Effective leader in an organization
The other day I was flattered to find out that a former employee of mine, who is pursuing his PhD through Capella University, wrote about me during an assignment. The question presented was:
Think of an effective leader in an organization you know well. Choose either the two dimensions of leadership in the Ohio State studies (initiating structure and consideration) or the two dimensions of leadership in the University of Michigan studies (employee-oriented and production-oriented) with which to characterize this leader. State the rationale for your choice.
Here was his response:
While working for the Liberty University Distance Learning Program a few years ago, I found myself like many other employees in the midst of a leadership change that would ultimately benefit the school in dramatic fashion within a relatively short period of time. The initial executive vice president in 2004 was unquestionably a great leader who transitioned an outdated program into a dynamic online presence with tremendous potential and with the assistance of a new assistant director in 2005 into a nationally recognized program of excellence with a special emphasis on military student enrollment. A short time later in 2006 leadership changed hands again and is now under the direction on Ronald Kennedy.
Although Ron brought a level of change not clearly understood by the previous administration, never the less, his Ohio State style of Initiating Structure (the extent to which a leader is likely to design and structure his or her role and those of subordinates in the search for goal attainment – 297) brought a new level of energy that has doubled enrollment in just two short years and has propelled the Liberty University Distance Learning Program into elite rankings by placing them as number three in the nation for accredited online education “To be ranked third kind of backs up what we’ve been doing,” said Ronald S. Kennedy, Liberty University’s executive director of Distance Learning and Graduate Studies. “It affirms the testimonials we get from our students as to the quality of our program. We knew we were competitive with the for-profit programs out there. We didn’t have a way to substantiate it. This ranking brings credibility to the things we have known internally.”
Although many of the employees directly affected by the sweeping changes did not initially accept Ron’s ideas, I knew that the cognitive dissonance felt by so many would soon pass and would clear the way for the unprecedented growth that my former employer and alma mater is currently enjoying. Another realm of Ron’s leadership style is what Ohio State University defines as Consideration (the extent to which a leader is likely to have job relationships characterized by mutual trust, respect for subordinates ideas and regard for their feelings – 298). Ron characterized this title by accomplishing the unimaginable in a very short period of time and has regained the respect of previous administrators and employees alike. Being a leader is never easy and often requires forward planning that is initially unrecognizable by peers and junior employees, however, leading through the use of the examples given in the Ohio State University studies clearly exemplifies successful leadership at its finest and clearly distinguishes effective qualities of successful leaders like Ron Kennedy.
References:
Liberty University Distance Learning, (n.d.), Ranked Third in the Nation in Online Education, Retrieved February 17, 2008 from: http://www.luonline.com/index.cfm?PID=16335
Robbins, S.P.(2005). Managing and Organizing People: Organizational Behavior 7th.
Boston, MA: Pearson Custom Publishing.
My former employee had a few questions for me… I would like to hear some examples of how you demonstrated that trust and respect.
My response to him:
Being a leader, especially in a time of change is difficult and unpopular sometimes. I think I gained respect by coming in and saying the “hard” things when they needed to be said. This does make you unpopular, but I think people started to gain a respect that I would tell them the hard truth in good situations and bad situations. People do not look to follow someone who is indecisive and inconsistent, they don’t need a buddy. So I tried to bring those two traits into the program with me. In addition, when I have those tough conversations, I try to approach them with “this is the way it appears…..” I do not go in with absolute truth that my perception is fact, I let the employee rebuttal what “my perception” is. This knocks down walls with the employee and does not make them so defensive when having those awkward conversations. The whole “say what you mean and mean what you say” is absolutely key to coming into a new situation as the outsider knowing people are going to test the boundaries.
One thing I was also allowed to do during this transition is bring two key people with me from my previous position. I knew these two people would be loyal to me and I could trust them. I was the new kid on the block, I had a learning curve to go through. With the current leaders in place, I did not know if they were telling me the truth about what was best for the organization or if they had a hidden agenda. Coming into a new situation with just a few strong, LOYAL helpers was also key to a successful change over.
Josh Zealand, my Director of Data Management (far right, blue shirt above) and Sommer Hickman, my former Director of New Student Enrollment, were the two individuals who made the transition with me. Without them, the battles would have been harder to fight. They were a great source of support for me. They deserve just as much credit for our successful change over as I do.
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Just wanted to let you know I really enjoyed this particular article and to let you know how proud I am of you and “ALL” you have and continue to accomplish both with your job and your life.