The Five Messages Leaders Must Manage - Essay Example

 Reflection Paper on “The Five Messages Leaders Must Manage” by John Hamm Introduction If you ask the average population to explain what qualities make a good leader or a good manager, you would probably get many similar answers. Several attributes can contribute to a good leader in management positions, such as those leaders who has the full support and respect of their employees while realizing goal oriented results. In some organizations, managers may burden their subordinates to achieve the desired goals and build a positive image in the eyes of their superiors and co-workers. However, they may do so by imposing a sense of fear for failure or extremely stressful expectations upon those working for them. An employee may not be motivated by a positive reinforcement in the workplace, but rather by a “looming” fear that his or her job may be at risk if a manager’s expectations are not met. On the other hand, individuals who are gifted leaders can motivate individuals without intimidating them, but they may fall short of the corporate expectations as managers. In other words, some managers may be terrible leaders and some leaders make for very poor managers. Therefore, employees that combine the attributes of the skilled leaders and managers are valuable assets to their organization as they put their teams on the right track to support the organization’s overall goals. (Kotter, 2013) Discussion Honesty, humility, logic, confidence, compassion, ethics, morality, and a sense of humor are just a few of the attributes that may be sought out in a good leader and manager. Perhaps goal oriented, assertive, ambitious, and common sense are, also, just as important. (Prive, 2012) In his article “The Five Messages Leaders Must Manage,” Hamm puts forth five attributes a good leader and manager must adopt and present clearly to employees. Doing this will help him or her to handle a management position successfully. (Hamm, 2006) All of the messages mentioned in Hamm’s article are compelling and would obviously contribute positively to a manager's occupational success. However, Hamm’s list could be further extended, given the number of potential qualities that could attribute to a good leader and consequently a better manager. Some of these qualities are general and could help personify a good leader within any type of organizations. I believe “the list of messages to leaders” to be endless, and may not be encompassed in Hamm’s five messages nor in the following four messages that I suggest. 1. Do not just be proactive…be interactive Unintentionally, some managers may lean toward imposing their individual perspectives and ideas upon their teams. They may eagerly explain the preferred course of action their employees should implement without allowing for further discussions. Such managers may have genuine and viable ideas; however, other team members should be equally motivated to participate and contribute their ideas rather than acting as mere instruments. The manager being completely interactive within her team says a great deal about the quality of her leadership. (Prive, 2012) As we have discussed in the class, interactions and consequent conflicts are naturally occurring and necessary to spur teams’ synergy and collaborative efficiency. 2. Appreciate that “Teams” are the sum of their parts… For a manager that is not interactive, it is easier to think of the team members as single merged entities. They are identifiable to the manager by department names or team titles, not as skilled individuals forming a cohesive group dynamics. This may drive team members to feel as expendable as machine parts, and consequently not take individual pride in their work. A good leader takes the time to regularly review the people that contribute to the business’s success. Recognizing the names of the individuals and the jobs they perform make employees feel appreciated. Furthermore, acknowledging the quality of employees’ work makes them feel uniquely important and needed. (Makovsky, 2012) Moreover, it will gain respect for the manager and increase employees’ morale. In which case, employees may better perform, and contribute the success of their departments and to the goals of their organization as a whole. 3. A manager for all realities…even virtual… In today’s organizations, the role of managers and leaders has evolved and became quite different from how it was in the past. (Verhoeven, 2012) Today’s managers may be in charge of employees from different cities, states, or, even, countries. Many businesses have become international, and global virtual teams are becoming commonplace. This means that teams may bring together members of different ethnicities, cultures, and value systems. Such teams are more susceptible to miscommunications. For instance, a team member may insult or offend another, who is from a different culture, without knowing. In such teams, the leader, the manager, should be responsible for educating oneself as well as the rest of the team about their cultural differences. Also, a good leader should know what is necessary to motivate and communicate with the employees of different origins with varying ideologies and belief systems. This may promote team cohesion, efficiency, and productivity. (Prive, 2012) 4. It’s Great to Communicate…But Can You Listen? As Hamm referred the manager or leader must be able to communicate his or her expectations clearly to the team. However, it is just as important to listen actively to all your team members to avoid unhealthy conflicts within the team, reinforce rapport among the team members including you. People who speak less may detect more thoughts and form better and more thorough perspective before they speak. As mentioned in the article explains that at work it is good to allot a time for each of your team members when they can discuss personal work related issues and communicate work ideas and concerns. Thus, a manager may better understand his team. And lead them more smoothly toward the organization goals. One could say that the key to communication relies more on listening than talking in group dynamics. Conclusion These are not the only new messages that could be included with those suggested messages that the “Five Messages a Leader Must Manage” described. Of course, there are probably many more that others might think should, also, be added. There are some who would conclude that the qualities that define a good leader that people will respect and follow may be endless. Being a good leader and a good manager is not an easy combination to find. A successful leader has people who work not just for them; they have a staff who works with him/her. Together they can produce efficient, productive, and tangible results acting as a team that collaborates and genuinely cares about achieving unified company goals. References Hamm, J. (2006). The five messages leaders must manage. Harvard Business Review, 114-122. Kotter, J. (2013, January 9). Management is (still) not leadership. Harvard Business Review, Retrieved from Makovsky, K. (2012, February 16). What makes a good leader?. Forbes, 1. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/kenmakovsky/2012/02/16/what-makes-a-good-leader/ Prive, T. (2012, December 19). Top 10 qualities that make a great leader. Forbes, 2. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/tanyaprive/2012/12/19/top-10-qualities-that-make-a-great-leader/ Verhoeven, B. (2012, November 5). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://forumone.com/blogs/post/5-qualities-make-good-leader-social-media-age Read More