Applications and Leadership Principles

I am an employee of an airline firm

that runs flights to the Middle East and the US. The company is situated in the United States, and daily flights are planned to ferry passengers between these two nations. I work for the company as the chief financial officer, and I’ve had the job for a while. With a number of subordinate officers reporting to me, the post places me in a significant leadership position. This indicates the requirement for a suitable leadership style that will guarantee I correctly direct those reporting to me toward improving the financial status of the business. I possess a number of core beliefs and values that are important in shaping my leadership approach. I am a strong believer in hard work and that investing enough effort in an activity always leads to the desired effects. I also believe that every single person has some gift or talents that expose them to unique ways of handling situations and therefore there is a need for sourcing for everyone’s opinion on any issue relevant to the company. One of my other core values is the belief that working with the best qualified junior personnel predisposes the company to being successful. Due to this, I usually ensure that I liaise with the human resource department in ensuring that only the best qualified individuals are allowed to work under me. My other value is that I am authoritative and strict, and I always ensure that all instructions passed to the junior employees are clear and that I expect to get appropriate feedback within the shortest time possible. Honesty is the other value that I possess and hold in high esteem. When a person in a leadership is honest, this creates the same ethical behavior in other employees below them (Wirba, 2012). The other value is confidence and good communication skills. Confidence helps instill the same value in those below you, and also helps in maintaining morale within your team of employees. Proper communication skills ensure that all instructions on what needs to be done are clearly conveyed ensuring that all employees work towards the common goals. The next value is commitment towards the company’s success. I diligently work all the time to ensure that the company’s financial position always remain favorable. This value is important as a leader since it helps to inspire those under you to work as hard as you do (Wirba, 2012). My commitment is also aimed at my employees where I am always committed to ensuring that their well-being is assured in their work environment and that they receive the remuneration they deserve. The last value is a positive attitude, where I try to ensure that things are not to strict in the workplace and that some level of happiness and playfulness is maintained while still ensuring that enough hard work is put into attaining the company’s objectives.

My Strengths and Weaknesses

A number of strengths predispose me to being a good leader. First I believe in other people and their ability to be creative, innovative and intelligent. This allows me as a leader to delegate duties to those under me, without constantly worrying on whether they will correctly meet the desired objectives or not. This also allows me to listen to the suggestions that other employees may have that are relevant in ensuring the success of our company. Secondly, I possess the ability to sift through the company’s objectives and prioritize the most important ones that need immediate implementation. This is essential since shareholders and the boards of directors are always coming up with suggestion on ways through which the company can generate more income. However, any company operates under limited resources and therefore cannot implement all suggestion, hence the need to prioritize projects. Being well-organized with the ability to make plans is another strength I hold. This ensures that all activities delegated to other employees are well planned and organized, and this is essential in saving time. The other strength is that I always ensure that any project I undertake is run to completion. This is essential in ensuring that all employees venture into an activity with the mindset that it must be completed and in a proper way, if they are to avoid any problems in the workplace. I am also a good mediator and handler of conflict, and this is essential as a leader, since in any environment that a number of people work together conflicts are bound to arise, and there is a need to resolve them as quick as possible.

There are also weaknesses that I possess that undermine or are unfavorable for my position as a leader. The first is that I am very strict with time deadlines, and this does not always play well with those under me, since they usually feel like I am being pushy and bossy by insisting objectives to be met by certain timeframes. The other weakness is that I am usually hypercritical and a perfectionist, and will therefore not accept results from those under me, if I feel the results are not perfect. This does not always sit well with those under me, and some may feel that I am only being unfair to them.

Considering my core values and beliefs and also my strengths and weaknesses

the best leadership model or style that I employ in my workplace is the democratic leadership. Under this style, the contribution of the subordinates is essential, and the leader will often delegate duties or even authority to those under him to complete certain projects. The style is also characterized by an upward and downward communication, meaning that the leader is open to hearing suggestions or results directly from those under him (Wirba, 2012).

Leadership Exercise

The company has been spending a lot of finances in accommodating our flight personnel in hotels in the Middle East before they travel back to the United States. The company has therefore tasked me with the responsibility of coming up with ways that will help in cutting these expenses. Since the personnel still needs to be accommodated in the Middle East the best approach is to negotiate for cheaper prices with a single hotel with the promise of supplying them with a constant customers by always accommodating our personnel in their hotel. As the leader of this exercise I am also required to identify an appropriate team that will be involved in this negotiation.

The team I come up with includes, the chief executive officer who would be in the team owing to his immense power and the fact that he is better placed at approaching the president of the hotel we intend to approach and also the fact that he holds the most bargaining power. The next member would be the regional chief sales officer based in the Middle East since he is best informed on how to best handle business in the region, and he was in the frontline in selling our business to the Middle East market. Also in our team is a public relations officer from our company who is of Arab descent and familiar with the culture and acceptable mannerism one should exhibit in the Middle East. He will be valuable in ensuring that all members of the team are familiar with this mannerism and culture so as to avoid acts that may be reasonable in our region, but will be interpreted to be offensive in the Middle East.

I will be the last member of the team, and the leader of the exercise. The team expects that I will come up with at least three hotels that may be willing to do business with us, and after prior communications with all of them, I will narrow down to the one hotel that seems to be favorable. I will then need to calculate and come up with the appropriate figure that we should offer this hotel during the negotiation, as well as back up plans should the negotiation fail. Lastly I will be responsible for setting up all meetings during the negotiation period, and ensuring that duties have been delegated to all members of the team, and that they are ready and well aware of their role in the process. I will also measure the outcome of the exercise to determine if the exercise was successful. The goal is to have the amount that the company currently pays in accommodation to be reduced by half. A successful outcome will be a reduction of the cost by half, or at least by a quarter as this would be an equally significant reduction.

Bibliography

Some challenges will be faced in assembling the team and carrying out the negotiation exercise. First, if the team selection fails to follow the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) theory, which characterizes team members into four groups according to some specific indicators, then the team may not be well balanced in terms of personality, abilities as well as character of the members. The second challenge will arise from the issue of difference in culture between the two countries. This difference may hinder or slow down the negotiation process. The other potential challenge would be rigidness and inability to reach a compromise between the two parties. Lastly factors such as inadequate time, unpreparedness before the negotiation and constant changing of terms and expectations can be a major challenge to the success of the exercise.

Critical Analysis of Literature

Almeida, A. T., & Wachowicz, T. (2017). Preference analysis and decision support in negotiations and group decisions. Group Decisions and Negotiations, 26(4), 649-652.

The authors appreciate the fact that decision making can be a challenging process even for individuals owing to the fact that one has to consider different alternatives and conflicting ideas at the same time. This means that decision making for groups is more challenging due to different perspectives. The article focuses on quantitative measurement of the suitability of allowing different preferences in group decisions and negotiations. As a leader I would realize that the preference of each member in my team and the opposing team is important and should be respected if the negotiation is to be successful.

Bradley, J. H., & Hebert, F. J. (1997). The effect of personality type on team performance. Journal of Management Development, 16(5), 337-353.

The authors create a model that tests the theoretical impact of the personality differences of individuals in two teams involved in information systems developments, and their effect in productivity. The teams are similar in all other factors apart from the difference seen in the composition of their personality types. This personality composition was the primary determiner of the team’s productivity. As the leader I will ensure that the team members have diverse personality types, which will ensure a match with any of the personality types that will be present in the opposing team.

Clinebell, S., & Stecher, M. (2003). Teaching teams to be teams: An exercise using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the five-factor personality traits. Journal of Management Education, 27(3), 362-383.

According to the authors, results from personality analysis using the MBTI theory on a student-team intervention showed that knowing the personalities of each other helped members in improving their performance. Appreciating the difference in personalities was also essential in overall team functioning, since members found it easier to understand why other members behaved in the manner they did. As a leader it will be ensure to use Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to determine the personality of each of my team member as this will help me to understand their behavior, and how best this can be used as strength in the negotiation process. Availing the information to other team members will also be essential in reducing conflicts due to difference in behavior.

Hautala, T. M. (2006). The relationship between personality and transformational leadership. Journal of Management Development, 25(8), 777-794.

The authors sought to find out if a relationship existed between personality types and transformational leadership. The author after analyzing quantitatively a group of 439 leaders and 380 subordinates found out that in fact a relationship existed between the two. Leaders who are extroverted, perceiving and intuitive are more inclined towards transformational leadership. As a leader, I will determine my personality type and that will influence the type of leadership style I apply in the negotiation exercise.

Hurn, B. J. (2007). The influence of culture on international business negotiations. Industrial and Commercial Training, 9(7), 354-360.

The paper aims at examining the important role that culture plays in international business when it comes to negotiation. It shows the different suitable language that should be applied in the negotiation process and the need for proper training for managers that handle the international dealings of a company. It also shows the different cultural factors that should be considered and the different ways in which each party can achieve success. As a leader, I will prepare the team to be conversant with the language and dressing code that is appropriate in the Islamic culture. Mannerism such respecting their prayer day and praying hours will also be appreciated and ensuring that women are not very much involved in the negotiation.

Stuhlmacher, A. F., & Champagne, M. V. (2000). The impact of time pressure and information on negotiation process and decisions. Group Decision and Negotiation, 9(6), 471-491.

The authors created a simulation of a contract negotiation and kept altering the opponent’s position. The research showed that high time pressure was appropriate and leads to quicker decisions, quicker agreements and generally lesser demands were made. Therefore, as a leader I would ensure that the negotiations are fast tracked to take the quickest time possible as this would reduce the chances of more information being added and thus addition of more demands by the other party.

References

Almeida, A. T., & Wachowicz, T. (2017). Preference analysis and decision support

in negotiations and group decisions. Group Decisions and Negotiations, 26(4), 649-652.

Bradley, J. H., & Hebert, F. J. (1997). The effect of personality type on team

performance. Journal of Management Development, 16(5), 337-353.

Clinebell, S., & Stecher, M. (2003). Teaching teams to be teams: An exercise using

the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the five-factor personality traits. Journal of Management Education, 27(3), 362-383.

Hautala, T. M. (2006). The relationship between personality and transformational

leadership. Journal of Management Development, 25(8), 777-794.

Hurn, B. J. (2007). The influence of culture on international business negotiations.

Industrial and Commercial Training, 9(7), 354-360.

Stuhlmacher, A. F., & Champagne, M. V. (2000). The impact of time pressure and

Information on negotiation process and decisions. Group Decision and Negotiation, 9(6),

471-491.

Wirba, A. V. (2012). Leadership styles. Saarbrucken LAP Lambert