ORGL 600 – Foundations of Leadership

The first course in the program and taken in the summer of 2021 when the economy and country were still reeling from COVID, this class explored the development of the study of leadership, the evolution of theories regarding leaders and leadership, and the leading leadership theories and principles of today. Taught by Dr. Michael Carey, the class was modeled after the approach of the Jesuit founder, St. Ignatius of Loyola, to personal and spiritual transformation. The intent was to leave the class with a deeper understanding of who I was as a leader, who I wanted to become as a leader, and what change I had to make to grow into the leader I wanted to be. Click below to read my paper showcasing what I learned in ORGL 600.

The Correct Staffing Profile for an Aerospace Company Post-COVID 19 Through the Five Frames

ORGL 605 – Imagine, Create, Lead

Imagine, Create, Lead was my first immersion on campus, and it took place in the Fall of 2022. I was so relieved for the opportunity to get to meet my peers and instructors in person while experiencing the Gonzaga campus and the Jesuit presence, especially considering that I started this program at the peak of COVID and the future of being able to gather together was looking grim since starting the program. 

This course emphasized the need for leaders to hone their creativity in order to better lead. Setting visions, futuring and solving organizational problems all require healthy creative ability. Leaders must learn to challenge and intentionally change their perspectives by “moving to the balcony” to see the big picture, or by considering how others may have arrived at their world-view, as exemplified through the parable of The Blind Men and The Elephant. I was fortunate to be instructed by and spend time with many brilliant minds during this immersion – Dr. Armstrong, Dr. Tran, Dr. Carey, Dr. Hoover, and Dr. Popa – and each brought a different toolset for leaders to use to challenge our world views and to leverage our imagination and creativity to first fully understand the current state of our organizations and then envision an improved future state. Click below to view my project showcasing what I learned in ORGL 605.

A Leader’s Cross

ORGL 610 – Communication & Leadership Ethics

This class was an exploration of ethics, the philosophy of ethics and the communication required as leaders to effectively express decisions that have ethical implications, either real or perceived. While the texts we studied were beneficial to prompt and develop our ethical thinking, the power of this class came in the form of our weekly discussion posts and our weekly Zoom meetings where we could candidly discuss and debate various ethical dilemmas with one another. Dr. Nich Whittington did an excellent job of moderating the calls, allowing room for the conversation to breath and for difficult ethical topics facing today’s leaders to be explored. Click below to read my paper showcasing what I learned in ORGL 610.

Caring and Doing: What characterizes a well-lived life in our organizations and society?

ORGL 615 – Organizational Behavior & Theory

As an industrial engineer by training and trade, I was already a systems thinker when I took this as the penultimate course in the program. However, I found this class to be extremely valuable in terms of learning tools to analyze systemic causes and effects, leading problem solving from a systemic perspective and the communication that is required to bring people on the journey to fulfill our vision. Learning and practicing moving up and down the Ladder of Inference is a skill that great leaders must employ to be empathetic, to understand all facets of a problem and to maintain cohesiveness of a team. I appreciated learning from Dr. Aucoin, who also happens to be an engineer, as I felt we were able to have both technical and leadership discussions. Click below to read a confidential memorandum from a case study that showcases what I learned in ORGL 615.

Confidential Memorandum: EU Design

ORGL 522 – Leadership & Community

One of the 10 characteristics of a servant leader is ability to build community. In this course, we got the opportunity to learn from some of history’s best community builders – the Benedictine monks. The immersion was held at St. Andrew’s Abbey in Valyermo, California, and this was one of the most impactful courses in the program for me. Leaders almost never get the opportunity to hand-pick every member of their team, yet we must make people feel a sense of belonging and accountability for one another’s development; the same is true for the brothers living in community at St. Andrew’s. This course helped me develop skills to bring out the best in each of my team members, while also balancing the team dynamics so that the collective “we” is greater than the sum total of our individual efforts and contributions. Click below to read my paper showcasing what I learned in ORGL 522.

Creating Community to Realize our Potential

ORGL 530 – Servant Leadership

This was my first exposure to the brilliance of Robert Greenleaf and I had the incredible fortune of being instructed by Larry Spears, who was the President and CEO of the Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership from 1990-2007, and who has since led the Larry C. Spears Center for Servant-Leadership, Inc. In this class, we explored the 10 characteristics of servant leadership, sought out and interviewed servant leaders, and evaluated ourselves against the servant leader characteristics. The goal of servant-leadership is to be more Christ-like, which ultimately means finding ways as leaders to re-gift the love God has given us. “If I speak in human and angelic tongues, but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy, and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing” (1 Cor 13: 1-3). Click below to read my paper showcasing what I learned in ORGL 530.

Wade Westwood: An Assessment of Servant-leadership

ORGL 532 – Leadership, Justice & Forgiveness

This class was a surprise favorite of mine, and I credit that to Dr. Shann Ferch and the curated material he exposed to us in the class. We explored how forgiveness can be used to make our organizations more robust, how reconciling our pasts can propel us to greater understanding and ultimately agape with one another. Some injustices we create, others we inherit. As leaders, we can create environments where people can and should seek to be empathetic, to understand and to actively pursue forgiveness as a means to move forward. Additionally, we as leaders must be willing to set forth the example of forgiving peers and team members so that we can create the psychological safety for a team to perform at its highest level. Click below to read my paper showcasing what I learned in ORGL 532.

Forgiveness and Driving Organizational Performance

ORGL 535 – Listen, Discern, Decide

It’s true – engineers tend to be introverted. And, as an engineer, I thought that I was comfortable with silence. However, this class taught me a whole new meaning of silence, how to immerse myself in it and how to experience silence, rather than simply noting the absence of sound. Being comfortable with silence, generative listening, and thoughtful decision making were all explored in this class that set the foundation for my servant leadership studies. Click below to read my paper showcasing what I learned in ORGL 535.

A Fortuitous Encounter in Listening

ORGL 537 – Foresight & Strategy

This class was taken on the campus of Gonzaga. While I have been blown away by the learning that I have been able to participate in via the online classes and message boards, I truly cherish my time spent at the university and the opportunities to be present with my instructors and peers. Having a connection to a place is part of building community, and the Gonzaga campus in Spokane is no exception. I was energized by both the academic vigor and the Jesuit tradition. There is an energy on campus generated by the people fortunate enough to study there, and I am proud to be a Zag for life. The time I spent reflecting and journaling in Mary’s Grotto is something I will always cherish. 

Foresight is another of the servant leadership characteristics identified by Larry Spears in Robert Greenleaf’s writing, and this class gave me the opportunity to hone that skill not by first looking forward and outward, but rather by first examining inward to better understand who I am, where my blind spots reside, and learning tools to move myself out of my comfort zone to create the best future for my team. Click below to read my paper showcasing what I learned in ORGL 537.

Leveraging Futuring Techniques to Impact our Greater Socioeconomic Tapestry