Leadership Insight

Professor vs. Student Perspective

Within the past week, I took the time to meet with two highly educated and experienced leaders. I wanted to specifically compare a professor’s and a student’s input towards leadership. These individuals provided leadership insight with their varying paths and years in leadership roles.

Leadership Insight – Professor Perspective

Dr. Russell Guay, Professor of Management and Wilson Chair in Business Ethics for the Wilson College of Business at the University of Northern Iowa, sat down with me to elaborate on his leadership viewpoint. Dr. Guay defines leadership as, “The ability to motivate and inspire people to do what you want them to do… and hopefully what they want to do as well.” So many leaders run into the problem of assigning tasks that individuals do not want to complete. Unfortunately, when people complete tasks that they do not necessarily WANT to do, it is completed with less than their full effort. It is up to leaders to find ways around this… by finding motivated employees who put their best foot forward at all times.

More than that, Dr. Guay specifically dives into what he believes it takes to be a leader. He explains that people skills and motivational skills are a large factor. Along with that, the ability to empower, delegate, and articulate a vision are all critical factors as well. Of course, it is more complicated than just these five factors, but these lay out the main supporting elements.

If Dr. Guay could provide all leaders with one piece of advice, it would be to, “Do a better job of providing honest and constructive feedback to those around you.” So many people in this world are afraid of confrontation and conflict. Yet, the results of providing and receiving constructive feedback can go so far for individuals. It creates a beneficial learning environment for everyone.

Furthermore, during my discussion with Dr. Guay about leadership insight, I asked if there were specific steps that individuals needed to take to be successful leaders, or if he felt everyone had their own journey to leadership. As his response, which I could not state better myself, he determined that, “Some leadership styles are shown to work better than others, but we all have to develop our own style through trial and error.” Dr. Guay and I also discussed how not all situations will require the same style. Leaders must be adaptable and flexible.

Lastly, Dr. Guay and I discussed the challenges that come with being a leader. Some leaders try too hard to avoid conflict. However, the importance that comes with these challenges, is how leaders overcome them. Leaders “have to find a way to develop leadership courage, and find a way to not care what everyone else thinks. They have to make continuous improvement.” Everyone should have a mindset that is willing to change and fluctuate with the challenges they continuously face. Not every situation will be the same, which means you cannot treat it the same way and expect the same results.

Leadership Insight – Student Perspective

Madison Ollendieck, a student at Allen College, just recently completed the Heart of a Leader Training. Allen College is a private university focused on healthcare, which provided her with the training opportunity. Ollendieck took away many useful perspectives from the training. She was excited to incorporate what she learned into the feedback she shared with me. When asked to define leadership, Ollendieck stated, “I think of individuals who are not only thinking of themselves, but hold true intentions of those around them.” She believes that leadership is about supporting others through their journey and celebrating their success as much as our own. At the end of the day, it takes more than one person to make a team.

Moreover, when Ollendieck was asked what she believes it takes to be a leader, she responded, “I think in order to be a leader, you need to be selfless.” She elaborates by explaining how being a leader is a lot of work. There will be times in leadership roles where you will have to put in extra work, because nobody else wants to. Ollendieck provides the example of how most of the time leaders will be the ones to show up first, and yet still be the last one to leave.

If Ollendieck could provide all leaders with one piece of advice, she would tell them to, “Take a second to reflect on how your actions could impact others, and remove all of your biases from the situation.” Delivering the facts is important to avoid messy, biased situations. For instance, when she handles patients she always reflects on how she must act prior to entering their room. She sticks to the medical facts and avoids holding any personal feelings.

During the conversation with Ollendieck, I asked if there were specific steps that individuals needed to take to be successful leaders, or if she felt everyone had their own path to leadership. She concluded, “Everyone has their own journey to leadership. But, the one thing people need to do before considering a leadership position, is reflect on themselves.” Ollendieck continued, “I recently took a leadership camp where I learned that all of my mental blocks were getting in the way of the growth I could develop.” She expresses that because not everyone experiences the same mental blocks, their journeys will look different from others.

Finally, Ollendieck and I discussed the biggest challenges to being a leader. Ollendieck believes that sacrifice is one of the hardest challenges to leadership. She believes that reflecting on WHY we continue to push past hardships – can help overcome the challenges. Further, she also claims that the reminder of how grateful one should be to see the differences they make, can also push people past challenges.

Leadership Reminders

Do not forget to lean on those around you for help. Sometimes one of the biggest struggles, is allowing people to help. However, sometimes accepting help is the only way to get through the hard times.

Lead with passion. Lead with purpose.

Be in a leadership role for the right reasons. It is not about the title, or the money, or the ability to boss people around. It is about inspiring and the willingness to have patience for those around you.

The goal is to work together with coworkers – to do better every day. Everyone at an organization should have the same goal. Utilize that goal as an advantage.

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