Good Leaders Are Made, not Born!

Good Leaders Are Made, not Born! Free Online Research Papers Good leaders are made not born; if you have the desire and the will power you can become an effective leader. This simple sentence represents and explains what leadership is all. Goals, values and concepts are the core of great leadership qualities. This paper will describe what leadership styles are effective in organizations, how these styles assist in creating and sustaining a healthy organizational culture, and compare and contrast the leadership styles. A look at how Wal-Mart’s leadership styles impact the fortune 100 company will also be looked at. What is leadership? When examining this question it is important to understand what it means to be a leader within an organization. â€Å"A leader is someone who holds a dominant or superior position within his or her field and is able to exercise a high degree of influence over others† (Business dictionary, 2009). Bateman Snell (2009) states â€Å"An outstanding leader combines good strategic substance and effective interpersonal processes to formulate and implement strategies that produce results and sustainable competitive advantage.† Leaders serve people best when they help them develop their own initiative and good judgment, enable them to grow, and help them become better contributors (Bateman Snell). A leader comes to the forefront when a crisis occurs and is able to think as well as act in creative way during difficult situations (Business dictionary, 2009). â€Å"Leadership is an organizational role involving establishing a clear vision, communicating the vision with others so that others will follow willingly, providing information, knowledge, and methods to realize that vision, and coordinating and balancing the conflicting interests of all members or stakeholders† (Business dictionary, 2009). Unlike management leadership flows from the core of a personality and cannot be taught; although leadership can be learned and may be enhanced through coaching or mentoring. Leadership involves unique processes that are distinguishable from basic management processes (Bateman Snell, 2009). It is important for an organization to know when good leadership is needed. Spurgeaon and Cragg (2008) believe that the following times are when good leadership is most needed. These times are when there is a non-routine task requiring innovative thinking, when there is a need to inspire and motivate others in undertaking tasks, when there is a need to establish momentum and keep things moving in a new direction in order to be successful, when there is abilities that go beyond what is currently being done and involving developing a longer term vision, and when a task is required because the external environment is unstable and changing rapidly (Spurgeaon and Cragg, 2008). Leadership can be divided between supervisory leadership and strategic leadership in order to distinguish between the two (Bateman Snell, 2009). Supervisory leadership occurs when a leader possesses behavior that provides guidance, support, and corrective feedback for day to day activities. Strategic leadership occurs when a leader’s behavior gives purpose and meaning to an organization’s envisioning and creating a positive future. The leading function is about people within an organization; both individually and in groups. This function is organized to influence people to be high performers through motivation and inspiration. Leaders share their vision for the future of a company just as Sam Walton shares his vision for the future of Wal-Mart through his slogan; â€Å"saving people money so they can live better† (Wal-Mart, 2008). Since 1962 Walton has been proud of his vision of Wal-Mart and has passionately shared with all employees his success. Today, over 40 years later, Walton’s goals and dreams are still prominent within the organization and is posted on the corporate website (Wal-Mart, 2008). Walton not only talked of his vision he lived it himself which gained him creditability as a leader. Known as a penny pincher, Walton would arm wrestle his suppliers for the lowest price and, unlike most competitors, he would pass the savings on to customers. Walton was able to get his associates and managers on board with the idea that his vision was the way to go; although it was not easy. This was achieved because â€Å"Walton framed his cheapness as a crusade on behalf of the lowly consumer and as a quest for a better life for all American† (Frank, 2006). American really related to Sam Walton’s message. A leader â€Å"keeps people focused on moving the organization toward its ideal future, motivating them to overcome whatever obstacles lie in the way† (Bateman Snell, 2009). Leaders capture the hearts and minds of their employees and stir up a desire to be a part of something big. They clearly see the future of the organization, the changes that need to occur to get t here, and they sell the vision with such compelling belief that others begin to see and believe it as well. Good leaders are aware of their role and how they can benefit from helping an organization achieve its goals. Walton was very good at helping his associates see that working for Wal-Mart meant limitless opportunity while providing a great thing for the community. Mr. Walton had this to say about working for Wal-Mart (Frank, 2006) â€Å"It would, I’m sure, help you become a leader, it would help your personality develop, you would become more outgoing, and in time you might become a manager of that store, you might become a department manager, you might become a district manager, or whatever you choose to be in the company†¦ It will do wonders for you†. Walton was a very charismatic leader. He made it look so easy and people believed him and listened. There are many leadership styles that an organization can choose from depending on specific needs. What styles are chosen depends on which one will be most effective. The choose of leadership styles can make or break an organization and also is the determining factor on how a staff functions. Wal-Mart has chosen to use a charismatic leadership style. This type of styles involves the leader to inject huge doses of enthusiasm into a team (Mind tools, 2008). Wal-Mart also uses servant leadership. This style involves any person at any level within the organization to be a leader and lead simply by meeting the needs of the team (Mind tools, 2008). Wal-Mart management are not sitting behind a desk but rather walking around on the floor with their fellow associates. This happens both at stores and in distribution centers as well. Sam Walton had this to say about his chosen leadership style (2008) â€Å"In a way that creates wonderful morale to help the whole team accomplish an overall goal.† Management’s number one goal with their employees is to make working at Wal-Mart fun and rewarding. They even have their own cheer to boost associates morale and organizational spirit (Wal-Mart, 2008). â€Å"Who’s Wal-Mart? It is my Wal-Mart† (Wal-Mart, 2008). This is the type of leadership styles that all organizations need to use. This style makes employees want to come to work everyday and they feel secure knowing that they are working for a great organization. Wal-Mart is like one big family and like to make their associates feel like they are an important part of keeping the doors open (Wal-Mart, 2008). Another positive leadership technique Wal-Mart uses is they like to delegate responsibility amongst teams rather than lead from the front. Every associate’s opinion counts. Managem ent has an open door policy for associates to talk with management and are encouraged to do so. But the goal every associate within Wal-Mart has is that they want to serve their customers to the best of their ability (Wal-Mart, 2008). Different leadership styles support the creation and maintenance of a healthy organizational culture. At Wal-Mart different levels of styles work with different levels of the organization and in different situations. With front line workers both a democratic leadership solicits input from others and a autocratic style of leadership makes decisions and announces them to the group. These styles can work in a partnership to create a healthy culture. An example of a autocratic leadership is when a manager plans the number of hours required for coverage on the cash registers each day of the week. A democratic leadership style would then allow the cashiers to bid for the hours they would like to work. This can create a positive work environment because the hours are determined based on the stores needs and budget and the employees have imput on which hours they want to work. This concept can be taken one step further and support a feeling of greater democracy by allowing the employees with seniority to have first choice. Bureaucratic leadership works effectively in situations that require strict procedure adherence. â€Å" Bureaucratic leaders work by the book ensuring that their staff follow procedures precisely† (Leadership styles, 2008). This type of style is effective in situations such as collecting cash from the cashiers. A process would be identified and only certain levels of management would be trained on the process. The process also has no flexibility. Charismatic leadership is important for top levels of management in most organizations. Sam Walton had charisma as is evident in the way the early days of Wal-Mart were described (Frank, 2006). â€Å"Charismatic leaders are dominant, exceptionally self confident and have a strong conviction in the moral righteousness of their beliefs† (Bateman Snell, 2009). The confidence of the leader and their belief in his vision and ability to tie the vision into everyday activities supports a healthy culture as it gives the leader credibility and supports the employees believing in the vision of their leader and the future of the organization. When employees have confidence in their leader they have confidence in the future of the organization. In conclusion, Sam Walton had the confidence of his associates and he never lost connection with them. As Wal-Mart expanded Sam got his pilots license so he could fly to individual stores to reduce travel time. Walton’s reasoning for this was so he could personally visit his stores to keep in touch with associates (Frank, 2006). This was smart business and smart leadership. It is evident from Wal-Mart’s decades of success that Walton’s chosen techniques are effective. References Bateman, Thomas S., Snell, Scott A. (2009). Management: Leading and collaborating in the competitive world (8th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Business Dictionary. (2009). Leadership. Retrieved January 05, 2009, from businessdictionary.com/definition/leadership.html Frank, T. (2006) A Brief History of Wal-Mart. Washington Monthly, Reclaim Democracy. Retrieved December 29, 2008 from: reclaimdemocracy.org/walmart/2006/history.php Mind Tools. (2006). Leadership styles, using the right one for your situation. Retrieved December 29, 2008 from mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_84.htm Spurgeon, P and Cragg, R. (2008). Is it Management or Leadership? Clinician in Management, 15:123-125. Email- j_landreman@yahoo.com Username- mrstripp Research Papers on Good Leaders Are Made, not Born!Bringing Democracy to AfricaOpen Architechture a white paperIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalThe Project Managment Office SystemThree Concepts of PsychodynamicRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andPETSTEL analysis of IndiaStandardized TestingMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into Asia

The Best States for Working Moms

The Best States for Working Moms Working moms have it rough. They never feel like they’re spending enough time at work, and they never feel like they’re spending enough time with their kids. And they’re in the majority. Over 70% of mothers with children under 18 are either working or looking for work in this country right now. In order to be a working parent, you need resources: some flexibility, a decent maternity leave, and a solid child-care system are only a few. These might seem like givens, but the fact is that  there are some geographical regions that are friendlier to the working mom’s particular needs- and some that are†¦ well, not friendly.We know most of you don’t have the flexibility to up and move to a place that might better suit your family life, but if you’re looking for a place to plant roots, or are wondering if your state perches at the top or sits at the bottom, read on.Who Has It Best?Weighing criteria like child care, professional opportunities a nd work-like balance, WalletHub analyzed a ton of research and data sets for all 50 states (and D.C.) and determined the best places for working moms to live. The study was scored on 13 different metrics including day-care quality and cost, gender pay gaps, families in poverty, commute times, and parental leave. And weighted so that things like child-care were weighted most.So where’s the best place to live if you’re a working Mom? Turns out? Vermont!This New England state ranked well among all of the different criteria, plus it boasts the highest number of pediatricians per 100,000 residents. It also boasts the 6th highest ratio of female to male executives- 61%! And unemployment for females is low, at only 3.1%. Vermont has good child care support and most people living there claim a pretty good work-life balance.Minnesota and New Jersey were next in line. Minnesota has excellent professional opportunities for women, while New Jersey scores high for its child care op tions.New York came in 9th- and came in first for day-care systems (though also one of the most expensive!!), and fifth for lowest gender pay gap. But other factors outrank it (mostly cost of living). Hawaii, notably, boasts the lowest gender pay gap around. And South Dakota, surprisingly, the highest female to male executive ratio.Who Doesn’t Have It So Great?Alabama, Louisiana, and Nevada sit at the bottom of the list. While female unemployment in Vermont rests at 3.1 percent, in Alabama it’s two times higher at 6.2 percent. Also, Alabama only has 7 pediatricians per 100,000 residents. And while Alabama and Louisiana are in the top 5 for â€Å"Lowest Child Care Costs,† they sit in the bottom 5 for â€Å"Worst Day Care Systems† and â€Å"Highest Gender Pay Gap.†Until government and employee policies are updated to reflect the changing needs of the working family, flexible work policies aren’t likely to improve dramatically, and many (if not most) American families will be left in the lurch. So if moving to Vermont just isn’t feasible, be aware of what your state does and does not offer, and work to lobby your representatives to represent your best interests.

Using the Different Forms of Pronouns

Using the Different Forms of Pronouns One of the basic parts of speech, a pronoun ​takes the place of a noun, often serving as a subject or an object in a sentence. Personal pronouns are important devices for making our writing both concise and coherent. A pronoun can be effective if we use an appropriate form (or case). Otherwise, it may distract or puzzle the reader. There are three common pronoun forms: subject pronouns, object pronouns, and possessive pronouns. We should try to be careful not to confuse one pronoun form with another. Subject Pronouns (Subjective Case) Subject pronouns are used as subjects of sentences and of subordinate clauses. The subject pronouns are italicized in the sentences below. I live for the summer. You remind me of a gray day in winter. He (or She or It) is heading for a fall. We are ready to spring into action. They never last longer than a season. Object Pronouns (Objective Case) Object pronouns are used as objects of verbs or of prepositions. The object pronouns are italicized in the sentences below. The sun never shines on me.Someday a planet will be named after you.Mona gave him (or her or it) a gold ribbon.She showed us the ring around the moon.The Coast Guard rescued them at dawn. Possessive Pronouns (Possessive Case) Possessive pronouns show who or what owns something. The possessive pronouns are italicized in the sentences below. My old guitar is in the pawn shop, but the drum set is still mine.* Your song was hard to understand, but I still enjoyed yours more than anyone elses. His (or Her or Its) music is too sweet, so we played hers (or his) instead. Our music may be old fashioned, but its still ours.The Simpsons left their children in the garage, but the McGraths took theirs home. Notice that you dont use an apostrophe with a possessive pronoun.  * Some grammarians make a distinction between possessive determiners (such as my in My old guitar) and possessive pronouns (such as mine in the drum set is still mine. Practice in Using Correct Pronoun Forms These exercises will give you practice in using the different forms of pronouns clearly and correctly: Using the Different Forms of Pronouns: Practice Exercise 1Pronoun Exercise: Recasting a Paragraph With Pronouns

Poverty Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Poverty - Research Paper Example My research will point out the importance of certain functions in the Elizabethan history of poverty and its relevance to present world. Presence of poor people is evidently manifested around the globe. Changes in political and economic organizations result to re-distribution of wealth and in effect, the number of poor people increases, rate of poverty heightens, and in domino effect, crimes are manifested. Way back in the middle Ages in England, society has been defined into three categories, monarchy, nobility, and peasantry. These three elements of the society are considered to be interdependent between each other and in spite of the existing differences between the three when it comes to status and wealth, buffer have to be put on the side of the peasantry. Continuous trends of the monarchical policies led to the rise of unemployed people and subsequently heighten poverty and crime. With regard to resolving this issue, during the Elizabethan times, acts and laws were struggled and serve as the buffer between the monarchical and the peasant (Talbot, R. 2002). The population grows and as it grows, the pressure of sustenance to peoples needs is evidently manifested not only on the part of the government but as well as on the part of the general public. Acts have been promulgated and stretched that the poor people was belong to the community’s responsibility and every individual has a role to play in the society. Poverty is a state of material and social deprivation. People who experience poverty feel the deprivation of well-being, having not enough income to support the needs of the family when it comes to basic necessities such as food, shelter, and clothing. Child malnutrition is considered the closest manifestation of poverty among the poor families in a certain society. In Elizabethan society, the definition of poverty is also the same with regard to the universal definition, however, Elizabethan treatment to poor

Explore your favorite object Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Explore your favorite object - Essay Example The image is of particular interest because it reinforced my chemical knowledge of glucose as a compound of three elements. Being able to visualize the distinct elements also increased my interest in learning composition of other chemical compounds because of the reinforced notion that chemical composition of elements and compounds are not just theoretical aspects. Identifying the distinct elements of glucose also helped me to visualize possible chemical reaction mechanism as compounds interact, because of the ability to of the distinct elements to move across structures of involved compounds. The chemistry knowledge that the object reinforces, especially with visualization from the high leveled zooming, makes it the interesting object to me. Even though other chemical objects are available on the screen, glucose is a common substance, a factor that makes it outstanding to capture my interest (Scale of the Universe

Critical Analysis of the Article from both POSITIVE and NEGATIVE Essay - 2

Critical Analysis of the Article from both POSITIVE and NEGATIVE aspects - Essay Example The author therefore does not see products and services as two different acts but visualize it as a combination of complex processes that must be undertaken together in order to deliver something of value to the customers. The author has also provided a visual representation of the molecular model and how it can integrate with marketing processes to provide a comprehensive view of how marketers should view services and other aspects of marketing jointly. This approach therefore provides a visual picture of the different relationships and proportions of the elements. Further, author has attempted to consider services with evidence as it is the evidence only which can effectively provide a comprehensive understanding of how one can actually measure the effectiveness of the services. The author therefore provides modeling as well as blueprinting as two important methods that can effectively provide marketers an opportunity to design services in such a manner that it can offer relatively better opportunity to understanding marketing in larger context and design the overall offering in such a manner that achieve the objectives. It is however, critical to note that the author has fall short on different occasions. Services essentially are of perishable nature therefore effectively they cannot be dynamic as assumed by the author. The dynamic nature of the services can only be assumed when they are provided on the consistent basis and the customers have the ability and opportunity to provide effective feedback about the overall quality of the services. Further, services can be separated from the products as it depends upon the overall nature of the offering made by the firm. Since some products are delivered with minimal service promise therefore services essentially cannot be considered as important for designing an effective product. Lastly, the overall argument is not

Encouraging Employee Buy-in Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Encouraging Employee Buy-in - Essay Example Encouraging Employee Buy-in The company has more than twelve hundred employees. It is possible for line managers and the supervisors of the company to encourage employees’ engagement in an organization through positive campaign on the ban. The first important step towards encouraging employee buy-in is to critically run an evaluation of the parts of the system that impact on employee buy-in (Armstrong, 2008). Keeping employees engaged in the project to encourage smoking ban is a key element of encouraging staff buy-in. The objective of every employer is to employ staffs that are going to be a resource rather than a challenge (Armstrong, 2008). Is such an instance, the two directors should involve the employees in the company’s project from the initial stages of the system. Make familiarize the system in use to all the employees (Brief, 2008). Line managers have an easy job of setting the team together and defining the team’s direction. The challenge comes in getting the team to buy into the concept of working together for common objectives of supporting the ban (Boxall & Purcell, 2011). Emphasizing the positive benefits of working as a team to support each other is a way that may create employee buy-in to the project. The line manager should explain to employees the specific reason they have chosen to contribution to the job (Boxall & Purcell, 2011). In a way, the employee will feel proud to be associated in the business if the managers offer unbiased reasons for implementing the ban. Line managers and the supervisors should talk to employees about how to prioritize the team’s work within their regular duties.