Well, here we are.
It's hard to believe, but this is the final blog discussion of our course. This time around, I'd like you to reflect upon the past six weeks. What has your experience been? Did you learn anything? Were you surprised by anything? Was there anything you wished could have been done differently / better?
Also check out what your colleagues are saying - was your experience similar to theirs'? Why or why not?
I am actually optimistic after being able to complete this course. I was a little hesitant about this type of learning but after doing it I realize that I could probably tackle more of my electives in this manner. I do feel that I have learned a little more about myself and my tendencies and style as a leader. Some of the information made me question if some of the behaviours that I have may need some tweeking. The only thing that I would have liked better would have been to have the actual book for the course, I did find that reading it online was fairly difficult as I am a very visual person and like making notes on the book.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Cathy, not having the actually text book was difficult. I really enjoyed the class and the online discussions and hearing other peoples opinions. It would have been nice to meet some of the others taking the course. Maybe next time this course happens there could be a wrap-up/gathering for the students and professor. Having not take a leadership course in a long time I feel like learn a lot and I am glad I took the course. The course taught me that leadership very complex and requires flexibility. I am excited to take what I have learnt and apply in the real world.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of what I learned, that would be that the nature of leadership is complex. It is commonly thought that it is fairly easy to determine or define what leadership is, but over these past six weeks, it is clear that there are too many factors to define leadership in a simple way.
ReplyDeleteSecond, I learned that everyone is a leader. There will be times in every person’s life when the circumstances call them to be a leader. For example, I brined a turkey to cook at my cottage on Easter weekend. Regretfully some of the juices spilled over into the oven, and what we had was a big smoking mess. I tried to advise the two or three people in the kitchen on how to handle the problem, but they just stood in the smoke, and therefore I had to step in – shut the oven off, scrape the bottom juices off so we didn’t have a fire and then get the birds back in the oven. I know, it’s a bit of a lame story…but I think we have read many times in our text that often leadership is about taking action when something has to be done.
One of my regrets for this course is that the text is online. It is an excellent resource for anyone who leads, but we only have access to if for a short time. With over 1000 pages, I don’t think I will print the thing off.
Overall the course has been great. The materials and resources have been easy to use. It has been fun to blog and the weeks have moved along quickly. It has been a lot to digest in such a short period of time, but it has been terrific.
Working on my final paper today, one shortcoming I do notice in the text is that it doesn’t deal with the spiritual nature of leaders as a factor in defining leadership. Certainly one cannot look at some of the worlds great leaders without acknowledging their spiritual nature; Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and Aung San Suu Kyi come to mind. Spirituality was and is as much a part of these leaders’ characteristics as any one of the many qualities that leaders should possess to be successful.
ReplyDeleteThe text, in Part Two defines: Power and Influence, Ethics and Values, Attributes, Behaviour, and Building Personal Credibility and Influencing Others. Spirituality falls into each of these topics for sure. The text does focus on servant leadership, and ethics and moral reasoning, which could be seated in ones spiritual beliefs, but nowhere in the text is spirituality addressed head-on as a factor.
Man has a spiritual nature, and leaders most certainly do appeal to this. As we all develop as leaders going forward, I think it is wise to consider this point.
My two cents worth!
This course really shed a new light on leadership. It seems like common sense to assume that successful organizations are lead by effective leaders, but I never realized how complex the subject of leadership was. It was so interesting to read about the different types and behaviours of leaders and which types are best in particular situations; leadership is really broken down into a science. The textbook readings were very engaging and allowed the readers to understand the complexities in a logical way. I liked learning about the inner-workings of leadership, and how is contributes to success.
ReplyDeleteLike others, I really caught on to the three factors of leadership; leader, follower, and situation. I found the textbook did a really good job addressing each one of these factors. It really painted a general picture of leadership which makes me more interested in learning more on the subject. There are so many other areas to explore and focus on.
I enjoyed the blogs, power points, You Tube videos, and readings. The blogs were especially interesting because it was always fun to see what others had to say about the same subject. It was a good replacement for an actual classroom setting. I bought the textbook online, and although it was convenient for access, I would much rather have a physical copy. I like to be able to go back and reference things quickly and easily by flipping just flipping a page, or scanning through a chapter.
It’s hard to believe that it has been six weeks already. It almost feels like the course hasn’t really started yet. :)
ReplyDeleteI learned a lot in this class and I feel like most of it is practical. I realized that I fall victim to a lot of common leadership fallacies and look forward to changing these habits for the better.
In all honesty, I was surprised how much I ended up reading the text book. I would say that it was probably the most pleasant surprise of the course as I normally hate having to read from a text book.
I would say that my least favourite part of the course was the online discussion and I’m not sure why. I normally like discussing things in class, and can’t exactly put my finger on why I didn’t connect with it. Maybe it was because I felt forced into talking about certain topics while I found other topics within that same chapter more interesting. I’m not really sure :)
Overall, it was an enjoyable experience, but all in all, I hope I don’t have to do it again ( cause I am supposed to graduate this year) :P
Take care & God bless.
Tommy
I am onside with Heather in that the text was very clear in outlining leader/follower/situation. Certainly in reading the text, if any one of us has experience in the world of work, many situations were applicable or experienced by us throughout our careers.
ReplyDeleteI know from my reading that various sections of the textbook caused me reflect on my own practice, or gave me insight going forward.
Again, this was an excellent text. Most of us agree that a hard copy would have been beneficial, especially as a resource. Reading an online text requires a change in the way we study and interact with the material. Probably with a little practice, it is something we could get used to.
Thanks to everyone for the thoughtful feedback. Have an excellent summer!
Thanks Everyone!
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