OLS-57900 Week 4 - Leadership Behavior
Key Takeaway 1: The behavior approach focuses on what leaders do and how they act. Leaders are assessed based on task behaviors, which focuses on goal achievement, and relationship behaviors, which focuses on the dynamics between the leader and their followers(Northouse, 2019). The Integrated Model of Leadership (IMoLB) combines the two perspectives as it pertains specifically to organizational change (see Exhibit 1), which is important in leading organizations in their digital transformation and adoption of emerging technologies.
Key Takeaway 2: Affirmations are power, positive statements that counteract self-limiting beliefs by rewiring the pathways in your brain for healthier, stronger behaviors (Anderson, 2023).
Key Takeaway 3: Senior leaders are under so much pressure to perform, and have such a desire to fit in and succeed, that they will build up an identity they want people to see - and more importantly, an identity they want to fit into (Anderson, 2023).
Exhibit 1: IMoLB
Analysis: The IMoLB is very effective in communicating how task-oriented behaviors will trend towards fostering more collaboration when the solution requires more change and which tasks are more beneficial to internal relationships vs. external relationships. Understand this is a relatively new behavior model so I would be interested in following the research to understand its effectiveness and, more importantly, real-world frameworks that applies the theory.
Application: Anderson (2023) captures the dichotomy that I struggle with and is deeply rooted in a self limiting belief that to be successful you must make tradeoffs. "The Experienced Leaders Mask" presents a scenario that I absolutely want to avoid. An executive asserts that things are "going pretty well" but eventually divulges that he drinks to go to sleep, wife is about to leave him, and he doesn't have a relationship with his kids. That is not a tradeoff I want to make nor are they the behaviors I want to exhibit. It does, however, talk to how much perceived pressure that is placed upon senior leaders and the amount of mental fortitude that is required to not fall into what I perceive as a trap. This is, of course, and individualized opinion as it requires one to really know themselves and what are their drivers for happiness. For me, in order to avoid this outcome I need to understand and strengthen my motivation as it pertains to the tasks I am executing to promote and achieve goals. It will also require fostering cooperation and coordination with my team and my leadership to allow me achieve my work/life balance while still delivering results
References
Anderson, R. M. (2023). Leadership Mindset 2.0. Columbia: Executive Joy! https://rmichaelanderson.com/leadership-mindset-2-0/
Northouse, P. G. (2019). Leadership: Theory and Practice 8th Edition. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.