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4-2 Case Study: Manager Eduardo
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Strategic Thinking –
Strategic thinking is considered to be an important leadership skill. It is a critical
competency that enables people to craft a strategy that can be implemented to brighten the
future of an organization. It helps a person to think imaginatively, creatively, and
systematically so that diverse opportunities that come along the way can be exploited in the
future (Conway, 2013). In the specific context, Eduardo must develop the skill relating to
strategic thinking so that he could work along with his team members in a cohesive and
collaborative manner. It could improve the team bond and help the employees to effectively
function as a single unit.
Emotional Intelligence –
Emotional Intelligence (EI) can be defined as the ability of an individual to perceive,
manage and regulate his emotions as well as the emotions of others. Researcher Ivanova has
argued that emotional intelligence has a direct association with leadership effectiveness
(Antonova Ivanova, 2016). It enables leaders to be aware of their own emotions and that of
other team members and create a supportive and nurturing working environment. Eduardo
must work on his emotional intelligence skill so that he could work at the pace of the other
employees who are not as sharp as him. This skill could play an instrumental role in boosting
the morale of the employees so that all of them could work along with Eduardo without
feeling pressured or burdened.
Communication Skills –
Communication skills can be defined as the ability of individuals to share information
with others and convey the message that they intend others to understand. It is considered to
be an indispensable leadership skill that allows leaders to share their vision and foresight
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with their subordinates and motivate others to progress towards common goals and
objectives. Researcher Luthra has identified communication as a key instrument that enables
leaders to showcase their leadership skills and function as effective leaders (Luthra & Dahiya,
2015). Eduardo needs to work on his communication skills so that he could engage with the
team members and identify the challenges that are slowing them. It would also play a key
role in strengthening the relationship between Eduardo and the other organizational personnel.
Actionable Steps for Eduardo for developing leadership skills
Eduardo should take two actionable steps towards developing these leadership skills
to effectively function as a leader. One of the chief steps that he must take involves active
listening. By actively listening to his team members, he would be able to develop a strong
relationship with the other team members. By taking this step, he could act as a more
adaptive leader and understand the challenges and constraints that other employees encounter
in the organizational setting. This step would play an instrumental role that would help him
develop relationships with his subordinates and get an insight into their emotional cues.
According to Mishra (2019), listening is an important leadership tool that would create the
pathway for Eduardo to improve to function as a leader (Mishra, 2019). For instance, it
would help him to cultivate empathy and adopt a more understanding approach towards his
subordinates. By establishing a deeper and meaningful relationship with them, his level of
emotional intelligence and communication skills could get enhanced. Furthermore, he could
take into account the input of others and strengthen his strategic thinking ability.
Another actional step that Eduardo could take to develop diverse leadership skills like
emotional intelligence, strategic thinking, and communication skills is embracing self-
awareness. By being self-aware, he would be aware not just of himself but also of the
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surroundings and other people around him. He could try to embrace his feelings so that he
could act as a positive influence and inspire his subordinates. This step would help the leader
to adopt effective communication techniques that would be aligned with the emotions and
feelings of Eduardo and that of others. It would directly impact his ability to shape the
engagement and interpersonal communication ability style that he would adopt while
interacting with others. The better self-awareness would enable Eduardo to be considerate
towards the people around him and take their input while could enhance his strategic thinking
ability. Researcher Sengupta has stated that self-awareness is an important leadership tool that
could positively influence team dynamics and teamwork (Mishra, 2019).
Flywheel effect for transforming leadership style
According to the flywheel effect concept, good to great transformations never take
place in a single fell swoop. For building a solid organization or team, there does not exist
a single defining action. On the contrary, the process resembles pushing a huge flywheel,
turn by turn, so that momentum can be built to achieve the point of breakthrough and move
beyond it (The flywheel effect. Jim Collins - Concepts - The Flywheel Effect, 2021).
In the case of Eduardo, a gradual and step-by-step process must be adopted so that he could
enhance his leadership skills and effectively function as an adaptive leader. In order to
promote gradual improvement in his current leadership style, firstly, he must develop
emotional intelligence. For working on this area, he must focus on self-management, self-
awareness, social awareness, and relationship management. Social management is a
fundamental necessity that would help him to cultivate empathy towards his teammates and
be patient while they are carrying out their roles and responsibilities. Another key area that
he must focus upon is establishing trust. By working on this area, team cohesion could be
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enhanced, and the members would be able to contribute to the teamwork effectively. The
tangible evidence that the strategy could yield includes a better performance rate of the entire
team and the members.
References
Antonova Ivanova, D. (2016). Emotional intelligence and leadership.
Conway, M. (2013). Strategic Thinking: what it is and how to do it..
Luthra, A., & Dahiya, R. (2015). Effective leadership is all about communicating effectively:
Connecting leadership and communication. International Journal of Management &
Business Studies, 5(3), 43-48.
Mishra, S.(2019) Listening as a Leadership Tool: A Survey of Subordinates’ Perception
towards Listening Skills of Effective Leaders.
The flywheel effect. Jim Collins - Concepts - The Flywheel Effect. (2021). Retrieved
November 5, 2021, from https://www.jimcollins.com/concepts/the-flywheel.html.
