Olivia Guthrow

April 23, 2014

Period 7
Leadership In Action


The Leaders Companion Abstract

The Gist
What Marshal Sashkin seeks to prove is that the defining
characteristics of a leader lie not in finite personality traits, nor the
behavior of said leader or even the situation they find themselves in.
Instead, its an interweaving web of all three of these. He goes on to
further explain the process of Visionary Leadership, that is: creating an
ideal image, defining a philosophy that states that vision, and, lastly,
carrying out the vision to fruition. A leader who is able to create a vision is
one who can think over an extended period of time. This requires four
different actions. Firstly, they must express the vision. Secondly, they must
explain the vision. Thirdly, they must extend the vision. Lastly, they must
extend the vision. The longer time span a vision takes, the greater the
leader required in executing these steps. It is also key to note the attitude
of an ideal, visionary leader, and that is that what they do can and will
make a difference in the world. They must take great ideas and words
and put them into action effectively. Key personal behaviors on an
individual level that make for a successful leader have been identified.
Some of these include commitment to vision, listening for understanding,
consistency and trustworthiness, self-respect, and commitment to
calculated risks.

Mimi
Having started off as an intern herself, Mimi Sherwood works as an
assistant at the Science museum of Virginia. She was one of the very first
contacts I created interning at the museum. In what would be considered
a low level position in such a large organization, she is instrumental in the
day-to-day oversight of the museum. Without her the staff would be in
chaos over scheduling and the many departments would have a lack of
communication. As Warren Bennis pointed out, a leader is someone with
the ability to focus others attention on key issues---helping people grasp,
understand, and become committed to the leaders vision(Sashkin 406).
Around every corner in the science museum, a special kind of leader
existed, doing a job that was vital but specific to their skillset. For me, Mimi
represented a servant leader who worked behind the scenes, showing
that coordinating is sometimes more important that speech making in
leadership. She worked with people of every kind, including myself, and
gave instruction that would help the museum run smoothly. The
opportunity to see leadership such as this in action was invaluable.

Dave
A second group of behaviors is centered on effective
communication listening for understanding, rephrasing to clarify, giving
constructive feedback (Sashkin 406). Another key leader is the
communicator. As head of the Gallery Education staff at the museum,
Dave was the guy who wrote up all of the scripts for all of the
demonstrations. A scientific genius (or at least he seemed so to me), he
could talk on hours about any exhibit or topic. What made him an
incredible leader to the rest of the staff is the example he set. He brought
together vast knowledge and showed how to get behind it and excited
about teaching it to the visitors. After all, the vision of the museum is to
bring science to a broader audience in a way they can understand it.
And although his understanding of science was far superior than the
average Joe, he was able to simplify it, and teach the staff how to do the
same in order to educate the public.


Sarah
Sarah Farrow personified perfectly the leader that Bennis describes
as not manifested in an arrogant or superior attitude, but in a simple
display of self-confidence (Sashkin 407). She was a top dog in the museum
but you wouldnt have known it to talk to her. It was probably her
beginnings as a Gallery Ed staff member that gave her the patience and
perspective to hear out complaints of the patrons, workers and visitors.
She has a difficult job that she was made to do, but again she does it with
an unassuming attitude that is effective in keeping everyone happy. The
fact that she was working with top executives and in the same breath a
simple volunteer such as myself shows that she has the versatile leadership
suited for her position. I think I learned most from working with her. Its
difficult to articulate just what about her made her so approachable and
pragmatic, but its an indefinable characteristic that I hope to master as a
leader.


Works Cited

Sashkin, Marshall. "Visionary Leadership." Contemporary Issues on
Leadership 2d (1989): 402-06. Print.