LEADERSHIP IN ACTION (30 points)

OVERVIEW

The purpose of the Leadership in Action assignments is for you to do things to grow in the five leadership practices – to develop your leadership skills. You will not be graded on whether you had a positive outcome in taking the step, but rather in how sincerely you tried to develop the skill or practice.

· Your paper should be written in essay format to respond to the questions that are provided.

· Use headings for each of the sections to organize your paper.

· This assignment has a 1,000 word minimum. Note: Meeting the minimum word count does not guarantee a high score.

· The assignment will be graded as follows:

LEADERSHIP IN ACTION: PRACTICE 4 (ENABLE OTHERS TO ACT)

PART A. REFLECT ON YOUR SLPI.

1) Record your overall score from the SLP for ENABLE OTHERS TO ACT.

2) Of the six leadership behaviors that are a part of ENABLE OTHERS TO ACT, which behavior statement is indicated that you engage in most frequently? After learning more about ENABLE OTHERS TO ACT, would you say this is accurate or not? Explain.

3) Which behavior statement is indicated that you engage in least frequently? After learning more about ENABLE OTHERS TO ACT, would you say this is accurate or not? Explain.

4) Complete this statement: When it comes to ENABLE OTHERS TO ACT, my areas of leadership strengths are:

5) What ENABLE OTHERS TO ACT behaviors do you see as opportunities for improving and strengthening your capacity to lead others?

PART B: INFLUENCE WITHOUT AUTHORITY

“People work together most effectively when they trust one another. Reciprocity leads to predictability and stability in relationships; in other words, trust.” – Kouzes & Posner

One of the most basic principles of human behavior is the Law of Reciprocity. The idea that if I do something for you, most of us feel the need to return that action with a similar action in kind. Researchers who have studied primitive cultures find the principle or reciprocity at work as well as finding it in the most sophisticated civilizations.

Because of this need to give back what is given to me, Cohen and Bradford wrote an article to explain how this principle can be used constructively in the workplace to yield influence even when you are not the official person in charge (have authority). Read Influence without Authority: The Use of Alliances, Reciprocity, and Exchange to Accomplish Work with the goal of having a general understanding of these points. (I know this article is old, but it best summarizes these principles without being too technical. I have looked for something more recent but haven’t found anything that explains it this well. Sometimes the “classic” articles say it best.)

· People often feel the need/urge to return a good or bad action with a similar action

· We all have currencies that we can exchange in the workplace and need to figure out what those currencies are

· We need to see the other person as a potential ally rather than an adversary and think of exchanges that can benefit us both

· To be able to identify mutually beneficial exchanges, we must understand the ally’s world

1) IDENTIFY YOUR CURRENCIES – Refer to Exhibit 1 in the article that lists different kinds of currencies people have to exchange. There could be others not on this list. Think about what you have to offer in the workplace and list those currencies in the following categories.

· Inspiration-Related Currencies:

· Task-related Currencies:

· Person-related Currencies:

· Relationship-related Currencies:

· Personal-related Currencies:

2) SHIFT YOUR POINT OF VIEW – SEEING THE POTENTIAL ALLIES – Think about someone in a work or other formal environment (team, class project, etc.) that you have struggled to have a good relationship. Step back and try to analyze the relationship differently identifying the exchange possibilities. How can this person help you get what you want/need? How can you help this person get what he or she wants/needs? See this person as your ally.

3) DESIRED RESULTS – What do you want or need to happen in the situation?

4) LAW OF RECIPROCITY – What do you have to offer? What does this other person have to offer?