Module 2- Macy Jackson

  As I read more about leadership, especially in technology integration, I continually think of two Business Education teachers I've had the pleasure to work with at the Randolph Technical Center.  I enjoy working with all the Business Education teachers there as well which I believe is partly due to how these two teachers have influenced their colleagues.  These two teachers worked over a decade together and I believe brought the best out of each other.
  I will focus on one of them today for the purpose of this assignment.  I student taught under Paula Heinke at the Randolph Technical Center before she retired at the end of my semester.  She was currently teaching DCT (Diversified Cooperative Training) but also took on some administration responsibilities.  She was very vibrant and cheerful which made her well liked with administrators, colleagues, students and parents.  The teacher most skilled in technology, the other teacher whose leadership qualities I admire, Denise Stalnaker, seemed to know everything about integrating technology but Mrs. Heinke was never intimidated by technology.  In fact, she always excited to try new ways to incorporate technology into her class and was never fazed when there were minor setbacks in the adjustment period.
  Mrs. Heinke believed her students and school were capable of greatness.  She even believed I was capable of greatness!  So it inspired me, us and almost everyone around us to do great things and enjoy the satisfaction that came with it.  For example, she was a DECA club advisor who motivated students to make DECA competition projects that were great enough for many of her students to win at competitions year after year.  But even better than that, she inspired DECA students, colleagues and administrators to contribute to a Christmas Party for developmentally disabled adults each year which forever altered each volunteers view of holiday cheer after seeing the happy faces of those often times left out of the holiday cheer.
  Her referent power and participative leadership were keys to her leadership style.  She had solid education and experience in her field yet identified with everyone.  In knowing there was the potential for greatness in all those around her, she loved to here ideas from a variety of others in hopes of making every task or project more successful, innovative or efficient.  Mrs. Stalnaker stands out to me as someone who holds expert power yet is humble enough to always continue to learn more and help others try to keep up with her.

When taking the leadership quizzes it was helpful to reflect on the questions asked and to see where my strengths and weaknesses were.  Here are some of my strengths based on the quizzes.

Personal Mastery (Questions 1, 3, 8, 14)

Your score is 18 out of 20   

When you know how to "lead yourself" and make good choices for your future, you'll be that much further ahead when it comes to the other skills areas that we've already looked at.

Start by setting personal goals, using SMART principles to accomplish these. As part of this exercise, analyze your strengths, and reflect on the values that you hold.

No matter how positive you feel now, it's also important to learn how to deal with negative thinking. From there, you can build your self confidence and self esteemso that you can achieve goals that really matter. 

Emotional Intelligence

(Questions 5, 15)

Your score is 9 out of 10   

The concept of emotional intelligence used to be referred to as "soft skills," "character", or even "communication skills". The more recent idea of Emotional Intelligence (EQ) offers a more precise understanding of a specific kind of human talent. EQ is the ability to recognize feelings – your own and those of others – and manage those emotions to create strong relationships.

Learning to develop Empathy is essential for emotional intelligence, as is communicating effectively, and practicing Empathic Listening. These all help you really understand the other person's perspective.

Here are areas I need to improve:

Managing Performance Effectively (Questions 3, 13)

Your score is 6 out of 10   

Effective leaders manage performance by setting their expectations clearly and concisely. When everyone knows what's expected, it's much easier to get high performance. There's little uncertainty, therefore you can deal with performance issues quickly. And if things have already started to slide, our article on Re-Engaging Team Members offers some excellent tips for turning a negative situation back to a positive one.

As you create rules, help the team understand Why the Rules Are There. Involve them in the rule-making process, and make sure your expectations align with the resources and support available. Apply rules fairly and consistently.

Leadership and Management (Questions 5, 7, 12)

Your score is 10 out of 15   

Whether you're in a formal leadership position or not, you need good leadership and management skills if you're going to make best use of the opportunities open to you. (After all, you can get much, much more done when you have the help of other people.) The good news is that you can learn how to lead and manage effectively!

Although there is some crossover between leadership and management, they are essentially two different skill sets. Find out what makes a great leader in our article and video that answers the question, "What is Leadership?" Then discover the key skills needed to manage a team in our guide to Team Management Skills.

  As a Business Education teacher, I aspire to be a small business owner in some capacity.  I have worked very hard in a variety of different jobs to get through some tough times financially and some have been great career moves.  I think those jobs have given me a very strong work ethic.  I hope someday to be a leader, like Paula Heinke, who can be likable but also command the best out of people.

  More recently, I work part-time substitute teaching and in a variety of different volunteer capacities with others and have been successful as a team player communicating my needs and reaching goals.  I believe in my work now, I have more of a concern for others whereas I believe as a small business owner I would need more of a consideration for production.  It would be difficult for me to consider all others requests until they have devoted a comparable amount of resources into the company.  

  Another concern of mine in my capacity as a leader is that a considerable amount of my working years were in Florida.  In my experience, it seems there may be a different unspoken standard in a small West Virginia community than in a impersonal busy city.  I hope to strike a balance to have the compassion for others and the high standard of a service/product that a customer can always expect.