Elizabeth Munoz

ORGL-3311
Issues of Organizational Leadership
March 6, 2015

Leadership is only as powerful as its weakest link. In other words, if a leader empowers,
builds their team, and works as part of the team, then you will see a truly successful leader. A
leader will encourage the team to grow and succeed; but a leader will also be humble enough to
admit when they are wrong. This does not come easy but it is also not impossible. One will face
adversity most often than not. Ultimately, the way you carry yourself will make the difference in
your success or failure.
Self-respect is an important value in leadership. When a leader behaves with honor,
dignity, and shows respect towards the employees and team members will reciprocate those
actions. Having a leader that you can look up to and depend on for guidance in any area is
something that I believe people search for, especially when it comes to their career. Having a
strong foundation in leadership allows for the person to be more confident and head strong.
Being able to perform tasks efficiently and successfully in your area or chosen career is a lot
easier said than done. Competence is rarely measured by how much a person knows but rather by
their credentials. I believe and have seen many times where the person in the leadership position
will have a decorated wall of credentials but is unable to perform their duties due to lack of
knowledge on the area that they were hired to run. Yes credentials are important and necessary
but in my opinion, experience is worth a lot more that a piece of paper. A person in a leadership
position must be autonomous, in some cases referred to the person as having a backbone. In the
past it has been said that leaders are not born they are made. And in some cases the person can be
born with the ability to perform independently and have confidence to take the initiative. This is
a tale-tell sign of a leader or leader in the making. As a person in a position of leadership I strive
to demonstrate that I have to be the first to show up to work and the last to leave and all that time
in between I strive to make decisions that will benefit the company. In past experiences I have

appreciated more when my leader does what is best even though we might think otherwise. The
point in doing this is that even though your team might disagree, the end result you show them
that you meant well by showing successful results. Leading a group or a team is tricky because
by looking out in what best for the company you also have to take care of the team you are
leading. By demonstrating loyalty and integrity, you are showing your team that they have your
support regardless of whether they are right or wrong. By showing support and a having a spirit
of comradery with your team, you are communicating to them that you are there to support them,
help them grow, and succeed together. Giving credit where credit is deserved will edify your
teams morale and spirits and create a more stable team.
The past 10 years I worked for a local school district and my experience with leadership
was from my hire-ups. I worked for a program that worked with students with hearing
impairments and that program was housed by this particular school district. Surrounding school
districts bus in their students because our school district is currently the only school district in
this region to provide the necessary accommodations for the students with hearing impairments.
The leadership quality that I experienced from the regional program was beyond disorganized.
Decisions about curriculum and material for the students were made by people who worked in an
office and were not aware of our students needs. We were often given curriculum and material
that was inappropriate for our students and we found it to be a waste of time resources and funds.
On the other hand, I saw excellent leadership from our schools principals and staff. Teachers
were always willing to go out of their way for our students as well as us, the paraprofessionals.
Our principal was always ready to lend an ear to our complaints and quick to offer suggestions
and advice. Being the busiest person in the school, he was ready to drop what he was doing and
in many occasions he spoke on our behalf when it came to irrational decisions made by our

program chair. My outlook on leadership has been molded by his example and I have learned
that when you take care of the people you supervise, they will in turn take care of you. Your
team will be more willing to perform tasks and put the time and effort into projects if they see
your genuine sincerity and consideration towards their suggestions, opinions and well-being. I
have also seen the other side of the spectrum. Due to the lack of effective leadership, in a span of
10 years, our program went from having 13 certified personnel to one certified person on staff.
Most of us have left mainly because we were underpaid and our work and effort was never
appreciated. In many cases we found that our leaders kept demanding more and more duties as
assigned with showing no regard for our well-being or if were even able to perform the task at
hand.
There are many approaches to leadership but as a leader, we must be familiar with all of
them. Finding a balance between leadership styles is important because we will work with
people of all walks of life. My personal leadership style is more people oriented. I believe that
building a positive rapport will allow trust among the team and tasks will be handled with less
resistance, especially the harder or longer projects. Being task oriented is important, but I believe
that if you have a strong work relationship with your team then that will lead them to
automatically being task oriented. In past experiences I have seen a leader relaxed and show
interest and concern for the team, they will in turn want to work to please their leader because
they feel that connection and see their leader as an equal over a more powerful boss figure.
When faced with a conflict, one must put all bias views aside and look at the issue at hand from
different perspectives while keeping a cool and collected mentality. By sitting down with the
people involved with the situation and putting all the issues out on the table, everybody involved
can see the big picture and be informed of all the different angles involved. After all the issues

are presented, then the people involved can present different solutions to the issues. Everyone
must discuss and compromise so that everyone has a say in the matter. The final result will be a
fully informed and collaborative decision.