Response to Blackboard Post (Essay Sample)

The task required the student to respond to a blackboard post. The blackboard post was provided in the task materials APA 7 Paper instructions "Provide a 275 word response to your classmates postings (one for each of the scenarios)." In this particular scenario of “The New Flight Commander Trials” without knowing the background of the squadron, I would say they are sheep and contributors. The article makes me think that the squadron at one point had some type of buy in, but may have lost it with the changeover. In the article it talks about contributors being able to maximize their inputs if they put energy into understanding the boss’s perspective, gained through relationship building (Latour and Rast n.d., 106). If the Bravo Flight were to fall under “contributors”, I would recommend first to start building a level of trust. The article talks about how the Jones Family brings in a former manager as a CEO and he displayed a large meeting on his own analyzing the performance of the company and planning its future. The CEO also talked about what he wanted to execute and what his plans were for the future of the company (Latour and Rast n.d., 107). Creating a relationship with individuals and explaining a way forward can make an impact to show priorities. Once you create boundaries with individuals, you can then begin building a relationship. This scenario is something I have seen played out several times, almost every time I have seen a new commander come in. People have a hard time with change. Building relationships is mentoring. Spending one on one time with individuals and asking them about their concerns or challenges can set a great platform to understanding individuals working in your organization. I have always been one to share my experiences; it is a great way to relate to others. This particular scenario talks about how the Captain had a meeting to “show them who the boss was” and how the Captain “doesn’t nag them or micromanage.” This sort of approach can be misunderstood like how the article explains; our culture has a tendency to reward individuals who publicly stand in the limelight and to overlook those who do the heavy lifting behind the scenes (Latour and Rast n.d., 108). This will often times not sit well with individuals you are leading; it is as if you are “better” than they are. This Captain needs to take a step back and build trust between these individuals. Building trust can be hard work and can take more than just a meeting to explain your vision. I would suggest the Captain emerge himself within the squadron and invite any feedback the group may have for the Bravo Flight. Having a good form of communication and understanding the successes and failures of the group is also something the Captain could hone in on. I think the Captain has focused more on himself and trying to be “friends” with the group and less on what the priorities are and how to get their together as a team. source..