Self Differentiated Leadership
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According to Friedman (1996), we must regulate our responses and learn to manage our impulses to become effective leaders. Self-differentiated leaders understand the importance of limits. They can be empathetic without losing sight of their emotional needs and connect with people without losing their identity.
To be a differentiated leader, I need to learn how to dialogue effectively. This can be achieved with a crucial conversation strategy.
An effective leader should expect to be attacked due to their leadership; sabotage is a sign that the leader is doing the right thing. The key to leadership success is the not anxious response from the self-differentiated leader. Effective leaders resist being in an emotional triangle and influence others to take responsibility for themselves. They develop healthy differentiation and autonomy among individuals in their organizations.
I recognized three key factors that will help me become a self-differentiated leader: Self-awareness, Self-motivation, and Self-regulation.
Crucial Conversations
Every day, we engage in many conversations. However, when these conversations turn routine into crucial, we are often in trouble. That’s because emotions don’t prepare us to converse effectively, and we avoid or handle them poorly.
As a leader intending to bring about change in my organization, it is essential to recognize a conversation that quickly can turn heated and learn how to manage it. The consequences of either avoiding or fouling up this conversation can be severe and could affect my Innovation Plan.
Patterson et al. (2012, pp 3) define a crucial conversation as “A discussion between two or more people where the stakes are high, opinions vary, and emotions run strong.” The strategy to handle these conversations includes skills of talking, listening, and acting together. They recommend the following steps to get unstuck and start mastering these crucial conversations.
As I prepare to launch my innovation plan, I know crucial conversations could be difficult for me. However, I feel more confident in encountering these conversations now that I have strategies to help me navigate effectively. I will be able to foster a healthy and positive environment to execute my goal of implementing ePortfolios.
REFERENCES
Friedman, E. H.(1996). Reinventing leadership discussion guide. New York, Guilford.
Camp, J. (2010, November 10). Friedman’s Theory of Differentiated Leadership Made Simple. YouTube. Retrieved April 15, 2023, from https://youtu.be/RgdcljNV-Ew
Patterson, K., Granny, J., McMillan, R., & Switzler, A. (2012). Crucial conversation tools for talking when stakes are high. Columbus, OH: McGraw-Hill.