Reflection Paper
Business managers are often faced with a lot of challenges in the execution of their duties. To be able to address most of the problems that are present in their job, they have to ensure that their organizational culture creates a proper mechanism for effective communication and performance of duties by employees (Aarons, Ehrhart, Farahnak, & Hurlburt, 2015). To ensure a cohesive team, most of them have been able to incorporate ways such as employee motivation through helping them achieve both the organizational and personal goals. As an employee with interest to develop my leadership skills, talking to managers who have excelled in their areas of operation has always been my passion. Cedar Rehani is a revenue manager in a finance institution where I work. I got the opportunity to interact with him. The following interaction transpired.
Me: Hello sir! It's a privilege meeting with you today
Cedar: Thank you!
Me: How did you become a manager?
Cedar: I attained my bachelor's degree in business management from the University of Baltimore, Maryland. Since I did not land a job immediately after graduation, I served as a sales assistant in a procurement company for two years before I got my first managerial job.
Me: What are some of the factors that contributed to your career development that enabled you to be in the position you are in today?
Cedar: First, one must have the requisite academic qualifications. Learning about organizational leadership help me gain experience in working in a competitive field. For instance, I had volunteered in various organizations with different corporate cultures. Being part of such organizations enabled me to learn a lot as a junior employee at that time. After a series of volunteering programs for nearly two years, I enrolled for my master's degree in the same field, which also helped me learn more about what I had already experienced during my internship in different organizations.
Me: What have you been doing in the period you have served as a manager in the various organizations you have worked for?
Cedar: I always treasure whatever I do, and I believe that employees in the organization I work in come in handy in the decisions that are made. Considering employees' views in the choices I make concerning the operations of the organization has always resulted in the attainment of the goals we have set for the organization. The employees get motivated depending on the culture that is enhanced in the organization. The adopted culture matters a lot with regard to the kind of environment that is created for the employees. Employees need to be motivated, and it is the role of the managers to ensure that employees are assisted in executing their duties efficiently, especially in enhancing their skills through constant training opportunities; such opportunities ensure that they acquire skills for effective performance of their roles in the organization
Me: As a manager, what are some of the vital roles that you play in the organization?
Cedar: Any manager's key role is ensuring that the objectives of the organization are attained whether financial or operational. The attainment of these objectives mainly depends on how the employees perform their roles in the organization, and these roles are what finally results in the objectives and goals of the organization. Achievement of organizational goals must start with the fulfillment of employees' personal goals. As a manager, I always work towards ensuring that employees' welfare and performance are the driving factors of the decisions made in this organization. Managers should also create proper channels of communication, and this should start by criticizing employees who make mistakes in the organization in the right way. Consequently, employees will be objective and view the criticism positively. Such a culture has a trickle-down effect. How employees communicate to their colleagues is dependent on the communication culture of the organization
Me: Most organizations operate in a dynamic environment. As a manager, how do you deal with the sudden changes that take place in your area of operation in the organization?
Cedar: Dealing with uncertainties in the organization calls for the manager to be proactive and act very first before the changes become detrimental to the organization. Moreover, proper problem-solving mechanisms should be put in place so that the organization can be flexible in dealing with uncertainties that arise.
Me: As a young person who is very ambitious and looking forward to being a manager in the future, what advice would you offer?
Cedar: The key to achieving whatever you want is being determined and to pursue what you want by keeping in mind that challenges are bound to occur. Therefore, as you identify the opportunities for attaining what you want, you should also be aware of the associated challenges.
Me: What are some of the challenges you have faced so far?
Cedar: Managers face a lot of challenges when performing their duties in the organization. Among the main challenges encountered includes dealing with poor performance by some of the employees. For example, some underperforming employees even after talking to them regarding their dismal performance still do not perform as expected. Sometimes, the disciplinary decisions managers make leave employees feeling demotivated. Another problem is losing a valuable employee. Often, such cases lead to such organizations performing poorly because of the gap created.
Me: Thank you, especially for creating time for this discussion. I wish you all the best in your future undertakings
Cedar: Thank you too! All the best in your quest to become a leader,.
Reflection on the Interview
An employee's personality affects how such an individual performs in the organization. The kind of attitude employees have for the jobs they perform in the organization significantly affects the way they perform their roles. The personality one has influences the way other employees relate to them (Argyris, 2017). Employees are required to display behaviors that can enhance teamwork for the achievement of the organizational goals (Rudolph, 2016). The roles managers play in shaping the behaviors of employees influence the attainment of organizational goals. The manager should create an environment that enables employees to effectively perform their duties. Managers need to capitalize on offering training to employees so that they can improve their skills for effective fulfillment of their tasks. Colleagues' roles in the organization also play a crucial part in the type of culture that an organization adopts. Employees should work collaboratively to achieve the tasks assigned to them. Teamwork in the organization among employees creates the drive towards the attainment of what the organizational mission and vision.
Motivation in the organization gives employees the positive drive to accomplish the organizational goals even when the conditions sometimes do not allow. Employing the Abrahams Maslow's hierarchy of needs, employees have needs that can be satisfied by the organization in various ways, for example, providing health insurance and sponsored retirement plans as a means of satisfying employees safety needs (Peng, Lin, Schaubroeck, McDonough, Hu, & Zhang, 2016). Their esteem needs can be satisfied by rewarding employees for their outstanding performance in the job. Through the satisfaction of the different needs of the employees in the organization, the organization creates a motivated workforce. The theory cosiders both intrinsic and extrinsic factors that an organization can adopt to help create a team of motivated employees. Just as the employees strive to fulfill the goals of the organization, the organization should also play its part by helping the employees achieve their personal goals
Most organizations have adopted the Democratic model of governance, which is aimed at involving the employees in the decision-making process. This type of leadership model gives employees the opportunity to be creative in making decisions that concern a given idea in the organization (Fernet, Trépanier, Austin, Gagné, & Forest, 2015). Allowing employees to be involved in some sensitive aspects of an organization's decision-making gives them motivation which prompts them work towards the achievement of the organization's goals which the employees took part in formulating. Although this model is effective in the creation of an effective environment for employees, certain issues in the organization which require prompt solutions and as such involving employees in the decision making process will make the process slow when a given critical decision is to be made concerning a given issue in the organization
Various leadership models could be applied in a given organization to ensure the attainment of set goals and objectives. For an effective organization, the model to be implemented should depend on the type of situation. Instead of an organization's leadership limiting themselves to a given leadership model, a number of them should be used to achieve effectiveness in the performance of the organization (Katzenbach & Smith, 2015). The environments in which organizations operate keep on changing, and therefore, adopting more than one model enables an organization to adjust its operations depending on the prevailing conditions. Managers working in complex business environments need to be aware and prepare to combat any challenges that might arise and effectively utilize the opportunities that arise
Employees' personalities also play a very crucial role in the performance of the organization. The concepts of employee personality mainly come regarding job satisfaction which plays a significant role in how they perform their duties (Mostafa, Williams, & Bottomley, 2015). While some companies might have a good organizational culture, without a proper personality on the part of the employee, then the performance of their jobs might be a huddle. Employees' attributes such as having a positive drive and remaining committed in the performance of duties in the organization aims at the fulfillment of the organizational goals. Employees need to perform their duties efficiently because of an internal drive and the willingness to engage in such duties rather than waiting to be pushed by the management demands. The personal drive ensures that employees work towards attaining the goals they set for themselves and those of the organization
Motivation acts as a drive for employees effectively accomplish the tasks that are assigned to them. The steps the companies adopt in the decision-making process are also part of the factors that push the employees towards working in the organization (Mone & London, 2018). An effective decision needs to be considerate of the employee's interests. Hence, an organization's management team should consider the employees' opinions concerning the decisions they are about to make. This will ensure that the decisions by the managers do not result in the demotivation of employees. Moreover, the effective decisions adopted should be in line with the communication within the organization. The kind of communication that the managers adopt also acts as a source of motivation for the employees. Managers should communicate through encouraging the employees to contribute to generating new ideas, and help in reaching certain decisions (Ulmer, Sellnow, & Seeger, 2017. The organization can be affected if the manager is constantly criticizing his employees negatively. Through proper communication, there will be the creation of team spirit in which employees are willing to help their colleagues achieve the best in the tasks they partake.
Although the roles that employer plays in the organization are significant, employees also play a crucial role in ensuring that the organizational goals and objectives are met. Employees need to be objective of how they raise their concerns. They should not respond to criticism from the managers emotionally (Mason, 2017). Active employees also relate well with others and help their colleagues to perform their duties effectively. They should also be conversant with ethical issues such as honesty and integrity. An effective manager should prioritize the needs of their employers by helping them achieve personal goals and perform their tasks effectively, as well as enhancing an organizational culture that creates a conducive environment. Consequently, employees are expected to carry out their duties assigned to them effectively. They should also accept that employees often make mistakes. When such issues arise, they should adopt effective ways on how to criticize those behaviors. As an exemplary citizen in the society, an individual is required to abide by the set rules This involves taking on roles that enhance the life of others, as well as helping other people live in a society where they are able to achieve their best.
Conclusion
The role of managers is crucial in determining how employees behave in the organization. Managers should aim at creating organizational cultures that enhance their employees' productivity. While it important to include the views of the employees in the decision-making process, managers should consider the best interests for the organization. This is because some situations require immediate action from the manager, and the process of consulting the employees might affect the speed at which emerging issues are resolved. Although the manager has a role to play in ensuring employees perform their tasks in the best way, the personality of employees also plays a pivotal role in in the attainment of organizational goals and objectives. Employee motivation in the organization starts from the type of communication that the manager instills in the organization. Employers need to criticize employees in the right way to avoid demotivating their employees thus affecting the tasks they play in the organization. Hence, organizational managers should also be proactive in how they go about their daily operations, as this will enable them to avert certain problems that modern organization grapple with because of cultural diversity and the dynamic business environments.