Professional Assessment

Construct a personal vision, mission, and values statement for ethical leadership that reflects and synthesizes your current and expected future organizational perspectives, including perspectives on culture, ideology, worldview, and economics

Artifacts
Discusson B, week three: Share your most up-to-date statement of your mission and values. Your post should include citations and/or references from the readings and academic material covered thus far in the class. For this post you can use the material and/or ideas from your paper.

Professional Assessment, Assignment #1: Construct a personal statement of your mission and values. Consider and discuss your core values; the cultural, ideological, worldview, and/or socio-economic forces that influence them; what is non-negotiable for you; how do your core values relate to your current career and/or future plans. PA Assignment1 Scorpuz FINAL 013116

Rationale
The discussion posts definitely challenge my thoughts: reading others’ perspectives, that are written so eloquently, challenge me to dig deeper to identify my own values, virtues, morals and ethics and to reflect upon how I have been applying my values at work and at home and in the community. Writing Assignment # 1 caused me also to reflect and dig deep, yet even deeper to define and articulate my thoughts and feelings about my mission on this planet. I now am able to: explore the concept of value-based leadership; analyze how personal values impact the workplace environment; and understand some of the basic principles of leadership that influence organizations. Artifact 1 discusses the beginning of my own, personal mission statement and values. Artifact 2 is a paper discussing my developed mission statement, values, where they originated and where they can potentially take me.

Application
I’ve noticed active improvements in how I listen more carefully to others, and SEE and acknowledge and respect others’ differences. I can only hope that my behavior continues to change for the better as I continue to explore values-based leadership, my mission and my role in creating the ideal workplace. The materials are validating my feelings about what character traits and what leadership methods should be most important in the workplace. I am having discussions with my professional and personal families, we are actively discussing core values and the importance of them. Personally, I am gaining a better understanding of who I am and who I want to be.

Change
I was challenged to go into my past to understand where my own values came from. Creating my own mission statement helped me immensely in discovering who I am, which, according to Kouzes and Posner, is the first step in becoming an exceptional leader. My behavior has changed; writing down my virtues and values reinforced them in my mind and has inspired me to live them out fully. I believe it will now be harder for me to falter and if I am feeling uncertain, I can simply refer to my mission statement for guidance. As I mentioned in the application area above, as these changes I am experiencing overlap into application, the lessons I am learning are validating my feelings about what character traits and what leadership methods should be most important in the workplace.

 

Assess your personal skills, strengths, weaknesses, and potential as an ethical leader and how they compare to your vision, mission, value statement, and future goals as an ethical leader

Artifacts
Assignment #1: Construct a personal statement of your mission and values. Consider and discuss your core values; the cultural, ideological, worldview, and/or socio-economic forces that influence them; what is non-negotiable for you; how do your core values relate to your current career and/or future plans. PA Assignment1 Scorpuz FINAL 013116

Assignment #2: 1) Define what toxic leadership is using both assigned resources and observed examples. 2) Give three contemporary examples of toxic leadership and describe the situation, the specific behaviors, and the impact of those behaviors. 3) Describe how you can draw on your identified strengths and leadership styles to address toxic behaviors in both yourself and your organization. PA Assignment 2 Wk 6 Scorpuz 022116 (1)

Discussion B, Week Four: Research an example of an ethical dilemma in an organization (think of an example that attracted national attention–e.g., the recent Volvo scandal, Peanut Corporation of America, Brain Williams, BP oil spill, Bernie Madoff, Enron, etc…). Report on the discussion by another identifying what the dilemma/crisis was and why the case is an example of toxic leadership or not. Where relevant, answer these questions: Were policies in place that fostered the toxic environment? How did the event effect the organization as a whole? Did group think come into play? Were there whistle-blowers and, if so, what roles did they play?

Rationale
What I learned from Assignment #1 (vision, mission values and future goals as an ethical leader) overlaps into this learning objective. We assessed our strengths with the Gallup StrengthsFinder 2.0 survey and that helped me to better understand my strengths and how to apply them for maximum results in both the workplace and in my personal life. With the Mindtools article, I was able to identify and articulate which leadership styles I related to most and thought about how I have used them in the past and how I can utilize them in the future. For Assignment #2 I had to explain some of the major themes discussed to date and present how I would potentially apply them as an ethical leader. I prepared a slide show on Toxic Leadership which showcased my strengths and personal skills as a leader. I defined toxic leadership, and connected that to how I can make a difference using what I have and what I know as an ethical leader.

Application
The topic of examples of toxic leadership in my real life is something I don’t discuss. I am very close to some of the pastors that I worked with at the church and we have never discussed it, although we have alluded to it. Through research and composing my discussion post, I learned some strategies that are heaven-sent, such as a push back mechanism, bringing the ethical conversation to life and keeping it alive, and the need of leadership to be open to others who may not agree, and may view the world in a different way. As I internalized these newly found strategies, of which I am complete agreement, I started a conversation with one of the Pastors. His response to the statement I made I can only summarize as “healing.” So I now have a vehicle in which to discuss the experience with another who lived through the same experience, without directly discussing it. I have sent some excerpts of the groupthink phenomenon to a pastor who is intrigued and willing to discuss what we experienced at the church.

Change
This is a step in the right direction and I feel I can begin healing by discussing (or not discussing) the experience, without guilt or fear of retribution. The materials, discussions and activities have changed the way I interact with others, they have challenged my thoughts and have lead me to a healthy behavior of expression. All I can say is, “Thank you!”

 

Explore the moral and ethical conflicts inherent to and in organizations

Artifacts
Discussion A, Week Six: Of the toxic factors you have learned about so far, list and define three that you have seen organizations struggle with. What was the impact of those toxic factors?

Discussion B, Week Six: Find an example of a business case that involves toxic leadership at the individual or organizational level. Describe the situation. Analyze the root cause of the toxic behavior. Post your findings and provide evidence of the root of the toxicity (based on the readings thus far). Propose one or two strategies to resolve the issues.

Rationale
The beginning of chapter 10 in the Johnson text addressed meeting the general ethical challenges of leadership. Johnson categorized the challenges which created an organized way to explore and evaluate. In the week’s discussion post, we were asked to discuss three in detail as an example of our ability to grasp the themes. Many of the conflicts I understood, but the categorization was something I had never seen this was very helpful in terms of learning and retaining the material. Chapter four was very new to me and it made in impact upon me, as I discuss below in the Change section. Overall, we were to have the ability to: identify the emotions: insecurity, battleground mentality, fear, evil; analyze negative influences: money, social status; research the role of greed in toxic leadership; and analyze the politics and policies that reinforce the behaviors.

Both of our discussion post questions for week six reinforced the concepts presented and shows an understanding of the above points. As we internalized we were then able to articulate the concepts of defining toxic factors and their impact, analyzing the root cause with evidence and propose strategies for resolution.

Application
The application here is a better understanding of humankind’s struggles with ethics andhow unethical decisions can easily and quickly spiral out of control. Having a better understanding gives me an ability to identify and avoid similar situations. At work, I began to notice some toxic behaviors of a particular employee. She was a fairly new employee and her behaviors were starting to reveal themselves in subtle and some not so subtle ways. I noticed I was identifying and assessing the situation in efforts to avoid any issues for the company. I believe that although I have experienced toxic behavior in the workplace previously, I was more aware and more in tune with it’s indiscretions because of what I h ave learned in this section: to identify the emotions: insecurity, battleground mentality, fear, evil; to analyze negative influences: money, social status; to research the role of greed in toxic leadership; to analyze the politics and policies that reinforce the behaviors.

Change
Chapter four of our Johnson text really engaged me. Of all the moral and ethical conflicts I have witnessed in the workplace, I had never thought about unethical people being “evil”… it seems like such a strong word. Yet the more and more I read about toxic leadership examples… Like the massacres in Rwanda, companies raping and killing of innocent citizens, withholding medical care, misleading information about baby formula… The more I realize that it is indeed a kind of evil. Also, the more I read and learned the more I realized I am not alone in this battle against evil. Where groupthink has been at play, I thought I was the only sane person. Now I understand I am not alone. The fact that there are books and articles written on this just validates my questioning of past toxic behavior.

 

Define and analyze the negative and toxic aspects of leadership

Artifacts

Discussion A, Week Seven: Using one of the case studies from the Johnson text or a difficult case from your own research or experience, examine how cultural differences can cause misunderstandings or miscommunication. Provide a solution or perspective to the case that demonstrates cultural sensitivity and competency. In so doing, also consider how cultural differences could promote innovation and lead to more effective communication.

Discussion B, Week Seven: Discuss the cultural dimensions of the GLOBE study (Johnson text). Use Hofstede’s values orientations or the GLOBE study to explain competing perspectives on an international global issue.

Rationale
The new concept introduced is cultural differences and the challenges they bring with them. Cultural issues are not necessarily toxic but can present several negative aspects that leaders must understand, be able to identify, and have a means for managing. More of the toxic elements we covered in week six. I am generally able to employ the following points after internalizing the materials for week seven: explore miscommunication and cultural misunderstandings; identify gaps in communication from cultural perspectives; analyze the differences between cultural miscommunication and toxic environments; and develop tools for cultural competency. The artifacts below discuss cultural differences and how that can cause miscommunication. A solution is provided as well. Artifact 2 shows tools to help identify cultural dimensions and anticipate differences/similarities from Hofstede’s tool and the Global Project’s work.

Application
Hofstede’s tool, the Global Projects addition to that tool and my own personal experience are applied in my life in terms of understanding and celebrating cultural differences or managing cultural differences. I would much rather celebrate, personally. In real-life, it is not always the case. I have done some previous research on cultural differences but not as in-depth as Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. We are not all the same and we need to understand cultural differences to avoid making bad decisions. I know I am very sensitive at work and in my personal life of cultural dimensions and differences when interacting with others… more so than most, I think. Because culture is such a determinant of human behavior it behooves us to understand it deeply for many reasons, the main reason being communication.

Change

Being aware of cultural differences is vital. I did know a lot of these differences from my

studies in international business for my undergrad. However, Hofstede’s cultural values were new to me as well as the GLOBE project and extremely helpful in identifying differences, similarities and potential ethical conflicts. I am more aware of subtler cultural differences with Hofstede’s tools.

 

Evaluate strategies for healthy leadership

Artifact
Final Paper: Create an organizational plan to solve a toxic scenario. This is a similar rubric to our previous writing assignment with one important addition – I want you to think about your own role in this situation. Even if you choose a hypothetical case, please insert yourself into the story and consider what your contribution could and should be. PA Final Paper Scorpuz 031316

Rationale
Materials covered from Johnson and Lipman-Blumen were extremely helpful in evaluating strategies such as zero tolerance policies, social responsibility, connective leadership. These strategies assisted me in working through a toxic situation at work. Due to the in depth discussion, research and writing on this objective I am able to: research zero tolerance policies; analyze cases of structural reinforcement; define social responsibility; analyze the principles of Connective Leadership and Behavioral Strategies; develop a strategic plan for resolving a toxic situation. In my final paper, which is my artifact for this objective, it is clear that I am thinking through the lessons learned, anticipating possible negative outcomes, applying my new knowledge of connective leadership and using strategies such as the zero tolerance policy.

Application
My final paper reflects the actual steps taken to assess and employ steps to resolving a toxic situation at work. I believe strongly that the timely situation was a good test for me to facilitate what I have been learning. There was definitely some stress involved but not the degree I feel it would have been without the girding this course has given me. It has prepared me well for tests like these and I am confident that with Professional Assessment, its resources and references I will do the same if not better in the future when handling difficult and even toxic moments in life.

Change

Generally, learning about this course, it’s purpose, it’s materials… all have had such a

positive impact on my life for two reasons: 1) learning is knowledge and this fortifies my mind to face challenges life brings me 2) I realize that just by the existence of this material that I am not alone in my experiences with difficult personalities and leaders. Knowing I am not alone gives me strength and hope.

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