Company and Leadership Profile - Assignment Example

Company and Leadership Profile Student’s Name: Institution: Date: Company and Leadership Profile Task 1- After, I finish my studies I aspire to work in a competitive banking environment to grow my skills and competencies. Previously, I worked in a bank in Saudi Arabia where I was able to grow my skills and knowledge regarding various competitive banking processes. I have an ambition of working in HSBC in future to grow my skills and talents in banking. Since it is one of the largest banks in the world, it offers a lot of career advancement opportunities which are beneficial to my career advancement in future (Carter, Cook & Dorsey 2011). The company’s mission and goals advance the concept of multiculturalism which is captured in its excellence practices of rewarding workers who attain good performance. Since it has branches in many countries across the world, the firm is able to use its experiences in multiple industries to improve the quality of its operations to ensure they achieve a higher standard of excellence. The leadership style used in the firm encourages employees to participate fully to bring about positive changes in the manner in the manner in which the organisation is run. Moreover, different geographical subsidiaries of the company take note of cultural practices observed in particular areas which are included in their core policies (Carter, Cook & Dorsey 2011). This shows that the firm’s organisational culture is open and encourages stakeholders from different backgrounds to share ideas to improve the manner in which it performs its responsibilities in the industry. As a result, the firm has a modern outlook on industrial excellence because it includes all its stakeholders in relevant efforts that are meant to boost its performance in different industries it operates. This is a key aspect of organisational culture that helps the company to tap into its own resources to strengthen its brand value and image in the industry. HSBC’s physical work environment allows workers to engage with both customers and their superiors to come up with appropriate solutions to different problems the firm is facing in its operations. This approach has strengthened to concept of continuous learning and development in the firm to increase the value of its services (Venzin 2009). Therefore, the firm has identified the importance of giving its workers opportunities to grow their own professional capabilities to make them well prepared to deal with different challenges they are likely to be exposed to. This aspect of the firm’s operations attracts me to it and has encouraged me to work harder to measure up to the high standards which are observed in the firm. I have a passion for personal and career success and I am confident that the positive environment in the firm will make it possible for me to actualise my dreams. HSBC’s head office in Saudi Arabia is located in a positive location in the city centre which can be easily accessed by both personal and public transport. This is an attractive factor for me because I will be able to use less time commuting between my house and place of work. As a result, I will be able to save time wasted during commuting to focus all my energies towards positive achievements at the workplace (Venzin 2009). I intend to work harder to be considered for any position that is related to my skills and competencies to grow my career. Staffing practices in the firm are not discriminatory and they give consideration to employees and potential employees who demonstrate that they have the right skills needed to perform various task. As a result, this shows that the company’s recruitment standards only consider the best applicants to help it strengthen its position in the industry. There are several opportunities for graduates in the firm and this offers young people an opportunity to show what they are capable of. My desired career path is in banking and I intend to do all I can to make a name for myself in this industry. Since the firm has subsidiaries in other countries, I have a desire to work with employees from different cultural backgrounds to improve my understanding of what modern and international forms of banking entail. HSBC has a good track record in the industry which has helped it make a name for itself as one of the largest global banks (Haig 2011). The bank targets different types of consumers in various countries it operates in to build its presence internationally. As a result, it has been able to expand the appeal of its image internationally. The firm’s organisational strategy focuses on giving clients a high level of service excellence to increase them a higher level of satisfaction. I am a dedicated person who is always willing to serve others by creating time to engage with them. I also have good time management and planning skills that encourage me to finish whichever projects that I work on within strict timelines (Syrett 2007). Therefore, I set very high standards for myself and what I want to achieve and I believe that this is similar to the vision and objectives of HSBC in the industry. HSBC offers a very competitive service to its clients, which exceeds the general expectations of people in various business environments it operates. I am also attracted to its corporate values which consider the customer first in any business decision that is implemented by the firm’s management. As a result, I believe there is a high level of organisational fit between my personality and the general corporate culture observed by the firm. I am a person who welcomes divergent opinions from other people and I am always willing to take on new challenges to develop my skills and capabilities. Moreover, I am always willing to collaborate with other people to perform different tasks to attain positive results in various activities I engage in (Stadler 2011). finally, I am always self-motivated because I do all that I can to find solutions to various problems I am facing in a particular task. Task 2- Alan Mulally Ford CEO Alan Mulally is the chief officer of American automaker, Ford, who has managed to turn around the fortunes of the company in the industry. He worked in Boeing from 1969 as an engineer and rose through the ranks when he became vice president in 1992. Afterwards, in 2006, he left Boeing to join Ford Motor Company as its new CEO. Since he did not have enough experience in the automotive industry, many were quick to question the board’s decision to hire him to lead one of the biggest carmakers in the world (Baldoni 2012). Upon joining Ford, he was met with an individualistic organisational culture where both junior employees and their managers were only interested in advancing their personal interests at the expense of the firm’s success. However, his relentless attitude helped him overcome various bottlenecks at Ford and he was able to win over all employees working under him who improved their performance. At Boeing, Mulally was part of a team that developed 727 – 777 Boeing aircraft series which went on to register good performance in the market. Moreover, as Vice President of Engineering, he was able to create an efficient production system which helped the company to save costs. However, the failure by the board to make him the Executive President of Boeing encouraged him to exit the company to look for new challenges elsewhere (Baldoni 2012). When he made the decision to work for Ford in 2006, the firm’s main management team and board members were constantly engaged in power struggles which had a negative impact on performance. The firm had registered low profits in its operations and the manager sold underperforming assets and borrowed credit which helped to stabilise the firm’s financial situation. Ford sold Jaguar and Land Rover divisions to Tata Motors to focus on its flagship brand and this helped it turn around its fortunes in a very competitive industry. Mulally has managed to overturn negative perceptions about Ford in the market since 2006. He has taken bold steps which have helped to return the firm to profitability by analysing different trends in the industry that are likely to have an impact on performance. One of his initial milestones is the manner in which he united different executives in the firm to work towards helping it attain its goals in the industry. He managed to encourage them to put aside their differences to work for the firm’s long term benefit (Horwath 2012). Various Ford division executives were competing against each other which hurt the long term fortunes of the firm in the industry. He infused discipline by directing that all managers’ bonuses will paid out depending on the overall performance of the firm regardless of the performance registered by each unit. This approach united all executives and they became more willing to make personal sacrifices to boost results. Ford’s operations benefited immensely from his leadership because he was able to dedicate more time in improving the quality of different products the firm released into the market. Consequently, this approach encouraged all workers to learn new ideas in their specific in their work stations to help them improve the manner in which they performed their responsibilities (Horwath 2012). By mortgaging the company’s non core assets, he demonstrated that he was willing to cut down on unnecessary maintenance costs which were harmful to the long term prospects of the firm in the industry. His policies in the company vindicated him later in 2008 when other major American automakers, General Motors and Chrysler were forced to rely on government stimulus plans to revive their operations. He had a long term outlook of the industry which helped him anticipate various industry issues that were likely to have an impact on the firm’s profitability. Mulally has won numerous awards in recognition of what he has done in the industry. His leadership style is transformational because he has managed to create positive changes in the working systems of both Ford and Boeing. He creates strong foundations for business success which has included all important stakeholders in the firm to be part of his long term vision in the industry. This approach has won him many admirers and as a result, he has won many awards for his efforts in bringing improvements in the lives of other people (Saporito & Winum 2012). He was part of the top 100 Time list for people that have excelled in different disciplines in 2009. He was also named one of the top business leaders in 2005 on Business Week’s list for his achievements in Boeing. He has also won several lifetime awards for his contributions to transport, the most recent of which is the honorary Doctor of Science Degree he received from University of Kansas. Alan Mulally leadership story is very inspirational for a young graduate just about to start his career. He is an archetype of long term career excellence and dedication and this is exemplified by the long period he stayed in General Motors. During the economic turbulent period of 2008 to 2009, he was able to sell all corporate jets owned by Ford and he reduced his own salary to cut costs (Hoffman 2013). This is the hallmark of a leader who is willing to stick with his company even when the going gets tough for all stakeholders. His sacrifices and achievements will impact positively on my future career plans because I have learnt that a leader cannot achieve anything without having a positive relationship with people working under him. I intend to increase my skills and knowledge in all aspects to make me more competitive in different activities I engage in. Consequently, the results to the leadership profile have made me understand the significance of adapting to various trends in the industry by taking proactive measures. As a result, I have learnt that it is important for a leader to be always in touch with his employees to improve his own understanding about important issues that are likely to impact on the performance of his firm (Schermerhorn 2010). It is always good to take new challenges which can help a person to create high standards for himself to help him attain good performance in various activities he gets involved in. References Baldoni, J 2012, Lead with purpose: giving your organization a reason to believe in itself, Amacom, New York. Carter, GW, ‎ Cook, KW & Dorsey, DW 2011, Career paths: charting courses to success for organizations and their employees, Wiley, Hoboken. Haig, M 2011, Brand success: how the world's top 100 brands thrive and survive, Kogan Page, London. Hoffman, B 2013, American Icon: Alan Mulally and the fight to save Ford motor company, Crown Publishing Group, New York. Horwath, R 2012, Strategy for you: building a bridge to the life you want, Greenleaf Book Group, Miami. Saporito, T & Winum, P 2012, Inside CEO succession: the essential guide to leadership transition, Wiley, Hoboken. Schermerhorn, J 2010, Management, Wiley, Hoboken. Stadler, C 2011, Enduring success: what we can learn from the history of outstanding corporations, Stanford University Press, Stanford. Syrett, M 2007, Successful strategy execution: how to keep your business goals on target, Wiley, Hoboken. Venzin, M 2009, Building an international financial services firm: how successful firms design and execute cross-border strategies, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Read More