{"id":369,"date":"2022-08-05T14:51:01","date_gmt":"2022-08-05T21:51:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/tcecchetti\/?p=369"},"modified":"2022-08-05T14:51:01","modified_gmt":"2022-08-05T21:51:01","slug":"navigating-complex-situations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/tcecchetti\/navigating-complex-situations\/","title":{"rendered":"Navigating Complex Situations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"change,<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

CALS505<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I continue to reflect on my leadership style and goals throughout this course, I am reminded of potential areas of growth. What I have always valued about the idea of leadership is that it grows as we do. Our experiences influence our actions and decisions and the more we live the more we learn to navigate certain things. As Bolman and Deal (2017) note, \u201ca messy, turbulent world rarely presents bounded, well defined problems, and decoding complex situations is not a single frame activity\u201d (p. 295). My reflection as of late has been concentrated around how I navigate conflict and adversity as a leader. What is my role in diffusing complex situation? How can I navigate adversity more efficiently and effectively?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think that the ability to navigate a complex situation speaks to the true strengths of a leader. The very nature of leadership requires maneuvering through the mucky waters that come with being in a position of authority. That position is not always easy to navigate. Personally, I struggle with conflict. I shy away, at times, from intervening in professional disputes or heated debates. Even if I strongly believe in something it can be hard for me to speak up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This past year I was a counsellor for School District 61 in Victoria, BC. I represented the Indigenous students at a large local high school and was contracted (by the Victoria Native Friendship Centre) as an effort towards reconciliation within the school district. I was one of two new positions created as a member of the Indigenous Education Department. When I began at the high school I was stationed out of I quickly realized why I was there. The administration was a clear representation of racist behaviour without even knowing. There was no safe space for Indigenous students to congregate, no existing programs or supports in place, and no effort to be a visible ally to Indigenous students or actively engage in decolonizing practices. My role there quickly became both counsellor and advocate for the Indigenous students. I was a one person team and had many uncomfortable conversations where it became my responsibility to call out the inaction of the principal and rest of the administration. Initially, I was exceptionally uncomfortable doing this. I took part in countless meetings where it was my role to hold people accountable for actively disengaging in reconciliatory practices. It was complex and messy, political and cultural, difficult and nerve racking all at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of the school year we made some serious progress. We were granted a much larger space where a friend and muralist installed a beautiful mural representing Indigenous story and culture through imagery. The administration began to prioritize the needs of Indigenous students and the importance to adhering to local protocol. They turned their focus towards anti racist policies within the school and district. Some positive steps were made even if they were baby steps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My role within the school district was my first experience, professionally, where I felt, as a leader, that I needed to tread lightly. I had to cautiously navigate historical racism and colonial education while simultaneously holding an institution accountable for their inaction towards a more just academic environment for the Indigenous population. It was daunting but made me feel that I could lead within conflict. That said, I want to improve my leadership skills within the area of conflict resolution, advocacy, and decolonizing practices. Kerber and Buono add that, \u201c a combination of\u2026approaches creates a dynamic rhythm of change leadership, especially in complex and uncertain change situations\u201d (p. 55). It can be difficult to work in a space that is not welcoming to all but it also is an opportunity to uncover our own strengths and be a part of positive and influential change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

References <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bolman, L., & Deal, T. (2017). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice and leadership<\/a> (6th ed.). San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kerber, K., & Buono, A. (2018). The rhythm of change leadership<\/a>. Organization Development Journal, 36<\/em>(3), 55-72.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CALS505 As I continue to reflect on my leadership style and goals throughout this course, I am reminded of potential areas of growth. What I have always valued about the idea of leadership is that it grows as we do. Our experiences influence our actions and decisions and the more we live the more we … Continue reading Navigating Complex Situations<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":944,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-369","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cals505","without-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/tcecchetti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/369","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/tcecchetti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/tcecchetti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/tcecchetti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/944"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/tcecchetti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=369"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/tcecchetti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/369\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":371,"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/tcecchetti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/369\/revisions\/371"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/tcecchetti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/tcecchetti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/tcecchetti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}