Professional reflection and practice development

This course provided me with the opportunity for a structured exploration of critical concepts of leadership, specifically what leaders can do to influence their followers in the workplace. The readings provided me with a strong grounding in the key material on workplace motivation, and from there I was able to apply my knowledge of research methods to determine the best way to solve a problem. I think that overall this was a highly valuable course for me, one that will give me the tools to be a better leader for a long time to come.
The capstone project ties together what I have learned about motivation, and how leaders can influence motivation, into a project that will add value to the overall study of workplace motivation. There are really two elements to this learning. The first is the understanding of fundamental principles that I acquired, and the second is the understanding of how to research in a given area to determine what has been learned at the scholarly level, and what gaps might exist in that level that require further study.
I see my capstone as contributing to my study in psychology in a significant way. Psychology can be applied in a number of different ways, and workplace psychology is definitely one of the bigger ones. Leadership studies has incorporated some psychological concepts, but could stand to build in more of this line of study. For me, the capstone represented an opportunity to take my knowledge and psychology and apply it to an area where it has not been fully applied. This creates a synergistic learning experience, because ideas are being applied to different fields of study in new and exciting ways, where there is a genuine complementary nature.
My capstone study is about trying to determine how leaders can influence workplace morale. The study is designed in a way that will cut out some of the industry-specific and firm-specific factors, by interviewing subjects from a wide range of industries, as well as different companies and geographies. The study therefore utilizes methods more common in psychology to specifically analyze the psychological condition of workers, but to do so in a way that business leaders can understand, with the aim of creating a bit of a bridge between the two disciplines.
I see a lot of potential in being able to apply psychology to the business realm, and that might be something that I continue to do when I step outside of academic study. In my daily life and career, learning how to motivate people is obviously very important. It is one of the critical leadership skills, and for me to have the grounding in psychology that might put me in a better position that most to influence workplace morale may just be a useful attribute for me in my future career endeavors. In that sense, I feel that this course has a lot of practical applications in real life, which is really where applied psychology lives. Bringing more formal psychology into leadership studies would also be something that I can contribute in the future.
After all, psychology plays an important role in the cultivation of attributes that are valuable in the workplace. Empathy has often been cited in management literature as one of the traits most associated with successful leadership. Studies in psychology provide substantial insight into what empathy is, and how it can manifest in people. This higher level of understanding of empathy is definitely something that I can take with me into the working world, and it will be beneficial there if I am in a position where I can influence the well-being of others, which is what I would be in a leadership position.
Reflectivity is another trait that can be especially valuable in a leadership position. Being able to think clearly, reflect on one’s beliefs, on information presented, and on the needs of others, is part of the critical thinking and high emotional intelligence that drives good leadership. The insight and knowledge that comes with studying psychology is actually quite foundational to exceptional leadership, and so I feel that my studies linking the two are going to prepare me well for a career as a leader in whatever field I end up in.
Collaboration and diversity of perspectives are two more ideas that follow this train of logic – both are valuable in the workplace and especially for leadership. A leader is ultimately responsible for the decisions that the team makes, so being able to process a diverse range of perspectives and views, and make sure that everybody is included, is definitely an important factor in the success of a leader. By understanding at the core how these things work, I will be able to build them into my leadership roles, and I think that will make me a stronger leader. I will just need to make sure that I check myself to ensure that I am building these things into my actions, and not just resting on my knowledge of them.
All told, I think this was one of my most valuable courses of study. The overall experience was about as expected, but yet at the same time eye-opening. I guess I expected that I would be engaged by the material, and the ideas that are presented. I felt like there would naturally be a link between psychology and leadership, so the fact that this link exists does not surprise me, but I am impressed with the depth of this link. I think going through this course has taught me to appreciate how different bodies of knowledge can each contribute to excellence. If you just know which material to pull from a field of study, and think about how it can be applied to the challenging real world problems that we face, I believe that there is a tremendous opportunity to take this knowledge and put it to great use in the world.
I am grateful for having the opportunity to learn these things, and to put the different ideas together. I would love to continue learning about the links between the field of psychology and business excellence, and I genuinely hope that I will have the possibility to do so in the future.