Development of leadership skills and organizational behavior

1. An introduction from my point of view

3 years ago, I had the opportunity to collaborate in the preparation of a plan for the transformation and expansion of an important company dedicated to tanning leather for the automotive industry. My participation at that time, was to write even 4 chapters of the plan. One of them dealt with “value creation” and the second (as an Industrial Relations graduate) on “empowerment”. My participation had remained quite reserved, because although I was part of the staff, the CEO wanted to give more strength to the plan, personally presenting at each of the three floors. At the end of the 4 presentations, the CEO was very satisfied because the plan was very well received at all levels. Since personnel policy has historically had traits of autocracy and paternalism,He suspected that he had not understood the depth of the change and that the CEO had also not perceived it. A change of culture was necessary. These processes are usually slow in the normal way and impossible if they are not clearly understood.

During my visit already in the MBA and in the modules of "Leadership" and "Org. Behavior », I have heard a lot about empowerment and about the plan to be drawn for the next five years. One of my colleagues, who has a lot of staff under his charge, had commented in an opportunity, that he had given his work team, the responsibility of organizing on his own account, the tasks necessary to achieve a certain goal and during the discussion he kept disappointed. This executive had realized that his collaborators were regulating the time so as not to do more than or just, nor to anticipate the scheduled date, thus undermining their performance and obtaining very uneven productivity. They had started with great enthusiasm and when they verified that they were approaching the goal, they visibly decreased their performance.After all, they had understood that they should not be held accountable for their daily decisions. Another colleague, with very little experience in dealing with personnel, tried to explain to the disappointed colleague that he was responsible for having set the objectives wrong and that he should not express his displeasure to the team so as not to show weakness. His advice was to increase the levels of demand in the next planning and find the limits of the team's performance, on the brink of non-compliance. The latter considered that, as the prizes were linked to the fulfillment of the goals, people would realize that they were discovered and then they would reach an optimal level of productivity. When it seemed that they were both reaching an agreement to prevent this irregular performance from happening again,they launched into a debate about the advisability of empowering staff. Although I was silent for a while, I couldn't help but participate in the conversation, because obviously neither of them understood the process, how to improve the performance of a team by "empowering" it.

With true Emotional Intelligence strategies we can determine the potential capacity that each person has to acquire certain practical skills called emotional competencies.

The Emotional Competence itself shows to what extent a person has known and been able to translate that potential into the actions of their daily life.

Based on Emotional Intelligence, it is possible to determine the way in which each person relates to and understands the world; taking into account attitudes and feelings, it includes skills such as impulse control, self-awareness, channeling of emotions, confidence, enthusiasm, empathy, persistence against frustrations, the practice of prolonged gratification; motivating others by helping them develop by harnessing their own talents and getting their commitment to common goals and interests.

Emotional Intelligence comprises a series of skills characterized as independent, hierarchical and generic. Each of them requires the others to develop, they serve as a basis for each other and are necessary to different degrees according to the types of work and the tasks performed.

Emotional intelligence is the product of concerted and harmonious functioning between emotional centers and intellectual areas.

Dr. Goleman systematizes the concept of emotional intelligence, takes it scientifically, exposing a schematic framework or framework of personal and social competences, talents, aptitudes and emotional skills, with examples of their respective manifestations in everyday life; proposing in turn the training; the implementation and the necessary steps to really achieve the planned objectives.

2. Description of my personal development

In order to describe my personal development as a leader, I have asked myself five questions, which are very important for personal analysis.

And I think it can be very helpful to practice "empowerement" at the leader level and putting into practice, what has already been learned in "Leadership" and "Organizational Behavior", the 5 questions prior to empowerment:

"Iron sharpens with iron and man with dealing with man"

(Proverbs 27:17 The International Bible)

• What exactly is expected of me? It is regrettable to verify that some people assigned to different functions in an organization, and supposedly empowered, have a completely different idea about their task, than the one who appointed it. Then, with surprise, the leader verifies that the person is doing things that no one asked him to do and corrects his behavior, as if he were abusively violating the freedom they gave him. Many times staff never fully understand the extent of their authority and responsibility. In other cases, the initiative of the people is expected, after having rejected a considerable number of proposals without trying at least one. forget that I am the Boss ”.What resources will I have? The limit of the resources that a person can administer will undoubtedly be a clear demarcation for the authority that he has in the organization. We have heard many times, instructions like this: "up to XXX amount (of money, overtime, etc.), do not consult me, any decision above that do not make it without consulting". However, there are countless cases that I can cite, where executives of an organization have never declared borders or limits for the decisions of supposedly empowered people. Competition for resources is always a problem for any project, activity and type of company. It will not occur to any of us to give all the components of our own family unlimited authority over its resources,but neither absolutely deny it. Every time we decide something, we have to consider how much it will cost, what resources it will demand and people who are empowered must acquire this habit that implies common sense. How will they let me know if I am achieving it? One of the most popular things that can happen to us in a company is getting excited and believing that we are close to success, when in fact they are waiting for us to finish our work, to tell us that we must do it all over again. Process assurance is everything. An observed deviation in time hardly influences, but detected late implies an enormous cost to get back on track. It is a principle that is very clear in the production processes, but which is usually ignored at the highest levels of decision. Leaders know they don't usually do everything by themselves,but they must also remember the need to accompany the process with the appropriate controls. Emporewement should not be confused with uncontrollability. Means of verification of any thin activity must be clearly agreed and established in advance. It is very naive to delegate to the monitoring team our activity and the evaluation of our own and their own performance. If we are one of those people with creative talent, who are always imagining things and delegating them to our team, we cannot worry about that operation. It is likely that if we do not closely follow the process, the tasks will begin to overlap one another, conflicting. Then,When the date we set in our minds for compliance comes, we will discover that only 20% of our talent became a concrete lake. Proper monitoring can change this performance to 80% effectiveness. Will someone be encouraged to accompany him on a journey without knowing without knowing the way, in an Instrumental vehicle, without maps and on a highway that is not signposted? If they refuse to do it, we can't blame them. What will success mean to me? Motivation is and always will be a direct consequence of recognition. Recognition is at the top of the pyramid of human needs, which Maslow defined. No one should feel disposable based on an achievement. It is clear to a leader that the success of his team is his own success, but it is not always clear to the team.Sometimes leader satisfaction is built on group dissatisfaction, and in that case, success will not be final. Lots of passion, a lot of pressure, and then a big decompression (which sometimes results in depression), with no inevitable cycles on some successful teams. Unfortunately in high performance groups, reaching the goals always produces a degree of wear. An estatega will be better in function of achieving his objectives with the minimum of losses in his lines. After reaching a goal and before misunderstanding, an evaluation of the staff should be made, which involves verifying the state of the people who participated. I have heard many times conversations between the members of a team that has just completed important projects and I am no longer surprised to hear: "wonderful, but don't count on me next time."The motivation for success should not be neutralized by the lack of motivation caused by a high price paid individually. Is there a place in the organization for my development? Every leader is a visionary and is also a mentor to new leaders. It is inevitable that his influence will awaken the dreams of the team members. The moment a person on the team begins to dream, an opportunity arises for the leader to support him and strengthen his sense of belonging. To discourage him will be to lose a potential leader and to repress him creates resentment. The strength of a visionary can always be channeled towards the fulfillment of goals. Competent people who remain committed must have access to development opportunities in the organization. If his abilities were different from those of a leader,they should be leveraged to expand the organization's total talent reach. A talented person should never be forced to copy one successful model for another, if it is to be frustrated for him. From low to high, it can be observed by granting faculties, the development of the personality and abilities of each member of a team. Necessity should never be the rule to assign a definitive task, but the intrinsic characteristics of that person should determine their role in the team. In a sports activity this comment would be unnecessary for its simplicity, but my experience is that in companies it is conspicuous by its absence. I have heard it said that some companies behave at times, like meat processors. If a company only has plans for itself and does not have them for its people,it is an egocentric and spiritless organization.

After analyzing this point, looking at the LEADER factor in an EMPOWERMENT process and dealing with COMMUNICATION among other factors, I was presented with a strong point that I also wish to address in this reflection which is: "The role of women." Almost the majority of MBA participants are men, and the same is true in practice with managerial positions.

3. The current role of women in the labor market (seen from a personal point of view and based on my experience)

The woman had and has an active participation in the development of humanity. History has countless talented women in the most diverse fields. Despite the fact that they stood out regardless of their feminine condition, it should not be forgotten that they had to overcome, in each case, the role assigned ancestrally: home and children.

Things were changing and the woman, with tenacity and sacrifice, day by day, was occupying places that were exclusively male domain. Today, there is almost no place where women cannot work. There do not seem to be any limitations or barriers, and yet it is too early to affirm that we are on equal opportunities.

This does not mean that the mere fact of being a woman affects or restricts the possibilities of developing employment, what is stated is that attention must be paid to certain particular aspects of hiring or promotion within a company.

1. It is necessary, for women, to plan life in advance to obtain good results in the medium term and not find a very limited horizon.

Of course, not all women have problems and many will say that they never had problems. This statement is valid, but there are many variables that come into play; one of them is the activity they carry out. There are sectors with a decidedly female majority: administrative employees, teachers, executive assistants, secretaries, receptionists, and without leaving beyond naming, the Managers. They are also required in sales, public relations, or telemarketer duties.

2. In the liberal or independent professions, women usually enjoy the same possibilities -and drawbacks- as men.

• Good signs : The labor laws created to protect working women end up granting them benefits that employers take as a burden and, something thought with the intention of protecting, leaves them more exposed to not getting high-level employment.

The changes will take place over time, since from a demographic point of view more and more women with high specialization are more and more. The need to take advantage of these human resources is going to force companies to start looking for solutions to capture them before the competition does.

The weapons that I know to face the difficulties just exposed, added to the already general unemployment, are training with an eye on the needs of the market and perseverance in the search for opportunities.

• Weaknesses & Strengths : Women tend to be less: Rational, resistant to criticism, confident in arguing, aggressive in strategies, adaptable to schedule changes, available for unforeseen trips, resistant to hostile environments.

  Women tend to be more: Communicative, experts in providing creative, intuitive and at the same time thoughtful solutions, attentive to small details, prone to take on homework, capable of organizing diversity, adaptable to new situations.

After reading and analyzing all the different aspects and points of "Leadership" and "Organizational Behavior", I have set out my objectives as well as "Leader", how to analyze my personal, professional and Leader development, taking into account by which objectives, I can get to measure this same development.

4. My objectives as Leader

1. Program, organize, execute

If the function of a leader is to lead the human group he leads towards a goal, he must necessarily specify what he wants to do, study how to do it, and with whom.

Therefore, it is important to schedule the task, outlining in general the overall (general) objectives to be achieved within a period, but also indicating in detail the activities that must be accomplished in a short and immediate period, such as for two following months and so on.

The projects to activities to propose must be concrete and realistic, that is to say, that although they demand sacrifices and efforts they are within the possibility of being put into practice.

If these attitudes do not meet such requirements and it is noted in advance that the project (or plan) exceeds the possibilities of what I can do personally, it is advisable to put them aside.

In this way I have set my goals for personal, professional and leader development:

5. My goals of personal, professional and “leader” development

1. PERSONAL CONDITIONS:
   • Emotional balance: Intervene naturally in the face of various situations that arise in group activity. Adapt positively to the demands of the interaction and not allow myself to be affected by unforeseen events; overcome the moments of tension that could occur in the activity, without losing control over my emotions. Attitude: Take on the tasks showing personal initiative, will and enthusiasm to bring ideas to the level of concrete achievements. My inner energy drives me to continuous activity. Solve the problems that come my way by directing my efforts towards achieving the objectives. Responsibility:Comply with the obligations assigned to me and with the established goals, reflecting a serious and committed attitude. Take great care and attention, worrying about achieving good results in my work. Humility: Know my strengths and weaknesses, and proceed according to this knowledge. Show interest and permanent predisposition to learn. Assess the recognition of the other and integrate it into a conceptual process. Common sense:Possess the ability to locate myself in the environment in which I interact, responding to the explicit and implicit guidelines and norms that regulate the exchange between people. Have a realistic view of the consequences of my actions. Seek to solve problems logically and rationally. Handle unforeseen situations judiciously.

     Prudence: Act spontaneously keeping the corresponding reservation on those data that require it. Show me caution when making judgments or opinions that you cannot properly support. Measure the consequence of my interventions.

     Responsiveness to criticism:Demonstrate broad criteria and intellectual openness to listen to opinions that do not agree with mine, without feeling personally affected. Modify my own opinions when I perceive that they do not respond faithfully to the problem being analyzed, correcting, if necessary, the course of action taken. Teamwork:I believe that if a person does not have the facility to interact with others and to work effectively in a team, it is difficult for them to survive in a market like ours. Most of the solutions that companies propose have to have people with many specific skills. There is always a stronger need for teamwork. The more one works in virtual group situations, the finer one's ability to relate to others has to be.

2. PROFESSIONAL CONDITIONS:

• Personal organization / Planning: Arrange my work conveniently using the resources made available to me. Plan my interventions so that they do not interfere with the normal development of the activity. Demonstrate being methodical in proposing and solving problems. Time management: Maintain a stable work rhythm, assuming the instructions given and respecting the established deadlines, in such a way that it shows that I am in a position to regulate my own work and make adequate use of my resources. Analytical skills: Distinguish important from complementary information and work mainly on relevant issues. Offer solutions that consider different nuances of the problems you face.Interpretability: Show conditions to understand and grasp both the problems presented in the case studies and the ideas presented by my colleagues, interpreting the information without distorting it. Creativity: Propose novel solutions, demonstrating talent to analyze problems from unusual angles. Pay attention to the ideas and demands of the client, granting him space, in order to improve the level of activity. Prepare the documentation in a clear and understandable way for easy understanding.

3. CONDITIONS OF LEADERSHIP:

• Emotional balance: Exercise balanced and sensitive leadership, using ethical resources. Respect the opinion of the other and accept the divergence as something natural and enriching. Personal security: From a positive self-esteem, keep my ideas firmly and ductile, trying to harmoniously fit between my role and the requirements of the activity. Communication: Transmit and generate trust and commitment when you define my ideas and guide me on how to put them into practice. Provide information taking into account the needs and expectations of the other. Being able to express my ideas clearly and knowing how to listen and interpret my interlocutor. Be a good transmitter and receiver.

6. Conclusion on the definition of LIDER on a personal level

It is very clear that concluding with the education of an MBA, it is very important to know how to define yourself as LIDER and how to put yourself into LIDER in practice.

For me it is very important to have my goals clear for the next five years.

• The business leader must be the first promoter of change within the company, must exercise a certain role of transgressor, of modifying rules «,« The value of a company depends increasingly on the value of its professionals, their talent and their disposition Therefore, the business leader has an important role to play as a promoter of talent within his organization, starting with the task of detecting it in the early stages of employees' professional lives and helping in their development «.

Every day more employers are aware that the success of the company does not depend 100% on machinery and technology, but on the attitude of employees towards work.

In my professional life I have visited courses in human development for industrial, commercial and service companies. Mainly courses: integration, teamwork, as well as motivational conferences.

The big problem that I have observed in many companies is the lack of coordination and teamwork.

With the free trade agreement, competition will be tougher every day. As in a battle, the strategies that the company takes will be fundamental.

The function of the personnel departments in the companies will be to place the indicated employee in the appropriate position.

Just as in sports, each position requires a profile or ability to perform, so you will have to do this in our companies. We must remember that when a person works using her skills, work becomes a hobby.

By having employees in suitable positions, our company will be healthier, happier and therefore achieve great goals.

What would be an improvement goal?

THE GOAL: It will be to have integrated groups, working as a team towards specific objectives.

The new century is very near, every day more businesses want to appear on the business scene.

It is a good time to decide to train and train our employees. And it is very important to know that, for the good exercise and training of business leaders, the visit and graduation of an MBA, the ideal is.

It is said that THE LEADER IS NOT BORN, THE LEADER IS MADE. Well, in our days, the new economy that is emerging in companies is generating the need to have, at the forefront of them, new leaders, with an international mindset, we would say, with an entrepreneurial spirit, leaders for globalization.

The business leader has to manage, make decisions without ruling out the possibility of making mistakes in them and therefore, having his own initiative. The relationship, the capacity for intercommunication dialogue is an indispensable virtue to be able to be a business leader. As I have mentioned in the area of ​​my goals of personal, professional and leader development.

The professional preparation of a leader is, likewise, indispensable, since he has to face a world that is going to offer him very strong competition and, consequently, to overcome it victoriously, he must be up-to-date and better prepared than the others.

Currently, there is a general tendency to carry out Postgraduate studies, the well-known MBAs, as it is in our case. The so-called BUSINESS SCHOOLS, are taught and undoubtedly help to train this leader so needed by companies.

The MBA undoubtedly help to have exchanges between different Universities and the practical training of the theoretical knowledge acquired in them.

They train to know how to make decisions, to take initiatives and naturally, to assume the corresponding responsibilities and business risks that all this entails.

Internationalization, that is, the possibility of interacting with other professionals, comparing levels of knowledge, of the different approaches, which can be given to each subject studied, is a fundamental experience, since it relates internationally to these people and helps an internationalization of business management.

Internet is a necessary medium for this and generates the field of NEW TECHNOLOGIES and even allows you to choose to generate your own company or to contact companies from anywhere in the world that may need your professional services. That is why I have considered the part dictated by Prof. Petrovic to be very important, which has opened up a very big panorama for me in understanding the importance of IT in the business world.

Therefore, today's business leader is equivalent to a professional with a global mindset and high professional and updated training. A very important point seen on the subject of Globalization with Prof. Spich.

Speaking several languages, constantly traveling, continuous work lunches, constant meetings, working, daily, from Sun to Sun, feeling essential in the company, giving up on vacations… it is not good for the company. nor is it positive for it. It is more we would say that all this is negative and useless. The fundamental thing is to be accompanied by that global preparation that will allow you to operate satisfactorily in any nation in the world, in any company, client or competitor, in any company supplying or supplying yours, ultimately in the business world in the that has to survive. This situation that I am currently experiencing in the International Bank Department in which I am working.

For this reason, I consider it very important to speak and understand what it is: GLOBALIZATION and INTERNATIONALIZATION, are the two basic pillars, on which the true leader rests. But also, you need to know how to deal with a Japanese, Chinese, Nordic, Latin, Saxon professional to your satisfaction and feel comfortable and developed in each of these different contexts. It is really difficult to bring these qualities together simultaneously. That is why there are so few leaders that we are talking about and already, being an executive, being a manager, does not mean that you are necessarily a leader. The authentic leader we describe cannot be mediocre. The top executive, the top and middle manager can be mediocre and even dire for the company you work for.

I dare say that most of the business failures that occur are not the consequence of a market crisis, absenteeism, or collective agreements, they are a consequence of the bad business management of these senior executives and managers. And this is logical, if the brain fails, the thinking and decision-making head of the company, when executing those erroneous decisions, the business management will fail and therefore the economic results of the company will be adverse and will lead it, if it is not changed. the course, a crisis or perhaps a technical bankruptcy.

I have always wondered, and especially while discussing with Prof. Haslberger the topic of “Leadership”: what would happen if, when a public or private company goes into crisis and bankruptcy, an external, exhaustive audit of the Management and Control were done Business of the same, instead of doing an audit of its External or General Accounting ?.

I suppose that nothing flattering for those responsible for it, as it would undoubtedly come out his bad and terrible management, at least, most of the time.

If I'm talking about Global Economy, necessarily, I have to talk about Global Business Leaders, which I think is evidence. We could call them, following the custom of introducing English words: GLOBAL MANAGERS.

But, I repeat, to be a leader you have to be an entrepreneur and to undertake you have to know how to take risks and responsibilities, that is, as I have always said, it is not worth being on the command bridge commanding a magnificent ship, in good weather, without problems On board, you have to be on the command bridge when there is bad weather, when there are problems on board, when the sea threatens to wreck the ship, when it is necessary to make decisions and face the responsibility of what is on your back, because In these cases, the easiest thing is to abandon the ship and leave it adrift, to the garete. That is what many entrepreneurs do, who are not such entrepreneurs.

Well, these authentic leaders, these authentic entrepreneurs-risks / decision, are the ones that international companies and banks need and they have to be forged through this postgraduate MBA training, of which I am more than happy and which I hope to share with you. maximum once completed.

In the US, as I have read in various articles, the students of these Business Schools are aware that they are training to run companies, to be true entrepreneurs, to rely on the training they have acquired and not on intuition, to ask for more and more rewards for governments, in threatening them to close companies, in reducing staff, in generating unemployment… An entrepreneur is not to generate unemployment and poverty, he is to generate jobs and wealth and in return, his reward, his compensation for all that sacrifice is obtaining the business profit.

The security they give these professionals, the training they receive, make them feel secure and firm in the field they are on, and many of them choose to create their own company, either individually or by forming a partnership with other colleagues. In my case, I want to obtain and achieve my objectives already mentioned in my Master Thesis, and in the Bank in which I am working.

I have read that in the USA, when an attempt to start a company fails, on its own initiative and the corresponding Master is not available, it tends to be obtained to see where it failed or experience is accumulated, the procedures used are analyzed, you see where those failures occurred, correct them, and start over. In Europe, it would be interpreted as an unrecoverable failure and the attempt would be definitively renounced. The concept of risk is different, without a doubt. They are different cultures, they are different reactions, therefore, globalization is necessary and essential. As it would also be very interesting to know the situation in Latin American Culture, from which I come. And that topic of Globalization was very treated in this Master, which fascinated me.

As a final conclusion, Are leaders born or made?

With that idea in mind, then the most pertinent answer to that question is that the leader is not born but is made. That means that I am talking about leadership that is accessible to many people, not reserved for an elite or a minority, nor for great characters.

The LEADER is done and a great opportunity is through the formation of an MBA.

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