Stop Holding Yourself Back
The article “Stop Holding Yourself Back” in my opinion was very insightful. I feel like it got a great conversation started about different aspects of leadership. There are ways in which a person in a leadership role can do things to have a successful team and other ways that can end up hurting the team. The OB term of leader effectiveness can be displayed in all leadership situations. Also one of their main points that the article was trying to get across is, the different ways that people unintentionally damage their path to leadership.
There was a great quote in the article, which said, “Start with commitment to make another person, or entire team, better – and then go back for the skills and resources to pull it off” (Morriss 161). This is an excellent example of the OB concept of influence. If you commit to making the team or another person better you will influence them to do what needs to be done and in turn you will be a good leader. You need to put the team members and customers first. If you try to please everyone else you will be amazed at the outcomes. The article had a good point that said, “Making other people a priority is perhaps most challenging for emerging leaders – especially woman and minorities, who may feel heightened pressure to protect their interests in a world that seems (and often is) rigged against them” (Morriss 161). One of the OB theories that can be applied here is the social identity theory. This theory is when people identify themselves based on various groups to which they belong and judge others based on groups they associate with. I think it basically is trying to tell the audience that if you put others before yourself you will get what you deserve in return.
Another frequent thing that will hinder your path to leadership is by paying too close attention to your public image. There was an example of this in the article by one woman. “The public image she’d created – tough, decisive, analytical – had been a powerful instrument in advancing her career. But it left little room for her humanity – an essential part of the leadership equation.” (Morriss 161). Performance-avoid orientation is the OB term that is displayed in this situation. This is where people focus on demonstrating their competence so that others do not think poorly. The lady from the article wanted to act powerful and smart so she would look like a great leader. She was never trying to listen to the feedback from other employees that had great insights to help the company be more successful. A good quote to go along with this was “if you want your people to care what you think, first make it clear that you care what they think.” (Morriss 162). This is some of the best advice that I ever heard pertaining to being a great leader. If I was trying to be heard and put forth my ideas, I would be a lot less likely to follow what the leader of the group wanted if he or she never listened to my feedback.
Most effective leaders have their own “team” of family and friends to give them advice and feedback. The article says, “Almost all of them have a strong team that helps provide perspective, grounding, and faith. Your team members can be family, colleagues, friends, mentors, spouses, partners.” (Morriss 163). I believe it is saying that if you find people that are willing to put forth the effort to work with and help along the way it will help the team become better and better. It is important to stay in touch with your team members by meeting or talking with them on a regular basis. Without meeting you will lose the cohesiveness that is needed for successful teams. Cohesive is an OB term that occurs when members of the team develop strong emotional bonds to other members and the team itself.
Another thing that can prove to damage your path to leadership is sitting back and waiting. In fact the article stated, “It can undermine our potential by persuading us to keep our heads down and soldier on, waiting for someone to recognize our efforts and give us the proverbial tap on the shoulder – a better title and formal authority.” (Morriss 163). This is the very fundamental nature of becoming a leader. It does not always get set into your lap, you yourself have to go become a leader on your own. If you can display your leadership and influence people then the leadership and power will come with it. All of the popular leaders you can think of did not sit in the corner and wait for the power. They got up and did something. For an example, Martin Luther King, Jr. did not sit there behind the scenes just to let things fall into place, he stood up and made an influence on millions of people by doing what he thought was right to make a change. MLK is a prime example because you have to begin somewhere if you want to be a good leader. If you want to make a difference don't sit back and wait for someone’s permission. Aaron Rodgers is also another great example of a great leader who led the Packers winning the super bowl in 2010. It takes leadership in order to take a team all the way to the super and win the Lombardi trophy, especially with all the pressure he had on him from succeeding legend Brett Favre.
-Kyle Hoffmann