Leadership in Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Leadership in Management - Essay Example Though nowadays, even this statement can be proved false. I say this because the world, in which we are living, has become so advanced that we can even say that leaders can be made. But we will focus our study on a born leader. He is also known as a synonym for Apple Inc. He is Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs was born in 24th February 1955 in San Francisco. He stayed with his adopted parents since he was born because his own parents never accepted him. So since child hood he had a feeling of abundance, which created the fire within him to become a famous leader one day. Jobs co-founded Apple in his parent’s garage in the year 1976. Though he lost the tussle with the board of director in Apple and had to leave, he did not give up (Northouse, 2009, p. 2-4). He decided to start NeXT computers in 1985, which was acquired by Apple Inc. He had a unique quality from childhood to fight with his situations. So in this case also he never sat back to repent on the bitter experiences that he had i n his life. One of the most important qualities of a leader is to face defeat with a smile on face. Apple computer was in a very difficult position when Steve Jobs joined apple as the interim CEO. In the mean while he also bought Pixar, a computer graphics company in1986. Later Walt Disney bought it from him and Jobs became the highest individual shareholder and one of the board members of Walt Disney. This shows that he was a visionary. He was very well aware of the steps that he took and the results of his decisions. He had an excellent team of employees who gave shape to his dreams. He was a very harsh with his words. At many times he spoke harshly with his employees. But they never left him to go for another job. The employees of Apple Inc. would be welcomed at any big company. But the aura of Jobs was such that 80% of his harsh words were accepted to be true. He was considered to be a charismatic leader (New Charter University, 2012). Steve Jobs introduced a series of new produ cts like the Mac OS X, iTunes, iPod, iPads, and iPhone. He was a perfectionist and he was very clear with his product ideas and their performances in the market. So he always wanted that the best technology offered to the world market should a product from Apple. A true leader not only wants to stay ahead of his group but also ahead of everyone. He has earned a lot of recognition, awards and for his achievements. But the more important fact than this is that he has great leadership qualities which made him stand out from the rest. He entered Apple computers when it was on the verge of closure. He not only revived the company but made it a market leader. A far sighted leader can only perform such miracle. Background Leadership means influencing people. It signifies creating a change in the society and in the minds of people and directs them towards achieving a goal. The person possessing these qualities is considered a leader. A good leader is one who follows his followers as followe rs are those who appreciates the quality of a person and considers him their leader. Leaders do not accept the norms of the society as they are they go against the flow, to set their own path. A leader has certain important leadership traits such integrity, self-confidence, intelligence and determination. Steve Jobs possessed all these qualities. Not only did he possessed them but also utilized them to integrate others too. He was always confident about his innovations, determined that they would do well in the market and he was intelligent enough to shape them also in products. Moreover, he always followed an ethical style. I say this because

Doctrinal and philosophical dimension of Buddhism

Doctrinal and philosophical dimension of Buddhism Buddhism has over three million followers world-wide, is the state religion in Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos, and maintains a tremendous influence in other countries such as Ceylon, Tibet, China, and Japan. The Oxford Dictionary defines religion as a belief in the existence of a superhuman controlling power, especially of God or gods or, as a particular system of faith and worship. (Hawkins, 2002). The dictionarys short descriptive passage does not take into account the spiritual well being, security, and comfort, a religion gives to its followers, and therefore may be seen to be inadequate and superficial. The doctrinal and philosophical dimension of Buddhism emerged at a time of political and economic instability. The Buddha was born in the 6th century Before The Christian Era (Robinson, 2009). Large, powerful tribes began to invade the Ganges Basin, and society became more complex as the populous moved towards the newly instituted metropolitan centres. During this time a strict and rigid caste system was in place, which did not allow for movement within its structure. The Buddha, as a member of the warrior elite, would have had considerable wealth and standing within the tribe, but he became disenchanted with this way of life, and ultimately rejected it to become a wanderer (Robinson, 2009). The wanderers believed that anybody, regardless of caste, could be wise and good. These qualities could be achieved by rejecting or renouncing life at home, which was dirty and cramped and instead, going out into the wider world which was . completelyperfect and pure (Robinson, 2009). Such renounces believed in the re-incarnation of the spirit, but what or whom you returned as in the next life, depended on how you had conducted yourself in the previous one. By leading a life of purity and devotion one could escape the agony of re-birth and thereby obtain Nirvana or liberation (Robinson, 2009). Such a pure and devoted lifestyle could be achieved by accepting the Four Noble Truths. The first truth was that of suffering; birth, ageing, death, sorrow and defilement (Buddahnet.net, 2010). The second truth was that the causes of suffering were human traits such as greed, and sexual desire. The third Noble Truth stated that suffering can be eliminated if the way of the fourth truth, or Nobe l Eight Fold Path, was followed. This would result in salvation by releasing the follower from perpetual re-birth. This last truth was a guideline to redemption which could only be obtained by correct behaviour, such as correct attitude and correct speech. The method of obtaining Nirvana in conjunction with correct behaviour is by meditation; by having the correct mental attitude one can only think good thoughts and therefore the intentions or deeds are pure also. This is known as Karma or mental work (Hawkins, 2002). Once Nirvana has been achieved, the follower becomes designated as a Buddha or enlightened one and these saints reside on a higher plane. Since the time of Buddha two main proponents of Buddhism have developed, namely Therevada, predominant in South Asia and Mahayana, followed in North Asia. The former believes that the only way to obtain Nirvana is by being a monk or a nun, and may therefore be considered as an elitist form of Buddhism, while the latter shows more liberal qualities and is sympathetic to others (Robinson, 2009). The narratives of Buddhism, the Pali Scriptures and Jakata tales, are important in the historical sense as they give an insight into the words and meanings of the Buddha, and may be construed as being inspirational to his followers (Buddahnet.net, 2010). The oral nature of these stories could possibly lead to them being misinterpreted and lost in translation and therefore their actual meaning may become muted and distorted. Although some of these tales may be deemed to be of a mythical nature, such as the Buddha being conceived by his mothers union with a white elephant they, as in parables from other religions, cannot be taken as literal, historical facts, but could quite possibly contain a hidden meaning (Buddahnet.net, 2010). Therefore because Buddhism uses such stories to accentuate its teachings, it is similar to other faiths and does not detract from its perceived status as a religion. The practical and ritualistic dimension, especially in Mahayana Buddhism, is extremely important. This dimension contains the preaching, prayers and worship element of a religion. By travelling the Ganges Basin in its entirety the Buddha and his followers went to great lengths to make Buddhism accessible to all and encouraged others into believing that salvation was at hand if the proper codes of conduct were adhered to. Buddhists offer prayers to the Buddha as much in the same way that Christians offer prayers to Jesus Christ, they are both a vehicle unto God or Nirvana., which has been thought by some writers to be a Buddhists substitute for God (Buddahnet.net, 2010). The Christian word worship, the worship of a God, constitutes the major problem in the definition of Buddhism as a religion. The Buddha stated that he was neither a messenger from God nor his emissary and denounced the notion that there was a God (Buddahnet.net, 2010). This has led to Buddhists being considered as Ath eists, but Buddhism is a cosmopolitan religion which embraces other beliefs and cultures and ultimately their gods. Therevada Buddhists acknowledge other gods but they maintain that it is the Buddha who is supreme and it is these other, lesser gods who defer to him (Bullitt, 2005). The Buddha is revered by his devotees and may be seen as the object of worship, as prayers are chanted praising him and asking for salvation, and gifts placed at his shrines and temples (Bullitt, 2005). At the New Year festival, the water festival, Buddhas name is used to ward away evil spirits The ethical dimension of a religion is its moral code. The laws and rules that a particular religion abides by are usually, in a mono-religious state those that govern society, as in Islam and Christianity. A religion must be able to teach a moral code and give guidance to a society as to what would be morally abhorrent and that which is deemed as acceptable behaviour. As much in the same way that Christianity has the Ten Commandments, The Buddhists rules or virtues are called Dhammapada, the way of virtue (Jung, 2010). These rules give guidance and a set of guidelines on the proper behaviour of a Buddhist, such as compassion and denounce improper thoughts and actions such as greed, vice, hatred and envy (Jung, 2010). The experiential and emotional dimension is the feeling of perhaps exultation or sense of peace that the follower of a particular religion can get from for example, reciting a prayer, liturgy, or chant (Buddahnet.net, 2010). These feelings can also be shown in many other ways such as a Buddhist attaining enlightenment, or by using meditation as a way of clearing the mind from the mundane aspects of life. A Christian may achieve an emotional experience by seeing a sign from God, chanting a prayer of contemplation, or just from a general sense of well being and contentment. The social and institutional dimension is the self containment of the organisation for its own protection. The Buddhists, like many new groups were persecuted for their beliefs and radical outlook from their foundation (Buddahnet.net, 2010). Buddhism has its own structure, although not hierarchical as in other religions, the monks are seen as the closest to obtaining the goal of Nirvana. It was, and still is the foundation within the lives of its followers, especially those living in remote areas where the rules passed to them from the Buddha and his followers, is followed without deviation. A religion can be interpreted by its followers in many different ways. It can be seen as providing, a comforting belief in the hereafter, and spiritual well-being, while also supplying a code of behaviour and a sense of belonging. Buddhism certainly follows these pre-requisites and although some commentators view Buddhism as atheistic, its followers worship the Buddha as a god, and Buddhism shows numerous similarities to many other widely accepted religions. Regardless of criticism Buddhism is considered a religion by its millions of followers, which today include the peoples of both Eastern and Western civilisations.

Doublespeak: Nuclear Power Plants :: essays research papers

Doublespeak: Nuclear Power Plants Harrisburg, Pennsylvania is the home of a large, efficient, and threatening nuclear power plant, Three Mile Island. Nuclear power plants have the awesome ability to create large amounts of power with very little fuel, yet they carry the frightening reality of a meltdown with very little warning. Suppose you live in Harrisburg and you here that the nearby nuclear plant had a partial meltdown, how would you react? When most people here the word meltdown, they automatically think radiation, cancer, and death. Now suppose your living in Harrisburg and you here the nearby power plant experienced a "normal aberration", you would probably react differently. Even with the highly proven safety of nuclear power, there is still fear from citizens and the chance of an accident. The nuclear power industry uses misleading language, and words understood by nuclear employees only, or euphemisms and jargon, to mislead the public and make them believe that there is nothing to be afraid of and that there is no possibility of a major accident. They take the public's biggest fears, meltdowns and contaminations, and make them into "events" and "infiltrations." This use of doublespeak is misleading to the public and may make them believe that a major accident hasn't happened, or the accident was a normal event or minor incident. In 1979 a valve in the Three Mile Island stuck open, allowing coolant, an important part of the plant, to escape from the reactor. An installed emergency system did its job and supplied the reactor with necessary coolant, but the system was shot off for a few hours due to employee error. Corrective action was eventually taken, and only a partial meltdown occurred. The plant's containment building was able to hold most of the radioactive products from entering the local environment. Only a small amount of activity escaped, that activity was carried by coolant water that had overflowed into an auxiliary building and then to the environment. Though the event didn't pose any extreme harm to citizens, this one billion dollar incident wasn't an everyday event or normal occurrence, as the industry's doublespeak makes you believe. In 1986 a similar but more serious event occurred in the USSR. A nuclear power plant at Chernobyl exploded and burned. The explosion was caused by an unauthorized testing of the reactor by its operators. Radiation spread rapidly forcing 135,000 evacuations within a 1000 mile radius, and more then 30

Whats Eating Gilbert Grape

In my opinion the three main themes are marginalization, tolerance of difference and the urban/rural divide. Gilbert’s mother is obese and his brother, Arnie, has a brain disorder. However, Arnie is more accepted by the town and is not frowned upon like his mother. His mum has not left the house in seven years because of how ashamed she is of herself. She says so to Gilbert: ‘I know what a burden I am. I know that you are ashamed of me. I never meant to be like this. I never wanted to be a joke. † At the beginning of the film Gilbert is ashamed of his mother and describes her as a â€Å"beached whale. His view changes towards the end of the film when his mother goes to get Arnie from the police station. When she dies he wants to make sure that she is not a â€Å"joke. † So instead of people lifting her out with a crane he burns the house down. There is a clear urban/ rural divide. Gilbert works in a very small grocery store called Lamson’s Grocery an d just outside Endora there is a huge supermarket called FoodLand. At the beginning of the film he says â€Å"Lamson’s Grocery is where I work and miles out of town on the interstate, there’s Foodland†¦. where everyone else shops. Gilbert is trapped in Endora because of his responsibilities; his whole family counts on him. Whenever they need something done they always call him, even with all his responsibilities his family are constantly telling him to â€Å"do better. † It is very clear he wants to leave Endora because he says at the beginning of the film that his older brother managed to â€Å"get away, † at this point he sounds disappointed that he didn’t manage to get away. Endora is very small, the streets are never busy and nothing exciting ever happens. According to Gilbert, â€Å"Living in Endora is like dancing to no music. † Whats Eating Gilbert Grape In my opinion the three main themes are marginalization, tolerance of difference and the urban/rural divide. Gilbert’s mother is obese and his brother, Arnie, has a brain disorder. However, Arnie is more accepted by the town and is not frowned upon like his mother. His mum has not left the house in seven years because of how ashamed she is of herself. She says so to Gilbert: ‘I know what a burden I am. I know that you are ashamed of me. I never meant to be like this. I never wanted to be a joke. † At the beginning of the film Gilbert is ashamed of his mother and describes her as a â€Å"beached whale. His view changes towards the end of the film when his mother goes to get Arnie from the police station. When she dies he wants to make sure that she is not a â€Å"joke. † So instead of people lifting her out with a crane he burns the house down. There is a clear urban/ rural divide. Gilbert works in a very small grocery store called Lamson’s Grocery an d just outside Endora there is a huge supermarket called FoodLand. At the beginning of the film he says â€Å"Lamson’s Grocery is where I work and miles out of town on the interstate, there’s Foodland†¦. where everyone else shops. Gilbert is trapped in Endora because of his responsibilities; his whole family counts on him. Whenever they need something done they always call him, even with all his responsibilities his family are constantly telling him to â€Å"do better. † It is very clear he wants to leave Endora because he says at the beginning of the film that his older brother managed to â€Å"get away, † at this point he sounds disappointed that he didn’t manage to get away. Endora is very small, the streets are never busy and nothing exciting ever happens. According to Gilbert, â€Å"Living in Endora is like dancing to no music. †

Chris Peterson at DSS Consulting Essay

Presentation of the Facts Surrounding the Case The case examines a dispute between Meg Cooke, DSS’s COO and Chris Peterson, newly appointed Southwest Region’s team leader. Cooke appointed Peterson a leadership role for one of the newly structured cross-functional teams designated to create a new integrated budget and planning system. The cross functional teams were tasked with building relationships with existing school districts in their regions and provide them a full range of DSS services and to develop new consulting offerings in response to the district’s needs. (Case 2010) Theses goals were created to facilitate a transition to servicing larger districts rather than the smaller districts, which DSS based it past structure around. Peterson was responsible for creating a successful and efficient team within DSS’s reorganization. The team was responsible for designing and creating an integrated budget and planning system with in a time frame of six months. Cooke was updated of the status and objecti ves of the project periodically. The meeting were short and not effective for either party. After the six month deadline was reached Peterson met with Cooke to provide an update on the status of the project her group had been working on. Cooke decided that Peterson’s project would be discontinued, her team would be reorganized and would not be involved in futures product development. Peterson was convinced that her team and project were excellent. Further examination of the case reveals that there may be significant problems related to the company’s transition and Cooke role as COO. Cooke has several deficiencies in the area of leadership, management style, communication, and teamwork and change management. Regarding Peterson, her exemplary team management and teamwork resulted in group-think, causing her team to lose the ability to make unbiased decisions and effectively evaluate possible risks and alternatives. Identification of the Key Issue(s) Many issued are related to the substantial strategic and organizational changes taking place at DSS. Peterson and Cooke have varied perspectives relating to leadership, management style, communication, teamwork, organizational culture, and change management. Cooke’s leadership is characterized by low regard for creating systems for getting the job done  and for creating a satisfying and motivating work environment. The outcome of such leadership style is disorganization, dissatisfaction and disharmony. Collected evidence suggest that Cooke provided very little leadership to Peterson. Peterson and other associates felt anxious for the uncertainty on how the new organizational strategy would unfold. Cooke was only interested in the outcome of what Peterson and her team were working on at the end of the six month period. Cooke did not pose any questions and did not ask for any status updates throughout the projects duration. When Peterson asked for support for her group and the task they were working on, Cooke did not provide any direct action. Other DSS associates felt that Cooke was playing favorites. Cooke did not involve her employs to feel involved and understand the organizations new purpose and determine the production needs. When employees are committed to and have an interest in the organization success, production and moral typically coincide with positive outcomes. This leads to the organization successfully meeting the designated goals. The ability to have employees buy in to desired goals are promoted by an organizational environment based on trust and respect, which leads to high satisfaction and motivation and, as a consequence, high production. ( MindTools). Cooke gave Peterson the ability to choose her own team members, projects, and location of operations. Cooke did so in a passive manner. In the following follow-up meeting Cooke never expressed any objections to Peterson actions and plans, but when she did present a problem concerning the assistance she required form management and other supporting operations, Cooke dismissed her claims by stating that she would provide the needed help at a later time. Peterson’s behavior and management style influenced her team’s performance, while Cooke’s absence of communication and guidance lead to wasted time and resources on a system that did not meet DSS goals. Listing Alternative Courses of Action That Could Be Taken Better communication needs to be created between mid and upper management. Proper communication will lead to a better understanding of the goals desired. Feedback is provided by upward communication, which makes employees feel involved and can help managers to get employees to understand their concerns (Thrilwall, 2012). Cooke and Peterson communicated scarcely and poorly. No regular meeting were scheduled. When the two did communicate  there was no clear and actionable dialogue. Communication is only successful when both the sender and receiver understand the same information as a result of communication ( MindTools, n.d.) Both Cooke and Peterson should establish regular structured communication. This can be accomplished by setting periodic meetings, written updates via e-mail or memos. These meeting will provide downward communication that will allow information to be dispensed to the team working on the projects in question. These meeting will make Peterson and her team feel mor e involved in the direction of the project and it will also keep Cooke abreast of the attitudes and values of her employees. Cooke can defuse any potential problems before they have a negative impact on the group and the project. Cooke’s could adjust her management style. Her methods when dealing with Peterson and her team lead to confusion. Her managerial control and direction were minimal, due the delegation of direction to Peterson, which allowed her to act with maximum freedom. Peterson was allowed to develop a specific product for a small district regardless of the new DSS strategy to refocus its resources on acquiring larger school districts. Cooke needs to focus on redirecting Peterson and her team to achieving the newly desired mission the organization has set in place. That includes providing a direction and strategy which will integrate the individual and the organization ( Thirlwall, 2012). Peterson displayed her ability to effectively act independently. If Cooke would have provided more control pertaining to the direction Peterson and her group were heading the negative outcome could hav e been avoided. Evaluation of Alternative Courses of Action Better communication needs to be created between mid and upper management. Establishing better communication can provide several benefits for DSS. The first, which would be a necessity for any future DSS strategy to be successful would be team building. Team building can transition an organizations culture from cooperation to collaboration. By establishing team environment employees will feel they are a part of something. The feeling of being involved in something increases the effort employees will place in projects and designated task. Better communication also creates a culture of transparency. When companies encourage employees to communicate honestly without fear of repercussions, transparency will transform from an  ideal to a reality. An environment of honesty promotes respect amongst employees. An increase in communication and honesty can cause increased revenue and innovation. Cooke could adjust her management style. Cooke must be willing to make the needed adjustments to improve her management style. She first needs to understand herself. She has to recognize her flaws, not just in the situation with Peterson but her role in DSS organization. She also has to recognize her strengths. Her ability to identify her strengths and weakness will allow her to build a stronger relationship with her employees. The bonds that she can build with her employees and peers will be reflective of her interpersonal communication skills. This reflection will provide insight into areas in the organization and within herself that require improvement. Cooke will need to continually re-evaluate her management style. Being able to realize what works and what doesn’t is key to being an effective manager ( WordPress, 2009) Recommendation of the Best Course of Action The best course of action is for DSS to create a standard outline for communication prior to and during the lifespan of a project. These guidelines should include timing and require length of meetings, scheduled times for updates via e-mail or in person meetings. Also they should provide the specification for any information that needs to be provided to all person involved in the project in question. The information should be pertinent to the status of the project and personal. Also the supply of information should allow as a segue to any questions or concerns by either party. An open dialogue should be the basis of all communication throughout the projects duration. References MindTools, n.d. Blake Mouton Managerial Grid. Retrieved July 20, 2014 from http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_73.htm [Accessed 16 June 2012 MindTools, n.d. Introduction to Communication Skills. Retrieved July 20, 2014 from http://mindtools.com/CommSkll/CommunicationIntro.htm [Accessed 18 June 2012] Organizational Behavior and HRM. Unpublished ed. Emirates Aviation College.Thirlwall, A., 2012. Ineffective leadership in Business, Retrieved from July 22, 2014 btrostle.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/adjusting-your-management-style/