Discussion question 8 need it tonight in 12 hours

1st Assignment

Read a selection of your colleague’s posts.

Respond to two or more colleagues in one or more of the following ways:

· Provide an analysis, based on your understanding of both this week’s readings and your experience and observations, of the challenges of integrating the skills of management and leadership.

· Ask a probing question about how one can learn to integrate these skills effectively, substantiated with additional background information, experiences, observations, evidence, or research.

1st Person to respond to: (Respond with 1 Paragraph) No Report Format Needed

As I reflect on the leaders at my job, there are several different styles. A few years ago, I had a Dean who was a good leader but is lacking effective managing skills. As a leader, she was encouraging, and vision minded person. Nayar (2013) states, “Leadership refers to an individual’s ability to influence, motivate, and enable others to contribute toward organizational success. Influence and inspiration separate leaders from managers, not power and control” (para.7). She does an excellent job of leading us as a department, but the daily management of the staff is what was missing. As a department, we achieve every goal and expectation, but individually, some day-to-day management was needed. As a leader, she created great goals and projects, but the management of the projects lacked. Her management skills of planning, organize, and coordinate these events were awful. She would forget to sign invoices or answer emails from the staff as well as vendors.

There was a time when she had the vision of our team attending a national recruiting event in Washington, DC. She gave us the idea and delegated task for everyone in our department to complete.  The responsible daily needs to manage the project and signed approvals needed were late or missing. There was a massive lack of communication where she wouldn’t answer calls, emails, nor text, and when she does, it was always after the due date. Two weeks before the trip, she disappeared without communication, which caused a panic amongst the team. The lack of management affected our trip; it was stressful because rooms were canceled due to confirmation email not sent. We were supposed to have promotional items that didn’t arrive at the office until after we left. Once they arrived, it couldn’t be shipped to the venue because she wasn’t there to approve the order.

There was so much chaos surrounding this trip and her ability to manage the details and the department it taught everyone in our department a few good lessons. The two leadership and management skills I learned to use in future position opportunities would be communication and commitment. This experience helped me to see the importance of effective communication as a leader and manager. Being able to manage people requires you to be able to communicate what you need to who needs to do it. Also, being able to follow up with people to ensure the message is clear. Commitment is vital as a leader to exhibit to your followers. A leader cannot expect to lead others if you aren’t committed to the vision, project, or team.

 References

Bridges, J. (2018, October 8). Leadership vs. Management, What's the Difference? Retrieved from https://www.projectmanager.com/training/leadership-vs-management

 

Nayar, V. (2013, August 2). Three Differences Between Managers and Leaders. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2013/08/tests-of-a-leadership-transiti

2nd Person to Respond to: (Respond with 1 Paragraph) No Report Format Needed

Within the organization I am currently working with, the leader within the department has several strengths and weaknesses.  As a manager, the greatest strengths are her exceptional abilities in time management and problem solving. Her weakness is her lack of support and her passive aggressiveness towards employees. According to Hopkins (2014),  A leader innovates and a manager administrates on the innovation. A leader focuses on individuals and inspires them, a manager focuses on systems and structure. This statement is so powerful. As a leader, the supervisor in my department strength is her innovative abilities. Her weakness is her inability to focus on her followers and inspire them. She is a great manager in my opinion. She is all about the bottom line. She is an excellent problem solver and time manager. Nevertheless, she is not an effective leader. She has no interest in anyone or anything other than her bottom line. She is unwavering in her focus on policy and procedure but due to her leadership style of coercion and pacesetting, she unintentionally cause division and frustration within the department.  This in my opinion makes an ineffective leader. She also never praises her employees publically and is a passive aggressive micromanager. I love the drive to get things done but I completely despise the method. Due to the leadership and management styles, the work environment is toxic and creates unproductive frustrated employees. The effect she has had on the department has been destructive. Retention is a very serious goal for leadership but due to the supervisor’s leadership style many new employees stay for only 30 days or less. This is terrible for the department and the company as a whole. 

 

This experience has taught me so much about how to balance leadership and management skills. These include but are not limited to actually caring for those that follow me. Showing genuine care and concern for your team goes so far. It is not just about the bottom line, it's about the people and who they are as individuals. The other lesson is to focus on the people and inspire them to become more. I strongly believe that if you are able to share and transfer your vision into the hearts of your followers you will not only help them to evolve but also blow your bottom line out of the water. In the future, when I step up as a leader and manager, I will never forget to focus on the people over the bottom line. To also inspire them while also not forgetting to manage the company system and structure. Leadership and management go hand in hand. You must be a great listener, never hold back praise, and also believe in those that follow. 

References:

Michael Ray Hopskins 2014. Lead on Purpose: Promoting Leadership Principles in Product Management. https://leadonpurposeblog.com/2014/06/21/the-importance-of-leadership-in-effective-management/

Goleman, D. (2000). Leadership that gets results. Harvard Business Review; 78(2), 78– 90.   

2Nd Assignment (The Case Study is attached)

For the Week 8 Discussion, read the case study At Ford, Turnaround is Job One (Shein, 2012), which examines how Alan Mulally led the turnaround at Ford Motor Company as president and chief executive officer. Following this, read the other resources that discuss Mulally’s leadership and management skills (Carey & Keller, 2012; Kaipa & Kriger, 2010). Finally, review the executive summary that you created last week for your BPPG, as well as the articles and resources you have studied in the course until now.

Then, to prepare your post for the Week 8 Discussion, consider what Alan Mulally accomplished as a leader at Ford Motor Company. Ask yourself why his leadership was effective, and determine the lessons that can be learned from this example of leadership and management as they relate to the ideas, theories, and topics discussed throughout this course.

With these thoughts in mind:

Post your response to the following: (2 paragraphs or more) No Report Format Needed

Using the leadership theories and practice perspectives that you have reviewed throughout the course, explain whether you think Alan Mulally was an effective and ethical leader of Ford Motor Company. Provide a rationale to justify your response. (Hint: The answer should not be “because he’s done well.” Your analysis should link leadership and management skills you have examined throughout the course to specific examples of Mulally’s successes or challenges while he was the leader at Ford.)

What lessons can you learn from this case? Explain the implications such lessons can have on your career as a leader and as a manager.

What lessons can be learned from this case? What are the implications such lessons can have for your current organization or one that you care to be a part of?