Leadership styles 1
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When a person has the capacity to have some effect on the character, behavior and the growth of another person he is said to be influential. Influence is an impact that a person has in the life of another to an extent of bringing change. It has several effects in an individual’s life. Opinion, the way of thinking, working and efficiency of a person can be changed through influence. It can impact one’s life ei8ther positively or negatively. In order to influence individuals, a leader can use many ways. Five of these are:
1. Direct decisions
A leader should be able to affect the choice of the followers. By the way of formulating the vision and mission of an organization, a leader is able to control the followers. For a leader to be able to dictate the decision making process in an organization, he has to have the ability to make informed decisions.
2. Allocation of resources
For a continuous development, an organization has to use the many available resources. These include labor, capital, assets and technology for both production and communication. However, these resources have to be used effectively to ensure efficient development. Leaders therefore are burdened with the task of allocating the correct amount of resources.
3. Reward system
Rewarding the employees is an efficient and effective method that the employees use to achieve a certain degree of influence over them. It is a way of grooming the followers and consequently ensures that the organizational goals are met.
4. Selection and promotion of leaders
When employees prove to be of sufficient capabilities, it is the responsibility of the leaders to promote and give them higher responsibilities.
5. Role modeling
The performance and the character traits of a leader should be pleasing enough so that the employees view him as a role model. This is the most important character; it boosts the morale of the employees to see their leader working with them and not making slaves of them.
Andrea Jung
Direct decisions
Andrea Jung, the CEO of Avon Corporation has taken many steps that have been able to completely change the company’s image in the beauty and cosmetics industry. She has focused on the sales team and this has directly impacted the sales hence influencing the employees directly.
Allocation of resources
Andrea has been able to change the methodologies in which resources were allocated. By focusing on research and development on new product and technology, she has increased the sales by over 45%.
Reward system
Provision of free holiday trips to the employees who have been deemed to perform highly is one of the several types of reward system that she has implemented.
This is of course at the expense of the organization.
Selection and promotion of leaders
Andrea took it upon herself to find leaders for herself. This helped her to gauge and scrutinize leaders at a personal level before she absorbs them in the organization. Currently around 85% of the leaders in the organization are women.
Role model
The employees look at what she has achieved and they can’t help themselves but see her as a role model.
Indra Nooyi
Direct decisions
Indra has been able to deprive the fast food businesses like Taco Bell and KFC consequently; she acquired health drinks and was able to turn her plans into reality. She has changed the views of the employees and customers against her.
Allocation of resources
Since she understood that social media is a powerful marketing tool, she has directed 33% of the companies spending to social media marketing. She is also giving back to the society.
Reward system
She has put up a system that recognizes the best performing employees and rewards them with non monetary awards as much as she gives them money.
Selection and promotion of leaders
Indra has been able to personally develop future leaders and so she is not shaken at all when a leader decides to leave the organization.
Role modeling
With the kind of influence she has over the employees, she has been named the role model for young leaders. She does not lag behind when it comes to decision making, she utilizes the power to make decisions to the advantage of the organization.
Brenda Barnes
Direct decisions
Brenda is the CEO of Sara Lee and has totally improved all the organizational operations. Her focus has been on the main and minor operations of business and has been able to expand both effectively. Now over 75% of the operating income comes from external markets and this is by far a major achievement.
Allocation of resources
She allocated a budget of $250 million after she understood the importance of research and development and this has increased the company sales.
Reward system
At Sara Lee employee performance does not go unnoticed; she took it upon herself to ensure that all the high performing employees are showered with incentives. She also distributes some of the company’s profits to the employees leaving them more motivated.
Selection and promotion of leaders
Brenda promotes and increases responsibilities to the employees she sees fit. This endeavor she bases on the performance and capabilities of the employees. She personally gauges their performances and from there she is able to select the ones she sees fit for the position. She has a plan that she uses to decide who becomes a future leader.
Role modeling
For those searching for a balance between personal and professional life, Brenda is the person they should call their role model.
References
Baldwin, D. & Grayson, C. (2004, March/April). Positive influence: how leaders get others to see it their way. Leadership in Action, 24(1), 8-11.
Carmeli, A. (2007). The influence of leaders' and other referents' normative expectations on individual involvement in creative work. Retrieved from http://avalon.cuautitlan2.unam.mx/materialesdidacticos/gerardo_sa/articulos/prueba/The%20influence%20of%20leaders%20and%20other%20referents%20normative%20expectations%20on%20individual%20involvement%20in%20.pdf.
Hill, A. (2003, June 15). Avon calling. The Observer Magazine, 25. Retrieved from Lexis/Nexis Academic.
Jargon, J. (2005, July 25). Sara Lee boosts R&D, ad budgets-a bit. Crain’s Chicago Business, News 2. Retrieved from Lexis/Nexis Academic.
Kouzes, J. M. & Posner, B.Z. (2003). The leadership challenge (3rd ed). San Francisco, CA: Josses-Bass.
Nahavandi, A. (2009). The art and science of leadership (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
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