The presentation by Barbara Smith
Logan on Minding messages, mindsets,
& motives: A pathway to efficacious leadership is the presentation that
ties the program together. “Messages, according to Smith Logan, are those positive
and negative mental messages that are repeated to us day after day, year after
year and decade after decade.” One has the ability to embrace those messages,
good or bad, and either to use them to thrive or die. Smith Logan’s message of
“efficacy is the power to produce the desired effect. It is your power or your capacity to produce
the desired effect” (Smith Logan, 2017) is profoundly
poignant
and applicable.
While in the Doc. Program we can choose to believe those things that limit us
or those that foster our abilities. If only it were so easy make that
choice – believe some and not others.
If
an organization is dysfunctional and its leaders have traits such as
authoritarianism, are craving power and/or are pushing forth a personal agenda there
is little room to develop strong messages and support. Within the context of
the Institutes of Higher Education (IHE) structure organizational dysfunction
seems to be a norm rather than an exception. This, I believe, is due to the
fact that even though we operate under a business model we are not producing
widgets. The goal of HE is the edification of people. Which, in and of it self,
is measurable via testing, accreditation, job placement, etc. but it is not
palpable. The Seven Phases of Planned Change
model posited by Lippit, Watson and Westly seems to best reflect the process
that IHE tend to follow when trying to foster change. The difficulty with Lippit,
Watson and Westly it is only effective and/or successful when implementing low
level and less effective changes. Rather than trying to see change as dynamic
it is static; only addressing the current issues rather than demonstrating a
view that is long term, forward thinking and expansive.
Dr.
Alexander Durant and Mr. Amanuel Teklu, from the International Institute of
Wisconsin, alluded to this type of change within the context of the refugee
system in Wisconsin and throughout the world. Although there is a systemic need
for a restructuring of the process refuges management there is no movement
within world leadership to address the need. One of the issues is that “we must
continually educate ourselves because we don’t know from where the next group
is coming from” (Durtka, 2017). This global connectedness is too much for the
majority of Americans. Although,
The
World is Flat according to Thomas Friedman, in an age of instant posts,
tweets and snaps, we are disconnected. In an age of instant posts, tweets and
snaps, there is little that binds us together sans the desire by the few to
create a world that functional leadership reigns, recognizes when it needs to
create change and reinforces the development of new leaders.
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| Young children at UNHCR camp Minaloc, Rwanda (2007) |
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| UNHCR camp Minaloc, Rwanda (2007) |
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