Responses

Respond to student A

Identification of Leader  One leader that I admire would be my current manager. This one individual has been my manager for approximately 3 years now. I just recently got my first promotion with the major company I work for, and I absolutely could not have done it without her. She’s a multitasker, very well organized, a mentor, while being open-minded in many situations while managing. Brief Description of Leader My favorite quality of my service manager is her empathy for everyone. Specifically when it comes to working in banking a lot of customers come with different emotions. When dealing with people’s money which is the main thing Americans need to survive in this day, customers can give off certain Vibes when they don’t have access to their money.  List of Qualities One of the man qualities every leader should have is integrity. Every leader should be able to stick to their beliefs and core values. I believe this quality should come natural. I believe in teaching  about the importance of integrity, but not having it. Responsibility is a key quality all leader should have. With being a leader comes many responsibilities. Responsibility is not the easiest and different people handle it different ways. Being responsible definitely not a quality that you can be born with in my opinion. It comes with time, trial, and error. Another quality every leader should have is the ability to make good decisions. When having a lot of responsibilities  along with  many obstacles that can happen on the job  every leader should know how to make a good judgment.  In the line that I work with  I  and required  to make judgment calls at all times. Not only should leaders be able to make good judgment but also in a timely manner. I believe this particular quality can only be taught  and not born with.  When it comes to making  good  decisions on judgment ,  learning how to master that quality comes from  past  decisions and judgement.   Communication is key. “Until you clearly communicate your vision to your team and tell them the strategy to achieve the goal, it will be very difficult for you to get the results you want”. All leader should be able to communicate and have an open mind to know and be willing to communicate with others. Communication is not only required when it comes to working with a team but also when helping customers in business. Communication skills can both be taught and born with. When growing up we all know how to communicate in some type of way. However, certain skills can be taught on how to communicate in different situations and with different individuals. Last but not least a good leader should have motivation skills. Leadership be able to motivate themselves while being able to motivate others on the team. “Other approaches include restating the vision in terms of the benefits it will bring to the team's customers, and taking frequent opportunities to communicate the vision in an attractive and engaging way.” When others can see that you as a leader are motivated and willing to drive for results it shows and can be an encouragement. Evaluation of Effectiveness The qualities I’ve listed have definitely made a huge impact on myself as a leader in my current role. Particularly working in banking, Integrity is the most important factor. The company I work for demands high integrity that we do right by ourselves, the company, and most importantly our customers. Being the leader alone requires responsibility. When I think of a leader I think of a mentor. So I’d expect all leaders and mentors to have all qualities that I’ve listed above to help create more leaders and develop more mentors in our society today. 

Respond to student B

The leader I have identified is the type of leader that I one day hope to become. She has taken her career in her own hands and pushed herself to achieve her goals. Currently serving as Head of Marketing for the Americas, she has taken interest in all areas of her employing company and has worked at all levels of marketing, from the bottom, up. She is a leader that is hand working, opinionated, kind and ambitious, a combination that is rare to come across. She is inclusive of all, to the point and always willing to lend a hand. She has encouraged and pushed for change at her employing company and is part of a great leadership team that encourages strategic thinking from all members.

 

List of Qualities

 

First and foremost, the leader I described demonstrates strength. This may seem an obvious quality of a leader, but it may not always be the case. As I mentioned above, she can at times be opinionated and always voices that opinion. This is not always an easy area for some to excel in, especially in the workplace. Having an opinion, staying true to it and sharing that opinion requires great strength. And, coinciding with that, is the ability to hear, understand and value others’ opinions. In my eyes, that takes great strength to achieve and standby. This is a leadership quality individuals can both be born with and taught. With this specific example, I believe that experience can lend a major hand in teaching a leader to develop strength in their career and position within a company.

 

Integrity is a quality that unfortunately not all people have or can develop. This specific quality is highly important as a leader, simply because without it, others will find it hard to follow your guidance and trust in you. “When people see evidence that leaders lack integrity, that can be nearly impossible to recover from. Trust lost is difficult to get back” (Fries, 2018).

 

Decisiveness is a key component to a great leader. This leader shows the ability to make decisions, both spur of the moment and with research and strategy to back them up. The capacity to make decisions is a crucial quality of a leader. Leaders must make “decisions and take risks knowing that if things don’t work out, they’ll need to hold themselves accountable first and foremost” (Fries, 2018).

 

I mentioned the leader I chose can be quite opinionated. One of the great things about her is that she is also quiet humble. The balance between the two is difficult to come by, especially in leadership positions. I find it relatable that someone with a senior level management position can remain humble in her day to day work.

 

Positivity is another quality of this leader. In a world of change, its encouraging in the workplace to see positivity. There will always be tough decisions to be made and questions to be asked, but at the end of the day maintaining as positive as possible is quite an accomplishment. As a leader, its important to uphold a positive mindset and pass that on to your team and coworkers. It is also beneficial for all to work in a positive environment. “When you practice positive thinking, it becomes your powerful cognitive habit and allows you to reassure and elevate those around you” (Robins, n.d.)

 

There are many additional qualities that great leaders should possess and with that, I do believe that all can be taught over time. Of those I listed, integrity is an area that may be the most difficult to achieve if it doesn’t come naturally. Leaders with the best intentions may not always make the best decisions, but great leaders with integrity surround themselves with others who can help make those decisions.

 

Evaluation of Effectiveness

 

I wholeheartedly believe that the qualities I listed and described in the description of the leader attributes to their effectiveness. Being decisive as a leader is important, but without other leadership qualities, can mean nothing. Remaining and spreading positivity is a great quality, but again, without other leadership qualities, does not make a great leader. A combination of qualities attribute to effective leaders.

 

Great leaders should also be aware of areas in which they are lacking. “Incomplete leaders differ from incompetent leaders in that they understand what they’re good at and what they are not and have good judgement about how they can work with others to build on their strengths and offset their limitations” (Ancona, Malone, Orlikowski, & Senge, 2007).

Respond to Prof (C)

How many of you actually have a formal personal development plan? Why or why not?

COLLAPSE

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In the article Writing a Manifesto For Better Management, this is stated,

“Most human learning is a social process. Much of what we learn is through our interactions with others, and the quality of our learning will depend on what we discover and how we are treated along the way.

But if the firm is merely a production func​tion, designed to enrich shareholders and senior managers; if labor is merely one input, among many, that is purchased on the open market; and if employees can only be motivated by financial incentives, then it follows that people come to be viewed as mere instruments.

Against such an ideological backdrop, it should come as no surprise that learning and per​sonal development get overlooked. If there is any concept of learning at all, it is purely mechanistic and follows a superficial logic, as seen in the cur​rent obsession with the improvement of narrow skills that might lead to better short-term finan​cial results.”

Class

How many of you actually have a formal personal development plan? Why or why not?

Andreu, R., & Rosanas, J.M. (2012). Writing a manifesto for better management. IESE Insight, (13), 13–19. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

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