Going with your Instinct

In class last week, we discussed the qualities of a good leader and were told to rank them in order of importance.  Some of the qualities that my group came up with were confidence, decisiveness, able to motivate, etc…  These are all very strong qualities for a leader to have, and they all have one thing in common:  being able to go with your instinct.

Managers are often faced with tough decisions, whether it deals with hiring of an employeee, making an investement that may be considered risky, or deciding whether or not go go ahead with a project.  In many cases, a manager needs to be decisive.  Employees are able to tell if their leader is not confident about something, and this lack of confidence will surely trickle down through the ranks.

If employees feel that their boss is confident in a decision made, their attitudes will follow suit.  Even if the manager themself is, deep inside, not sure about something, it is important that he or she displays confidence when the decision is finally made.  The best leaders are confident in themselves.  The best employees are led by those who are strong willed and stand by their decisions.

Culture

A strong corporate culture is an important element that a company should have.  Building an atmosphere that promotes innovation is what keeps a company on top of an industry.  Companies, such as Google, have an open atmosphere and eating area, in which ideas flow freely among employees and managers.  They also have many game rooms, outdoor volleyball courts, and other areas where the employees are free to relax and think on their own.  Sometimes, the best ideas come to a person when they are not at their desk. 

Other companies, such as Best Buy create a culture in which there is no set work time.  The employees do what they need to do, and then they are free to do whatever they want.  This motivates the employees to be productive.  In other companies, employees know that no matter what they do, they will be forced to sit at their desk until 5 o’clock in the afternoon, despite what they have done throughout the day.  At Best Buy, it is stricly business, and that is all the managers care about.  Employees have an incentive to sit down and focus on their work. 

A strong culture can make all the difference in terms of retaining employees, customers, and the success of a company.  Integrity and ethics are also a big part of corporate culture.  A customer will obviously be less likely to give their business to a company that is known for trying to scam its customers.  The lifelong value of the customer is the amount of money a customer spends throughout all of their repeat purchases.  Companies are much better off in the long run, trying to retain customers and achieve high lifetime values for each of its customers.

Overcoming Stereotypes

The movie, “Remember the Titans” is an excellent example of how people with differing backgrounds and cultures can overcome initial beliefs about one another to succeed.  The text discusses stereotypes in the workplace, and in class we discussed how they can be a hindrance.  Managers may put the resume of a potential employee at the bottom of the pile simply because of their name.  Obviously, this is no way to judge the qualifications of an applicant. 

Similarly, the movie is a story about an African American man hired to be the head coach of a highschool football team in southern Virginia.  His team is the first to include black and white players on the same team, and obviously, much prejudice needed to be overcome for the team to be successful.  The town did not like it, nor did the players.  However, these initial obstacles were overcome.  It turned out that despite the belief of the white population of the town, the African American coach was more than qualified for the job as a head coach.  He was smart enough and had the best motivational techniques to bring the team together to succeed and produce an undefeated season.  The former head coach of the team, who was angry at first, was more than happy to be his assistant coach in the end, as initial feelings and stereotypes were thrown to the side throughout the course of the season. 

Players came together to work as a cohesive unit that was unmatched in skill by any other team in their conference.  Although the situation may have not seemed ideal to the players at first, it turned out that a diverse team of players and personalities brought a unique and valuable skillset to the table which enabled the team to have incredible success. 

In the work place, diversity is a key element to value.  Everyone has differing views, and having different perspectives is always beneficial.

Taking Charge

When apart of a team in business, whether working on a project, a sales team, or any other situation in which one works with others, there often comes a time for one member to step up beyond his or her normal duties.  When these situations arise, and one member is able to step up, take charge, and handle the task, it will benefit the whole team in whatever they are working together to achieve.  This could mean working over the weekend to meet a deadline, working overtime, or simply picking up slack for someone else in the office who needs help or cannot complete their tasks. 

These opportunities are displayed not only in the office, but on the battlefield as well.  Salvatore Giunta is the only living Medal of Honor Recipient in the wars on terror in Afghanistan and Iraq.  One night, he and a few of his comrades were ambushed by enemy fire.  Giunta rescued his leader, who had been hit in the helmet by a bullet.  He then proceded to save another fallen member of his team, but his best friend was still missing.  He eventually saw him being dragged away by two enemy soldiers.  He shot and killed one, while wounding the other and brought his best friend to safety, who unfortunately did not recover from his wounds. 

Giunta stepped up for his team, as the opportunity to take charge presented itself.  He was humble, and said that that any member of his team would do the same for him.  He felt it was his normal duty and obligation as being part of the team to engage in these heroic actions.  Being part of a unit means picking up the slack where need be, whether it be a business unit, army squad, or any group of people working together for a common goal. 

Article Referenced: http://abcnews.go.com/News/25-year-iowan-recieve-living-medal-honor-valor/story?id=12160138&page=1

Rudy: Perseverance

The mindset to keep on trying until one’s goal is met in an extremely important quality to have, not just in a workplace setting, but at all times.  Sticking with the theme of strong qualities to have that can be applied to sports, the movie Rudy is a great example of perseverance.  Not only is it a sports movie, but it shows how someone can succeed against all odds, no matter what the situation or the obstacles are at hand. 

This movie is a true story about a man whose dream it was to play football at Notre Dame.  These were two seemingly impossible feats, as he not only had the grades, but he also lacked the physical attributes to play football at the collegiate level.  Throughout his entire life, his family and teachers told him that he basically was going to be stuck in his hometown working for his father.  He made up his mind that he was going to accomplish his goal, and he worked at it until it was completed. 

He was rejected from Notre Dame numerous times, as he attempted to improve his grades at a local college.  He finally was accepted, but this was only half of his goal.  He walked onto the football team and made the practice squad, which was an incredible feat as it was, but this was still not his goal.  Finally, he was able to dress for one game, and yet this still was not enough for him.  He made up his mind that he was going to be a player for the team, and that meant being on the field.  In the last game he could possibly play, he played in the 4th quarter, and he sacked the opposing quarterback. 

Not stopping or settling on the path to one’s goal is extremely important.  If one can show the qualities of perseverance, it will inspire those around them to support and act in a similar way.  Once the other players on the team had recognized his attitude, they changed their mindsets as well.  They supported Rudy and were changed as a result of his work ethic.  He made those around him better athletes and people in general because of his never quit attitude.  Someone who perseveres at a goal, no matter how unlikely the odds can make a huge difference, not just for themselves, but for the people around them as well. 

Article Referenced:

http://comanchemarketing.blogspot.com/2009/08/rudy-story-of-perseverance.html

Leadership on the Field

The Baltimore Ravens have been a consistantly competitive team over the past decade.  Many football analysts will repeat the old saying “Offense wins games, defense wins championships.”  Despite not always having the flashiest receivers or quarterbacks who throw 30 touchdowns a year, the Ravens will compete, the reason: Ray Lewis.

The Ravens have had a great defense pretty much since the team moved from Cleveland in the mid to late 90′s.  Ray Lewis is the glue that holds that defense together.  Players have come and left to take higher paychecks on other teams, and defensive coordinators have left to find themselves in head coaching positions.  I believe that this is because of Ray Lewis.  It does not matter who you put around him, he will inspire his teamates to give it their all on every single play.  If one is caught not giving it 100%, he will let that particular player know about it.  If one makes a great play, he will be sure to let that player know about it.   

These are the qualities of a great leader.  A leader will push the people around himself or herself to step outside of their comfort zone and challenge themselves to take on tasks and responsibilities.  In the end, one will gain the skillsets and knowledge to become leaders themselves.  Being motivated and inspired by a leader to actually become excited about the tasks and challenges about to be faced can make all the difference.  This is why despite changes in personnell made around a great leader, they will still always seem to turn out successful.  These leaders will instill a mindset in those around them that they are capable of being the best at what they do, and eventually that mindset will turn into a reality. 

Article Referenced:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/299721-ray-lewis-the-premier-leader-in-the-nfl

Running a Business Overseas

The text discusses how different cultures have different values, especially when it comes to business.  If one wishes to start a business in another country, or expand a current business, it is extremely important to understand the cultural differences first.  If not, the business, although profitable in the U.S., could fail miserably in another country. 

The article referenced below used WalMart’s failure in its initial expansion to Germany as an example of the importance of learning cultural differences.  The culture created by the company in the U.S. must be changed to accomodate different cultural values.  For instance, the WalMart tradition of greeting customers entering the store did not go over well in Germany.  In Germany, people do not typically greet strangers, so this made customers feel uncomfortable.  Also, there is a greater sense of power distance in Germany, meaning that managers and their employees are more willing to accept the differences in authority and will not be as casual with their superiors.  This is not the case with U.S. WalMart stores, as managers and employees are somewhat close.  Also, people in Germany prefer bagging their own purchased goods, rather than having an employee do it for them. 

Other such factors to consider are how a culture handles risk (uncertainty avoidance) and how information is communicated (more than just language).  For example, the article mentions that in China, yes or no questions are uncommon.  A manager should know this in order to communicate with an employee in China effectively.  It is important to understand the proper way to word questions to discover information in the most efficient way possible. 

The lack of research and preparation before entering a foreign market hurt WalMart in their venture.  Understanding cultural differences is extremely important before opening a business in a new country. 

http://money.cnn.com/2009/07/08/magazines/fortune/how_to_be_better_global_manager.fortune/index.htm