"With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility"

What does "Leadership is Everyone's Business" even mean, and what does power have to do with it?

  Over the course of the semester, I believe my outlook of what leadership consists of has evolved.  Based on the many theories and models we have learned, leadership is more than simply the title or position one holds.  It is displayed through the actions of an exec board all the way to follower who just joined an organization as a general member.  Leadership is seen through the relationships and bonds created to the citizenship we acquire in our different settings.  It is the very essence that aspires people to simply take charge.

So what does "Leadership is Everyone's Business" even mean then?  Well, I believe leadership in general gives people the opportunity to aspire for something more in life.  We all have figures/idols that we all look up to in this world.  Without these individuals, how would we know that we as humans can do something great in this world?  By observing those leaders around us, we are able to challenge ourselves to be like them.  It is in society's best interest to have figures that can promote the well-being of organizations, businesses, communities, etc.  So that is the what of that phrase, but how is it actually implemented?  Power.        

The word "power" carries many meanings by itself as does the many affects that it can entail upon people.  Have you ever heard of the phrase the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly?  Well, power fits all of those three words.  Often, leaders in society use their spheres of influence to corrupt others and businesses.  As a consequence of power, "it is to change how individuals view themselves and increase the distance between leaders and followers."  This creates what the reading describes as the Corruption Cycle:

Causes --- Processes --- Consequences

Nonetheless, there is obviously countless moments of power being displayed for the greater good of society!  One of these motives is through the ability of empowerment.  "This involves sharing power with subordinates and pushing decision making and implementation power to the lowest possible level."  This brings us back to the original phrase of "Leadership is Everyone's Business," because people have to be bought in to what is taking place for leadership to have true effect.  Without the followers, a leader is simply alone.  Without the leader, followers may trample upon one another in trying to achieve their goals having no unified voice.  

Here are some individuals that I believe exude the phrase, "Leadership is Everyone's Business:"

Nelson Mandela

One of the most well known leaders in human history, President Mandela was someone that understood that "Leadership is Everyone's Business."  He was able to bring the people of South Africa together in creating a democracy.  As the first elected President of South Africa by the voice of the people, I think it safe to say Mandela shares a great portion of expert and referent power with his people.  If you ever get chance, do some research of President Mandela, he has a fascinating history.

Margaret Thatcher

Another person who I believe exudes this phrase of "Leadership is Everyone's Business" is that of former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Margaret Thatcher.  As the first woman leading the Labour Party and then Prime Minister, Thatcher knew that it was her duty to bring Parliament together.  In achieving public success, Thatcher displayed a strong source of coercive and legitimate power during her term, thus dubbing her the "Iron Lady."

These are just a few examples of individuals who understood and implemented the notion that "Leadership is Everyone's Business."  

In conclusion, the many theories and models that we have learned about over the course of the semester has opened my eyes to how much about leadership I did not understand before.  By implementing and understanding these theories/models, leadership is something that is seen at all levels of an organization, business, entity, and it is through power that leadership can take affect.  

So I leave you now with this simple quote...

"With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility"

Its been real everyone, I have seriously enjoyed this class with you all!  I hope that after this class, you will continue to have a constant, "LEADERSHIP STATE OF MIND!"

- JBall      

Optic Observations of an Observer Observing

You're tickets have been upgraded.  No longer in the front row in the pit section for the performance tonight, but due to an  administrative error you are now placed into the prime box-seat of the theatre.  Giddy with joy, you make your way up to the golden doors which lead you to the heaven of all seats.

To set the mood as the accent begins:

The butler opens the door and enter into the Press-Box.  It is everything you ever imagined it would be and more.  You are soaking in everything that you can to always remember this experience.  Then, the lights begin to dim and you quickly take your seat in a rather large, comfortable, red-velvet chair.  You look down and understand that you are the only person in the entire theatre who will be able to see EVERYTHING that is going to take place in the show. Realizing this win, you smile and quickly gasp. The show is about to start.

Ok, enough with the corny scenario, but I believe it correlates exactly to what we are trying to accomplish for this project.  So used are we to actually being the star performers in the show or watching from the sidelines in student organizations; very rarely are we given the opportunity in being that "fly on the wall." At first I was a bit apprehensive about being the "fly" in a student organization that I am not apart of, but without a doubt, I have already grown to appreciate this experience and pumped for the final presentation. I have the pleasure and opportunity in getting to work with the ________ Society for this project.

To get things started, I found Scott Allen's direct quote from the Kansas Leadership Society to be really interesting regarding what it means to be in the balcony.  What does it mean for us to be on the balcony when observing another student organization?

BALCONY – metaphor for expanding our view when we are too close to a situation. The balcony allows us to see beyond the dance floor, which represents just our place in that situation. Actively working toward this broader context can be especially helpful when diagnosing the situation. (Kansas Leadership Center, 2010)

As a result, this provides the necessary skills to analyze context in any given situation.  In the "Press-Box," I am able to actually observe how the ________ Society operates as a whole without any participation.  This allows for all of the low and high level inferences to be made solely upon observations with blocking out personal bias.

Which leads me into my experiences over the last week meeting with the  ______ Society.  I attended an exec board meeting and a general on two separate days this week to aid in my environmental awareness. Please take note that I have removed any information that is identifiable to a group/individual until the final project. Melissa will receive a copy of all of this information with all of the real names.  Here are my responses to the questions from page 15 & 16 from EIL:

1.  Leader of the Organization: Margaret Thatcher (thatcher.1@osu.edu) {NOT REAL}
2.  As a new organization, there have been no previous leaders as this is the first full year of its existence on Ohio State campus. However, the President is currently viewed very favorably by all of the members in the _______ Society including the exec board.
3.  The organization values the pay it forward strategy with all of its motives. As a result, some of the implicit values in this group include positive reinforcement, optimism and and a willingness to work with others.  I have been nothing short of impressed with such a large group of a new organization that is willing/able to exude these values the way it currently does. One of its most stand out explicit values is the ability to collaborate with others. As a member of this organization, there is no a no "I in team," mentality going on here. As a result, there is a push that to be successful in this group, one must work as a team.
4. There are a total of 85 general members within the ______ Society with 9 people on the exec board including the President.  These members are high-energy, extremely positive people who share a common bond of optimism for their lives.  As a member of the organization, there get the experiences of completing random acts of kindness across the Ohio State campus. Their passion behind doing so is almost relatable to an addictive drug use. It seems to be a high for them with each week seeming to be able to build off what was completed recently and how to go a step farther the next time.  It is quite impressive.  With the general members, I find a strong sense of apathy towards one another.  There are opportunities for reflection of individual members in front of the group and regardless of what has been discussed, there is always a positive reinforcement response for the group letting that individual know that their reflection was heard.  However, it is worth noting that this apathy with general members may be a bit higher than what is exuded from the exec board as a whole. I am looking forward to researching this more.
5. Based off of my exec board meeting, there is one individual who does readily point out flaws or problems within the organization, but offers little insight on how to move forward. The same individual was often disengaged at the meeting and easily distracted while the other members were coming up with solutions to the at hand problem.  I think it is always great to come together an exec board and work together to solve problems that one feels needs to be addressed. However, when there is no input or engagement from the individual who continues to address problems, it leaves the remaining exec board members to spend time on an issue that they may or may not want to address at that point. Like any organization or business, it is important to consider the weaknesses that need to be addressed, but it is also worth spending time focusing on the strengths of the institution as a whole.
6. For such a young organization, the _______ Society is doing a phenomenal job of doing what it is intended to do.  They provide ice breakers at the start of every meeting to get members engaged and get to know one another, provide many opportunities every week for random acts of kindness to take place, provide reflection for its members, team work for social functions in the forms of a family style, and the chance to come together as an entire group at the end to provide any necessary feedback.
7. Based off of my observations and I am not joking when I say this...but the members of this organization are some of the happiest, nicest people I have ever met here at Ohio State.  I personally know only just a few people of this organization, but I was even welcomed by everyone when I introduced myself to this group a few weeks ago and was invited to lead an ice-breaker to get to know the group better.  I have noticed that even in team settings, no one has been left out in any activity.  It seems to be a drive to engage everyone in some form of dialogue at each meeting/activity. I also believe the ice breakers/team building activities are helping as well which is great.  On the other hand, I believe most of the leaders are truly happy just like its members, but I sense of disconnect from a few of the exec board members. A few seem disengaged at times and not as approachable as the rest of the group. It will be interesting to understand if this is a regular behavior by these exec board members.  
8.   The organization as a whole has bought into its meaning of taking part of random acts of kindness.  As the _____ Society, they have even bought into its mascot of ___ to be relatable in most of the names used for their activities.  With those who were just recently accepted into the organization, they have already completed several activities as a group and continue to move forward each week.  At this point, I believe the members sense the organization is doing very well in their eyes.  From most of the exec board, I believe they are pumped about how well _____ Society is doing at this point.  From a few of the exec board members, I am not convinced this is the case for them as much as they seem to checked out from what is going on sometimes.
9. A fresh organization to the campus, they are just beginning to become known in the campus community.  The group is in the making of several major activities to reach out to the campus community with random acts of kindness to hopefully gain that support in the future.  One of their activities they have completed so far is by doing "High-Five-Fridays." This is where members of the organization are out on the oval for a few hours on fridays and give people who pass by high-fives just to celebrate the fact that its the weekend.  As the group is expanding its reach, it is now being asked to collaborate with other organizations across the campus with their events. This will allow the ____ Society to continue with spreading its message across campus and continue building that community support.

In conclusion, my observations for the _____ Society are a great starting point as I move forward with this project and I look forward to addressing the needs of this unique organization.  

And now Act 1 of the show is completed. The curtain closes. You stand up from your velvet chair and stretch.  As you look down at the empty stage, you are able to reflect about what you just observed.  You are hooked into the show and can't wait to see what happens next.  Act 2-9 will only build off of the Act 1. 

Intermission has begun. 

     

The Inner Journey Through the Outer World

After reading this prompt for the week, I was completely perplexed.  How can one simply decide on a single, BEST learning experience?  Through the many relationships, classroom settings, leadership development opportunities and many more factors, which one do you choose?

While being completely perplexed on this topic as I decide, I like to imagine I am on a beach while going down memory lane of the many defined learning experiences in my life...

While on my "imaginary beach," the many learning experiences are flowing to the forefront of my mind.  There are some memories that are slightly dusty that haven't been looked at for a while.
They include:
 - Learning how to write cursive
 - Learning how to fish with my dad
 - Learning to play tennis

While those memories are golden in their own ways, another type of memories stand out among the rest, and that my good friends, is traveling!

I have been fortunate to have been able to travel out of the country several times, as well as travel through out the United States.  Traveling is my number one passion in life!  I'm always down to go to new places, see new sights, and experience the unknown.  What really kicked this into gear for me was during my junior year of high school when I made the great decision of going on a 3 week travel abroad to Italy with a teacher from my school and several other students.

Italy. Yes Italy.  My first European country and most definitely not going to be my last (fingers crossed).  The teacher I traveled with became basically a second mom to me (still keep in touch with her) and the group I was with was just awesome.  We began our trip by landing in Venice, Italy, and being picked up by boat from the airport to take us to where we were staying.  From there we traveled to northern Italy and then went down on the southern coast of the Mediterranean before leaving out of Rome after stopping in 13 different cities.  I saw the Vatican, swam in the Mediterranean, had Italian wine in Tuscany, experienced the Island of Dreams: Capri, visited the ancient city of Pompeii, went to a music concert, took shots under the moonlight on top of a hotel on a mountain, interacted on an Italian island that was traditional in so many ways, really felt what FIFA is all about, and so much more.  I could go on and on...but seriously.  So why is this trip my best learning experience?

Well, this trip really taught me relevance of experiencing history and culture in real life which is something you can grasp immensely better than just looking at pictures or reading about it.  Even my pictures that I have from this trip do not do any justice for Italy (1500 pics in total).  It can become so easy to find yourself in a personal bubble in the day-to-day mode where you feel nothing really exists except what is happening around YOU.  But when you take a second to experience a new place, it pops that bubble into a realization that life is moving by so fast and that you need to do something about it, or just be left behind understanding nothing.  I learned about a new culture, being surrounded by history, tasted new foods & drinks, interacted with locals, and simply life itself.  Never in my life up to the point of this trip had I experienced as much at once!.  I had traveled with my family before to new places, but something about being on your own in a foreign place really speaks more.  (I could literally talk for hours about travels I have been on, want to go on, and where other people have been!)

My challenge to anyone who wants new learning memories...go travel!  Seriously, take the opportunity whenever it arises and travel, travel, and don't stop traveling!

Here are some pictures from my trip that I took:

(Pompeii)

(Coliseum) 

(The Spanish Steps)

(Entrance to a historical part of Rome)

(Venice)

Ciao,

- JBall

#Theories on #Theories on #Theories

As I was finishing up the assigned reading, I began to feel that there were so many types of student development theories that I was beginning to feel overwhelmed.  Why can't they take all of those theories, put them in a blender, and boom, you have a single, solid malt of student development theory?

(Nothing like a one of a kind, chocolate malt with a student development theory on top...wait what?)

It's a good thing that's not the case despite the simplicity of that possibility.  These many theories outline that we as humans, then as students are much more complicated and intricate than some one-size fits all theory and rightly so.  So why learn about all of these theories then?  Well I feel that to be able to truly grasp anything of Leadership Theory, we need to understand the theory of how we are going to get there (as students) by understanding the foundations of student development that contributed to our being of leaders today.

So in retrospect...Theories on Theories on Theories (in a good way of course!)

All of these theories are meticulously crafted towards student development, but these three theories resonated with me the most as critical factors into truly understanding not only personal growth in student development, but truly reaching upon Leadership Theory's doorstep.


1.  Developmental Theory Families:

Evans wastes no time in his article pointing how just about all of the student development theories fall into these 5 categories.  I found it difficult to continue understanding the rest of the article without being able to classify what type of theory was being described.  So what does this have to do with leadership and facilitations?  Well...everything!  By understanding these 5 different categories, we (as facilitators) can better gear our facilitations to student organizations by following these types of theories.  Since they contribute to the overall understanding of the well-being of a student's development, it will also help us be able to grasp the large vas concept of Leadership Theory.

Here is the Development Theory Families from Elkins:

"Psychosocial theories address developmental issues or tasks and events that occur throughout the life span. These tasks and events tend to occur in sequence and are correlated with chronological age. Individuals progress from one stage to another by accomplishing related developmental tasks or by resolving crises. This is the "what" or "content" of student development" (Elkins 2)

"Cognitive-structural theories address a sequence of meaning-making structures through which the student perceives, organizes, and reasons about their experiences. The stages are hierarchical and each successive stage incorporates the functional parts of the previous stage. This is the "how" or "process" of student development" (Elkins 2).

"Person-Environment theories address conceptualizations of the college student, the college environment and the degree of congruence that occurs when they interact. Behavior is a function of the person and the environment. Many of these theories are used in career planning" (Elkins 2).

"Humanistic existential theories share a common philosophy of the human condition. Humans are free, responsible, self-aware, potentially self-actualizing, and capable of being fully functioning. These theorists believe the forces of growth are within the person and are facilitated by self-disclosure, followed by self-acceptance and self-awareness. These theories are used extensively in counseling and give us a framework from which to practice other theories" (Elkins 2).

Student development process models are either abstract representations of the field of student personnel work or recommended sets of action steps for the practice of student development. They give us the process steps of how to use theories rather than the why, what to do, or how to do it that the theories provide" (Elkins 2).

2. The Grounded Theory:

With all theories regarding student development being able to be thrown into a family, I was drawn to the results from this theory that Project Muse highlights.    

"The grounded theory study resulted in the identification of a developmental process of how students situate themselves in the construct of leadership over time" (Project Muse 403).

As a result, this study helped identify Leadership Identity and the components that support the "who are we" types questions.  I found this study to be particularly interesting and is one that I would like to research a bit more.  Related it back to SLA and our roles as facilitators, it is important to understand this theory and its study because it not only allows us to figure out more about ourselves, but how to help an organization find its identity.  Just like our identity is a single component, so too is a student organization's identity.  If an organization carries many identities, it will be very difficult to find growth in any development area by trying to cater to so many different outlets.  

3. Perry's Cognitive Theory of Student Development:

With general families outlined, an identity being constructed, comes the final theory that stood out to me the most, Perry's Cognitive Theory of Student Development.  

"William Perry's cognitive theory of student development examines nine positions tracing the evolution of traditionally aged students' thinking about the nature of knowledge, truth and values, and meaning of life and responsibilities. Based on Piaget's cognitive development theory, Perry lists steps by which students move from a simplistic, categorical view of the world to a realization of the contingent nature of knowledge, relative values, and the formation and affirmation of one's own commitments. Perry sees change as coming about through cognitive conflict" (Evans 5).

When I read this, all I can imagine is a lightbulb going off in student's minds and beings when coming to their development.  Everything begins to click.  With an identity in the makings for one's self, they can begin to view the world in a new light by understanding where they are at internally and in conjunction with their values, can begin to grow intellectually in their leadership.  This is relevant to SLA and our facilitations because by expanding our knowledge of the world around us, we are able to not only grow in our scope of working with those who may be very different than us and share different beliefs, but that it becomes our responsibility to share the values of SLA and its potential for intellectual and cognitive growth for those being facilitated.

These are more than just Theories on Theories on Theories on student development...

They are the stepping stones in coming together in truly grasping Leadership Theory which we will be covering throughout this class.

Do you think all of these theories work together or do you see just a singular theory from the reading is the most important?

Trifecta of Tremendous Women

Kudos to these ladies for setting the bar on what it means to be a leader in the world/movie settings and by allowing their different approaches to leadership enrich the lives of the many people they have/had touched.

With that said, the three types of leadership approaches I choose to high light on are the charismatic leaders, transformational leaders and value based leaders.

1: Charismatic Leadership: Princess Diana

Princess Diana. Enough said right?  One of the most influential leaders of the 1990's, Princess Diana, or better known as the People's Princess, was one that catapulted humanitarian causes into the spotlight. Using her influence and touch of elegance, Diana was able to be on the forefront on critical issues ranging from AIDS awareness to land mines still harming people.  She captured the imagination and hearts of people around the globe who looked to her as a role model which is something she never took lightly.  As the "People's Princess," Diana was a strong, confident woman in the face of adversity within the monarchy and to those that opposed her.  I choose her as a representative of charismatic leadership from a clip by BBC, because she is someone that not only takes this approach to a whole new level but she is someone that I highly respect and feel that we need more Dianas in the world today.

2. Transformational Leadership: Eowyn from Lord of The Rings

This woman is a baller, lets be honest here.  The Witch King (pictured above here) has just about murdered Eowyn's father (the king) and has wiped out most of her father's army.  This strikes a chord within herself and she becomes determined to be the leader that her father's people so desperately need.  She steps up by disguising as a man in armor and encourages her followers to join her in combat to defeat the orcs (aka the bad guys).  The movie outlines the emotional bond Eowyn shares with her fellow soldiers and how by encouraging them with challenges, she herself has grown into an even better leader.  All of that comes to full light in this clip where she kills off the Witch King who cannot be killed by a man.  As a transformational leader, Eowyn steps up where no man had before to do the impossible alongside her dedicated followers who grew into better people because of her.  I choose this clip because it outlines how one can do the unthinkable by being told they can't do something originally and take that and convert it into something of substantial quality...like killing the Witch King terrorizing your village!

3. Value Based Leader: Carrie Underwood

Don't worry I didn't choose her just because she is my celebrity crush...ok well maybe a small part, but thats besides the point.  It seems that in the entertainment world today, we are constantly reminded of the what looks to be the nonexistence of any values left in hollywood.  From Kim Kardashian and her hotmess drama to Robert Patison being cheated on by Kristen Steward, we are reminded of what the world is coming to.  My point is, it is quite refreshing to come across celebrities who are still able to exude their personal values in the crazy world of fortune and fame and is why Carrie Underwood stands out among others.  She understands that she has a meaningful inner life that influences her beliefs and actions.  For example, have you ever heard of Carrie Underwood involved in any type of situation related to a scandal? No.  Is she bouncing in and out of marriages every 72 hours? No.  She is someone who is proud to share her faith about being a Christian and uses this to brand her message.  By leading with a value based approach, I think Carrie is a great role model for many, especially those interested in the entertainment world and having her as an example that it is still possible to lead with values, even in the vastness of hollywood.  

So what does a Princess, knight and musician all have in common?  They form a trifecta of tremendous women with possibilities who did/have accomplished feats that are truly inspiring and who lead by example for their followers.

What are some clips that you think exude the leadership approaches most effectively? 

  

Can Leadership Lens be Aviators?

I'm serious.  Can Leadership Lens be a pair of Aviators?  Before we answer that question, we need to outline what kind of aviators are we talking about?  Not just any aviators of course, but rather a pair of polarized, metal framed, shiny aviators.  For our visual learners (such as myself)...something like this:

Now that we have the "swag" part of the lens covered, lets talk about the leadership part of the lens.  I personally struggle to define leadership in a single sentence but find that there are many factors that contribute to its meaning.  The relationships, experiences, groups, travels, and opportunities one faces in life all build upon each other to define one's leadership.  What I find truly interesting is that our visions of leadership are always evolving...or at least for me.  With each new relationship or experience in our lives comes challenges to our current outlook on leadership.  As we face these challenges, our original perception of leadership has been altered and hopefully for the best.  If you asked me 4 years ago what leadership is, I would have given you a completely different answer than I am right now.  Growing more as an individual over the last 3 years at Ohio State have been life changing but for the better!  I have come to the conclusion that I still cannot come up with a single sentence to define leadership, but I can at least now come up with a one word phrase for it; REFLECTIVE.  

All of the factors I described earlier that I believe contribute to one's leadership help build how we are with people and challenges in the real world.  Like a pair of aviators, all of those factors are apart of the inside of the lens.  No one else knows about all of the relationships, experiences, groups, travels or opportunities faced in life better than one's self.  However, the metal frames on the aviators help "hold" those moments in our lives together to help form our abilities of leadership which are reflected through the polarized lens for the world to see.  Hopefully those skills are "shiny" to those that come in contact with us and allow us to make a difference wherever we are at.  It doesn't take much but to simply put on the leadership lens and start living life.

Here is a quick brainstorming of critical moments in my life that have helped me define what leadership is to myself.  Though its just a sample of what's on the inside of my lens, my hope is that they have helped contribute to my reflective part of my lens:

So the real question here is what's on the inside of your lens and are those moments reflective of what your definition of leadership is?