Determining_Your_Perfect_Position_Paper

Hyacinth Smith Determining Your Perfect Position Paper University of Phoenix LDR/531 May 17, 2010 The success of an organization can be measured in its ability to get those things done that cannot be accomplished by one individual (Scott, 1987). Each organization is composed of groups of individuals who possess the ability to support the organization, change the organization and its stated goals and/or leave the organization. Two major components contribute greatly to organizational success. They are hiring practices and workplace satisfaction. Both of these components are largely driven by the leadership style adopted by management (Thompson, 2009, p. 1). According to Yukl, (2006), "leadership is a process of influencing others to understand and agree about what needs to be done and how to do it, and the process of facilitating individual and collecting efforts to accomplish shared objectives" p. 8. Army Child, Youth and School Services (CYS Services) offers a variety of affordable, quality care programs for children and youth from six weeks to 18 years, as well as sports and instructional programs. As a valued veteran employee for Army Child, Youth and School Services (CYS Services) for the past ten years, I have been presented with a unique opportunity of determining the best position that best suits me. I am currently a CDC Facility Director/Training and Curriculum Specialist for one of the Child Development Centers (CDC) in Stuttgart, Germany. My facility has an operational capacity of 75 children ages six weeks to five years old. A fourth Child Development Center (CDC) is currently being built with a tentative opening date of July 2010. The new CDC is located in the same installation as the CDC that I am currently managing. The operational capacity for this facility is 100 children. Recently, the Chief of CYS Services met with me to discuss her plans on the new CDC. She identified that a second CDC Facility Director will be hired and a Training & Curriculum Specialist will be assigned to both the new and current facility. Due to my experience, educational background, accomplishments and outstanding performance she has given me an opportunity to determine which position I would like to hold once the new CDC is open. The two options include: 1. Training & Curriculum Specialist: Responsible for all training aspects to include conducting training to new and veteran employees, interns, and volunteers for both facilities. Working closely with subject matter experts in the community to implement mandatory training requirements for CYS Services. Last but not least, mentor, coach and role model appropriate care giving practices to all employees. 2. CDC Facility Director: This position will be responsible for the overall operations of both facilities to include supervising the second Facility Director and the Training & Curriculum Specialist. After much contemplation, I decided to take the CDC Facility Director position. This position will allow me to expand my management and leadership skills and I will also have the opportunity of managing two facilities that will provide quality childcare to our military community. Strengths and Weakness I have learned more about my leadership style by taking the self-assessments available through University of Phoenix. Upon completion of What's My Leadership Style assessment, I found that I am more of a people oriented person rather than a task oriented person. In addition I scored fairly high between 17-20 in all areas of How Charismatic Am I assessment. In summary, this assessment identified that I am good at paying attention to people that I am communicating with; I am effective at getting my meaning across; I follow through on promises and take clear positions on issues; I show concern for others, their feelings and my own self-regard; I am willing to take risk in what I believe in and accept failures while in pursuit of my goals; and I can tap into the feelings of others and make their work meaningful for them. I scored a three on my Do I Trust Others assessment which means that I somewhat have faith in people. Do Others See Me As Trustworthy assessment showed that I am a trusted person and others see me as trustworthy. I also found that I have excellent skills in disciplining after completing the How Good Am I At Disciplining Others assessment. Last but not least, I am on the top quartile on the How Good Am I At Building and Leading A Team assessment. Even though the self- assessments identified a lot of my strengths, I would like to improve on the following areas: 1) being able to trust others more, 2) being able to implement effective discipline techniques, and 3) allowing team members to effectively use their individual talents to accomplish a common goal. Leadership Theories Trait theories "emphasizes leaders' attributes such as personality, motives, values, and skills" (Yukl, 2006, p. 13). "Trait theories of leadership differentiate leaders from non-leaders by focusing on personal qualities and characteristics" (Robbins & Judge, 2007, p. 403). On the other hand, behavioral theories believes that leadership capabilities can be learned. There are multiple Contingency theories. 1. "The Fiedler Contingency Model proposes that effective group performance depends on the proper match between the leader’s style and the degree to which the situation gives control to the leader" (Robbins & Judge, 2007, p. 409). 2. Hersey and Blanchard’ Situational theory basically means that different situations calls for different types of leadership. The focus is on the followers. "The emphasis on the followers in leadership effectiveness reflects the reality that it is the followers who accept or reject the leader. Regardless of what the leader does, effectiveness depends on the actions of the followers" (Robbins & Judge, 2007, p. 413). 3. The Leader-Member Exchange theory allows leaders to hold on to their positions through a series of implicit agreements with their followers. 4. "The essence of Path-Goal theory is that it’s the leader’s job to provide followers with the information, support, or other resources necessary for them to achieve their goals" (Robbins & Judge, 2007, p. 416). 5. The Leadership Participation Model allows leaders to choose different decision-making methods appropriate to the problems they are trying to resolve. There are other leadership theories that are mentioned in our readings but the one theory that I truly believe in is the Transformational Leadership theory. In considering the management and treatment of employees, Transformational Leadership theory applies a holistic approach. Leaders must consider the overall development and well-being of each employee, as well as aiding each employee in discovering personal strengths and how those strengths fit into the organizational setting. The assumption is that followers will be better motivated to capably accomplish organizational goals and objectives if their personal needs have been met, they are comfortably positioned in the organization, and the employee and organization are grounded in ethical values (Thompson, 2009, p. 4). Leadership Style I consider myself to have a democratic leadership style. Democratic leaders are characterized by collective decision-making, camaraderie, active member or follower involvement, fair praise, and restrained criticism; they facilitate collective decision-making. Democratic leaders offer their followers choices and support. Democratic leadership, also referred to as participative leadership, reflects democratic principles and processes including inclusiveness, self-determination, and equal participation (Flynn, 2009, p. 2). There are numerous jobs in my organization that requires the democratic leadership style. My current position as a CDC Facility Director for CYS Services requires me to collaborate with other facility directors within the organization to provide a seamless service to our military community. In addition, upper management positions such as the Child Administrator, Program Operations Specialist and Chief of CYS Services would definitely require a democratic leadership style. Some of the advantages of having a democratic leadership style include: empowering employees to use their talents, innovativeness, and promoting a cohesive work environment which leads to job satisfaction, increase morale, reduce employee turnover, increase productivity and a positive workplace. The landscape of the workplace changes from generation to generation. Today, employees are no longer content to go to work in complete anonymity. Rather, they want to feel significant, stimulated and challenged, all while having fun. Effective leaders build a sense of community within the workplace. They not only increase employee retention figures, but they also improve productivity because employees are more willing to follow effective leaders than non-effective individuals (Walker, 2009, p. 1). Reference Flynn, S. (2009). Authoritarian, Democratic, & Laissez-Faire Leadership. Authoritarian, Democratic & Laissez-Faire Leadership -- Research Starters Sociology, 1-6. Retrieved May 14, 2010 from EBSCO host database. Robbins, S. & Judge, T. (2007). Organizational Behavior (12th ed). [University of Phoenix Custom Edition e-text]. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, LDR/531-Organizational Leadership Course Website. Thompson, S. (2009). The Organization-Worker Relationship. Organization-Worker Relationship -- Research Starters Sociology, 1-6. Retrieved May 14, 2010 from EBSCO host database. University of Phoenix. (2010). Week Four Assessments. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, Self Assessment Library, LDR/531—Organizational Leadership course website. Walker, D. (2009). Effective Leadership in the Workplace. The Network Journal. Retrieved from http://www.tnj.com/career/career-advice/effective-leadership-workplace. Yukl, G. (2006). Leadership in Organizations (6th ed). University of Phoenix Custom Edition e- text]. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, LDR/531 - Organizational Leadership Course Website.