Thomas Green was experiencing a growth point in his seven month history as Senior Market Specialists at Dynamic Displays. The division Vice President Shannon McDonald had requested a written statement from Green giving his perspective on resolving performance discrepancies that had developed and he was already forgetting her instructions and wondering if he should schedule a meeting with her to explain the situation. Somehow Green needs to assess the train wreck that has developed in his career and effectively translate an action plan to correct the situation before he loses his job. (Beckham, 2008) The problem had been expressed to Green from McDonald when she warned him that his future boss, Marketing Director Frank Davis, not only held but intended to fill the position that Green was walking into with someone other than him. (Beckham, 2008, p. 3) Why would McDonald intentionally put Green in a politically tenuous position that would actively obstruct him? Clearly McDonald was impressed with the productivity levels of Green the account executive. The case states that McDonald took an active interest in Green’s development. (Beckham, 2008, p. 3) McDonald also stated that she was looking for a change agent for her group and pinned high hopes on his energy levels and exuberance. McDonald also expressed a great deal of concern in Green’s ability to maintain his exuberance, lacking the managerial training or experience. Green unfortunately, does not heed the advice of McDonald when she instructs him to search for the direction and guidance of more experienced managers in similar positions. Green doesn’t seem to hear or heed to detailed instructions clearly expressed to him throughout this case study. This could be an ADHD symp... ... middle of paper ... ...nothing but improve the feeling of despair that Green feels at work. (Beckham, 2008, p. 5) Hardship and change often times spur growth or demise; this is true in nature as much as it is in business. Thomas Green has reached the pinnacle of his career as a salesman, given the opportunity to level-up; he must now decide whether or not his abilities to adapt are as strong as his motivation to succeed. Is he willing to stop doing all the things that allowed him to succeed as an individual and relearn what it takes to succeed as a leader? Great performers must have the emotional intelligence and self-awareness that allows them to adapt and evolve the skill sets needed to become great leaders. (Goleman, 2000, p. 5) Green must choose to start listening to what is required from those that he reports to so he can become the leader that is needed by those that report to him.
There have been countless books, lectures, and and trainings, and retreats constructed around the idea of cultivating leadership in an individual. However, cultivating individuals’ ability to follow great leadership has received far less attention. Who are these people leading if each person within an organization is being trained to be a leader? The word follower has negative connotations, evoking the images of a weak, uncreative, milquetoast personality. However, Jimmy Collins, in his book, “Creative Followership: In the Shadow of Greatness”, suggests that the ability to be led brings as much creativity, consciousness, and indeed leadership to an organization or team as the leader himself. Great followership is a reflection of great leadership. In this, the follower is just as important as the leader in the relationship. Many great leaders have asserted that a leader with even a modicum of understanding of what drives their subordinates can take their organization to previously undreamt-of heights in creativity and productivity. Collins does not disabuse us of this notion, he does however add that the follower is indispensable agent in this interplay between leader and follower.
This book is important to business students because it shows that even the most seasoned executive runs into unexpected challenges and can find themselves in uncharted territory. Jim Barton’s experiences and lessons can be lessons for anyone. Any employee, whether they are support staff or a top executive, should always maintain an open mind and be ready to learn from a situation or the people around them at any time.
They claimed that “he doesn’t listen” and that “he means well, but he has lost touch with the type of leadership his job requires.” Lane’s leadership is where a majority of the problems originate from. Lane likes to control virtually all aspects of the day-to-day operations. Because of this, his employees do not have the opportunity to contribute more to their work than what is minimally required. With the complete control, he also gives his staff little autonomy. When they try to make suggestions, Lane either doesn’t listen, or when a suggestion is implemented, the employees is rarely rewarded, even when the implementation is successful. On the other hand, when a suggestion or other action leads to failure, employees are often criticized instead of given help or other suggestions for improvement. A specific problem occurred when a team was sent to Singapore to participate in a trade fair. But when they returned unsuccessful in gaining new contacts, they were publically criticized for the failure instead of acknowledged for the international exposure that was gained. All of these issues stem from once source – a style of leadership. This is not to say that Lane himself is the problem, but the way he chooses to lead has negative effects on the
Johns-Treat, C. V. (1994). More than ever, companies need visionary leaders and highly motivated workers. The Business Journal, V11 n40, p 19. City Business/USA Inc.
With this mindset in place change can happen without any problems. Having transformational leaders being viewed as change agents, the culture within an organization should transform smoothly. Effective leadership is enhanced when leaders can inspire their followers to accept change by communicating a compelling vision of the future and motivating willingness to work in the new manner (Jones & Rudd, 2008).
The most effective leaders know better than to try to be someone they are not. They should always be searching for opportunities to reinvest in their strengths. Leaders need to stay true to who they are and make sure they have the right people around them. The book says those who surround themselves with similar personalities are at a disadvantage to those who are secure enough to be surrounded by people who strengths will compliment theirs.
David Fletcher is a portfolio manager with many years of experience and success under his belt. He currently is a limited partner managing an Emerging Growth Fund for Jenkins Fletcher Partnership or JFP. The company was small when David started and consisted of a CEO, Paul Jenkins, CFO, 2 financial assistance, 4 research analyses, 1 research assistant and a receptionist. David first started with JFP he hired an Administrative Assistance, Whitney to help organize his calendar, contact companies and take messages, etc. Whitney proved to be capable and eager to learn. Under David’s guidance she received her MBA and was promoted to a Portfolio Manager in training. One of her primary areas was Healthcare but she also had retail and environment. In addition, Whitney developed a solid network of contacts and was very good at annualizing the financial statements of potential business. However, David was still holding her hand and had not allowed her to invest completely without his input. Also, she was just starting to attend conferences solo. Although Whitney was helpful, David felt he needed to form a team to help with the labor intensive job of processing all the information for managing the fund. His typically day was consumed by meetings, phone calls and conferences and he could not keep this pace for the long haul. Therefore, he discussed the possible of forming a team with Paul Jenkins and several of investment firms before proceeding with the concept of a team at JFP.
In this document I will share how I was influenced to believe in my own ability. I will also share how my view about management and leadership was changed in one conversation and how that conversation boosted my confidence. I will also share the manager that influenced my learning the most and how through not just words but also actions he showed me that being a leader is not being the person sitting in an office barking instructions, but being the leader is someone who keeps motivating his team to want to accomplish more and be more through actions. I will also share my learning through this assignment, and recommendations on fixing
Tichy, N. M., & Ulrich, D. O. (2003). The Leadership Challenge-A Call for the Transformational Leader. In
Destiny, brought the book True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership into my life and I want to bring it into the lives of others. More specifically those who may believe they weren’t born with the characteristics or traits to become a leader or those who have not found their passion or purpose in life; their “True North.” The book, written by Bill George and co-author Peter Sims, compiles a series of interviews with 125 managers from Howard Schultz of Starbuck’s to Dan Vasella of Novartis. The interviewees guide readers through their journey to become the leaders they are today; discussing their failures, successes, obstacles, personal tragedies and triumphs. The stories of each manager prove the True North’s thesis, which is no one person is born a leader and there isn’t one path to becoming a leader. The book is separated into three sections: 1) Leadership is a Journey 2) Discover Your Authentic Leadership 3) Empowering People to Lead. Before giving overviews of each section, it is important to define an authentic leader.
“Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail” is an article written by John P. Kotter in the Harvard Business Review, which outlines eight critical factors to help leaders successfully transform a business. Since leading requires the ability to influence other people to reach a goal, the leadership needs to take steps to cope with a new, more challenging global market environment. Kotter emphasizes the mistakes corporations make when implementing change and why those efforts create failure; therefore, it is essential that leaders learn to apply change effectively in order for it to be beneficial in the long-term (Kotter).
The only way to develop the kind of leaders a changing organization needs is to make leadership a critical criterion for promotion, and then manage people’s careers to develop it.
Kotter, J. P. (2007). ‘Leading change: Why transformation efforts fail’. Harvard Business Review, January: 96-103.
“As a leader, your job is to make those people successful. It’s less about trying to be successful (yourself), and more about making sure you have good people and your work is to remove that barrier, removing roadblocks for them so that they can be successful in what they do”.
The monumental consequences of strategic decisions call for individuals with unique performance abilities who can navigate the volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. inherent in the nature of those decisions. Aspiring leaders can rise to the challenge by undergoing self-assessment and personal.