The lack of customer service skills in the customer service industry is growing like a tumor. First of all every industry is a customer service industry. Whether you are selling shoes at the mall or electronics to the government. Sales and service industries are customer service industries. Second, employees have become so desensitized to showing emotion and trained to be a robot, helping a customer find want they want or need is a nuisance. I am disgusted by the way customers are treated during my observations and experiences while out shopping for products and services or researching for a paper.
"We have always tried to be guided by the basic idea that, in the discovery of knowledge, there is great entertainment—as, conversely in all good entertainment there is always some grain of wisdom, humanity or enlightenment to be gained."
– Walt Disney
This quote is the epitome of the Disney Entertainment culture. Every resort patron is the most important customer to walk through the gates. This should be the thought of every worker in the business world. Each customer that walks through the door potentially is the last customer your business will ever see. Don’t you want the customer to tell everyone he/she meets after leaving your business the shopping experience he/she received was the best ever? Customer service techniques are easy to learn and easier to use.
Too many times customers visit a company and they have a decent experience or a horrible experience. Ask your customers how their experience was and you will usually get one of two answers; “it was fine” or “it was terrible! So and so has the worst customer service skills I have ever seen!” Now which answer would you rather hear? Really? You want hear your customers’ experience was just “fine”? I want my customers to rave about how we went above and beyond their expectations. I want to hear how my employees are a “breath of fresh air to work with” and “what a pleasure it is to come into your store”. That tells me my team is enjoying their job. Now don't get me wrong a disgruntled employee can have great customer service skills, but chances are if he/she is not happy those skills are likely not being used.
The 5 best skills I find that make customers feel welcome and want to return in the future are:
1) SMILE!! The customer doesn’t care what your day was like before you got to work. Whether someone cut you off on the freeway or you had a fight with the neighbor who lets their dog dig in your flowerbed. The customer wants you to smile and be happy to see them. These patrons are paying your bills, so make them enjoy spending their hard earned money with your company. “Smiling lets the customers know that you are paying attention to them, it gives them the impression that you truly care and enjoy what you are doing” (customeserviceskillsguide.com, n.d.). Conversely do not smile just to smile. You will come off as insincere and the customer will be turned off right away. Be genuine and smile because you are glad to see your customer. Your customers will reward you for it.
2) LOOK YOUR CUSTOMER IN THE EYE! Do not stare at the wall, the floor, or the hot girl/guy who just walked in. Pay attention to what the customer is telling you. This is two-fold; #1 it tells the customer, like your smile, you have his/her best interests at heart. You are absorbing his/her needs and deciding the best course of action to fill that need. #2 it conveys to the customer he/she is the only customer in the store that matters. Plus you will not miss any important information needed to make your informed decision.
3) STAND UP STAIGHT! Do not slouch, lean on the counter, stretch, fold your arms, etc. These convey to the customer you could care less about his/her wants and/or needs. That is not to say you have to stand at attention like a soldier on inspection day, but more like a soldier in the at-ease position while receiving instructions. This also tells the customer two things; #1 you are listening and #2 you are professional. Both let the customer know he/she came to the right place. In the at-ease position you are comfortable and relaxed (after some practice) but ready for anything. Your point of attack? The customer’s wants and needs.
4) BE POSITIVE! Never tell a customer “I can’t do that for you” or “We don’t have that product in stock”. Avoid negative vocabulary at every opportunity. Instead say “I will have to disconnect your service for a moment and then I can test the system” or “I can order that for you and have it in stock in (x number of) days”. This tells the customer you are doing your best to fulfill his/her expectations. Now if you cannot “fix” the problem or the “product” is not available, back-ordered, and/or discontinued then your only recourse is to suggest an alternative. NO! You never say “I CAN’T!” Get that type of talk out of your head right now and forever! There is only one thing you CANNOT do and that is live forever. Everything else is possible with work and dedication.
5) ASK THE CUSTOMER IF EVERYTHING WAS TO HIS/HER SATISFACTION! Do not be scared of your customer. Do everything in your "employee" power to help and/or fulfill the customer’s need. If you don’t have the power, get your manager or supervisor. Let the manager make the decision if it is not in your job ability. You are the first line of defense and it is your job to make the customer happy. Problems should never get to your manager or supervisor. You can handle 99% of situations that arise or come in the door. If a customer comes in with a defective product I can assure you your company (unless the company enjoys bad press and displeased customers) has a return or exchange policy. Take care of it. If you do not know how or do not have the power then it is your company’s negligence for not training you properly or empowering you with necessary guidelines. Do not let it affect how you serve the customer or your hamper customer service skills.
These five skills are easy and completely under your control. Never let a customer doubt the decision to come into or purchase from your company. Remember to smile, keep eye contact, stand up straight, speak positively, and ask your customer if he/she is completely satisfied. This will win you a customer for life and everyone will know how well you treated him/her. Contrary to previous beliefs in this day of technology (Angie’s List, Google, online reviews, etc.) happy customers tell just as many people as disgruntled customers do. The Internet is your best friend and your worst enemy depending on which side of the customer service spectrum you are on. With practice and dedication great customer service skills are as easy as breathing and will put you in the spotlight within your company. Some will question you, some will dismiss you, but everyone will be jealous of you. Good luck and have fun!
Christopher Ballow, MBA (06/2011)
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Team building
I published this paper while studying at the University of Phoenix. The research helped me gain specific knowledge of the requirements needed to build an effective team in any business setting. This research does not apply only to an educational system. These techniques can be used in any business or industry.
University of Phoenix Team Building Training
A team training program for the University of Phoenix must encompass all areas of communication, collaboration, and conflict. The program must be developed to ensure communication is coherent, constructive, and relevant. Collaboration needs to be cohesive and creative so the learner(s) can retain the information better. In case of conflict, a plan has to cover as many scenarios as possible to effectively bring the team or group back to together. Lastly, the program must meet the criteria for the University of Phoenix training policy. In the Williams Institute self-assessment survey I found my tendencies run most toward Obligation and least toward Results. This is true as I believe people have an obligation to respect others and their ideas and beliefs. Ethically this creates a better world of diversity where people can share theories and ideas freely. In business it is the companies who have embraced diversity of thought and creativity with the greatest success and longevity. Apple, Microsoft, Google, General Electric, and many, many others have cultivated diverse workforces. The companies obligation to allow free thinkers the open doors to invest in themselves and take the ideas to the next level have created some of the greatest innovations of the last century. IPod, Windows, Magnetic Resonasence Imaging, etc. have revolutionized the world and greater ideas come every day. These companies fostered teams with fantastic ideas and visions to make them reality.
Communication
Team communication has to be beneficial to the effectiveness of the team. Since the teams will work closely together on various projects, as well as individually, continued contact about the ongoing progress of the project must be available for the members.
Beginning Phases
During the beginning phases of the project or assignment the team needs to be in constant contact, either face-to-face or by video/phone conferences to ensure the flow of information is not broken or miss-communicated. This phase, Forming, needs to be an open dialogue of all the members so ideas and creativity can flow like a flood. The importance of this phase cannot be under emphasized because the team has to understand the scope of the project. Also during this phase the team is learning about each other. Training the members to develop relationships quickly can be difficult because not everyone is an extrovert. Those members who are not used to speaking up or contributing without being asked need to be coached by the leader to share their ideas without fear of hostility or animosity.
Team building behaviors and procedures:
• Emphasize common interests and values.
• Use ceremonies and rituals.
• Use symbols to develop identification with the group.
• Encourage and facilitate social interaction.
• Tell people about group activities and achievements.
• Conduct process analysis sessions.
• Conduct alignment sessions.
• Increase incentives for mutual cooperation. (Yukl, 2006, p. 335)
Other challenges are headstrong members who can and will butt heads on ideas and proposals. These members need to be controlled by the leader in a respectful and authoritive manner to keep order and civility in the team. Developing these leaders can be difficult because human nature can allow leaders become headstrong and power-hungry. A leader of this caliber can destroy a team in a matter of moments. Team members will shut down and not want to participate with a leader that is abusive. By training team leaders to be open to creativity and collaboration can create teams with infinite possibilities. Leadership in team development is critical and must be handled by well trained facilitators.
Cross functional team leadership skills
1. Technical expertise: The leader must be able to communicate about technical matters with team members from diverse functional backgrounds.
2. Cognitive skills: The leader must be able to solve complex problems that require creativity and systems thinking, and must understand how the different functions are relevant to the success of the project.
3. Interpersonal skills: The leader must be able to understand the needs and values of team members, to influence them, resolve conflicts, and build cohesiveness.
4. Project management skills: The leader must be able to plan and organize the project activities, select qualified members of the team, and handle budgeting and financial responsibilities.
5. Political skills: The leader must be able to develop coalitions and gain resources, assistance, and approvals from top management and other relevant parties. (Yukl, 2006, p. 329)
In this example of cross functional team leadership, the chart show the main skills needed for an effective leader. Very rarely are these skills inherent to a person, it is taught through years of team building and training.
Secondary Phases
Storming and Norming are the next phases of a team’s creation that a leader has to control so as the team continues down the path without distractions or tangents. This communication phase has now, hopefully, opened the door to creativity. Ideas and theories should be flowing like a river, focused and following a route to a destination. This is unlike the previous phase where ideas had no set direction or purpose, like a flood. Here is where the leader’s job becomes more like a driver and not the cattle herder of the Forming stage. Training this team to is easier because it has a focus and a foreseeable destination. The leader’s training now switches to collaboration and away from leading. Many leaders have a hard time switching to this phase because he/she has been in control and now that control has to be relinquished to the team so the collaboration phase can continue unhindered. Training the leaders to relish the cohesiveness of the team and not the power of leading the team is imperative to success to teams. Not to say the leader does not and cannot regain that power at a moment’s notice, but to place it in the background until needed.
Collaboration
Collaboration in teams is normally an after effect of the Forming, Storming, and Norming phases of team building. When a team has gone through the building phases it can usually collectively come together and get the ideas and theories hammered out into working molds of the project. In the cases where this did not happen on its own, collaboration needs a jumpstart from the leader.
1. Treat the collaboration as a personal commitment. Its’ (sic) people that make partnerships work.
2. Anticipate that it will take up management time. If you can’t spare the time, don’t start it.
3. Mutual respect and trust are essential. If you don’t trust the people you are negotiating with, forget it.
4. Remember that both partners must get something out of it (money, eventually). Mutual benefit is vital. This will probably mean you’ve got to give something up. Recognize this from the outset.
5. Make sure you tie up a tight legal contract. Don’t put off resolving unpleasant or contentious issues until “later.” Once signed, however, the contract should be put away. If you refer to it, something is wrong with the relationship.
6. Recognize that during the course of a collaboration, circumstances and markets change. Recognize your partner’s problems and be flexible.
7. Make sure that you and your partner have mutual expectations of the collaboration and its time scale. One happy and one unhappy partner is a formula for failure.
8. Get to know your opposite numbers at all levels socially. Friends take longer to fall out.
9. Appreciate that cultures— both geographic and corporate—are different. Don’t expect a partner to act or respond identically to you. Find out the true reason for a particular response.
10. Recognize your partner’s interests and independence.
11. Even if the arrangement is tactical in your eyes, make sure you have corporate approval. Your tactical activity may be a key piece in an overall strategic jigsaw puzzle. With corporate commitment to the partnership, you can act with the positive authority needed in these relationships.
12. Celebrate achievement together. It’s a shared elation, and you’ll have earned it! (Mintzberg, Lampel, Quinn, & Ghoshal, 2003, p. 259)
Although this passage refers to the alliances between companies, a team should have the same ideas and planning in its conception. Clearly defined goals and a contract, of sorts, to outline the ground rules are helpful. Bringing each member together on the same page takes skills in listening and developing relationships. Getting down to the member’s level and finding out what works to motivate the member is essential. This is also the stage where those who are slower in responding can be accidentally left behind and the team can suffer a serious setback. This can cause distrust and/or feelings of dishevel within the team. The left behind member(s) can begin to believe his/her/their ideas and contributions do not matter and begin to disconnect from the team. The other direction is the momentum of the other member(s) is brought to a screeching halt and, possibly, reversed causing exasperation and annoyance. This too will cause the member(s) to disconnect from the team. By keeping the team cohesive and interested the team is destined for success. Team efficacy is important to the future success of the team. It is the management’s job to ensure a team has everything it needs to be successful.
Success breeds success. Teams that have been successful raise their beliefs about future success, which, in turn, motivates them to work harder. What, if anything, can management do to increase team efficacy? Two possible options are helping the team to achieve small successes and providing skill training. Small successes build team confidence. As a team develops an increasingly stronger performance record, it also increases the collective belief that future efforts will lead to success. (Robbins & Judge, 2007, p. 352)
With training in developing relationships, team building, conflict management, and interpersonal skills a team has the best chance possible in succeeding.
Conflict
Conflict within teams is an inevitable truth and has to be controlled in a constructive manner so the team benefits from the differences and diversity of ideas. Without conflict a team is just a train heading nowhere. Someone must come up with an alternate idea or eventually the train will run off a cliff or hit another train. Alternate routes are imperative for a constructive and relevant journey. The team cannot just agree all the time because the conclusion(s) may not be in the best interests of the project. Teaching conflict resolution and constructive criticism is one way to have conflict be a beneficial part of team collaboration.
Conclusion
Once all these areas, communication, collaboration, and conflict are controlled as a positive part of the team building process the team can begin Performing as a cohesive unit with success in its future. Team building training at the University of Phoenix is a vital part of successfully obtaining the mission and goals of the school. Each member of the team must be on-board or the team cannot, or will under extreme duress, succeed. Success of the team increases not just profits for the school but also the personal goals of the team members and the goals of the students completing their education.
University of Phoenix Team Building Training
A team training program for the University of Phoenix must encompass all areas of communication, collaboration, and conflict. The program must be developed to ensure communication is coherent, constructive, and relevant. Collaboration needs to be cohesive and creative so the learner(s) can retain the information better. In case of conflict, a plan has to cover as many scenarios as possible to effectively bring the team or group back to together. Lastly, the program must meet the criteria for the University of Phoenix training policy. In the Williams Institute self-assessment survey I found my tendencies run most toward Obligation and least toward Results. This is true as I believe people have an obligation to respect others and their ideas and beliefs. Ethically this creates a better world of diversity where people can share theories and ideas freely. In business it is the companies who have embraced diversity of thought and creativity with the greatest success and longevity. Apple, Microsoft, Google, General Electric, and many, many others have cultivated diverse workforces. The companies obligation to allow free thinkers the open doors to invest in themselves and take the ideas to the next level have created some of the greatest innovations of the last century. IPod, Windows, Magnetic Resonasence Imaging, etc. have revolutionized the world and greater ideas come every day. These companies fostered teams with fantastic ideas and visions to make them reality.
Communication
Team communication has to be beneficial to the effectiveness of the team. Since the teams will work closely together on various projects, as well as individually, continued contact about the ongoing progress of the project must be available for the members.
Beginning Phases
During the beginning phases of the project or assignment the team needs to be in constant contact, either face-to-face or by video/phone conferences to ensure the flow of information is not broken or miss-communicated. This phase, Forming, needs to be an open dialogue of all the members so ideas and creativity can flow like a flood. The importance of this phase cannot be under emphasized because the team has to understand the scope of the project. Also during this phase the team is learning about each other. Training the members to develop relationships quickly can be difficult because not everyone is an extrovert. Those members who are not used to speaking up or contributing without being asked need to be coached by the leader to share their ideas without fear of hostility or animosity.
Team building behaviors and procedures:
• Emphasize common interests and values.
• Use ceremonies and rituals.
• Use symbols to develop identification with the group.
• Encourage and facilitate social interaction.
• Tell people about group activities and achievements.
• Conduct process analysis sessions.
• Conduct alignment sessions.
• Increase incentives for mutual cooperation. (Yukl, 2006, p. 335)
Other challenges are headstrong members who can and will butt heads on ideas and proposals. These members need to be controlled by the leader in a respectful and authoritive manner to keep order and civility in the team. Developing these leaders can be difficult because human nature can allow leaders become headstrong and power-hungry. A leader of this caliber can destroy a team in a matter of moments. Team members will shut down and not want to participate with a leader that is abusive. By training team leaders to be open to creativity and collaboration can create teams with infinite possibilities. Leadership in team development is critical and must be handled by well trained facilitators.
Cross functional team leadership skills
1. Technical expertise: The leader must be able to communicate about technical matters with team members from diverse functional backgrounds.
2. Cognitive skills: The leader must be able to solve complex problems that require creativity and systems thinking, and must understand how the different functions are relevant to the success of the project.
3. Interpersonal skills: The leader must be able to understand the needs and values of team members, to influence them, resolve conflicts, and build cohesiveness.
4. Project management skills: The leader must be able to plan and organize the project activities, select qualified members of the team, and handle budgeting and financial responsibilities.
5. Political skills: The leader must be able to develop coalitions and gain resources, assistance, and approvals from top management and other relevant parties. (Yukl, 2006, p. 329)
In this example of cross functional team leadership, the chart show the main skills needed for an effective leader. Very rarely are these skills inherent to a person, it is taught through years of team building and training.
Secondary Phases
Storming and Norming are the next phases of a team’s creation that a leader has to control so as the team continues down the path without distractions or tangents. This communication phase has now, hopefully, opened the door to creativity. Ideas and theories should be flowing like a river, focused and following a route to a destination. This is unlike the previous phase where ideas had no set direction or purpose, like a flood. Here is where the leader’s job becomes more like a driver and not the cattle herder of the Forming stage. Training this team to is easier because it has a focus and a foreseeable destination. The leader’s training now switches to collaboration and away from leading. Many leaders have a hard time switching to this phase because he/she has been in control and now that control has to be relinquished to the team so the collaboration phase can continue unhindered. Training the leaders to relish the cohesiveness of the team and not the power of leading the team is imperative to success to teams. Not to say the leader does not and cannot regain that power at a moment’s notice, but to place it in the background until needed.
Collaboration
Collaboration in teams is normally an after effect of the Forming, Storming, and Norming phases of team building. When a team has gone through the building phases it can usually collectively come together and get the ideas and theories hammered out into working molds of the project. In the cases where this did not happen on its own, collaboration needs a jumpstart from the leader.
1. Treat the collaboration as a personal commitment. Its’ (sic) people that make partnerships work.
2. Anticipate that it will take up management time. If you can’t spare the time, don’t start it.
3. Mutual respect and trust are essential. If you don’t trust the people you are negotiating with, forget it.
4. Remember that both partners must get something out of it (money, eventually). Mutual benefit is vital. This will probably mean you’ve got to give something up. Recognize this from the outset.
5. Make sure you tie up a tight legal contract. Don’t put off resolving unpleasant or contentious issues until “later.” Once signed, however, the contract should be put away. If you refer to it, something is wrong with the relationship.
6. Recognize that during the course of a collaboration, circumstances and markets change. Recognize your partner’s problems and be flexible.
7. Make sure that you and your partner have mutual expectations of the collaboration and its time scale. One happy and one unhappy partner is a formula for failure.
8. Get to know your opposite numbers at all levels socially. Friends take longer to fall out.
9. Appreciate that cultures— both geographic and corporate—are different. Don’t expect a partner to act or respond identically to you. Find out the true reason for a particular response.
10. Recognize your partner’s interests and independence.
11. Even if the arrangement is tactical in your eyes, make sure you have corporate approval. Your tactical activity may be a key piece in an overall strategic jigsaw puzzle. With corporate commitment to the partnership, you can act with the positive authority needed in these relationships.
12. Celebrate achievement together. It’s a shared elation, and you’ll have earned it! (Mintzberg, Lampel, Quinn, & Ghoshal, 2003, p. 259)
Although this passage refers to the alliances between companies, a team should have the same ideas and planning in its conception. Clearly defined goals and a contract, of sorts, to outline the ground rules are helpful. Bringing each member together on the same page takes skills in listening and developing relationships. Getting down to the member’s level and finding out what works to motivate the member is essential. This is also the stage where those who are slower in responding can be accidentally left behind and the team can suffer a serious setback. This can cause distrust and/or feelings of dishevel within the team. The left behind member(s) can begin to believe his/her/their ideas and contributions do not matter and begin to disconnect from the team. The other direction is the momentum of the other member(s) is brought to a screeching halt and, possibly, reversed causing exasperation and annoyance. This too will cause the member(s) to disconnect from the team. By keeping the team cohesive and interested the team is destined for success. Team efficacy is important to the future success of the team. It is the management’s job to ensure a team has everything it needs to be successful.
Success breeds success. Teams that have been successful raise their beliefs about future success, which, in turn, motivates them to work harder. What, if anything, can management do to increase team efficacy? Two possible options are helping the team to achieve small successes and providing skill training. Small successes build team confidence. As a team develops an increasingly stronger performance record, it also increases the collective belief that future efforts will lead to success. (Robbins & Judge, 2007, p. 352)
With training in developing relationships, team building, conflict management, and interpersonal skills a team has the best chance possible in succeeding.
Conflict
Conflict within teams is an inevitable truth and has to be controlled in a constructive manner so the team benefits from the differences and diversity of ideas. Without conflict a team is just a train heading nowhere. Someone must come up with an alternate idea or eventually the train will run off a cliff or hit another train. Alternate routes are imperative for a constructive and relevant journey. The team cannot just agree all the time because the conclusion(s) may not be in the best interests of the project. Teaching conflict resolution and constructive criticism is one way to have conflict be a beneficial part of team collaboration.
Conclusion
Once all these areas, communication, collaboration, and conflict are controlled as a positive part of the team building process the team can begin Performing as a cohesive unit with success in its future. Team building training at the University of Phoenix is a vital part of successfully obtaining the mission and goals of the school. Each member of the team must be on-board or the team cannot, or will under extreme duress, succeed. Success of the team increases not just profits for the school but also the personal goals of the team members and the goals of the students completing their education.
Leadership Style Self-Assessment
If you have never taken a self-assessment test in any form, I highly recommend you do in the near future. I found out a great deal of information in my personal style of leadership.
Leadership Style
Leadership has many different facets which cannot be detailed sufficiently under a one-size-fits-all umbrella. Many phases must be assessed to accurately paint a picture of what makes a great leader and the style in which the person projects. In different settings and situations a leader must adapt and change his/her style to achieve the best results. Truly great leaders can mold and metamorphosis to the situation.
Self Assessment Test Results
After completing the self assessment tests on the Materials page of the University of Phoenix student website I found my style of leadership reflects an accurate portrait as I see myself. I have always felt I am a good leader and care about the success of, not only myself but, my team and subordinates. My test results reinforced this self confidence. I am trusting but not gullible or naive. I enforce the rules and regulations, I or the team have set forth, but I am not a slave driver. The satisfaction of my team and subordinates is important but not at the expense of the project or company. I emphasize training and learning along with developing skills to help each member grow as a person and an employee. The assessment indicates I am high in the area of task-oriented personality type but, although to a lesser extent, I am people-oriented. This means I expect the very best an employee can give me but I am sensitive to the needs of the team also. I am not an autocratic leader. I feel people are the most important cog in the wheel of business. Without a talented workforce a company is doomed to mediocrity if not failure. A talented workforce must have an equally talented leadership team to guide the company. Employee satisfaction is an important aspect for recruiting and retaining these talented individuals. In the category of team building I scored a 108, on a scale of 18 to 108 (95+ being the top quartile), indicating I am a good team builder and leader. Being in the top percentile of this assessment proves, to me at least, I have the characteristics companies look for in managers and leaders.
Leadership Theories
According to Gary Yukl in Leadership in Organizations (2006) many of the theories are either leader based or follower based. I think that a good leader is a support structure for his/her subordinates. I was taught by a former manager, who was an excellent leader and motivator, that a leader is first and foremost a support structure for the workers. He always said “a salaried person in the company is merely a drain on the payroll” (personal correspondence, n.d.). His theory was that any person that did not produce a product or provide a service that brought a profit to the company was a drain on the company. In the automotive business commissioned employees (technicians, sales people, etc.) are the producers of the company. They bring in the money. Salaried managers and hourly office personnel only cause the company an expense because they do not produce a sellable product or service. This is why my employees are the backbone of the company. Although the management, office staff, and hourly employees are important, without the technicians, sales people, and other commission only personnel an automotive dealer is not profitable. This situation best aligns with the empowerment theory although some parts of other theories mix in making it very difficult to pinpoint a direct correlation to any one or two theories.
Career Choices
The best jobs for me involve leading people in dynamic areas of corporate business. I feel I am best suited as a corporate board member such as CEO, COO, or Vice President of Operations. I am at my best when making tough decisions, guiding the ship through rough waters so to speak. Leading large teams and putting together demanding projects stimulates me and makes my day worthwhile. Drudgery and monotony are surefire ways to bore me to tears. “In terms of exerting effort at work, there is impressive evidence that people who score high on conscientiousness, extraversion, and emotional stability are likely to be highly motivated employees” (Robbins & Judge, 2007, p. 134).
Leadership Strengths
In my assessment of my leadership style I have come to realize, because I am an extrovert, I am an effective listener. I feel it is important to ask questions of my subordinates and rely on their answers as part of my decision process. They are the ones directly affected by the decisions of change and their concerns and/or ideas can drastically affect the outcome of the change. If the employee(s) are on-board with the change and have had their concerns or ideas taken into account during the change they are more receptive to the end product. If they feel their input is not welcome, or was not taken into consideration, they are more likely to resist the change and many aspects will be affected such as; lower productivity, higher turnover, attrition, lower morale, etc. Too many times companies make changes that affect the lower order of the company without regards to how it will affect them. Sometimes it is not possible to delay and the change must be instituted, but the management should be ready to explain the reasons and show good cause why the changes were installed. I want my team to feel they can come to me and ask me or tell me anything that may be concerning them or ideas they may have to increase or decrease something. They do the work every day, and I trust their expertise. But I also expect when I institute a policy or procedure, or make a change, everyone will follow my instructions to the letter without question or hesitation. I address all questions and concerns as soon as possible but require the changes to be made uninterrupted. I believe I am a fair and consistent leader. I do not hold grudges or single people out because they do not think like I do. Diverse thinking is what makes a company succeed in the marketplace. I take criticism well and rarely take anything personal unless it is a direct attack. My subordinates question me from time to time and I am always open to their input to make business better for them and our customers. They know I make decisions based on what I think customers want or need to bring in more business. They also know I will not make them work for free just to pacify a customer. That balance has made my leader status grow over the years.
Leadership Weaknesses
One weakness I see in myself is when I take too long to make a decision. I like to have all the facts and research in front of me to make an informed decision. In the automotive business hesitation can lead to failure. Customers want the best deal and they want it now! Automotive customers make purchases based on need and availability. If a company is giving a 10% discount on a front-end alignment chances are customers will go to that company before returning to their regular dealer. Or a vendor will have a one-time offer on a product and sell out before I have the chance to check around to make sure I am getting a good deal. This weakness has saved me from haste decisions that could have been disastrous so I take comfort in not always jumping on the first thing I see or hear. Another weakness I have been told I have is I tend to be very straight forward and direct with people. I do not dodge around or make a lot of concessions for feelings. I want people to understand where I stand and then I listen to their part. Customers can be offended by this at times but I am really doing it for their benefit. I never want a customer to misunderstand what I say or do. If something is unclear or vague a customer instantly thinks you are being deceptive. I do not want a customer walking away thinking I was trying to take advantage of, or cheating, them.
Conclusion
Because so many leadership theories exist it is hard to nail down one type that accurately describes me. I have many qualities of each one, but I possess all five of the Big Five leadership traits in key areas such as extrovert, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness to experience. Scoring high in all of these areas gives me the right combination of attributes to be an effective leader.
Leadership Style
Leadership has many different facets which cannot be detailed sufficiently under a one-size-fits-all umbrella. Many phases must be assessed to accurately paint a picture of what makes a great leader and the style in which the person projects. In different settings and situations a leader must adapt and change his/her style to achieve the best results. Truly great leaders can mold and metamorphosis to the situation.
Self Assessment Test Results
After completing the self assessment tests on the Materials page of the University of Phoenix student website I found my style of leadership reflects an accurate portrait as I see myself. I have always felt I am a good leader and care about the success of, not only myself but, my team and subordinates. My test results reinforced this self confidence. I am trusting but not gullible or naive. I enforce the rules and regulations, I or the team have set forth, but I am not a slave driver. The satisfaction of my team and subordinates is important but not at the expense of the project or company. I emphasize training and learning along with developing skills to help each member grow as a person and an employee. The assessment indicates I am high in the area of task-oriented personality type but, although to a lesser extent, I am people-oriented. This means I expect the very best an employee can give me but I am sensitive to the needs of the team also. I am not an autocratic leader. I feel people are the most important cog in the wheel of business. Without a talented workforce a company is doomed to mediocrity if not failure. A talented workforce must have an equally talented leadership team to guide the company. Employee satisfaction is an important aspect for recruiting and retaining these talented individuals. In the category of team building I scored a 108, on a scale of 18 to 108 (95+ being the top quartile), indicating I am a good team builder and leader. Being in the top percentile of this assessment proves, to me at least, I have the characteristics companies look for in managers and leaders.
Leadership Theories
According to Gary Yukl in Leadership in Organizations (2006) many of the theories are either leader based or follower based. I think that a good leader is a support structure for his/her subordinates. I was taught by a former manager, who was an excellent leader and motivator, that a leader is first and foremost a support structure for the workers. He always said “a salaried person in the company is merely a drain on the payroll” (personal correspondence, n.d.). His theory was that any person that did not produce a product or provide a service that brought a profit to the company was a drain on the company. In the automotive business commissioned employees (technicians, sales people, etc.) are the producers of the company. They bring in the money. Salaried managers and hourly office personnel only cause the company an expense because they do not produce a sellable product or service. This is why my employees are the backbone of the company. Although the management, office staff, and hourly employees are important, without the technicians, sales people, and other commission only personnel an automotive dealer is not profitable. This situation best aligns with the empowerment theory although some parts of other theories mix in making it very difficult to pinpoint a direct correlation to any one or two theories.
Career Choices
The best jobs for me involve leading people in dynamic areas of corporate business. I feel I am best suited as a corporate board member such as CEO, COO, or Vice President of Operations. I am at my best when making tough decisions, guiding the ship through rough waters so to speak. Leading large teams and putting together demanding projects stimulates me and makes my day worthwhile. Drudgery and monotony are surefire ways to bore me to tears. “In terms of exerting effort at work, there is impressive evidence that people who score high on conscientiousness, extraversion, and emotional stability are likely to be highly motivated employees” (Robbins & Judge, 2007, p. 134).
Leadership Strengths
In my assessment of my leadership style I have come to realize, because I am an extrovert, I am an effective listener. I feel it is important to ask questions of my subordinates and rely on their answers as part of my decision process. They are the ones directly affected by the decisions of change and their concerns and/or ideas can drastically affect the outcome of the change. If the employee(s) are on-board with the change and have had their concerns or ideas taken into account during the change they are more receptive to the end product. If they feel their input is not welcome, or was not taken into consideration, they are more likely to resist the change and many aspects will be affected such as; lower productivity, higher turnover, attrition, lower morale, etc. Too many times companies make changes that affect the lower order of the company without regards to how it will affect them. Sometimes it is not possible to delay and the change must be instituted, but the management should be ready to explain the reasons and show good cause why the changes were installed. I want my team to feel they can come to me and ask me or tell me anything that may be concerning them or ideas they may have to increase or decrease something. They do the work every day, and I trust their expertise. But I also expect when I institute a policy or procedure, or make a change, everyone will follow my instructions to the letter without question or hesitation. I address all questions and concerns as soon as possible but require the changes to be made uninterrupted. I believe I am a fair and consistent leader. I do not hold grudges or single people out because they do not think like I do. Diverse thinking is what makes a company succeed in the marketplace. I take criticism well and rarely take anything personal unless it is a direct attack. My subordinates question me from time to time and I am always open to their input to make business better for them and our customers. They know I make decisions based on what I think customers want or need to bring in more business. They also know I will not make them work for free just to pacify a customer. That balance has made my leader status grow over the years.
Leadership Weaknesses
One weakness I see in myself is when I take too long to make a decision. I like to have all the facts and research in front of me to make an informed decision. In the automotive business hesitation can lead to failure. Customers want the best deal and they want it now! Automotive customers make purchases based on need and availability. If a company is giving a 10% discount on a front-end alignment chances are customers will go to that company before returning to their regular dealer. Or a vendor will have a one-time offer on a product and sell out before I have the chance to check around to make sure I am getting a good deal. This weakness has saved me from haste decisions that could have been disastrous so I take comfort in not always jumping on the first thing I see or hear. Another weakness I have been told I have is I tend to be very straight forward and direct with people. I do not dodge around or make a lot of concessions for feelings. I want people to understand where I stand and then I listen to their part. Customers can be offended by this at times but I am really doing it for their benefit. I never want a customer to misunderstand what I say or do. If something is unclear or vague a customer instantly thinks you are being deceptive. I do not want a customer walking away thinking I was trying to take advantage of, or cheating, them.
Conclusion
Because so many leadership theories exist it is hard to nail down one type that accurately describes me. I have many qualities of each one, but I possess all five of the Big Five leadership traits in key areas such as extrovert, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness to experience. Scoring high in all of these areas gives me the right combination of attributes to be an effective leader.
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