INTD670_U1_IP_Morgan_Weckesser

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INTD670

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Jan 9, 2024

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1 Unit 1 IP DUE: Sunday 11/19/23 Morgan Weckesser Leadership and Ethical Decision-Making: Individual Project Colorado Technical University 11/19/2023

2 Unit 1 IP Introduction Leadership is often a word used in theory to which everyone has their own opinion. Here we will discuss various leadership styles and theories that have shaped me into the leader I have become. I plan to take a deeper dive into why two specific theories apply to me specifically and how I’ve used these theories through the years. Let us take a deeper dive into how to be an effective leader. Successes of a Young Leader I have been in a leadership role in some form or fashion since high school. I have always felt drawn to being a group leader most likely because I am incredibly driven and have been told I come off “pushy.” Through that, I have led several small groups on individuals spanning to upwards of fifty individuals to successes in my short time as a leader. I attribute a lot of my success to the way I approach a team and each individual in order to gain and understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. Once I have a handle on that I can raise each person up to meet their full potential. One success that I will always be proud of, would be when I was managing a local convenience store. I walked into a team where some individuals were older than me, some younger, and all from different walks of life. One can imagine how difficult this could be if you’ve been in these shoes. I found that letting my new team know that I wasn’t there to steamroll over the processes already in place, but that I was there to help them find their true potential, harness it, and find the strength together to achieve everyone’s goal of making that store one of the better stores to shop in throughout the area. Initially, I was tasked with bringing this team together, so they worked cohesively and applied their skills more intently to bring sales up and lower theft within the store. I worked

3 Unit 1 IP everyday to meet and understand each person on my team as more than a subordinate, but as a person, and what they were great at as well as where they struggled. I was able to develop a strong, some lasting, relationships with the team resulting in trust in my vision of this store. Through that trust I was able to map out my strategy on how to bring the store more profits and show my team how doing this would increase their bonus at the end of the quarter. In the span of 1 year, that store, which was located in a very high crime and homelessness area, was not only profitable for the first time in 3 years but was also in the top 100 stores for lowest losses. This is not just my success story, but this is the success of my team who I knew could accomplish this the entire time. This team needed someone to push them to their fullest potential and amazingly it only took one “pushy” individual to get them there. Starcevic, M., Antonijevic, L., & Rakic, D. (2023) suggested that looking at employee satisfaction will reveal a new method of management where the role employees becomes deeply affected by outward factors. This being their end of quarter bonuses. Applying Leadership Theories, Personally Through a combination of trait theory and behavioral theory (Birt, 2023), I know this is an effective form of management and leadership. This allows a person in power to assess their subordinates as a whole person with strengths and weaknesses. Strengths to build upon and weaknesses to develop. As I mentioned earlier, this has been incredibly successful for me since there is a bond between the employee and their subordinate. When employees know their manager cares about them and their situations, I find they’re more honest and upfront about their day to day issues. Its important to understand as Verma, S., & Mehta, M. (2022) says, we are transitioning from the industrial era to the knowledge era, and there is little research done on leadership

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4 Unit 1 IP models for the knowledge era. Leaders and managers are having to reinvent the wheel essentially to match the insights digitization has given us. The average person now knows more than what a person once did 50 years ago because of the internet. Thus, skillsets are different. This is why trait and behavioral theories work so well. Trait theory is focused on specific traits the leader/manager possesses and maintains whereas behavioral theory is based in the mindset that leadership is learned (Board, 2019). These theories combined view your employee as a whole person and how they mesh within your team to accomplish the overall goal. One can feel as though they are drawn to lead and focus on the environment to know how to assess specific situations. Conversely, this is not something that would work in every situation or for every team. I often think that leadership can be equivalated to situational football. You must be able to read your tackles and see the pitch to move forward down the field. Otherwise, you are just going to get sacked in a collapsing pocket and lose 3 yards in the process. Not a great start. Similarly, you must be able to read your team and understand where you’re going to start building so there is cohesion and support felt across all levels of the team. That jumping off point will be different for each team. Both theories combined have allowed me to become the people forward manager I am told I have become. I face obstacles every day and aim to solve them in the best way that not only accomplishes the goal but allows for critical thinking and forethought. I find that because I am a take charge person that it becomes difficult for me not to want to lead and manage others so that the project or goal is completed to the team’s best abilities. Learning to value the input of others around me to help make the best decision and knowing I have a tendency to dive right in and make a plan has helped propel me into a leading role today.

5 Unit 1 IP Leading Through a Merger When evaluating a merger, one must understand the premise behind both companies and identify where the middle ground lies. When looking at UWEAR-PALEDENIM as a whole we see that both teams are unquestionably dedicated to their work. UWEAR has the difficult task of learning to help others and be mindful that if the team fails, so do they. Working to essentially retrain team members could cause tension and recourse which is where behavioral theory jumps in to save everyone an argument no one will win. You are able to show UWEAR’s team statistics and data how collectively the team has performed better working together to achieve their goal rather than doing the minimal asked from a team member and then they’re done. Applying the trait and behavioral theories, we can deduce who would be best in leading this team to success. The natural leaders are going to hone in on those who do not do more than their asked and they can have specific conversations to dig into the reasons behind them not wanting to do more. In my experience, this works every time because you are able to steer the conversation in a manner that will show teamwork will always make the dream work. You are also dealing with frustration from PALEDENIM’s team with perceptions of some members “not pulling their weight” or “unwilling to help”. Applying the behavioral theory will allow you to apply a method where you ease people into additional tasks slowly, so everyone can learn outside of their skill set. Start the cross training process sporadically, to allow for curiosity and critical thinking questions to arise. This will show you how invested your team is becoming in different processes across the company and spark innovation eventually. Learning is how we all grow. Finally, I would encourage all employees no matter their job title to express their concerns and opinions to their manager from their company as well as the same level manager

6 Unit 1 IP from the opposite company. This allows individuals to experience different viewpoints and managerial styles and gain a comfort level with someone who may not respond as anticipated. Conclusion UWEAR-PALEDENIM is a brand-new baby. The parent companies must learn and adapt to this growing newborn so it can hopefully stand on its own one day. The best way to accomplish this goal, in my opinion, is to bring everyone down to their strengths and weaknesses and prioritize who will be doing what, when. Level-headedness and a “what makes sense” thought process is going to be a guidepost for the company. Overwhelmingly, we know everyone wants a positive outcome of this merger. Together with our Trait and Behavioral theories to back us, we will move forward in an even more prosperous manner than you had ever thought!

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7 Unit 1 IP References Birt, J. (2023). Guide to 6 top leadership theories and how to apply them - indeed. https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/leadership-styles-and-theories Board, E. (2019). Leadership and Ethical Decision Making (2nd ed.). Words of Wisdom, LLC. https://coloradotech.vitalsource.com/books/9781945554766 Starcevic, M., Antonijevic, L., & Rakic, D. (2023). Human Capital Management Strategies Through Employee Satisfaction . Varazdin Development and Entrepreneurship Agency (VADEA). Verma, S., & Mehta, M. (2022). Corporate entrepreneurship and leadership theories: conceptual review. Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies, 14(5), 902-925. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEEE-08-2021-0329

INTD670_U1_IP_Morgan_Weckesser

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