
“Leadership is accomplishing something through other people that wouldn’t have happened if you weren’t here….Leadership is being able to mobilize ideas and values that energize other people….Leaders develop a story line that engages other people. -Noel Tichy
The quote by Noel Tichy defines leaderships three characterization and address the topics of management, energizing employees, and style of management, yet they are all the sub-parts of the corporate culture and values.
All of the core values, beliefs, business principles, ethical standards, traditions, behaviors, work practices and management style make up the culture for the CEO, supervisors, management, and employees. (GLO-BUS, 2012). It takes all of the values being practice by all involved to make the outcome beneficial for the corporation. Even the school system must follow core values, although they are not big global corporations with strategies or mega million financial budgets. The schools systems still need core values, beliefs, business principles, ethical standards, traditions, behaviors, work practices and management styles that make up the culture for the staff, faculty, and students.
References:
1. GLO-BUS Premium. (2012). GLO-BUS Premium Business Interaction Game. STRATEGY: Core Concepts and analytical Approaches. Chapter 12, pp 220-236. Retrieved at http://www.glo-bus.com/DocViwer/# on April 27, 2012.
As a regular twitter user, I am constantly getting feedback from individuals who consider themselves to be opinion leaders by offering their frequent, and sometimes profound-sometimes controversial 140 character messages. With the advent of new media today, a lot of attention is placed on what people say on online social networks. Such information has the potential of becoming tomorrow’s headline, helping a long-forgotten music artist reconnect with their fans, or being the catalyst for someone losing their job. I value the possibilities that this technology offers, because therein lies the opportunity for a regular person such as myself to communicate or share my expertise with the world. It seems to be the trend for people to use online social networks to build their professional clout in order establish themselves as an opinion leader. There is actually a website called Klout, that allows users to measure their level of influence from their social media “likes,” “comments,” “retweets,” and other forms of sharing, and utilize their scores in their job search. However, a recent article states that Klout (or online influence) should not be equated with actual professional clout. Online influence does not measure the amount of offline relationships and actions that one has taken.
Reference: Flemmings, Hajj. “Clout vs. Klout: Why the Latter Doesn’t Measure True Influence. Retrieved 5 May, 2012 from http://www.blackenterprise.com/2012/05/02/clout-vs-klout-why-the-latter-doesnt-measure-true-influence/
Leave A Reply
An opinion leader seems to have many traits in common with anyone in the sales profession. From a business perspective, salespeople are often the driving revenue source for an organization. That is why it is important for them to (ethically) position products and services so that consumers will be more enticed to purchase the products or services. However, there can be a fine line between what is good for the company and what is good for the customer.
Corporate Social Responsibility should be a major initiative for all organizations. It can provide evidence for consumers and the rest of the business world advocating reasons why the firm behaves in a way that is considered socially responsible. Verizon Communications, for example, releases an annual report dedicated to illustrating how the company is a good corporate citizen. Upon visiting its website responsibility.verizon.com, one can read taglines such as “Using our Technology to Build Truer Connections” or “Working to Solve Critical Social Issues for Our Communities.” Publicly demonstrating a desire to help the community can always supplement an opinion leader’s image.
Reference:
Corporate Responsibility. (2012). Retrieved from responsibility.verizon.com
Regarding literature on effective leadership, one of the greatest books ever written was Xenophon’s Cyrus the Great in the 4th century BC. Historians refer to Cyrus as, “the most amiable of conquerors” and as the first king to found “his empire on generosity” instead of violence and tyranny. Amongst his recommendations for leadership is to be courteous and kind. He states, “there is a deep–and usually frustrated–desire in the heart of everyone to act with benevolence rather than selfishness, and one fine instance of generosity can inspire dozens more.” An example of such a leader is medical anthropologist Paul Farmer, one of the founders of Partners In Health. He is responsible for establishing free hospitals in countries such as Haiti, Rwanda, and Malawi. Dr. Farmer has often hiked for days to check in on his patients, provide them with free medicine and cash stipends for food, and has made transportation available to many for monthly doctor appointments. His generosity is a great inspiration to millions of individuals worldwide and is one of the reasons I chose to pursue a career in medicine. The world would be a much better place if we had more leaders like Dr. Farmer.
Holiday, Ryan (April 19, 2012). 9 Timeless Leadership Lessons from Cyrus the Great. Forbes.com. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanholiday/2012/04/19/9-timeless-leadership-lessons-from-cyrus-the-great/