Differentiated Leadership

There are various leadership concepts, but what does it take to become an effective leader? According to Freedman, being a successful leader is not solely based on traits or abilities. Instead, it involves managing our emotions and anxiety through a process called self-differentiation. This perspective outlines what is expected of a good leader.

As leaders in both the classroom and student community, we need to learn how to regulate our emotions and anxiety. This ensures we don't negatively impact our team and can continue working together towards our shared goals. However, being unable to control ourselves can lead to issues within our work environment. As Fredman notes, emotional drama can cause disruptions and stall progress. Therefore, we must prioritize emotional regulation and create a positive and productive team dynamic.

I would like to discuss crucial conversations that involve high stakes, emotions, and differing opinions. These conversations help improve self-control and create positive feelings. They enable us to present our ideas respectfully to our team. Crucial conversations can help us get unstuck, start with empathy, observe, create a safe space, understand our perspectives, communicate our position, explore other options, and take action. Speaking respectfully is critical to understanding one another. We are all human and have the ability to improve as a team. The topic of crucial conversations is fascinating because they teach us how to lead and communicate effectively. I am excited to apply these tips with my team.

I think that we should not participate in either of these two terms, which I find both very interesting, but instead take the most essential part of each and put it into practice in our work team since one relates to the other. For example, reducing our work anxiety can be achieved by having crucial conversations with our team since if everyone knows their role and is committed to the team, the work will flow better. There will be no more anxiety and stress.

To sum up, our emotions are the root of everything. Our mindset defines our identity and potential. Therefore, it is crucial to maintain a sense of solidarity with our colleagues by regulating our emotions daily. Let us continue to work on our emotional well-being.

Leader: A person who heads and directs a social, political, religious group or movement, etc.