Leadership Skills and Styles - Assignment Example

Author’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Details: Institutional Affiliation: Date of Submission: Assessment Activity 3 Actions that I would take to develop the group Action Yes No Tell the group the results you want to see- and when you want to see them No Tell the group how things will be done Yes Clarify goals and ask the group how best they can be achieved Yes Use I and You in your discussion of the groups No Use we in your discussions Yes Tell the group what they would like you to plan and do with them Yes Ask the group what they would like you to plan and do Yes Communicate the rules and procedures you would like to be followed Yes Enable the group to develop achievement objectives their way yes Provide all the information the group requests to help in setting the objectives Yes Restrict information to what you think is necessary No Criticize the group or members to colleagues or management No Champion the group to outsiders and strongly support them Yes Determine the individual skills, goals, personal values and feelings of group members Yes Discuss personal and professional development needs of individuals yes Tell the group about yourself and your ideas Yes Ask the group members to reciprocate with disclosures about themselves No Keep relationships to work related issues No Encourage competition between group members Yes Encourage cooperation and emphasize the need for constructive conflict resolution Yes Collectively determine the group norms and values Yes State the norms and values the organization requires Yes Explain to the group that the intention is for them to become self-managing team and clarify what this means Yes Assessment activity 4 1. Why is it sometimes good to organize data in chart form? the data becomes presentable and easy to analyze it is possible to understand a topic when data is presented in chard form when data is organized in charts, it enables comparison between components of a particular parameter being investigated 2. What are some of the information needs of leaders/ managers? Assessment activity 5 Explain what leadership styles can be applied to decision making and the situations in which these styles might be most effective. Support your answer with workplace examples. Participatory leadership style: This is a leadership style that involves other people during decision making process (Gallo, 2011). This is achieved by delegation of duties to team members. This leadership style might be effective in a situation where the leader needs to come up with a solution to conflicts and disagreements among employees (Barrett & Moores, 2009). The leader asks the employees to contribute towards the solutions to conflicts as well as contributing to the solution. Another leadership style is transformative leadership. This is where the leader acts as an example by guiding employees in areas where they do not demonstrate competence or skills. A situation where this type of leadership can be applied is where an employee does not know the method involved in performing a particular task. The leader acts as a guide by instructing the employee on the right method of performing that task. Assessment Activity 13 1. What is likely to happen if you work with a manager who is discouraged, appears to be unhappy or insecure in their role and criticizes the organization for which they work? The first thing that will happen is that the employee will lose a sense of direction and motivation because they will feel like the activities of the organization are not aimed at achieving a particular objective. This will result into a condition where they do not undertake their duties effectively and they will develop a negative attitude towards the organization. This is also based on the fact that employees follow the leadership style of the manager. Thus when the manager criticizes the organization, employees will also find excuses for not performing their tasks by criticizing the organization. The impacts of these change in attitudes is that there will be a reduction in production so that profitability of the organization will reduce considerably. 2. What in your opinion makes a good leader/ manager? A good manager is one who is able to lead by example. This is where the leader is friendly to all employees and does not favor other employees. A good manager is also one who is a good time manager. This is where the manager reports to work on time and does not need to be supervised to perform his duties (Gallo, 2011). Another characteristic of a good manager is that he must be a good listener. This involves listening to employee complaints and assisting them determines solutions to those complaints. In addition, a good leader is one that does not make decisions personally but consults other employees on their opinions before he makes a decision. 3. Consider the ways in which your actions and behavioral characteristics in the workplace fit with your description of a good manager. Do you consider that you are or will be a good leader/ manager? Explain. There are particular characteristics that I have which warrants me to be a good leader. For instance, I am pragmatic in my behaviors. I focus on things getting done rather than talking about them. I also ensure I reach a particular target when I set out to perform a task. In addition, I am able to cooperate with people in my area of specialization effectively. This gives me the competence to share ideas and come up with solutions in areas where problems have been encountered at work place. I am also transformative because I always try to correct my colleagues whenever they do something in a manner that is not good enough to show competence. 4. Conduct a self assessment of your leadership/ management skills Competency Excellent average Need to develop Managing self Time management Yes Stress management Yes Self-Management Yes Ethics/ values/integrity Yes Coping with/thriving on change Yes Personal/home/work balance Yes Political sensitivity Yes Planning and organizational skills Yes Managing people and relationships Yes Leadership by example Yes Inspiring others Yes Encouraging staff development Yes Selling the vision Yes Communication/consultation/ negotiation Yes Developing teams Yes Recruitment and Induction Yes Performance management Yes Rewarding and recognizing Yes Individual effort Yes Managing others Delegation/ task allocation Yes Counseling Yes Change management Yes Coaching Yes Managing operations and processes Policy development Yes Service delivery Yes Short-and long term planning Yes Quality/standards/ performance targets and measures Yes Project management Yes Operational reviews/audits Yes Reporting Yes Assessment activity 14 Why is it necessary to develop and implement performance plans in accordance with organization’s goals and objectives? The organization’s goals and objectives specify what should be done so that goals are achieved. The goals of the organization act as a determining factor for what should be done. Consequently, development and implementation of performance plans ensures the organization does not undertake activities that do not comply with its goals and objectives and also ensures areas where employees do not know what should be done are determined by the performance plans. Assessment activity 15 1. What is KPIs? It is key Performance indicator. It is the metric to determine factors that need to be focused on so that an organization achieves its goals. 2. By monitoring and evaluating work it becomes possible to identify performance gaps which might impact on achievement. What are the causes of performance gaps that might need to be addressed? Lack of competence of employees to perform a particular task effectively Low motivation from the managers Lack of cooperation between managers and employees 3. Organizations and the individuals within them should consistently demonstrate ethical behaviors. What does this mean and how can you, as a leader, promote ethical workplace behaviors? Ethical behavior means acting in a manner that does not negatively affect another employee in the organization or does not affect the public in a negative manner. A leader can promote ethics at work place by being truthful in what he says to employees and acting in manner that employees are not affected negatively or do not feel mistreated. 4. What characteristics should a good leader demonstrate and why is it necessary for manager/leaders to model appropriate behaviors? Pragmatism: a leader should ensure actions are taken so that the activities of the organization are being done without disruption Honest; a leader must speak the truth about what needs to be done and encourage employees to believe that Transformative: a leader must ensure all employees are motivated to become better in what they do. 5. How do managers and supervisors help employees in people centered cultures? They assist employees in areas where they do not have skills to perform a particular task and also focus on the needs of employees such as training needs to improve their competence to perform a particular task. They also engage in dialogue to enhance cohesion in the organization. Supervisors also remind employees on most important tasks they should perform to achieve a particular target (Gallo, 2011). They also remind employees on the sequence in which tasks need to be performed so that a particular goal is achieved. 6. How do employees, customers, other stakeholders impact on an organization? Employees provide services that create an image of the company so that the growth and profitability of the organization is determined by their contribution. Customers obtain products and services from the organization. They also make referrals to other people who also become customers, thus promoting an organization’s competitiveness in a particular region (Hasegawa, 2010). Stakeholders such as shareholders impact organization by formulating policies and goals that need to be achieved so that activities of the organization are targeted towards these goals. 7. How do you think managers can ensure that their performance behavior meets the requirements of the organization for which they work? They can compare their performance with the set objectives and goals of the organization to establish whether their performance is at the same level as the set goals and objectives. They can also use key performance indicators as a measure of success of the managers. This involves establishing whether the manager has contributed to achievement of the major performance goals that the organization needs to achieve. This ensures they improve their behaviors with the focus on reaching organizational goals and objectives. 8. Decision making can be a risky business. Many of us are much better at procrastination than making and implementing decisions. What do you think are the elements of a personal risk that contribute to this? Lack of planning: when one does not plan on the activities to be performed, there is a possibility of being complacent thus not accomplishing the set objectives Lack of coordination with team members: when a worker does not coordinate and motivate one another to achieve their objectives, the possibilities of procrastination are high and the person is less likely to perform his tasks in time. Summary This article explains various leadership skills that a leader in a business organization needs to focus on so that employees in the organization are motivated to work towards the goals of the organization. In order to achieve this objective, it explains how leaders can show accountability for their actions and how they can make the right decisions and encourage employees to be active participants in the activities of the organization. In addition, it explains course of actions that needs to be taken during risk management by explaining concepts such as identification of problems, defining the situation and determining potential impacts of the risks as well as course of action to be taken to manage the risks. Furthermore, this article presents strategies involved in data presentation such as the use of charts. Furthermore, the article explains how leadership in the organization needs to be conducted so that key performance indicators (KPIs) are achieved. It also explains various forms of data that need to be collected when solving issues that arise in an organization. It shows that both qualitative and quantitative data are important in understanding issues in an organization and solving emergent issues. It also explains leadership styles which can ensure success in an organization; this is achieved by explaining the role of participative leadership. The article also shows that leaders must demonstrate high standards of ethics when dealing with employees, customers and the public so that the organization is one that is centered towards people’s needs. References Barrett, M., & Moores, K. 2009. Women in family business leadership roles: Daughters on the stage. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar. Gallo, F. T. 2011. Business leadership in China: How to blend best Western practice with Chinese wisdom. Singapore: Wiley. Gallos, J. V. 2008. Business leadership: A Jossey-Bass reader. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Hasegawa, Y. 2010. Rediscovering Japanese business leadership: 15 Japanese managers and the companies they're leading to new growth. 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