Organizational Clarity: Leadership styles -Visionary Leadership

This assignment for Organizational Development touched upon different leadership styles and what I would consider is my leadership style. Also, why I would be comfortable implementing this leadership style in the workplace or in my career in the near future and why it should be implemented. I have posted the assignment below:

Well, in the same theme as my first posting I consider my leadership style more in the area of the Visionary Leadership as I stated before my style as I have gotten (way) older is one of inclusion instead of exclusion, I prefer to build up the people around me than follow a one goal, one vision purpose (Cameron, & Green, 2015). Getting people on board and developing their professional skills is very important for any organization to grow and prosper.

Although it is important to have direction in an organization, relying on the members there within is also important, meaning that you must be able to trust your employees to do their job, instead of micromanaging them to do what it is you hired them to do. This type of leadership style also builds upon the integrity and respect of the individual to do the right thing for the organization as a whole.  Creating a “company culture” that builds trust and communication, which then can lead (as I stated before) to an atmosphere of positive morale and innovation that will help the organization overcome issues that may plague it. The relationship builds on trust and personal/professional development assist a leader when they need to “see” what others see and develop solutions in areas they themselves are not too familiar with (Cameron, & Green, 2015).  Plus, innovation of course, buffers an organization against negative changes within the marketplace or help it develop new products/service that will give it an advantage over the competition, thereby leading to new sources of revenue.

Also, this leadership style personalizes the employees instead of look at theme as mere cog in the machine, that personalization to me, means that the organization wants to keep you around and understands that you are essential to its profit margin than simply being replaceable. With this type of leadership an organization essentially values the employee’s experience whether it is in areas of productivity, to problem solving or even developing market plans, the organization, wants to the employee to reach the highest potential in each area.  It’s my experience when management develops their employees they stick around longer, work harder and become more knowledge in the field of their expertise. These managers usually lead teams that are very successful in the past organizations I have worked for and are usually the ones that are most imitated.

However, this is more of a personality characteristic than a leadership style, building trust with others, a rapport and helping them grow professional although to me, is essential with working with others, is not always something that many of the managers I worked with, chose to do. Therefore, leading to high turnover rates, or migrating from one crisis to another on a daily basis without any end or positive turnaround in sight for the organization. I always felt this was a very tiring way to manage people (adults), it has been my experience to find out what motivates an individual, then personalize a goal for an activity’s completion and you will be to get a 110% every time out of an employee. Meanwhile you can be developing skills that will make the employee more productive and enhance their problem-solving skills in ways the organization and (yourself) as a manager can benefit from.

Reference
Cameron, Esther, and Mike Green. Making sense of change management: A complete guide to the models, tools and techniques of organizational change. Kogan Page Publishers, 2015.

Is experience or a degree a factor in the hiring process?

How much of a factor is experience when filling a position and does a degree outweigh years of spent by a seasoned professional? In Organization Development (OD) we learn the strengths and/or weaknesses of an organization’s employees through testing and training but in the hiring process determining the true nature of a potential employee’s strengths and weaknesses is a challenge.

Of course, you say that is why we have the applicants give resumes to present an overview of what they can do. Resumes are subjective pictures or interpretations of the applicant’s personal view of their professional career. Meaning that wading through, reading and understanding what each individual is trying to state when they are discussing their job descriptions at past positions is akin to the old telephone game with the two cans on a string.

The majority of the time the message does not get through, hence when a candidate applies with a freshly earned degree there is a desire to rush to hire to limit the issues and time period connected to the hiring process. Although as we now know, this is not always a good thing and recent college graduates are not always the best candidates for the positions we are trying to fill.

This is where experience comes in, candidates with extensive experience in similar fields or in the general  workforce may be a better fit, individuals that have had years of experience are more likely to adjust and adapt to difficult situations that occur in an organization. Compared to recent grads that have the impression given to them from academic presentations of how the workplace is supposed to operate. Coming from another job in comparison to coming straight from an academic setting can mean a world of difference in terms of qualitative characteristics required for a position. Levels of maturity and stability that can translate into a lower turnover rate for an organization are hard to measure but are also something that you cannot get from a degree.

Since the early 2000's there has been a new requirement for college graduates by organizations in today’s workforce with the unwritten belief that with a degree, will come new ideas of communication and innovation for an organization. Where the problem lies, is that with an organization there is a needed to conform to a hierarchy structure that is not learned in academia and that structure is favored over collaboration. This understanding comes with experience as many organizations are learning now, and are leaning to candidates with a degree AND experience, however, with this increased requirement the hiring pool becomes slim or shallow.

With increased focus upon experience over degrees, one hopes that this does eliminate individuals applying with no experience only a leveling of the playing field when it comes to the hiring process. Professionals versed in Organization Development can assist organizations when it comes to hiring the right individuals for specific positions that require certain skill sets and personality traits. When it comes to the hiring process having an OD professional on staff can make the difference between a lengthy hiring process and high turnover for an organization in comparison to the ideal situation in which it all flows together.