Leadership

Today’s blog is a very thought provoking as well as introspective entry. The readings on Ethical leadership in Northouse and the reading on Jewish resistance as an example of leadership in social movements were both intellectually stimulating in their own right.

Northouse described the connection between ethics and leadership in a very multidimensional scope. The chapter focuses on the conduct and the character of the leader and its dissection by the followers. Then moves on to the impact of the leader on the followers lives in different ways. Ethics and morality seem to be intertwined in the narration provided by Northouse. The reading from Northouse focused to a great extent on ethics, spirituality and morals as integral parts of leadership.

Although, it is definitely evident that morals and ethics are an inherent part of leadership, how do you measure morality or ethics? They are such fluid and contextual concepts that are often dependent on culture, value systems, norms, traditions etc. I personally, do not see a particular way of defining or producing a methodology for such dynamic and context based concepts. However, we as humans can definitely agree on the basic approach to morals and ethics in terms of equality, justice, law and order etc. But, for sure the interaction of ethics and leadership is more than that. It encompasses what we imbibe, what we project and what we process as individuals in multicultural, pluralistic societies that we all live in currently. The question is still out there or does it have to be answered by every person individually in the leadership continuum? Is it for questioning by the followers or acceptance of the leader they believe symbolizes their ideals? Is it the leader who changes or modifies his/her ethical or moral conduct to fit in with the majority view of the followers? Is it a little bit of all these components…………………

Ethics, as we hear and think about it, how many of us have defined what our ethics actually are? How do we measure up our leaders ethically? What does it actually mean to be ethical to lead or to follow or just be a part of the process we have all come to define as leadership?

It is definitely a lot to think about individually, as a society and as a global citizen. I am sure my definition along with all of its inclusive components of ethics is going to change with age, life experience; personal and professional growth, value systems and so will my perceptions about leaders and followers and their interaction. However, what would be most interesting is how my perception and interpretation of the process of leadership changes over time. Ethical leadership has many implications, who is it supposed to be ethical for? One group, two groups or the whole world at large…… Who defines it and how? It does seem to me this discussion could be the journey of my life……….

Nevertheless, the paper on Jewish resistance was quite striking because of the case studies of the two ghettos and their associated social movements and the results. Here leadership and authority are discussed in great detail. The impact of authority on the end results as well as the leadership in these communities is elucidated uniquely. It is shown how legitimacy of leadership can have an impact on a social movement and in reaching a desired goal. Overall, it was an interesting read.

This post is dedicated to the discussion of leadership and management.This topic is very dear to my heart and ignites my passion for a meaningful, productive change in the society.Leadership and management have been studied in great detail and have different connotations in different contexts. Most of the leadership theories have been formed and studied in a military perspective. In the reading done in the chapter from Grint, there are several key points that point towards the relevance of this topic and this debate in mundane activities. Grint in particular, takes an approach that is very critical and leads us to question our preformed notions and understanding. This challenge is what makes the reading exceptional and inspiring. Grint focuses on leadership and management as two sides of the same coin and argues that ultimately whichever side you choose the ultimate orientation is goal setting. However, the other reading Northouse was unique in its own right, it was easy on the eyes, the brain and very simple to assimilate. It focused on the leader -follower relationship in great detail and often focused on them as the two sides of a coin. Northouse simply describes roles and targets who accomplishes what and thereby distinguishes the leader from the manager. Northouse identifies a leader as someone associated with ‘change and movement’ and a manager who is in charge of bringing about ‘order and stability’. Essentially management is defined in a very transactional approach and leadership in a a very transformational approach by Northouse.

In reality, it is true that managers are responsible for policy and compliance issues  and leaders are associated with ‘change’ but what is a leader who cannot manage his group well and what is a manager that cannot lead his group well. Even though leadership and management are distinct in many ways they are also similar in many ways.Leadership and management ‘go hand in hand’ ( Grint) and this is definitely true.As I read more about the two, I see how they overlap and how they lend meaning to each others existence. I believe now more than ever before that leadership and management are dependent on each other and have to be addressed on the same platform if growth has to be attainable and sustainable .

The part of the reading that caught my attention more than anything else was the paragraph in Grint ” Leadership is associated with mobilization of resources, of all forms, providing new perspectives and avenues”………”Do not follow the leader or the follower, track the mobilization of resources i.e. change”. It is amazing that many things make more sense to me now because of that one paragraph. It was very enlightening to sit under a tree and think about the possibilities that those words made possible for me personally. It made me think about  if people are themselves the resource, then track their change, track where they are and where they can be…….track how their movement brings about the change that is required in society. The readings definitely gave me a new perspective , a new understanding of leadership in a human development perspective.

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