5 RESPONSES DUE IN 6 HOURS
respond to at least two classmates
KELVIN’S POST:
An incompetent leader would not be able to trust an employee because they think that the employee is less competent than themselves. This would lead to a violation of trust. Ethical leaders have to put their trust in their employees. If trust is not established or broken, the leader is therefore unethical. Unethical leadership refers to leader behaviors or actions that are illegal or violate existing moral standards. The moral standards of trusting one another would be violated by an incompetent leader. Also, incompetent leaders tend to be arrogant or pridefully overconfident. This can lead to “classing heads” with employees in the work environment.
EDWIN’S POST:
Incompetent means to lack the training or skills to accomplish a task or to do something in particular with success. If a leader is incompetent, I believe it would be difficult for them to understand how to lead ethically. This may vary depending on the situation. If someone in a leadership position is lacking what they need to be successful it may not mean they will automatically make unethical decisions. For example, if I were to get a job as a manager at a welding company, in which I have zero experience, I would still attempt to run things as best as possible. My skills as a leader would still help me make decent decisions when it comes to things that involve the employees and that side of my job. Although, I may not understand the welding part, I would still understand certain things like, we should not cut corners on a project, we should follow all policies and procedures, and that we should perform jobs safely. This is a question that can be determined by a lot of variables so I would say yes, it is possible for an incompetent leader to still be ethical depending on what the leader is incompetent about and the circumstances. Now, if the leader was just incompetent about everything and simply unaware of their ignorance for some reason, that may be a bigger issue and that can cause them to act in an unethical manner.
respond to at least two classmates
RUSSELL’S POST
This is the first discussion question that I feel the book answers straightforwardly. There are empirical positives and negatives to working within and being a part of a group that the book does an excellent job of laying out. However, I was a little alarmed at how many of the traits of group work were negative. Groupthink, illusion of invulnerability, inherent morality, rationalization, out-groups and in-groups (several of the negatives concerned this), pressuring dissenters, poly think, intragroup conflict, leaks, confusion, framing information, lowest common denominator, decision paralysis, limited review, non-reappraisal of dismissed option, mismanaged agreement, escalating commitment, excessive control, moral exclusion, and a few others I may have glossed over. The main point is that groups have the potential to accomplish much more than the individual, but at what cost? Oftentimes that cost is the mental, spiritual and emotional well-being of the members. Sometimes the members themselves are sacrificed (dismissed from the group or fired altogether) as a scapegoat. At a minimum, most group members will feel a frustration with some aspect of the work they have accomplished. We all want to feel like we were not just a part of the event, but the lynchpin. “They couldn’t have done this without me suggesting that.” That ego is natural and healthy for the submission of innovative ideas, but it can overtake you if you focus too long.
On the other hand, I can say that when a successful meeting has finished or a project has been completed that I was a part of a group effort, you do feel a different kind of pride in the accomplishment. You head to your car at the end of the day a little lighter when there were no arguments or you managed to contribute something significant to the proceedings. That is a good feeling, and it keeps people coming back. Leaders should maximize these opportunities whenever possible.
BRITTANY’S POST:
I believe groups bring out the best in us overall because from what I’ve seen in my life, working in a group setting forces us to be accountable for our actions and our words. We can’t shirk our responsibilities even a bit because there are other witnesses right there with us. That’s not a bad thing whatsoever – if the entire group holds each other accountable, the quality of the product or content being produced by the group can be expected to be greater than it could be otherwise.
Groups can also bring out the worst in us, definitely. Some people tend to be a bit controlling when it comes to different projects if they’re over-excited; conversely, it can also give other people an out in order to be a bit laxer with the quality of their own contributions to the project itself.
Then, respond/reply to at least one other student (the best response/reply will have at least two (2) paragraphs with at least five (5) sentences each).
ROLANDA’S POST:
My scores suggest that I am strong in all four components of the assessment. I agree with it because the way my mother raised me it’s hard for me to not carry myself a certain way. We were brought up in the church (every Sunday, Wednesday and Saturday night) we played sports for the church team and when my mom was work she would have the church bus come pick us up. My internalized moral perspective was the highest score. The book defined that one as “self-regulatory process whereby individuals use their internal moral standards and values to guide their behavior rather than allow outside pressures to control them” (pg. 204).
On the SLQ assessment I scored high in the emotional healing, conceptual skills, putting followers 1st, and behaving ethically. I scored moderate in creating value for the community, empowering, and helping followers grow and succeed. I believe that the results support my view of myself because I’m not in a leadership role as of now so I don’t see myself as being able to push people to grow or empower them. I do support them in their choices and root for them to finish especially close friends. The ones I scored high on are parts of my character that’s just the type of person I am.
I believe my best fit is the Authentic Leadership.
