Your vision of leadership

Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality – Warren Bennis.

Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about building others. – Jack Welch ( Kruse 2012 )

In this blog I shall talk about my leadership view and approach. I strongly believe that using more than one style in particular will achieve success. Well first of we need the right possible skills to implement to be a leader.

The style in particular I will say is associated with me is Participative leadership and situational leadership. ( Dems and Edwards 2015 ). But i wish to posses the skills of a transformational leader. The person who inspires me is Donald Trump. He posses a blend of more than two leadership styles. He is well known for his charismatic, situational and transformational leadership styles. (123helpme.com n.d. )

Donald Trump possesses skills like problem solving, verbal fluency, flexibility, awareness of needs, social skills, intelligence, legitimate and expert. With many leadership styles the end result is the same : success. He always thinks big and all leaders should.Setting high goals and wishing to talk about people’s heart being a leader, you have to think big. ( Anon 2015 ). Being a man full of energy which drives passion, and passion is what makes the impossible be possible.He posses this energy by which he makes his employees run an extra mile but motivating them. Failure is normal and all leaders face it at some point in life, Trump bounced back from his failure of going into bankruptcy, as he strong believed in himself. Most important thing is how you bounce back from failure and not how you can avoid it. ( Anon 2015 ).Trump is well known as ”The apprentice” . ( Thomas 2016).

Participative leadership style is all about turning to the team for ideas, input and observations while not making all decision on the leaders own. The final decision making still lasts with the leader. The process of involving the  team members is all about getting ideas and thoughts and analysis to see how it will affect the end result which is the objective. This styles of leadership  is about building strong relationships and rapport. ( Murdock 2014 ).

Situational leadership style is all about making the decision on particular situations but adjusting the style of leadership to fit the development leaders followers. Here the goals are achieved by meeting the needs of others in the organisation. (Anthony and Media n.d.).

Having worked in a team of 4 for my M005 Module, with different cultures and countries, i believed that i posses the participative leadership style from my team feedback. During the week i was a leader, i would do my work and would call for a meeting before class so that we could discuss our homework. I would do this so as to compare and involve my team in decision making and getting out the ideas and thought on the work. this strongly had great influence on our work as we all would have a good result at the end of the meeting. I would share my views about the work after everyone was done with their parts.

We as a team always kept our selves updated. I would make sure all my team members complete the work so that we could all participate in class and group discussion. making it simplified so that what needs to be done for the next seminar class is clear for us all. This help us all collectively and our work as a whole. For my ECS module, we were a team of 5 and having a different approach from my skills and to change the style of my leadership seemed necessary. I would always analyse the group discussion before i shared my point of view as all of the group members had a strong point of view and not always did it work smoothly. So having a situational leadership qualities seemed more relevant.

At my work place, not always do I accept my managers views as his approach is only oriented towards goals. I strongly believe in feedback and which seems very important as the staff turnover was high. After taking into consideration my views of taking feedback from the employees and not just pushing them for task completion would only result in losing the staff. The manager gave it a thought and makes sure he takes feedback from all the employees.

In conclusion, i strongly believe that leadership qualities are imparted through experiences and critical thinking and analysing the situation. I strongly recommend that not just one firm of leadership style always works but a blend has a better outcome.

References

123helpme.com, (n.d.) The Leadership Style Of Donald Trump  ::  Charisma, Leadership [online] available from <http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=62726&gt; [3 April 2016]

Anon. (2015) Donald Trump Leadership [online] available from <http://www.leadership-with-you.com/donald-trump-leadership.html&gt; [3 April 2016]

Anthony, L. and Media, M. (n.d.) Define Situational Leadership [online] available from <http://smallbusiness.chron.com/define-situational-leadership-2976.html&gt; [3 April 2016]

Bamford, D. (2006) “Leadership: Enhancing The Lessons Of Experience20061r.L. Hughes, R.C. Ginnett And G.J. Curphy. Leadership: EInt Jrnl of Op & Prod Mnagemnt 26 (11), 1276-1277

Dems, K. and Edwards, G. (2015) 7 Leadership Styles With Famous Examples Of Each One [online] available from <http://www.brighthub.com/office/home/articles/76450.aspx&gt; [3 April 2016]

Kruse, K. (2012) Forbes Welcome [online] available from <http://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2012/10/16/quotes-on-leadership/#66b89da27106&gt; [2 April 2016]

Murdock, K. (2014) Participative Leadership: What It Is And When It Works Best [online] available from <https://blog.udemy.com/participative-leadership/&gt; [3 April 2016]

Thomas, M. (2016) What I Learned About Donald Trump From Binge-Watching The Apprentice [online] available from <http://fusion.net/story/261299/donald-trump-2016-the-apprentice/&gt; [3 April 2016]

Leadership and Change

Change is nothing new and a simple fact of life. Some people actively thrive on new challenges and constant change, while others prefer the comfort of the status quo and strongly resist any change. It is all down to the personality of the individual and there is little management can do about resistance to change.(Mullins 2010: 753)

We are in a world full of changes. It is continuous,always present and dynamic.If we want to grow and also develop as well as take advantage of new challenges then, living along changes and able to manage changes is key competency. (Vedenik and Leber 2015) Change is important if an organisation wants to expand and grow its resources. Change can arise from any source, it could be from the staff or technology or maybe from organisation structure and also from many external factors, so change is ever present and also unpredictable.

Change can be a problem or an opportunity and its our attitude which dictates how we see it. (Vedenik and Leber 2015) Every opportunity and every problem that runs with a change requires game plans which may provoke new changes and new circumstances, which might again bring about new opportunities and problem.

In 2008 Santander wanted to acquire Bradford and Bingley, Alliance and Leicester and Abbey National. These UK financial institutes very incapable of change and hence were unable to grow and evolve. Hence Santander wanted to change this and evolve these institutes into formidable retail banks. The CEO of Santander UK,Antonio Horta-Osorio, focused on change, which was ensuring that all stakeholders understood the value of shedding old ways and get in place the new era in banking.

There were many opportunities during this change process. Mainly the cultural misunderstandings. The ones who were to be affected by the new system very fully briefed, the issues and risks were discussed. For instance, in its branch teams, they were prepared for many ways to respond to customers through this change phase. Also the ones who weren’t affected were given briefing about the transition for its future. The objective was to not just understand what the change was but to embrace it. (Arnold 2015)

Resistance to change arises due to many reasons which could be changes in the status quo, changes in routines, poor communications, low trust, connected to old ways, lack of competency, misinterpreting the need for the change. All this is nature and is inevitable. Hence planning for for these resistances  from the start of the change management process will help manage objectives effectively. (Rick 2011)

Kurt Lewin’s 3 stage model for change management is essential. The 3 stages are Unfreeze, Change and Refreeze.(Anon 2016) The organisation as a whole has to be proactive to adapt to this. The first change process is unfreeze, wherein the organisation has to prepare its employees to understand why the change is necessary and make it clear the the old ways need to be overturned and implement need ones. This will affect the equilibrium in the way the organisation was functioning.

The second process,change, here the employees have to function and operate in new ways and also find ways to implement and support the change process proactively. The key is how the new process will benefit them. Also time and communication as the key drives fro this process to be most effective.

The last step,refreeze, once things are in place and the employees understand and support the new status quo, and the employees are confident and comfortable the organisation can refreeze this stability.  The motivation of the employees is a necessity fro this process to function. The organisation has to take into consideration the culture of its employees.

Provide training, leadership guidance from managers and also forming a feedback systems will help attain equilibrium

In conclusion, Leadership in an organisation is an on going process. Change to happen successfully needs employee involvement. However resistance to change is inevitable and so using the Lewin’s change management model will help organisation attain stability. Motivating the employees in the transitional phase will get a better outcome.

References

Anon. (2016) Lewin’s Change Management Model: Understanding The Three Stages Of Change [online] available from <https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_94.htm&gt; [28 March 2016]

Arnold, P. (2015) The 5 Greatest Examples Of Change Management In Business History – CMI [online] available from <http://www.managers.org.uk/insights/news/2015/july/the-5-greatest-examples-of-change-management-in-business-history&gt; [28 March 2016]

Rick, T. (2011) Top 12 Reasons Why People Resist Change [online] available from <http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/change-management/12-reasons-why-people-resist-change/&gt; [28 March 2016]

Vedenik, G. and Leber, M. (2015) “Change Management With The Aid Of A Generic Model For Restructuring Business Processes”. Int. j. simul. model. [online] 14 (4), 584-595. available from <http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=18&sid=f774617d-0160-443b-a6f6-712e332b7348%40sessionmgr4005&hid=4106&gt; [28 March 2016]

Most effective leadership and management styles

“Which personal style should managers adopt to ensure success? What is the most effective approach to managing the work of subordinates? These questions have been extensively researched and debated over the last century, and while the general consensus has moved away from ‘command and control’ management and leadership towards more consultative and participative approaches” (CMI 2013)

Leadership and management are complex as many people are both managers and leaders. The Manager has the unfortunate paradox of controlling standards, resource and systems, and to keep it all together. Running the task of leading teams to achieve unchartered boundaries.

The key in differentiating leaders and managers is how they motivate teams and how people achieve objectives. Leaders are the ones who challenge the status quo where as managers have to maintain it. Leaders have followers where as managers have subordinates. (eba 2016)

“From Mahatma Gandhi and Winston Churchill, to Martin Luther King and Steve Jobs, there can be as many ways to lead people as there are leaders.”

Looking at a few leadership style frameworks.

Lewin’s framework of leadership has 3 major styles which are

• autocratic leaders who makes decisions without consulting with their team members
• democratic leaders who male the final decisions but include team members in making decision.
• Laissez-faire leaders provide a lot of support and freedom to team members in how they work and set deadlines.

In most businesses transformational leaders is often most effective. It has integrity and also high emotional intelligence. Their motivational influence lies with shared vision of the future, they are authentic, humble, emphatic and self aware. Also they have a good communication skill with their teams or people.

Transformational leaders with their influence inspire the team to perform at their best and often hold themselves accountable for action performed. With good conflict resolution skills these leader’s posse’s clear goals are set and all of this to high productive and engagement. (mindtools 2016)

Speaking of Bureaucratic leadership, rules are being followed rigorously and makes sure the team follows procedures precisely. This style is most suited when work involves with large accounts and also serious safety risks. Employees who perform routines tasks need this managing style.

Charismatic leadership resembles transformational leadership as both styles of leaders motivate and inspire their teams but the difference lies in their goals. Transformational leader’s goals are to transform its team and organization whereas charismatic leaders are more focused on themselves and their own ambitions and have very or any intentions of changing anything. Charismatic leaders believe that they are no wrong in their tasks even when others warn about the path that are following. (mindtools 2016)

 

 

there is no single ideal, as the best approach may vary according to circumstances and individual characteristics (CMI 2013).

“If you want to do something new, you have to stop doing something old” – Peter Drucker. (Spahr 2015)

An example of a transformational leader is Peter Drucker, a management consultant and professor. His predictions about the rise in Japanese world economic power wherein the people have to learn to keep their jobs or get ahead, and also the importance of marketing and innovation. He called for balanced management, balance between short-term and long-term plans and also innovation and probability in businesses. He believed that entrepreneurship was a tool of innovation.(Spahr 2015)

Requirements for a transformational leadership style :

• well-organized and team expectation to be creative.
• team-oriented and collective effort of team to work together.
• respected and intern respects members.
• team driver and motivates the team to reach its goals.
• takes responsibility of the teams.

Advantages of transformational leadership .

• excellent communications of new ideas.
• balancing short term vision and long term goals.
• establishing trust and building strong coalitions.
• integrity and high emotional intelligence.

The best benefit of this leadership style is in an organisation that is sort of outdated and which requires serious structuring. Moreover this style is preferable for a small company with high goals and which wants to change and adapt. The board in these two circumstances should get in an transformational leader who can structure and implement this change.

I fell transformational leadership style is most convenient, well of course according to circumstances, at times we need a blend of more than one style to get the most productivity. I prefer transformational as it focuses on change in system and finding ways by experiences that shows the old system does not fit.

References

eba, (2016) Leadership Versus Management: What Is The Difference? [online] available from <http://www.educational-business-articles.com/leadership-versus-management/&gt; [21 March 2016]

mindtools, (2016) Leadership Styles: Choosing The Right Approach For The Situation [online] available from <https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_84.htm&gt; [21 March 2016]

Spahr, P. (2015) Transformational Leadership: Definition, Examples, Future [online] available from <http://online.stu.edu/transformational-leadership/&gt; [20 March 2016]

 

 

The challenge of managing diverse teams

“Diversity is the art of thinking independently together” by Malcolm Forbes. (Pinterest 2016)

 

Leadership is about energising and engaging people, encouraging and inspiring to achieve and to excel. (University 2012) . Managing a diverse team has its implications and many researches suggest that diverse teams produce better results. The question is how do we manage this diversity in teams?

Large companies encourage diversity and are doing well. Managing these diverse teams has challenges. Diversity in culture, skill, age  and other factors have an influence on the outcome of the team. So its up to the leader and managers so as to how they tackle this and get the team going.

Some of the few challenges managers could face are:

1. understanding why people behave differently than expected : our behaviour is always our expression of our values.
2. avoid getting frustrated and angry
3. motivating a cultural diverse team
4. achieve the desired level of efficiency and
5. lack of proper training on managing diverse team. (Majlergaard 2012).

By being an inclusive leader we can manage a diverse team. Inclusive leadership is energizing and motivating; each employee feels authentically valued and respected and is engaged in achieving a shared vision. Inclusive leaders effectively lead diverse teams by creating workplaces where all employees feel valued for who they are, and know their ideas count.

How can a leader engender a sense of inclusion in the face of such diversity?

1. Authentically value and respect all individuals for their talents and contributions.

Leaders should show appreciation for diverse talents, backgrounds, identities and contributions of team. Inclusive leaders must show commitment in advancement, hiring, retention practices and compensation and also show willingness to learn from diversity in its team.

2. Actively create a high-engagement culture by encouraging the input and initiative of all employees.

Own behaviour has to be monitored to ensure that all opinions are monitored respectfully and equally. There has to be a sense of shared purpose by the leader. Also leaders should provide a platform for members to speak up about opinions, problems, etc. and provide feedback. Moreover, leaders should promote team’s relations which are fair, supportive, welcoming and democratic. Inclusive leaders increase transparency of team processes and decision-making.

By undertaking these two courses of action of activities, leaders can build an improvement from an exclusionary and stagnant culture that is de-actuating and de-connecting with, to a comprehensive and open culture that draws out the best of individuals, empowers joint efforts and energies them. Such inclusive leadership traits can persuade and inspire and motivate people to invest in themselves in achieving  results.(University 2012).

In our ECS module, we had a look in the banking sector and JPMorgan Chase and Co, an investment bank, which has about 240000 employees working in more than 60 countries and serving clients in more than 100 countries, so diversity is crucial for them. (David 2015)

Patricia David the Managing Director and Global Head of Diversity at JPMorgan Chase and Co, says that, as a company diversity is the central part of their culture and core of how they do business. Diversity objectives and guidelines have been embedded into business plans. Managers are encouraged to look into places they’ve never looked before for potential candidates and to promote participation in business resource groups(BRGs). The company promotes leadership and professional development opportunities for its members and connects the company’s employees to diverse communities.(David 2015)

The company has many opportunities for diverse backgrounds such as winning women, launching leader, proud to be, etc. (JP Morgan 2015)

An overview on JP Morgan Chase and Co.

As with every diversity initiative that they embark on, they applaud their strengths and strive to build upon opportunities for improvement. As a result, open communication and dialogue is encouraged, diversity training is mandatory for employees and hiring is facilitated thoughtfully. Diversity is not only good for the firm; it also impacts their client base. The necessary components that build a successful team are: great minds, strategic thinking, strong collaboration, creativity, compassion, and—most importantly—diverse opinions. The more diverse they are as a team, the better equipped they are in finding new and innovative ways to serve clients and build lasting relationships.

 

References

David, P. (2015) Jpmorgan Chasevoice: The Quest For Top Talent: How Diversity Initiatives Are Improving Our Business [online] available from <http://www.forbes.com/sites/jpmorganchase/2015/10/08/the-quest-for-top-talent-how-diversity-initiatives-are-improving-our-business/#1a02b14f704f&gt; [16 March 2016]

JP Morgan, (2015) [online] available from <http://careers.jpmorgan.com/careers/why-us/diversity&gt; [16 March 2016]

Majlergaard, F. (2012) The Top 5 Challenges Managers Of Cultural Diverse Teams Are Facing – Gugin [online] available from <http://gugin.com/the-top-5-challenges-managers-of-cultural-diverse-teams-are-facing/&gt; [16 March 2016]

Pinterest, (2016) Diversity Quotes [online] available from <https://www.pinterest.com/explore/diversity-quotes/&gt; [16 March 2016]

University, W. (2012) Inclusive Leadership: Effectively Leading Diverse Teams At Weatherhead School Of Management [online] available from <https://weatherhead.case.edu/news/2012/04/03/inclusive-leadership-effectively-leading-diverse-teams&gt; [16 March 2016]

LEADERSHIP AND ETHICS

LEADERSHIP

Leaders are people who do the right thing; managers are people who do things right.– Professor Warren G. Bennis

Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.– Dwight D. Eisenhower. (Mindtools 2016)

Leadership can get different images in the minds, like maybe a political leader , an executive or an explorer. Leadership can have different meanings according to different people and also have a different meaning under certain situations.

Some working definition of leadership.

Leadership is good management, (early simplistic paradigm)

Leadership is the process of leading, ( semantic description)

Leadership is a social exchange between leaders and followers, (transactional definition)

Leadership is a phenomenon that precedes and facilitates decisions and actions, (situational notion)

Leadership is an art or a craft, (esthetic concept).

Leadership is elusive, it seems to appear and then not. It develops overtime and not in specific instant. Leadership is complex and needs understanding and experience to master. (Allio 2012).

ETHICS

According to oxford dictionary, ethics is moral principles that govern a persons behaviour or conducting of an activity. (oxforddictionaries 2016).

Ethics shouldn’t be equated with feelings as feelings tend to deviate from what is ethical and recoil from doing what is right and wrong, nor should it be equated with religion, although most religion have high ethical standards, we can not confine it to religion, as it would apply to only religious people. Religion can set high ethical standards and provide intense motivation to ethical behaviour.(SantaUniversity 2015).

Ethics can be considered as two things:

Firstly,ethics refers to well-founded standards of right and wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do, usually in terms of rights, obligations, benefits to society, fairness, or specific virtues.

Secondly,ethics refers to the study and development of one’s ethical standards. So it is necessary to constantly examine one’s standards to ensure that they are reasonable and well-founded. Ethics also means, then, the continuous effort of studying our own moral beliefs and our moral conduct, and striving to ensure that we, and the institutions we help to shape, live up to standards that are reasonable and solidly-based. (SantaUniversity 2015).

ETHICAL LEADERSHIP

Ethical leadership really has two elements. First, ethical leaders must act and make decisions ethically, as must ethical people in general. But, secondly, ethical leaders must also lead ethically – in the ways they treat people in everyday interaction, in their attitudes, in the ways they encourage, and in the directions in which they steer their organisations or institutions or initiatives.

Ethical leadership is both visible and invisible. The visible part is in the way the leader works with and treats others, in his behaviour in public, in his statements and his actions. The invisible aspects of ethical leadership lie in the leader’s character, in his decision-making process, in his mindset, in the set of values and principles on which he draws, and in his courage to make ethical decisions in tough situations.

Ethical leaders are ethical all the time, not just when someone’s looking; and they’re ethical over time, proving again and again that ethics are an integral part of the intellectual and philosophical framework they use to understand and relate to the world.(ctb 2016).

Important components of ethical leadership.

• The ability to put aside your ego and personal interests for the sake of the cause you support, the organisation you lead, the needs of the people you serve, and/or the greater good of the community or the world.
• The willingness to encourage and take seriously feedback, opinions different from your own, and challenges to your ideas and proposed actions.
• The encouragement of leadership in others.
• Making the consideration and discussion of ethics and ethical questions and issues part of the culture of the group, organisation, or initiative.
• Maintaining and expanding the competence that you owe those who trust you to lead the organisation in the right direction and by the best and most effective methods.
• Accepting responsibility and being accountable.
• Perhaps most important, understanding the power of leadership and using it well – sharing it as much as possible, never abusing it, and exercising it only when it will benefit the individuals or organisation you work with, the community, or the society.(ctb 2016)

Why practice ethical leadership?

• It models ethical behaviour to organisation.
• Builds trust.
• Brings credibility and respect, both to organisation and yourself.
• Leads collaboration.
• Creates good climate within organisation.

Necessary characteristics of a useful ethical framework

• Internal consistency.
• Proactivity.
• Dynamism.

James Burke was chief executive officer of Johnson & Johnson during the Tylenol tampering episodes (1982). He is largely credited with the appropriate handling of that situation. Harvard Business School has written a case or two and produced a video on him entitled “James Burke: A Career in American Business.” At one point in the crisis the US government was advising him against a product recall–a path he nevertheless remained resolute in taking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlTijmelPCQ

REFERENCES

Allio, R. (2012) “Leaders And Leadership – Many Theories, But What Advice Is Reliable?: Strategy & Leadership: Vol 41, No 1”. Strategy & Leadership [online] available from <http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1108/10878571311290016&gt; [13 February 2016]

Anon. (n.d.) 1st edn. available from <http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/ethics&gt; [16 February 2016]

ctb, (2016) Chapter 13. Orienting Ideas In Leadership | Section 8. Ethical Leadership | Main Section | Community Tool Box [online] available from <http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/leadership/leadership-ideas/ethical-leadership/main&gt; [12 February 2016]

Grounds, A. (1987) “Ethical Issues In Psychosurgery”. Journal of Medical Ethics 13 (1), 52-52

Mindtools.com, (2016) What Is Leadership? [online] available from <https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_41.htm&gt; [13 February 2016]

University, S. (2015) What Is Ethics? – Ethical Decision Making – Ethics Resources – Markkula Center For Applied Ethics – Santa Clara University [online] available from <https://www.scu.edu/ethics/ethics-resources/ethical-decision-making/what-is-ethics/&gt; [12 February 2016]