Leadosophy

Episode 28 Leadosophy unpacks some of the leadership nuggets and takeaways from the interview with CWO4 Kevin Morgan of the U.S. Coast Guard. Is our leadership style a fixed course at a certain point, or can we be taught new leadership tools and methods and employ these tools and methods? What does it mean to have someone's back as a leader? Are we all average leaders? If so, is this a good thing? What about providing leadership training to junior members in the Coast Guard or any profession for that matter? Is this beneficial, or are junior leaders too focused on building technical competence to focus on methods of leading? Are professional sports leadership analogies worthless to other industries; leaders within other industries? We'll explore all of this and more.

Season One: Foundations of Leadosophy Leadosophy is the fusion of leadership and philosophy. We use philosophical thought to deepen our understanding of leadership together.

In this Leadosophy interview, Kevin discusses his 25 years serving in various leadership roles in the Coast Guard, from a junior enlisted leader up through the Chief Warrant Officer ranks. We explore everything from a lack of leadership training, the importance of followership and technical competence, and how military personnel often have little leeway with who they get to serve with, i.e., you rarely are in a position to hire others or pick your teammates in the military transfer cycle and system. You must play the hand you are dealt. This has advantages and disadvantages as one might imagine as compared to the civilian sector.

Kevin reflects on his time at Coast Station Golden Gate located in Sausalito, CA, and the dynamic strengths of many who served with Kevin and worked for Kevin. He explains how much he loved his job in San Francisco and how that kept him at work for long hours by choice; not by force. This was a fun interview.

In this interview, Kevin’s views, ideas, and opinions on life and leadership are his and are not supported nor endorsed by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Episode 27 Here are just a few reflective questions and thoughts going into the weekend. Leadosophy explores many more...

1. When are leaders necessary, assuming they are of course?

2. When are they unnecessary?

3. When are they vital for success?

4. When do leaders become expendable?

5. When are leaders a hindrance to mission success or the accomplishment of objectives?

6. When are positions of leadership created because of mission creep and the bloat of bureaucracy. New positions, deemed necessary, call for the creation of new and necessary leadership positions. Is this good?

Tune in to hear the discussion...

Season One: Foundations of Leadosophy Leadosophy is the fusion of leadership and philosophy. We use philosophical thought to deepen our understanding of leadership, together.

Episode 26 Leadosophy tries to make the argument that leadership is not real or is a "figment of the imagination." Using excerpts from Bernard Bass's "The Bass Handbook of Leadership," Leadosophy explores the arguments for downplaying the relevance of the leader and the arguments for dismissing leadership as a concept altogether. What are the consequences if we accept the idea that leadership is a myth? Leadosophy talks about this and much more on this episode. Check it out! It's a fun one.

Reference

Bass, B. M., & Bass, R. (2009). The bass handbook of leadership: Theory, research, and managerial applications (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. (pp. 9-10)

Season One: Foundations of Leadosophy Leadosophy is the fusion of leadership and philosophy. We use philosophical thought to deepen our understanding of leadership, together.

Episode 25 Leadosophy ponders the title of “Leadership Expert.” Who gets to claim this title? Again, no universal definition of leadership exists, so how can someone become an expert in leadership? Leadosophy believes that leadership is a slippery topic: easy yet difficult, concrete yet abstract, understood yet misunderstood. We can scour the Internet and see claims, books, and speeches by leadership experts, but how does leadership expertise apply in the practical world and the theoretical world.

If Jill states that she is an expert in leadership, what is Jill actually telling me, and what value can Jill add to the leadership non-expert? How will I judge Jill’s claiming of the expert title? What are the criteria used to judge her claim? Would you know a leadership expert if you saw one? Do you seek the title of leadership expert? What will it take to reach mastery of leadership competence? Would you bestow the title of leadership expert upon any successful CEO? Would you bestow the title of leadership expert upon any professor of leadership studies?

Finally, this episode explores an article written by Thomas A. Stewart and titled, “The Four Types of Leadership Expertise.” You can find the link below.

https://hbr.org/2008/02/the-four-types-of-leadership-e

Season One: Foundations of Leadosophy Leadosophy is the fusion of leadership and philosophy. We use philosophical thought to deepen our understanding of leadership, together.

Episode 24 Let us get back to the basics of leadership, shall we? The mechanics or subtleties of leadership are the little things that are rather small actions, yet these actions compound and create a positive environment. How many times have we been in a position to say "Thank you!" yet we forget to offer this simple gesture, or we do not understand the value of saying thank you? Whether it is our personal or professional lives it matters not, we all can work a little harder at practicing the skill of giving thanks. Leadosphy examines an article written

by Mark Goulston titled "How to Give a Meaningful “Thank You.""

Here's the link to the article:

https://hbr.org/2013/02/how-to-give-a-meaningful-thank

Season One: Foundations of Leadosophy Leadosophy is the fusion of leadership and philosophy. We use philosophical thought to deepen our understanding of leadership, together.

Episode 23 In this episode Leadosophy discusses 10 takeaways from dialoguing with other leaders about the subject of leadership. It is through the beauty of conversation that we learn about the unique leadership experiences of others, from others. In this episode you'll hear about concepts like empowerment, preparedness, gathering information, and the importance of followership, which we may argue is more important than leadership.

Season One: Foundations of Leadosophy Leadosophy is the fusion of leadership and philosophy. We use philosophical thought to deepen our understanding of leadership, together.

Leadosophy interviews LT Jessica Shafer, Commanding Officer of U.S. Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment in Ilwaco, WA.

In part two of this interview, Jess discusses her experiences as a military woman in leadership, her title as the "First Female Commanding Officer of Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment" and how she feels about that, and her experiences responding to Hurricane's Katrina, Urma, and Maria. She provides candid leadership analysis and her stories from hurricane response in Puerto Rico are inspiring to say the least. She also reflects on a couple of her Coast Guard mentors from Fort Lauderdale who were and still serve as great mentors in her Coast Guard career.

In this interview, Jess's views, ideas, and opinions on life and leadership are her own and are not supported nor endorsed by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Leadosophy interviews LT Jessica Shafer, Commanding Officer of U.S. Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment in Ilwaco, WA.

In part one of this two-part interview, Jess discusses how her college experiences and general life experiences shaped her views on leadership. Jess discusses the followership and leadership impacts of her cultural anthropology background, her time living in London and working in London at the Queen's art gallery, her time traveling abroad in Europe, and her experiences rowing crew for Purdue University.

She also discusses the importance of followership and how we tend to undervalue followership in favor of overvaluing leadership. She provides keen insight into the world of Coast Guard search and rescue and the planning, training, and command and control functions that are so important to mission execution.

In this interview, Jess's views, ideas, and opinions on life and leadership are her own and are not supported nor endorsed by the U.S. Coast Guard.

A ton of leadership nuggets here: Check it out!

Episode 22 In this episode Leadosophy reviews and analyzes a few important leadership concepts and ideas (from the interview with Dr. Perkins) in an attempt to deepen our understanding of leadership. Up for discussion in this episode:

1. The role of positive role models

2. The importance of preparedness

3. Leading authentically

4. Examining assumptions and empowering others

5. How different leadership styles are contextual/situational

Season One: Foundations of Leadosophy Leadosophy is the fusion of leadership and philosophy. We use philosophical thought to deepen our understanding of leadership, together.