Week 2 Journal Post (1-14 & 1-16)

For our classes this past week, there were two main points that stood out to me that I had not really
considered in my everyday life until now. The points I will be discussing are the visible differences
between managers and leaders; as well as the fact that leadership is not necessarily in inherited
trait but a skill that can be learned and honed.

The argument of leadership vs management is a phenomenon that I have witnessed this very week
at my workplace. One person was written up at work because they were late due to the icy
conditions on the sidewalks during the walk to work. This made me think of the comparison in
which managers do things right whereas leaders do the right thing. I was even frustrated just
thinking that the manager could not cut them a break at all and empathize with their particular
situation. I feel there is a time and place for everything, including enforcing the rules to the
letter. Based on our comparisons concerning how leaders and managers handle particular
situations, I think personally that a leader analyzes each situation, brainstorms solutions and come
to an understanding in the end. Concerning my story about my work, I feel in most situations if you
properly communicate with all involved and just constructively criticize or iterate the expectations of
each person in the right tone; then that person (boss) would be viewed much more favorably in the
future and would be able to enforce the rules more effectively. This is not the only time I have seen
something of this nature at work, but our discussion in class made me reflect on not the traits of a
leader, but rather the skills that leaders exude.

This experience at work also made me think about the fact that leadership is not just a trait of
certain individuals, but a skill that can be learned by all wishing to lead in their own way. I thought in
high school and even now that leadership was something you were born with. In my last two years
at high school I was the best player on our soccer team and tennis team. Im not trying to brag
because Im not on the OSU sports teams or anything, just more of background
information. Particularly in soccer since its a team sport, I knew I had the physical abilities but felt
somewhat uncomfortable with trying to inspire and lead our team when we werent on the field. I
wanted to be able to lead our team everyday, but I just accepted the fact that I was not a natural-
born leader and therefore would just try to inspire with my play on the field. Bringing this to my
attention in class has me skeptical but very interested in learning some of the things that all leaders
have in common that I can use in my everyday life. All in all Im excited to learn this skill and apply
it as I move forward with hopes of attending graduate school and having a job where I have the
opportunity every day to lead and inspire others.

Week 3 Journal Post (1-21 & 1-23)

During this week in class the most striking experience to me was watching MLKs I have a dream
speech in its entirety. As I think about my personal purpose, mission, and vision statements;
MLKs speech helped clarify the importance of knowing these things in my own life. Particularly at
this stage in college in which I am prepared to graduate at the conclusion of this semester, I believe
it imperative to have clear goals and what type of person and influence I want to have on others
moving forward. To be honest at multiple points in his speech I got goosebumps not just from the
presentation, but the rich imagery in which he spoke with. With each passing sentence and
paragraph you could mentally see what future goals Dr. King saw, and how they were to be
achieved. Although I have applied to graduate school and am aware of the job I want when I
become part of the work force, I feel as though I am just going through the motions so to speak. I
have done the necessary things so far, however I feel I need to no longer accept the status quo,
but challenge it as demonstrated in our comparisons of managers and leaders. I want to have the
goal that constantly inspires and drives me when I wake up every morning. I have also learned
from my exercise and nutrition classes that goal-setting is one of the most important aspects of
starting and maintaining an exercise regimen. It is very important to set goals not too easy, yet not
impossible or unrealistic either. You almost want it just out of reach in which you must constantly
put forth that extra effort to try and achieve it. Overall I want to absorb the various aspects of Dr.


Kings speech and try to create that vivid image of my future self and do everything I can to make
that my reality.

Week 4 Journal Post (1-28 & 1-30)

From our discussions in class this past week, a few concepts stuck out to me due to how important I
believe they are in making what each person is every day. I am referring to each persons values
that he/she holds true to themselves and will (or at least should not) compromise on at any
point. Each persons morals really defines who they are and I believe cannot be faked because
ones initial reaction to ethical dilemmas tells you what someone really believes in. I feel the
development of ones morals comes from lessons of significant influences in their lives as well as
ones own experiences with these moral dilemmas. In this way I feel that most people who have
their parents around throughout childhood will behave similarly when confronted with ethical
issues. Whether having parents around in childhood or not, those closest to you whom you look up
to I feel will have the most profound impact on their moral development throughout their
lives. Personally I am grateful to have two older siblings who really kept me in line and helped
guide me from the moral foundations my parents provided to me. Listening and accepting various
views on the world can always change ones perspective and angle on their personal morals and
values. Although one should never waver on their stance regarding their own morals, adapting to
accept differing views can greatly provide one with greater understanding and exploration into the
values of others. With firm morals and an ability to adapt, I believe further cooperation and
understanding can be achieved amongst many different peoples and cultures.

The other point I wanted to touch on was the discussion we had which stated fair does not =
equal. I personally cannot think of many interesting examples on how this has impacted my life
recently. However I feel the topic blended in nicely with MLKs I have a dream speech which we
watched in class the week prior to this. It just made me think of when Dr. Birkenholz stated how
many people in our society use the words interchangeably as if they have the same
meaning. Pertaining to Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement, I personally believe the movement
dealt with both aspects of fairness and equality. At that time black citizens were treated as second
class citizens which would definitely be considered unfair and unequal in many ways. However
using the words for a leader, I found it most interesting that fairness is absolutely much more
important than treating everything and everyone equally. For example I thought if someone had
killed another person; would he/she get the same jail time as someone who received too many
parking tickets? When thinking of situations like this, I feel it is my prerogative to try from now on to
treat situations more dealing with fairness as opposed to equality.

Week 5 Journal Post (2/4 & 2/6)

During our time in class this week I thought the exercise involving arranging the leadership traits
conceptual model was the most interesting and telling of everyones differing opinions on what
makes a good leader. Personally I thought the exercise was very difficult to arrange just from my
opinion, let alone taking into account what everyone elses input being considered. It was much
easier dealing with the various qualities as tangible objects to arrange as opposed to attempting to
do so mentally. As the different groups presented their versions of the conceptual model, I found it
very difficult to disagree with much that was said through their explanations. I thought the group
who presented the cyclical model was a good idea because I feel that in some way all traits
considered are interdependent. The other one that stuck out to me was the model Dr. Birkenholz
presented. Ours were the same in that Integrity was part of the foundation, and in his case the
foundation in which all other aspects are bound to the fate of ones integrity. I believe the model I
constructed with one of my classmates had Intelligence and Integrity as the foundation in which
all other pieces are added in their order of importance to any great leader. I placed these as I did
because if one does not have Integrity then even if he/she is a leader, I feel their ambitions and
goals will be misdirected and the results will not involve fairness for all involved. Intelligence is the
other foundation piece in my conceptual model because I feel the truly great leaders have the


intelligence and tact to inspire many different types of people and knowing how and when to go
about doing so. All in all this week I was most fascinated with the similarities and differences
amongst the varying leadership traits conceptual models.

Week 6 Journal Post (2/11 & 2/13)

This past week in class I thought the most interesting aspect was the group activity in which we
evaluated each leadership case study and developed a strategy how to lead in each situation. I
thought it was interesting because I believe it proved that there arent really any absolutes in terms
of leading a particular group of people. I am not a huge believer in absolutes and think that one
should act accordingly to differing circumstances. My group was assigned Case #1 to analyze
and prepare ways in which to lead a soccer practice for 8-9 year olds without prior soccer
experience. In this case patience and understanding are key to effectively communicating with
children who have just entered a recreational soccer league. Promoting an understanding of the
game as a whole as well as instilling fun into every practice are essential when leading in this
situation. As the various cases were presented, I thought it became apparent that in each scenario
the group members had to think differently and use varying levels of tact and
assertion. Understanding ones clientele (so to speak) is the first step in developing a tailored
message in which to lead each group. All in all I was intrigued how different each situation should
be handled based on the variables in each scenarios environment.

Week 7 Journal Post (2/18 & 2/20)

The most striking and interesting topic during this weeks class periods was definitely discussing the
prospect of focusing on ones strengths as opposed to focusing on fixing ones weaknesses. As an
athlete Ive never honestly even thought of mainly focusing on improving what you already do
well. Im honestly surprised how closed I was to seeing the other way of thinking as a route to
success. I like to think of myself as very open-minded and understanding of differing
viewpoints. Although this is the exact opposite to how Ive approached not just sports but many
other aspects of my life; it makes so much more sense now when I think back to somewhat lengthy
periods of success in my life. The easiest example are the grades of the classes in which Ive done
well in. My major GPA is significantly higher in my major courses, which I know to be attributed to
my interest in those subjects. Other examples are in sports when I made great strides in soccer
and tennis in my high school career. When I further developed my strengths I became significantly
more successful in those sports and was much happier in the process. As I move on to graduate
school next year in which my work ethic will have to even much more improved than now, and I
believe focusing on what I do well will help me throughout school and for the future. I am overall
very glad this was presented to us and in the manner in which it was. I feel this can really change
my outlook and the way I go about my daily life, and is definitely the most interesting topic we have
discussed yet this semester.

Week 8 Journal Post (2/25 &2/27)

During this past weeks class periods, I thought it most interesting when we were discussing our
various strengths based on our StrengthsQuest results. I personally thought that the program got it
pretty much right in analyzing my top 5 strength themes. My top 5 from top to bottom were
harmony, individualization, developer, learner, and includer respectively. Just based off of the
names I did not immediately think all were necessarily true; however after reading the descriptions
of how each relates to how one handles particular situations, I believed all of these to be
representative of myself. A common theme throughout most of my 5 strengths is that I like to work
with a diverse group of others, trying to facilitate working together cooperatively for a mutual
goal. Combining this fact with Harmony as my number one strength, I believe differing viewpoints
are necessary in every situation but do not believe arguing makes the process any easier or
enjoyable. I try to include everyone elses opinion on a certain subject and try to get everyone in the
group on the same page so it is easier to move forward with whatever goal we are trying to


accomplish.
Lastly I was also somewhat relieved when Dr. Birkenholz mentioned that just because certain
strengths were not listed in your top 5, that does not mean everything else is a weakness. It just so
happens that based on our responses, that these particular themes were most prevalent. In this
way I am very interested to see what other strengths I have and can further utilize as I go through
the process of emphasizing my leadership strengths.

Week 10 Journal Post (3/18 & 3/20)

In this past weeks classes I felt the most discussion revolved around the various types of power
used by different people. I feel that not just myself, but that mostly everyone can relate in some way
in seeing or demonstrating those different types of power. I think that legitimate power perfectly
illustrates when people refer to their newly-promoted boss as power hungry or something along
those lines. When we were reviewing the various aspects of each type of power, I just always
associate that type of legitimate power with a negative connotation. Ive been in plenty of situations
at work where those in more powerful positions try too hard to assert themselves and how it affects
the people and work environment as a whole. Conversely Ive seen and experienced the positive
effects of those using referent power as their primary source of power. When there is a solid
relationship between co-workers, I feel referent power is a huge tool that I think more bosses could
utilize more often.
Overall I do see that each source of power has its proper time and place in which it can be used
successfully. Ive never before dissected or categorized these sources of power, so speaking of
them as we did in class greatly helped illustrate how each is/can be used in every day situations.

Week 11 Journal Post (3/25 & 3/27)

I thought one of the most interesting topic from this past weeks classes were when we examined
Dr. Bs Wheel of Life and began to at least think about our own. I believe that although everyones
life is different in very complex ways, however Im surprised at how well the categories listed for the
Wheel of Life simply categorized and covered the various aspects of ones life. Along with
describing each aspect of ones life, it also categorizes them so as to facilitate more specific and
directed goal-setting. After analyzing each aspect of my own life, its very easy to see which parts
of my life I need to improve on and how much effort to place on each aspect of my life.
Another topic I wanted to mention related to goal-setting concerns the study done comparing the
salaries of Harvard MBA graduates following their graduation. When Dr. B revealed how much
more the graduates who wrote down their goals made compared with those who didnt have any in
mind, I did not expect it to be as high as 10 times more. I feel like this just provides more evidence
to how directed and mindful goal-setting translates to success in anyones life. Even though I am
not motivated as much by money as others, seeing the results of this study gives me immediate
motivation to write down the goals for my Personal Development Plan. This process can provide
me with tremendous benefits and instill better goal-setting habits as I move forward with graduate
school starting in the fall.

Week 12 Journal Post (4/1 & 4/3)
This past week in class I thought the most interesting topic from class this past week was about
time management and priority setting on Tuesday. I believe these two to be excellent attributes for
anyone, particularly college students. When I first came to OSU as an incoming freshman, I
suddenly had many more hours during my day in which I wasnt in class. I am a very habit-oriented
person so having structure really helps me in terms of time management and deciding what I need
to get done day to day. I feel like I adapted better than I would have expected considering the
workload and amount of time spent on schoolwork is exponentially higher in college than high
school. Once I arrived I needed other activities to fill my day that way I could focus on the tasks at
hand as opposed to being unproductive most of the day. In this aspect, working out really helped in
that I knew during the week going to the gym was an integral part of my schedule and something
that I enjoyed doing as well. As I prepare for graduate school next year, Im trying to prepare myself


mentally for another difficulty adjustment. In making this transition I am striving to maintain good
habits concerning my time management, and in turn priority setting as well.

Week 13 Journal Post (4/8 & 4/10)

This past week in class I was very surprised of the impact of our guest speaker on Tuesday
discussing how leadership is used today to affect change, as well as the variety of our oral book
reports we presented on Thursday. Firstly I thought that our guest speaker Tuesday spoke
eloquently and really got across her message of using our leadership skills in the real world to affect
positive change. The story she elaborated on concerning the water treatment plant in Ohio was
extremely moving. I am from an area that is not very priveleged, so to see how these two school
teachers in a relatively small town took the initiative and put forth their efforts into resisting the
chemical disposal that would have surely caused many more problems in the city. This really made
an impact mainly due to the fact that these women had to go about getting informed and gaining
public attention through their own way since they were not necessarily powerful people within the
town (government, police, etc). I hope that this story sets the proper precedent so others may take
it upon themselves to use their own leadership skills to defend what they believe is right.
The last point I wanted to touch on from this past week was our oral book reports that we gave on
Thursday. Since my presentation was more towards the end of class, I had plenty of time to listen
to the various books and points of view that each other provided on the topic of
leadership/leadership skills. I saw many connections to what we have learned throughout this
course in placing faith in our strengths and stepping up to become more of a leader. Even some of
the books that went about leadership from a different frame of mind intrigued me because it just
further illustrated how everyone has different strengths, and therefore different styles of
leadership. I feel that realizing and finding your own path of success and style of leadership is
extremely important and can only be done based on ones personal morals and values he/she has
set for their own life.

Week 14 Journal Post (4/15 & 4/17)

This past week in class I thought the most interesting aspect was somewhat related to discussing
strengths earlier in the semester. This past week in class during our diversity discussions, I felt that
stressing what we have in common (similarities) as opposed to how everyone is different correlates
to focusing on our strengths instead of weaknesses. I think that discussing diversity and how
cultural norms come into play directly related to emphasizing our strengths as a strategy to bettering
ourselves instead of attempting to fixing our weaknesses. I feel these two ideas combined assist in
providing a better and an overall more positive mindset. Where I reside in Cleveland, I as a white
male am actually the minority in my neighborhood. My high school hardly had any diversity in that it
was predominantly black with a caucasian minority. I feel growing up in this environment has
greatly helped me in communicating with those of different backgrounds from myself. In addition it
has made me much less judgmental in respect to how I view others and my overall perspective-
taking. Taking these points into account, I believe combining these ideas concerning strengths and
diversity can assist me in becoming a greater leader by improving my strengths and considering the
perspectives of all others I communicate with.













Reflection Paper
Leadership and Organization in Sport
10/6/201
It is hard for me to pick one specific leadership style for myself because my leadership style
changes depending upon the people I am leading, the situation I am in, and what I am trying to
accomplish. I am a basketball coach, and I find my players to be very different from one
another. Each player has different wants, needs, and motivations. One leadership style may work
with one player I am trying to get a point across to, but not another. I try to recognize and
appreciate the differences between my followers, then lead them based upon the style they will best
respond to for the situation that is occurring.

With that being said, if I had to pick a leadership style I most closely align with and follow I
would say it is transformational leadership. Transformational leadership involves having high
morals and values, creating a vision for the future, implementing change, motivating your followers,
being innovative, and empowering your followers. One of the most important aspects is making
sure you lead by example and practice what you preach. Transformational leaders develop a high
level of trust and relationship with their followers - but because actions speak louder than words, all
it takes is one misstep to ruin their followers trust in them. It is vital that transformational leaders
are good role models to their followers, which is what I strive to be.

Last year I was a high school basketball and softball junior varsity head coach. This year is
my first year as the assistant womens basketball coach at Johnson and Wales University. The
situation I am coming into is that the head coach is entering his second year and is working hard to
transform the culture of the womens basketball program. Prior to his start, the culture was very
negative - the old coach would swear and yell at the players; the players in turn hated him and
would not work hard for him. When the new coach began, many of the players attitudes and
actions still reflected that, and he has tried to work through this issue but there is still work to be
done. My transformational leadership style has impacted what I do by allowing me to work with the
head coach to implement change and a vision for the basketball program. We are working to
establish direction and goals for everyone to come together and work on accomplishing. The two of
us are changing the organizational culture, as we work to create a positive atmosphere in which
there is no swearing at the players, players are rewarded for their hard work, et cetera. Our efforts
have seen improvements already, as there is becoming a sense of respect and trust for us from our
followers. We must continue to work hard to develop that trust even more, to motivate our followers
to accomplish the goals we have set, to reward our followers for a job well done, and to inspire our
followers to even bigger things in the future.

There are several components of my style that will enhance a sports organization. I have a
natural ability to set goals for myself and my followers. This provides direction and vision, which
can help a sports organization out tremendously. Secondly, I have strong morals and values, and I
work to model these values through my actions. I am a coach, which means I deal daily with young
people who are still developing into the adults that are going to become. Many players state that
their high school and college coaches had a lot of influence on them becoming who they are, and I
realize the important role I play in modeling good behavior for them to learn from. A third
component of my leadership style that enhances a sports organization is my ability to inspire and
motivate people. The college basketball season is the longest season of any college athletic
program, and the daily grind of practice can wear on players. I have a talent in making people want
to work hard, knowing the practice they put in will help them in the future.

There is one very important change I would like to make in order to grow as a professional
and become more effective and efficient. Throughout my life thus far, I have set lofty goals for
myself and have become a bit of a perfectionist as I work towards these goals. As a result, I have
had a hard time adjusting to delegating various jobs to people, because I have a clear vision of the
quality of work I expect. In order to become more effective and efficient, however, I must work hard
at developing trust in my followers to do a good job, and work to empower them so they can grow


into new roles. This will help the relationship aspect of my leadership style, and will help the
organization overall as everyone can contribute more.

The organizational structure I would strive best in as a manager or leader would be one
established upon the element of vertical differentiation. In this situation, the structure of the
organization is based on the the number of levels in a sport organizations hierarchy (Slack, 2006,
p. 64). This is the general structure for a college athletic program, in which I work today and see
myself working in the future. I would strive best in this situation because I would have the people I
lead, my players, directly under me and reporting to me. Yet I would have a leader above me, the
athletic director, whom I would be held responsible to. I like to have power and responsibility for
leading my players, while at the same time being held responsible to someone above me for my
actions. The athletic director would in turn have someone leading him, such as the president of the
institution, which would help ensure that everyone is doing their part to help the organization
perform to the best its capabilities.

The organizational culture I would strive best in as a manager or leader would be a thick
organizational culture which sets high goals, has strong morals and values, and includes all
employees in the expressions of our culture. I strongly believe that having rites, ceremonies,
rituals, myths, symbols, language, and stories (Slack, 2006, p. 276) unites everyone in the
organization. Having a thick organizational culture leads to increased motivation, effectiveness, and
job satisfaction. This is what I will strive to create as a leader of a sports organization someday.

I would evaluate my growth as a leader in a sports organization by first observing the
organization and seeing what it was like prior to my taking the leadership role. I will look at things
such as the structure, culture, vision, goals, motivation of employees, and quality of work
produced. This will give me a basis to judge myself and my growth as I take on the leadership
role. After a little time has passed, I will look at the organization again, and see what has
changed. I can also take surveys of my employees, asking questions that will help me judge their
motivation levels, job satisfaction, and effort. Lastly, I can look at production levels and quality of
production, to see if they have increased. I can then examine where the organization has come
since I took on the leadership role, see my growth, and determine the next step.