Read the article “5 Transitions Great Leaders Make That Average Leaders Don’t. (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.” Name as many qualities as possible for a great leader. Why is it important to be a great leader? What is the difference between a leader and a manager? Why is it important for a great leader to get personal with his/her people?

PLEASE RESPOND TO THE TWO (SEPARATE POST) POST BELOW:

Wk 5 Discussion 1

#1

Great Leaders have a purpose. This purpose encourages others to be passionate about their work and promotes a great work ethic. To know the reason behind what one does and allow that to drive every move also encourages excellence versus mediocrity. Instead of the focus being organizational profit, those leaders who focus on the purpose are more likely to have lasting success.

Great leaders realize that people are their priority. They show respect to their followers and care about their well-being and development. Great leaders have the heart to serve.

Great leaders are aware and don’t behave as “know it all’. They take the time to get to listen, ask questions and observe what is going on in their organization. They are not afraid to seek counsel and advice nor are they afraid to be challenged with different perspectives from their own.

Great leaders try not to make things so complicated; as complexity prevents new ideas and slows down progress. Opportunity and profit come from simplifying things and not from making it more complicated.

Great leaders are personable and engage with their people to get to know them. Instead of a focus on business, great leaders emphasized people as human beings. They are not afraid to show empathy, kindness, and compassion – it is, in fact, a strength (Myatt, 2013). This is important for it gives followers an opportunity to see their leader cares and can be trusted. Followers are more willing to work for a leader like that.

Great leaders in organizations are crucial for organizational success. I am active duty Air Force, and this is why I believe so much focus is put on leadership training as they realize for us to succeed in accomplishing any mission. The need for great leaders is at the forefront. Great leaders give guidance, provide resources and support, they inspire and motivate their followers.

The main difference between a leader in a manager is that managers have people work for them and leaders have people that follow them. Leadership of an organization get to know people so they can understand and believe in the vision of the organization. Conversely, managers are more concerned with the administrative aspect and making sure subordinates accomplish taskers.

References

Myatt, M. (2013, June 17). 5 transitions great leaders make that average leaders don’t (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikemyatt/2013/06/17/5…

#2

This article talks about transitions great leaders make that average leaders don’t. One quality that a great leader make is to define purpose that is clear, shared value, and aligned vision which helps to set the foundation for any organization. Another quality that a great leader makes is create culture by design and not evolve by default. Great leaders treat people with respect, earn their trust and loyalty. Lastly, a great leader don’t create followers but focuses on scaling leadership. They don’t put people in a box, but free them from out of the box.

The leader sets the tone for any organization. It is important to be a good leader because they ensure the business maintains its vision. They have to stay alert and be ready at all times to ensure that the vision of the organization stays on course towards achieving its goals. The leader inspires morale among staff which motivates the staff to work harder. A great leader will always have room for diversity and embrace it openly and willingly. Great leaders communicate new strategic directions for the company.

“The main difference between leaders and managers is that leaders have people follow them while managers have people who work for them”. Leaders work on people to help them understand and believe in the vision of the company and work on achieving your goals while managers administer and make sure things are happening day-to-day.

“The best leaders understand it’s not a weakness to get personal, to display empathy, kindness, and compassion – it’s the ultimate strength (Myatt, 2013)”. Leaders that get personal with employees helps them to become successful and achieve their goals.

Myatt, M. (2013, June 17). 5 transitions great leaders make that average leaders don’t (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Wk 5 Discussion 2:

Discuss whether intergroup conflict and intergroup competition are the same or different. Provide examples to support your position. What strategies can a leader use to ensure that there are positive results from the conflict or competition?

Guided Response: Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts.

PLEASE RESPOND TO THE TWO (SEPARATE POST) POST BELOW

#1:

Intergroup conflict and intergroup competition are different. According to DiBenigno, 2018 “Organizational life is rife with conflict between groups that pursue different goals, particularly when groups have strong commitments to professional identities developed outside the organization.” Intergroup conflict is when a group are in disagreement with each other which may result in arguing and discord among each other. According to Sonenshein, Nault, and Obodaru 2017, “group identity shapes both competitive and cooperative behaviors among its members.” Intergroup competition is a healthy and fun way a group can challenge each other’s skills to become better in their respective areas. The strategy that a leader can use to ensure that there are positive results is implementing cooperation. According to Coget, and Losh 2018, “A climate of cooperation generates a working environment that fosters learning and knowledge sharing, process improvement, supportive behaviors, and constructive feedback, conflict, and competition. The combination of all of these increases employee productivity, morale, and effectiveness across the board.” Conflict and competition are both key factors in the workplace.

References

Coget, J. and Losh, S. (2018). Group behavior in organizations (2nd ed.). [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

DiBenigno, J. (2018). Anchored Personalization in Managing Goal Conflict between Professional Groups: The Case of U.S. Army Mental Health Care. Administrative Science Quarterly, 63(3), 526–569. https://doi-org.proxy-library.ashford.edu/10.1177/…

Sonenshein, S., Nault, K., & Obodaru, O. (2017). Competition of a Different Flavor: How a Strategic Group Identity Shapes Competition and Cooperation. Administrative Science Quarterly, 62(4), 626–656. https://doi-org.proxy-library.ashford.edu/10.1177/…