Leading at The Edge: Chapter 12

The last chapter in the book analyses the qualities of Scott, Amundsen and Shackleton. They are very different in style and while the book emphasises the importance of Shackleton, we can learn a lot from the failures of Scott and some positive aspects of Amundsen. Scott did not only lose in the race to the South Pole but he made major mistakes in leading the expedition. He adopted a hierarchical system which separated the team members, and made decisions without listening to others' advice. He did not collaborate with the team and so the expedition fell apart when disaster struck. On top of that, the goal was incoherent as Scott sought both to make scientific discoveries and to reach the South Pole. Also when he realised that Amundsen had reached the Pole first, he lost faith and wrote, "Now for the run home and a desperate struggle. I wonder if we can do it." It must have been a devastating situation but as a leader he should have remained determined and positive. From looking at all his faults, we can learn what not to do and that it is crucial to unify the team, focus on the goal and be mentally strong.

Amundsen can be considered a successful leader in that he achieved his goal of reaching the Pole. His single-minded obsession towards this goal led him to succeed, and while he was criticised for being unyielding, it was the sort of mindset that was needed to accomplish this mission. He was actually open to new ideas as opposed to what the critics were saying, and used skiing as a method of travel. Moreover, he incorporated other solutions fit for polar life, merging together various ideas to create an effective approach, and this made it easier for the expedition to proceed. This was something that Shackleton was not so great at and it is a skill that we should imitate in order to make the process of our 'expedition' more efficient.

Ultimately, it is not about who was successful and who was not but what we can learn from them. Each of these leaders has something to tell us through their episodes and I feel that this book illustrates those messages well. Of course, the main point is to integrate the leadership skills shown by Shackleton but Scott, Amundsen and other leaders introduced in the book all help us to expand our perspective on leadership and to know how to act when it is our turn to lead. It has been an eye opening experience reading this book and I hope that through understanding the concepts of good leadership, I will be able to put it into practice and really make a difference in the world.

Finally, I want to say a big thank you to Ken and all my stream 1As for being so amazing! Good luck and see you around!

Leading at The Edge: Chapters 10 and 11

Chapter 10 mainly discusses the need for creative solutions in leadership and other survival situations. The account of Steven Callahan really shows how creativity can save your life and make a big difference. When his raft started sinking, he somehow had to find a way to repair the hole that was causing it to deflate and came up with the idea to use a fork. Now, who would have thought a fork could save someone's life? The raft repair kit did not help and resources were limited so the only thing he could do was rely on his imagination and creativity, resulting in the crazy but wonderful idea of using a fork to clog the leak. It did not work straightaway and the situation seemed bleak but after several attempts Callahan managed to inflate the raft finally leading to success.

At first, I could not relate this story to leadership but I realised there was a connection when I reread Callahan's words, "Survival is the play and I want the leading role." Being a leader is not always about leading others but it is also about leading yourself. There are times when you have to take control of the situation regardless of whether you are in a team or not. If you are, then clearly leadership qualities are going to be necessary, but even if you are working alone there is equally a need for you to be a great leader. In this case, we are talking about creativity, and when problems arise for the group or for each individual it is important to be able to find creative solutions so that if the original plan fails, there can be an alternative.

Chapter 11 is an expansion of the skills mentioned in the previous chapters, and what I though was especially relevant to our lives was what the author calls the "art of thriving." There are five components to the structure; work, relationships, physical health, renewal and purpose. One way of thriving in life is through work and being passionate about it. If work becomes a form of creative expression and enjoyment, it will make life more rewarding. Relationships can also improve life satisfaction and give you the mental support you need, so it is important to socialise and communicate with the people around you. Of course, mental health is critical in all aspects of life but so is physical health. If you want to perform well, you have to sleep, eat and rest well. I am not very good at taking care of myself so this is something that I should work on. Renewal is similar to the idea of physical health and it basically means you should take the time to enjoy life through activities unrelated to work. For example, I started knitting and this has become a great way to renew myself and take a break from school work. Finally, finding a purpose in life can help increase personal effectiveness, and I believe the personal statement we wrote is linked to this idea.

The second part of the book seems more relevant and realistic. While the ten strategies made strong points about leadership, the examples were extreme and it was a little difficult to relate to but now the contents are becoming easier to understand. I want to try and apply all the knowledge I have gained so far through reading this book in order to make life more gratifying.

Leading at The Edge: Chapters 8 and 9

The chapters for this week talks about less obvious but equally important aspects of leadership. Chapter 8 shows how lifting the mood in an organisation can help bring the team together and chapter 9 discusses how sometimes leaders need to refrain from taking risks but how at other times it is necessary to take chances.

Lightening up might not be an easy thing to do in grim situations but it does seem to work in that it keeps everyone motivated. The author mentions humour and entertainment as significant factors that made Shackleton's crew stay focused even in the most awful condition. Facing reality is important but when the reality is not as good as you want it to be, it could actually discourage you from achieving your goals. A cheery atmosphere will let you forget about the problems you have and so you gain more energy and will power to continue on with your pursuit. The quote "If you can't fix it, feature it" defines this concept of changing something unpleasant into something pleasant so that motivation can be re-established. I thought the message of this chapter was very similar to that of the chapter on optimism, but being optimistic seems more educated than lightening up. From how I understood the text, optimism is instilled and it is done consciously with long-term effects in mind while lightening up is more a natural act. Both are indispensable but sometimes just those nonchalant moves are all we need to encourage our hearts.

Risk taking is also a big topic when it comes to leadership and making the right decisions. The idea is that being reckless is not the same as being a risk taker so you should avoid taking unnecessary risks but when the risk is calculated to an extent and can be justified, you should not hesitate. It is difficult to say when a risk should be taken or not but Shackleton seemed to know what he was doing. Even though there was pressure to launch the boats after they had been drifting on ice for five months and a seemingly good opportunity came, Shackleton saw that the boats could be crushed by the moving ice and told the crew that it was not the right time. The expectations of those around him did not influence his judgement and I really respect him for that. There are many decisions that leaders have to make but deciding whether to take a risk or not is one that comes with huge responsibility and it should be well thought out.

Once again, Shackleton demonstrated his brilliant skills as a leader and while I think lightening up is a team job, Shackleton supported it which is something to remember because without his approval there would be no liveliness to encourage motivation. As I have already stated, he also knew when to take a risk and when to wait which saved his crew and lead to the rescue of all members. This sort of leadership is what we should aim for and I hope to be able to motivate others through cheeriness and make the right risk taking decisions.

Conflict

We have been discussing conflict resolution for a while now and as there is a whole chapter in 'Leading at The Edge' devoted to that topic, we have a lot to learn and talk about. Last week we did the how-you-act-in-conflicts test and I found out that I was an 'owl' although I think this result was influenced by the negotiation skills stuff we did earlier on in class. The owl way of dealing with conflict seems ideal because it puts emphasis on both the goal and the relationship, and it follows a problem-solving approach. It would be great if I could be the 'owl' but as I have never really encountered conflict before, the issue is purely theoretical and I cannot say if I will actually be able to act in that way, or at least those were my thoughts when I did the test.

A near-conflict situation arose quite recently where my conflict resolution skills were put to the test. I live in a dorm and most of the time it is fun, but there are times when living with a roommate can be tiring and stressful. I do get along with my roommate but when she started skyping at 8:30 on a Saturday morning, it really got to me. I wanted to sleep in so I was a little mad at her for waking me up but I also felt bad because I knew she was talking to her parents in Canada and there is the time difference to consider. I did want to tell her not to skype so early on Saturdays but I did not want her to feel as though I was taking away her rights and I was scared our relationship would be damaged. It was difficult trying to find the right words and timing to break it to her but fortunately, she came up to me and asked if she had woken me up so that made it easier for me to say the rest. Everything was sorted out and we were both happy but I still wonder how I would have dealt with the situation had my roommate not talked to me first.

The problem I had with my roommate was not serious so the result turned out okay but in a more complicated conflict, I would need to manage the situation better. Solving conflict in real-life circumstances require much more than just knowledge. Especially, if the person you are dealing with is someone you care about, it could be difficult because you would want your goal but you would also want to remain on good terms with them, and you would want them to be happy meaning that they need to get their goal as well. I will definitely try to improve my problem-solving skills so that when faced with conflict, I would be ready.

My Personal Mission Statement

I sometimes feel like I am not getting anywhere in life and I seem to lose sight of the ultimate goal. It is quite difficult to say what I actually want to do in the future and this makes it hard for me to make decisions now in the present. However, as Joki mentioned in one of his blog posts, "Enough wrong turns can lead you to the right direction." So the important thing is to keep on moving even if it means taking the long way. Ken also said something about 'not stopping but continuing' with our work on our research papers, and I thought this was true for everything in our lives. I know I have to keep going and that is why I decided to write a personal mission statement, to guide me through times like this when I cannot seem to tell which way is forward.

So here it is...

I aspire to be kind, caring, faithful, loving, considerate of others, true to myself.

My ambition in life is to work for human welfare however small and insignificant the scale might be, serve God and everyone around me in all that I do, and contribute to making the world a better place.

I want to die knowing that I have made someone's life happy and I have spent as much time as possible being with the people I love.


http://mommysnippets.com/2013/07/keep-moving-forward.html

Leading at The Edge: Chapters 6 and 7

I understand that Shackleton was a great leader who had everybody's trust but I was not convinced as to the reason why everyone followed him until I read chapter 6. He was from the very beginning, insistent on having mutual respect and courtesy which explains his caring temperament and acts of self-sacrifice. If I was one of the crew members, I would not have believed in Shackleton just by hearing his reassuring words or looking at his decision making abilities. Rather, his personality to treat all members equally while being attentive to each person, and his devotion to the team through self-sacrifice would have convinced me that Shackleton was indeed a leader whom you could put your confidence in. What was really touching about this chapter was how everybody adopted his manner. The part where Greenstreet spilt his milk and the others poured some of theirs in his cup made me realise that even in desperate conditions you can still be considerate of others. Rank does not matter and it is really through respect and courtesy that a team can be held together.

The topic we have been discussing in class is conflict so it was good to be able to read how Shackleton dealt with it in his expedition. Chapter 7 states that anger should be let out in small doses so that it will not build up. If there is a problem, it is best to say it then than to wait for the stress to accumulate. Endurance is sometimes necessary but when you are working in a team, especially for a long period of time, you do not want explosions of anger. In order to minimise the level of anger, it is important not to keep negative emotions to yourself and Shackleton knew this. It says, 'Shackleton also encouraged his men to keep him informed of any disagreements,' showing that he had the situation under control. Another strategy he used to resolve conflict was to keep the troublemakers close by so that Shackleton could deal with them and the others would not become victims. Although we tend to avoid people who cause trouble, sometimes it is better to talk to them so that a solution can be sought.

Personally, I do not have a lot of experience in dealing with conflict but once I became involved in mending a broken friendship and that was difficult. These two girls from high school were friends but something happened and they just stopped talking to each other completely. I was friends with both of them so I listened to both of their stories but to me it just did not seem like such a big deal. Later on I realised that they had both been getting tired of each other for some time and that this one incident triggered the bomb. If they had been able to say what the problem was in the early stages, they might still be friends. In the end, time healed their relationship and they were able to talk to each other once again but they never got back to being like how they were before.

Negotiation Styles and Research Proposal Ideas

Lessons on negotiation skills have come to an end and in our last discussion we looked at the different styles used in negotiating. According to the questionnaire that we did in class, my preferred style was 'collaborating' and as this style puts a lot of emphasis on achieving win-win solutions, it seems that the role-plays have paid off! Everyone in my group had 'collaborating' as their predominant style but Takumi had 'competing' for the second most dominant which was interesting. Looking at the descriptions, 'collaborating' and 'competing' seem like two opposing styles but the truth is both can be used depending on what the situation calls for. It may be that due to your job you do not want a win-win solution in which case you would be 'competing'. If the other party is being competitive and there is no progress, you might want to be 'compromising' so as to reach an agreement. In cases where win-win solutions exist, it is best to be 'collaborating' so that the best outcome is made possible for both parties. So there are many ways to use different negotiation styles and although the focus of the class was on 'collaborating', there is no right or wrong, just when to use what.

Now we are starting to think about the final research paper and I am still wondering what I should write about. However, because I am interested in psychology and the welfare of human beings, I thought it would be productive to do some research on effective methods of psychotherapy. So far I have found an academic journal which suggests that one of the most important factors to making psychotherapy work is in the relationship between the therapist and the client. This is related to what we have been learning in class; how to build and maintain a good relationship through interpersonal communication and negotiation skills. Although it is not directly linked to leadership, it is a topic that I am interested in and that I think is worth doing research on.

I am definitely considering psychotherapy as the theme for my essay, but there are leadership figures that I think would also be intriguing to write about and they are Mother Teresa and Sadako Ogata. Both of these people accomplished amazing things not for their own (or their team's) glory but for the happiness of others and I think many people know about what they did through an ethical perspective. However, they were also great leaders and I thought it would be an eye-opening experience to analyse these two figures in terms of leadership.

These are just some of the ideas I have for my research proposal and I will be gathering a lot of information this week so that I can decide on my final topic. It would be gratifying if I could apply the knowledge that I have gained from this class to a topic of personal interest so that writing the final paper would be something more than just mandatory work but an experience to help me in the future.