I am very excited when Professor Bradford told me that I can be registered to OB372 High Performance Leadership class. As a visiting scholar, not all the classes offered at GSB are open to auditors.
In the past, I have read many leadership books and learned quite a few new leadership concepts. However, what I haven’t learned is the practical skills that can make those new concepts into a reality. For example, how to build a shared responsibility team; how to motivate team members and keep the morale high; how to influence others including peers and bosses; how to handle conflicts and protect myself; and the last but not least, how to play politics; As an Asian woman, I felt the glass ceiling in the Corporate America. How I can break this barrier and continue advancing my career – these are the questions I would like to get answered in this class.
In his book Power Up, Professor Bradford talked about the “Heroic Leadership” vs. “Post-Heroic Leadership.” While the concept of Post-Heroic Leadership is not new to me, I am intrigued to learn how to build a system as such that shared responsibility of the team can produce better results, higher quality decisions, more learning, greater team member participation and higher morale.
I like these comments of leadership: “The hard truth is that it is not possible to know the rewards and joys of leadership without experiencing the pain as well. But staying the game and bearing that pain is worth it, not only for the positive changes you can make in the lives of others but also for the meaning it gives your own.” I guess this is the main reason that keeps many leaders going!