Welcome back - It's been a while since I've written anything, but I want to explore some thoughts more regularly, and you're welcome to join me - You can participate by your comments, by suggesting more ideas, or by just reading. I hope that I can bring new insights into your thought process - While I typically write regarding business ideas, religious ideas, or both combined (my Favorite!) I also discuss other things, although politics are rarely discussed as a general theme. That isn't to say that I enjoy thoroughly discussing societal issues (See my post on participation trophies and the Type B personality) or book/tv reviews.
As a way of easing back into this, I wanted to share a discussion I led while in my MBA program - It discusses one of my favorite articles that I discovered and will lead into a few more discussions in the future regarding compatibility. Enjoy! and feel free to comment either on here, or the social media platform it was posted on!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I found a great article that really fits well with all
that we have been discussing in the course thus far, and has some insights that
can add a powerful impact to the way we currently lead, or seek to lead those
in our influence. Juana Bordas has written an article entitled How salsa, soul, and spirit strengthen
leadership and it contains a good amount of information for the success of
the global leader.
In the article, the author suggests ways to move away
from some of the traditional ways from which current management strategies are
adapted that are primarily European and male-dominated. She primarily focuses
on Latino, African and Native American traditions and how they can relate to
current business practices. The Latin American tradition that she focuses on is
Salsa, which is used as a pattern for
describing diversity as well as a means for showing how, even though something
may look similar, and have similar parts, they can have very different
effects. The Soul aspect reflects on forgiveness and revival as a way to build
trust, mentioning Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his way of inspiring and leading
others. The Native American influence promotes Spirit and community, rather than individual gain, and is more
concerned with how the group performs instead of individual promotion. It holds
individuals responsible because they are readily accepted into a familial
relationship and bear a great deal of trust. (Bordas, J.
2007, p. 36). I found this to be extremely enlightening to our current
discussions regarding leaders and followers. Even though I have been involved
in primarily European principles, it was great to recognize the benefits of
other cultures in this way.
There are 8 principles mentioned that help involve the
leader in the multicultural environment. This brought a heightened focus in me
that helped me recognize the great strengths that come from different cultures.
These include (1) Understanding your own experiences and also seeking to
understand where others come from, (2) Maximizing the collective mindset while
lessening the individual aspirations, (3) Being generous, (4) Recognizing that
everyone can be equal, and have different leaders represent the voice of the
group (Not often seen in management trainings today), (5) Leadership is not just
about promotions or money, but is responsible for developing social values
within the community. (6) Recognition that a leader is to serve those who are
being led, (7) The importance of working together to develop ideas and (8)
Being a strong listener who is aware of the culture of the organization, as
well as the cultures that are involved (Bordas, J. 2007, p. 36-39). These
principles continue on many of the themes that we have been discussing, and
have evolved many ideas that I have had regarding leadership.
These principles that the author established serve as
a strong platform in understanding the principles of the successful
leader-follower. They helped me in developing other ideas as well. The Salsa
analogy gave me a better understanding of how leadership can be mild, strong,
spicy, bold, well-blended, or hard to swallow. This is true of followers as
well. It also helped me recognize how many different types of food there are
that are compatible with each other, and how there are rarely any stand-alone
foods that we eat. There may be chips, but they are rarely eaten without salsa,
dip, or sour cream. Hotdogs won’t be as good without ketchup, mustard or
relish, and hamburgers wouldn’t be the same without toppings or fries. I plan
on exploring that analogy much further as it has a lot to teach regarding the
need of both good leaders and good followers who work together to be
compatible, productive, and usually unique. There are many similar ingredients that make up the model, but
how they are prepared, mixed and respond to each other are absolutely essential
for us to understand how to be a global leader/follower. Recognizing the power
of redemption and forgiveness, as well as the passion and spirit that come from
those we lead are great ways to enhance trust and a sense of belonging within
the organization. This article contains great principles to build a stronger
leadership model for an organization.
Bordas, J. (2007). How salsa, soul, and spirit
strengthen leadership. Leader To Leader, 2007(46), 35-41.
