Literature review #4

Leadership and the One Minute Manager: Increasing effectiveness through situational leadership by Ken Blanchard, Patricia Zigarmi and Drea Zigarmi. New and updated edition 2015.

Contents

Introduction

A visit from an entrepreneur

Being Successful

Thinking differently about leadership

Different strokes for different folks

Leadership style: Perceptions of others

Three skills of a situational leader

Managing the performance of others

Goal Setting

Diagnosing development level

Leadership style flexibility

The four basic leadership styles

Matching leadership style to development level

Think before you act

Different strokes for the same folks

Developing competence and commitment

Turning around performance problems

Sharing what you're doing

Understanding the six conversations

Positive assumptions about people

Becoming a situational leader

Acknowledgements

About the authors

Services available

Looking at the contents page for this book, you may think that it is very long and difficult to read, however it was quite the opposite. The authors have written the book in a story like fashion. An entrepreneur is our main character who meets several people that work for the 'one minute manager', each person describes how they are led by their manager and then the entrepreneur discusses each style with the one minute manager. 

Essentially in any team that you work for within the company Parkdean, you will be working with different people from different backgrounds with different skills therfore it is very important to cater for each persons specific needs. 

"Everyone has peak performance potential -you just need to know where they are coming from and meet them there" pg 52 The One Minute Manager.

The book talks about how everyone is at a different level in their career, however everyone can be developed if they are dealt with in the correct way, some people need more guidance than others. This piece of literature includes a development levels scale;

D1: Low competence with high commitment

D2: Low to some competence with Low commitment

D3: Moderate to high competence with variable commitment

D4:High competence with High commitment

From my understanding the development levels represent when someone first comes into a job, they would be considered at D1 as they are excited to start but dont have all the tools to succeed on their own just yet. As you develop into a D2 you become frustrated because you have learnt so much but you know you still have more to learn '"Sometimes as people's skills grow, their confidence and motivation drop", continued Kathy. "They begin to realize how much more they've got to learn to be able to do a really good job. It's like the old saying: 'The more I know, The more I realize I don't Know.' This part of the literature really stuck out to me as this year I have two new people to the company and they both experienced this developmental stage a couple of months into the season and I had to reassure them that they were doing well and they were fully capable of the work ahead. As a person moves into the D3 developmental stage they are more capable of their job however they lack confidence in some tasks so need more reassurance at this stage. Finally D4's are described as 'self reliant achievers', you are confident in your job and you are committed to doing it to the best of your ability. D4's need to be appreciated in their job roles and given tasks to help them grow and develop in their area. 

This piece of literature has been so helpful for me when I am dealing with my team. I always set achievable goals with them now and discuss where they are at in their journey with the company. It has also helped me to understand their frustrations depending on where they are at developmentally. 

Inquiry Questions

Inquiry Questions Respondent 1

Respondent 1 has performed the role of head dancer with parkdean for the past two seasons, before working for this company she worked abroad also as a head dancer for six years. Respondent 1 is happy for her information and opinions to be used as data for my professional inquiry, she has signed a consent form as evidence of this.

Interview questions BAPP Arts Inquiry

Please discuss your experience as a head dancer and the challenges/accomplishments you have come across.

When I came into it last year, maybe it was because it was my first year with the company, I was so worried about getting all of my own steps right I dont think I did as good a job last year, in the sense that I didnt establish my authority straight away. Once I got confident in the role I then struggled getting the authority I acquired because I hadnt started as I meant to go on. Last year I didnt really feel like I was needed as my team were very strong however when we then got a new boy he was like my project so I could help him and make him better and that was a huge accomplishment for me. However this year with my team, some members are more sensitive than those I had previously so I have had to adapt the way I teach certain members of my team so I can get the best out of them. You have to approach everyone differently. Then later this year I had another new person join the team and teaching her was a huge accomplisment because I could see her grow and develop. I think that challenges come when you have too much experience in a team. Working abroad is very different to working in the UK because all the work abroad is your own, you are the choreographer so you dont have to worry about whether the choreography is 'correct' as its your own material. Also abroad there were alot of people who werent dancers or singers but were employed as childrens entertainer but they had to still be in the shows.

My analysis: Respondent one struggled with gaining authority last year because she said she was focusing on the material she needed to learn for her own part. Authority isnt something that I have struggled with however I have found that my team do not appreciate the amount of work that I do for them which is something have struggled with this year and have talked about in my reflective journal. She also talks about how she needs to adapt the way she teaches different people, this is something I have come across in my literature,

“As a situational leader, I've come to believe it's foolish to apply the same style in every situation”, Leadership and the one minute manager,K. Blanchard, P. Zigarmi and D.Zigarmi. 2015 edition.

After reading about situational leadership I do believe that you have to adapt your teaching and leading style to your team members, so that they can learn in the most effective way and in turn make your job easier when putting the shows together.

What skills and attributes do you think a head dancer should have and why?

Well, I think, personally a head dancer needs to have attended professional college, but thats just my opinion. Only because some people that I see who have taken on the head dancer role without professional training are the ones who struggle the most, the ones that are good at their job have been to college. College completely changed me and you have to be quite tough to be a head dancer and college gave me that. Also not old as in a head dancer should be old but they need to be mature and have life experience.

My analysis: I definately agree that a head dancer needs life experience, to be a leader in any job you need to have acquired a certain level of maturity and be able to deal with all sorts of different people and different situations. I think that attending professional dance college will aid in your role as a head dancer however I dont think that it is a neccessity. Professional dance college definitely gave me a 'thick skin', it also enabled me to offer others the technical dance skills that I learned. As well as all of this dance college helped me to see that you can always work harder and you can always get better and thats something that I now live by, I will never give up and that includes when I am teaching someone, I wont give up on them either.

Where can the skills you have acquired in this job be used when making a career transition?

Say for example if I wanted to be a manager, the head dancer is like the second step because you kind of already have that authority. So it is much easier for a head dancer to go into a management.

My analysis: I think that potentially it is alot easier for a head dancer to go into management as they are managing the team in terms of shows and character roles etc, also as a head dancer you spend a lot of time working out rotas with your entertainements manager so you can see how that is done as well.

An emotional intelligent leader primes good feeling in those they lead, how do you think this type of leadership could help/hinder a head dancer?

I am going to have to use examples of this year, so for example with someone like A we are very similar, hes very passionate, however then we can clash so even though I am emotionally aware of how he is feeling we can then snap at each other because more often than not we are feeling the same. However with B, he always works really hard for me like always, but say one day randomly he was being rubbish, instead of me picking up on that straight away and asking what the problem is I always wait til the end of the rehearsal to ask him whats happening because he is never just forgetful because he cant be bothered its always because somethings happened in his personal life. If it was like C I would just say 'why are you being rubbish?' and they would snap out of it or apologise if you know what I mean. But it can also hinder you because people can pick up on your approach and think that its okay to be a bit crap that day because she'll (the head dancer) will just think I am down about something. Then you could be seen as a bit of a pushover. I have been very lucky with my teams the past two seasons, because everyone on my team have always wanted to be there. For me also, being 'crap' isnt your skills its more about your attitude and being lazy etc.

My analysis: After reading about primal leadership (emotional intelligence) and also putting it into practice I have found it very effective. Emotional intelligence helps you to be on the same 'wave length' as your team so you are all working towards the same goal.

“Intellect alone will not make a leader; leaders execute a vision by motivating, guiding, inspiring, listening, persuading -and, most cruicially, through creating resonance.” The power of emotional intelligence, D.Goleman, R.Boyatzis and A.Mckee. Tenth Anniversary Edition.

Is it important as a head dancer to adapt to the 'situational leadership' style whereby you fit your style to the needs of the individual and to the situation at hand?

If I am teaching a strong dancer something I can use different language and be a bit more vague and I can teach it faster whereas with a non dancer I would need to know what I was doing one hundred percent and break it down into chunks and go alot slower. I would ask them more if they needed to go over it more etc.

Discuss this statement 'To be a head dancer you need to be an exceptional dancer as well' .

I think you do, because I think you need to lead by example, you dont have to be like the best thing in world, but if I had turned up to this company and the choreographer hadnt been as good as she is then I wouldnt have as much respect for her. I think also if you have someone on your team who is a better dancer than you then it could make you feel less confident in your role, and could then hinder your actions as a head dancer. I also think the team would be able to tell as well that your not a confident dancer so then why should they take correction from you?

Literature review #3

The person behind the mask: A guide to performing arts psychology by Linda H. Hamilton

The Blurb summarizes how Dr. Linda Hamilton takes her readers on a 'vivid journey into the performers private world'. This book gives a lot of insight into being a professional performer and the effects it can have on different performers in different situations. I feel like this is really relevant to my inquiry as to be a great head dancer I believe you need to understand the backgrounds of the people you are working with and there are various people within the company I work for who have dealt with the situations that Hamilton discusses. 

Contents: 

Introduction

Training considerations for performers

Weight standards for stage and screen

Personal relationships in the Arts

Focusing the spotlight on Performance

Occupational Injuries and Retirement

Performing Arts Psychology

An Overview of Narcissism

Resource Directory

References

Author Index

Subject Index

About the Author

The main section that I have focused on in this book is 'Personal relationships in the Arts', mainly because I have to look at the relationship that I have with my team and understand the situations where they have come from with other leaders in their work life. 

Hamilton discusses how performers home life can determine their reactions to authority. A study on the New York City Ballet company showed that eighty six percent of dancers idealized their director as a powerful father figure in their lives. Obviously this is based on a ballet company where dancers have performed for many years and I am working with a team for possibly just one season, however I do believe the information that Hamilton provides is useful to my development as a 'leader' in the entertainment sector.

I have had issues on my team with conflict, sometimes an attitude towards myself which then affects the performers learning or very often a conflict with another team member which affects how both members perform. Hamilton discusses 'Interventions' and talks about 'performers who exhibit conflicts with authority', this section is really relevant to my role as I would prefer not to have any conflict within my team, however when this is unavoidable it is essential to be equipped with the tools to deal with it. 

Getting it together!

Wow! I have had the busiest peak season! However I have managed to use some of the tools that I have read about in the leadership literature that I have acquired. A common theme I have found from the leadership books that I have read is that it is important as a 'good' leader to be able to empathise with your team and to also be able to differentiate between each person. I know now for example that each of my team members are motivated in different ways, some I can push harder than others and some are better at learning a routine and then having time away to practice on their own. It has been really interesting using the skills I have read about during my daily practice. 

My inquiry has got me thinking about the skills I have and the skills I need to work on, I know now that I take comments my team make very personally and their attitude towards myself can be quite hostile depending on how they are feeling that day and if they are having a good rehearsal or not. I spoke to the company choreographer about this situation and she told me that the person in charge will most likely be the one to recieve 'attitude' if a team member is having a bad day, therefore it is a good idea to quickly recognise when a someone is having an 'off' day and speak to them before rehearsals, however if you do not get the chance to speak to that person before you rehearse, it is then best to 'leave them to their own devices' and then speak with them after rehearsal. 

Whilst working on my inquiry I have been looking at the skills required to be a head dancer. My question to everyone out there is Do you have to be a great dancer to be a great head dancer? I have listed the skills required for both below:

Dancer skills:

Strong Core
Performance skills
Good elevation
Rhythm
Technique
Good at picking up choreography
Passion
Ability to interpret what the choreographer wants
Good memory 

Head Dancer Skills:

Clear communication skills
Rhythm
Ability to interpret what the choreographer wants 
Ability to motivate
Good memory Ability to criticize in a constructive way 

There are many skills required in both fields, however some skills overlap like rhythm and the ability to interpret what the choreographer wants, therefore although some may say you do not need to be a great dancer to be a great head dancer there are some skills required for both. 

This is something I am going to investigate further. Please let me know your thoughts!