A Leadership Change

Running head: A LEADERSHIP CHANGE

Running head: A LEADERSHIP CHANGE

A Leadership Change

University of Phoenix

A Leadership Change

Change brings out different emotions for many people. When I talk about change to my employees, many of them cringe, some are cheerfully excited, and others are neutral. This is the same for my family and I can draw many parallels with the work life and family life. The way I present the change and champion the affects of change makes a difference.

My oldest child is fortunately the child that I was able to do most of my parent, leadership learning with. When I approached bedtime with him as a child, I used an autocratic leadership style and did not allow any discussion. I received much resistance. The change was considered punitive because I was stern in my actions and my child had no participation in the decision for an earlier bedtime. There was much coercion too. I would threaten punishment if he would not go to sleep at my approved time. That punishment would range from taking toys away to not receiving an allowance for the work that he already completed. This style of parenting worked, but it wasn’t without some pain, anguish and stress on my part and the family.

My leadership style changed with my middle child. She’s a girly girl and I understood that she deserved a different type of leadership approach. An approach that would help her decide to sleep at the time that I wanted her to. We manipulated her by allowing her to participate in the decision of bedtime. The outcome was that she believed it was her decision to go to sleep at the time that we wanted. Success! There were times when we would have to adjust because like any child, there were days when bedtime was a challenge.

My youngest has a mind of his own, and leading him to change is challenging and fun. The benefit of having two older children is that they help me sell the idea of bedtime. They are...