Leadership – Being a Change Manager

Keywords: future leader essay

Abstract

Ronald Heifetz has done wonders in the field of leadership his approach to leadership so compelling is that he is much honest about the demands of real leadership. the role of leadership is drastically changing, as the new responsibility is helping in facing the reality and mobilizes them to make change, but making such changes has not been easy. This is due to many challenges that future and current leaders are facing. For instance, the future leaders will be facing the challenges of adapting to the world of rapid change. This is so especially in Dubai, where the preservation of what is most important from the past while moving into the future is an everyday experience. To deal with such situations, future leaders need to focus on the cultural diversity, due to an increase in the significance of globalization, the future leaders the new leaders will need to appreciate cultural diversity. They also need to look at technological savvy as it will be the main competence for the global leader of the future. Another area that future leaders need to focus on is the construction of partnerships, this is because The process of restructuring, reengineering as well as downsizing, are resulting to a world in which outsourcing of all except core practices might become the norm.

The new blueprint models depend on the availability of proven best practices in the organization planning. They also defines the technology as well as the process design choices , which allows customers to jump-to start new efforts and extends their existing planning budgeting and focusing deployments across their organizations. There are several qualities that an effective future leader has to posses. Some of them include, being Charisma, Positive Attitude, Motivation, Honesty and Assertiveness. This paper also found that, there are many lessons that we can learn from the behaviors of the past leaders. For instance, there is so much hunger for leadership in business current. Every person wants leaders who are the best leaders; hence great leaders have to face the reality. In addition, we learn that, organizations have a remarkable tendency of underestimating their external threats, while overstating d their own powers. As a reason, it is very difficult for leaders to convince individuals face reality in life. The paper concluded that future leaders have no alternative other than becoming good change mangers.

Introduction

It has proved has proved to be much hard to imagine the future leader without looking at Ronald Heifetz, who is one of the world’s leading authorities on leadership. The goodness with Heifetz is that, his approach to leadership so compelling is that he is much honest about the demands of real leadership. It has been argued that, the role of leadership is drastically changing, as the new responsibility is helping in facing the reality and mobilizes them to make change. However, making change is much painful. Most individuals have smiling faces in view of what it means by leading, “but get a rude awakening when they find themselves with a leadership opportunity.” (William, 1999). The process of exercising leadership generates both pain and resistance; individuals get worried that, they might end up losing something that might be worthwhile.

Areas That the New Leader Need To Focus On

Cultural Diversity

As there has been an increase in the significance of globalization, the future leaders the new leaders will need to appreciate cultural diversity. They will have to get acquainted themselves not only with the economic and legal differences, but also the social and behavioral differences that are also part of working globally. -it has been shown that “respect for differences in people is one of the most important qualities of a successful global leader.” (Marshall, 2005). It has been proved that, the development of culture understanding is termed as not only an obligation, but also as an opportunity. Appreciation of culture diversity includes all things that makes up culture, may it be small or big. For instance, few Americans working in the Middle East have taken their time to read the Koran. It is much clear that, religion is considered as being one of the significant variables that influences behaviors in the religion. Smaller issues like the meaning of gifts or the significance of timeliness will need to be understood also. It has been noted that, the capability of motivating individuals in different cultures is becoming mostly significance. The motivation strategies that tend to be effective and efficient in one culture might not be effective in the other. Effective leaders, who happen to learn, appreciate and motivate their followers across cultural diversity, will be valuable resource in future.

Technological Savvy

High-potential leaders globally are consistently expressing the point that technological savvy will be the main competence for the global leader of the future. On trend on this issue is much clear, the younger the participants, the higher their reiteration on the technological savvy importance. Most of the young future leaders, have been brought up in an error of technology, and view it just as part and parcel of their life. Current leaders view technological savvy as a very important thing for staff individuals, but never for the line officers that run the business. With technological, future leaders will have to learn on how the intelligent use of new technologies will help their organizations, recruitment, development as well as maintaining a network of individuals who are technically competent, they also need to know the procedure of making and managing investments in new technologies. Last but not least, they need to be positive examples in the use of new technologies. All these are based on the fact that, in future, technology will become a critical factor that will tent to impact the company’s core business.

Building partnerships

The construction of partnership along with alliances of all forms is looked upon as being very much important for the future than as it was in the past. Organizations that formed alliances in the past like IBM are forming alliances regularly today. This trend is projected to be far much significant in future. The process of restructuring, reengineering as well as downsizing, are resulting to a world in which outsourcing of all except core practices might become the norm. The capability of negotiating complex alliances and management of complex networks will be much significant in future. The changing responsibility of suppliers, customers along with partners has deeper implication for leaders. In the past, it was much clear on who the enemies or friends are, while in future this role is becoming blurred. In diversified field like telecommunication, similar organization might be the supplier as well as the customer, competitor or partner.

New and Distinctive Challenges Faced By New Leader

The second challenge is that, individuals might not be willing to be lead by the leader. Sometimes, this comes as a shock, but no one might be willing to work with the leader promotions and titles may confer grudging to0lerance and even a little bit more difference, but never credibility as well as real respect.

Another problem is that, everyone might be having an agenda, but they might not be willing to share it. New leaders have a tendency of believing that, every person looks at business challenges, departmental objectives, and a long with the initiatives from the similar perspective with them. They need to learn on how to pay attention to their associates, so that they can be a position of understanding their unique agendas, motivation, interests, motivation along with their ambitions.

The next thing is that, personal problems of their associates to become their problems. It has been proved that both new managers as well as experienced one’s in most cases attract their mates’ personal problems to become their personal problems. It is true that, at times, they usually find themselves in the receiving end of [other individuals’ challenges in their private lives, with their health, their finances, among other dilemmas that individuals encounter.

There are times that such leaders follow their instincts which might be wrong. Since they do have the authority to say, “Is best left for your parenting chores and checked at the door when you enter the office.” (McCarthy, 2009). In most cases, success comes when individuals leading the success are not the subject. It is much important for some individuals to realize individuals never change their nature.

In most cases, new leaders make their weaknesses to be their focal point. Some times leaders take the responsibility of fixing the flaws of their associates. As an effect, they need to learn to leverage individual’s strength, and develop groups whose members need to have complimentary skills. This will make one succeed beyond their wildest visions. “Leaders tend to start off overly nit-picky; but I’m sure Art would agree that there are times when weaknesses do have to be addressed.” (McCarthy, 2009).

Sometime new leaders are faced with the responsibilities of being a ware of over-investing their times with the wrong individuals. At every point, the managers will at the some time get to deal with the brilliant problem child employee, with the outstanding technical withstanding skills but fatal flaws concerning other people skills. Such like employees in one way or the other lack the emotional intelligence, for them to recognize their aberrant behaviors. As an effect, they rarely ever change, (Fullan, 2001).

Blueprint for Dynamic Planning

The blue print operational planning systems were designed to be highly flexible, where there are a variety of operations along with incidents are managed. The common traits of blueprints are that, they do have a “scale have a scale for the size of the deliverables, as well as clear indications of the dimensions of any component elements displayed in the drawing.” (McCarthy, 2009). In schematics, the scales might not be exact, however, the forms of elements that needs to be used as well as the nature of such elements tent to be expressed in details. They all have legends that explain the any of the unusual symbols which might be used for the representation of features in the drawing. In most cases, blueprint spans as many pages as possible, as they usually assist in the capture rendering s of the scheme deliverables from multiple angles and at different levels or details.

The new blueprint models depend on the availability of proven best practices in the organization planning. They also defines the technology as well as the process design choices , which allows customers to jump-to start new efforts and extends their existing planning budgeting and focusing deployments across their organizations.

It is true that, Cognos has recognized that, the process of planting is much more than just financial practices. This is something that ought to spread across the organization and be coordinated across many departments. On the other hand, giving appreciation to the fact, and giving support to it in principle in the planning software is just considered as being one thing, while supporting it in practice is just another practice. In Cognos, blue print helps in the users to adopt such like practices relatively easily. The current initiative planning blueprint covers both capital and labor initiatives. Multiple phased project planning has been addressed in the blueprint for the undertakings that seem to be capital intensive like adding new manufacturing capacity, along with labor initiatives like the implementation of large labor intensive projects.

The blueprint schemes having strategic long range planning, in most cases assists firms in assessing the influence of market growth assumptions. “Major initiatives such as new IT infrastructure,” (McCarthy, 2009). Can be far much essential components for the growth of revenue, as well as increasing productivity. The management of complex financial in most cases, blueprint provides

Leadership Qualities

Charisma

There are different skills that develop leadership qualities that the current and future generation leaders ought to have. The bellow mentioned qualities are far much vital for effective leadership. One of them is being charisma. There have been charisma leaders, who are still being honored for their passionate movements towards equality. For instance, Martin Luther king’s I have a dream speech still impacts current peoples. Charisma lessons impact individuals through speeches as they reiterate on the radiation of personalities due to their expressive words in their fight against inequalities. There speeches need not to have the gift of touching individuals through their word choice. Leaders who tent to be charisma tent to be alluring, charming, as well as encouraging their followers to support a grand vision, (Tuia, 2008).

Positive Attitude

Current and future generation leaders need to posses positive attitudes, as they have the responsibility of influencing their future and current followers. Leaders in some companies like in BMW are viewed upon as role models to their employees and to the coming generation. In one way or the other, employees become very much dependent of leaders, due to the fact that, they are their vehicles to their employment world, and provide much needed help as well as the assistance. If the manger provides a positive learning experience to employees, they will then tent to drive this encouragement, and will succeed and become contagious. In general, under any condition, the positive attitude of leaders will always have a greater impact as well as the influence on their followers.

Motivation

Fin most cases, motivation leaders are trainers, however, they might also be managers. Though the aims and targets of employees or even players is a good determinant of prosperity in an organization, the motivating qualities of their leader is also of much significance. The motivation of a leader involves infusing their followers with high standards, as well as setting challenging but attainable targets and goals, as they continue performing well. As a result, the motivation capabilities of a leader enhance his followers’ performances. In addition, motivation also correlates with possessing positive attitude. The presence of positive attitude provides positive environment for the followers, who then fill much motivated to move to the leader’s direction, where ultimate success can be attained.

Assertiveness

Current and future leaders are charged with the responsibility of guiding the direction of his or her company. Companies need firm and assertive leaders, who have the ability to delegate the work to their subordinates, as this will make them earn respect to follow through on their assignments. Assertive leaders have the ability to convey enforcements without being too autocratic to their followers. Din addition, assertive leaders never make their followers feel they are in a hostile environment; instead, they will respect their people, and at the same time demanding proper accountability. Since, leaders’ assertiveness and confidence earns respect, their followers’ tent to follow, emulate and help their leaders to achieve success, (Leithwood, 2005).

Honesty

Both current and future leaders need to be honest, as this is the sign of good leaders towards their work as well as employees. They ought to be honest to themselves as well. They should never loose integrity whatsoever the circumstance, as they will never be considered reliable and worthy following. Other qualities that current and future leaders need to look at include; patience, focus, dedication consistency, as well as effective communication, (Tuia, 2008).

Lessons from Past Leadership Behaviors

There is hunger for leadership in the business organization

The past leaders have shown that, real heroism of leadership involves having courage to face the reality, as well as helping individuals close to face reality. The term vision in business means something that is abstract, “But the quality of any vision depends on its accuracy, not just on its appeal or on how imaginative it is.” (William, 1999) To muster the courage to face reality and interrogate it is the main function of a leader. Leaders do not get into the act of answering the questions like what values does the organization stand for? What are the organizations talent and skills?, this is because, it forms the old definition of leadership. This teaches that, the leader needs to have vision, answers and everything else is just a sales job to urge individuals to sign up for it. It is the responsibility of leaders to provide directions. In attaining these, they ought to structure questions well, other than offering definitive answers. There are differences between behaviors of leaders who operates under the idea that, being a leader means impacting the organization to follow leaders direction, and those who think that, “leadership means influencing the organization to face its problems and to live into its opportunities.” (William, 1999). The second though, enables individuals in an organization to deal with tough challenges. And the lesson is, this is the new definition of leadership job.

It Is Hard To Convince Individuals to Face the Reality

Organizations are allergic to conflicts, especially organizations that have been under operation for a long period of time. This is based on the fact that, conflicts are much dangerous, as they may damage the relations, threaten friendships, but they also engineer innovation and creativity. Old behaviors have taught that, individuals never learn by looking at the mirror, but when encountered with a difficult condition. With this in mind, future and current leaders need to have the power of dealing with conflicts along with uncertainties. They need to have experimental mind-set. It is true that, there are some decisions that will work, but other might not.

Just as like, there will be projects that will pay, while others will not. However, every decision and every project will provide lessons don how the world is changing, and how the organization compares with its competitors. This means that, facing the reality implies, dealing with mistakes and failures, especially our own failures in the organization. For instance, in 1990s, Bill Gates made a big decision about the internet, as he decided that, the net was not going to be such important, but later changed his decision after those who advised him contradicted the decision.

How We Should Help Individuals Keep Their Bearings

It is true that, not everything is subject to change, if the leader is obligated to help individuals face the reality, and mobilize them to make changes, “Which values and operations are so central to our core that if we lose them, we lose ourselves?” (William, 1999). The leaders at the highest level are supposed to lead conversations about what is important and what is not. For instance, it was very difficult for Lew Platt, who was the Hewlett-Packed CEO, to lead conversation about breaking up of his company, and about leaving the HP name, together with computer business other than with the test-and business of measurement, where they started.

How Leaders Do Listen

Most leaders in the past used do die with their mouth open, this teaches us that, leaders have to know how they listen, but listening is more subtle than how most individuals think. “But first, and just as important, leaders must want to listen.” (William, 1999). Good listening is engineered by curiosity along with empathy.

Conclusion

It is now obvious that, future leaders have no alternative other than becoming good change mangers. Markets have changed, conditions have also changed, as well; the business plans have undergone some changes. It is the choice of future and current leaders to either make a change a proactive decision or reactive compulsion. These leaders are obligated to shape today and tomorrow, it is not a definite time to start feeling sorry about tough circumstances, but is is an opportunity as well as a new day.