Outdoors at Rosa Parks. Don't worry, I discuss skating in this post.
Evaluating my score on the Followership assessment, I was found to be an Exemplary Follower, high in independent thinking and active engagement. I agree with the statement that I am “actively engaged, using talent for the benefit of the organization... function from intrinsic motivation and a selfless commitment to both the leader and the organization.”
Then there’s the suggestion in ways to improve my style. Some I already do, like being a group encourager – this is one of the reasons I have earned the nickname “prom queen,” I even have the club jacket to prove it. Also, one of my most consistent best practices is to be part of the solution, and not the problem. I do see another one of my weaknesses cropping up though, focus on listening before offering suggestions. I wonder if my eagerness to come up with the solution prevents me from listening to others. Something to think about…
Moving on to chapter 13 and Ethics, and I don’t know what to think of my scores. I score a 3 for Duty, 2 for Virtue and Justice, and 1 each for Utilitarian, Caring, and Egoism. The assessment states “comparing your scores can give you a sense of what is important to you when addressing an ethical concern.” The best thing I can tell you about my answers was, it depends! I answered the best I could with the information I had, and my thought process yesterday. If I were to retake it today, I can see the needle moving towards virtue or justice. If I were in a bad mood, I might just look out for #1 and score high on egoism.
Is that how slippery ethics can be?
Looking at suggestions to improve may make my personal style a little clearer. For duty, taking emotion out of the equation is a trait I should work on. For virtue, comparing the values with the decision and my personal values is kind of an eye-opening concept to explore. And for justice, seeking guidance while listening to others to come to the fairest and most just decision.
For ethical leadership in practice, I will use my experience as a figure skating judge.
Respect others. A test panel is composed of three judges evaluating a set of skills the skater performs against an accepted standard for that level, pre-preliminary through senior. Competitions panels of 3-9 rank a group of skaters based on performances. As a panel, we must have similar values, attitudes, and beliefs to establish those standards in skating. Most importantly, we must respect the skater’s talents, and respect the expertise of the panel.
Serve others. As unpaid volunteers, we aren’t in it for the paycheck. We judge because we love the sport. And we are in it for the long haul: US Figure Skating annually publishes service awards for officials that have served the sport 25, 50, even 60 years.
Shows justice. In order to become a judge, you have to trial for a minimum of two years. This is to determine if your evaluations are fair and just. Is your evaluation accurate to the execution? Are your marks based on anything other than the performance you just saw?
Manifests honesty. I once judged a skater I knew well at a competition. She fell several times and I placed her low. Club members were outraged that I failed to ‘prop’ her up. But because I was honest, I made it possible for the skater to reveal the truth: she was hiding injuries caused by a rapid growth spurt and finally confessed this to her mother and her coach.
Builds community. Bonded by our duty and shared history, as well as respect for one another, our community of judges are a tight knit group.
Ethical leadership matters in figure skating, because without it, there would be a loss of credibility and trust in the governing structures nationally and internationally. To this day, we work in the shadow of the 2002 Olympic scandal, when members of two judging panels were caught trading placements in one discipline for the other. The scandal is one of the reasons I became a judge, and the desire to serve my sport while being fair and just are reasons to stay.
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