In the end...

When I first started this class I was spectacle about being able to learn about leadership in a classroom. There are just some topics that cannot be taught in a classroom and are better understood when you experience them in real life... I thought leadership was one of these topics. After realizing all the different things I have learned about leadership in this class, I found that leadership could be taught in a classroom setting. There were topics about leadership that I did not even consider before taking this class. As a whole, I feel like many students are the same way. The first class we wrote down things that makes a good leader. This list mainly consisted of qualities such as organized, outgoing, persuasive, etc. These characteristics that we listed barely covered the spectrum of leadership. Throughout the class, I realized that leaders not only need the characteristics that we listed but also need to have a vision and share this with followers, they need to motivate their followers, take challenges and try new things, recognize and reward followers, and support followers. Again, this list can go on but there is a huge difference between the two lists. The second one is much more in depth and provides clearer aspects on leadership than just saying a leader is organized. The difference in the two lists just helps display the better understanding and insight that I have received with this class.

Additionally, the way that leadership was taught in this class helped us be more aware of leadership in things we do daily. For example, a movie, many of us have watched endless movies but have we ever considered the leadership in them. Until now... no. Never did I think about the leadership prevalent in a movie while watching it but as discovered through the large list of movies used for our papers, many movies have leadership in them. Also, the Airborne military program videos that we watched were a unique example of leadership. A normal viewer would never think about the extraordinary leadership ideas in those videos but after this class it is hard not to think it.

So not only has this class given me a better understand and base qualities of leadership, it has also made me realize that leadership can be observed in many facets of life.

What you want?

It was interesting to see the different comments that men and women had about the opposite sex. The main thing that got my attention was the huge difference in views between men and women. There was a huge disconnect between the two and this is what causes the underlying issue and conflict between the two. This disconnect causes issues in expectations, views, and relationships. So for years, there has never been any clarification or resolution to this problem and honestly I do not think there ever will be. This issue probably will not be changed because a lot of it has to do with genetics and just the tendencies of males and females. It would be too hard to changed learned behaviors.

The same issue can happen regarding leadership. If there is a disconnect between a leader and their follows this can only lead to problems. Having these different views in expectations can only cause future problems especially if they go unresolved. Followers not knowing what their leader expects of them only makes them unable to fulfill their duties and cause their work to not be up to par or what their boss wants. As for leaders if they do not make their expectations clearly stated then this will cause issues for their followers. Followers having unknown goals cause followers to have an unclear understanding on what to do. Even though males and females are unable to completely correct problems caused by the disconnect, leaders have the ability to clarify their goals. Clearly stating what leaders want from their followers can only provide a means to avoid problems. So creating an environment that has specified expectations and open communication can only be beneficial for the leader and followers.

Influential Leaders

Time.com has the posting for top 100 most influential people. You are currently able to vote for the 2009 candidates. Of the 205 candidates, Barack Obama, Twitter Creators Jack Dors and Biz Stone, Jim Cramer, The Charter 08 Authors, Tzipi Livni, and Bernie Madoff are some of the names included. You can vote at http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1883644_1883653_1884491,00.html.

I also looked at the Top 100 from 2008 that people voted for. The top five for 2008 were Dalai Lama, Vladimir Putin, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and John McCain. Three individuals being politicians, obviously you can observe that it was an election year. If you would like to view the remaining finalist go to http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1733748_1733757,00.html.

Survival of the leadership...

Today in class we did a group exercise about being stranded in a desert and ranking the items to be left with. So this had me thinking what are some of the survival items needed for leadership.

These are the top five things needed for survival of leadership:
1. Take risks and challenges.
2. Be specific and clear on expectations and goals.
3. Do what you say and lead by example.
4. Provide followers with information on how they are doing and give feedback.
5. Recognize people and acknowledge their efforts.

Leaders need these qualities to be able to survive. Just like being in the desert, if you do not select the proper items and survival techniques you will not make it out of the desert and with leadership if you do not have the proper tools to be a good leader you will not make it.

It was also interesting to see how teams made the decision process in obtaining the ranking for their 15 items. Particularly the teams that voted had scores that did not work in their favor. One of the worst scores was from a team that voted to get their ranking and it was interesting the Dr. Feinberg knew that this team had used voting as their method. Learning that voting was not an adequate method was unique because in many group settings voting is always thought to be the best option. It is the easier and less confrontational but as proved in class, it can be the least effective method because it does not allow discussion which can be a huge help when making decisions.

How should leaders listen?

Today in class, Feinberg discussed communication and listening. Being a leader requires the ability to be able to listen and communicate. If you are unable to do these two things, then leading is going to be extremely difficult for you. Leader must be active listeners to be able to pick up on details and have the ability to solve problems.

Another communication topic in relation to leadership is two way communication. Two way communication is very important because as demonstrated in class, not having two way communication makes it extremely difficult to accomplish goals. Leaders need to check that their followers are getting the message by receiving feedback and checking that their message is being heard and interpreted correctly. Communication is such an valuable concept in organizations. If employees of the organization do not even understand the message that is being conveyed and the organization is not making sure employees understand, there will be a huge stipend in the productivity of the organization. Communication is a building block for organizations in order to accomplish goals and succeed.

Leadership in Companies

As a senior about to head into corporate American, I was curious to know about what companies are superior in regards to leadership. Also, I was wondering what different companies do to encourage leadership so I did some searching on the Internet and found interesting information about GE.

One article I found was on CNN.com that ranked the top 20 Global companies to work for that develop good leaders. The top 5 companies included General Electric, Procter & Gamble, Nokia, Hindusta Unilever, and Capital One Financial. The companies filled out a survey and was rated on leadership qualities. Along with the survey, each of the company underwent interviews to help with the ranking. The complete list can be see at http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/leadership/2007/global/index.html.

So I looked at GE to see what they offer their employees to help build their leadership skills. They offer promotions for leadership positions from within the company which is a motivator for their employees. Also, GE stressed helping employees develop their leadership and providing information. They spend billions of dollars for training and educational programs to help create leaders. GE has built the John F. Welch Leadership Center that is the world's first major corporate business school. Much of GE's leadership development comes from the constant training and education. GE is committed to improving leadership within the company and building excellent leaders. Much of their leadership is focused on learning. They also offer their employees two leadership programs to aid individuals in their leadership abilities. This shows that not only is GE taking on the challenge of creating these leaders but they also see the importance of constantly evolving and never stop learning. These are important qualities to have in order to survive in leadership. These strides that GE has taken not only help improve their leaders but also show innovation and the importance of leadership. GE realizes that leadership has a huge role in their organization and in order to improve this area they have devoted time and money. More information can be found on their website at http://www.ge.com/company/culture/leadership_learning.html.

“We have always believed that building strong leaders is a strategic imperative. When times are easy, leadership can be taken for granted. When the world is turbulent, you appreciate great people.” — Jeff Immelt, GE Chairman and CEO

I think it is interesting that he said leaders are often taken for granted. This is a valid point and true. A lot of times, good leaders go under appreciated because people tend to focus on the negative. So when a leader is doing a good job they are often not thanked or shown appreciation. When a leader is doing a poor job, this is when people take notice and repercussions occur.

Show Your Recognition

One of the main components of leadership is to give your followers recognition. This can be done in a variety of creative ways. If leaders are aware of this they can greatly improve their teams productivity, communication, and costs. Also, some employees might be more motivated by recognition than their paycheck. It is more important for them to be noticed and appreciated by their employer than receive a monetary bonus.

This website, http://www.maketheirday.com/, discusses different ways to motivate your employees with recognition. It discusses what different generations are motivated by and helps show how different individuals are motivated by a variety of things. It also has workshop information, a blog, and other educational information. Additionally, this website discusses the importance of realizing that recognition and rewards are two different things. Showing recognition does not cost that much because it can be as simple as telling employees about the extraordinary work of a co-worker during a meeting or a boss writing a letter to an employee thanking them for their hard work. On the other hand, rewards are another way to show appreciation but can be more expensive and often include more planning.

So as a leader, showing your appreciation for your workers can be a very effective leadership attribute.