Discussion: Leadership Style and Constructive Feedback

All of us by nature easily fall in love with our own ideas, our own words. Excellence is born of intelligent criticism. And maturity is the product of the self-confidence that seeks, accepts and benefits from criticism.
            —William Marsteller, Creative Management: A Euphemism for Common Sense

Regardless of your professional status, effective communication—particularly the giving and receiving of effective feedback—is vital for the achievement of your goals. Whether your feedback is meant to inspire, motivate, resolve an issue, congratulate, or reprimand, you can achieve positive outcomes given the right delivery. Even in circumstances when you need to deliver difficult constructive feedback to someone, good communication skills can facilitate the recipient’s willing acceptance of your message. Giving and receiving constructive feedback is the norm throughout this doctoral program. For some doctoral scholars, it is second nature to give and receive constructive feedback, while others struggle for various reasons. You are gaining experience with this process during each weekly Discussion and, in some instances, your feedback experience is unique, such as in the “Pretend You Are the Instructor” Discussion you completed. Nevertheless, there are countless individuals who will provide you with feedback and many to whom you will give feedback. Developing the tactful skills of communication often takes practice, and understanding your personal leadership style is helpful.

This week you will assess your leadership style, and you will give and receive constructive feedback during your Discussion concerning the outcomes of your assessment. Additionally, you will construct your Personal Development Plan as a guide for your success. 

To prepare for this Discussion, review the materials in the Learning Resources and complete “The New Drivers of Leadership” Self-Assessment, adapted from Casse (2014).

By Day 3

Post an assessment of your results. In your assessment, do the following:

• Summarize your findings, including your scores for each Driver (energy, focus, speed, and challenge).
• Evaluate the validity of this assessment, including whether you agree or disagree with the scores.
• Explain how self-assessments such as the one you completed can help you “know [yourself] in terms of strengths and weaknesses” (Casse, 2014, p. 30).
• Delineate the measures you will take to improve your leadership competencies.