ORGL 518: Transforming Leadership
Professor: Spring 2023
Taken: Spring 2023
Description: Description: Transforming Leadership is designed as a graduate-level seminar examination of the dynamics of transformation and how leadership can facilitate it within individuals and organizations. Specifically the guiding questions are:
What is transformation; and
How can transformation be facilitated in individuals and organizations?
As a graduate-level seminar, emphasis is placed on students and teacher forming a community of both practice and learning –of praxis–so all may both engage the current understanding of and develop new insights into the theory and practice of transforming leadership.
Reflection: I have always looked for approval. Approval from parents, teachers, managers, friends, and even my spouse. I thought approval from others would bring me happiness and lessen my anxiety. With this method, I found increased anxiety while looking externally for happiness and approval. I believe, in recent years, I’ve undergone my biggest professional and personal transformation, the transformation of me. We shouldn’t be ashamed of our past or the trials and tribulations that got us to where we are today. I have found, in my journey, that sharing my true self I am more at peace.
I have learned that true leadership requires courage but also requires people. I work hard to remember that failure is always an option and failure is a learning opportunity, failure is not always a negative. Moving forward from failure takes courage, being authentic takes courage. I walked away from this class thinking that maybe that’s what transformational leadership is all about, courage. It challenges the status quo. To walk towards the unconventional and lead teams into the unknown takes great courage. Change is hard, transformation is even harder. Leading from the front, driving transformation, requires courage.
