small business management 4000words

ASSESSMENT TASK ESSAY

Leadership: From theory to practice and self reflection

“A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be”. With reference to the quote, the term leadership is a vital characteristic within an individual. There are certainly various definitions out there that attempt to alleviate the sheer ambiguity of the term leadership. For example, (Baird et al, 1990) defines it as “The ability to influence people towards goal achievement “whereas on the other hand we have (Rost, 1993) who defines it as “an influence relationship among leaders and followers who intend real changes that reflect their mutual purposes”. Each of us possess leadership traits and behaviours that define who we are as a leader and how we lead. In today’s rat race world, there is a need to have a certain leader leading companies and people towards the right goal. These leaders undergo change management to impact their organisations and business strategies in a beneficial way. As an individual, I am looking forward to enhancing my leadership skills for my personal and professional growth and thus I hope through this assignment and chosen leader, I will be able to do just that. This essay thus dwells upon the leadership traits and behaviours of a certain leader chosen which in turn would impact or improve the qualities that I as a leader should be.

Individuals are responsible for a leader’s traits, behaviour and styles they bear and that determine what a representation of a leader is to them (Lord, 1985). To examine this, I have chosen a leader whom I consider to be very effective in their work and displays traits of a successful leader too. Her name is Mrs. Joanne Walker and she’s the regional cargo sales manager of XYZ Airlines (To avoid any company privacy infringement and policies, the interviewee has requested to not reveal her name and company name. For the purpose of this assignment, her name shall thereafter be Mrs. Joanne Walker who works at XYZ Airlines). Her job scope revolves around managing the accountable and commercial objectives for cargo airlines of XYZ Airlines. Additionally, she displays characteristics of a leader as she is responsible for leading and coaching a team of employees working directly for the airline and outsourced for South Asia Pacific countries; just to name a few - Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Myanmar, Cambodia, New Zealand and Australia. She also drives the implementation of the regional business plan including product and sales plans. Evidently, Mrs. Walker has many responsibilities on her plate but does she fulfil her duties as an effective and successful leader? This would be based on my observations and findings on her. It was important to note the Hawthorne Effect which influenced me to observe her in the first place. This effect is a phenomenon held at the Hawthorne factors in USA which focuses on a group of people being observed and studied for any changes in their natural behaviour during the process (Bornmann, 2012). The challenged I faced will be addressed later. Nonetheless, this was the information that was gathered.

A leadership style is the manner of empowering employees, directing them on the right path and executing effective and efficient plans. The method I used was the Situation-Behaviour-Impact (SBI Feedback Tool) where comments are relevant and emphasized on the leader’s effectiveness (Buron & Mann, 2007).

The first situation was noticed during a discussion that Mrs. Walker was involved in where the topic was revenue targets in the cargo field. She initiated the discussion and was sharing data about certain targets achieved to her employees while subsequently assigning duties to them. With reference to Figure 1, the style of leadership that Mrs Walker demonstrates is directive leadership. This was observed on the basis of her distinguished ranking in the company and her interpersonal skills with her employees. Directive leadership as (Bass and Bass, 2008) explained are leaders who can effectively solve problems and form decisions and through this they expect their subordinates to follow the same way. However, in a rather male dominant environment in the airline cargo industry, there may be times where “women spend a significant amount of their effort compared to male leaders to compromise with their subordinates” (Catalyst, 2005). As stereotypical as it may sound, there would always be differing ideologies between men and women on the basis of their leadership skills and intellectual capabilities. Mrs. Walker thus has to upkeep a reputable role in the company to ensure there’s equality practiced amongst the two genders. This style of leadership is derived from the Path Goal Theory which is based on Vroom’s expectancy theory (Vroom, 1964). The Path-Goal Theory was initiated to gather data about observations of task and people behavioural orientation of leaders and their influence on subordinate’s capabilities and contentment (House, 1996). I was impressed at how Mrs. Walker picked and adopted a certain style of leadership that caters to the team’s personalities and what the task demands. She carried out the discussion without any hesitation and aware of what needs to be done to achieve high productivity and morale in certain circumstances.

Figure 1: The Path Goal Theory

It is right to say that an individual’s leadership styles are not the main determinants that define them as a leader, when in fact effective leadership can be found in the behavioural aspects which leaders are capable of developing throughout (Ayman & Korabik, 2010). In this specific approach known as the behavioural approach, (Robbins & Coulter, 2005) stated that a leader’s effectiveness is associated with 2 main behaviours – one that is production centred (task oriented) and the other based on interpersonal skills or employee centred (people oriented). Based on a situation where Mrs Walker involved her employees in lunch gatherings and coffee breaks, she displayed a relationship oriented behaviour due to her etiquettes and manners she has with her employees. She showed concern for her employee’s needs and well being by inquiring. I was certain that she was portrayed as as someone who values empathy and shows good interpersonal skills in the office.

Moreover, Mrs. Walker’s power and influence tactics used in the company was discoverable through the following observations. With her prominent role in the company, it is accurate to state that she possesses high level of knowledge and specialised skills in her field. Transformational leaders mostly adopt this type of power as it exhibits a leader’s personality for forming sound and effective decisions with the usage of wisdom and knowledge (Noordin, 2011). Thus through the following situation, it was noticed that Mrs Walker displayed traits of expert power. In an event of miscommunication or a certain problem in the data, her employees approach her to seek advice on how to solve the problem and this was due to the fact she was an expert in her field. Even during meetings, Mrs Walker recommendations and suggestions are highly constructive and her employees are persuaded to follow them due her expertise. I believe she will be able to upkeep this power with constant development of her skills and with her efforts, she can even motivate her employees to achieve their maximum potential.

Now that certain observations and findings were made on the behaviour and styles of Mrs Walker and her leadership, I then conducted an interview to verify if my observations coincided and are similar to the facts. Through this method, I can confirm if my findings were right and gain an understanding from it to apply to my own leadership skills. The interview consisted of variety of open ended questions highlighting her way of treating employees in certain situations for example during a conflict or important discussions. I discovered through this process, Mrs Walker’s leadership style encompassed the definition that (Bass, 1990) had indicated – leadership is the synergy that exists amongst two or more people which allows them to utilize the ideas and insights of group members to organize and rebuild the situation.

Firstly, a certain question about her leadership behaviour was put across to which she responded that she adopts a combination of both relationship as well as task oriented leadership. When it comes to the underlying theories of management and motivation, there are two main – transformational and transactional leaders and Mrs Walker claimed that she adopts both of these. (Bass, 1985) stated that these two behaviours work together harmoniously rather than two separate styles. A transformational leader is one that prioritises encouragement and motivation to inspire their employees thus aiding in the positive development of their organisation (Huczynski & Bunchanan, 2007). Whereas a transactional leader relies on a barter or an exchange related affair where the followers are required to return what the leader wants after they acquire what they desire. Hence this is a relationship based on “give and take“ offer while simultaneously working towards achieving the goals of the company. Mrs Walker proves this point by saying she believes “that one has to give respect to earn respect from others”. Task oriented leaders are mostly technical and practical when it comes to decision making and thus are less concerned about employee-leader relationships. She displays this behaviour during disputes and helps to “work out an amicable solution too alleviate the problem” and when it comes to ideation, she uses technology to focus on innovative and creative solutions.

A relationship oriented leadership understands the importance of completing tasks and reaching goals however they place utmost importance on the positive productivity and motivation of their employees through interpersonal skills. Mrs Walker agreed to this and stated that she treats her employees appreciatively – she “spends time and effort improving the rapport with them as she considers employees to be the best assets of the organisation”. In a crisis of a situation such as a conflict, when asked how she resolves them, Mrs Walker easily said that it is all about “listening actively to both parties and settling the root of the problem i.e understanding the disputes first and foremost”. Culture plays a huge role in the way she treats employees too. In today’s era globalization has given rise to various challenges such as the the need for being culturally appropriate while serving and interacting with diverse employees and customers (House et al, 2004). For instance, Mrs Walker tends to venture on business trips overseas and hence has to consider the cultural and regional aspects in every country. Thus she “has to be sensitive in her speech and behaviour” and will have to “dress according to the cultures she has to interact with”. Thus the mark of an effective leader is when she can acquire both of these styles to bring the company to greater heights.

Secondly, on the basis of leadership styles, she expressed that directive and participative leadership suited her the most. According to (Sauer, 2011), participative leadership is defined as discussing with one’s subordinates about the problems faced before conforming to a decision. This is executed by being an active listener and articulating with her team and customers”. A study by (Deci, Connell & Ryan, 1989) elucidated that participative leadership is necessary for empowering and motivating employees, providing them with a sense of intrinsic motivation and elevating their determination and self worth. Thus there is a “need to understand the development of employees”. When asked about how she upkeeps her work ethics and portrays herself as a constructive leader, she said its vital to have “a constant continuous open and honest communication with her employees”. In cultural circumstances, she felt it is of utmost concern when it comes to interacting with them and thus she “respects and accepts the idiosyncrasies of each culture” and attempts to “imbibe the good qualities of culture”. Additionally, her directive leadership is manifested in her methods of establishing goals and objectives for her teams. Mrs Walker retains an authoritarian figure and makes important decisions for her employees while gaining important feedback from her teams about changing market conditions as well as constantly improving their skills by “building training plans and arranging career succession planning.

Moreover, an effectual leader like Mrs Walker tends to showcase two types of leadership styles and is able to differentiate each of them with respect to the situation they are in. As there is no best style of leadership, according to (Hersey & Blanchard, 1969), leaders should be able to change and adapt their leadership style according to the situation and the people they are with. This foundation exists between a leader’s behaviour and style and the extent of readiness for a follower to complete a certain task. Additionally, he indicated that the expectation level is directly proportional to task completion hence ability to perform tasks can be improved by increasing expectation levels. With reference to Figure 2, the model comprises of two pillars namely relationship and task behaviour and stems from 4 main behaviours relating to employee maturity level as seen on the model. Mrs Walker adopts the selling style which is mostly utilized for situations with high attentiveness hence a high relationship and high task level. In the selling style, leaders explain the situation and decisions being made and lets the followers clarify. For instance, she stated that she allows her “followers to be make certain informed decisions but they should be accountable for their actions however if a decision has to be made instantly, she takes the initiative. Thus, Mrs Walker shows signs of a leader through the way she adapts her style according to the situation.

Figure 2: Hersey Blanchard Situational Model

Moving on to power and influence on others, in addition to expert power that was observed prior to the interview through her actions and interactions with her employees, Mrs Walker also displays signs of legitimate power. In the opinion of (Raven, 1993), legitimate power derives from a leader’s right to guide and direct their followers to comply with their instructions. The leader acquires such an entitlement through his/her status in the company and the belief that the rank provides them the eligibility to do so. To sustain her rank, Mrs Walker “works twice as hard so her team would not perceive her to be a lazy leader”. She believes that along with being compassionate towards followers, it is necessary to also “be assertive and proactive during decision making” and to “delegate work efficiently” in this dynamic changing economic environment. As she quotes it “I have to walk the talk rather than just talk the talk “. In situations that involves her management with male gender, she claimed that as a female, its is vital to set her rank prominently and to gain respect from the male gender so they can consider her a role model. All in all, she is aware of how to direct and delegate her power in the right instances.

Mrs Walker believes a leader is not a leader without motivating their followers and thus she feels a leader should have traits of empowerment so as to foster initiative and responsibility. As per (Rappaport, 1987) ‘s definition, empowerment is the “building blocks” that are acquired by leaders to gain expertise in their field. A study by scholars have shown that empowerment has an optimistic outlook on the team’s attitudes and helps increase productive in an efficient way (Hoch & Dulebohn, 2013). Through this encouragement of self-leadership, she “delegates responsibilities” to her people to ensure that her employees are given the authority to make an informed decision just like her.

After a watchful observation and a comprehensive interview with various open ended questions, this assessment called for a thorough analysis and self-reflection to incorporate my findings on Mrs. Walker and compare it to my own style of leadership. Firstly, I believe each individual has their own style of leadership that they adopt to suit themselves and the people around them or to put it in simpler terms, it is the personal traits and styles acquired by a leader. As per my observations, there may have been certain instances where the words used, the visual actions seen or her voice might have differed as she was being observed. Hence to avoid this Hawthore effect, I observed her for a long time span and was discreet thus ensuring that the behaviour would not differ. However, some of my observations very well coincided with the leader’s interview and hence shows that I was cognizant of the traits that she possessed. The findings from this study suggests that the behaviours they adopt would directly or inadvertently affect their employees or the organisation but it is a crucial trait of an individual.

The theories and leadership models used in this assessment supported what I observed in Mrs Walker’s behaviour. As a passionate leader myself, I strive to acquire the enlightenment through the two stages and apply it in my context. The path goal theory was essential to be aware of which leadership style I should acquire to achieve the best outcomes of productivity and morale. I believe the leader’s participative behaviour shone through as she delegated and could connect with her team in an authentic manner. Thus, I shall initiate discussions and involve my group members to voice out their opinion thus motivating them and providing them a liability for the team. Additionally, I will expand my knowledge by reading books on leadership tactics and improvement and enrolling in online courses that cater to leadership in the workplace and on a daily basis. I would also have to be more proactive in my decision making and adopt a directive leadership style to portray myself as a role model to my team. To conclude this assessment, I strongly believe leadership is the ability to persuade others to achieve a shared goal and a shared vision and all of this stems from within you and hence it is vital to “lead yourself before leading others”.

APPENDICES

Interview questions  1) Could you tell me more about yourself and your job scope? 

As the regional cargo sales manager in charge of the South Asia Pacific region, my job functions include making sure that commercial revenue targets are met of over 200m in revenue from 10 countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Myanmar, Cambodia, Australia and New Zealand. I manage and coach a team of people placed in these countries who work directly for the airline, along with other outsourced staff. The job also requires me to indicate and implement business plans including product and sales plans. I also implement marketing and promotional activities by introducing customer loyalty programmes, marketing events and get sponsors for events. Apart from that I develop business relations with customers including global key accounts and medium global accounts.

2) How would you describe your leadership style?

My leadership approach is mainly participative and I use a balance of task oriented and people oriented approaches. Power is delegated to the people and they can make decisions and are held accountable for them, but when there is an important decision to be made or there is a time restriction I make the final decision. I also turn to them for inputs and ideas and also to build a relationship with them.

3) How do you encourage the development and boost the morale of your employees? Can you give me an example of a situation?  

This is done through continuous open and honest communication and understanding the needs of the employees. The employees go through training, sometimes even externally, contingent to the availability of resources. Employees are encouraged to take on bigger roles which enable them for promotions, ensuring a career progression system. A reward system encourages the employees to work hard and give their best performance. We operate by the quote “You don’t build a business – you build people – and then people build your business” and use the carrot and stick approach to bring out the best in our employees. So we give them an incentive to perform well, but can’t possibly reward them all the time.

4) How do you resolve conflicts? Can you give me an example of a situation? 

Resolving conflicts depends on understanding the context of the issue, then separating the people from the issue itself. Properly resolving an issue involves listening to both parties, working together to find a solution and making sure that all concerned parties are on the same page.

5) What are the most important values and ethics that you display as a leader? 

Maintaining integrity and being honest is important to be considered a role model to the entire team. I walk the talk rather than just talk the talk and make sure that I work just as hard as anyone else on the team so as to not be perceived as a lazy leader. Actively listening and interacting with the team also helps to build up a good rapport with them. Working with ethics such as believing in mutual respect between people, being honest, fair, just, compassionate and caring portrays good leadership.

6) Considering dynamic changing economic environment across the world, how should a leader handle the demands and challenges faced? 

We get feedback from the teams in all the countries about the changing market conditions that they face, and also listen to customers first-hand about their changes in product preferences and make necessary changes to the supply chain. Being proactive instead or reactive put us a step ahead of the rest as we can maintain the speed of products into the market. It is important for these decisions to be made quickly so that the customers can be informed about the changes. Using business intelligence systems for market research, WhatsApp to communicate and come up with solutions quickly, LinkedIn to find the right personnel and other creative solutions helps to speed up the process and helps us cope with change.

7) As a leader of the female gender, do you face challenges leading & managing people of both male & female genders? 

Of course, being a woman makes it more challenging because the airline cargo industry is a very male dominant industry. The influence of gender mainly depends on the culture of the other person, for example Australians are more accepting of it but it is still quite challenging, and being a woman, playing golf with my clients like the men do can be challenging too. and to gain respect from male counterparts require me to be a role model and make informed and effective decisions independently, but such problems based on cultural diversity exist everywhere in today’s business world.

8) Given that you are responsible for organizations across different countries, cultures and languages, what approach do you take to address the diversities? 

The solution to this lies in understanding the uniqueness of each culture; for example, middle eastern female employees do not shake hands with their male counterparts, and also women find it more difficult to get top level roles such as CEO in the Middle East. So it is important to respect each culture and accept their idiosyncrasies while imbibing the good qualities of the various cultures that I have interacted with. Addressing the diversities generally includes dressing appropriately according to the culture of the land and being sensitive in speech, behaviour and mannerisms.

9) What techniques do you use to persuade your cross-functional team members to deliver their best amongst various challenges they face? 

It’s important to regularly support the team members and maintain a good rapport with them. I make sure they understand their job functions and what’s in it for them to perform well and that is beneficial for both, them and the company. Certain pointers like these should be kept in mind and practiced

· Maintain rapport and r/s with them

· Understanding the importance of my job functions and what’s in it for them by supporting me so both parties can benefit from it

· Keeping updates on product enhancements

· Visibility of stakeholders by conducting face to face interactions in cross functional departments

· Promoting teamwork across the cross functional teams

10) Can you tell me about an instance where you brought about a positive change in your organization?

I brought about the introduction of our freighters in the Hanoi market in Vietnam and that was instrumental in growing the Vietnam market into a multi-million dollar revenue stream for the airline cargo division. Our airline had no presence in the Vietnam market and competitors were reaping the benefits but putting in their own aircrafts. So, I conducted some market research and wrote business cases to the HQ about why making an aircraft available there would be profitable. After the approval was granted, the first time this was implemented was in July 2014 with just 2 flights per week, but this has proved to be more profitable and now the airline has 6 flights a week and is consistently performing well above target and achieving revenue for the airline.

Timeline of events

11/03/18

8/03/18

1/03/18

STAGE 2: INTERVIEW

STAGE 3: ANALYSIS/SELF REFLECTION

STAGE 1: OBSERVATION

REFERENCES

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