Leadership On The Line

Before taking this class I had a very different idea about leadership. When I thought of leadership I thought of power and authority. I usually associated leadership with one gaining power not always out of respect but usually force or seniority of some sort. After reading Leadership On The Line and the many ideas and lessons it presented I found that leadership involves a lot more than previously thought. Also the speech we heard from the man about servant leadership brought forth new ideas on how to lead and how respect is a very important aspect of leadership.

The book Leadership On The Line talked about three basic things. The first was the challenge that leadership brings forth and how it affects you and the people you are trying to lead. Throughout the book the authors reference back to technical challenges and adaptive challenges repeatedly. They talk about how it is easier to be faced with technical challenges when your know-how and personal skills can help fix the problem. But the real challenge arises when you are faced with adaptive challenges. These challenges can not be fixed with everyday expertise and know-how, they need experimentation and new innovative ways to fix the problem. Adaptive challenges and the methods they involve are the root of many leadership problems. People who are faced with leaders who must confront these challenges are usually not very receptive to change. The book described many things people will do to avoid these leaders changing their ways such as marginalization and diversion. They use these tactics to stay with the norm and cause resistance to the change.

The next section of the book talks about the response. It covers different techniques to deal with the problems that arise in leadership. As covered before, making oneself a leader is hard work and requires you to put yourself on the line and confront others. Some of the best advise the book gives is to fist you make sure you understand how the people feel about the situation in the first place. They call it "getting on the balcony". With this method you have to step back and observe how the people you are trying to lead react to you and the possible adaptive challenges you are facing. One strategy they talk about using is listening to the song beneath the words. With this you must take everything they say and try to interpret what they are actually trying to say to you. The point I believe is most important in this section is hold steady. In it, it talks about how you yourself should remain calm and handle each dilemma as carefully as you can. It talks about taking the heat, letting the issues ripen and focusing attention on the issues. These three points help you to better deal with the issues and allow you to use your abilities the best you can.

The last section covers the body and soul. This section is more about you than the people you are leading. The most important lesson I learned from this section was that you have to remember that you are not without your faults. You have to remember that although you are trying to show strength through leadership you can cause many problems yourself. Also in this section it talks about having confidants and a place for sanctuary. I believe these two things are very important if you are to remain sane during the ordeal.