Determining_a_Perfect_Position

Determining the Perfect Position The University of Phoenix has decided to expand its operations and has asked me to determine the perfect position. In this paper I will discuss those attributes that will make me successful in the position I have chosen. I have determined based on my leadership style and traits that the best fit would be that of Director of Enrollment. As a valued and longtime employee I have been given this opportunity based on my productivity and loyalty to the organization. The company believes that I possess the leadership skills necessary to help the organization meet its mission and strategic plans. Based on the recent assessments taken I believe that my leadership style will be an asset and allow me to be a highly productive leader within the organization. I have used a protean approach to my career approach over the years that has prepared me for this opportunity. The leadership style and values that I will bring to the position one of participative and relationship based. The assessments that I have taken has allowed me to understand the strengths and weaknesses of my leadership style. The comparisons of the different leadership theories has given me a better understanding of my leadership approach as it relates to the ideal position for my personal values and leadership style. The position I have chosen is one of Regional Director of Enrollment. Based on the assessments taken I have determined that my leadership style is one of participative and relationship based. These two styles work best for my personality and values. I am more of a people-oriented leader who seeks to include others in the process and values their input, especially when dealing with task-oriented projects. I also believe that it is important for a person to be good, rather than simply do good. I believe in openness and commitment to ethical communication. I have worked best in organizations characterized by openness, where employees are encouraged to make suggestions openly and give feedback on the best way to accomplish a job done. I prefer to include my subordinates in the decision making so that they have a personal stake in success or failure of the organization. I have found that by doing so people are more productive when they feel as though what they say and do have a direct impact. My participative style can be used in two ways, it can be a situation in which I sell the idea to my employees or in which I describe to them what needs to be done and get the how it is to be done from them. This involvement in the decision-making process helps to improve the understanding from those who will ultimately be involved in carrying out the decisions made. The level of participation will depend on the level of the decision that has to be made. It may be acceptable to get the participants input when making decisions on things such as how to implement the goals but not when concerning performance and evaluation. The amount of how much influence the employee is given may vary from leader to leader based on the beliefs. My method is that of the team proposing decisions that affect their performance and ability to do their job and then me making the final decision. Effective managers do not spend their time and effort on doing the same kind of work as their subordinates. Instead, the more effective managers concentrate on task-oriented functions such as planning, and scheduling the work, coordinating subordinate activities, and providing necessary supplies, equipment, and technical assistance. Moreover, effective managers guide their subordinates in setting performance goals that are high but realistic (Yukl, 2006). The other part of my leadership style is one of relationship. I believe it is important to take an active interest in not only the employee’s professional lives, but also their personal goals, and aspirations as well. I believe in creating a connection between the leader and the followers. I always have had the ability to motivate and inspire followers by helping the group members understand the importance of the task at hand and what the benefit is of completing the task. In relations-oriented behavior, the effective managers were also more supportive and helpful with subordinates. Supportive behaviors correlated with effective leadership included showing trust and confidence, acting friendly and considerate, trying to understand subordinate problems, helping to develop subordinates and further careers, keeping subordinates informed, showing appreciation for subordinates’ ideas, allowed considerable autonomy in how subordinates do the work, and providing recognition for subordinates’ contributions and accomplishments (Yukl, 2006). This type of leader focuses on the performance of the group members, but seeks to help each member reach his or her full potential. These types of leaders often have high moral and ethical standards. By completing the assessments I was able to determine my strengths and weaknesses as they relate to my leadership abilities. I have developed many of my competencies over the years in the various jobs I have held. I have developed these competencies by taking a protean approach to my career. I have made it a point to guide my own career over the years versus allowing others to direct my career path. The protean career is characterized by greater mobility, a whole-life perspective and developmental progression. The career is driven by personal values and the main success criterion is subjective. This development follows from today’s changeable employment conditions that have altered what employees can expect and what they want from an employment relationship (Vigoda-Gadot & Grimland, 2008). Some of traits that I believe are strengths are my extroversion, emotional stability, openness to experiences, and conscientiousness. These traits have been developed over the years, some from as early as childhood ,and some have developed along my career path. I believe that these are traits that will serve me well in a leadership role and will definitely compliment my style of leadership. Based the two styles discussed earlier, my outgoing personality will allow me to engage my subordinates and feel comfortable in any setting that may arise. My emotional stability allows me to be calm when in intense situations arise, to be enthusiastic when it is concerning celebrating the successes of my subordinates, being secure in who I am a person and not threatened by the input of the subordinates when he or she are giving feedback, and having an openness to new experiences and ideas. Also I work best in an organizational culture that demonstrates respect for individual judgment and endorses an open line of communication. One of my main weaknesses as a leader is agreeableness. Although I consider myself good natured and cooperative, I sometimes have a problem with the issue of trusting people. This is a problem with my leadership style when giving subordinates’ autonomy to their jobs. Trust is a key factor when using the leadership styles of participation and relationship. When there is little trust between the leader and followers these styles are seen as a sham and create skepticism toward the leader. The success of these leadership methods depends on the establishment of trust among the leader and the group. Success as a leader depends on the followers believing that he or she leader can be trusted. The leader-follower relationship is an obviously important one within the realm of organizational behavior. Being trusted by one's followers may create an obligation or responsibility on the part of the leader to enable or empower a follower to perform. The leadership styles of participative and relationship-based have worked well over my career by using my personality and attributes to my advantage. I believe my outgoing personality and desire for inclusion of followers in the decision-making process create an environment that allows him or her to believe they are valued as a member. The Director of Enrollment is a position in the organization that will allow me to have the daily involvement with my followers and better create an environment of want to versus have. Creating trust between me and my followers will be essential to my success as a leader. Although area of trust has been one that needs improvement, I believe that with further training, openness of communication and becoming involved in the follower’s development both personally and professionally will allow me to overcome this obstacle. Trust is a two way street that has to be given and earned by myself and my followers. Wish me luck. References Vigoda-Gadot, E., & Grimland, S. (2008). Value and career choice at the beginning of the MBA educational process. Career Development International, 13(4), 333-345. doi:10.1108/13620430810880826 Yukl, G. (2006). Leadership in Organizations (6th ed.). Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.