As human beings, we are all faced with situations which require us to employ leadership skills. This is especially true when we interact with other people in places such as schools and our places of work where we are all expected to pursue a common objective.
For example, as one of the two line supervisors at a fast food restaurant in Atlanta, I’m charged with offering my leadership skills in order to achieve the common goal of the pizzeria; to provide high-quality food with excellent customer service. My supervisorial position means that I interact with both the junior employees and our customers on a daily basis. For instance, I insist on chefs observing the highest standards of hygiene while preparing meals. Moreover, I ensure that all waiters and waitresses are at their duty stations at all time for efficient customer service. In addition, I collect feedback regarding the quality of food and service from our customers in order to identify possible areas of improvements.
I believe the real work of an action-centred leader is to get the job done through the work team(s) and relationships with colleagues, usually managers and staff. As such, an action-centred leader must structure the task to be carried out. This normally involves directing the job to be done. Secondly, a leader must support and review individuals undertaking the task. Finally, such leaders must co-ordinate and enhance the growth of the work team as a whole. In order to achieve proper task structuring a leader must strive to do the following: define the task, make the appropriate plan, allocate work and resources, check performance against plan, control quality and rate of work, and adjustments of plan (where necessary). As far as the team is concerned, I’m of the opinion that a good leader should seek to maintain discipline, encourage members, and build team spirit among members as well as establishing proper communication channels between members of the team. With respect to individuals, an effective leader should recognise individuals’ abilities, praise them, attend to their problems and help them develop.
Leaders, particularly in the corporate world, should avoid being caught in a compromise trap. This refers to the gradual and sustained erosion of passion, vitality and confidence that results from dealing with unhealthy pressure, by ‘playing along’ with the game hence compromising in unhealthy ways. For instance, unhealthy pressure in an organisation could originate from external sources such as organisational culture, unethical boss, and the company policy. It could also originate from internal sources such as personal desires and drive for the trappings of success which could lead to unethical practices such as cheating, fudging members, backstabbing or even outright fraud.
Sales people, for example, have often confessed their worries to colleagues, believing that they are supposed to misdirect consumers by assuring them that each of their products is the best in its category, which is not true.
Doty (2009) affirms that a compromise trap can be very detrimental to the development of leadership abilities of a person. She attributes this to the fact that when one ‘plays along’ with the game they are likely to engage in unhealthy compromise which leaves them feeling even ‘smaller’ and less capable. This is especially so where the senior management in organisational are at the forefront of entrenching the culture.
Leaders, in such a scenario, should thus seek to ‘redefine the game’ as opposed to ‘playing along.’ In this regard, leaders who redefine the game in a positive manner in light of unhealthy pressure, by acting bravely so as to ‘help the right things happen’ for everyone exercise a degree of leadership exceeding their official roles (Doty, 2009).
In conclusion, today’s increasingly globalised and highly competitive corporate world, the managements of organisations are finding themselves having to deal with an increase in cases related with ethics. As a result, leaders’ chances of being caught in the compromise trap are ever increasing. Subsequently, organisational leaders should seek to ‘redefine the game’ rather than ‘play along. ’In fact, leaders who dare to ‘redefine the game’ experience an increase in their sense of confidence, courage, and confidence which makes them feel ‘bigger.’
WORKS CITED
Doty, Elizabeth. “The Compromise Trap: How to Thrive At Work without Selling You
Soul.” Berrett-Koehler Publishers. 2009.
