Leading Organizations class

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1) Motivation is a big issue in my field of work as there are many unmotivated coworkers that perform at low levels of efficiency no matter the pay. I hope this class will cover topics of how to motivate employees to work to their fullest potential. Interpersonal leadership techniques are a valuable skill I'd like to learn from this class. Alot of the managers I converse with on a day-to-day basis have issues with being told what to do by someone who is not their direct boss. Nonetheless, work needs to be completed so this is an area I hope to improve on. Crisis management and prevention is an area I hope to excel in hopefully with this class. There are many risks working in concrete and typically when something goes wrong, everything else also goes wrong. I hope to develop strategies that can teach me how to prevent a total disaster whether it be problematic coworkers or essential business functions not operational. 2) Three leadership topics that I would like to learn more about are: Implementing systems - One entrepreneurial book I encountered in undergraduate coursework was The E-Myth Revisited. It focused a lot on building systems that can be duplicated and ultimately leave leaders less involved in small details, freeing them up to concentrate on more important things. Generating buy-in from co-workers and subordinates - This is something I see every day and would love to learn more about how to get others bought in on doing things in a more efficient, innovative, or cost-effective way. Feedback - How to give and receive feedback in a positive way.

3) TOP TWO FAVORITES: 3) Leadership is the process of influencing the activities of an organized group in its effort toward goal setting and goal achievement. 6) Leadership is the engagement of others such that leaders and followers transform each other, raising the level of aspiration and morality for purposes which are mutually beneficial. These are my top two favorite definitions simply because they discuss engaging your team, addressing the group as a whole, working together towards a goal, and utilizing your skills as a leader to reach the intended goal. "Influencing... the group in its effort toward goal setting and achievement" was powerful to me because it implies that you should not act as a dictator or authoritarian figure, but rather as a shepherd guiding your team towards success. This applies not only to the company's goals but also to your team members' personal aspirations. It's all about fostering a symbiotic relationship. The term "mutually beneficial" is key here. A team's success hinges on effective, clear, and efficient communication to reach their collective objective, whatever it may be. TWO LEAST FAVORITES) Leadership is the art of mobilizing others to want to struggle for shared aspirations. 5) Leadership is the process by which an agent induces a subordinate to behave in a desired manner. I genuinely dislike both of these definitions. While they do represent a form of leadership, they don't align with effective leadership practices. I've experienced leaders who adopt an authoritarian, dictatorial style, commanding tasks in a specific way, and at a particular pace. This approach lacks a nurturing or caring culture. The term "subordinate" is key hereif you refer to team members as subordinates, your perspective is skewed. As a leader, it's crucial not to "struggle" but to excel and collaborate to overcome challenges. Even amid a stressful environment with tight deadlines, there are ways to thrive during hardships instead of forcing your team to merely get by.

4) My two favorite definitions of leadership are #1 and #6. Real leaders must be able to aspire and motivate others in order to achieve their goals. According to John P. Kotter, leadership is more about coping with change while management copes with complexity. In definition #1, the word that stuck out to me was influence followed by the phrase who intend real changes. To be a great leader you must be able to influence people and keep them moving toward the goals of the company. After a vision is developed, strategies must be set into place to produce that change, but the only way it will work is if the people believe in that purpose. After that, the purpose becomes mutual. In definition #6, the words that caught my attention were aspiration and morality. To be able to inspire people you need to be able to appeal to the basic humans needs like their morality to result in the changes that need to be achieved. According to John K. Potter, on of the biggest challenges in leadership efforts is credibility. Your reputation can dictate how they will interrupt your message on the purpose. Your integrity and trustworthiness need to be consistent with your deeds. The phrase that caught my eye in the definition was engagement of others such that leaders and followers transform each other. According to John. P. Kotter, institutionalizing a leadership-centered culture is the ultimate act of leadership. To be a great leader, I believe you have to be able to help develop your followers that have great potential. Most companies look for leaders that can nurture their followers and assist in their transformation and can be rewarded with lateral promotions. In helping someone develop their career and move forward it can in return help you, thus, in the end we helped each other. My two least favorite definitions were #4 and #5. Definition #4 used the word struggle. I dont believe people want to struggle for their shared aspirations or achieve the goal. A great leader should be able to aspire people to accomplish their vision without things being a constant struggle. not to say that there wont be obstacles to overcome, however, if theres always a constant struggle to get things done that can be mentally exhausting and would inevitably detour your followers from accomplishing the vision. Definition #5 used the phrase induces a subordinate in behave in a desired manner. I dont believe you can make people behave how you want them to. Humans are going to behave how they see fit, and you cant control people. What you can do as a leader is inspire people to make their own decisions that help accomplish the vision, but you can never force people into it. My process in analyzing these definitions came from a mixture of the knowledge I gained for the readings this week, and the way certain words or phrases were perceived by me.