Dark Side of Leadership, Essay Example

What did you learn in this course about yourself as an organizational being that you either didn’t know about yourself or didn’t understand before now?  Pick 3 course concepts (clearly identified and cited from the text) that you feel best apply to what it is you learned.  Be detailed in your explanations and examples.

Before attending this course, I did not know so much about how I actually define the way I correlate with others through establishing good rapport with them. I did not know that through applying the concept of proper communication, I would be able to discover my strength in relating with others and establishing good connection with them through effective communication. I felt so much that there is a complementary rapport that could exist between me and my team mates when I do open up to them and become more conversations especially when it comes to determining the concept of relative relationship among other people who are intended to become a part of the team and are supposedly expected to become particular assets to projects that are to be completed.

Another concept I am able to understand is the condition of creating a distinct impact on how others are motivated to work further according to their assigned tasks. Being a strong motivator increases the competence of the whole team especially when it comes to identifying the strengths and weaknesses of one’s team mates based on individual performance and specific skills that they are able to provide the team with.

The last concept I was able to give attention to, that I think is one of my weaknesses, is that of the application of organizational development based on being balanced in seeing how my team mates could contribute to important decisions of the group. While I do sense my capacity to communicate with others, I still recognize the fact that there is a huge problem when it comes to me sharing my responsibilities with others or the instances when I need to hear my teammates open up their minds and suggestions to me. I need to know how to find the time to hear them talk and not simply give their conversations a bit of a shrug and not really give attention to what they have to say.

If you could expand on the work you did with your client, what else would you do with them?  (Saying, “nothing, they were perfect” won’t work!).  Again, pick 3 concepts, but make sure they are different from those in #1.  Be detailed in your explanations and examples.

One thing I need to expand is the way I see the risks. The concept of being prepared especially when it comes to determining the risks involved in a particular program is an important part of my job. I feel that the determination I have towards giving my clients the best options of development and solving problems as they need would create better options for me to embrace especially when it comes to identifying the way I work and the way I choose the right decisions I need to work with along with the projects I aim to complete.

Another matter I have to consider is the concept of preparedness. I have been a procrastinator all my life; putting things aside until they have to be rushed for completion. I realized that when it comes to dealing with clients, it is important to be prepared and to know what I need to provide them with even days before I face them. I was able to learn that preparation is a great deal in business and it is often the determining factor that identifies my willingness to serve the client fully; a matter that clients value highly when they intend to deal with their service providers or the individuals and institutions they are willing to trust in the industry.

Lastly, I realize the need to consider effective leadership through delegation. I have always been ‘one-man band’; I often prefer working alone to avoid complications and confrontations. I feel that when I am alone, I am able to accomplish everything I want and everything I need to complete. Nevertheless, when it comes to business operations, having a team that could be fully trusted helps a lot especially making sure that every task is delegated accordingly. I realize that if I do want to become a good leader, I should be able to accomplish such self-adjustment to make sure that I become an asset to my company and to my team members as well.

To do the work in #2, which 4-5 people in the class would you pick to be on your team and why?  Again, be sure you are incorporating 3 additional concepts, different from those in the other questions.  (You may “reuse” concepts, however, there must also be 3 additional ones.) Be detailed in your explanations and examples.

When it comes to working with team mates, I realized that the value of personal knowledge about each individual considered as member of the team is very much essential. Considerably, I understand that this is a key concept that would determine the camaraderie that team members share with each other especially in times when the projects or the pressure would be hard to deal with. This is the reason why for me, I would like to pick individuals I already know of as part of my team. First off is Jennifer M Mckittrick who seems to have nice personality and is considered as a hard worker. She makes sure that when it comes to tasks assigned to her, she completes them with full competence. I am sure she would work well with the team because of her dedication to her work. Another is NoufEbrahimAlshiha who I commend so much for her attitude when it comes to her class attendance. Being at the top of the class, NoufEbrahimAlshiha could contribute so much in the progress of the team especially when it comes to dealing with hard decisions.

Another choice is Haijian Yang, who represents great improvement when helped towards success. In my team, I would need someone who is willing to learn and adjust according to every twist and turn that the procedures may require. Jiajun Tang on the other hand is one that is able to closely give attention to instructions. Being a good follower, I feel that his presence would have a great impact on how my team would be able to follow through protocols and particular procedures that are necessary to be completed especially in consideration with the projects being given attention to.

My choice of team members does not only reflect the connection I want to establish with each individual; it also provides a distinct presentation on how I wish to work with people who have high diversified characters among each other. I feel that it is through such diversity that I would be able to motivate them to work hand in hand together and complement each others’ strengths and weaknesses. This is the way I know would be able to help me establish good rapport with my team mates while also increasing the process of giving attention to how each person attends to his task while making sure that the other is supported accordingly through the completion of the assigned responsibilities that one is expected to accomplish. I see my team members to be strong and supporting individuals who have the capacity to work alongside each other for the sake of completing a project that they are assigned to accomplish.

Works Cited

Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries. The Dark Side of Leadership – Business Strategy Review 14(3), Autumn Page 26 (2003).

Stroh, L. K., Northcraft, G. B., & Neale, M. A. (2002). Organizational behavior: A management challenge. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Kleiman, Lawrence S. “Management and Executive Development.” Reference for Business: Encyclopedia of Business (2010): n. pag. Web. 25 Mar 2011 [2]

Kotter, John P. & Dan S. Cohen. (2002). The Heart of Change. Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing.