Leadership Interview - Essay Example

An Interview with Mike Lee Q. Please tell us about yourself A. My is Mike Lee and my family has been in Restaurant business for over 20 years now. I am the co-owner of the Osaka Japanese restaurant that I started 6 years ago.Q. Are you agreeable to have your responses discussed anonymously in class?A. I have no objection to it provided it is not reported in a newspaper or put on the web.Q. Thank you. Please describe your most significant challenges as a leader?A. To my mind dining is not just a need but a pleasure.

The comfort offered to the customer is vital. There is a huge growth in Asian population and Sushi is a very popular but very expensive dish. I had previously been managing two Chinese Restaurants along with my brothers. Since I had the capital and a good location I decided to venture into opening this Japanese Restaurant to offer Sushi at reasonable prices. I had plans to offer value for money to my customers but at the same time I had to look at my bottom line too. My biggest challenge was to find a supplier who could supply quality fish at reasonable price.

For this I made several trips to California, New York, Florida and even Hong Kong. My perseverance paid and I finally tracked a supplied that fit the bill. I am obliged not to reveal his name. This supplier is very selective and prefers to deal with customers directly without any middlemen. I got to see the owner, who is very reclusive, after eight attempts and he agreed to supply fresh fish to me after I made a solemn promise not to overcharge my customers. I consider this as the greatest challenge I faced in my business life.Q. What are the personal characteristics or behaviors that contribute most to your effectiveness as a leader?A. I believe my patience is the biggest asset.

This behaviour contributes to my effectiveness in my leadership role. I give a lot of time to hearing to everyone’s problems and suggestions, be it the employee and customer. That is why, despite other commitments, I see to it that I arrive early at the Restaurant and leave late. I have to be role model for my employees. I offer my quality time to the organization in my endeavour to satisfy everyone.Q. Who and/or what has contributed to your development as a leader? What was it about this person or experience that impacted your development? A. I look up to my Chef who has contributed the most to make me a competent Leader that I am today.

Without his unflinching support and suggestions Things could not have run as smoothly as it does now. Why, he even stays back with me and leaves when I do. He is the backbone of my business.Q. What are the most common ethical challenges you face as a leader? A. As an Asian I regard respect to be the highest ethical value in life. Respecting others, be they owners, employees, customers, and people with better knowledge enhance your learning and experience. Before being proud of one’s own achievement one should always remember that it is the result of teamwork.

I remind myself daily of this fact. This is my ethical challenge. The Interview of Mike Lee reveals the following qualities of a Leader. He is forthright in his assessment that a Leader should have the qualities of perseverance, hard work, patience, respect for others, and desire for building of teams. These are the key-learnings from the interview. Perseverance is a result of tirelessly raising quality standards and attempting to reach them. Once achieved the level has to be maintained and sustained constantly.

This requires self-monitoring. Initially it may also require some mentoring and seeking of knowledge. It is a continuous process of evolvement. Hard work is scheduling one self to setting targets and reaching them all the time. Without targets it is not possible to measure achievements and achievements are the reward of hard work. These contribute to the health and the bottom line of the organization. Patience is a virtue that overcomes problems and issues are solved with reason instead of rancour.

Self control and good listening habits help to build this quality. Respect begets respect and generates faithfulness which is the foundation of building a strong and vibrant organization. Team Building is the most important function of a Leader and to instil a measure of importance in every team member is a guarantee of success. Successful leaders prescribe following team rules. Successful Teams Rules are Common Understanding, Clear Communication, Respect for Each Other, Trust in Each Other and in the Leader, Conflict Resolution, Standing Up for Each Other, Acceptance of Leader Decisions and Commitment.