Leadership and Values in Language Education - Al Akhawayn ...

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90Proceedings of the 27 th MATE Annual ConferenceLeadership CommunicationAhmed MakhoukhMoulay Ismail University, MeknesIntroduction`` All you get is the blame if things go wrong``It seems to be striking that much of what is taught in schools and universities hasprepared people to live and lead in a neat and controllable world. The traditionalbelief is that leadership involves power or control so as to maintain stability andorder among other conventional norms. But recent studies have revealed that theworld in the 21 st century is facing many challenges which have called forexclusively new parameters and different principles so as to attain the desiredresults. The traditional values appear to be outdated and need to be totallydiscarded as people typically have difficulty coordinating their activities.Actually, moving from the industrial to the Post-industrial paradigm is what ispresently needed (cf. Daft, 1999):Industrial perspectivesStabilityDiscussionCertaintyControlledMoneyPolicies and proceduresSafeTeachingExplainingIndividualSkill developmentLearning in the classroomCritical analysisPost-industrial perspectivesChange/riskDialogueUncertaintyChaoticValues and visionOpportunities and purposesDangerousLearningExploringIntegrity/collaborationPersonal developmentLearning everywhereCritical thinkingThe ultimate goal behind this paper is to show the reader that a committed leaderhas to develop a critical awareness about his communication strategies. Accordingto Daft (1999), the leadership challenge is to:
91Proceedings of the 27 th MATE Annual Conference• know how to act as a communication champion rather than just as aninformation processor;• use key elements of effective listening and understanding;• recognize and apply the difference between dialogue and discussion;• select an appropriate communication channel for (his) leadershipmessage;• use communication feedback and realize its importance for leadership.1. Communication and active listening: Rule N° ONE for a successful leaderIn order to communicate effectively, a leader is supposed to realize that his task isnot just a matter of informing about events, actions or plans in a simplistic andconventional way; rather, he has to bear in mind that much more effort is neededto have a full command of a wide range of activities and strategies that couldmake his vision clear in the mind of his subordinates or followers. Additionally,he has to be an active listener so as to make his team feel more important,dynamic and deeply involved. It is worth noting that active listening is not as easyas it seems; rather, it is a complex process because it crucially needs “gettingprepared to listen, staying involved with the communication, keeping an openmind while listening and reviewing and evaluating after the event”.(Communicating Today, pp. 41-42).This process could eventually make them like him and adopt what he says withconfidence, pride and enthusiasm. This amounts to the conclusion that one of themost important tools in a leader’s communication process is listening. Asmentioned above, listening involves the skill of grasping and interpreting amessage’s genuine meaning. Only then can a leader succeed in his transmission ofthe message. Thus, it is generally admitted that listening is an activity; it requiresattention, energy, and skill. The act of “good listening affirms others, builds trust,and suppresses personal judgements that shape perceptions. Listening is arequirement for leader communication, for doing better work, and for enablingothers to do better work”.(Daft, ibid:164).It is a fact that communication is generally viewed as a process by whichinformation is transferred from a sender to a receiver. However, this is not the endof the story because many potential problems of misunderstanding could arise dueto other factors such as attitudes, conflicting concerns and different backgroundknowledge. These elements, among others, are more likely to create barriers to asmooth communication of the intended meaning or message. In effect, the
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