Leadership - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Part 1

Are leaders born or made?

Let us consider a situation.

The CEO of a company is about to retire, tension is now growing as to who will be the next leader of this company? Will it be the reliable assistant who all ways gets his work done on time, is charismatic and everyone loves him? Or will it be the CEO’s son or relative, who doesn’t really have the best communication or leadership skills, may not have as much experience as the assistant and not everyone likes this relative too much for various reasons.

This may depend on the type of ownership, or decision-making process the company takes. But would it be a good thing or a bad thing if either gets the job? What are the pros and cons and what are the considerations a successful company should take into consideration?

Some people might like to argue, give the job to the assistant since he has more experience and everyone already likes him. But what happens if this is a family owned business? Or can the assistant handle this type of position, whereas, if the relative gets the job, people will perceive it to be protectionism. On the other hand, if the relative gets the position and empowers the assistant to continue in the position he has, who guarantees that the relative will do a good job like his predecessor?

Now with all that in mind let's reconsider the opening question - are leaders born or made?

If the son was born into a leadership position - does that make him the right candidate for the job?

Just because the reliable assistant performs well on his current tasks, does that mean he will perform well as a leader in such a high position?

On the other hand, Let's consider if the relative is put in such a position would he have the chance or would he learn and adapt into becoming an effective leader?

The point:

There is no definite answer to any of the above questions. There is however considerations that must be taken into account.

A leader can be made, some are born - the only real question is - what kind of leader is he? And is he maintaining a successful and meaningful leadership?

There are four main types of leadership styles. The directional leader, the charismatic leader, the situational leader, and the leader that just hands over the job and lets his subordinates do the job with minimal involvement of his own.

Directional leader, is the leader that dictates the tasks, imposes deadlines and threatens that they better be met or else negative consequences will be faced. This type of leadership does not consider the parties involved, the situation, nor the possible inputs the subordinates involved may have. This type focuses mainly on the task at hand and may focus on the leader himself, providing him with seniority, power and control.

The charismatic leader, is sort of the opposite to the directional leader, where he reasons with his subordinates, encourages them, and tries all sorts of motivational and encouragement methods to get the parties involved and meet a desired deadline. This style focuses mainly on the subordinates believing that as long as they are happy and feel good they will in turn work properly. The leader is perceived to be a nice positive individual that would do anything to motivate his employees, to avoid conflict and to make the environment as friendly as possible.

The loose leadership style, is one where the leader hands over a task to his subordinates, devises the tasks amongst the group members, gives them a deadline and lets the birds loose. Closer to the deadline the loose leader reminds everyone that there is one or two weeks left and that they should start handing in their parts. This type of leadership focuses only on the task and its deadline. The leader shows very minimal involvement, offers minimal support and assistance. The subordinates are simply expected to perform on their own initiative and motivation. They are simply expected to have their parts of their tasks ready on time for the deadline.

Finally the situational leader, who hands over a task, identifies the strength and interests of each individual in the group, and according to the results of his findings, he hands over specific tasks to individuals that would best fit the job. Along the project, the leader every so often would touch base with every individual and would inquire about his personal life as well as the progress of his part of the task, reminding the group that his door is always open to their needs, questions, concerns and any other need that requires support. This leadership style focuses on many different aspects; the group as a whole, the task, the individuals in the group, the situations surrounding the subordinates including their personal and work lives - offering them support, assistance (when possible) and reassurance.



Which style do you think is the most effective? Please leave your comments and your thesis on this subject. Based on the discussion below a part 2 will be posted shortly containing the benefits and negatives of each leadership, the best ways to go about choosing the right type of leadership and answers or comments to any of your questions or pointers.

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“Eat Here and Get Gas!” - The Effects of Proper Communication in Leadership

A personal review and critique on Leadership in Action Papers – Communication (Lusthaus, C. Class Notes: Communication 2004)

About the Author: Dr. Charles Lusthaus; was an associate professor in the Department of Administration and Policy Studies in McGill University, and a partner in Universalia Management Group which is a Montreal-based management consulting firm. Dr Lusthaus is also faculty advisor to the Centre for Educational Leadership, McGill University.

Main Idea: The leader’s job is, to use all the tools needed in communicating well to his subordinates. If the leader fails to properly manage these tools and use them to their maximum capabilities, maybe the answer to the poor performance shown by the subordinates.

Points of the article: A leader is a person who monitors, makes decisions and distributes information. The leader spends 80% of his time communicating.

“Leadership, in a word, is impossible without communication” (Page 231)

Communication has some key elements. A) Sender; one who encodes a message. B) Channel; the means used to send the message, C) Receiver; the one who then decodes the message (not always decoded the way the sender has hoped), and finally D) Feedback: what the receiver has understood from the sender, which frequently differ.

“Eat here and get gas!” (Page 232)



There are three major sources to “noise:”
1. Improper choice of words or their usage: i.e. politically incorrect, racial sensitive.
2. No Feedback: One-way feedback, (which is done by memos, written reports etc.)
3. Communication Channels: The leader must choose them properly in order for them to be affective and advantageous.


There are differences between oral and written communication. Written communication is effective in many different ways especially when it is paired with oral communication.
Non-verbal communication includes; body language and gestures, voice intonation and physical appearance. Non-verbal communication is a very powerful mean in the transmission of a message. A good leader knows how to observe and pick up quickly on these little signs. These cues are done unconsciously and quite rapidly; it is just a matter of picking them up! It is very important to be aware of cultural differences. For they cause a communication breakdown.

There is a difference between formal and informal communication. According to the best selling book in Search of Excellence. “The excellent companies are a vast network of informal, open communications. The patterns and intensity cultivate the right people’s getting into contact with each other.” (Robert H Waterman Jr. (Author), Thomas J Peters (Author), later printing edition (August 15, 1988), In search of Excellence, Publisher: Grand Central Publishing;)

In order to become an effective communicator one must be an “active listener.” Which is a term used by Carl Rogers and other counselors and therapists.

To be an active listener there are five guidelines.
1. Listen for content. Hear exactly what is said.
2. Pay attention to feelings. Try to identify how the sender feels in terms of the message content.
3. Respond to that feeling. Let the sender know that you recognize their feelings
4. Note all the cues. Be sensitive to them.
5. Restate in your own words what you understood from the sender.

This will also provide feedback to the sender confirming that his message is getting across, or at least the receiver is trying to understand the message properly.
An organization with a high consensus will have fewer quarrels. This is when the information is flowing in a form of upward and downward, inward and outward. This is elaborated more in Chester Barnard’s book called, The Functions of the Executive. (Chester I. Barnard (Author), (January 1, 1971), The Functions of the Executive - Publisher: Harvard University Press; 30 Anv edition)

It is very important for the leader to know, that in order to avoid mistakes and errors in the future. He must consult the people who will carry out the objective. This ties in very well with “repairing interrupted communication.” When the leader will ask for the subordinates’ advice, he will find any crossovers or breakdowns in the communication and jobs done. This will encourage the subordinate to work properly because they are feeling more useful and part of the job, as well as not “knocking their heads together.” (Page 238)

Effective communication is a two-way process where there is a sender and receiver. The leader will play either one of these roles, it requires good interpersonal skills where he will have to understand the situation and where the other is coming from, and he has to recognize where personal biases may interfere with what is taking place.
The American Management Association published “The Ten Commandments of Good Communication.” Which is meant to give the reader a good foundation for building and maintaining a good set of interpersonal communication skills. (American Management Association (1955). The Ten Commandments of good communication. New York: American Management Association.)

Conflict is very upsetting and disturbing to some people in an organization. There are several ways how to manage these conflicts. A) Lose-Lose conflict, B) Avoidance (not such a good option), C) Win-Lose conflict, and D) Win-Win conflict (which is the ideal and most effective way.)

A personal Evaluation and Critique
The article is a very well written and informative. Many of these theories and advice have been found and proven to work. They are constantly used in many case studies our company conducts, where the feedback from our clientele is positive.

There are, however, some minor details that the author left out in his article.
Matters like; Leadership styles, the expectancy and perception of the subordinates from their leader, as well as some matters on diversity. These are some important factors to consider.

In the portion of the article where the author is talking about, the effective leader choosing the proper channels for communicating in a given situation. Some information was missing. It needs to be understood that sometimes the subordinates expect a certain type of leadership from their superiors, whereas others expect a different kind of leadership. This a great challenge a lot of leaders face.
This is where Robert House’s Path-Goal Theory kicks in. The theory says; that the leader must cater his behaviour according to the situation and in various leadership styles/behaviours that are expected from him by his subordinates.
This little detail may have played a large role in this article and may have given a little more of insight as to a true effective leader.


In regards to Diversity, this is now a growing concern with the population growth in Canada mainly dependent on immigration. More and more diverse people from different backgrounds, cultures and upbringings, are finding their way into the workforce. Therefore the Leader must accustom himself, to their needs, expectancies, and form of communication. Women may also be a factor in this diversity; the birth rate is decreasing due to women in the workforce. Therefore one must pay attention to these important factors to communication barriers and methods.



Summery
In order to be an effective leader today, in our society, it is important to remember that communications is both ways. The effective leader must consider who is the second or third party involved. He must recognize the situation, the other party’s position and expectancies, and he must recognize where he stands with his biases and perceptions. Once the leader has identified these three criterions, the outcome of the communication will be better understood, effectively executed and beneficial to all parties involved.

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6 Reasons to vote for Friendship Circle

vote for friendship circle

1. Selfless non-for-profit organization:

Friendship Circle, is a non-profit organization that specializes in providing children with special needs and their families with individualized support - all free of charge!
Friendship Circle believes that every child and person is special and unique in their own way, and that regardless of background or faith, deserves the gift of true friendship. Friendship has a ripple effect on the community, impacting the lives of all involved, raising the consciousness of society at large.

2. Over 70 Friendship Circle Organizations Worldwide!

Friendship circle is a large network of individualized organizations around the world that look to give that kind of quality of life to these children. They play with them pretend, they go on outings, do arts and crafts and different programs.

3. Changes peoples lives. Volunteers/Buddies, children and their families With great programs:

"He's helped me so much, I can't thank him a million times, that still won't be enough" - Max Granitz (Child in Friendship Circle - talking about his "buddy")

Hockey tournament
Walk for friendship
Golf Tournement
LifeTown
and much much more!!!

4. Got a new Campaign Manager:

Jacob would like to go to Times Square to get people to Vote for Friendship Circle, can you make his dream come true?

5. Celebraties love Friendship Circle:

Celebrity Actor Bob Saget spent a day with Friendship Circle perfectly matching his character as a caring, compassionate person and father as his role in the hit TV show Full House (which is personally one of my favorite TV shows ever).

Other Celebs include Paige Hemmis, Marlee Matlin, Max Weinberg and Jon Voight

6. Other Forms of Fundraising Techniques:

Friendship circle has found a unique a creative way to fundraise. Not only do they ask for donations but they apply for these competitions, such as Chase Community Giving.
It goes with out saying that the development and the raising of such a child is a very large expense. The fact that Friendship Circle volunteers for free, is an extraordinary gesture and is greatly appreciated by every parent and family member that is associated with this program.

Friendship circle also has programs targeted to the parents and family members to help ease the burden and to show support.

Now, in these difficult financial times, where raising funds is quite a challenge. There are organizations that are offering money to other nonprofits based on votes and competition. Friendship circle has entered into such a competition and is now turning to you for support, it only takes a few moments - vote for friendship circle for a chance to win $1 000 000!!

Can you imagine how far those million dollars can go to help a great cause? How many more children will be helped? More parents will be supported? More programs created?

Please post on your facebook status, your twitter status and any other way to get this word out- let's support these special people.

MyDream = (your dream) #Votefc #MyDream http://votefc.com/

(copy and paste the above line to your status and tweets)

Please pass it in to your friends... Thanks in advance!

Using Voice Memo for projects.

Some people are just not writers, as you can obviously see from my blog that is hardly updated or written properly. Some blogs are so popular based on the content they have, the way they are written and the "poetic" vocabulary that their authors use. Unfortunatly not every one has the privilage of that talent, me included! But that doesn't and shouldn't stop you from blogging or writing.

Trying and experience never hurts, it can only improve! Some people may face what I call "faze-out" - it is when you feel that you have so much to say and potentially write but when you actually come down to writing it - you faze-out and forget what you were going to say. This is the main problem I personaly face.
It was therefore decided to come up with a solution to this problem, since that is my job as the owner of a marketing and solutions agency where writing is a very large requirement, with all our case studies and ideas that we would like to propose.

While exploring my new iPhone I realized that it has quite a cool app called Voice Memo - which basically records your voice, making a memo. This app can be used for meetings, reminders or the like - sort of like a recording device on your phone! As I was exloring and testing this app I realized that you can record and save multiple such recordings and that you can label them what ever you like. That is when it dawned on me that - I speak way better than the way I write, I am good at giving presentations and so therefore I have decided to record what I had to say, save it, then transfer it to my computer and finally type up what I was hearing! I tried this method with one proposal and it worked beautifully. I did it with this article as well! And I feel that this is my best article so far and hopefully the start of many more good articles.

Here's how it works:

1. Write down in number form 1-10 on a piece of paper all the topics and pointers you would like to touch upon during your recording. Add some subsections to help you rember some key factors that cannot be missed.

2. Press the red recording button, and start talking stating the title of the subject in the begining.



3. Stop the recording when you have finished discussing the first pointer. (#1 on your list with its' subsections).

4. Press the "lines" button found on the bottom right side of your screen. (where the stop button was found).

5. The recording will then start playing and you can listen to your recording, and take notes of the information that you may have left out.



6. You will then need to press on the little blue arrow, which will take you to a screen, where you can then trim your recording - in case you want to, which you don't have to since you will be compiling this info later on. Same holds true for the sharing.



7. Once you have done reviewing and editing your recording - you would like to label it. This is done by pressing on the large box or where the time is being shown right now, this will bring you to a list of different lables. I suggest to always use custom, this way you can name the clip whatever you'd like.



8. Press done, go back to the begining and start on your second pointer. The same procedure should be followed until you are done.
Suggestion: When you are naming your clip - number them. Even though the latest clip recorded will be at the top, it is still easier to see the numbers and remember what clip is what.

9. You can then sync your phone with your computer, you can then play and playback your clip and type it up.

10. Finally, once all is typed you can then edit and compile all the info into one file. (if you want to get fancy you can even import these clips into GarageBand and make them into one track or album or whatever - I will let your imagination take you from there.)

Now, even though this article makes it sound that you must have an iPhone or a Mac for this advice - but you really don't. You can use an average regular or standard recording device, or any other app. This article is simply advising you to do what most secretaries do with recorded meetings. I am simply promoting this practice and saying that it is a good one to get accustomed to. I am also trying to encourage you that if you feel that you are challenged with writing an article - don't feel bad there is an alternative! Hey, you never know maybe soon these sites and blogs like blogger will start offering the voice option - I know that there are some people that use podcasting and video blogging - this is just another alternative!

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- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Adverting Experience

Please share an experience where you saw a company advertising a product, good or service where you either;

A) Did not fully understand what the ad was offering

B) Saw one price advertised and when you called or gone to the store you were then faced with other charges (including taxes)

C) Responded to an ad only to find out that they were "sold out" but offered you something else for another price and other conditions.

You can use one of the three options above, all three or any experience that you felt was unfair and you would have not responded to the ad if you knew better.

Please use the comments section to post your experience. If you would like to read more about Advertising in Canada you can read the post here.

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Advertising in Canada (especially in Quebec)

Advertising plays a major role in every business or organizations' daily operational activities, in fact 60% of their budgets is advised to be allocated to marketing. It is therefore very common that businesses and organizations work very hard and send a lot of money coming up with different ideas and campaigns on how to attract consumers to their doors. It is obvious then that regulations must be put into place to legislate this behavior, to ensure consumer protection and trust, and to control business to business competition. That is the role of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) and the Competition Act.

There are two associations in Canada that regulate and make sure the CPA is properly enforced by creating Advertising Standards. The Canadian Marketing Association (CMA) that published "The Code of Ethics & Standards of Practice." And The Advertising Standards Canada (ASC) who enforce the 14 Standards and allow consumers to complain to them if they encounter any issues with businesses (to read more about these two agencies and their operations just follow their links to their sites).

Recently more and more complaints have been taken to court regarding two main issues found here in Quebec. 1) Advertising geared toward children under the age of 13 (CPA Sections 248 and 249), and 2) Price Fixing (CPA sections 219 - 231).

The CPA offices are currently mostly after those that are advertising geared to children as a recent case of Saputo Inc. that got fined for up to $44 000. Others that are on the target list are companies like Mcdonalds, Burger King, and others.

The trend seems to be moving closely to the Price Fixing yet it is still undetermined how fast The CPA offices will record any victories in that field since the law is quite satisfied as long as the sections mentioned above are respected by using symbols such as asterix (*) crosses (†) footnotes (¹) and others. These fine prints as long as they are legible and meet all criteria is very hard to fight. Although those companies that omit information in their fine print footnotes or totally omit the footnote all together are in for a big one - as it was just recently proposed to raise the fines to $10 million for corporations and $750 000 for individuals including other such reforms that can be found here (part 12 section 74.1).

To see and read recent complaints of price fixing you can visit ASC's website where they publish an annual report and a quarterly complaints report that summarizes all the complaints they receive and in which category each of these complaints fall under.