Courses and Artifacts
ORGL 600: FOUNDATIONS OF LEADERSHIP
This was my first course in the ORGL program. In this course I learned both the importance and process of introspection in leadership. Motivations mean everything, and the key to unlocking the leader within as well as growth in leadership are couched in introspection. This is not a narcissistic exercise but rather one necessary to leading people honestly, morally, and effectively. The best leader gets the best results from those he leads.
Artifact: The final paper I wrote for this class was my first stab at creating a philosophy of leadership. At this point in my life, work, and studies it encapsulated what I understood about and how I related to leadership. I have come back to this initial paper, as part of the reflective process, throughout the ORGL program. My initial views have taken more definitive shape since this first course.
ORGL 605: IMAGINE, CREATE, LEAD
To “see and see again” was the focal point of this course. Observing from within (introspection from ORGL 600) and without, or getting on the balcony, was a practice emphasized that good leaders need to employ. By keeping our eyes and ears open as leaders we become attuned to the rhythms of the work and its people. By being on the balcony we can objectively see what we’d be blind to while a part of the fray. Through the practice of observing leaders can see what reality is at the moment and use their imaginations and creativity to drive what comes after.
Artifact: We had to create an artifact at the end of the course to demonstrate our understanding of creative imagination; I called mine IGmagiNation. It was a blank crossword puzzle of the key concepts/terms we learned in the course. I then explained how there are creative and logical ways to begin and progress through a crossword puzzle, and I related those rules to the concepts of the course.
ORGL 610: COMMUNICATION AND LEADERSHIP ETHICS
This course took a deep dive into ethics and how ethics manifest themselves personally, in groups, and in large organization or even societies. We were encouraged to be deeply reflective and open-minded as we sought to learn who we were as individuals but also how our values and morals are manifested in our behavior with others, particularly in leadership situations. The largest takeaway, which seems self-evident but is much more nuanced and complicated, is that ethics permeates every aspect of one’s life, and the emphasis on that reality as it pertains to leadership.
Artifact: My final paper in this course was an introspective paper about my ethical foundations culminating in a concrete plan of action employing what I’d learned during the course. As a teacher, I realized that I needed to do a better job of things for the sake of my students, and it was this plan of action that helped me articulate just how I would do so.
ORGL 615: ORGANIZATIONAL THEORY AND BEHAVIOR
This course was by far the most difficult I took throughout the program, but also the one that I feel that I grew the most from. For much of the program we had looked at leadership, leadership ethics, the individual as leader, and etc. In this course we had to work as groups, so we had to put into practice all we had been learning in theory. Much of our course grade was determined by the success of the team. This course is where I feel I grew the most.
Artifact: We were assigned a scenario in which we had to act as a consultant. After a deep and thorough analysis of the issues, we had to write a confidential memo outlining our suggestions and justifying our recommendations. This assignment was difficult but rewarding because it allowed me to practice what I’d learned as opposed to writing a paper as in more courses.
ORGL 516: RELATIONAL DYNAMICS AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
In this course we explored the leader as a change agent, an organizational development consultant. It emphasized the human centric approach to leadership, that leadership is about people. More, we learned how leadership is not a position, but it’s the influence a person has irrespective of titles.
Artifact: I created a change agent strategy for my role as an assistant cross country coach.
ORGL 520: CONFLICT NEGOTIATION
In this course we examined conflict and its role in the life of organizations and communities. Conflict is a natural part of life and how growth happens. However, conflict is usually avoided at all costs to the detriment of all involved. Conflict resolution results in cease fires and mutual loss. But conflict negotiation embraces conflict for what it is and through negotiation works toward mutual gain for all parties.
Artifact: I had to do an analysis of the real life Phelps Dodge protracted copper mine strike in Arizona. I had to examine where communication broke down to begin the conflict and how the lack of it led to the strike’s length. I then had to use what I learned to suggest how conflict negotiation could have been used.
ORGL 500 & 511: TEAM BUILDING AND ADVANCED TEAM BUILDING
Teams move through phases: forming, storming, norming, and performing. It’s rare that people work outside teams of some sort, and regardless of education type, socioeconomic status, type of work, or etc. the leader’s role in helping to create end foster teams and teamwork is ever present.
Artifact: I had to create a teambuilding workshop lasting two days, so I created one to use for the first days of school with my students.