Leadership in Alcatel-Lucent Corporation - Admission/Application Essay Example

On one occasion, my subordinates were angered by the senior management as they demanded increases in allowances, which was an issue that had not been addressed over a long time. They were planning for a strike that would lead to great losses as the project at hand was running short of time. The people were overwrought and being in charge of the group, something had to be done to quell the tension. However, trying to convince the people to work without their grievances being addressed would bear no fruits especially due to the fact that it was the management’s responsibility to deal with matters regarding remuneration. My subordinates were concerned about their welfare while the administration remained silent about the issue. On the other hand, there was no need to get on bad terms with them by ignoring their concern and emphasizing work. However, they needed their grievances to be heard, yet they did not let the management know for fear of victimization. My employment would be jeopardized if the tasks were not accomplished effectively, yet I did not want to take sides. This left me in a stressful situation that required the strength of mind to overcome the challenge.

            The situation presented an opportunity to demonstrate my leadership qualities. Social skills were necessary to ensure that the usual relationship between the management and the subordinates was restored. However, the most critical issue was the fact that none of the parties was ready to relent in regard to the opinion of the other. The management would not take it easy if my opinion would favor the grievances of the subordinates, while on the other hand, I understood that the difference between me and the members of my team was small in spite of my leadership position. The bold leadership move was to convince my team members to maintain patience and offered to present their grievances to the management, which was an awe-inspiring task. It involved interpersonal skills to convince the human resource manager to have a meeting with the employees and listen to their complaints. For two successive times, the manager did not yield to my pleas, until a point when my efforts seemed to be doomed. However, courage and determination eventually brought success and there was no victimization on my side or that of the other employees. As their remuneration was reviewed, mine too was appraised and everybody was satisfied, which led to improved performance.