with my group. I tend to be shy and soft spoken in front of people I barely know. The group projects helped me find my voice and develop my leadership skills at the same time. This class also impacted my views immensely. There were so many things that I knew about leadership but they finally all clicked together after taking this course.

The power and influence section of this class opened my eyes to a couple different things. I learned that all leaders use power and influence but it’s how you use the power and influence that determines your own leadership style. Knowing that you can use power and influence in different ways made me aware of the type of leader I want to become. I believe taking characteristics from each leadership style will make me well rounded and understanding leader. There are so many aspects of every leadership style that intrigue me.

This leads me to my next topic, servant leadership. I never heard many things regarding servant leadership. This class helped me fully understand the potential impact servant leaders have on their peers. Servant leaders have the power to motivate and interest their peers from the start. Servant leaders have to have a love for charity and helping other be the best they can be. This aspect of servant leadership is the most important characteristic in my opinion.

The third section of this course was transformational leadership which is the most common form of leadership. Transformational leadership is the platform for growth. Transformational leaders go above and beyond to make sure the organization succeeds. This leadership style requires the unique individualization tactic. Everyone develops at their own rate and need an individualized plan in order to succeed to their full capability. Transformational leaders plan ahead and create an atmosphere for growth and stability.

In conclusion, I can relate to all of these leadership styles in different ways. Power and influence, servant leadership, and transformational leadership all have one thing in common, growth. Leaders help peers grow and motivate people to be the best they can be. I would consider myself a growing leader and have amazing tools to build my own unique leadership style. I believe that taking all the material learned from this class will truly benefit me as a leader. I know there are aspects of my leadership techniques that need improvement but I will strive to be the best leader possible. This class has helped me gain the knowledge needed to be an effective leader. I believe I have the tools to grow and perfect the foundation I built to become a leader. This class was one of the most beneficial classes I have taken. I have always thought of myself as a follower and never saw myself as the leader. I know I have the capabilities to be a wonderful leader. I thought the group projects were a great way of learning how to communicate directions and expectations to the group. Personally, there was a learning curve for me when it came to communicating with my group. I tend to be shy and soft spoken in front of people I barely know. The group projects helped me find my voice and develop my leadership skills at the same time. This class also impacted my views immensely. There were so many things that I knew about leadership but they finally all clicked together after taking this course.

The power and influence section of this class opened my eyes to a couple different things. I learned that all leaders use power and influence but it’s how you use the power and influence that determines your own leadership style. Knowing that you can use power and influence in different ways made me aware of the type of leader I want to become. I believe taking characteristics from each leadership style will make me well rounded and understanding leader. There are so many aspects of every leadership style that intrigue me.

This leads me to my next topic, servant leadership. I never heard many things regarding servant leadership. This class helped me fully understand the potential impact servant leaders have on their peers. Servant leaders have the power to motivate and interest their peers from the start. Servant leaders have to have a love for charity and helping other be the best they can be. This aspect of servant leadership is the most important characteristic in my opinion.

The third section of this course was transformational leadership which is the most common form of leadership. Transformational leadership is the platform for growth. Transformational leaders go above and beyond to make sure the organization succeeds. This leadership style requires the unique individualization tactic. Everyone develops at their own rate and need an individualized plan in order to succeed to their full capability. Transformational leaders plan ahead and create an atmosphere for growth and stability.

In conclusion, I can relate to all of these leadership styles in different ways. Power and influence, servant leadership, and transformational leadership all have one thing in common, growth. Leaders help peers grow and motivate people to be the best they can be. I would consider myself a growing leader and have amazing tools to build my own unique leadership style. I believe that taking all the material learned from this class will truly benefit me as a leader. I know there are aspects of my leadership techniques that need improvement but I will strive to be the best leader possible. References

Greenleaf. “What Is Servant Leadership?” Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, www.greenleaf.org/what-is-servant-leadership/.

Avolio. “Leadership: Current Theories, Research, and Future Directions.” Leadership: Current Theories, Research, and Future Directions | Annual Review of Psychology, www.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev.psych.60.110707.163621.