My Reflection on Meeting this Outcome

My first artifact, Organizational Development Executive Summary, demonstrates my ability to

develop people and teamwork within an organization. Skilled organizational development
practitioners understand the dynamics of human systems and can intervene to encourage a
healthy, engaging, and productive environment (Anderson, 2015, p. xi). It is a leaders duty to
encourage their followers to continue to grow in an effort to improve the overall productivity and
morale of the organization. Satisfied employees become more invested in the organization; and
as a result, take ownership in the processes that allow the organization to thrive. As employees
become more invested in the organization, it is important to help them further their careers as
well. With the speed of change sweeping through business environments, organizations
increasingly need to adopt a more flexible mindset that empowers employees for career selfmanagement (Siew Inn & Crowell, 2015, p. 42). It is difficult to hire and keep good
employees; and therefore, it is important to promote from within when possible to create a
culture of motivated employees that feel as if they are a vital part of the organization.
Encouraging and supporting employee efforts to better themselves by seeking out additional
training and educational opportunities will not only improve the level of productivity within the
organization, but improve the overall culture as well. Although helping employees further their
careers will contribute to a greater sense of loyalty, there will still be obstacles and undesired
behaviors to overcome. If you want a different behavior from the one you are getting, you must
figure out a way to change the structures that are producing the behavior rather than trying to
change the behavior directly (Kim, 2002, p. 8). Developing the individual is just the beginning
of developing the organization as a whole. Demonstrating commitment to developing motivated
teams within the organization is essential if maximum potential is to be reached. Motivated

teams are more likely to engage in behaviors that contribute to collective benefits, including
team effectiveness (Jia & Liden, 2015, p. 1104). High functioning teams are valuable resources
for an organization. The implementation of team development interventions should be tailored
to the needs of the teams, and further evaluation of these interventions will ensure that the
desired outcomes are being realized (Korner, Wirtz, Bengel, & Goritz, 2015, p. 9).

My second artifact, Strategy-to-Performance Gap Analysis, demonstrates my ability to identify

how various leadership styles within a college football program affect the performance of the
team, and how those styles either compliment or detract from the overall development of
members of the program. As a member of the Southwestern College football coaching staff, I
gained tremendous insight as to how particular leadership styles affected the on-field
performance of players within the program. Those who utilized an authoritarian leadership style
enjoyed early success; however, the development of their players seemed to peak shortly after
due to a lack of meaningful interaction. When you receive feedback as a child it tends to be
negative, as you are usually doing something wrong. Many people carry these feelings into
adulthood and see feedback as a put-down that can be shameful (Redford, 2006, p. 6). During
my time at Southwestern, I spent a lot of time working with the young coaches regarding how
their leadership style affected the performance of the players; and as a result, watched the
coaches begin to employ a more democratic leadership style when appropriate. In addition to
spending time with them, I encouraged them to research successful coaches and incorporate
teaching styles they felt would be beneficial to them. I also shared the information I gathered
during my coursework in Master of Science in Leadership program to provide them with
additional educational resources. Motivation within a college football program is many times

considered to be a coach-to-player process; however, I believe that all members of an

organization need to be motivated to become the best version of themselves. What moves a
person to make certain choices, to engage in action, to expend effort and persist in action- such
basic questions lie at the heart of motivation (Drnyei and Ushioda, 2013, p.3) Effective
motivation will increase the performance level of individuals and spread to other members of the
team. Those who witness my style of coaching would consider it a charismatic style of
leadership. As a charismatic leader, I try to transform the needs, values, preferences, and
aspirations of those I lead through education, commitment, and consistent constructive criticism.
This style of leadership is extremely effective with my players because they know I am well
prepared and am looking out for their best interest. In order to be effective, I must I clearly
illustrate the importance of the hard work they put into everything they do, and educate them on
how following my vision and plan will benefit them on the field, in the classroom, and
throughout the rest of their life.

My Future Learning Goals as Related to this Outcome:

The reflections and artifacts above demonstrate my ability to build and develop learning
opportunities in key areas of leading organizations. The first major step to become the leader I
strive to be is the completion of the Master of Science in Leadership program at Southwestern
College. Once this chapter of my life is completed, I must continue to gather more information
in an effort to further my career and be a positive example for those around me. As a college
football coach, I must continuously focus on bettering the lives of those around me. In order to
do this, I need to be active in my profession and begin to share the knowledge I have gained
through personal experience and from the many great examples of leaders I am surrounded by in

this profession. In addition to personal interviews and professional development meetings with
football staffs around the country, I will take advantage of the following learning opportunities:
1. Attend at least one Glazier Clinic in February 2017, and be a presenter at the event.
2. Become a member of the Coaches Learning Network during the summer of 2016, and
become an article contributor for spring 2017.
3. Complete the 2017 American Football Coaches Association Professional Development
Series at the national convention in January 2017.
4. Submit a presentation for consideration to be a speaker at the American Football Coaches
Association national convention in 2017.
By attending and presenting at a Glazier Clinic, I will be able to gather more knowledge from
high school coaches around the country who possess much more knowledge than they are given
credit by people outside the coaching profession. To this point, I have not taken advantage of
multiple requests by the Glazier organization to share the knowledge I have accumulated
throughout my coaching career; however, I look forward to challenging myself in this area.
Becoming a member of the Coaches Learning Network will give me the opportunity to help
educate young football coaches on the best ways to teach defensive fundamentals to athletes
around the country. Completing the American Football Coaches Association Professional
Development Series at the 2017 national convention will allow me to gather relevant information
that I can share with coaches that are learning how to be effective in the profession. Finally,
submitting a presentation for consideration to be a speaker at the American Football Coaches
national convention will give me a national platform to share valuable information to coaches at
all levels of the profession, and expose me to more opportunities for advancement in the field.