ICLD 1.9 Leadership Theories and DiSC : Discussion Board

28 Comments

• The five levels of leadership really stood out to me because they show how leadership is something you have to earn and maintain, not something that comes with a title. It’s easy for a leader to get stuck at any level if trust isn’t built, results aren’t delivered, or people aren’t developed. I also appreciated the point that good leaders multiply others while bad leaders divide, which I’ve seen firsthand throughout my career. Leaders who lack integrity or humility often focus only on results and forget about their people, which quickly damages trust and teamwork. On the other hand, leaders who are genuine, humble, and consistent earn real loyalty and create an environment where people want to work hard and grow together.

• This lecture had me thinking in the very beginning. The five levels of leadership. When I first got promoted to Sergeant, I was a one. People only respected the title and not the person. Some people thought that I shouldn’t have been selected because it wasn’t their choice, or that I didn’t have enough experience. After the first year, I feel that I moved up to a two. People started thinking, “this guy knows what he is talking about.” I developed relationships with co-workers that I had never worked much with. They started to follow me because they wanted to. I went from two to three very quickly. I supported my people so they wanted to do well. They started being proactive and making me look good by taking bad guys to jail and staying on top of their administrative work. When they did that, it helped me become a four. I was able to get training for the people on my shift. I even got training for others in different departments. I had people realizing that my shift was blossoming. We were running like a finely tuned ship and having a great time. I wasn’t able to make it to five as a Sergeant because I just got promoted to Lieutenant a few weeks ago. Now I have to start over back over. I don’t think I drop to a one though because people know me already and know what I am capable of. I will however fall back to a two. I think it is everyone’s ultimate goal to become a five before the end of their career, but just as you are almost there, you jump back. I think most true leaders will jump back and it isn’t a bad thing in my eyes. True leaders will jump backwards and have to build themselves up again because we are always looking for more. We are never happy, and we are always striving to reach the next milestone in our career. Those who are extremely happy and content, will never reach that “five” because they should always be looking for better.

• When I think about the 5 levels of leadership, I agree it is important to move forward step by step, but I can see a leader also getting stuck in a step along the way. Your first level you are given the title of leader and your power with those who follow you is limited and not yet developed. Next level you begin to grow trust and relationships with those you lead. This is where you can earn some trust and followers. You can also stall out and get stuck with some of you people at this point if you fail to earn this trust and respect. Next level is where production is a real leadership can grow and show you earn to be where you are with your organization. But failure to be a productive leader can stall out your growth and credibility with those under you and within your agency. The next level is where you develop your people, and it is important to the growth of your organization. You can only lead your people to growth and develop them if you have gained their trust in the prior steps. If you achieve development of your people, it is big for your organization and you as a leader and takes you to the next level. The last level is the top where you have the respect of those who follow you and your organization.  It is very easy to get stuck at a level as a leader or regress by being complacent. It is important to know where you are at each level along the way with your people and organization so you can grow and be an effective leader.

• In this section, I liked the part where it spoke about the 7 essential qualities of a good leader, as well as the part that said good leaders multiply and bad leaders divide. I think that is true, because it often seems bad leaders tend to have very few of the 7 essential qualities, or only hyper-focus on a few of them. It also appears that bad leaders seem to always fall into the same leadership type, style, or trait spoken about in these modules and other courses I’ve taken. Throughout my years and experiences, I have had plenty of bad leaders and very few good leaders. I have taken other leadership courses, and many of those courses mention much of the same content as in this course. More often than not, I routinely get to read about all the great leaders and leadership traits, but rarely get to see them in person. I often will see a lukewarm leader, who is sort of available. Those lukewarm leaders know what they’re supposed to do on paper and will usually put forth only moderate effort in their leadership. They often will give the facade of effort or extra enthusiasm when they want something done. However, most people can identify those lukewarm leaders and therefore won’t put much merit into their efforts or requests.
  I believe out of the 7 traits that serve the people the best are integrity and humility, with, of course, the others following close behind. When people see your integrity, and also see your humility, they will know you are human like them, which will make you more personable. Only over short periods of time can you keep up the infallible image of the all-knowing commander. But as time goes by and enough incidents occur, people will get to know you. So you can either attempt to pretend you are something you are not, or be genuine and be something that your subordinates deserve. If you have to always fake the right actions you’re supposed to do, eventually others will notice that your actions are disingenuous. If your actions are genuine, then people will begin to trust you, what you say, and hopefully the organization they work for. If you start with integrity and humility first, and emphasize those traits, I believe you will begin to multiply other good workers and influence them for the greater good of the organization.
  If you are a bad leader who has a big ego, only cares about results and not the people, and you also treat people as barely worth anything and they are expendable, they will show no loyalty towards the leader or the organization. They will often become survivalists and do what they can to protect themselves and it will hinder teamwork within the organization.

  • I have to agree about luke warm leaders and bad leaders. I have seen more bad ones then good ones. Way to often I have seen leaders focus on just a few traits and not have an open mind. They know what is needed on paper but stick to traits that lose their people and often become moral issues. They are bare minimum people and feel like the rank/ position gives them all they need. Often these are the people that hurt our agencies.

• I have gained a wealth of knowledge on the various approaches to Leadership. I have learned about three major leadership theories, Trait Theory, Situation Theory, and Participation Theory, and how they can be applied to lead and motivate individuals or teams in different situations.

  Trait Theory focuses on identifying the specific traits that make a leader successful. According to this theory, great leaders possess certain qualities, such as intelligence, confidence, and charisma. These traits are believed to be innate and cannot be developed. However, this theory has been criticized for not considering the situational factors that can influence a leader’s effectiveness.

  On the other hand, situation theory suggests that effective Leadership depends on the situation. A successful leader in one situation may be unsuccessful in another. For instance, a leader who is excellent at motivating a team in a crisis may be less successful in a routine situation. Therefore, leaders need to adapt their leadership style based on the position they are facing.

  Participation Theory emphasizes the importance of involving team members in the decision-making process. Leaders who follow this theory encourage their team members to participate in discussions, brainstorming sessions, and decision-making processes. This approach can lead to better decision-making, increased motivation, and a more positive work environment.

  The DISC module has also helped me understand the different personality types and how they can be managed to improve team dynamics. I have just heard of this before sharpening my skills in Leadership. The DISC module categorizes people into four personality types: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness. By understanding these personality types, leaders can tailor their communication and management styles to work effectively with each team member.

  For example, a leader managing a team with a high percentage of Conscientious personality types may need to provide detailed instructions and follow-up to ensure the work is completed to the team’s high standards. A leader managing a team with many Dominant personality types may need to be more direct and assertive to gain their respect.

  In conclusion, learning about the different leadership theories and the DISC module has given me a deeper understanding of how to effectively lead and manage individuals and teams. By understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each theory and personality type, I can better adapt my leadership style to different situations and personalities for optimal results.

  • I was skeptical of the DISC module and when i was at Staff and Command i did it for the first time and was amazed how accurate it is. I think it has helped me understand what i am good at and definitely what i need to work on. After listening to John Maxwell explain the 5 levels of leadership i can see how some of the leaders i work with have progressed and how some have regressed and the people who think that they are at the fifth pinnacle should watch that video and realize how much work is involved in becoming that kind of leader.

    • When I first saw and read this DISC theory, I thought, “Oh great, another know thyself chart, where people generally only rate themselves on how they wish they were, as opposed to how they actually are.” However, as I went through the module and listened to the different leadership types, I strongly fell into two of the categories. There were two many similarities in these categories on how I spoke, thought, or operated on my day-to-day with others and on tasks. So I think the DISC theory does a pretty good job assessing where you are at if you’re honest with yourself.

• I found the 5 Levels of Leadership by John Maxwell to be extremely useful. Someone who is working on their leadership abilities can use this as a guideline as they develop themselves and move up the levels. In the beginning people follow you because they have to. Then you work on connecting with your people, then produce by example, then work on training and development, then in the end people just follow you. One concept under level 3 that stuck with me is that momentum will solve 80% of an organization’s problems. When an organization is stagnant people will begin to feel frustrated and work productivity goes down.

  • This was the biggest take away from this session for me. I agree that when an organization is stagnant, people will begin to feel frustrated. The only issue with that is that the organization should never go stagnant. There should always be someone there trying to move forward. I know budget is always a factor for training but there are plenty of free trainings. I learned very quickly in my supervisory career not to let the budget hold you down. I have paid for classes on my own just so I can attend them. I will say that this was a long time ago and times have definitely changed to where we have tripled our training budget in the past two years. What I was getting to is as a leader on the 1-5 scale, don’t allow your organization to become stagnent.

• The part of this lesson that was most informative to me was the 5 levels of leadership. As someone possibly entering into a leadership role soon, this is important for me to keep in mind moving forward. Getting the position (step 1) merely gives you the legitimate power which is pretty limited. Permission level (step two) is where relationships have been built up and people begin to trust you. Production level (step three) is where you start becoming a truly effective leader and are gaining momentum with solving problems within the agency/division you serve. You gain credibility as time goes on as long as you are leading by example. People development level (step four) is a very vital step that I think a lot of organizations fail at. Failing to develop your greatest asset, your people, is a very large mistake. It is the best way to grow an organization to the best of it’s ability. The final stage is the pinnacle level. At this level you have true respect from those who follow you because of who you are and what you’ve done.

  It’s important to note that you will be on different levels of this leadership progression with different people. New hires may be on level one while people you started with 20 years ago could be on step 1 or 5 depending on your relationship or incidences that have happened during that time. Either way, it’s important to identify what level each employee is on so you can lead them better.

  • Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the five levels of leadership. I completely agree with you that it’s essential to remember these levels, especially when entering a leadership role. It’s fascinating to see how leadership progresses from merely having the position to earning genuine respect from those who follow you.

    I also appreciate your insights on the importance of people development. I believe many organizations fail at this step, and it’s a huge mistake. Developing your people is the best way to grow an organization to its fullest potential.

    You made a great point about identifying what level each employee is on so you can lead them better. Everyone is different and requires different types of leadership. As a leader, it’s essential to recognize these differences and adjust your leadership style accordingly.

    Thank you for sharing your perspective; it was insightful!

  • This was a great assessment of the five levels of leadership. Identifying which level a new employee is on will serve me well in my role as a newer sergeant. I think the challenge for me is how to develop someone with more time in this field than I have. I acknowledge that my people are my greatest asset and the backbone of my organization. That being said, some resist change to leadership more than others which is what I find most difficult to deal with. I am on my way to the pinnacle level, I just need to sit down and come up with a strategy to solve my problem at hand.

• I believe there are many attributes and styles to how leaders can be categorized. John Maxwell definitely provides many styles and how you can be successful and how you can also fail as a leader. But what I thought was interesting is how Mr. Maxwell aligns a persons leadership through the practice, principles, and values. He describes that the practice is an action that may work in one scenario but not in another. I also took from Mr. Maxwell the following, he indicates that the principals rely on the truth as you would rely on physical law and values is how you embrace the principal and internalize to what i believe is to develop a better overall leader.
  Another part of this section is I had know idea of what DISC represented until the example of what each letter actually represented. I recall this because at some point in my professional career I took a test that implicated where you would be as a leader and I was categorized as being a dominants by the way I answered the question. I however, think that i could actually represent at times each trait. It really falls back to what Mr. Maxwell eluded to that the practice is never the same because it may not work with one incident as it does for another. Just like your team and how you handle them. Not everyone can be approached the same way. Understanding their apprehensions and abilities to be successful is how a good leader can prosper as a whole.

• I have heard of several different character traits and personality test but I had never heard of the DISC profile. I found the DISC profile very interesting and beneficial. Having an understanding of the behavioral patterns of each of your members on your team as well as yourself could be instrumental in working cohesively. Understanding that members may be in different categories and which other behavioral pattern may conflict or complement each other could be valuable to accomplishing goals and tasks as a team (Long, 2017). As a supervisor, being aware of which behavioral pattern you typically are in line with will provide additional insight on your strengths, weaknesses and fears. This information can be used to strengthen or improve skills.
  Reference
  Long, L. (2017). Leadership theories and DISC style. 1.9, Week # 3. National Command and Staff College. Retrieved from https://cloud.scorm.com/content
  /courses/NAGVXPB5E6/LeadershipTheoriesandDiSCStylesd03a72ac-a0f9-4c64-95cc-8be0736e5721/4/index_lms.html

• I’m not sure I ever really thought of leadership and management as being different. While I agree, they are two wholly different methodologies, I believe they are integral to one another in their independent successes. A good leader motivates his subordinates to do the job well. A good manager organizes his subordinates to DO the job. I have always believed being a good manager is important, first. You have to be able to delegate and organize your staff in the completion of the goals set for them by your leaders. This is articulated by Brian Tracey as the fundamentals for management, the what and when. You can manage your subordinates and control their work, but it requires good leadership to control the quality of their work and thus their successes.

  • I have to agree with your comment as well. I would not think that the two would be different overall because I have always married the two. But I understand them to work in concert. You need to be a well balanced leader in order for your management team and or style can be successful. A leader does need to motivate their team but yet still needs to handle the management side of things by making sure the team is doing what needs to be done. However, demonstrating that you are able to do what is being asked of them is also showing that you can lead by example. So even though they are different they still work together.

  • I have also often used the term manager and leader interchangeably and realize that they are actually different. When learning about the 5 Levels of Leadership by John Maxwell, managers would fall under level 1 which I suppose is where most people start. As you mentioned you first have to make sure people just do the job. As people move up the levels of leadership and develop their leadership abilities they can begin to motivate and inspire others which increases production and development of employees.

• Once again, it seems that in order to be a great leader you need to build relationships with you subordinates. Brian Tracey also identified great characteristics of being a leader. Truthfulness is the foundation of the trust of any successful business!

  • I genuinely find that the designations between leadership and management are important, but in my particular line of work have to be congruent. Although different, they work hand in hand, improving upon one another. Leadership is all about making relationships with your subordinates so they feel comfortable with your visions and they become motivated to succeed. However, you can’t just motivate your guys and leave them free to do what they want to do. You still have to manage them in an effort to achieve common goals.

• I like how John Maxwell explained that leaders starting out have their subordinates follow them because they have to and if they did not, they would not be paid. Once those leaders get beyond a certain point or through growing pains, they learn and develop into leaders that subordinates want to follow. Being a good leader will have subordinates produce out of a desire to succeed and because success follows that attitude.

  • Having a good leader should always motivate your subordinates to strive to do better. Of course you will have your bad apples that don’t like to follow the rules but the majority does.

  • I really enjoyed the five level of leadership by John Maxwell, I believe it is because I could relate to some of what he was saying. In the position level, most are excited for the new promotion and for all the positive changes they are going to make. However, the first thing supervisors at this level learn is that the members are truly following them because they have to. It isn’t until they get to know them and the supervisor get to know the member that they begin to want to follow the supervisor. I also liked the fact that in this level the supervisor is continuing to grow and move up the ladder of leadership.

• The most interesting part of this module was the discussion of Rensis Likert’s Participative Leadership style.

  I have seen firsthand the positive difference that can be made when a Participative Leadership approach is implemented. Employee morale and buy-in / ownership is improved, resistance to change is lowered, and overall satisfaction is higher.

  Unfortunately, more often I have witnessed the aftermath of leaders who did not utilize a Participative Leadership style. Employees are mentally or emotionally checked out, spend as little time in the office as possible, and do just enough to get by.

  While the Participatory Leadership style is not appropriate for every decision or circumstance, utilizing it when appropriate or possible could go a long way toward increasing employee engagement.

  • I agree that keeping your people participating in their tasks and in some cases, utilizing their skills to promote their own growth and success is extremely important. If they believe in what they do and continue to succeed, their morale is positive and they will become more productive as members of the agency.

  • I believe that the Participatory Leadership style is a great way to run an area if the supervisor has the ability to have the right people in that unit and who are wanting to take on the responsibility and authority. Unfortunately, there are some individuals who only want to do the minimum work they have to to get by.

  • I definitely agree with you on this. Allowing staff at all levels to participate in decisions is vitally important. When people at the lowest level of the ring feel they have input and choices, it builds trust and respect for their leaders. I too have seen many projects rolled out, ones that were created by mid or upper management (you know, the ones who don’t have to use the thing), and it’s a major flop. Getting buy-in from staff is essential to making effective change. Good leaders should be reaching out and asking for opinions/ideas and including those things in the final product of whatever that change may be whenever possible. By doing this, leadership teams show that they respect, trust, and value the opinions and knowledge of those in lower positions in the organization.

• I am a Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPAC) evaluator and am testing the system.