Anyone else interested in Leadership Studies?

"The longest journey on earth begins with a single step" (Anonymous).

Anyone else interested in Leadership
Studies? Paul A. Dickey

"New research suggests the most effective executives use a collection of distinct leadership styles—each in the right measure, at just the right time. Such flexibility is tough to put into action, but it pays off in performance. And better yet, it can be learned" (Goleman, 2000).

So what?

The Associated Press reported on April 21, 2005, that CSU ("California State University") has over 400,000 students and is collectively the nation's largest four-year public university system. 28,000 of those students are attending Sac State ("California State University, Sacramento") for Fall 2006.

Should Sac State provide undergraduates with an opportunity to take classes on leadership? It's true, business majors study a few chapters in leadership theories and essentially learn that leadership can be taught. But is this really enough to equip the next generation of graduates with the necessary skills and knowledge base to have a rewarding business career? Perhaps our graduates will develop such leadership skills on the job, given time and the appropriate support.

However, would students consider enrolling in classes that are designed to evolve and develop their leadership foundation? Would they be interested to learn and study the in-depth soft-skills and emotional intelligence required to develop into a successful leader, and then go on to graduate with a degree in leadership? Obviously such a program cannot be instituted overnight. As a practical matter, the first-step would be to develop one undergraduate business course in Leadership, and grow from there.

Yes, I think it's possible to stimulate the current business curriculum by affecting it with leadership. By doing this we can strengthen the college experience, while simultaneously educating ourselves to become the great leaders we have the potential to be. We should focus efforts on human capital in the long-run. I feel so strongly about the importance of Leadership that this blog has been dedicated to generate discussion, solicit feedback, and provoke comments, in short, to determine what you, the reader thinks.

DEFINE LEADERSHIP:

Because leadership and management are two terms that are often confused, let's start by peeling the onion back to find out the difference between them.

"Managers are people who do things right, while leaders are people who do the right thing. - On Becoming a Leader" (Bennis, 1994).

John Knotter of the HBS ("Harvard Business School") argues that management is about coping with complexity. Good management brings about order and consistency by drawing up formal plans, designing rigid organization structures, and monitoring results against the plans. Leadership, in contrast, is about coping with change. Leaders establish direction by developing a vision of the future then aligning people by communicating vision and inspiring them to overcome hurdles.

"We define leadership as the ability to influence a group toward the achievement of a vision or set of goals" (Robbins and Judge, 2007). Think about a manager who you thought did a good job, now would you also say that person was a great leader? Who are the great leaders that you've known? Were they born that way or was it a learned behavior? Sac State can help students who want to learn how to become great leaders, but first we've got to express enough interest and ask Sac State to provide the curriculum to help us get there.

THE FACTS:

Let’s look at the statistical data, research, and also be cognizant of the methods used to teach leadership.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics in May 2004, Management is the top occupation group that has the highest paying and also has the highest demand. Further to that fact, employers responding to NACE's ("National Association of Colleges and Employers") Job Outlook 2007 survey said that the job candidate who has held leadership positions has the edge over those that have no such record.

"When employers are considering two equally qualified new college graduates for a position, what influences their decision about which candidate to choose? In our survey, employers reported that the candidate's having held a leadership position would influence the decision very much," says Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director.

The following results showed that only the candidate's major was as influential on the decision as leadership:

• 4.0 - Has held leadership position
• 4.0 - Major
• 3.7 - High GPA, 3.0 or above
• 3.7 - Has been involved in extracurricular activities (clubs, sports, student gov't, etc.)
• 3.2 - Has done volunteer work
• 3.0 - School attended

(5-point scale, where 1=no influence at all, 2=not much influence, 3=somewhat of an influence, 4=very much influence, and 5=extreme influence) From mid-August through October 4, 2006, NACE collected data for the Job Outlook 2007 survey. The survey was provided to 1,137 members; there were a total of 267 usable surveys, a 23.5 percent response rate. Of those responding, 52.4 percent were service sector employers, 37.8 percent were manufacturers, and 9.7 percent were government/nonprofit employers. In addition, 38.6 percent of respondents were from the South, 25.5 percent were from the Midwest, 21.7 percent were from the Northeast, and the remaining 14.2 percent were from the West.

Emotional Intelligence:

Competency research in over 200 companies and organizations worldwide suggests that about one-third of this difference is due to technical skill and cognitive ability while two-thirds is due to emotional competence. In top leadership positions, over four-fifths of the difference is due to emotional competence (Goleman, 1998).

Trait theories of leadership differentiate leaders from non-leaders by focusing such personal qualities and characteristics. Recent studies are indicating another trait that may indicate effective leadership is emotional intelligence ("EI"). "EI is having the ability or skill to perceive, assess, and manage the emotions of one's self, of others, and of groups" (Goleman, 1998). Advocates of EI argue that without it, a person can have outstanding training, a highly analytical mind, a compelling vision, and an endless supply of terrific ideas but still not make a great leader (Robbins and Judge, 2007).

For example, a study looked at the successes and failures of eleven American presidents, which were evaluated on six qualities - communication, organization, political skill, vision, cognitive style, and emotional intelligence. It was found that the key quality that differentiated the successful (like Roosevelt, Kennedy, and Reagan) from the unsuccessful (like Johnson, Carter, and Nixon) was emotional intelligence (Princeton University Press, 2001).

After the publication of Daniel Goleman’s book on Emotional Intelligence in 1995, the topic has become one of the hottest in corporate America. For instance, when the Harvard Business Review published an article on the topic in 2003, it attracted a higher percentage of readers than any other article published in that periodical in the last 40 years. When the CEO of Johnson & Johnson read that article, he was so impressed that he had copies sent out to the 400 top executives in the company.

By having the top qualities/skills and a Bachelor's and/or Masters degree might land you a job. However, expert opinions based on supporting research strongly suggests it takes more than that to continually advance your career. Again, leadership can be taught.

In my MGMT 102 class:

We had a guest speaker from the Target Corporation. It was an interesting class session on the topic of employment interviews. He runs a Sacramento store with 8 salaried and 280 hourly employees. You may or may not find this surprising but his title is: "Team Leader," not General Manager and his direct subordinates are called "Executive Team Leaders" and not Assistant Managers. These are the same titles used across the entire enterprise at Target.

I asked him, "What's your biggest fear or what keeps you up at night?" He replied, "Hiring the right people. Over the next year, we're opening twelve new stores in Sacramento and we need people that can handle a 40-80 million dollar business all by themselves. Essentially, do what I do."

Can you guess what type of traits he's looking for during the interview process? You guessed it, they're searching for people with leadership qualities or at least have the potential to develop into leaders. I began to deduce that simply getting the title does not necessarily transform you into an authentic leader.

Do other schools teach Leadership? You bet they do!

Since the 1920s, the HBS has used an approach called the case method of teaching, which may represent the most demanding, engaging, and provocative way to learn about the skills of leadership, short of actually serving as a CEO. Their goal is to prepare graduate students for the challenges of leadership. They believe that the case method is by far the most powerful way to learn the skills required to manage, and to lead. Although they also make use of lectures, simulations, fieldwork, and other forms of teaching as appropriate, more than 80 percent of HBS classes are built on the case method.

Practice and theory of leadership are woven throughout the curriculum for students attending the Wharton School of Business at University of Pennsylvania. They’re focused on building skills, ethics, and communication, which fosters the leadership learning experience, built on the learning team model. It's designed to cultivate collaborative skills and teach leadership in the kind of horizontal teamwork environment found in most work teams and executive committees. Key curriculum topics include self-awareness, working in teams, and leading others.

It's hard to argue with the top education systems in the world, which are renowned for producing the leaders of tomorrow. These examples have been provided solely to illustrate what has worked, and to further stress the importance of instituting a curriculum on Leadership at Sac State.

Closer to Home:

UC ("University of California") Davis UC LEADS honors program was started in 2000. It is funded by the Office of the President and the California State Legislature. The UC LEADS program provides students with educational experiences that prepare them to assume positions of leadership in industry, government, public service, and academia.

Additional benefits include: research experience, research stipends (e.g., money), GRE ("Graduate Record Examination") preparation, seminars/workshops, advising, networking, and travel to professional meetings." Of course there are academic requirements, but you should know that all UC campuses participate in the aforementioned Leadership program:

• UC Berkeley
• UC Davis
• UC Irvine
• UC Los Angeles
• UC Riverside
• UC San Diego
• UC San Francisco
• UC Santa Barbara
• UC Santa Cruz

BACKGROUND:

The following is provided as a frame of reference, in terms of what business courses are available at Sac State. Including what recent advances have been made in the overall curriculum.

Sac State is fully accredited by the International AACSB ("Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business") at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The CBA ("College of Business Administration") currently offers curricula leading to a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with the following twelve concentrations:

• Accountancy; Accounting Information Systems; Entrepreneurship; Finance; General Management; Management of Human Resources and Organizational Behavior; International Business; Management Information Systems; Marketing; Operations Management; Real Estate and Land Use Affairs; Risk Management and Insurance Minors: Business Administration; Human Resources Management; Knowledge Management Technology; Marketing

For Spring 2006, Sac State instituted a new concentration named: Entrepreneurship. That brings the total up to twelve different business concentrations. Additionally, Sac State offers a MBA ("Master of Business Administration") with concentrations in:

• Finance, Human Resources Management, Management Computer Applications, Managerial Accounting, and Marketing; a Master of Science in Business Administration degree with options in Management Information Systems and Taxation; a Master of Science in Accountancy degree; and a Master of Science in Accountancy degree with a concentration in Tax.

For Fall 2006, Sac State launched a selective General Education Honors program. This unique program offers students a challenging liberal arts course of study enhanced by a close-knit community of students and faculty. It is the only honors program offered to undergraduates at Sac State. The central principle is that students need to ask questions for themselves, and that a community of people asking the same questions can support the active, inquisitive mind of the individual student.

CONCLUSION:

"Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other." John F. Kennedy

Some may argue that Leadership should only be taught at the graduate level in the MBA program. But at that level, perhaps Mentorship in the way of succession planning could be more valuable. The following is a list of potential ways to institute Leadership at the undergraduate level at Sac State:

• Leadership (and Followership) class
• Leadership Honors Program (require involvement of community leadership)
• Minor in Leadership Studies (open to all Sac State majors)
• Concentration in Leadership Studies

In summary, you know what Leadership means, that it can be taught, what other schools offer, the value employers place on it, and classes or a program on Leadership are not available to Sac State undergraduate students. Rather than pull all of the aforementioned key points into a single conclusion, remember this blog has been dedicated to record what you think and get your conclusion. Leadership is not a matter of finding a four-leaf clover. Change is progress when it's done right, now it's up to you to get involved and demand excellence!

Can leadership begin here, what do you think?

When posting comments, that would be great if you could include your name, major, and indicate whether you're an undergraduate or graduate student. In case you're not a student, then please tell us your profession and/or academic background. Thank you!