Experiential Learning #8

Critique on Lecture: “Situational Leadership”
Chas Sumser, Chief Personnel Officer, Sr. Vice President

On Tuesday, June 20, 2006 Chas Sumser of FGM, Inc. gave a lecture on “Situational Leadership” in my Management 301 class on the Fairfax campus of George Mason University. The specific purpose of his lecture was based on the general lecture of the day which was on Leadership. In his lecture he covered the theory of Situational Leadership based on the studies of Dr. Paul Hersey.

Mr. Sumser used a couple of needs from Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in order to relate to his audience. He started off with the importance of his message which included to “Never Stop Learning!” and related the specific purpose and thesis to the Esteem and Self-actualization levels included in the hierarchy. For example, for the self-esteem need he associated pride and success in learning the leadership skills necessary for a successful career in leadership and management. A specific example from his lecture includes his discussion on the importance of understanding and studying the specific theories that apply to this field. He also informed us that a successful career in leadership was based on the individuals’ education, experience or time spent in an area, and roles held. As for the self-actualization need, Mr. Sumser helped us realize the importance in developing our individual identities especially when it applied to understanding and building our own theories based on what was studied. He also pointed out the importance of realizing our potential in our chosen field because it would help us reach our overall goal if we knew where we were going from the beginning.

He continued the lecture when he began his introduction of Situational Leadership and how different styles apply to different situations. He also expanded on what a leader would need to know in order to successfully lead and manage. This is where Mr. Sumser used finding common ground as a way to relate to the students. He talked about his past and compared his days as a student with his modern student audience. He also brought up a previous experience he had with giving lectures to college students and how it helped him with this work.

Some useful insight that he provided in the lecture included detailed descriptions and examples of each style and level included in the theory. This helped the audience understand the difference between each and its’ importance along with relating the overall message to the class lecture, Leadership, and the class objective, Organizational Behavior.

In regards to his physical appearance, it was clear that he had done lectures on this topic or topics in relation to this. He was very calm and collected, and he seemed to be very comfortable in his environment. He continuously maintained eye contact and his posture was how it should be. He also used a variety of presentation aids including a PowerPoint presentation and Lego’s that he used as a demonstration of a few of the styles that the theory points out. He also took the time to answer questions along with comments in order to involve the audience.

I didn’t really choose to attend this lecture as it occurred during class time; but I am glad I decided to stay because not only was the information useful but also interesting. I understood the overall message and it is interesting to know that studying and understanding simple behavioral theories may mean the difference between success and failure in your chosen field.