Month: September 2018

Hiromi Hasegawa went into depth explaining several leadership principles including conceptualizing, empowerment, and helping followers grow. Afterwards, he asked the question, “What kinds of business are good to have a servant leader?”

Upon careful deliberation, I came to the conclusion that many businesses and organizations can benefit from servant leadership. Whether the objective is to maximize profit or improve the social good, the vast majority of businesses can benefit from an “others first” philosophy. Some companies that embrace servant leadership include Starbucks, Nordstrom, and Marriott International (Sivasubramaniam, 2017). It is encouraging to see that not only companies that are primarily focused on helping others believe in servant leadership but also companies that have enormous pressure from shareholders to maximize shareholder value. Furthermore, these companies have the most market share in their respective industries, demonstrating that businesses can be successful by serving others first.

From my personal experience alone, I find that the employees at Starbucks and Nordstrom tend to serve me better. I have a much better experience visiting these two establishments in comparison to rivalries such as Tim Hortons or The Bay. Although it may not be the sole factor, serving employees and making them feel appreciated likely has a rippling effect into their customer service.

I appreciate this question in that it made me think of my experiences with companies that have embraced servant leadership and how they often stand out from other companies in our competitive global market. Thank you Hiromi!

Sivasubramaniam, J. (2017, August 22). 5 Companies that Embrace Servant      Leadership. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Retrieved from: https://ideas.bkconnection.com/five-surprising-companies-that-embrace-servant-leadership

In Leadership (2018), Northouse defines leadership as “a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal” (p. 5). He coins this definition by incorporating five components including influence, process, power, group context, and goal attainment.

Theoretically, if a leader does not have any followers, then they are not leading anyone. Evidently, leadership and followers are not mutually exclusive. In addition, if a leader cannot influence and motivate the group and their actions, there will not be unification towards the leader’s vision. Therefore, change and movement will not be produced (Northouse, 2018: p. 12).

I like the definition that Northouse used because it illustrates the stark differences between leadership and management. Management is authoritative. It focuses primarily on organizing, planning, and controlling others to achieve a specific outcome (Northouse, 2018: p. 12). In contrast, with leadership, followers choose to follow because they believe in the leader and the leader’s vision to orchestrate change. I believe that leadership is about inspiration, whereas management is about power. Northouse also describes leadership as a process or an exchange: an interactive event between both parties (Northouse, 2018: p. 5). Conversely, management does not incorporate the dialogue and opinions of subordinates while making decisions. With management, it becomes more of an issue of power, order, and compliance.

Have you personally experienced the stark differences between a leader and a manager? How did it impact the work/change/difference that you produced?

Christina

Northouse, P. G. (2018). Leadership: theory and practice (Eighth ed.). Thousand Oaks. Sage Publications.

Servant Leadership

Greenleaf coined the term “servant leadership” to apply to a phenomenon whereby leaders put the needs of their followers above their own self- interests (Northouse, 2018: p.228). The three core principles that I hold in high regard to be an effective servant leader include prioritizing empathy, empowering followers through fostering personal and professional growth, and mastering stewardship through commitment to higher ethical standards.

Servant leadership entails that leaders be attentive and sensitive to the needs of their followers, seeing the world from their perspective. Whether it be their unique experiences or varying cultural differences, a servant leader is empathetic and strives to remove inequalities (Northouse, 2018: p.229). In addition, servant leaders hold themselves to a higher ethical standard because they understand that they accepted the responsibility to manage people and the organization to the best of their ability (Northouse, 2018: p.230). Regardless of the situation, ethical principles are not compromised to achieve a goal (Northouse, 2018: p.236). Servant leaders are also committed to the growth of their followers, intentionally empowering them “to be independent, make decisions on their own, and be self-sufficient” (Northouse, 2018: p. 237). These principles instill followers with a reassuring confidence that their leader truly cares about them as individuals, not simply as a means to end to achieve organizational goals.

I value the “others first” philosophy where the ultimate outcome is not only to help the followers and the organization but also to cultivate a positive impact in society (Northouse, 2018: p.238-239). I think that in my leadership journey it will be challenging to consistently remember to take followers’ personal matters into consideration while I am trying to accomplish specific objectives for an organization. Although a strength, I tend to be incredibly goal-oriented; however, it can be taken negatively if I am insensitive to people’s personal lives. I deeply care about helping others and accomplishing tasks, but I need to remind myself that my drive must be second to serving others. Serving my team and creating a cohesive, supportive environment will eventually lead to the desired extrinsic outcome.

How does a servant leader consistently keep serving others at the forefront of all activities and decisions without compromising commitment to organizational goals? How does a leader find this balance?

Christina

Northouse, P. G. (2018). Leadership: theory and practice (Eighth ed.). Thousand Oaks. Sage Publications.

Assigned and Emergent Leaders

According to Northouse (2018), the two common forms of leadership are assigned leadership and emergent leadership. Assigned leadership conveys that a formal position or title was given to an individual, regardless of the amount of influence he or she may have (Northouse, 2018: p. 8). In contrast, emergent leadership occurs when followers intentionally choose to be influenced by an individual, generally through an extended period of communication to build trust (Northouse, 2018: p.8).

During my undergrad in a new venture creation class, I worked with a team where we had to propose an app idea, test the market, and prepare it for market. Since I was very passionate about the project, I eventually emerged as the leader over the following weeks through daily communication with my teammates. My passion translated into being more dominant and self-confident (Northouse, 2018: p. 8). I could see the vision for our company and envision our app in the App Store. I was the big-picture person whereas my teammates focused on the details and daily tasks. This resulted in a dynamic team where we played to our each other’s strengths.

As already stated in my last blog post, management is primarily concerned with accomplishing tasks and providing consistency through a means of “planning, organizing, staffing, and controlling” (Northouse, 2018: p. 12). Managers create agendas and budgets, enforce deadlines and protocols, and provide structure and procedures. In contrast, leadership is about influencing and inspiring change by empowering followers to want to commit to a common goal (Northouse, 2018: p. 12).

In contemporary society, I believe that organizations need both management and leadership to be successful. If an organization only has management, it will become bureaucratic and lack creativity and innovation. If an organization wishes to have a competitive edge, it needs to foster creativity to differentiate itself in our global market. Conversely, if an organization only has leadership, the day-to-day processes and tasks may be misdirected, resulting in a loss of productivity, organization, and efficiency (Northouse, 2018: p. 12). Evidently, the interplay between management and leadership becomes the distinguishing feature of a successful, innovative organization in today’s globally competitive climate.

As an emergent leader, how does he or she incorporate and infuse creativity in a traditionally bureaucratic organization?

Christina

Northouse, P. G. (2018). Leadership: theory and practice (Eighth ed.). Thousand Oaks. Sage Publications.