Following the American Psychological Association’s Guidelines
Abstract
Poor leadership appears to be a growing issue across the globe. Small business and large companies are struggling at the hands of poor leadership that would be easily remedied were it not for corruption, poor communication, and laziness. If there were more successful leadership in the world, unlike the type I experienced, there would be more successful business, and a more thriving economy. The problem is primarily with leaders not knowing how to lead, or generally just not wanting to lead. Many companies are so full of corruption; employees do not have anywhere to turn when reporting bad behavior. As in my situation, even Human Resources do not always hear cries for help when leaders turn to corruption and greed. If leaders took their jobs more seriously, striving to be exemplary models and inspire their employees to facilitate change within the company, business and trade would change. Companies would pull together in teams and global marketing would have new life breathed into it like never before. This result, however, cannot happen while leaders are allowed to act how they wish without being held accountable for how they treat their employees.
When it comes to business, one of the key elements is leadership. The management style can make or break a company. Leadership is so important, in fact, that it transcends the business world, infiltrating every aspect of our lives. Business is an important and effective tool when whether we are at school, or even when we are in our homes. Effective leadership styles can create an effective workforce and, therefore, an effective environment. Superiors are in a unique position of power that they can use to facilitate change while also helping employees understand that they are also part of an interdependent relationship. Management thrives off the employee just as the employee thrives off the direction of the management. Both sides are needed for tasks to be achieved successfully, as well as peacefully. It is true that poor employees have the power to influence the direction of a company. However, poor leadership can not only influence the direction of a company, but also destroy it. I have had the opportunity to witness several different types of leadership styles in many different occupational settings, and have realized that some work better than others do. One situation was specifically catastrophic. It was during my second summer job that I endured the worst leadership style. The leader in question was an authoritarian dictator, who relished in being dishonest, as well as insubordinate to his own superiors.
There are many ways superiors can choose to lead their subordinates. Working under this individual showed me that being an authoritarian, rather than simply authoritative, is not the way to foster a strong workforce. According to, “It’s All about the People,” there is a strong difference between the two styles. Authoritative leaders will often set boundaries and discipline the workforce, but within reason. They will also hold themselves to a higher standard and attempt to set an example through their own actions. Authoritative leaders, in comparison, will discipline with little thought to their own actions, and often lack the self-awareness to understand they are setting a poor example . My superior, for example, was dishonest about everything, but expected us to tell the truth when we were asked questions. If we did not, and he was alerted to this fact, we were punished. Some individuals were even fired for the offense. In terms of using his own actions to exemplify what a leader should be, as well as how we should be conducting ourselves as employees, he took little into account for how he acted. He would often lie to us about the consequences we would face if we did not complete a certain task, and would start rumors among employees. His actions took attention away from our jobs, as well as his, and the company began to suffer.
Eventually, his superiors began to take notice that our branch was not doing as other branches. The employees assumed he had been caught and would be reprimanded, or possibly fired, for his bad behavior. Unfortunately, this was not the case, and subsequently when my fellow employees and I began to learn that the company exercised a similar leadership style to my direct superior. He was accused not only of mismanaging the employees of the branch, but also of stealing profits the branch had made. When asked to answer for these accusations, unsurprisingly he blamed is subordinates. The superiors believed him, creating further issues. There was no investigation. According to, “Models of Performance Improvement for Strategic Planning, Relationships, Communication, Competencies, Training, and Management in the Workplace,” it is likely that individuals who exercise an authoritarian leadership style, such as these individuals, were hired from the inside, or hired from the outside by colleagues who knew them personally . In many of these situations, individuals are not forced to perform on the same level as other superiors, nor are they forced to learn the same primary leadership skills. On a fundamental level, leadership becomes stalled. The higher these individuals rise on the corporate ladder, the more stagnant the leadership becomes. Whether it is within a relatively small business, as I witnessed, or a large business the outcome is always the same and a sense of corruption will reign supreme. My boss was allowed to remain unfocused and corrupt because those above him allowed him to remain that way. Moreover, they were also unfocused and corrupt, to a point. Many of my peers attempted to go over his head, launching a campaign of complaints about his poor behavior, but they continued to fall on deaf ears. The leadership throughout the company was similar to that of my direct superior. Toward the end of my time with the company, he was not a leader at all. Many times we were forced to schedule our own tasks, complete inventory, order items, and see to other issues that are typically the manager’s business.
My superior also lacked organization and basic, respectful communication skills. His workspace was always messy. He did not bother remembering the names of employees who had been with the company for more than a year. Sometimes he was call us by nicknames that were occasionally degrading. At times, he would simply say, “hey you,” in reference to whomever was nearest to his desk. He lied to Human Resources frequently when employees complained not only about the lack of respect in regard to names, but also his frequent angry outbursts. If an employee was overloaded with tasts and took too long to complete what he wanted done, he would become angry and yell. His unorganized habits and anger problem continued to be an issue because he would often schedule us, and then lose the schedule. He would then schedule employees again on different days, at different times, and become angry when we would come to work at times he did not think we should be there. If an employee annoyed him or he overheared us attempting to alert Human Resources to his actions, he would ensure the person be fired shortly after the incident if possible. In short, he had no communication skills and was not a leader at all.
An evaluation of my superior’s ethical conduct and communication skills would yield an immediate assumption that he was not successful at leading or motivating myself, or my coworkers. “Building Bank Brands: How Leadership Behavior Influences Employee Commitment,” states how a leader acts will determine how closely the employees will follow not only the leader, but the company . The statement is true; as we all began to see his leadership skills deteriorate, we lost faith in him, as well as the company. I began to realize this was not a name, nor a person I wanted to be associated with, and quickly began making alternate plans. The coworkers that were fired became more relieved as time passed. His unethical conduct was disgusting, and did nothing to empower myself or my fellow employees. He did, however, motivate us by showing us how we did not want to act in the future. It was disheartening to see how easily he was able to maneuver out of each situation, but without Human Resources on site to see how he was acting, there was little we could do to respond to his actions.
There are innumerable actions that my former superior could have done differently that would have affected the motivation of my fellow employees and myself. One of the biggest changes he could have made was to set a better example. A good leader, according to Joel O. Rodriguez and his associates, is to be a model of how the employees should act . Being an exemplary employee yourself allows employees to see how they should act, but also what is possible if they follow the leader’s example, especially in situations when the company promotes from within. Secondly, an organization leader could inspire employees by believing change is possible. It was evident in my former superior that he was not attempting to make any changes or progress in a positive way. Rather, he was standing still, and it was clear he was miserable. Exemplary leaders will let employees know change is possible, and go after it, even if it seems impossible. This action is the essence of leading. Through their vision and passion they are able to show employees what they believe the organization can become if everybody works together, thus forming a unit, rather than driving a wedge in between people . Finally, a leader can challenge the current process by looking for innovative or creative ways to improve the organization. In this way, they are able to show employees that taking risks and experimenting is not only okay, but also often yields positive results. It also encourages the company to work as a team. It provides the risk of failure as a chance to learn, as well .
While some leaders, such as my former superior, often see diversity as a crippling aspect of managing a company, others see it as an opportunity for positive change. Diversity allows for direct input from markets that would sometimes otherwise be inaccessible, for example . Competing in the global market is easier when data is being taken directly from a diverse source. Challenges also come with managing diverse groups. For instance, verbal and interpersonal communication is different for some groups. What is normal to a Caucasian may not be normal to a Native American, a Persian, or a Saudi Arabian. In fact, something that may be normal to one group may be offensive to another group. Understanding is important when managing diverse groups of people in order to avoid situations like this. It helps ensure that diverse groups of employees get a long and are able to continue working together cohesively as a team. Divisions based on communication can be difficult to overcome, but it is possible. Business strategies can include communication seminars, as well as meetings about diversity understanding. It had been found that when individuals explain themselves, as well as their own cultural preferences in terms of communication and interactions, it is better received by coworkers in a professional setting . Racism, of course, is an obvious issue when diversity is involved. An easy method to overcome racism is to tell those who have an issue with others to get over it. Racism is archaic and, essentially, rude. There is no justification or cause for it, especially in the workplace. Professionally, everybody is hired because they were deemed able to perform their job better than anybody else was, and that is all that should matter. An effective business strategy to overcoming this particular problem would be for the leader to set an example by not succumbing to racism, but embracing all employees equally. Other employees may follow the example and realize their preconceived notions are outdated.
In sum, I did not have an exemplary leader to follow. He was authoritarian and dishonest. His communication was poor and he did not respect his employees. Furthermore, it appeared the entire company operated similarly to him, because he was never disciplined for his actions. He could have changed many things about his leadership style. For example, he could have been more of a model for how employees within the company should have been acting. He also could have been more inspiring, and could have sought for change within the company, since it was fraught with corruption. Many issues, such as diversity, will escape him throughout his career. He will not see that diversity is a chance for the company to get the upper hand when competing in the global market, nor will he understand it is an opportunity to broaden his own mind and the minds of his employees. Exemplary organizational leaders will see these and other opportunities, and take advantage of them. I look forward to working for them someday, and avoiding the horrible leadership I once endured.
References
Burnison, G. (2012). Its All About the People. Leadership Excellence, 15.
Rodriguez, J. O., Burrus, S. W., & Shaw, M. E. (2011). Models of Performance Improvement for Strategic Planning, Relationships, Communication, Competencies, Training, and Management in the Workplace. Journal of Virtual Leadership, 10-22.
Wallace, E., Chernatony de, L., & Buil, I. (2013). Building bank brands: How leadership behavior influences employee commitment. Journal of Business Research, 165-171.
