“Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” —Warren Bennis
Week three has brought great insight
on leaders and the control of their companies. I believe that leaders are the people
that make a difference in the world. I was amazed at how the book Hard Facts,
Dangerous Half-Truths, and Total Nonsense: Profiting from Evidence-based
Management listed examples of historical leaders like, Martin Luther King,
Gandhi, and Queen Elizabeth I. These leaders where visionaries who had visions
for themselves to accomplish and they decided to share them with the world. My
manager once told me that leaders do not have visions to keep to themselves.
They have visions to inspire and make them into realities so that
our world could be a better place.
Melissa Thomas-Hunt also brought up
great points in regards to the Team Dynamics presentation. She was very clear
about how managers should help inspire the workers by asking for their ideas
for different projects. She explained how we all should help them by asking for
evidence for their suggestion and also to help validate others opinions and
suggestion when brainstorming for new ideas. This was a great way to help
inspire the team and also gives the workers a reason to feel appreciated.
I have come to the realization that some people are born with leadership skills and the rest has to work for it. We have all seen that one charismatic leader who has a way of motivation the team and instilling a feeling of accountability. “If one of us fails, we all fail” (Hein, 2013). These leaders are on a mission to effect change within the team and the company. Leadership is about motivation and empowerment of the employees. Leaders take the time to individualize and understand people and how they think. Leaders make up an important difference in organizational and group performance. They have a chance of making things better for the good of the company.
Citations:
Hein, R. (2013, June 9). How to Apply
Transformational Leadership at Your Company. .
Retrieved , from http://www.cio.com/article/2384791/careers-staffing/how-to-apply-transformational-leadership-at-your-company.html
Retrieved , from http://www.cio.com/article/2384791/careers-staffing/how-to-apply-transformational-leadership-at-your-company.html
Pfeffer, J., & Sutton, R. I. (2006). Hard
facts, dangerous half-truths, and total nonsense: profiting from evidence-based
management. Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business School Press.
Hi Reva,
ReplyDeleteI agree that leaders must instill a sense of accountability so that projects are finished and team members are responsible. However, I wonder why no one has mentioned or presented an argument about how a good leader might be someone who isn't afraid to be disliked. I feel that there are always going to be individuals who have a problem with authoritative figures. So, I think part of being a good leader is understanding that you can't please everyone and that there will most likely always be one person who pushes against you just for the sake of the fight. Just a thought I had while reading this. Thanks for your post! Take care!
Hi Reva,
ReplyDeleteWorking in the business world truly does make your point evident: some people are born leaders and others have to work for it.
To further that point, in Margaret Heffernan's TED talk she mentions a doctor by the name of Alice Stewart and her statistician friend, George.
Alice says "It's a fantastic model of collaboration -- thinking partners who aren't echo chambers. I wonder how many of us have, or dare to have, such collaborators. We were good at conflict and we saw it as thinking."
That being said, doesn't it seem as if being able to lead and being able to partake in conflict go hand-in-hand? From what I have experienced in the business place, this holds true. If a boss were never willing to confront issues or conflicts head on, the would remain un dealt with. Further, her own point would never be heard, right?