Respond to 2 Colleagues Disc Business

Respond by to at least two of your colleagues' postings in one or more of the following ways:

· Offer your thoughts on the extent to which you agree with your colleagues’ analysis of the situation and style they used.

· Offer an example that further illustrates the situation that your colleagues offered, in which you saw a manager use that style. Explain why you think your example expands the conversation.

· Offer your insights about how you would have approached the situation that your colleagues described and how you think the results would change.

· The extent to which you think organizational culture impact and personal preferences impacted the style the manager used.

· Note what you have learned and/or any insights that you have gained as a result of the comments that your colleagues made.

1st Colleague to respond to:

After reading the article, 6 management styles and when to use them, by Rosalind Cardinal I selected the Directive  (Coercive) style as a style I first observed when I first started as a Loan Coordinator at the mortgage company I currently work for. I am truly blessed and grateful the previous Director of online mortgages promoted me within a month of working for the company; however, I believe she displayed a directive style. According to Cardinal, a directive style is someone whom has the “primary objective of immediate compliance from employees: the do it the way I tell you manager, closely controls employees, and motivates by threats and discipline (Cardinal, 2015). A directive style is most effective when there is problem or complex situations. Least effective when employees are underdeveloped and those whom are highly skilled and dislike micromanaging.

A time that I remember and won’t forget was my first purchase I was working as a Loan Coordinator. The Borrower had many conditions that needed to be cleared and I was unsure how to clear them. In addition, the Borrower was working 2 jobs and paying child support, which we needed more clarification on how much he was paying monthly. The documents he was providing didn’t match the amount that was being taken out from his paystubs. My director took me under her wing to train me; however, due to her being a Director she was not always available or free to train me or go through things with me. I would ask others for help. As days past by and purchase date was approaching I remember her telling me to go into her office. She went through the file and would ask for update or where documents were uploaded too, but I couldn’t remember each file in my pipeline or what was uploaded or not. I was 2 weeks into my new position. She was very upset and told me I needed to know what I am doing and uploading. So then took over the file and worked on it and requested documents from the Borrower. She would tell me if I had questions to go to her office, but when you would go to her office she would get impatient. Keep in mind I had no formal training and watched no training videos. She moved my seat next to a guy whom used to be a Loan Coordinator so I can ask him questions of how to clear conditions.

As weeks pass by, she would send emails to everyone in the office and micromanage. She would ask for updates either daily or every other day. Everyone in the office would be on edge when she would walk out her office. Then, Friday’s she began working from home and everyone in the office would be comfortable and feel less tense. Eventually, the Director was moved out of the department and a new director was hired few months later. This new Director happened to be my trainer when I first started working for the company as a Closing Coordinator. To this day,  she is our Director and everyone feels so happy and comfortable coming to her with problems, because she listens and is able to teach you how to solve the problem. Her name is Colleen and has been the best boss I ever had. I believe she has a coaching style, because she helps and encourages others, develops, and manages the employees correctly. In addition, she was a trainer and is highly credible and experienced.

I don’t think a manager should process a directive style, because you will have employees not feel comfortable and scared to approach you with questions or problems. With my current manager if I have any questions or problems I know she will not judge or belittle me. She would listen and take her time to explain how to solve the issue. The best time to use a directive style is if something needs immediate attention from someone and you have to be direct. How I would’ve managed the situation to someone starting off new as a Loan Coordinator would be like how my current manager- Colleen is doing. Anyone she’s hiring she puts them through training videos and one-one training. In addition, due to COVID-19 she trains via the computer using skype for business to share her screen or move your computer screen to train you. I didn’t have that when I first started. I learned as I went and through each file I had, which took me longer to learn versus the new LC’s.

 

References:

Cardinal, R. (2015, March 15). 6 management styles and when to use them [Blog]. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rosalind-cardinal/6-management-styles-and-when-to-use-them_b_6446960.html

2nd Colleague to respond to:

At all of my previous jobs I have always had a manager that was authoritative. “Authoritative leaders are most effective in vision casting, as well as providing clarity for the vision” (Richman, 2015). This management style is when one person takes control and makes all the decisions with little input from the group members. Throughout the years I have learned that this leadership style could beneficial in situations when decisions need to be made quickly but the leader needs to also be the most knowledgeable person on the team. I remember working at my first job we had a manager that was a perfect example of that. This manager always thought he was the smartest person in the room, and he would never listen to our opinion. There was an instant where we had an idea to make our work more efficient, but he would not listen because it was going against the company policy. After a while we ended up using the same advice that one of the employees suggested.

I have learned to become a great authoritative leader a manager need to define their purpose, set the parameter, engage with their employees, explain their reasoning, and reflect on the situation. As a manager it is important to first ask what you bring to the table as a leader by identifying your strengths and weaknesses and assess your overall ability. After you do that you will be able to help you define your purpose which might be to help and guide your employees to be their best. I believe that perspective helps to define your team purpose. The second part is establishing your parameter especially regarding boundaries and accountability. I have learned that id your parameter isn’t align with your company goals and standards then it must be addressed before moving forward to the next step. The third step is making sure that you engage with your employees, instead of staying in your office all day, you should push yourself to being on the floor with your employees. This will show them that you are all in together and if they see you doing the same task, they are doing then they will not feel like they are being used. The next step is explaining your reasoning for why you want your employees to do something. A manager should also be transparent and explain your reasoning when a problem arises with a employee. I think a manager should also address an issue in a calm manner and explain when a problem occurs and how to fix it. By doing this, it will help employees understand how to handle the situation in the future. Once you address the problems to the best of your ability, take a moment to reflect on them. As a manager it is your duty to think of other ways to improve your team and always push your employees to be their best without scaring them off.

I believe a manager must have the ability to motivate their group to strive towards a specific goal and they must also listen to when their employees suggest an idea. “A good management style is one that is flexible, meaning the manager can adapt to the individuals within their team and adopt more than one management style to suit the person they are managing” (Churchill, 2014). If I was placed in the position like I mentioned before I would have approached it differently. I am a manager that believes in listen to everyone suggestion because their idea might make the company succeed in the long run. I have learned that as a manager our success relies on the success of our team and when they do not perform accordingly then our reputation will show. I am the type of manager that believes in teamwork because without teamwork nothing will get completed. “A teamwork management style can expedite project completion, lead to more innovative solutions, and build camaraderie and retention among staff” (Christensen, 2012). Overall, I would approach the situation differently because I would have listened to what my employee is suggesting and keep into consideration rather than just not listening from the beginning.

 

References

Christensen, S. T. (2012). What’s Your Style? Managing People at Work, 362, 7.

Churchill, Z. (2014, September 11). 6 questionable management styles & how to spot them [Blog]. Retrieved from htt://www.maxandbuddyconsulting.com.au/management-styles/

Richman, J. (2015, July 8). When it makes sense to be a more authoritative leader. Fast Company. https://www.fastcompany.com/3047627/when-it-makes-sense-to-be-a-more-authoritative-leader