Running head: LEADERSHIP PHILOSOPHY & ACTION PLAN 1

Leadership Philosophy & Action Plan

Hugo Pinales

Northern Arizona University

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Leadership Philosophy

John Quincy Adams once said, “if your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more,

do more and become more, you are a leader." All leaders have different ways of leading their

groups, and their methods of leading are neither right or wrong. Their leadership styles are the

characteristics that create them as a leader. Leadership is defined as the process whereby

individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal (Northouse, 2016, p. 6).

Over the past centuries, the definition of leadership has evolved from the ability to impress the

will of the leader on those led and induce obedience, respect, loyalty, and cooperation

(Northouse, 2016, p. 2) to the one mentioned earlier. Throughout the years the climate at

workplaces, especially in higher education, has shifted drastically to the point that it has become

important for leaders to make genuine connections with followers. But because each leader is

different, they exercise different leadership skills to connect with different personalities and

situations. I believe it is important for leaders to make genuine connections with followers as it

will create an impact on the culture of the department. Transformational leadership and authentic

leadership both contribute to the success of creating meaningful relationships with followers.

The exchange between leaders and followers is an important element of any organization.

Leaders using the transformational leadership approach engage with others and create a

connection that raises the level of motivation and morality in both the leader and the followers

(Northouse, 2016, p. 162). Leaders who exhibit transformational leadership have a strong set of

internal values and ideals. Additionally, they can motivate followers to support the greater good.

Within transformational leadership, there are four factors idealized influence, inspirational

motivation, intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration.

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Another leadership theory that was brought up during the research of transformational

leadership is authentic leadership. Authentic leadership can be defined in three different

viewpoints: intrapersonal, interpersonal, and developmental. Intrapersonal perspectives focus on

the leader and what goes on within the leader (Northouse, 2016, p. 196). For example, the leader

creates meaning to previous experiences and become an important part of the development of the

authentic leader. The second definition incorporates the relationship between the leader and the

follower through an interpersonal perspective. Authenticity emerges from the interaction

between leaders and followers, and it is a reciprocal process between both sides (Northouse,

2016, p. 196). Lastly, authentic leadership can be defined from a developmental perspective

because leadership is something that can be nurtured in a leader, rather than a fixed trait

(Northouse, 2016, p. 196). These are not skills that we are born with and continue to develop.

Instead, these are skills that we gain during our experience and interactions with others.

Transformational leaders are able to relate to other because they have gone through the same

experiences as their followers.

Within all three definitions of authentic leadership, the leader is developing this skill

through their life experiences. Theses leaders are composed of four components self-aware,

internalize moral perspective, balanced processing and relational transparency (Northouse, 2016,

p. 196). During my interview with Dr. Annaraquel Macias, she mentioned it was important to

connect and build a relationship with colleagues as they are the individuals you will be working

with to fulfill the department’s mission. It is important to be are aware of the person’s emotions

and actions in certain situations because as leaders you have to motivate them during hard times.

Additionally, Dr. Marcis mentioned that being authentic with them and yourself will create a

positive environment in the organization. The definitions provided by Lynelle Coxen, Leoni van
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der Vaart, and Marius W. Stander (2016) authentic leaders are perceived as leaders who show

authenticity and can foster respect, credibility and, ultimately, trust among subordinates (Coxen,

van der Vaart, & Stander, 2016). Like transformation leadership, this is a leadership skill that

gained through the leader's experience. They want to ensure that they are giving information that

will be beneficial for their colleagues.

I select both transformational leadership and authentic leadership because of both work

hand in hand. Leaders are taking a genuine interest when interacting with others. Dr. Macias

makes it her priority to make sure she is making meaningful connections with other staff/faculty.

She is always pushing people to the organization's goal as well as improving the performance of

the followers to reach their full potential. To continue to motivate members successfully, it is

important that it is being done authentically. The genuine interaction between the leader and the

follower will be reciprocal, and both will be committed to the mission of the organization. I

admire the leadership style of Dr. Macias because she is a reflection of being an authentic leader.

The strong will from her grandmother and the inclusivity of her colleague from CSU Dominguez

Hills gave her the qualities of being an authentic, transformational leader.

To reflect on my personal leadership skill, I completed the Authentic Leadership

Questionnaire (ALQ). In its early phases of development, ALQ is a 16-item instrument that

measures four factors of authentic leadership: self-awareness, internalized moral perspective,

balanced processing, and relational transparency (Northouse, 2016, p. 217). By me completing

the questionnaire, I will be able to measure and understand my characteristic as an authentic

leader through the four factors mentioned above. I had to rate each statement on a score from 1-5

(1=strong disagree to 5=strongly agree). Out of the 16-items, my score was the following:

Self-awareness: 18
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Internalized Moral Perspective: 16

Balances Processing: 16

Relational Transparency: 14

From the results, I was pretty surprised that I ranked high on self-awareness with a total score of

18. Self-awareness is the personal insights I have of myself as a leader, which included my core

values, identity, emotions, motives, and goals (Northouse, 2016, p. 202). As a new professional

in higher education, it is surprising that this was my highest on the score because I believe I am

still trying to figure the type of leader I am in my field. As mentioned by Northouse, I am aware

of and trust my feelings on this subject. In my department, I am one of the youngest staff

members, and I am constantly evaluating and refining my leadership skills. As I reflect on my

experience, it is a strength that I never was aware of, but it is true, I am aware of my actions

identity, and motives to continue the work I am doing.

On the other hand, my lowest score was in relational transparency. Relational

transparency refers to being open and honest in presenting one’s true self to others (Northouse,

2016, p. 203). I would agree with this score because I tend to shield my personal feelings and

motives, in which I believe it can be a negative aspect of my leadership qualities. When chatting

with Dr. Macias, she mentioned that her second home is the campus and that it is important to

share feelings and emotions with those your work with because you can see a genuine quality

from people. This is something I tend not to share, and I could correlate that with me being an

introvert leader. In connection with self-awareness, I am personally aware of this weakness in

my leadership skills and working on it by sharing my feelings about certain office issues.

Diversity
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The meaning of diversity continues to expand beyond race, gender, or sexual orientation

within an organization. Diversity, as an organizational asset, also encompasses economic,

educational, and generational differences, along with any other disparity in the background

(Tavakoli, 2015). Diversity has become a vital asset to an organization. A Forbes Insights study

surveying 321 companies with more than $500 million in revenue found that 85 percent agreed

or strongly agreed that diversity is a key to driving workplace innovations (Tavakoli, 2015). I

have been fortunate to work at the same institution in which I received my Bachelor’s degree

where they stress the importance of diversity. Within California State University San Marcos’

mission, it indicates that they will “provide a range of services that respond to the needs of a

student body with diverse backgrounds, expanding student access to an excellent and affordable

education” (California State University San Marcos, 2017). The university has stressed

numerous times the importance of diversity from the curriculum offered to the faculty/staff

assisting with the daily operations of the University.

As an advisor to a student programming entity, my goal is to provide my students with

the tools needed to provide programming for our diverse campus. Not only will they be

programming by the University’s mission, but they will be able to interact and build

relationships with diverse groups on campus to learn further and understand those communities.

In her interview, Dr. Macias mentioned how important it was for her to connect with someone on

the campus that had faced similar hardships as a Latina woman. By taking this approach, not

only do I want the student to gain valuable knowledge and skills but I also want other students on

campus to feel appreciated by offering diverse programs for them to enjoy. Research has

indicated that socially diverse groups (race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation) are more

innovative than homogeneous groups (Phillips, 2014). I want to make it my personal goal that
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my students can collaborate with different individuals as they will all gain valuable skills from

each other and will prepare them to solve difficult challenges in the future.

Ethics

In a recent survey of American companies, 56% of employees reported observing at least

one act of misconduct at work (Mayer, Kuenzi, & Greenbaum, 2010). Ethics plays an important

role within any organization. When describing ethics, we are concerned with the values and

morals of a leader, and how they are viewed by individuals. Additionally, the ethical theory

provides a system of rule or principles that guide us in making decisions about what is right or

wrong and good or bad in a particular situation (Northouse, 2016, p. 330). Dr. Macias mentioned

that she would observe leaders who weren’t doing a good job and realized that their actions did

not match her values as a leader. Those leaders were examples for her to be a better leader. In

assignment 1, I mentioned that Dr. Macias exemplified the characteristics of a transformational

leader. Within transformational leadership, leaders often have high standards of moral and

ethical conduct and can be counted on to do the right thing (Northouse, 2016, p.167). In my

pursuit to being a transformation leader, I am aware the I have high standards of moral and

ethical conduct. I have been given the opportunity to receive a promotion at my current

institution because I can be counted on to do the right thing. It is in my best interest to continue

to be ethical in every decision I make for the department and my students. In personal

experiences with other individuals who have not been ethical with their work, it has been

difficult for them to recover from those issues. That shadow either follows them through the

work or they simply have to leave the University for a fresh start.

Conclusion
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Transformational and authentic leadership both work hand and hand to create positive

interactions that help develop and nourish relationship between leaders and followers. These are

strong skills that I appreciated from Dr. Macias as she makes it a priority to connect with

different departments. She is not doing it to advance her agenda, but she is interested in making

connections that will motivate individuals. Personal connections are a great form of relating with

one another. Dr. Macias stated, "personal connections and humor create new connections with

those who you would not have connected with. I would even say that the greatest leaders I have

worked with created personal connection with those they worked with". As a young professional

entering higher education, I aspire to be like Dr. Macias. Her dedication and personal experience

inspire me to be a better leader with my colleagues and students. My goal is to “inspire others to

dream more, learn more, do more and become more."

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References

California State University San Marcos. (2017). Campus Facts: Mission, Visions, & Values.

Retrieved from California State University San Marcos:

http://www.csusm.edu/about/facts/mission.html

Coxen, L., van der Vaart, L., & Stander, M. W. (2016). Authentic leadership and organisational

citizenship behaviour in the public health care sector: The role of workplace trust. SA

Journal of Industrial Psychology, 1-13.

Mayer, D. M., Kuenzi, M., & Greenbaum, R. L. (2010). Examining the Link Between Ethical

Leadership and Employee Misconduct: The Mediating Role of Ethical Climate. Journal

of Business Ethics, 7-16.

Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership Theory and Practice (Seventh Edition). Thousand Oaks:

SAGE.

Phillips, K. W. (2014, October 1). How Diversity Makes Us Smarter. Retrieved from Scientific

American: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-diversity-makes-us-smarter/

Tavakoli, M. (2015). Diveristy & inclusion drive success for today's leaders. Talent

Development, 46-51.