HCAD 670

1. Running head: WEEK 10 REFLECTION 1
Week 10 Reflection: Relational Leadership
Modupe Sarratt
University of Maryland University College
HCAD 670 9041
April 8, 2018

2. WEEK 10 REFLECTION 2
Abstract
The leader in me “before you can lead others, you must learn to lead yourself” is emotional
intelligence in a situation for a relationship with other when a relation is felt for acceptance,
kindness, friendship, and respect. Relational Leadership refers to a model or perspective on
leadership that focuses on the idea that leadership effectiveness has to do with the ability of the
leader to create positive relationships within the organization (Wheatley 1992). This paper
examining the Wheatley model for the exploration theories of relational leadership for how the
theories relate to my understanding of my own leadership style and philosophy? To give example
of what I learned that might change how I will lead in an organization in other contexts? And
how readings about relational leadership influence my thoughts about the function of leadership
within an organization? To learned the transitional leadership is the new millennium in
workplace environment to foster harmony and happiness for everyone that is genuine to adopt
the philosophy for honest, clear, and adequate communication of leaders that all understood for a
policy and a task for work relation is to do your best while at work and to enjoy each other
flexibility while away from work, “leadership is always dependent on the context, but the context
is established by the relationships we value” (p.144). Leadership is inherently a relational for
communal process of genuine communication for the meeting of heart to heart is the common
good.

3. WEEK 10 REFLECTION 3
Week 10 Reflection: Relational Leadership
Relational Leadership refers to a model or perspective on leadership that focuses on the
idea that leadership effectiveness has to do with the ability of the leader to create positive
relationships within the organization (Wheatley 1992). This paper examining the Wheatley
model for the exploration theories of relational leadership for how the theories relate to my
understanding of my own leadership style and philosophy? To give example of what I learned
that might change how I will lead in an organization in other contexts? And how readings about
relational leadership influence my thoughts about the function of leadership within an
organization?
The exploration theories of relational leadership
Relational leadership is not a theory in itself, but an agenda of people getting together for
knowing and doing, so that they can achieve together, is an attempt by the people relating to each
other for knowledge (knowing), by attitudes (being) and with skills (doing) to form an ideal
situation in which to perform for a task as a system of organizing for an organization.
Relational leadership has it history with the Army slogan, “Know, Be, Do” to coin “Be
all that you can be” for the characteristics of being in the Army. They focus on the relationship
between leaders and individual subordinate exists as the vision-driven of leader-subordinate, for
the relationship that influences performance-related outcomes.
Leaders give their subordinates a lot of trust and are free with each other for a discussion
about what to do in a situation or what not to do in a situation for a relation or relationship.
Especially in the army, the theory emphasis the role of the leader and the strength of the
brigadier and the recognition of leadership in a situation for the dynamic interactive process for
what to do and how to improve for performance in the situation. Komives & McMahon (1998)

4. WEEK 10 REFLECTION 4
for point of view, defined relational leadership as “a relational process of people together
attempting to accomplish change or make a difference to benefit the common good” that can be
explore for the process of organizing an organization. Relational leadership is a relatively a new
term for exploring social processes about what happens when people acknowledge a shared work
environment in which task can be accomplish for the integration of a trusted leader. According to
Uhi-Bien (2006), relational leadership is a relatively new term that describe two perspectives of
relational leadership as follows:
Relational leader as an entity perspective that focuses on identifying attributes of
individuals for values, attitudes, behaviors and ideologies to engage for interpersonal
relationship.
Relational leader for a relational perspective that views leadership as a process of
social construction through which certain understandings of leadership come about and
are given privileged to influence for new approach evolving social order and change.
To suggest that the two perceptive of relational leadership are overarching framework for new
study of leadership for social construct, which may be the next emergent coordination of
leadership style for socialization.
How the theories relate to the understanding of my own leadership style and philosophy?
As previous stated, relational leadership is not a theory in itself, but a framework of
people getting together for knowing and doing to attempt to accomplish a task can be understood
in terms of interactions between individuals and trainers. Although the Graen and Uhi-Ben
(1995) theory that relational leadership is “leader-member exchange theory” is a linkage theory
for the behavioral style that exist between the leader and the subordinate for understanding and
making decisions.

5. WEEK 10 REFLECTION 5
No one can relate without communication of two different ideas. The need for good
interactions is between two or more people for managing information and interacting for
knowledge about each other to propose for a relationships. To be effective in relational
leadership, you must first understand your subordinate as well making yourself understood by
your subordinate is a model of relationship the I considered for “Help me to Understand You. So
That I can Serve You Accordingly” the three elements from the model are help, understand, and
serve.
To help someone, you have to put yourself in that person shoe to be able to understand,
how you can relate to be of help for a relationship. In a work environment, it is a peer support for
doing a task to eliminate a system of a leader and a subordinate or a boss and a worker for
relation to trust each other as a coworker at individual level of information to explain different
view, different opinion or to explain a problem for a disagreement, is the maturity of individual
to relate for a leadership that can bet defined as a “relational process of people together
attempting to accomplish change or make a difference for the common good” (p.2). The notion
of relationship is the philosophy to nurture the ethical value of an individual for trusting the
group members that agree they want to work together toward making positive changes are the
key to the effectiveness of relational leadership to lead for the common good.
To understand, no leader can lead successfully just by ordering people around.
Leadership in any organization need to recognize that the people are the resources for planning
action and making decision. Therefore, a relational leader should focus on building good rapport
that enable openness of his or her employees so as to win their trust. This will help in improving
the overall performance and also enhancing subordinate or employee satisfaction. Leaders need
to accommodate views from subordinates and not always dictate what to be done. Leaders

6. WEEK 10 REFLECTION 6
should strive to empower employees, subordinates or followers for enhancing skills. It is logical
to create an employee performance evaluation if the employees’ trust their leader intention is to
help with improving their skills. A good sample of employee performance evaluation for
improvement provided in the appendix (Appendix 1).
In order to serve, an employee must understanding what the leader is expecting or
wanted. A good communicator for a task is a good leader for a result. The common problem
arises between a boss and an employee is inadequate of communicating for a task that many
employees will response with ‘I thought this is what you want for indicating not understanding
the boss’ that usually put a boss in a defense mode to respond with ‘you should have ask me or
tell me that you did not understand what I want you to do’, are the typical case scenarios for all
negative innuendos between a boss and an employee that indicate no relation of a mutual
understanding for a service or a task. The boss think this way and employee think the other way
for no relationship of communicating ideas is the notion for a relational leadership seek out to get
ideas from the subordinate for a relationship. A philosophy from the bottom to the top is getting
the root of the matter to solve a problem equate to a leader understanding the abilities and
capabilities of an employee first before the leader can lead is a relational leadership for a
relationship before a service or before a task.
A relational leadership is not task focus, therefore, is not suitable in a task focus
environment for performance. However, a relational leadership is people focus for a service to
relate to the people for what people value and cherish for a diverse talents to bring good thought
to the socially responsible group members who agree they want to work toward change for a
relationship is the key to the leadership effectiveness of a relational leader. As well a relational
leadership should be skill in asking the right kind of questions, and never to assume that

7. WEEK 10 REFLECTION 7
everyone is free from personal bias, and the need to appear genuine to establish self to gain
knowledge about other.
What I learned that might change how I will lead in an organization in other contexts?
I have learned from what Wheatley (1992) describes as the principle of relational
leadership dependent on the contexts in which relationship is establish by what we value that we
have in common. The author map out the five contexts of relational leadership to include; (1)
inclusiveness, (2) empowering, (3) purposeful, (4) ethical, and (5) process oriented; for knowing
and understanding are the beliefs for doing or for skills. For self-understanding, I have analyze
Wheatley contexts for how I will lead in an organization as follows:
(1) Inclusive is knowing self and other to value difference in people for engaging in a
civil discourse. Inclusive include listening and appreciating talents in self and others
for cohabitation is through common goal such as working together to make profit. As
well to value inclusive for fairness and equality is important in the treatment of all
people is equitable for sharing beliefs that everyone can make a difference. As well as
everyone has something to offer for the growth and development of others, which are
necessary and important for coming together to make decision willingly for sharing.
(2) Empowering involved developing talent for self to think before speaking, as well to
listening to understand first to build a respond for harmony and cohabitation for
framing and reframing from engaging in civil discourse to impact self with power to
distinguish a statement of policies and procedures from a statement requesting for
help. Also, empowering is sharing information and learning at individual and team
levels which is encouraging or affirming others to build the capacity of equality by
promoting self in a relationship. “Thriving on change demands the empowerment of

8. WEEK 10 REFLECTION 8
every person in the organization—no ifs, ands, or buts” Empowerment has two
dimensions: (1) the sense of self that claims ownership, claims a place in the process,
and expects to be involved, and (2) a set of environmental conditions (in the group or
organization) that promote the full involvement of participants by reducing the
barriers that block the development of individual talent and involvement
(3) Purposeful means having an individual commitment to a goal or activity. It is also the
individual ability to collaborate and find common ground with others to establish a
common purpose, vision for a group, or work toward the public for a change process
and models for a role, mission, and vision. An attitude that is hopeful, positive and
optimistic helps everyone to make a difference.
(4) Ethical is good for identifying goals, envisioning for making a difference with the
meaning of thinking creatively that involving others in a vision for building process
that is driven by values and standards of leadership which is “good’ or moral in
nature. Development of values that influence of systems on justice and care models
of valuing of self and others is ethical decision making for behaving congruently and
trusting others and being trustworthy, being reliable and responsible, and acting
courageously to Identifying issues needing an ethical decision for confronting
inappropriate behavior in others.
(5) Process oriented for view is concerned with how to position people for task as a
functional analysis of individual ability and capability that can be match to a task for
generating employee interest, the process include open communication for what an
employee will like to do for a task and given the option for the alternative to do the
available task, such as if you cannot do this would like to try this as an initiative for a

9. WEEK 10 REFLECTION 9
task that is flexible, as well for an employee to learn new skill from just trying to see
if he or she can actually perform the available task. The concept is to avoid having to
taxi an employee to perform, but give the scenario to be willing to give a task a try.
Using people resources means using communication effectively, communicating clearly and
adequately are the most important skill for a leader. A leader that the subordinates or the
followers can understand, a manager that tell an employee what he or she needs to know to do a
task, by which the manager outline cannot be miss to mean something else. Leading or managing
people becomes an impossible struggle if a leader or a manager cannot tell their follower or
employee what they need to know and do in a way that they can understand and accept. As well
leadership can becomes more difficult if the follower or the employee cannot ask question in
such a way that make them comfortable and willing to speak frankly what is on their mind. To
think, a leader or a manager who ask what is on your mind when you are not busy is helping the
follower or employee to be creative.
How readings about relational leadership influence my thoughts about the function of
leadership within an organization?
Reading about relational leadership influence my thoughts in many ways. One way is a
process in which to relate is as important as the outcome of a relationship. For a coordinated
effort to friend for task is a high quality that encouraged self to do good things for the good
reason and for the good of others is good things happen when people trust each other to connect
for task.
Leadership that I value for healthcare is the relationship that existed between healthcare
professional and the medical professional and well as the pharmaceutical professional are the
collaborative effect to improve health for everyone as well able to provide affordable to all the

10. WEEK 10 REFLECTION 10
need care. Though, I wish we have free medical care instead of affordable care, but let us be fair,
paying for something is appreciating what is given unconditionally. Relational leadership is
people resources for management of abilities and capacities of self and others for common good.
However, nothing is perfect for relational leadership lack specificity. Most leaders claim
to be ineffective in the area of relational leadership. Yet when asked to produce data to
substantiate their personal assessments, many would be hard-pressed to find staff, colleagues and
even some bosses who would be comfortable in giving feedback that contradicts the leader's
personal perception of his or her strengths in the area of leadership styles (Wheatley 1992). The
reason is that the higher up in the organization one moves, the less likely the individual is to
receive honest and specific feedback about their relational leadership skills. Relational
leaderships pioneer by Weatley has be analyze to be the first sign for “a new millennium in
workplace environment that foster harmony and happiness for everyone...but also advent of a
greater openness and genuine honesty” (Wheatley, 2011). Though daunting, at least, relational
leadership is the forerunner of new leadership skills that will deeper the understanding of one
another, is openness and honesty in relationship between leaders and workers for a genuine
communication. “Leadership is always dependent on the context, but the context is established
by the relationships we value” (p.144). Leadership is inherently a relational for communal
process, genuine communication is the meeting of heart to heart for the common good.

11. WEEK 10 REFLECTION 11
References
Komives, S, Lucas, N., & McMahon, T. (1998). Exploring Leadership for College Students
What Want to Make A Difference. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. (68-72).
Komives, Lucas, and McMahon (2007). Exploring Leadership. "The Relational Leadership
Model."The concept of pseudo-transformational leadership:
Uhi-Bien, M. (2006). Relational leadership theory; exploring the social processes of leadership
and organizing. The leadership quarterly, 17(6), 654-676
Wheatley, M. (1992). Leadership and the New Science. CRM Films
Wheatley, M. (2011). Leadership and the new science: Discovering order in a chaotic world.
ReadHowYouWant.com

12. WEEK 10 REFLECTION 12
Appendix