Prior to attending Noncommissioned Officer Academy (NCOA), I always asked myself “what can I do to improve as a leader?” After going over Module Five, Adaptable Leader in class, I identified Emotional Flexibility, within the Three Elements of Adaptability, as an area I need to focus on to be a successful leader. First, what is adaptability? According to Chapter Seven, Change Management, “adaptability is the ability to adjust to changed, unexpected, or ambiguous situations by actively seeking information and by demonstrating openness and support of different and innovative change ideas.” During our class discussion, we thoroughly analyzed the Three Elements of Adaptability: Cognitive, Emotional and Dispositional Flexibility, and how each …show more content…
Such as scanning the environment to identify change, making sense of the situation and creating strategies, Moreover, I will communicate with my subordinates and peers who I have labeled to innovators. As I discovered last week, I am mildly adaptive. For the reason, I will communicate with individuals who are strongly innovative, prefer change and execute the three areas of Cognitive Flexibility as I develop this element. Failure to develop the emotional flexibility, and further enhance the other two (Cognitive and Disposition), can and will result in major consequences. Ultimately, it can lead to the loss of faith by my subordinates for not controlling my emotions. If I fail to control my emotions, I’m certainly not able to be properly communicate with my peers and/or subordinates. I will lose credibility with my supervisor because it will also cause missed project milestone due to lack of ideas, additional stress on my subordinates, decrease and/or loss of morale and most importantly, the process/programs/situation that is being worked on to be abandoned. Ultimately, I do not want to possess one or two Elements of Adaptability, but all three in order to reach an effective level of adaptability and successfully respond to change whenever it
Some leaders have natural capabilities but even they have to cultivate and develop their skills to achieve success. Individuals who do not have natural instincts for leadership communication can develop them if they have the energy and desire to do so. Developing these skills involve learning one’s self and capabilities. During this process a lot of information emerges and a lot of introspection is needed. While doing this self-evaluation areas such as image, dealing with the feelings of others, and various communication dynamics must be examined. This process can be time consuming and effective, it is worth the time and effort that is required in order to be successful. The process will reveal those areas that need improvement and areas where a person can excel. Once these areas are noted an improvement plan with goals can be created in order to work on becoming a successful and effective leader. It is a gradual process which if done seriously and efficiently could have outstanding results for the leader and his or her group.
For moreover, Daniel Goleman (2004) explained that emotional intelligence plays an integral role in defining character and determining both our individual and group densities. It involves the ability in monitoring one’s own and others emotion, to discriminate among them, and to use the information to guide one’s thinking and action. It means to embrace the power of emotion intelligently, it involves abilities that may be categorized, into five (5) domains: (1) self-awareness, (2) emotional maturity, (3) self-motivation, (4) emphatic understanding, and (5) quality communication.
The transformational leadership characteristics of idealized influence, inspirational motivation, and individualized consideration are heavily linked with Daniel Goleman’s theory of emotional intelligence (Barling, Slater, & Kelloway, 2000). Emotional Intelligence has gained great prominence in the study of its relationship with leadership effectiveness. By understanding one’s own emotions, managing and controlling these emotions, as well as understanding the emotions of others, research shows that leaders can have great influence on an organization’s success (Goleman, 1997; Goleman et al., 2002).
In summation, I believe an adaptable leader employs flexible leadership qualities and contours their approach based on the situation to effectively accomplish the mission. If only I can encompass the principles in that statement, I believe, given the time, I can greatly enhance my abilities as a well-rounded adaptable leader. Making the constant effort and being aware of myself, my leaders, my peers, and my subordinates will ultimately allow me to grow both personally and professionally. In the end it is about the people we work with regardless of their position. Understanding these individuals, their expectations and their goals, is the key. With so many different individuals, adaptation is integral to ensuring we get the bestout of each and every person each and every day.
Emotions are frequent companions in our lives. They come and go, and constantly change like the weather. They generate powerful chemicals that create positive and negative feelings, which have a powerful effect on leadership. Some emotions can either facilitate leadership, while others can detract from successful leadership. This course, Emotionally Intelligent Leadership, has truly opened my eyes to the affects that emotions have on being an effective leader. Peter Salovey and John Mayer defined emotional intelligence as “the ability to monitor one’s own and other’s feelings and emotions to use the information to guide one’s thinking and actions” (p. 5). This definition in itself states that emotions, whether it be ones own emotions or those of others, is the underlying factor that directs the actions of a leader. Therefore, throughout the progression (advancement) of this course, I have learned the importance of the development of emotional intelligence for being an effective leader, and because of this I plan on developing the capacities that contribute to being an emotionally intelligent leader for my own success, now and in the future.
Emotional Intelligence plays a huge role in individual and an organization’s performance. In order to perform at our best we must not only recognize, understand, and keep our emotions in check but also help others to control and keep their emotions in check. This is apparent in the way emotional intelligence allows individuals and organizations to use their intelligence, empathy, and emotions to improve and heighten your gifts. Furthermore, emotional intelligence is a skill that can be learned and when repeated often can become a habit that can last for many
He concluded that individuals who exhibit these skills are more successful than those that don’t. Emotions are universal – swing emotions (anxiety and anxiety can go both ways). People have to learn to convert fear and anxiety in to an energy to create a positive energy. It can encourage you or derail you. The emotional intelligence blueprint forces us to “take action” and develop our own emotional intelligence. He concedes that there are three common emotions that everyone feels on a daily basis: frustration, anxiety and enthusiasm (Weisinger, 2010 ). We all have the same emotions, but we express them differently. Applying emotional intelligence can include: observing your actions, being entuned to your intentions, and learning to relax. Managing anger includes realizing what is wrong and acknowledging that you are angry, in addition to asking yourself if you may have interpreted the other persons actions incorrectly and therefore may have over reacted. He also suggests that clarifying our feelings of doubt, in addition to coming to terms with the idea that there are going to be periods of uncertainty will help to alleviate anxiety (Weisinger, 2010 ). During periods of dejection/disappointment he suggests acknowledging your feelings and seeking a reliable support system that can help you reassess your goals. Weisinger suggests when feelings of fear begin to creep in people should acknowledge that they are experiencing the emotion and then evaluate the nature of the threat to determine if they are indeed scared or just overly concerned (Weisinger, 2010
(2013) separated emotional intelligence into four domains, self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management (pp. 30, 38). These domains are then broken into two competencies. Self-awareness, the understanding of one 's emotions and being clear about one 's purpose, and self-management, the focused drive and emotional self-control, make up the personal competence (pp. 39, 45-46). While social awareness, or empathy and service, and relationship management, the handling of other people 's emotions, make up the social competence (pp. 39, 48, 51). These emotional intelligence competencies are not innate talents, but learned abilities, each of which contribute to making leaders more resonant and effective (p. 38). This is good news for me because I still have much to develop in regards to emotional
... in any organization if it is to grow. The Air Force Professional Development Guide listed many characteristics of leadership, among these were being tough and being sensitive. This may seem like an oxymoron, but all success in life is based balance. Being tough is very important even in open communication. When someone needs advice and or direction from a leader, the last thing they need to hear is brown nosing or “fluff”. They need to hear the truth, no matter if it is not desired but almost always it is the most effective. Being sensitive is also very much needed. The PDG speaks on this subject “listen to your people, communicate with them and be perceptive to their needs”. A person needs to know that their needs are listened to and recognized. As was mentioned before, this is a two way street, this should be utilized from an airman to NCO and from NCO to airman.
Mayer, J. D., & Caruso, D. (2002). The effective leader: Understanding and applying emotional intelligence. Ivey Business Journal, Retrieved February 1, 2012, from http://www.unh.edu/personalitylab/Reprints/RP2002-MayerCaruso.pdf
Transformational leaders want individuals to make a positive change in their lives and try to help people apply a positive change on a daily basis. The leaders do this by implementing individual considerations which, according to Kendrick (2011), “treats each follower as a unique contributor and provides coaching, mentoring, feedback and growth opportunities.” This makes such an impact on people because each individual is getting different mentoring, feedback, and growth opportunities due to their unique personality. It is very important for each person to have this because everyone has a different learning ability and motivation. This helps each individual with their own distinctive endeavor.
From the frozen tundra of the arctic north to the arid deserts of sub-Saharan Africa – humans not only survive, but even thrive in some of the most extreme and remote environments on the planet. This is a testament to the remarkable capacity for adaptation possessed by our species. Each habitat places different stressors on human populations, and they must adapt in order to mitigate them. That is, adaptation is the process by which man and other organisms become better suited to their environments. These adaptations include not only physical changes like the larger lung capacities observed in high altitude natives but also cultural and behavioral adjustments such as traditional Inuit clothing styles, which very effectively retain heat but discourage deadly hyperthermia-inducing sweat in Arctic climates. Indeed, it seems this later mechanism of adaptation is often much more responsible for allowing humans to populate such a wide variety of habitats, spanning all seven continents, rather than biological mechanisms. Of course, not all adaptations are entirely beneficial, and in fact may be maladaptive, particularly behavior adaptations and highly specialized physical adaptations in periods of environmental change. Because people rely heavily on social learning, maladaptaptive behaviors such as sedentarization and over-eating – both contributing to obesity – are easily transmitted from person to person and culture to culture, as seen in the Inuit’s adoption of American cultural elements.
I am the kind of person who likes to be in an environment that doesn’t change to often. I’m not a fan of jumping into something new. Adapting to change is one of the hardest things for me and it is the one thing that I need to work on the most. Change happens all around us every day and I need to learn how to deal with it. Change can be good. Change can be bad. It’s just what I’m going to have to work on to become a better leader.
In order for leaders to be effective in various roles and changing environments in their personal lives and occupations, they must acquire knowledge of different styles and theories of leadership. "Debate is common about which leadership style is most effective. The answer, of course…it all depends" (Kohntopp, 2012). Through completing the leadership assessment to determine how personal characteristics categorize into Kent University’s leadership styles, and comparing the classification of these various styles as they pertain to personal experience, one can determine what characteristics to utilize dependent on specific scenarios. By implementing the C.O.A.T. theory of assessment, as well as the Transformational
Transformational leaders and managers who have strong lines of open communication with their employees have been shown to lessen stress and resistance during organisational change (Nging & Yazdanifard, 2015). Heckelman (2017) outlines four tools that best equip managers for dealing with organisational change: