Unit II ASS Ldrsh Dev

HRM 6306, Leadership Development and Coaching 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit II Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

2. Compare criteria of effective of leadership styles. 2.1 Evaluate potential positive and negative behaviors in chosen leadership styles. 2.2 Discuss how leadership styles benefit organizational influence and coaching abilities.

7. Demonstrate how research informs decision-makers through real-life examples of successful

implementation. 7.1 Compare and contrast how leaders seek input and make decisions using different leadership

styles.

Course/Unit Learning Outcomes

Learning Activity

2.1, 2.2, 7.1

Unit Lesson Leadership 2.0: Chapter 2 Emotional Intelligence 2.0: Chapter 2 Unit II Assignment

Required Unit Resources Leadership 2.0: Chapter 2: Strategy Emotional Intelligence 2.0: Chapter 2: The Big Picture

Unit Lesson

Introduction During Unit I, we focused on the leadership skills of strategy, action, and results. Regardless of the leadership styles that are used, these three leadership skills should be at the heart of what a leader tries to accomplish in order to have the vision evolve throughout the organization. In this unit, we will have the opportunity to explore what makes these leadership styles effective in different organizational settings. In addition, we will analyze how research can assist any leader or decision maker with making informed decisions. An interesting aspect of any leadership style is that each leader will make his or her style unique because the leader’s personality is going to be a part of how he or she leads. This is what makes leaders unique and helps them to make their own mark on the organizations that they lead.

Core Leadership Core leadership goes beyond a discussion of the various leadership styles. You have likely studied the leadership styles that include democratic leaders, dictators, leave-me-alone leaders, strategic leaders, servant leaders, and transformational leaders. Understanding each style and its attributes is important, but the core of leadership goes beyond an individual style. Instead, effective leaders have core criteria that works for the leader in order to be successful. If you study any leader, you will find many trial and error tactics in order to find the right leadership style for the organization and the situation that he or she was facing. However,

UNIT II STUDY GUIDE

Strategy of Leaders

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what does not change is the core leadership traits that these leaders possess. Let’s explore the core leadership principles that shape today’s leaders (Bradberry & Greaves, 2012). A solid vision creates the future for the organization. Where does the organization need to go? How are we going to help the organization get to the next stage? These are the fundamental questions that leaders ask themselves as they set the vision for the organization. Leaders determine the direction for the organization and focus on the people within the organization to shape their vision. This might sound simple, but leaders need to have the people around them believe in the vision. In order to do this, leaders need to give the employees a purpose (Bradberry & Greaves, 2012). Why do you go to work every day? More than likely, your answer would be for a paycheck. So, this motivates you to show up every day. But leaders are not just happy to have people show up. They want the employees to be excited about the vision and execute that vision. In order for the vision to be executed, employees need a purpose to work towards. When a shared sense of purpose exists within the organization, the employees are all working together not only for their own benefit of earning that paycheck but for the greater good of the organization. Being the leader is not always an easy position, especially if the previous leader was well-respected and loved by the employees. If asked who the leader of Apple is, you may always think of Steve Jobs, and you would not be wrong. Steve Jobs helped to shape Apple into the company that we know today. However, after this death, the leadership did not stop. Tim Cook has taken the chief executive officer (CEO) position at Apple and continues to provide the vision for Apple today and into the future. Tim Cook and Steve Jobs are different types of leaders. Steve Jobs was very outgoing and always visible in the public. Tim Cook is quite the opposite. He leads from within, but his vision is known by the employees. Imagine how far Apple has come since 2011 when Cook took over the CEO position after Jobs passed away from cancer. Cook’s vision not only helped Apple to overcome the loss of Jobs, who was respected for this insight and vision, but Cook has also developed new product lines and started opening Apple retail stores in the market-rich country of China. It may not always be easy to be the leader, but believing in the vision means providing a purpose for the employees to work towards so they see how the purpose will help each employee and the organization as a whole. This next core leadership criteria might seem like common sense, but many leaders lack business knowledge. What does this mean to you? Business knowledge is not just knowing the language of business but being able to look at the organization from the ground floor and from 30,000 feet in the air (Bradberry & Greaves, 2012). In other words, the leaders not only need to see what is taking place today but recognize the opportunities for tomorrow and beyond. In today’s business world, companies are competing on a global level. This means outside-the-box thinking and understanding that competition is coming in many directions. This creates many moving parts within the organization that need to be managed. The good news for leaders is they do not have to be experts in all areas of the organization because smart leaders build a strong team around them. However, what this does mean is the leader cannot focus on today but always needs to have an eye on tomorrow in order to stay ahead of competition or at least not fall behind the competition. Leaders need to be practical with their business knowledge but also visionary to keep the organization moving forward. With this visionary role comes the unpleasant role of making the tough decisions. The leader’s decisions may not always be popular, but the leader needs to showcase the purpose behind the decisions in order to gain the buy-in that is needed to have employees carry-out the vision. Finally, believe it or not, leaders need the mindset to lead. Being a leader today is not an easy position to take on. Not only is this a very visible role, but with 24/7 social media, leaders can be scrutinized by people who have no idea what is actually taking place. This means that the leader needs to truly believe in the vision in order to see it through. The safest path with the least resistance might be the easiest route to take, but the organization will likely never reach its true potential. Today’s leaders have the discipline and self-confidence to move forward in the face of adversity and not be distracted by all of the “noise” around them saying they will not be successful and will be soon replaced (Bradberry & Greaves, 2012). Being a mindful leader takes focus and effort. Each day, leaders have the opportunity to practice making the tough decisions. Are leaders

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always right? Of course not, but the strong and mindful leaders are not afraid to make mistakes because they believe in their vision and will see the vision through to the end.

Leaders and Strategic Decision-Making As we have explored, leaders not only need to be concerned about today but have the vision for tomorrow. Leaders who do not have the long-term vision often lead the organization to the end of its existence. To see this issue, we need look no further than Blockbuster and Netflix. Blockbuster was a multibillion-dollar firm. However, Blockbuster went bankrupt in 2010. Prior to that, Blockbuster had numerous stores, a customer list that ranged in the millions, a massive budget for marketing, and a very cost-effective business. Blockbuster dominated the video world! What went wrong? Leadership failed to think how much our world was changing and failed to have the vision and purpose for the future. The Internet, which was around when Blockbuster was at its peak, was not seen as a threat. Blockbuster’s leaders failed to see how it would soon change their business. The leaders did not review the information that was before them to make the strategic decision for the future. They became complacent and focused on today’s success and forgot about tomorrow. Netflix, on the other extreme, had managers who thought strategically. They had managers who saw that they could do the same as Blockbuster only more efficiently, at less cost, and faster than Blockbuster. At first, just like Blockbuster, Netflix’s model focused on DVDs. However, Netflix embraced streaming technology. This new customer feature made the old model of brick and mortar businesses such as Blockbuster obsolete. What was the difference in one business going bankrupt while the other is now making billions of dollars? Very simply, Netflix had managers who thought strategically and focused on creating the vision for tomorrow and beyond. These leaders anticipated changes in our world while Blockbuster focused on yesterdays’ model. Netflix became adaptable and agile to our changing global world. Their leaders had the ability to embrace the new technology and the world we are presently in. They were able to balance the company’s vision with how they did business every day. Netflix’s strategic leaders had the ability to conceptualize far-reaching objectives, while still being able to take the necessary actions to execute on both long- and short-term goals. Their leaders then turned this vision into action. Netflix also had managers who were constantly learning about our changing world. When the mail-in DVD became costly both to the customer and their business, they changed their business model to streaming video. Netflix leaders were constantly learning and changing; they anticipated changes and changed their business model accordingly. Very simply, strategic leaders have a sort of sixth sense in that they try to anticipate the changing conditions of a rapidly changing world because they never stop tweaking their vision for the company. Shifts and changes are made a part of their everyday world, and they realize that last year is truly ancient history. Their curiosity functions as an intuition of sorts and helps them proactively anticipate possible challenges. Visionary leaders constantly ask questions and try to understand the why behind any changes that occur—whether the changes are internal or external (Venus, Stam, & van Knippenberg, 2019). Shifts and trends tend to unfold over time, so those who are constantly learning about their environment, competitors, and potential challenges can be proactive in handling the changes. Strategic leaders also think collectively and involve the experts around them. They rely on their team in everything they do, and they encourage these teammates to share ideas to make their business better, more profitable, and more efficient. They encourage collaboration and then incorporate these ideas into the business model (Goman, 2019). The free flow of ideas is encouraged at all times.

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Conclusion Today’s leaders face uncertain times which makes their core leadership traits even more important. The days of things staying constant and certain are over; our world is rapidly changing. Visionary leaders must have the ability to anticipate those changes and then act on them in a team environment. They must recognize patterns in our changing world, move through ambiguity, and seek new insights in order to display the full purpose to those around them. Leaders are invaluable to the success of a business, and they are the visionaries who allow a business to truly thrive. Their task is not an easy one but one that must be taken on by courageous leaders who believe in what they are creating today and into the future.

References Bradberry, T., & Greaves, J. (2012). Leadership 2.0. TalentSmart.

https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9780974320694 Goman, C. K. (2019). 8 ways leaders build collaboration: Collaborative leadership, a “must have” professional

strategy. Leadership Excellence, 36(6), 21–22. https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?dire ct=true&db=bsu&AN=137125180&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Venus, M., Stam, D., & van Knippenberg, D. (2019). Visions of change as visions of continuity. Academy of

Management Journal, 62(3), 667–690. https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?dire ct=true&db=bsu&AN=136916063&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Suggested Unit Resources In order to access the following resources, click the links below. The following article discusses the strategy of collaborative leadership for organizational leaders. Goman, C. K. (2019). 8 ways leaders build collaboration: Collaborative leadership, a “must have” professional

strategy. Leadership Excellence, 36(6), 21–22. https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?dire ct=true&db=bsu&AN=137125180&site=ehost-live&scope=site

The following article looks at how leaders can address resistance to change by showing employees that organizational identity will stay strong. Venus, M., Stam, D., & van Knippenberg, D. (2019). Visions of change as visions of continuity. Academy of

Management Journal, 62(3), 667–690. https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?dire ct=true&db=bsu&AN=136916063&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Learning Activities (Nongraded) Nongraded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study. You do not have to submit them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for further guidance and information. Watch the following video segments that cover important topics in leadership. Take notes on what you learned and consider how you would answer the following question: Describe the best leader you've ever known. What are the qualities that set this leader apart?

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TED (Producer). (2010). TEDTalks: Simon Sinek—How great leaders inspire action [Video]. https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS&url=https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPl aylists.aspx?wID=273866&xtid=48512

The transcript for this video can be found by clicking on “Transcript” in the gray bar to the right of the video in the Films on Demand database.