Instructions:
- Post a new discussion related to the topics covered in this module. Your post needs to provide specific lessons learned with examples from this module helping you enhance your leadership capacity at work.
- After posting your discussion, review posts provided by other students in the class and reply to at least one of them.
7 Comments
One of the key take aways in this module for me was in the introductory video with Christine Porath. She spoke a lot of the importance of civility and that if you are not civil and in a place of weakness and need someone people won’t have your back. Being civil means doing the small things. You can have opinions and disagree civilly and with respect. You care personally and challenge directly. She also mentioned that people seen as civil are twice as likely to be seen as leaders and also perform significantly better. People who are civil are warm and friendly, competent and smart which are important attributes to have as a leader. They also found that employees believe being treated with respect was more important than recognition and feedback. The employees are more healthy and focused, are more likely to stay in an organization and stay engaged. Civility and respect matter and a leader can be tough on standards but tender with people.
Effective leadership is crucial for the success of any organization. Great leaders inspire and motivate their teams to achieve their goals. In this post, I want to discuss the leadership styles of three successful leaders: Sam Walton, Oprah Winfrey, and the CEO of Starbucks.
Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, was known for his hands-on approach to management. He was involved in every aspect of the business, from hiring employees to designing store layouts. He also firmly believed in empowering his employees and giving them the tools they needed to succeed. Under his leadership, Walmart grew from a small chain of stores to the largest retailer in the world.
Oprah Winfrey is one of the most influential women in the world, and her leadership style is a big reason for her success. She is a great communicator and has a unique ability to connect with people. Her leadership style is based on empathy, authenticity, and the ability to inspire others. She encourages her team to take risks and to be innovative, which has led to the success of her media empire.
The CEO of Starbucks, Kevin Johnson, is also a great example of effective leadership. He has a background in technology and has used his knowledge to transform Starbucks into a tech-savvy company. He has also focused on employee engagement and has introduced programs to help his team members grow and develop. Under his leadership, Starbucks has become a leader in sustainability and social responsibility.
In conclusion, effective leadership is essential for the success of any organization. Sam Walton, Oprah Winfrey, and Kevin Johnson are great examples of leaders who have used their unique strengths and abilities to inspire and motivate their teams to achieve greatness. Their leadership styles are based on empathy, authenticity, and the ability to connect with people, all essential traits for any leader.
Each of the leaders seem to embody a lot of the important characteristics of being a great leader and it shows in their success. Oprah for example, overcame her past and became the ultimate self-made leader. As you mentioned she encourages her team to be innovative and take risks, showing a lot of trust in her people, which inspires them to work hard to execute her vision.
Learning about and hearing from several effective leaders was very helpful. There was a lot of similarities between them that were clear to see, but some small differences as well. It was interesting seeing effective leaders across such a wide spread of jobs. This further shows that at the end of the day, we are leading people. It doesn’t necessarily matter what you’re doing as long as you’re passionate, have a vision, and are dedicated to being the most effective leader possible to further your goals.
I agree. It’s always interesting to see similarities and differences between successful leaders, regardless of their job or industry. Your observation that leadership is about leading people is spot on. Passion, vision, and dedication are crucial qualities for any effective leader.
It was empowering to hear the CEO of Walmart speak so highly of Sam Walton and his leadership qualities. He went above and beyond and he genuinely cared for everyone; from the customers, to the employees unloading the trucks all the way up to the CEOs. He treated everyone with respect. Which I believe is important to earn respect you must gain respect. The main purpose of Walmart was to reduce the cost of living, which is a great goal to have and to employee individuals that want to have the same goal. I do wonder how Sam Walton would feel now with the way his company is being run (Long, 2017).
Reference
Long, L. (2017). Effective leaders. 3.7, Week # 10. National Command and Staff College. Retrieved from https://cloud.scorm.com/content/courses
/NAGVXPB5E6/EffectiveLeaders9c66fdbf-7fd6-4d2d-80c7-7cfa28aa9d4c/3/index_lms.html
I also liked hearing Sam Walton’s leadership style. He had a purpose, to help the greater good for average citizens. It’s an admirable goal and it helped create a large following with customers and employees which grew Walmart bigger than I’m sure he ever planned. I’d agree the current purpose/vision probably has changed and it doesn’t seem for the better.