Leading Teams: Developing as a Leader, Certification link.

Leadership Defined the construct of leadership, the history of leadership. Leadship Competencies & Roles.
Strategic Self-leadership inviting learners to explore themselves as individuals, including self-awareness, efficient & ethical decision-making, and maintain psychological well-being.
Leading Others the relationship between leaders and others by exploring emotional intelligence, navigating differences of opinion, and power dynamics between individuals
Growing as a Leader develop a practice for growing as a leader.

1. Leadership Defined

Evolution of leadership theory 2021
Drive transformation with human-centric leadership 2024 human-centric leadership model — sensing, sense-making, and acting — to help their teams navigate inevitable “turning points”.
1. Sensing (感知) : focus on detecting problems early by keying into behavioral and emotional changes among the people involved.
2. Sense-making (理解) : Each time they suspect that a problem is brewing, leaders collaborate with all team members involved to work toward acknowledging the issue and identifying and addressing any root causes.
3. Acting (行动) : demonstrating engaged leadership, collaborating with others, fostering a culture of inspiration, empowering team members, caring for others, and recognizing the emotional impact of technology.

1.1 Define

The lecture defines leadership as a socially-constructed process where an individual either takes or is given increased responsibility and accountability to empower others in solving problems aligned with an organization's purpose. Key points include:

Social Construction: Leadership is context-dependent and emerges from relationships and situations.
Responsibility and Accountability: Leadership can be informal; one does not need a formal title to lead.
Empowering Others: Effective leadership involves inspiring and enabling others rather than controlling them.
Collective Problem-Solving: Leaders create a culture that encourages collaboration and problem-solving.
- Embrace the opportunity to develop a culture that allows people to think and act from within to solve problems.
Alignment with Purpose (organization’s or team’s): Leaders help teams understand their goals and direction.
- Lead to collective goal.

1.2 Brief History - Timeline

Trait Approach: effective leaders possess certain inherent traits.
- However, it was found that leadership can be developed and that traits alone do not guarantee success.
Behaviorist Approach: focus on how leaders behave rather than their traits. Key frameworks include:
- Ohio State Leadership Studies: Identified two factors: initiating structure (task-focused) and consideration (people-focused).
- Michigan Leadership Studies: Distinguished between job-oriented and employee-oriented behaviors.
Contingency Approaches: the effectiveness of leadership behaviors depends on the context. For example, the Hersey and Blanchard Situational Leadership Theory emphasizes adapting leadership style based on follower development.
Leader-Member Exchange (LMX): This theory focuses on the relationships between leaders and followers, emphasizing trust and interpersonal dynamics.
Contemporary Models: Modern leadership theories, such as charismatic, servant, and authentic leadership, blend traits, behaviors, situations, and relationships, emphasizing the importance of trust and context in effective leadership.

1.3 Leadership Competencies

Leading the Self: This involves developing ethics, integrity, and self-awareness.
- Self-awareness.
- Taking initiative.
Leading Others: This includes effective communication and the ability to develop others.
- Building collaborative relationship.
- Putting people at ease.
Leading the Organization: This focuses on navigating change, having a strategic vision, and managing organizational dynamics.
- Strategic persepective.
- Change management.

The content highlights a study by Dr. Sunnie Giles, which identifies key leadership competencies, with a strong emphasis on ethics and safety. It suggests that leaders should prioritize their moral standards and effective communication.

The lecture also stresses the importance of creating a safe environment for team members, fostering trust, and encouraging collaboration.

1.4 Leadership Roles

Coach: A leader acts as a support system, helping individuals reflect on their choices without giving direct advice. The focus is on guiding them to become the best version of themselves.
Mentor: This role involves sharing specific advice based on the leader’s own experiences and expertise. Mentors provide guidance to help others grow in their careers or skills.
Sponsor: A sponsor advocates for individuals by promoting their achievements to others, such as recommending them for promotions or highlighting their innovations to senior leaders.

1.5 Defining Leadership for Yourself

Three people I think of as great leaders : LeiJun, Musk, Mao. Key Attributes :
1. Have a clear goal that transcends personal material interests.
2. Be able to share this goal with others.
3. Be able to persist on the path of implementing this goal.
Two people I think of as poor leaders : XX, XX. Key Attributes :
1. No clear goal and vision, which leads to random walk.
2. Can not persit on the path their chosen.
Why am I interested in being a leader ?
- One person’s strength is limited, And I want to achieve my goal, which is impossible to one person.
What leadship opportunity will I seek ?
What are my leadership value ?
- Have and can share a vision.
- Can activly implement that vision.

2. Strategic Self-leadership

What Is Self-Leadership? Models, Theory, and Examples 2020. Self-Leadership is the practice of understanding who you are, identifying your desired experiences, and intentionally guiding yourself toward them. It spans the determination of what we do, why we do it, and how we do it. Self-leadership is rooted in self-awareness in combination with self-management.

Leader Identity is a sub-component of overall identity, shaped by personal experiences and social interactions.

Leadership is a journey rooted in personal belief and experience, rather than a fixed set of traits or a one-size-fits-all approach.

2.1 Self-awareness

Self-awareness is crucial for leaders to differentiate between internal thoughts and external noise. Our connection with others is limited by our connection with ourselves, making accurate self-awareness essential for trust in leader-follower relationships.

Two types of self-awareness:
- Internal self-awareness: Understanding one’s own values, reactions, and impact on others.
- External self-awareness: Understanding how others perceive us.
High self-awareness is linked to positive outcomes such as better decision-making, stronger relationships, and effective leadership.

quadrantChart
  title Four self-awareness archetypes
  x-axis "Low External" --> "High External"
  y-axis "Low Internal" --> "High Internal"
  quadrant-1 "C: Aware"
  quadrant-2 "B: Introspectors"
  quadrant-3 "A: Seekers"
  quadrant-4 "D: Pleasers"
  %% for C
  "UNICORNS " : [0.75, 0.9] radius: 0
  "rare and effective leaders" : [0.75, 0.85] radius: 0
  %% for B
  "Spend a lot of time reflecting internally" : [0.25, 0.9] radius: 0
  "May miss opportunities for growth " : [0.25, 0.85] radius: 0
  "by not engaging with others' perspectives" : [0.25, 0.8] radius: 0
  %% for A
  "Feel stuck or frustrated with their" : [0.25, 0.4] radius: 0
  "performance and relationships"      : [0.25, 0.35] radius: 0
  "Have significant room for development"  : [0.25, 0.3] radius: 0
  %% for D
  "Prioritize others' needs over their own": [0.75, 0.4] radius: 0
  "leads to choices that do not fulfill": [0.75, 0.35] radius: 0
  "their personal goals.": [0.75, 0.3] radius: 0

The existence of personal blind spots that can hinder effective leadership, such as defensiveness when receiving criticism.

Developing Self-Awareness: Leaders should gain insight into their values, passions, aspirations, fit/environments, patterns, reactions and impact. This involves reflecting on personal traits and seeking feedback from others.
Inviting Feedback: Successful leaders actively seek constructive criticism from “loving critics” who have their best interests in mind. This helps in understanding how their actions are perceived by others.

Continuous Improvement: Self-awareness is an ongoing process. Leaders should not rely solely on experience or title but should strive to improve their emotional intelligence and leadership skills through feedback and reflection.

2.2 Effective Decision-Making

Historical Context: The understanding of decision-making has evolved since the 17th century, with contributions from philosophers and economists.
- Rational Choice Theory: This theory suggests individuals make logical decisions to maximize their utility, but this view has been challenged.
- Bounded Rationality: Herbert Simon introduced this concept, highlighting cognitive limitations that affect decision-making. People seek satisfying.
- Prospect Theory: people value losses more than gains, influencing risk preferences.
Cognitive Biases: like availability, representativeness, and anchoring, can distort decision-making.
Decision Making Systems: System 1 (fast, intuitive) and System 2 (slow, analytical), both subject to biases.

2.3 Ethical Decision-Making

Complexity of Ethics: Unethical behavior often stems from well-intentioned individuals making poor choices rather than malicious intent.

Normative vs. Behavioral Ethics:
- Normative ethics focuses on what is considered ethical behavior through philosophical frameworks (utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics).
- Behavioral ethics examines how people actually make decisions and the factors influencing those decisions.
Human Values: People may not act in alignment with their values due to lack of clarity or situational pressures.
Bounded Ethicality: Internal and external pressures can limit our ability to make optimal ethical decisions.
Framing Effects: The way a decision is framed (as a gain or loss) can significantly influence the ethical outcomes.

Skill Development:

Awareness and Practice: Improving ethical decision-making starts with self-awareness and requires ongoing practice.
Values as Filters: Clearly defined personal values guide decision-making and help resist temptations that conflict with those values.
Core Values Exercise: Engaging in exercises to identify and prioritize personal values can enhance moral awareness.
Career Tragedies Framework: Developed by CK Gonzalez, this framework outlines common pitfalls in ethical decision-making, represented by the acronym TRAGEDIES:
- Temptation
- Rationalization (of your own behavior)
- Ambition
- Group and authority pressure
- Entitlement (“I own this”)
- Deception (from others or yourself)
- Incrementalism (leads to normalizing deviance)
- Embarrassment
- Stupid systems
Moral Framing: Being aware of the ethical dimensions of decisions can lead to more thoughtful choices.
Connection Between Ethics and Leadership: Ethical behavior is crucial for effective leadership, influencing organizational culture and decision-making.

2.4 Maintaining Psychological Well-Being

Leader Burnout: Many managers feel overwhelmed, which affects their ability to lead effectively. It’s essential for leaders to manage their own well-being to support others.
Psychological Well-Being: This concept encompasses feeling good and living well, involving three dimensions:
- Hedonic Well-Being: Seeking pleasure and avoiding discomfort. In the moment. Happiness set point.
- Eudaimonic Well-Being: happiness achieved by finding meaning and purpose in life.
- Resilience: The ability to adapt and bounce back from challenges.
Importance of Balance: Leaders must cultivate their psychological well-being to inspire and support their teams effectively. This includes fostering connections, contributing to others, and practicing self-compassion.