Leadership Assessment and Companies Problems

Leadership is defined as the process of influencing others to understand and agree about what needs to be done and how to do it, in order to accomplish what you set out to do. People often assume that anyone in a management position is a leader but I find that statement to be false. To be considered a leader, you must have very strong beliefs, and to work hard at your goal and stay focused. A Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is the highest ranked executive manager in a corporation and in my opinion one of the most important.

A CEO can range from being the founder of a company, the owner of a business, or they have a great significance within the corporation. A CEO’s responsibility can vary depending on how involved he or she is within the corporation. Although there are many tasks at hand in which a CEO bears, such roles can include significant responsibility, accountability, and authority within the organization. CEO is also response for making sure that the vision, mission and overall direction is being followed through properly.

Demonstrating these roles is vital to make sure that the organization’s mission is successful. At my previous employer, I worked for a company call Florida Light and Power (FPL) and although I only met our CEO on a few occasion his name was Armando J. Olivera, and his leadership style impacted me greatly. Mr. Olivera’s leadership style was charismatic style and he did it very well. He was always known as a person who had such an enthusiasm attitude and was always positive minded. Mr. Olivera always wanted to give back to people and teach people something new (Salisbury, 2011).

His attitude made me want to come to work each day. Mr. Olivera started with the company with back in 1972 as an engineer trainee and became the CEO back in 2003. The CEO would always adhere to the standards and rules and he really set an example of how he expected his employees to act. He always projected himself in a businesslike manner, and conformed to the rules. He was never the type of person to leave early just because he was the CEO or to take holidays off while the rest of the employees worked.

He personally impacted me in a positive manner when I first started. The training period is an intention training that involves several classes that included videos to watch, and during those videos Mr. Olivera was actually in the videos speaking and explaining his vision and what he expects and his story of how he started out. The story really made me look at the company differently and because Mr. Olivera was all about how to make the customer happy and the great lengths that he would endear to make sure that that happened.

In order to ensure that FPL employees were always on the right path the CEO would produce training videos for team development that displayed such qualities like integrity, drive, consideration, and self confidence. The CEO always made sure that his expectation was made to be clear and the vision and mission statements were followed through properly. FPL vision statement states as followed “we will be the preferred provider of safe, reliable, cost-effective products and services that satisfy the electricity related needs of all our customer segments” (“Fpls commitment to,”).

Divisional structure was the type of organization structure at FPL. Since FPL was such a large company with over 10,000 employees in the state of Florida, we operated in a wide geographic area and targeted difference areas with difference specialized groups. This was a huge advantage to our company because it helps meet more rapid demands and is able to handle a larger division. This also helped the company move into other forms of energy sources that they could provide to customers. Within the organizational structure at FPL there are levels of hierarchy that distribute the responsibility within the organization.

Divisional structure at FPL allows common culture to build and contribute to a higher and better knowledge of the company and its services. (Gillikin) Ethical conduct refers to an organizations moral standards concerning the action of individual members and also the decisions of the organization as a whole. At FPL the CEO has placed this responsibility on to Human Resources to ensure that all employees were following the code of conduct and conducting themselves in the upmost professional manner; no employees including the CEO were exempted from this.

As their ethical practices have become an economical benefit for the company, it also prevents , bullying between coworkers, prevention between personal phone calls at the companies expense, improper use of company equipment, and excessive sick days etc. The code of ethical conduct has greatly effected the way business is properly conducted. FPL strives to not only do the legal thing but the ethical thing as well in order to ensure our customers with satisfactorily service.

FPL has a public image to obtain as they are the largest energy provider in the state of Florida. Also unethical business can not only hurt a companies reputation, but it can prevent prospective employees from choosing to work for FPL. (Vossos) There are many ways to motivate employees, and may different techniques that seem to work better than others. First off the most motivating thing in the work place is money, so offering employees bonuses for reaching a mark or being the leader in sales with a nice bonus will encourage all the employees to work harder and better for the extra money.

Many large companies do this to motivate such as google and Microsoft use this technique. Another way to motivate is offer extra time off or paid time off for the employee that has preformed the best for each quarter. The third way to motivate employees would to add some perks for them while they are at work such as child daycare or pay for any food they might want or have free drink machines. These are just a few ways to make the work space more enjoyable and move appealing for employees.

The Hawthorne studies in the early nineteenth century examined and studied how managers can motivate employees to work more efficiently, with quality work at the maximum rate of return. One of the areas of information derived from the Hawthorne studies was that something more than pay incentives was improving the employees’ output within work groups. Researchers found that there was improvement in the work due to the fact that employees felt important because someone was studying them at work.

One of the concepts that leaders can derive from this historic discovery is that leaders must find ways to motivate and reward their employees besides the perceived rewards of being employed and having a pay incentive. (Cook) Companies today are faced with a host of issues, which may cripple their functionality, or in some extreme cases render the organizations obsolete. For example Kodak once a leader and innovator in the photo industry but they fell behind and had to file for bankruptcy.

These challenges are dependent on the nature of operations of the company, these challenges face a large amount of different organizations. Technological advancements today are on the increase more than in the previous century. Technology changing creates a problem for businesses because when technology changes the company has to stay up to date with the technology so they would have to teach all there employees how to run the new programs and buying the new technology can be very costly.

Another problem companies face generational gaps have created a difficulty in determining consumer behaviors, yet most companies are investing heavily in customer behavior analysis to determine the most appropriate way of matching a customers’ needs. Once again times change and so do customers taste and opinions change and businesses need to stay current with the changes if not they will end up like Kodak. A problem that we can all relate to as of lately is unstable economies and currencies are another factor causing constant instability in the running of corporations.

Though this has of late been caused by other external factors such as exchange rates, amount of exports and imports and political factors. There has been a relatively high incidence of economic instability in the recent past. The national economies are recovering from a global economic meltdown today, most organizations have been negatively affected by the meltdown leading to massive layoffs. There are many more challenges that many companies and leaders encounter when managing.

Diversity can help organizations compete in global markets by having a plan of other ventures that will bring new technology or and item to the market when a company has more than one option to make money successfully will make the chances of that company higher for them to succeed. or example lets look at Fuji film they diversified there company by making lcd screens and medical companies just to name a few things fuji film did to keep there companies head above water.

An effective business strategy to address these challenges such as the change in technologies, generation gap, and unstable economies. The first step would be to build a good tech team that can stay on top of the technology an help keep the companies technology up to date. Then a company hat has developed great ways to bring in new generations would be google they have done a many things to keep young talented employees to continue to come work for them for a few reasons they build a different environment that draws the new generation in.

They also make the work environment more relaxing and stress free. A good way for a company to tackle this issue would be to listen to younger employees ideas and add some relaxing eliminates such as a gym, swimming pool or shona which employees could relieve stress before or after work. Then prepare for the unstable economies there is a few things that can help with this first being diversifying the companies assets look into other business ventures easier said then dont also expand the company into different economies. A company that has multiple, unrelated businesses.

Unrelated businesses are those which require unique management expertise, have different end customers and produce different products or provide different services. One of the benefits of being a diversified company is that it buffers a company from dramatic fluctuations in any one industry sector. However, this model is also less likely to enable stockholders to realize significant gains or losses because it is not singularly focused on one business.

Reference

  1. Cook, J. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://thinkingleader. hubpages. om/hub/How-Google-Motivates-their-Employees-with-Rewards-and-Perks
  2. FPL’s commitment to quality. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://www. fpl. com/about/quality/fpls_commitment_to_quality. shtml (“Fpls commitment to,” ) Salisbury, S. (2011, December 19).
  3. Fpl’s ceo to retire after 40 years; successor named. The palm beach post. (Salisbury, 2011) Gillikin, J. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://smallbusiness. chron. com/advantages-disadvantages-divisional-organizational-structure-611. html (Gillikin) Vossos, T. (n. d. ).
  4. Retrieved from http://www. ehow. com/info_8660312_ethical-conduct-within-organization. html (Vossos)

Read more

A Leadership Journey

A LEADERSHIP JOURNEY. Created by SHARATH KUMAR Abstract The paper records the evolution of the author’s thinking on leadership through the course of his work involvement. Leadership is viewed as a dynamic process which consists formal and informal roles. The process is introduced as an individual recognizes opportunities and urged to answer back to evolving patterns and pledge action to enable positive change. The dynamics between formal and informal leadership structures and leadership as a state of mind are conferred.

The following paper shows a reflection on my personal journey and growing understanding of leadership based on my work experience. As I look back in time, I identify that most of my current interest in leadership and complexity has evolved. This paper archives the development of my view about leadership. Stages in the Journey Over my career I have experienced various milestones that have shaped and inclined my perspectives on leadership. Vitally I have witnessed my role as a leader as one who pronounces and puts into action a vision that inspires others to join in to an extent at least.

Along the way, the instability of resistance to that vision that has been the extreme influence on restricting my focus and ideology about leadership, as I’ve fought to overcome obstacles. Now I leadership as a dynamical distributed process among performers. I believe I have inculcated an informal methodology similar to grounded theory, as I take in information on the area concerned, formulate a theory and then test and modify that theory actively. There have been crowning events that have shaped my perspectives about leadership.

I evoke the poignant enthusiasm of joining the company. I had been employed as Assistant Chief Information Officer multinational company. My position in the company in my opinion was a dream job – aiding in devising a long-term strategy for the growth of the business unit from a process and technology perspective. I instantly noted operational issues and developed suggestions to address them. Although, my dream was shattered as I soon I was made to realize my position and the inclination of the management team to clinch new ideas were not necessary. Organization as Organism

My first day at work struck by the oppression of meetings absorbed so much time there was no time left to do work. Employees were exasperated because they had no access to their managers for direction. Projects were not being completed in a time due to the perspective experts needed on them were unavailable due to other bookings. Organizational beliefs about alliance needed key employees that were patrons to a project indulge in discussion and decision making. Still, decision making was a tremendously slow process as it lacked clarity as to who had the decision making authority.

A group would discuss the issue because one key person was not present (being double booked in another meeting) hence, the decisions were not finalized. Line of meetings being unresolved was common. Although I was brought into a company as a change agent tasked to bring strategic change to the business unit, I realized that it was not truly the case. Interest in change was driven by the instantaneous short term demands of particular clients, executives. At this point I managed to gather a team responsible for coordinating technology linked projects.

After extensive talks with my head, the team that reported to me was handed over to someone else, and I was to report to this new head as an independent contributor. This change was an extremely difficult period for me, yet important in shaping my views of leadership. This was a period where deep reflection on my sense of identity, my values, and sense of personal integrity was brought out. I interpreted this change as the system. I will speak more about what I learnt of the change in a later section. A new major acquisition had just been signed and the focus had shifted from long-term strategy to short term integration.

After six months in the position, I moved out of the business unit to work with a larger parent company. My favorite definition of leadership relics Sun Tzu in the Art of War: “The way [of leadership] means inducing the people to have the same aim as the leadership, so that they will share death and share life, without fear of danger” (Sun Tzu, 2005, p. 43). The definition recognizes the collaborative dynamic that leader and follower share– both share the benefits and risks in its pursuit. Moreover, Senge’s work presented me to systems thinking and understanding the unified wholeness of organizations.

This view was reinforced by my study of Neurolinguistic Programming and Neuro-Semantics, understanding human communications and the way in which we learn to construct our mental maps of the area. I saw conscious decisions to be freeing and challenging at the same time. This commitment was a challenging as I began to explore the process of leadership outside the hierarchical power structure that could command action by positional authority. Now as an independent contributor I found myself able to lead freely in a variety of ways, highlighting the need of influence in the contexts that I was called for.

I mentally stepped back from the situation and took a look at the business, it’s internal and external stakeholders. I would foresee the recede and flow of people as they enthused about their work, the processes of numerous departments that enabled this organism to be effective. I also realized that minor issues evolved into major problems. I witnessed that an aspect of leadership is to distinguish this ebb and drift of the organization and identify the systemic pain points – soon enough so that adequate time is available to resolve the pain points.

Often key issues remain intact solely because the situations have not reached the pain point to seize adequate attention. Partly it appeared to be an issue of prioritization; partly a problem of prevailing beliefs within the culture that impacts what employees attend to. A fundamental belief I have about leadership is that the leader is one who recognizes a potential future and asserts in motion actions that move those involved. Disequilibrium Disequilibrium is a vital situation in the dynamics of an organization, point at which the possibility for self-excelling construction of novel approaches to specific challenges to occur.

The pressures associated with disequilibrium is the point when pain thresholds reach a important point that gives an organization to be receptive to emerging possibilities. Although, there are differences in the role that leadership plays in such situations. I was one of the senior employees called to speak to the other employees after the declaration that the company was to be closed. After weeks of discussions of the positive doles of the merger, one hundred and fifty people were told of losing their jobs (a third of them, the very day! I bid everyone to come together, acknowledged that there had been a death in the family and we knew where we all stood. Also, I was able to distribute a booklet to each employee on tackling with consequences of a merger. I had prepared these booklets without awareness of what the outcome of the merger would be. After discussions with the employees post meeting, I got validation for the value of the confab in bringing about a collective sense of acceptance to the veracity we faced. They also agreed that the booklet carried a tangible sense of being cared for in the development.

There is a paradoxical dynamic to disequilibrium states. A disequilibrium state can although have the inverse effect occasioning in a resistance to transformation. In my understanding, the test of leadership is the capacity to anticipate and influence change afore the state of disequilibrium becomes serious. My sense of obscurity assisted as a motivator to securing the “merger transition” booklets prior to the settlement of the merger (It was intuited that the result may not be as favorable as had formerly been voiced by management).

As organizations operate as complex adaptive systems, the dynamics leading to disequilibrium usually exist as symptoms which could be observed and responded before the problem becomes serious. In this context, the process of (proactive) leadership shows self-regulating effect in the organization by permitting the process of self-transcending structure. Leadership as a Process Concluded by my experiences I see leadership as an ongoing process that befalls in human organizations through the interplay of formal and informal relationships. Leadership as a process is personified by actors who respond to a situation.

Therefore, the manager should be able to carry more complex thinking to issues that a subordinate may encounter, and bring value to understanding the work. Similarly, the subordinate is responsible for sharing visions about the work with his/her manager who can pass on the developments and insights further up the hierarchy. Whatever skills I may have in endorsing leadership may be totaled by ineffective structure in the system. In fact, I point the lack of an obligatory organizational structure as one if not the major inhibitions to organizational ineffectiveness within my work environment.

Leadership as a State of Mind To finish, I have come to see leadership as a state of mind. This lures originally from the work of Robert Quinn (2004), which recommends that there are certain states that act as attractors for the performer to take action that can be viewed as leadership in a particular setting. The Fundamental State of Leadership (FSL) generates the internal context that motivates the performer to respond and is replicated in interrelated attitudes, which Quinn gaps with opposing attitudes reflecting the “normal state. The FSL serves two functions: mainly by creating an attractor that boosts active behavior that aids the greater betterment of the organization. Second it gives way for the performer to be more aware of his/her perceptions and arrays of behavior. In the year of my tenure with my employer, I was aware of the requirement for a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to be able to serve the organization and needs of its customers efficiently. My suggestions met substantial confrontation with management as an earlier attempt to put in a CRM system had been unsuccessful.

I was determined in expressing this requisite – to the point that my manager expressed that if I brought the matter up again I would be left out from management meetings. And then came the day when he wanted a current clients list and found out that our current systems could not yield an accurate list. All of a sudden putting in a new system became a primacy- months after the actual recommendation. In an akin manner, as I transitioned to a role in the parent company, I piloted a research, which headed me to an awareness of the important of e-business and germaneness for the growth of the company.

I became a fervent advocate of e-business and presented several proposals to senior executives. But, my recommendations were not incorporated, mainly because senior executives did not trust that it was a feasible tool within the industry. Atypically, a few months later there is renewed concern in expanding e-business for the company. These situations reinforced for me a primary norm that the process of leadership is introduced as an actor who recognizes a specific need and makes an effort to take action, even in times of obstacles.

This shows an alignment with the core defiance described in the FSL. I end with a case study where I intentionally experienced the FSL in exercising leadership. I took part in a voluntary cross-functional team looking to enhance employee work experience. With gas prices on the hike, there was a strong curiosity in developing a strategy for telecommuting. Numerous solutions were suggested and were instantly shot down by the representative from IT as either being too expensive, too time consuming for the IT staffs, or too risky from a company’s security.

I do not terminate the importance and connotation of formal leadership structures, rather I am noting that leadership fundamentally functions as an internal response to attractors that allow self-transcending construction as an answer to a perceived reality. Inside the organizations, the interplay of actors captivating action to lead in formal or informal capabilities is dynamic and complex and outside the scope of this discussion. Note that this portrayal is not intended to reflect deleteriously on the behavior of the IT representative.

As an entity caught in the webs of loftier meaning – synchronization of the myriad of service appeals from multiple functional departments with partial resources in staff and dollars can impart a mindset that by a specific technology that had not been discussed. Despite obvious resistance from IT to propose a solution, I decide on doing my own research and found that a technology that had been conversed seemed to offer a sensible compromise on low cost, minimal IT backing, and strong enterprise security. I went back to the board with a bid to pursue this option.

This was not a job that was part of my normal work assignment, and also I could have drop the idea. Yet the internal states that fixated on serving the greater good, and sighting the opportunity that this solution could deliver served as an attractor to endure through the resistance and eventually lead to a successful outcome. Had I opted to stay within my comfort zone, the new process and organizational dynamics would not have been developed. I’ve gratified on a number of aspects of the leadership process, which I have garnered through my work experience.

In summary, I have emanated to see leadership as a dynamic process that ensues in human organizations as actors identify emerging possibilities and elect to take action. The inclination to do so is sturdily related to the actor’s internal states, and engagement of the Fundamental State of Leadership. Lastly, the efficiency of the actor may be wedged by the actor’s sphere of influence and by the actors’ formal or informal eminence and authority to act, and organizational willingness to embrace the transformation. I aspire to further develop these understandings as I linger my graduate studies.

REFERENCES Goldstein, J. A. (2007). A New Model of Emergence and its Leadership Implications. In Complex Systems Leadership Theory, Exploring Organizational Complexity (Vol. 1). Mansfield, MA: ISCE Publishing. Jaques, E. (1989). Requisite Organization: A Total System for Effective Managerial Organization and Managerial Leadership for the 21st Century : Amended (2nd ed. , p. 288). Baltimore: Cason Hall & Co Pub. McGhee, G. , Marland, G. R. , & Atkinson, J. (2007). Grounded theory research: literature reviewing and reflexivity. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 60(3), 334-342. doi: 10. 1111/j. 365- 2648. 2007. 04436. Senge, P. M. , Kleiner, A. , Roberts, C. , Ross, R. , & Smith, B. (1994). The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook (1st ed. , p. 608). New York: Doubleday Business. Senge, P. M. , Kleiner, A. , Roberts, C. , Roth, G. , Ross, R. , & Smith, B. (1999). The Dance of Change: The Challenges to Sustaining Momentum in Learning Organizations (1st ed. , p. 224). New York: Doubleday Business. Tzu, S. (2005). Trans. Cleary, T. The Art of War (p. 224). Boston: Shambhala. Quinn, R. E. (2004). Building the Bridge As You Walk On It: A Guide for Leading Change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Read more

What Motivates You

What Motivates You! There was a time where employees were known as just another input into the production of goods and services. What possibly changed the way of thinking about employees was research, referred to as the Hawthorne Studies, conducted by Elton Mayo. This study found employees are not motivated solely by money and employee behavior is linked to their attitudes (Dickson, 1973). Why is motivation so important in the work force and what should be done? Motivated employees are needed in our rapidly changing workplaces.

Motivated employees help organizations survive, be more productive and managers need to understand what motivates employees within the context of the roles they perform. Some are motivated by being asked for their assistance, others like to take on new challenges with a new assignment. Likewise having a role of leadership by being in command with ever decision you make with more responsibilities with minimum time. Employees are also instigated by being recognized by their values and like to be seen for their values by going and doing something together.

Also a compliment, reward or a bonus is another great way to encourage a member by congratulating them for a job well done. A way to get managers to get employee more motivated is by asking for general help, an idea or even opinions. Asking another person for help is possible the most sincere way to recognize their abilities and value as a worker. They themselves would feel useful to you and to the company knowing they are able to help out in any way or form. This might expose the manager with lack of skills and experience, but it gives the worker self confidence and an admirable feeling knowing something a higher position doesn’t know.

Few years back I use to work for Raaga, a DVD rental store for Indian movies. My manager was not so great with working on the computer and he knew I was a tech savvy in computers. He would ask me questions or get help about basic information, which I was more than happy to assist him motivating me to know something that my manager doesn’t know and makes me feel like I am an asset to have around in the store. Inquiring also shows the respect for their skills and talent that they apprehend, which leads you to greater trust in ones performance.

So not only does it motivate workers, but gain respect at the same time. Some members want attention and would be an honor to be asked for help so they can use their knowledge that they have studied to solve the problem in a different form and gives them the motivation to show what they have in them. Not only does asking for help motivate, but asking for is an idea or opinion another key way. If you admire the persons idea for instance, he/she is diligent and finish their work quickly and would like to know how they finish so efficiently.

Don’t hesitate to ask them there secret, because not only will it flourish your business, but you will also distinguish the skills and ability in a more meaningful way. By doing so, you not only helping your business, but also give your employees a way to express them of how they think and express themselves during their daily routine. Many managers and owners don’t take the time and trouble to go up to their employee that can suffer the company, along with the employees not having the encouragement to work productively. Motivation can also be found by having your employees rotating in different position within their home department.

Many small and large businesses are looking ways to improve the work design system by creating a job rotation strategy. When employees work on the same duty each day without variation, they are more likely develop boredom and carelessness, because they lose their self-esteem and motivation values. Many workers get tired doing the same task repeatedly, which can lower motivation. This not only lets the workers maneuver around at work by having new task, but will reduce the burnout reduction of being in the same position throughout the years.

Burnout is an exhaustion feeling that disintegrates businesses leading to decrease productivity, increased absences and increased of people leaving the job. Placing them in a new surrounding can change the person work behavior in an instance. They are now learning different working skills and socializing with other people in different areas of the department, which gives them the challenge to be a more skillful worker. I am currently working for Dish Network and currently we have been doing the same routine throughout the week.

So my supervisor gave me a new opportunity by placing me in new location that I have never been to before. This means meeting new customers and newer environment gives a fresher feeling and new experience giving the motivation to keep working. Having a person with different skills and talent can be a plus point for the company. Furthermore, employees that are engaged with a variety of positions throughout the company experiences increase in appreciation for coworkers and the connection between positions, which lower resentment and improve organizational commitment.

Employees at the same time will build up motivational feelings by knowing that they are a great part of an asset to the company and the team. Greater the motivation the other advantage of the job rotation is increased employee satisfaction, because business owners know when a worker are not pleased with people that endeavors. This makes them feel unmotivated, disturbed and depressed, which is disrupting productivity. Informal leadership can also put a major impact on gaining motivation.

According to Jeff Haden, author of “The 5 Best Ways to Praise Employees,” Putting an employee in a short-term informal leadership role can make a major impact. Testing their knowledge, leadership skills and managing with very little time to complete the task. An informal leadership role shows trust in your employee’s intelligence and their judgments. The more important the assignment is, the bigger the implied praise and the greater the boost to their self esteem, which ties with motivational factors.

According to Psychologist Frederick Herzberg, “Motivational factors are those elements that go above and beyond the basic maintenance factors. ” (148). It gives them the opportunity to be recognized, promoted or even be given more responsibilities. This also motivates the employees to improve their productivity. They might find out new and productive way to complete the company’s goals as well as their individual goals. When they are given a big task or project in hand the boss expects you to manage everything by yourself by gathering the right people for the task and giving out orders might give stress to a person.

But it unlocks their motivations and ambition to show they have it in them to accomplish anything for a job well done. Managers and employees are usually busy with their own work and never have the time to know one another. Knowing your employees either as a family or friend can make them feel flattered rather than being seen as just another employee at work. A good way to know your employee’s value, especially their value to you is by doing something together. It doesn’t have to be work related in general it can be something outside of work. For instance going ut for coffee or lunch break is a great way to have a conversation. Ask about their family and kids or just life in general. At the same time a manger would want to keep a minimum distance by neither being to companionable with the members, because this may disrupt the flow of productivity of work if we had employees being more laid back and coming late to work to the time they are scheduled. By doing something with an employee individually and getting to know them with the slightest attention can also increase production making them feel admired by being known personally by the boss.

Employees will automatically know their position to where they stand and will continue to do what it takes to keep the boss satisfied to be known as a valuable employee. The last source and probably the greatest source are by giving a simple compliment for a great job or even an award to show your gratitude. Money is an important factor in life, but it doesn’t always motivate them. What really motivates to perform at higher levels is being thoughtful, personal kind of recognition showing true gratefulness for job well done.

For instance when I finish my shift my supervisor gives me a positive feedback at the end of the day letting me know that I am doing a fine job. Many bosses or owners don’t give enough of these compliments to their employees after finishing any task, making them feel they haven’t done a extensive job. A boss should notice their employee’s performance, because taking someone for granted will never be a proper motivator. Giving a positive response and other forms of showing your appreciation can show great support for the right performance.

The cost is little to nothing and can be given when a good deed occurs, which is when motivation has its most effective impact. Giving a time off can also help people’s motivation. If top performers can continue to keep up with high results while working less, everybody wins. A day off doesn’t really cost the organization anything if the performance levels remain high. Coming to work day to day can be exhausting and can wear people out, which may lower motivation to continue to perform like they use to when they first started.

A day off can help a person relax, spend time with the family member and regain energy so their minds can be clearer and make accurate decision or just being rewarded by finishing the job quicker. But of course it never hurts to get extra cash in your pocket by getting a bonus in your paycheck. These are only a few ways to motivate your employees and remember what ever motivates one person might not motivate everyone else. Giving similar rewards does not motivate employees to exceed further and may ruin performance as top achievers see no reason to do the job that they are doing.

According to Continental J. Social Sciences group, study of “The Effects of Motivation on Workers Performance,” hypotenuse predicted that, “The majority who are 35 in number with 58 percent proof the significance of promotion and fairness in promoting workers performance, while 17 percent who are 10 in number resort to money likewise, 12 percent for security, 8 percent and 5 percent also subscribe for recognition and prestige respectively,” for a more motivational production.

It is important to know that motivational influence plays a very big role in the day to day task of workers in every organization. As a result it is clear that workers performance of any sort is a function of motivation getting from the organization and thereby improves and increase productivity. In view of that workers motivation matter a lot and should be concerned for both employers and the employees.

There are many ways to motivate a person and everyone has a different way of being encouraged weather its asking your employee for help, getting placed in a role of informal leadership or even going out for a coffee break getting to know each other can be a great way as well. Maneuver your employees in different departments or environment can also be another way for them to have a fresh new feeling and of course being rewarded or getting cash bonus never hurts for getting a job accomplished for a more efficient successful business.

Read more

Lions Among Us

According to Mr. Edward Henderson, leaders are those people who can guide a work force into a path that leads to success and realization of goals by keeping the members of his work force committed, intact, and highly motivated. Moreover, managers of private clubs are those who extend their duties and responsibilities beyond the long-established and conventional roles of private club managers. They should be able to influence the members of their work force to create a reality out of their visions of success.

Furthermore, Henderson has also presented what he calls “success factors.” These success factors are supposed to be instrumental in making private club managers successful in their field. This valuable piece of information was based on a survey conducted in 1994, which was administered to several managers. They were the ones who were responsible of narrowing down eight valuable factors that influence success.

These success factors were also proven true by Henderson himself, as he has put great efforts to observe his colleagues who were private club managers themselves. In addition to the main success factors that will be discussed in the following statements, people who took the survey also included other factors that are important in success such as a reputable image, flexibility in working with diverse individuals or groups, communication and social skills, just pure luck, exerting effort and working hard, attitude and perspective in life, and continuous learning.

Henderson has also noted that there is a strong connection between success factors and the successes of a leader. Although he himself, and all the managers who took the survey, could not argue with the fact that all success factors are significant in accomplishing success in their line of expertise. However still, everything depends on the work attitude and outlook of the manager. In addition, it is dependent on the nature and the background of the business that he is managing.

The first success factor mentioned in the monograph is operational knowledge. Operational knowledge received the highest vote as one of the most important success factor. However, overall the most important success factor, it ranked second. It requires knowledge of the ins and outs of business, such as the technical aspect and expertise in handling the club. Expertise and knowledge of the business is achieved over time. Being in the business in such a long period of time is a learning experience for private club managers, especially with their experiences in success and failures in the past.

The second success factor is integrity. It was the first most important success factor that was rated by the managers who took the survey. For those managers who took the survey, building a responsible and credible self as a private club manager makes one a true leader. Being aware of one’s strengths and weaknesses, distinguishing right from wrong, expressing appreciation and gratitude to one’s constituents, exuding good morals and virtues, and working for the purpose of serving, are just some of the aspects of integrity that makes it a factor in a leader’s way to success.

The third success factor is being in the right club where a manager’s personality is suiting. In other words, private club managers must be able to be in position within a club that is fitting or appropriate for their personality and management styles. They attribute this idea with marriage. For them, being a private club manager is like building a relationship or marrying a person. There should be chemistry or the personality, style, beliefs, and attitudes of a manager must be in sync with the needs and nature of the club to succeed. Just as how two people should be in order to have a successful marriage.

The fourth success factor is acquiring financial skills. According to the managers who took the survey, being adept with finance and accounting enabled them to gain respect and trust from their colleagues. Needless to say, the finances of an organization are the indicator of its success or its failure.

The fifth success factor is intelligence. The challenges and the demands of the private club industry require broad knowledge and skills in order understand the comings and goings within the club and also to understand human behavior and predict outcomes. According to the managers who took the survey, intelligence coupled with the right experiences and skills acquired equals great leadership and success.

The sixth success factor is the ability to persuade others. Persuasion or the skill of one person to influence the behavior of a person is very significant in accomplishing success at present. A great leader must be able to persuade or influence others, his subordinates, colleagues, and everyone who he comes to work with, to lean to the direction of success and accomplish the vision of the club.

The seventh success factor is authority. Perhaps authority comes with the previous success factor, which is persuasion. The ability to persuade must be coupled with authority that is in order to persuade people, the leader must exude authority and firmness among them. Although there are several issues raised about authority and its limitations, people cannot argue with the fact that authority is very important in dealing with all aspects of the private club industry. However, with authority comes great responsibility and sound judgment.

The eighth success factor is social grace. Although several managers regard as least important in achieving success, they could not also deny the fact that being skilled in communication and interacting with other people is important.

After reading all the factors that influence success as a private club manager, I have come to understand the qualities and skills that one should possess in order to be a great leader for the club as a whole and his constituents. Although all the success factors and much more, are instrumental in the achievement of great personal and group success in the field of private club management, I feel that the most important of all is intelligence.

First, intelligence gets you to the position of a private club manager. As we all know, being intelligent and knowledgeable about the business makes one a potential and a strong candidate for a private club manager position. It is instrumental in getting one started, and intelligence keeps one going in the business. Moreover, intelligence equips you with the capacity to acquire all the other skills that are important in the business such as financial and social skills, being knowledgeable of the operations and processes that go on within the business, and even in the ability to persuade others, intelligence plays a role. Intelligence is also a major factor that spells out authority.

For instance, one becomes granted the opportunity to become a private club manager because of one’s knowledge of the business. Through this, one gains support, respect and trust from colleagues, subordinates, board members, and other people one comes in contact with because of one’s ability to be knowledgeable in all aspects of the business, even for example in finance and accounting. Essentially, it drives one to learn more about the developments and changes in the industry making one capable of dealing with future obstacles and challenges.

Therefore, one is able to persuade other people into working together as members of the club in order to attain their goals and objectives. Generally speaking, intelligence does not only get you the job, but it also guides you and lets you experience success and gets you out of failure. It lies in all aspects of the eight success factors that are why it is important.

Read more

Lessons Learned and to be learned

Background: Managing Total Technology was the first simulation course I have ever enrolled for. From the very beginning of the course, I knew that it will a very interesting course and indeed, I find it to be a successful, memorable and exciting way of education. Part 1: Honestly speaking I took the simulation very easy in the beginning. But as we move in to week 3, I started to realize that we really need to imply ourselves if we need to do better in the simulation.

There are several key learnings that I take from this simulation course, such as; 1. Fundamental Knowledge: First of all, I would say, to do a business or to make a decision, one should seek knowledge regarding that business or position. One should do homework before thinking about playing any role in the business scenario. Seeking fundamental knowledge is the first step. 2. Do not Limit yourself: It is pivotal to know your business environment well and remember, business understanding it is not limited to the area you are responsible for. One should know the overall strategy of the company and the circumstances in which the company is working.

The manager, regardless of his/her role in the company should be aware of the challenges company is currently facing in achieving its goals and objectives. 3. Be a Guru: When you are responsible for making decision in one of the area of the company, it is of utmost important that you acquire all the technical and non-technical expertise in that area. Ideally, nobody should be more aware than you in that particular field so that you can make the decision confidently and that people respect your decision and don’t challenge it without knowing the depth of it. 4. Competitve Intelligence is Key Always make well informed decisions. Look for the weaknesses of the competition. Consistently track their performance and their financial situation so that you are well aware in advance if they are in a situation where you can take advantage and consolidate your position in the market place. 5. Be a Visionary You cannot be a successful manager or CEO if you are unable to look in to the future and make decision according to the future challenges. You have to keep one eye at the long term objectives of the organization and plan accordingly.

Learn from the mistakes and make tactical changes but never alter your long term strategy because you fail in achieving one or two of your short term goals. Part 2: Key Take Aways: A. Strategic Thinking: One of the top learnings from the simulation is the importance of strategic thinking. When we started the simulation, we thought that only one segment, High-Tech, will be good enough to become leader in the overall simulation and it proved wrong. We knew in the middle of the simulation but stuck to our initial strategy which I guess was the right thing to do because eventually High-Tech market is the future.

B. Leadership Qualities It sounds like an extension of the first point Strategic Thinking, but it is actually not. I have learned from this simulation that a company is defined by the definition of its CEO. Leadership plays an important role in driving all the areas of business and it requires special capabilities to perform as a leader. Leadership is not about making final decisions it is about making the right decision at the right time. I want to learn how I can be a successful leader in the field of marketing and sales, which is my passion.

Read more

Entrepreneurial Leadership Analysis

Using the WileyPlus resources, go to the Interactive Case Study “Five Guys Burgers and Fries: Ingredients for Success” example located in Chapter 3. To access the entire textbook, use the WileyPLUS Read, Study & Practice link located in the Student Center. Write a three to four (3-4) page paper in which you: 1. Determine how Five Guys’ philosophy sets it apart from other fast-food chains. 2. Analyze the original values for the start-up company and how it remains strong today. . Enumerate three (3) factors that contributed to Five Guys’ success in such a short time and what effect, if any, external markets had on these factors. 4. Assess how ethical and social practices are part of the Five Guys’ culture and provide examples to support your choices.

5. Use at least five (5) quality academic resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not quality as academic resources. Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements: Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions. •Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date.

The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length. The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are: Examine the private enterprise systems, drivers of change on the system, ethical and social responsibilities of business, and the requirements for success in today’s business environment. •Analyze the factors that drive supply and demand, different types of market structures in a free enterprise system, and factors of stability in a nation’s economy. •Use technology and information resources to research issues in contemporary business. •Write clearly and concisely about contemporary business using proper writing mechanics.

Read more

The Last Castle

The movie “The Last Castle” provides examples of good leadership and bad leadership. Colonel Winter, the warden of a military is the example of bad leadership, while General Irwin, a prisoner at Winter’s prison is an example of good leadership. The film illustrates that a leader does not have to have a technical leadership position to gain followers, and how two leaders who have differing viewpoints on leadership cannot exist in the same space without conflict. Henri Nouwen, in his book on leadership “In the Name of Jesus,” says “power offers an easy substitute for the hard task of love…easier to control people than love people. In “The Last Castle,” we see the contrast of Irwin’s and Winter’s leadership styles in regards to the prisoners. Winter constantly reads the inmates files about the crimes they committed in order to remind himself that they are capable of violence and so he will not ever feel compassion for them. He is hard-nosed and takes no interest into their personal feelings, and he refuses to ever recognize how they could change over time. Irwin, on the other hand, chooses to ignore the inmates’ pasts and focuses on who they are in the present.

He recognizes that no matter what they have done, they have a good side as well. In addition, Irwin treats the inmates as men, instead of treating them like stupid children. In the film, Irwin takes interest in a prisoner named Aguilar. Aguilar is not well liked because he is Hipic. In addition, he has a speech impediment so others think he is dumb. He has no confidence but when Irwin starts treating him like a soldier, and not like a worthless man, he gains his confidence. Irwin recognizes that Aguilar is smart and knows masonry so he puts Aguilar in charge of building the wall.

Since Irwin treated Aguilar like a man and a soldier, Aguilar gained confidence and was able to himself become the leader of the wall-building project. In building the wall, the prisoners were building themselves a figurative castle to protect themselves from the unfair practices of Winter. Irwin inspires the men to build the wall to be something that is their own. Irwin suggests that they all work together in order to build a better, stronger wall. Building the wall was something the prisoners did on their own, without the directive of the warden.

Read more
OUR GIFT TO YOU
15% OFF your first order
Use a coupon FIRST15 and enjoy expert help with any task at the most affordable price.
Claim my 15% OFF Order in Chat
Close

Sometimes it is hard to do all the work on your own

Let us help you get a good grade on your paper. Get professional help and free up your time for more important courses. Let us handle your;

  • Dissertations and Thesis
  • Essays
  • All Assignments

  • Research papers
  • Terms Papers
  • Online Classes
Live ChatWhatsApp