Leadership Development and Crisis Management: Analytical Essay

Leadership Development and Crisis Management: Analytical Essay

Information Value Distance and Crisis Management Planning

Organizational learning during and after the crisis is well established in the management literature, but the attention to learning for crisis and the sources of information that are considered useful for the planning of crisis management has not been investigated before. This study evaluates data from 215 UK small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) on the perceived value of 11 information sources between planning (i.e., companies with a crisis management plan) and non-planning respondents. For planning companies, the sources of information that are considered useful are based solely on experience and when information sources become less idiosyncratic and episodic, evaluations by planning firms of their value begin to estimate the ratings of non-planning firms

The main contribution of this study is to highlight and address a notable gap in the literature on crisis management, where organizational and institutional learning has long existed after the crisis but reflects on how organizations can learn to introduce crisis management planning (and where new sources of information are important) is largely ignored. In adopting learning from a crisis perspective, this research has shown that experience information by managers of SME managers is seen as more important than generic advice information. These preferences are observed between planning companies and non-planning companies. With planning in mind, these organizations strongly favored experiential information sources as determined by the measure of RVD. The extra value-value distance to the threshold emphasizes the great distance that some sources find useful for companies planning to deal with serious interruptions and incidents. The preference of planning firms for experiential information on crisis management and business continuity planning raises questions about how SMEs can be supported both in the initial development and in the renewal of their knowledge of these planning activities so that such feedback and learning adapt their adaptability as a continuous and dynamic learning process. complexity and uncertainty are better understood.

A number of directions for future research arise from this study. These include investigating and investigating why the valued information sources for planning companies are distinguished from the less valued information sources – is it the planning act that has shifted these perceptions or other factors?

Developing Organizational Learning Capacity in Crisis Management

The impact of crises on organizations and individuals has been stronger than ever. Despite increasing recognition of the effects of crisis events, most organizations are found not adequately prepared in managing crises. The increasingly frequent occurrence of organizational crises exemplifies the need for human resource development in preparing organizations and their members for crisis situations. However, very little effort has been made in this direction. Recognizing the dynamics and interconnectedness of crisis management, organizational learning, and organizational change, this article proposes an integrated model of organizational learning for crisis management that will likely strengthen organizational capacity and resilience in coping with crises and resultant changes.

Firstly, it is important to create an organizational learning culture that not only encourages risk-taking and acceptance of failure but also incorporates the principles and practices of the learning organization, action learning, transformative learning, and critical reflection. By doing so, organizations can anticipate and prevent crises and effectively learn from crisis experiences. By cooperating with the organization leaders and management teams, HRD practitioners can play a leading role in stimulating such a stimulating organizational culture. 438 Developments in human resource development June 2008 A second implication is that HRD practitioners should benefit from HRD interventions, for example by using training or learning-based programs to build the knowledge base of crisis management among executives, managers, and stakeholders of organizations, such as preparing an organization in advance through training on crisis management, is better than making high costs in the future. Moreover, it can speed up the recovery of crisis event organizations.

The training or education programs can also help leaders to adjust their mentality and recognize the need for crisis management. Without leadership support and a stimulating cultural environment, crisis management efforts are unlikely to be effective. Moreover, although learning is a powerful process, it is not without limitations. Individual attention and the lack of strategic focus can influence the effectiveness of HRD interventions in addressing organizational problems such as crises. That is why HRD practitioners must critically adopt learning-based interventions. When organizational learning is selected as an organizational effectiveness tool, practitioners must ensure that learning is promoted at all levels and aligned with the overall strategic intent of the organization. To do this, HRD physicians must work with the leadership team and actively engage in the regular evaluation of needs and scanning environments. Although leadership is not central to this research, it has finally been developed in the literature that organizational leaders play a crucial role in crisis management; their mentality and knowledge about crises have a direct impact on the organizational level of preparedness for crises and related structures and policies. For HRD professionals who are in charge of the central mission of leadership development, it is our responsibility to improve the leadership of the organization and the organization of internal and external environments. manage the organization and individuals in turbulent times. HRD practitioners must have the right education, learning, and organizational development.

Leadership

Extracting Leadership Knowledge from Formative Experiences

Leadership-forming experiences (LFEs) are those experiences that have a major impact on leaders, resulting in learning that is relevant to their leadership. This intervention was designed to capture LFEs with bi-focal lenses of leadership research (explore the process by which leaders build and share knowledge) and development (increases participant awareness of themselves and others to shape effective leadership interventions). Senior leaders who participated in a leadership development program told LFEs in peer groups to improve their learning experience. Most LFEs took place in adulthood (76%) and identified ‘self-improvement’ (40%), ‘dealing with wrestling’ (33%), ‘personal relationship/role model’ (13%), and ‘parental/symbolic relationship’ (5%) categories sensemaking. Only 8 percent spoke about a ‘natural process’ that supported a ‘born leader’ position and 1 percent was associated with identification with a cause. Experiences that were ‘driven from the inside’ in the pursuit of self-development were more effective in extracting lessons from LFEs than where learning took place by dealing with adversity. The research details of the LFE impact are embedded in the micro-interactions of leaders in the social construction process with which they help develop

The discipline of leadership development is interested in leaders who develop accelerated methods to promote the processing and learning of formative experiences with leadership for at least three reasons: (a) to help their own leadership development, which in turn (b) helps them in their development of future generation leaders. The third reason for our interest in LFEs is to help shape our understanding of formulating experiences for use in programs that are designed to bring about change. By experimenting with the use of LFEs for reflection, interpersonal communication, and building and changing trust, leaders gain a renewed understanding of the meaning of elements from the past in their current leadership and a deeper understanding of previous experiences (Janson & McQueen, soon). By using LFEs as a platform for Leadership Discussion during leadership development, we developed a means for leaders to understand the mechanisms they work with. to attribute meaning to these experiences which in turn affects how they learn from them. Once they understand these mechanisms, they can make other past (and present) experiences more accessible to their own leadership development and that of others.

Therefore, LFEs used in this way can have the ability to accelerate leadership development by releasing more conversations with emotional valency that affect the self and others. By developing storytelling, leaders can integrate previous elements of their experience into new learning. We have performed this activity using peer discussions that represent a leader-leader (rather than leader-follower) relationship. In this context, roles become interchangeable and the position of the storyteller or that of the story listener is taken. This process facilitated the sharing of meaning in the cohorts. This provided good practices for further use of LFE competencies when participants return to their context of organization and leader followers. Another crucial finding was that only 5 out of 198 LFEs related to formal courses or leadership development workshops. What we learn as leadership development practitioners is that our participants do not necessarily know how to articulate the learning that takes place during the development intervention. If this is the case, perhaps part of the development should be spent learning to articulate what has been learned and how it can be carried out in the future with sufficient clarity and weight that it can be easily accessible. In addition, development courses can have a delayed trigger effect, resulting in a significant time shift (possibly decades) between development intervention and action based on learning. In addition, there may be a ’tilt’ impact mechanism to reach the consciousness. In other words, a one-off intervention can have a limited impact, but an ongoing and ongoing leadership development program can be more successful in shaping formative experiences, especially when it comes to building a reflective exercise.

The main conclusions of this research are that leadership-forming experiences have the potential to become more specific and more conscious learning tools. Encouraging reflection and discussion about an LFE encourage the further significance of leadership development experience. Likewise, reflecting on and discussing experiences (using the sharing of senses) can be a formative experience in itself. That is to say, the most powerful impact of such experiences lies precisely in the fact that they are ships in which meaning can be cast and transported to distant destinations with relevance in many leadership contexts. Such an interpretation can explain the reporting of participants about learning as many positive as negative experiences. As such, one of the main reasons for conveying this message is the high degree to which Leadership Learning Material may be dormant in candidate leaders and the potentially – underused – leadership development programs to use this rich material.

The Leadership Development Interface: Aligning Leaders and Organizations Toward More Effective Leadership Learning

The Problem Leadership development research and practice are consistently focused on specific methods and interventions, to the extent that our understanding of how good leadership development looks is much clearer. The problem, however, with the current thinking about leadership development and the evaluation of leadership development, is that we do not investigate to what extent the individual leader and the organization for which they work are connected and aligned. For evaluators of leadership development, this exploration is an important aspect in measuring the systemic nature of leadership development and not just the intervention. How do individual leaders navigate their personal leadership development journey and how do the organizations they work for interact with them to provide effective development opportunities and practices?

The Solution

This article claims that we must evaluate and articulate the leadership development process differently; distance from isolated methods and to an interconnected process of personal and organizational discovery and learning. When leaders and organizations activate the interconnectedness of leadership development, learning can become more reciprocal and aligned, which can lead to better development results and added value. The Leadership Development Interface Model, developed on the basis of research and literature data, offers an interconnected perspective on leadership development and investigates a ‘whole system’ vision so that both leaders and organizations can execute their development effort in a tailored and supported manner. and evaluate.

The literature that I have come across mostly consists of ways in which organizations deal with the crises that they face. Many of the Papers also talk about the ways in which leaders can help in aligning the organizations. There is a lot of literature on the way that leaders change the organization. However, for my study, I would propose to map the competencies of a leader, that can be seen in past business crises. Mapping these competencies will help us understand which competencies will help a leader successfully recover his organization from a crisis.

I propose to do a combination of secondary data analysis, mainly from the Satyam crisis but also from interviewing leaders in different industries. If the Faculty Instructor approves, I would go ahead with this. Otherwise, we could find an alternative.

What Is a Leader: Essay

What Is a Leader: Essay

Leader – a character who leads, such as a conductor or information (Meriam). Leadership – the act or instance of main (Meriam). The function of leadership is appreciation and making use of the thinking of speaking an organization’s vision. Leadership is in a league of its very own when it comes to other positions due to the fact of its responsibility to people. It is about influencing and guiding whilst searching for positive change. Additionally, the capability to engage with employees and the public is essential to an organization’s morale and productivity. Consideration and appreciation for others enhance a leader’s potential to get to the bottom of hostilities and to take delivery of diversity. (Kania & Davis, 2015)

Leadership

Leadership is an integral skill required to inform others about a decided intention with the intent to obtain success. Leadership can be described in a number of ways. According to Stojkovic, Kalinich, and Klofas (2015), leadership is “a method that efficiently accomplishes organizational goals” (193). Leaders have a clear appreciation of the organization’s dreams and are frequently assured in themselves and their competencies to operate their jobs. They are additionally assured of their capacity to effectively inform the enterprise toward success. With ample training, any person that possesses a fundamental level of intelligence, and that is dedicated to perpetual development and teamwork can end up a nice leader. According to Stojkovic, Kalinich, and Klofas (2015), leadership is additionally a collaboration system that utilizes techniques and methods to motivate persons to accomplish certain tasks.

The position of management is very broad. There are extraordinary kinds of leaders. I will center of attention on the Participative style of leadership. I consider my non-public beliefs in dealing with all of us and how you would like to be treated is the first part of what makes me an accurate leader. I accept as true with a suitable leader evokes her team to do their best. A right chief interacts with their crew and leads with the aid of an example. I also accept as true with a suitable chief lets their crew make mistakes in order to grow and examine from them.

Ethical Leadership

Even extra vital than management on my own is ethical leadership. Even extra necessary than management by myself is moral leadership. Ethics is essentially the distinction between proper and wrong, proper and bad, and ethical and immoral practices (Brown & Mitchell, 2010, 584). Ethics encompasses principles of integrity, values, and morality. Ethical leaders aspire to be positive role mannequin for their constituents, their subordinate, and their peers. They understand that there are sizable responsibilities related to leadership. Ethical leadership inspires a required degree of belief between leaders and the humans they service. Ethical leadership inspires a required degree of confidence between leaders and the humans they service. Integrity is an inherent characteristic that others locate inspiring. According to Martin (2011), moral values that serve as the foundation of a person’s integrity are:

  1. Prudence: the capacity to figure between conflicting virtues and figure out the quality action to take
  2. Trust: loyalty and truthfulness in relationships between leaders and employees
  3. Effacement of self-interests: except this, leaders can also make the most of their authority to in addition themselves
  4. Courage: the suggestion between cowardice and foolhardiness
  5. Intellectual honesty: now not knowing something and being humble and brave enough to admit it
  6. Responsibility: intending to do the right thing, actually perceiving what the proper issue is, and being entirely aware of different options that may additionally exist; taking responsibility, alternatively than discovering excuses for mistakes or poor judgment (Martin, 2011).

Whereas leaders that lack an ethical compass have a tendency to make selections that compromise their integrity and threaten the belief that others have in them, moral leaders are commonly guided through an internal fee gadget that fees them to make moral selections that are steady and fair. They lead with the aid of example, and don’t require subordinates to function unethical duties that they are unwilling to perform; tasks that are physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, or financially harmful; nor, or tasks that are a risk to their professional careers. Their movements inspire productive reactions in others.

Participatory Leadership

two two two two Participatory leadership is management that involves subordinates in decision making, consulting with employees, collecting ideas, and subordinates’ concerns before making decisions, consulting with subordinates about things concerning work, asking for subordinate opinions, and often attempting to use ideas subordinates in selection making (Banjarnahor). In other words, it includes all personnel in employer choice-making. Employees having a voice in selection-making makes them feel essential and in my opinion vested in the company. Participatory leadership additionally helps to reduce employee turnover, it will increase morale, and are greater productive.

Servant Leadership

two two two two two two A servant-leader focuses in particular on the growth and well-being of the employees and the company. The servant-leader shares power puts the wishes of others first and helps human beings enhance and operate as incredibly as possible. The appreciation of servant chief needs to be a brave steward who holds people to blame for their personal good. This leadership focus displays electricity thru discipline and humility requiring the leader to put their personal needs after the desires of those they serve. Servant leaders help their followers to develop and succeed, which in turn aids in carrying out the organizational mission.

Leadership Styles

two two two two two two two A management fashion refers to a leader’s characteristic behaviors when directing, motivating, guiding, and managing groups of people. When speaking of leadership, it is almost constantly assumed that it is a position crammed with positivity. However, that is not usually the case. There are many hazardous management styles–the egotistic leader, the incompetent leader, the ignorant leader, and leaders that are reckless, cruel, or even evil (Burns). Two patterns of leadership that stick out to me are:

•Egotistical leader – Someone with an over-inflated ego is the worst character trait a chief can possess. Arrogant leaders refuse to hear as properly as learn, making them vulnerable to making negative decisions. They will pass by warnings and advice. The major trouble with an egotistical leader is that the features humans might see from afar are much less attractive when up close and private (Gale).

•Incompetent leader – Someone with little knowledge of the role and the responsibilities. Incompetent leaders exhibit signs and symptoms such as now not giving clear directions, no longer having time for personnel, and being unable to communicate effectively. An incompetent leader can be hazardous and damaging to the organization and employees (Valentine).

Conclusion

A fantastic leader is a man or woman with a passion for a reason that is larger than they are. Someone with a dream and an imaginative and prescient that will a higher society, or at least, some component of it. A chief ought to have values that are life-giving to society and should have respect for people. A leader has to have some ideas about change, about how the future ought to be different. A leader needs to be inclined to analyze as well as lead, be an exact planner and organizer, and properly a suitable communicator. Furthermore, I can’t see anybody main in a discipline they understand nothing about.

References

  1. Banjarnahor, H., Hutabarat, W., Sibuea, A. M., & Situmorang, M. (2018). Job Satisfaction as a Mediator between Directive and Participatory Leadership Styles toward Organizational Commitment. International Journal of Instruction, 11 (4), 869-888. Retrieved from https://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=tru&db=eric&AN=EJ1191726&site=eds-live&scope=site
  2. Brown, M. E., & Mitchell, M. S. (2010). Ethical and unethical leadership: Exploring new avenues for future research. Business Ethics Quarterly, 20(4), 583-616.
  3. Burns, W. A., Jr. (2017). A Descriptive Literature Review of Harmful Leadership Styles: Definitions, Commonalities, Measurements, Negative Impacts, and Ways to Improve These Harmful Leadership Styles. Creighton Journal of Interdisciplinary Leadership, 3(1), 33-52. Retrieved from: https://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1152225&site=eds-live&scope=site
  4. Gale, A. (2016). Why ego is toxic to leadership [Abstract]. Management Today. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
  5. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leadership
  6. Kania, R. R. E., & Davis, R. P. (2015). Managing criminal justice organizations: An introduction to theory and Practice (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge.
  7. Martin, R. (2011). Police corruption: An analytical look into police ethics. FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, 18-23.
  8. Stojkovic, S., Kalinich, D., & Klofas, J. (2015). Criminal justice organizations administrations & management. (6th ed.). Boston: Cengage.
  9. Valentine, Matt. (2018). Scientists Say This Is The Most Common Type of Toxic Leader. Retrieved from: https://www.goalcast.com/2018/04/09/incompetent-leader-absentee-leadership/

Oprah Winfrey and Her Leadership Style

Oprah Winfrey and Her Leadership Style

Throughout history we have seen many leaders come before us. These are people that strive to bring out the qualities of the individual and guide them in the appropriate direction. They lead by example to create an environment that is healthy and positive. There are several definitions of leadership because of how many styles it holds. Leadership is the action of leading a group of people or an organization. Roberts describes it this way: “Leadership is the privilege to have responsibility to direct others in carrying out the purpose of the organization, at varying levels of authority and with accountability for both successful and failed endeavors” (Roberts, 16). It is taking motivation from one’s self and inspiring the people around you to find leadership with in themselves. Motivation is a tool that helps people achieve success and accomplish all goals that are put before them. According to Mind Tool, “Leaders help themselves and others to do the right things. They set direction, build an inspiring vision, and create something new. Leadership is about mapping out where you need to go to “win” as a team or organization; and it is dynamic, exciting and inspiring” (Mind Tool, 2019). This is a great quality for a leader. They strive to never give up.

We have seen many successful women leaders that have changed history. Women have come together through the years to fight for our rights, so that all will stand equal. Global Fund for Women is a website that educates women on their rites. According to the website, “These rights include the right to live free from violence, slavery and discrimination; to be educated, to own property; to vote; and earn a fair and equal wage” (2019). Rosa Parks was an American activist during the time of segregation. She refused to get her seat to a white passenger and was arrested. This launched a world-wide effort to end racial segregation of public facilities. Since then, women have stepped up and fought for what is just in our world. Another example of a great leader is Martin Luther King, Jr. In the 1950s and 1960s he was a civil rights activist. His goal was to fight for the rights of all people, not only his race. He hoped that America could change for the better and all be equal. His dream was that no one would see color, they would see the person. In a speech that he is famous for and one of the many non-violent protests that he led, he said to the people, “I say to you today my friends, though, even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up, live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal’” (King, 1963). It was through King’s leadership and inspiration, that his dream is coming true and all people are one. He was leader that will forever be in our hearts.

These two leaders have proved to the African American community that change was possible. They paved the way for leaders in our generation such as Oprah Winfrey and she has done wonders for all communities, organizations and she has helped people change their lives around. She is a perfect example of a multicultural leader. According to Heidi Achong, “multicultural leadership is the ability to inspire others from different parts of the hemisphere to work towards a shared vision in a harmonized rhythm despite their cultural differences (not appealing more or less to any one group)” (Achong, 2016). Oprah implemented this in 2007, by opening an all-girls boarding school in South Africa, called Leadership Academy for Girls. Her inspiration originated from the lack of opportunities and education that was offered to her as a child. Her vision is to provide excellent education, with a touch of leadership to guide the girls in a positive direction. Oprah hopes that with the opportunity she offers, it will make a difference in our world and future generations to come. We have seen through Oprah’s career that she has always had a strong desire to practice generosity and hope for a greater outcome. In 2004 to 2010, Time magazine recognized Oprah as being one of the most influential people in the world. The achievements that she has been awarded, acknowledging her contributions in our society is due to reaching out to all people. Not just women and the African American culture.

In the book, ‘Salsa, Soul, and Spirt’, the author explains the different approaches from Latino, Black, and American Indian communities. There are nine principles of multicultural leadership that describe the foundation for these three cultures. In her own way, Oprah has demonstrated how her roots have led to her success. For a leader to be successful it is important to know your history and understand what brought you here. In 2013, Barak Obama honored Oprah with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Rhea Combs and Kathleen Kendrick embraced her and created an exhibition that illustrated her upbringing and roots. “We wanted to help visitors understand ‘Where does Oprah come from?’. I mean she is such an icon and a presence. But she didn’t come out of a vacuum”, Kendrick says. “She’s a woman, an African American woman, born in 1954 in Kosciusko, Mississippi. That had a huge impact on who she is, on her sense of upbringing. It really shaped an idea of who she could become, what her potential was” (Keyes, 2018).

There are two different traits that identify culture, which surrounds them. This is the second principle that separates different leaders. A leader that holds the traits of collectivism, identifies with them as the ‘We’ culture. They believe they are responsible for all and are engaged in the community. By working together, they will benefit more, than by one working by themselves. This will benefit the whole group and not just the individual. If a person identifies with the ‘I’ culture, they tend to be independent and strive for their own personal gain. We see in Oprah that she identifies with the ‘We’ culture, from her actions that we have seen through the years. She gains more by helping people than just herself.

A leader that is described as charismatic, believes in strong moral values and are considered to be strong role models. Using the transformational approach, they use their strength as a leader to help people change. They hope to inspire them with the confidence they hold and bring out the same in the individual. In communities of color, this leadership approach sets the example for everyone to see. Oprah promotes this style of leadership, by setting an inspired example. Bordas describes it this way: “Personalism resonates with a valued trait in the Black community – being known as the person who ‘walks the talk’. African Americans value authenticity, genuineness, and being ‘real’. A leader must therefore speak the truth, communicating with sincerity and conviction. The expression ‘Tell it like it is’ puts it well” (Bordas, 2012).

Oprah is also known for serving her community and it took teamwork to do this. With the help and direction of her team, Oprah has donated to more than thirty-one charities through the years. The Angel Network is a foundation, where 100% of the donations go towards the Leadership Academy for Girl in South Africa and these funds have helped rebuild the Gulf Coast. She is also a big supporter of the Clinton Foundation, which helps support the funding for treating HIV and AIDS. The Clintons are also a firm believer in fighting climate change, so they have added this to their foundation too. Oprah promotes giving to charities on her talk shows. In the book, ‘Oprah Winfrey: A Biography of Billionaire Talk Show Host’, Weston talks about how Oprah’s childhood has affected her actions today. She states, “If the past points to the future, there is little doubt Winfrey will succeed. Obstacles never stood for very long in Winfrey’s way when she was growing up. She learned as a child to meet life’s challenges head-on – and to follow the light of her open heart and generosity” (Westen, 2013). Through Oprah’s charity and foundation, she also encourages celebrities and her fans to contribute to great causes. Generosity can go along way if you are willing to donate, even if it’s just your time and efforts.

The communities of color are growing in size and coming together for its communities. Oprah is an example of empowering people of color are taking stronger leading roles. She believes that spirituality has also played a big part in her contributions. Bordas talks about how the African American soul sings. This relates to the community and how this has flourished their strong roots. The church became their anchor and religion was the stone from which they were taught moral values. He describes it this way: “Soul, which some attempted to deny to Black people, bloomed into one of their essential cultural features. Soul reflects a deep well of resilient hope, a spiritual family bonded by common hardship, and an emotional connection that forces community consciousness” (Bordas, 2012). The traditions that have continued from generation to generation, describes how this culture reflects strong leadership qualities.

References

  1. Roberts, W. (1990). Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun. New York: Warner Books.
  2. Yolande, Midgie, Mind Tools Content Team. (n.d.). What Is Leadership? Retrieved from https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_41.htm
  3. Make a Gift to Help Get Money and Attention Where It Will Make the Biggest Difference in the Fight for Women’s Human Rights. (n.d.). Women’s Human Rights and Gender Equality. Retrieved from https://www.globalfundforwomen.org/womens-human-rights/
  4. King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968. (1968). I Have a Dream: The Quotations of Martin Luther King, Jr. New York: Grosset,
  5. Fritchen, Katie. “Multicultural Leadership Defined by Experts”. CrestcomLeadership.com, 4 Oct. 2016, http://crestcomleadership.com/2016/10/06/multicultural-leadership-defined-by-leadership-development-experts/
  6. Keyes, A. (2018, June 7). Oprah’s Undeniable Influence on American History Recognized in New Smithsonian Exhibition. Retrieved from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/oprahs-undeniable-influence-american-history-recognized-new-smithsonian-exhibition-180969267/
  7. Bordas, J. (2012). Salsa, Soul, and Spirit: Leadership for a Multicultural Age. Oakland, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
  8. Westen, R. (2013). Oprah Winfrey: A Biography of a Billionaire Talk Show Host. Enslow Publishing, LLC.

Essay about Oprah Winfrey as a Successful Leader

Essay about Oprah Winfrey as a Successful Leader

One of Oprah Winfrey’s quotes that has stuck with me for the past 3 years is: “The key to realizing a dream is to focus not on success but significance- and then even the small steps and little victories along your path will take on greater meaning”. A leader is built by being able to do everything confidently and encouraging the same confidence in those you lead. Some qualities a leader should poses is dependability, integrity, and perseverance. When if people think of picking a leader or when they simply type in ‘successful leaders’ in the Google search bar, you don’t see the top five being a female unless you narrow your search. I have chosen to write about Oprah Winfrey, as she is one of the top female global media leaders who has made significant efforts to be where she is now. She’s now the host and owner of The Oprah Winfrey Show, which consistently wins high ratings, and the founder of the Harpo Productions, Inc., which produces her television shows and movies.

I believe the best leaders are those who overcome their past and that is exactly what Winfrey did. She was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi, On January 29, 1954 and was taken in by her grandmother. From the very beginning, Winfrey was into ‘playacting’, writing speeches, and going in front of an audience. Starting the age of nine, the poor environment had negative effects on her as she was victimized by repeated sexual abuse by men that her family had trusted. The turning point was when she went back to live with her father who was a strict and firm person but also provided her with guidance, structure, and rules. Getting back on tract, she got a full scholarship to Tennessee State University and a year in she was invited to the White House Conference on Youth. Just two years into her college career, she become Miss Black Nashville and Miss Tennessee. Winfrey moved to Chicago in January 1984 and took over as anchor on A.M. Chicago and changed the show from traditional women’s issues to current and controversial topics. Winfrey on live TV spoke about her abuse in 1989 of the show regarding sexual abuse. As a leader, being able to take your past and accept it and move millions of viewers shows the courage and motivation to continues and that is exactly what she has done.

Some important leadership qualities that people like me see in Oprah Winfrey are emotional intelligence, charismatic leadership, and transformational leadership.

EI is concerned with our ability to understand emotions and apply this understanding to life’s tasks. More specifically, “EI can be defined as the ability to perceive and express emotions, to use emotions to facilitate thinking, to understand and reason with emotions, and to effectively manage emotions within oneself and it’s relationships with others” (Mayer, Salovey, & Caruso, 2000). This can be easily seen through Oprah’s leadership style. Her awareness of her own vision has led her to achieve big goals while her listening skills and empathy have enabled her to motivate others. Oprah once said: “I am a woman in process. I’m just trying like everybody else. I try to take every conflict, every experience, and learn from it. Life is never dull”. People can trust Oprah with darkest secrets to their greatest accomplishments. People follow leaders who are transparent and relatable. One thing people can relate with her are the struggles with weight gain which she has publicly shared over the years.

In 1976, Robert J. House published his working paper ‘A 1976 Theory of Charismatic Leadership’. His focus was to move the theory towards a psychological explanation rather than sociological or political science theory of power. For House, personality characteristics of a charismatic leader include being dominant, having strong desire to influence others, being self-confident, and having strong sense of one’s own moral overtones. In leadership, Northouse states, “transformational leadership is the process whereby a person engages with others and creates a connection that raises the level of motivation and morality in both the leader and the followers” (pp.164-165). If there is one person who fits the description of a transformational and charismatic leader, I would look at no one other than Oprah Winfrey.

Time magazine named Oprah Winfrey ‘one of the most influential people’ from 2004-2009. Winfrey’s communication skills have enabled her to engage with people from diverse backgrounds. People have been able to identify with Winfrey because of her background and the fact that she was able to succeed in a male dominated world. Oprah is known to feel empathy over emotional stories through her interviews and this human side of her. She connects her with people and they view her as a caring leader. She is an authentic communicator who makes a strong connection with her audience. She also has a great sense of moral values. An example of this is when she broke her silence in regards to the increase of mass shootings that have occurred over the recent years in the United States. When Oprah makes mistakes, she is willing to announce that she was wrong and will learn from them like any ordinary human. This is why so many of Oprah’s viewers feel a strong connection with her. Besides her having traits of both transformational and charismatic, she is also a servant leader.

Oprah Winfrey is an excellent example of many dimensions of leadership. Scott Testa is a professor of business administration at Cabrini College. He has described Oprah Winfrey as ‘the ultimate self-made business leader’. Her leadership style is so common, yet she makes it unique in her own way. What I find inspirational about her is how she is able to inspire those around her especially with their past, and how she’s able to execute her vision. There is no doubt that her philosophy extends to three branches of leadership which are value, vision, and team. She came from nothing and now is a billionaire.

14 Leadership Traits USMC Essay

14 Leadership Traits USMC Essay

The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is one of the most respected and revered branches of the US military, known for its discipline, dedication, and leadership. The Marine Corps has identified 14 key leadership traits that are essential for its officers and enlisted personnel to possess. These traits are not only important in military service but also in civilian life. In this essay, we will discuss each of these 14 leadership traits in detail and explore why they are critical for success.

Justice

The first leadership trait identified by the Marine Corps is justice. Leaders who exhibit justice are fair in their dealings with others and hold themselves and their subordinates accountable for their actions. They make unbiased decisions based on facts and are not swayed by personal biases. Leaders who demonstrate justice are respected and trusted by their subordinates and can inspire loyalty.

Judgment

The second leadership trait is judgment. Leaders with good judgment are able to analyze a situation, make sound decisions, and act quickly and decisively. They are not afraid to take calculated risks and have the confidence to make tough choices. Leaders with good judgment are respected by their subordinates and are able to earn their trust by making sound decisions.

Dependability

The third leadership trait is dependability. Dependable leaders are reliable and consistent in their actions. They follow through on their commitments and can be counted on to deliver results. They are also responsible for the actions of their subordinates and hold them accountable for their performance. Leaders who are dependable inspire trust and confidence in their subordinates.

Initiative

Leaders who exhibit initiative are proactive and take action without being told. They are always looking for ways to improve and are not satisfied with the status quo. They are also willing to take risks and try new approaches. Leaders who take initiative are respected and admired by their subordinates and can inspire them to be more proactive.

Decisiveness

Those who are decisive can make swift, effective decisions even when facing high-pressure situations. They embrace accountability and are willing to take calculated risks to achieve their goals. When leaders display decisiveness, they earn the admiration of their team members. This admiration, in turn, inspires subordinates to act confidently, knowing they are following a leader who is confident in their vision and capable of achieving it.

Tact

Leaders who exhibit tact are diplomatic and sensitive to the feelings of others. They are able to communicate effectively and resolve conflicts in a constructive manner. They are also able to give constructive feedback without causing offense, and are respected by their subordinates and able to maintain good relationships with them.

Integrity

Leaders who demonstrate integrity are deemed trustworthy and are highly respected by their peers. They remain transparent in their communications and dealings with others, always upholding high ethical standards that are never compromised. Their actions and adherence to moral principles, makes them role models for their subordinates.

Enthusiasm

Enthusiastic leaders are a force to be reckoned with. Their passion is infectious and can create a highly productive work environment where team spirit thrives. These leaders are often seen as motivators who can drive their subordinates to perform at their peak. Leaders who are respected by their subordinates for their enthusiasm can go a long way in helping teams achieve their goals.

Bearing

Leaders who exhibit bearing are confident and composed in their demeanor. They are able to maintain their poise under pressure and are not easily swayed by emotions. They are also respectful and courteous in their dealings with others.

Unselfishness

Those who exhibit unselfishness are focused on the needs of their subordinates and are willing to put their own interests aside. They are able to delegate authority and responsibility to their subordinates and trust them to perform their tasks. Leaders who exhibit unselfishness can create a positive and collaborative work environment.

Courage

Leaders who exhibit courage are willing to take risks and face difficult challenges. They are not afraid to make tough decisions and are willing to put themselves in harm’s way to protect their subordinates. Leaders who exhibit courage and can inspire their subordinates to act with bravery.

Knowledge

By imparting wisdom to subordinates, such leaders help to create a culture of learning and improvement. What’s more, knowledge-driven leaders are always open to novel approaches and can learn from their subordinates too. It’s no wonder that subordinates respect and trust them!

Loyalty

Loyalty is a trait that commands respect and admiration. Leaders who exhibit loyalty put the needs of their organization before their own and are passionately committed to their subordinates’ success. By doing so, these leaders inspire their subordinates to reciprocate the loyalty and dedication. Did you know that organizations with loyal leaders tend to have increased employee retention rates and stronger workplace morale? These leaders set the foundation for a loyal team, leading to remarkable organizational success.

Endurance

Endurance is a key characteristic of great leaders. They display the ability to remain focused and energized even when faced with daunting challenges. These leaders were also found to be more supportive and encouraging towards their team during tough times.

Adapting and Overcoming: Why Marines Need More Than Just 14 Leadership Traits

These traits are instilled in every Marine from the very beginning of their training, and they are continually developed and honed throughout their service. As Marines progress through the ranks, they become more proficient in these traits, and they become second nature in their daily undertakings.

However, it’s important to note that there may be situations so irregular or unconventional that only an individual leadership trait or several leadership traits would be beneficial as leaders. As Marines, they are trained to adapt and overcome any situation that may arise. They are taught to think critically and creatively to solve complex problems. Sometimes, the situation may call for a specific leadership trait to be emphasized more heavily than others.

For example, in irregular warfare, the leadership trait of initiative may be especially important. Marines may need to take unconventional approaches to achieve their objectives and gain the trust and support of the local population.

Similarly, in unconventional warfare, which includes activities conducted to coerce, disrupt, or overthrow government or occupy power, the leadership trait of courage may be paramount. Marines may need to take significant risks and put themselves in harm’s way to achieve their objectives.

Conclusion

In conclusion, while the 14 leadership traits identified by the USMC are crucial for success in any leadership role, there may be situations where one or several leadership traits may be more important than others. As Marines, they are trained to be adaptable and to use leadership traits creatively to overcome any challenge that may arise.

You Can’t Be a Leader without Right Personal Qualities: Sample Argumentative Essay

You Can’t Be a Leader without Right Personal Qualities: Sample Argumentative Essay

The purpose of this essay is to discuss Grint’s perspective on ‘person-based’ leadership and how it’s crucial to learn about the personal qualities a leader should have. But the question arises, are personal qualities the only thing that a leader should have? The answer to this question is no. According to Grint, personal qualities play a major role in making a person leader, but there are other things that matter too, its important to achieve results, be in a position where the leader has the power to control situations, and even the process or method used by the leader in a particular situation.

Leadership is something concerned with a directional setting with novelty and linked to change. Grint’s other 3 perspectives (process-based leadership, result-based leadership, and position-based leadership) have a major impact on refining the definition of leadership because all of them are linked to each other. There are also some assumptions that limit the contingency theory and utility that can be categorized as tame, wicked, and critical problems. It’s important to understand how good leadership can help in solving and giving solutions to these unseen problems with the power and control they have in their hands.

According to Grint’s ‘person-based leadership’ perspective, it is who you are that determines whether you are a leader or not, it is basically based on a leader’s character or personality. The best example of this is charismatic leadership. Charismatic leadership is basically the method of encouraging particular behaviors in others by way of eloquent communication, persuasion, and force of personality. Charismatic leaders are always successful in making a great impression on their followers and motivating their followers, just like how ‘actors’ try to convince the ‘audience’ with their acting. Let’s take Adolf Hitler as an example. He was not a very social person and thus didn’t make any intimidating relationships with other people, but he had that thing called charisma in him, he was an excellent speaker with great communication skills, and he had a vision in his mind to accomplish the mission. All these personal qualities made him a perfect charismatic leader. Person-based leadership says that humans do lead the task, but identity changes over time. Today person-based relation is useful because it is more based on emotional relationship, whereas non-human leaders always fail because they cannot take the changes and adapt themselves to the dynamic environment. All the personal qualities are really important to become a leader, but personal qualities are not the only thing a leader needs.

Grint’s person-based leadership theory is really important to understand how to become a leader, but other perspectives are equally important to understand the definition of a leader. The distinction between Grint’s person-based leadership and process-based leadership is one that has developed in wider leadership literature. This represents a significant change of leadership as both a noun and a verb. While the first perspective focuses on individuality, personality, skills, and achievements, the second focuses on how leadership happens, as it can also be defined as a social process. The leadership as verb perspective draws attention to leadership as a practice that is situated, relational, and embedded in the everyday, rather than in the extraordinary individual who occupies a rarefied position.

Another crucial Grint’s perspective is the result-based leadership theory. It is appropriate to say that without results there is little support for leadership as results give power to definition. It is not always important that people who are responsible are the ones who achieve results, even people who are irrational, insane, and unreasonable can be leaders through the results of their actions. It doesn’t matter the way results are achieved; it can be ethical or unethical. Whereas Grint’s person-based leadership does not talk about whether a leader with all personal qualities will be able to achieve the result. It focuses more on attributes a leader should have rather than how these qualities will help him achieve his goal.

The ‘position’ of a person plays a major role in explaining the theory of leadership. Grint’s position-based leadership theory tells that “it is from where the leader operates makes them the leader” (Grint, 2005). In formal organization, position-based leadership matter as a mode of social organizations into a set of predetermined relationships and practices providing the blueprint. Authority relationships legitimize the pattern of the dependency process, and formal organization has the least distinctive yet 2 complementary aspects. Firstly, the structure of the organization institutionalizes the leadership process into networks of processes. Secondly, meditating or interpersonal relationships with others. Let’s take the example of Jeff Bezos (CEO of Amazon). In today’s time, he is one of the most successful leaders. The thing that makes him a successful leader is all his personal qualities and the goals he has achieved, but there is one more thing that made him a leader – because of his ‘position’ he had all the authority and control to show all his skills. This example tells how important a person’s position can be linked to his or her personal qualities to become a good leader.

Often people make a mistake by assuming ‘manager’ and ‘leader’ same thing, but this is not true. Leadership is defined as the alleged opposite of management. The difference between a manager and a leader is that a manager takes care of all the seen problems that have strait jack solutions also called ‘déjà vu’, whereas a leader can’t take care of all the unseen problems with his personal qualities and experience also called ‘vu jade’. Leaders are required to reduce the anxiety of the followers and their team members by providing them with innovative solutions, for example, if the prices of the shares drop, how the CEO of the company will react to find a solution to the problem would be called traits of a leader. The mindset of a leader matters a lot that is what makes him different than a manager.

The power a leader has is different than the power of a manager or a commander. It is assumed that there are 2 types of powers. Firstly hard power, which means that physical strength and dominance are asserted through asymmetric resources than an idea, for example, political strength asserted by the parties to win elections. Secondly, soft power, which doesn’t mean weak or fragile, but rather influence derived from legitimacy and positive value, such as military, they have to win hearts and have some values to prove. The cold war is one example in which both powers soft and hard will be used. Commanders better fit better with hard power, whereas leaders are more suited with soft power because they have the skill to motivate and influence other people. For example, let’s the case study of the Cuban Missile Crisis, when the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) threatened the USA that they will throw a nuclear bomb if the USA tries to invade Cuba. This is one of the most important cold wars in history. Two leaders John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev showed their managerial as well as their leadership problems, which means that both soft and hard powers were used to end the cold war. Kennedy and Khrushchev were great personalities, they solved all their wicked problems like leaders do and all their critical problems like commanders. This explains that a leader is a manager, but a manager is not a leader, it’s because of all the personal qualities he has better than a manager defines a leader.

The leadership depends on the situation to a great extent. Hence, leadership can take different forms at different times. Personal qualities are not the only thing that matters in leadership; cultural influences such as nation of origin and religion can be also important. There is variation in the concept of leadership across the world, therefore, consisting of a wide range of beliefs about leaders. Leaders don’t make all decisions, they let their team participate, and a common decision is made in favor of the majority. Let’s take the example of how personal qualities are not the only leaders need. We are all acquainted with the concept of ‘championship’ or ‘champions’ in various games and sports. Commonly a team is judged or agreed to be a ‘champion’ at regular intervals, e.g., annually, in virtue of certain features of its performance against other contesting teams. Then for a certain period, for example, a year, this team is by definition a ‘champion’, even though as months go by it becomes probable or certain that they will not repeat their success. But now let us imagine a championship of the following kind. In this championship, each team specializes in a unique method, strategy, and style of play of its own, to which all its members subscribe to the best of their ability. Secondly, ‘championship’ is not adjudged and awarded in terms of the highest number of markable successes. Similarly, if the perspective of leadership changes to result-based leadership, a person’s personal skills won’t matter unless there are actual results.

Thus, the statement is true that “you can’t be a leader without all personal qualities”, a leader needs all the personal qualities like good communication skills, influencing and motivating techniques. But that’s not enough, a leader should have the capability to make his skills and personal qualities into results. It’s very easy for any leader to operate from a position in a formal organization, but a real leader knows how to lead others in informal organizations. Leaders know how to engage themselves with culture and changing environment. Leaders have that soft power as assumed to influence their followers with the charisma and passion they have in themselves (Grant’s person-based leadership). They can tackle wicked and critical situations with unique solutions. This sums up that all four perspectives of Grint – position-based, person-based, result-based, and process-based leadership – are interrelated and one thing leads to another. But it will not be true if we say personal skills are the only that defines leadership, all other perspectives of Grint give meaning to a whole new definition of leadership.

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Self Evaluation on Your Ability to Lead Essay

Self Evaluation on Your Ability to Lead Essay

My recent roles within the Production Team, Dairy Division have five defined strategic objectives which I understand and apply daily. These include Machine operation, making cartons, picking & packing, quality check (bottle, sticker, batch code & best before date), and cleaning of production machines & equipment to support a focused quality requirement and production target within the sections; such as milk, butter, cheese, cream milk section. I also have a previous working experience as a Team Leader overseeing a warehouse/logistics team of up to 11 staff in Fountium Technologies in Chicago, U.S where I supervise the movement of inventory items in-out of the warehouse, placed orders, drove forklifts to load & offload inventory items and stock taking. In my previous and recent job roles, I have led by example to encourage the team to engage in self-leadership skills such as self-observation, evaluation & problem-solving, and role-playing exercises. I also facilitate training and coaching to develop team members’ consciousness of work health and safety regulation requirements.

Supports Strategic Direction:

I have a strong record of involvement in strategic planning, I have suggested new ways of doing things in order to improve the logistics process. Whilst employed with Fountium Technologies, I was invited to lead the warehouse team to undertake strategic thinking that would lead to a reduction in stock-taking error, turn-around times between loading & off-loading delivery vans, and final delivery of stock to customers. I conducted research on statistical data quality, task analysis, and workload management. Working in collaboration with the team, we decided that the logistics team should be divided into three phases. This would enhance the processing of discharge and provide a smoother, timelier, error-free, and more cost-effective delivery method. This system enabled the staff to plan their workload more effectively and allowed them to complete all their allocated work accurately and within desired timeframes. Furthermore, the value of changing the system further provides the opportunity to help improve our error rate, turn-around times, and KPIs.

Conceptual and Analytical Skills:

I undertake routine problem-solving and troubleshooting activities daily. I possess a keen eye for detail, an understanding of how processes work, and how to quickly and efficiently resolve problems through process analysis and systematic thinking. Whilst performing the team leader role, I outlined the necessary training requirements and developed a training plan to facilitate improvement on weakness areas as identified in the inventory management and delivery process. I redesigned customer delivery invoices to accommodate feedback on service delivery to customers and ensured a signed copy is returned to the office. Also, monitor and enforce compliance with company standard operating procedures through truck tracking devices to help improve driver safety, customer service, fuel and improve business margins. Importantly, a stronger relationship was formed among team members and trust was established; and from that point forward, stocks are delivered on record, stock management was greatly improved.

Supports Productive Working Relationships:

I encourage a high level of performance from team members and myself, and I work in a collaborative and participative manner in order to achieve goals. I work with my peers to identify and agree on work plans and individual performance criteria. I attend regular meetings with team members to discuss the individual progress of specific tasks, identify and jointly resolve issues as they arise, and continually provide constructive feedback on performance. These meetings provide the opportunity to review the team’s developmental goals and assist with individual goals where required. I provide feedback, motivation, coaching, recognition, and praise. Regarding coaching, it is a technique I use regularly to assist team members to develop their analytical and problem-solving skills. Essentially, I assist them to work through the problem until an appropriate solution is apparent to them. I respect, inspire and support and motivate team members through high-level communication and interpersonal skills. As a result, I have received several awards in recognition of outstanding service. Two of the most recent awards gained at Fountium Technologies Limited: the Professional Excellence Team Management Award in recognition of excellence in target delivery and commitment to values; and the Award in recognition of extraordinary service to my fellow team members and customers.

My skill in team development, leadership, and safety have been honed through my academic background in statistics, Lean Leaders Training and Forklift experience, and First Aid Training to save lives and reduce pain or injury on a casualty until he/she gets treatment from a qualified medical doctor, health professional or taking to a hospital. Good understanding and enforcement of 5S that emphasizes the use of a specific mindset and tools to create efficiency and profit by removing waste.

Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to speaking with you soon.

What Are the Characteristics of a Leader: Essay

What Are the Characteristics of a Leader: Essay

Certain characteristics make us from ordinary people to great leaders. You can see countless examples all around you where the need for a team lead, manager, supervisor, etc. is always there so that they can mobilize people to get the work done. People don’t work according to their job description and tend to lose track unless they are directed. It’s sad but true as the role of a manager is such these days. Contrary to the role of a manager is that of a leader. A great leader is one who can motivate others and make them follow a path that can lead them to success. A leader possesses many qualities or traits that make them a class apart. Political leaders like Winston Churchill and Mao Zedong are revered for what they did for their countries and led them toward economic and political glory. In this paper, I will discuss the main, in my opinion, characteristics that make a person a true and great leader in every sense.

The first characteristic of a leader is to lead by example. While you may argue that this is such a cliché when anyone refers this point to leadership and habits of effective leaders, this is an important one too. If the leader will not possess the quality of leading by example, then how come the people who look up to him will follow suit? That’s why it’s imperative for a leader and a quality worth looking at. The commitment of a leader to his team, company, nation, etc. is that he will give his heart and soul to the cause for which he is appointed or for which he has taken the initiative. This is such an important factor, because if the team or people believe that their leader is capable of what he is saying, then they do achieve what they are aspiring for.

Communication is the real work that makes a person a leader. If a person at the helm of the affairs of a company or running a city as a mayor is not able to communicate well with the people, he won’t be successful in his role. A leader should be able to tell his subordinates or people what is going on in his mind and what he is up to so that any action he takes will be backed by the people knowing that he will stand for their rights or positively work for them. The communication process in this regard should be inspirational and to the point. A leader shouldn’t beat about the bush in talking to his team and telling them what is right or wrong. Instead, he should talk in a clear way with understanding the point of view of the people with whom he is talking and shouldn’t just force his decision onto them. Even in doing so, a rational approach and making his viewpoint to the people understandable is necessary.

Going against the tide is a very courageous move. It is, therefore, a great quality of a person to have the daring to do a task or go towards unchartered territory that may look insane and impossible at first, but only time proves them right. To take difficult or unpopular decisions is another characteristic that is hard to find in many top executives and leaders who run a city, state, country, etc. When an adverse situation springs up, a leader who is courageous sees this as an opportunity rather than a situation impossible to handle. This is where such a leader becomes inspirational in his stance to tackle the situation in a manner that he makes it look easy to handle situations like that. The strategic decision they take is based on their wisdom and courage to tackle a scenario in a particular way to make it easy.

People think of a leader as a stubborn one with not talking too much to the workers/ people and offering little to his subordinates in terms of relief in any matter. You must have read the communication part described above, and it’s obvious from these that such a stubborn person cannot be a good leader, at least in a broader sense. Humbleness is a quality that makes him a loving personality and whose orders are always obeyed and completed. A true leader doesn’t manipulate his position in making decisions or enforcing them. He would rather make a ploy so that he portrays his kind side and ask the followers to follow him in a polite way rather than show anger and disrespect all the time. A humble person can become a great leader based on this one quality alone.

Being able to motivate people to do a task or to commit to a cause is another great characteristic of a true leader. People need a person who can inspire them toward a goal and show them the way forward. It’s very common that most people need someone to push them hard so that they can make an effort without fail and do not show signs of fatigue or unwillingness. A good leader also motivates people towards a task or cause that seems impossible at first. Hence, his motivation is a big factor in this regard.

A leader’s passion and willingness towards a cause are necessary so that he can lead a team or group of people toward a goal. A leader who is passionate about the cause can be successful in making people a sincere effort rather than just doing the task half-heartedly. Enthusiasm is really necessary for a person to inspire others to do what he thinks is right and complete anything, even an online task that requires people to make an effort.

And the final characteristic is accountability. A leader in a true sense not only makes people accountable for their work but also lets others check his leadership style and question his actions and decisions. A leader should support his followers so that everyone trusts his ability to deliver the goods and is never afraid of asking him to reconsider any decision if the majority thinks he needs is responsible for a project or system failure.

Summarizing all of the above, the answer to the question of what characteristics a leader possesses will be as follows. A leader is a person who knows how to set an example and motivate, who has excellent communication skills, who is courageous and at the same time humble, passionate and responsible for his work.

Walmart Leadership Style Essay

Walmart Leadership Style Essay

Walmart is an American multinational retail company that operates a chain of supermarkets, departmental discount stores, and grocery stores. It has its headquarters in Bentonville. The corporation was established in 1962 by Sam Walton. Walmart had approximately 11496 stores and 57 clubs and operated across 27 different countries around the globe. Walmart is the leading company in revenue collection across the world and the largest private employer, with about 2.2 million workers. It is a publicly-traded private company and the Walton family mainly controls it. The family owns 50 percent of Walmart through its stock corporation Walton Enterprises and their assets.

Walmart Company headed by Doug McMillon, who has served as the president and the chief executive officer since 2014. Doug is the champion of Walmart Company and has worked at the corporation for over 30 years. He is a democratic and transformational leader and uses a bureaucratic leadership style to its minimum. Doug ensures that when it comes to getting ideas, he brainstorms with his followers. This ensures that the employees at Walmart feel involved in the decision-making process of the company. He is not into dictatorship style but rather lets democracy take the day in the company. This has acquired him the liking of many of the employees at Walmart. His leadership style also focuses on making life more comfortable and building trust with his clients. The company has invested heavily in associate wages, and education and has extended the paternal leave program. The primary products and services offered by Walmart corporation include meat, bakery, frozen food, dairy produce, paper produce, dry grocery, household chemicals, health and beauty products, and electronics

Walmart Company has a categorized functional organization structure. Instructions and directives are made from the top level of the company leadership and executed through the middle managers down to the rank and store workers. This organizational structure enables business managers to influence the entire organization positively. For instance, new policies and guidelines established at the company business headquarters are directly conceded to the local directors down to the store administrators (Martínez et al.,2017). This kind of organization in a company ensures that information is properly relayed from the top management to the employees at the bottom in a proper channel and that it is well received. This kind of organization ensures that there is no loss of information if the proper channels are followed and every person is responsible for ensuring the information is properly relayed throughout the company. Without such proper organization, the company would suffer losses as information may not reach the preferred people on time.

Walmart Company embraces both the participative leader’s style and transformational leadership style. The company values the input of the team, members, and peers, but the CEO is the one who is mandated with the obligation of making the final decision. Participative leadership boosts worker morale due to their contribution to the decision-making process, which makes them feel valued in the organization. Walmart has an open-door policy, all members are encouraged to share concerns, express themselves freely, and speak their opinions, and this assists it in improving its daily operation. In Walmart, all managers are expected to take critical analysis and treat all discussions fairly. The policy is outlined in the Walton playbook(Martínez et al.,2017). This kind of leadership in Walmart has ensured that the employees throughout the company feel appreciated as their opinions are taken into consideration. They usually feel as part of the company as they are allowed to make contributions when the company is making decisions. Such a setting is beneficial to a company as the employees serve the customers well and this translates to profits for the company thus staying ahead of the competition.

In addition, Walmart embraces the transformational leadership style. This form of leadership relies on communication from the top administration to achieve its objectives. Leaders enhance production and effectiveness and inspire workers through high perceptibility and communication. The leaders mainly delegate smaller tasks to teams to achieve the company’s objectives. For instance, Walmart’s cheer is a powerful symbol of Walmart’s team spirit and company philosophy(Martínez et al.,2017). This form of leadership is associated with Walton, which mainly aims at motivating employees to be more productive in their jobs. Leaders must monitor the employees to perform their roles in an appropriate way to achieve the company goal.

The primary duties and responsibilities of the leader in Walmart are to make significant corporate decisions, manage the entire operation and company resources act as the primary source of information amid the board of directors and the corporate operation, and act as the public face of the corporation. Doug also motivates and grooms the other managers and CEO by imparting Walmart values and mentoring them in cases of challenges; he leads the change management and includes the adoption of the technology. The CEO is also in charge of building collaborative relationships with managers and members and supports the implementation of business innovation (Martínez et al.,2017).

Walmart CEO has worked for Walmart for approximately 30 years since he was a youth, from 2005 to 2009 he served as the director and manager of Sam’s Club. Doug has worked for Walmart for approximately 30 years since he was a youth from 2005 to 2009. McMillon has earned recognition for reviving Walmart’s momentum and notching its twentieth straight center of the same-store growth at the store in the United States (Heller, 2017). The retail department also earned extensive coverage in the last three years when it increased the salaries and raised the training hours of its employees. Walmart has also been at the forefront of sustainability initiatives. The chief executive officer is committed to keeping corporate roundtable CEOs at the lead of productive public strategy as they pursue the agenda of development and opportunities for all Americans. Hence McMillon aspired to be the leader within the company, his hard work and commitment have made him rise from being a general worker to the chief executive position.

Walmart’s CEO is the highest-ranked official in the company, followed by the vice presidents, the executive vice presidents, and the senior vice presidents. These executives are in charge of organizing, planning, commanding, and controlling leadership in the company. The human resource department of Walmart Company is stratified in terms of the programs and solutions developed and applied (Bepko, 2020). Every store has its specific human resource personnel in charge of the administration of the store. This ensures that each department works properly and that there is no confusion when it comes to handling responsibilities. To analyze change in the staff, the company automates the process through the application of special software. In addressing the shortage or surplus of the workforce, the company uses its information system to find out which areas of the institution have increased demand in the human resource areas and the areas that have surplus staff. With this, they are able to know which are has a lot of staff and which one is understaffed. This gives them the opportunity to correct this. To reduce the cases of harassment in the workplace, the human resources department has developed a learning session that precisely addresses workplace provocation. All levels of employees are required to attend

According to McMillon, the most important thing to him as a leader is transformation. He feels that leaders should lead from the front. Leaders should be curious and ready to learn, and these will enable them to come up with new ideas besides changes that bring outgrowth, and any meaningful change cannot occur without risk. People should get comfortable with an intellectual level of risk. To him, his foremost priority is for the long-term success of the company. Any company that focuses on short-term achievement is set to fail. The biggest challenge faced by McMillon is that most people are not ready to embrace change. As a transformative company, Walmart encourages innovation in all its processes. The company is focused on utilizing both existing and emerging technology to serve its, customers, better. According to the CEO, the emerging technologies will make the company work differently in product management, trade, and improving business leadership. The company has improved most of its processes and aims to empower its associates in the utilization of advanced technological equipment.

In conclusion, Walmart is a publicly traded private corporation and the leading company in revenue collection across the globe. This is a company that is properly organized from top management to the lower-level employees. This organization has enabled the company to have an edge over its competitors and also make profits. The top management of the organization has the mandate to plan, organize, and control the company process to accomplish its goal. The primary responsibilities of leaders in Walmart are to make the major business decisions and to manage the entire operation and the company resources. The company utilizes both the participative and transformational leadership styles, where they involve their subordinates and peers in decision-making. This makes all the staff at Walmart feel appreciated and a part of the company.

Time Management Skills as a Leader Essay

Time Management Skills as a Leader Essay

Time is a basic asset with less and more dynamic. In old times, time was considered as a sequential time and was accessible as a resource for economic usage. Time cannot be manageable similarly as other resources, such as human, physical, and information are managed, it is a critical resource that must be used as we receive it (Sutharshini Thevanes, and Arulrajah,2019). The Industrial Revolution was when the time management concept got started and became very efficient eventually by making or doing things efficiently and effectively. Time management is much needed in one’s life to be successful.

As per the business situations, most of the organizations neglected to take time as a serious factor. Successful business people will know the value of time management which key factor in their success is. Without any time management skills, most organizations would go in the wrong direction on completing their projects completion. To achieve successful project completion every organization and individual should consider time management as a key factor for their success (Sutharshini Thevanes and Arulrajah,2019).

Nowadays managing all projects within the time, budget, and execution is quite difficult. The environment in undertaking a project is extremely violent and is made out of many meetings, reports continuous planning and re-planning, and communicating frequently with the clients.

Here, the successful project manager is a supervisor, not a practitioner, but in the current world, project managers frequently compromise their own time by doing both. For project management disciplined way of time management is one of the major resources.

If the project manager is not controlling or adjusting his own time can also not be able to control the thing on the project (Kerzner, H. R.). As per Kerzner, H. R., there are many time robbers associated with the project management environment, some of them are –

    • Incompletion of work
    • New changes without any intimation or direction
    • Lack of information, job description, and technical knowledge
    • Communication gap
    • Re-planning and reworking
    • Lack of work monitoring

Not only the above-mentioned things, there are many more likewise. In order to overcome some of these things, project managers and engineers have to use basic forms of time management. The first thing they have to do is, they need to prepare a form called “to do” which the project managers prepare to list things like what activities need to be done and what activities to date, what is the priority, what actual work got started, and what is in process and what completed till now (Kerzner, H. R.).

Based on this, the project manager will now make a decision on how further action is needed. If he finds more work to be done than time slots, the project manager should schedule well in advance. This is not a best practice, every project should be well organized beforehand, if anything happens later then the project manager should follow this form in order to keep tracking the progress. Based on this we have to analyze that, do not postpone the work you are doing until later, do it as soon as possible that you can do. This is where time management comes into the picture (Kerzner, H. R.).

How Managers Perceive Real-Time Management:

Most of the managers don’t recognize clock time from real-time instead they use clock time as a source of perspective to indicate two specific versions of real-time. The managers characterized continuous as either the span of time in times of seconds, minutes, hours, or days. In real-time there are two different methods of managing time, they are Utility and Sense time which leads to fast or flow. Utility Time portrays time as straight and controllable. Externally utility time is an estimated form of clock time to be utilized deliberately as a resource. Utility time sticks to clock time whereas sense time escapes it (Rydén, and El Sawy, 2019).

Utility time – Since various managers portray real-time as a financial and vital asset for an organization to use, that is called Utility Time. People who see time as a financial asset or a fiscal resource use expressions for example, ‘time is money’ or ‘don’t waste my time.’ (Rydén, and El Sawy, 2019). During the survey, 13% of managers said that real-time emphasizes the current situation rather than the future, 23% it is related to the past, and 12% defined it as less than the period of a minute (Rydén, and El Sawy, 2019).

Most of managers sense that real-time is associated with as fast as possible, whereas real-time uses logical and good reasoning which refers to other physical measures. Functionality of utility time is defined to control this real-time considering the speed and reducing the latency. Managers who think that this real-time is under control and manageable can increase the speed of their work to save more time assuming that it saves some money as well. Nowadays value of the real-time is a more considerable asset so that managers can bring more discipline to their work environment in their limited time and budget (Rydén, and El Sawy, 2019).

Sense time – Some managers think that real-time is each individual person’s private time which is called sense time. Since time is defined as a feeling or experience emotionally. Here, real-time means when you sense the moment is alive. To understand this real-time in the present state one must have an understanding of this or should experience this personally. In this sense time, time should not be measured as an external time, as said earlier this should be experienced by each individual in order to follow the flow. The value of real-time is to be more effective and creative, if any individual undergoes too much stress then they cannot achieve their goal or cannot concentrate on their creative thoughts. Because this sense of time is a personal time for each individual, they have to create some space for the present situations and flow smoothly with their state of mind (Rydén, and El Sawy, 2019).

Differentiated time management skills between leadership styles: There are two different time management skills that we have to take into consideration, one is Internal time management and other one is External time management. Internal time management mainly focuses on selecting good tasks that are required to achieve their larger vision of the goal, whereas External time management focus on organizing regular task in a proper manner (Sarfraz, 2017).

Most of the Internal time management is by a protagonist who is a charismatic, ethical leader who needs these types of skills and also, they mostly lead their other followers to create some useful changes by themselves. Leaders who use this internal time management should focus on setting goals and regular time management skills. In this type, setting a goal is very important in order to have a better bigger version and make sure each of them has set their small goals in achieving their big vision (Sarfraz, 2017).

As said earlier most of the external time management will mainly focus on regular activities and their responsibilities. In this management, there are transactional, strategic, and participative leaders who focus on efficient decision-making, continuous learning, and also focus on the works space activities (Sarfraz, 2017).

According to Haniya Sarfraz, (Sarfraz, 2017) below are some mind tools for time management

    • a) Scheduling – best planning to use your time and also schedule some time for important activities for the day
    • b) Smart work to enhance the productivity of the project, and also avoid common mistakes.
    • c) Check how productive you are, and make sure your prioritization is creating the best use of time and resources.
    • d) Challenges in time management, focus on controlling your time.