Management and leadership principles

Personal Leadership Platform

A leadership platform is a complex concept. The questions expanded my thinking into not only what I want to be as a leader, but also why those convictions are important. As a new marketing manager, I think this is a valuable activity to examine my beliefs and values of what my leadership should represent.

Purpose of Leadership

The simple purpose of leadership is to lead a group with a common goal. The true question is what a leader must possess in order to carry out the process of achieving a common goal. A leader must understand the big picture of the organization and the way the smaller parts work together to help achieve the overarching goals. Additionally, he/she must understand the strengths and weaknesses of an organization. Using data, leaders must work with those they lead to develop goals for company improvement. The leader is responsible for clearly communicating goals and steps towards completing the goals (Phillips, 1993).

Developing trust is another key component to compelling others to strive to meet challenges. For a leader to be successful in the process, he/she must empower subordinates to be creative risk takers in their approach to company improvement. A leader must retain strong communication skills to mediate ideas and concerns, to keep all stakeholders involved and informed, and to maintain focus of employees on the goals of the company. The purpose of the leader is also to inspire other employees, subordinates and peers to achieve at the highest level (Terry, 2011). Ultimately, the leader needs to be able to accept responsibility for success and failure of the course of action selected. The consequences of those actions lie with the leader.

The Relationship between the Leader and his/her Constituency

In my opinion, the leader and the follower must nurture a relationship of servant leadership. The relationship needs to be built on the foundation of mutual trust and respect. My company department focuses on four core values of respect, honesty, accountability, and responsibility for all employees, stakeholders, investors, and customers. These core values are the cornerstone of my own belief system. Daugherty (2013) synthesized the information describing eleven different factors a servant leader must possess. Listening, stewardship, foresight, conceptualization, persuasion, awareness, healing, empathy, building community, commitment to the growth of others, and calling are the essential elements.

The first characteristic is listening. Daugherty describes the act of listening as "being in the moment. Leaders not only need to listen to others, but invest in what they are saying. A leader must listen to what is said and what is not said. It is not enough to listen only. The leader uses the information obtained to make future decisions relating to this relationship. Secondly, the effective servant leader must strive to empathize with others (Ambler, 2008). In my experience, this is a key to building a strong relationship with my community. When employees, customers, investors and stakeholders know that I care about them and can put myself in their shoes, their chances of cooperating with me will be increased.

Thirdly, a servant leader can heal organizations. The attitude of the leader has the capability of making a company environment either positive or toxic. Fourthly, a servant leader must be open to self-growth and reflection concerning their leadership decisions. It is imperative to reflect upon the process of the company and its environment for continued growth. Besides, a servant leader strives to pull groups together for a common goal by persuasion, not coercion. This is linked directly to the sense of trust and respect where the leader works to keep all stakeholders involved and valued (Carlos, 2013).

Sixth, the ability to conceptualize is essential. The leader must have the ability to envision the big picture and as be able to tie the small ideas together to achieve the greater plan. Seventh, with the big picture in mind, the leader must foresee likely obstacles and outcomes to keep the business on a clear path.

Eighth, the sense of stewardship is a key element. It is once again the idea of providing a positive environment, which works toward a common goal. Finally, a servant leader establishes a sense of community with all stakeholders while maintaining a commitment to growth. Servant leaders sacrifice their agenda in order to work with others and positively influence their company, staff, customers, and community.

Environment Where Shared Leadership is Most Successful

In my opinion, the most conducive environment for shared leadership is one where a sense of mutual respect and responsibility has been established. If the environment has been established where the leader can actively listen to all constituents, reflect on the information given, and develop a plan of action based on the best interest of all involved, then shared leadership thrives.

The book, "Leadership in organizations 8th Ed," supports my opinion. Yukl identifies avoidance of accountability, fear of conflict, absence of trust, lack of commitment and inattention to results as the five pitfalls of an organization. When reflecting on shared leadership, I immediately envision the organization's improvement process. A business, which is in the process of analyzing its progress and future, invests time with all constituents in order to understand their shared direction. The sense of trust, the willingness to debate issues, the commitment to the goal, the accountability for its success, and attention to results are some of the critical issues that a team needs in order for the shared work to be done. This will benefit the company as a whole (Randall, 2013).

What Motivates Constituents to Contribute Wholeheartedly?

Researchers describe an environment where constituents and leaders work together for a common goal when the Relational Dialogue Principle is achieved. Relational Dialogue is based on the concept that people sharing work create leadership by constructing the meaning of direction, commitment, and adaptive challenge. A sense of shared leadership is inspired when all constituents view the leader from this perspective. Relational Dialogue requires mutually acknowledging shared work. It does not imply that conflict cannot be present. However, it allows a leader to work through the conflict and agree upon a course of action. Relational Dialogue also recognizes the need for differing views to be held as equally worthy. It is acknowledging the views and embedding them into the fabric of the company. When the constituents and leader can work together and understand that the work is shared, the outcomes become relevant. This establishes a sense of commitment to the goals. Finally, when different perspectives are balanced with that of the leader, all can hold a true sense of ownership. Constituents are more likely to contribute wholeheartedly when they feel that their contributions are valued and addressed.

These views relate back to the eleven characteristics of a servant leader. If the leader truly listens to the stakeholders and reacts based on information gathered from them, then the constituents feel valued. In turn, they are more willing to participate in the work environment and decision making because they see their contributions in the business plan and process. A sense of awareness in the leaders is developed when they self-reflect on their leadership style and listen to what others say about them and their processes. Constituents see the leader as one who can hear ideas and criticisms and make changes for the benefit of the entire institution. The leader practices persuasion of ideas vs. coercion. The leader is willing to build consensus with their constituents and share the responsibility for the direction of the company. In this environment, the constituents have a sense of trust that their perceptions are heard. They respect that their opinions and input will be considered in the plan for continued company improvement.

Characteristics of a Successful Leader

A successful leader must possess many different characteristics. I believe there is a difference in what a successful leader should be and can be. A successful leader must have strong communication skills to articulate the company vision. he/she must be able to understand the different audiences and be able to design the message for each. While balancing different audiences, the leader must also have self-control and strong judgment. Self-control in this instance refers to knowing your limits. A successful leader understands the boundaries between the leader and the community. A strong sense of confidentiality must play a critical role in a successful leader. From personal experience, it is a balancing act between being transparent with the running of a company and maintaining the confidentiality about employee and customer issues. The ability to balance the needs of all stakeholders and know the boundaries are the basic characteristic of judgment. In my opinion, a leader cannot be taught judgment; it is innate. Integrity is a characteristic that goes hand and hand with judgment. Some leaders are successful on the surface, but they lack integrity. However, when he/she breaks confidences or leads by coercion he/she loses the trust of the followers. I believe it eventually catches up to the leader and his/her power starts to deteriorate.

There is a second cluster of characteristics that I believe are vital for a leader to be successful. These characteristics tackle a leader's ability to be innovative and inspire others. A successful leader in my opinion must possess an understanding of others, courage to take risks, and humility about the success of the organization. All three of these characteristics tie the ability to work as a team together. Within the team, the leader inspires others to think creatively to solve problems and be innovative in the delivery of instruction. The leaders empower all parties involved be part of the team and have a common voice. Understanding the needs, point-of-views, and the strengths and weaknesses of the team enable the leader to offer group guidance towards a shared goal. When goals are achieved, the team celebrates the successes. It is viewed as a team effort, not the working of one individual. The humility of the leader allows the team to own success and the challenges

Type of Leader I Would Want To Be

As a leader, I believe in distributed leadership. A lot of much work is to be done every day. Therefore, I feel that forming teams that can help facilitate change and improvement is imperative. Distributed leadership empowers marketing managers and other staff to take ownership in all aspects of a business. Sharing the leadership gives voice to all constituents. A leader from such an environment manages the process and channels the energies of all groups in one direction. Company improvement and business gains for employees come when everyone can identify problems and their solutions. Employees are likely to perform well when leadership is distributed, and subordinates are empowered in areas that interest them. I see this in my current organization. When I ask groups to concentrate on zones that are of interest to them, the departmental leaders develop wonderful ideas for improvement and strategies for implementation. These strategies for implementation are better received when colleagues can deliver the message and its importance. The staff values their colleague's strategies because they perceive them as walking in their shoes. Personally, I have seen an increase in my staff's job satisfaction when they feel their concerns have been acted upon, and their ideas tried.

The personal characteristics I want my staff to value in me is integrity, dedication, and innovation. I strive to model a sense of dedication to my staff, peers, and community. Each decision is grounded in the best interest of subordinates. I work hard to build trust and never break confidences. Creativity and innovation are two characteristics I try to instill on my subordinates. Successes are celebrated while all stakeholders are acknowledged for their efforts.

Impact of Three Texts on my Leadership

Each of the texts I have read has added a new layer to my understanding of leadership.

Power and Influence: Strategies for Leadership discussed the elements of a dysfunctional team. The book clearly describes the pitfalls of each level of the pyramid. However, the important lesson for me was that the elements do not act separately. They are building blocks for a team. Kathryn became a role model for me. The way she observed the personalities and the dynamics of the group was inspiring to me. As a new marketing manager in a business organization, I used this book religiously to remind myself to go slow, take time to observe, and do not always jump in to solve the problem. I have had to mold the organization into a group that is not afraid of conflict and can take the ideas we have developed and own its success (Fleenor, 2006).