Conversation 1

Emily Sharon Karambu
17Th/October/ 2011.
 Nascent Leadership Behaviours.

I have carefully analysed the Nascet Leadership behaviours and chosen three which I think are the most important, however I think most of them are very crucial behaviuors of leaders. I have carefully chosen:
 Behaviour 1—Get your career moving.
 Behaviour 26-Thinking and acting strategically.
 Behaviour 29 –Crises Management.


 Behavior 1—Get your career moving.

Why do some people get easily noticed and identified for the leadership ladder? Like so many things in life and business it never seems to be one or two activities but rather a series of steps, decisions, moves, and deliberate actions that one takes to bypass the competition.

 I think for someone to get your career moving is a very crucial behavioural aspect. One needs to have a clear objective and vision of what they want to achieve for themselves in their jobs. They need to be determined and be a visionary; who is not ready to stay static, knows clearly where they want to be in the next: two, five or ten year’s time in their job. They also need to research and find ways to get there, in line with the company guidelines.

As the First behaviour states, it includes a whole package of steps, decisions moves and deliberate actions to bypass the competition. This also goes with other factors like self confidence and being aware of the competition from others who have the same goals of getting their career moving. Being aware of the company expectations and predicted outcomes makes the candidate up to date with the expected challenges hence a candidate for leadership rather than the laid back colleague who’s not keen, not showing interest and querying or observing other leaders on: how they got there, what motivated them and willing to take the risks and challenges involved in getting there. I think this is a very crucial behavioural aspect of an aspiring leader.

 Behaviour 26-Thinking and acting strategically.

Another important behavior is thinking and acting strategically in line with the organization goals and objectives.

A good worker – aspiring to be a leader should demonstrate that they are analysts, strategists and implementers; especially embracing new ideas and being up to date with the current affairs affecting the company. Above all they should be aware of the companies: Vision, objectives and goals. The time scale to achieve them goals depend on other factors and variables, however they should embrace themselves to achieve it. They need to be able to research on previous action and decisions taken, analyse the impact/success or failures of past strategies taken and come up with new strategies. New strategies need to be shared(make a proposal) then find the best way to implement them. That means they need to take into consideration the risks involved and rise up to new challenges and also have other contingency plans in place; incase they encounter any hitches-which might be inevitable in the process. There is need to emphasize that they need to choose strategies carefully and be positive in the implementation process. This makes them fast tracked for any opportunities or promotions in the company that may arise.





 Behaviour 29 –Crisis Management.

The final behavior that I thought was important from ‘Nascent Leadership Behaviours was crises management. It is clear that most people shy away from crises or feel that someone should deal with it and not them. I think the willingness to tackle and manage any crises amicably with even handedness, ensuring that decisions made will calm the situation and not lead to worse-negative or unexpected outcomes. An aspiring leader should demonstrate this ability whether they are dealing with a crisis affecting a small minority or the majority in the institution. The way a crisis is managed will also determine the credibility and develop trust when dealing with other issues. A simple decision can and the way it’s delivered can make a big difference.
Yes, the ability to handle crisis and not take it personal is very important.


As I said earlier, there are many other behaviors I think are important too however the above three that I have chosen can be determined and affected by other factors or personal issues that may deter the person from exhibiting the above.





  

Well done Emily on persevering to get this contribution online. There is, of course, no 'right' answer to the task. I find your choice of three interesting as the first is very much about being self-aware and the second and third are necessary behaviours in a school setting, although sometimes the time taken to deal with 'fire-fighting' leaves little left for the strategic thinking which, ironically could, if used effectively, drastically reduce the need to firefight!

Thank you peter.
I felt the need of crisis management as a basic behaviour,maybe it is due to the fact that I have been teaching in a school which went on special measuresdue to aseries of events.Due to change in leadership,management in teaching policies there has been alot of crises.The SLT has carefully solved the crisis and this contributed as a measure one of the factor that got the school out of special measures. Needless to say the locality,change pupils teachers e.t.also can create issues which are sometimes reasonable and other times a waste of time as you said,however due to my experience that justifies my choice.Anyway you have stated there is no right or wrong choice.
Thank you.

Hi Emily.
I see we both agree that thinking and acting strategically is important. When relating these leadership behaviours to school, I almost certainly agree crisis management is essential. As we are school workers, we can relate to the complexities of running a school. We regularly have issues and dilemmas to deal with. Having strong crises management skills, especially where children are involved should be a prerequisite for any key leader.

Sanjay

I have been reading the Nascent Leadership Behaviours and found it a very useful tool in learning about different types of leadership behaviours.

I think we should initially put the behaviours into two groups to start with, where the first one is the behaviours that one should have for being a leader and the second would be behaviours when you are actually a leader.

However, I have to say that there are more than three which in my opinion are very important. For example I would definitely include the followings as some of the important behaviours:

1. Get your career moving,
2. Work hard to be noticed,
5. Ambition is good,
10. Leadership is a choice,
14. Build great teams,
16. Join community groups,
32. Make your luck,
34. Passion at work,

And many more but, if I want to choose only three; then I would choose the behaviour numbers 5, 34 and followed by 32 and would put all three in the first group where one has to have to be a good leader.

5. Ambition is good:
You have to have an ambition to be a leader. It is vital for some to show and demonstrate in their current role that they have the ambition and willingness in their quality of work that they are working hard to be a great leader in future. You have to have an ambition that is realistic and achievable. Having ambitions means you set yourself goals and targets to achieve and to see yourself where you want to be in a period of time. To be a successful leader one has to have vision and ambition.

34. Passion at work:
To be a leader you have to show passion and enthusiasm for the job you do and it must be seen by others that you actually love your job and the things you do in your job admire others and you will earn their respect. A passion which comes from a person inside will let you go further in any field and those under you will feel much more secure, confident and productivity in the team should rise due to happy atmosphere that you passion will bring into your work place.

32. Make your luck:
One has to make their luck and not hope that one day it will be their turn. It is very important to be ambition, passionate and hard working person to make your luck and to move up in a successful person or be a leader that is respected, loved and admired by their staff.

I believe that there are many characteristics and leadership behaviours one should have to have to be a great leader and I only mentioned a few above.

However, I must note that the list of behaviours will change from one individual to another individual and this is why the behaviours Emily has chosen are completely different behaviours to the ones that I choose. Nevertheless I agree with Emily that the behaviours she listed are very important as well for any individual who wants to be a great leader.

Thanks, Ilhan, for your thoughtful and detailed contribution. It would be interesting to reflect on how these behaviours are manifested within your own organisation ...

Hi Ilhan
I have read your choicse and they are quite important behaviours too.The passion at work obviously would play a major role.If a leader is not passionate aboout their job,how can they be role models to those he/she is leading?
Besides that, passion produces excellence I believe.All in all as a leader there are many behaviours identified by Nascent that work together to achieve the main goals and tasks set ahead.
Emily

A very interesting read. First and foremost, choosing 3 crucial leadership behaviors was a very difficult task. My initial thoughts, whilst reading along were how each behavior is pivotal to the make up of any leader. After careful elimination I was finally able to narrow down my top choices:

Thinking and acting Strategically 26
To develop leadership skills, which incorporate strategy and/or even strategic business management is essential to any cooperation, business or school. Weighing up decisions that have an affect on internal and external factors is imperative. Having a strategic approach allows others to follow a set structure or vision, which can be crucial. A strong cohesion amongst a team is key, having a strategic approach within that allows others to be more flexible on their approach.

Think about your decisions 3
I find this behavior intriguing as it can be varied throughout ones career. Being a successful leader can demand working in a high-pressure environment, which requires quick decision-making. Having the confidence and status in the work environment to do so commands senior authority and experience. On the other hand, aspiring leaders should always have policy, ethos and house rules in mind when making decisions. Using insight can sometimes be premature. Therefore, in particular aspiring leaders should deliberate and then strategically make decisions. With time status can allow flexibility and reliability.

Stay informed about your business 15
Being the first to know about new developments and critical information that may have an impact upon your business is vital. On a broader scale being familiar with government policy, the financial climate or any other political aspects of your business/school keeps you ahead of the competition. Having a wider insight can incorporate behavior patterns 8 (know your theories) and 9 (know your facts). Staying informed about your business can be advantageous to any leaders, especially if the knowledge implemented benefits the business financially, the productivity, results etc.

Sanjay
Look forwards to responses.

Hi Sanjay,
As you said choosing three behaviours was quiet daunting because as we realise one needs more of each to lead and for the good of the survival of the organisation.It is obvious that one has to stay informed with th latest updates and dynamics in every aspect;may it be political ,educational,social,economical or any other factors affecting the organisation especially in the century we are in.
I agree with your choices and Ilhan's choices too.Most oif the behaviours should manifest for the good of the leader and the company.

From Emily.

A good and thoughtful contribution, Sanjay. It's interesting that we talk in education about a "reflective practitioner", usually refering to teachers. From what you are saying, being a reflective practitioner is equally important to school leaders!