Understanding Leadership

Running head: UNDERSTANDING 1

Thomas H. Carroll, IV

Trident University UNDERSTANDING 2

Understanding Leadership

The importance of leadership is more than simply getting the job done or making lasting relationships with employees. Leadership is a framework from which the employer and the employee are mutually benefited because the needs of each party are property addressed. The purpose of this paper is to examine the leadership style of George, evaluate its effectiveness, and determine who Shelly will bet handle the situation. From the reading it appears that George is a micromanager and Shelly is not responding well to his leadership approach. In order to understand the problem more fully a discussion of micromanagement and the leadership styles linked with it are reviewed in the next section.

Micromanagement

Employees are given specific tasks by their employers and those tasks are expected to be completed. Along with the tasks are a set of standards and expectations that managers expect the employees to not only reach but also to maintain. There are times when the work of employees needs to be reviewed so that strengths and weaknesses can be identified. Recommendations are usually made for the weakness and the employees are given a timeframe to get the problems taken care of.

There are times, however, when employees may feel that they are being evaluated all the time by their managers and this can lead to conflicts within the workplace. According to Gillard, micromanagement is the excessive need for control by management even to the examination of the smallest detail of an employee’s work. In other words the manager is expecting perfection from the employees, is searching for proof of that perfection, and if it is not seen then the manager takes matters into his or her own hands to get the job done. UNDERSTANDING 3

Hovering is another way to describe the behavior of these managers. This is all well and good for new employees or employees who desire structure and do not mind constant instruction.

However, for some employees like Shelly this is not the case which will be discussed later in the paper. It appears as though George may be working from a combination of leadership styles: bureaucratic and transactional leadership.

Bureaucratic leadership implies strict adherence to the rules and regulations with little to no flexibility (MindToos, 2014). The manager working from this standpoint is similar to a taskmaster demanding perfection from his or her subordinates. This type of leadership style leaves not room for creativity or innovation within the employees. The ability to punish an individual is something most related to children in school, children at home, or criminals.

This is also the means by which transactional leaders operate. There is a system in place where the employees have agreed to obey the manager knowing that they could be disciplined/punished for not meeting expectations. Obviously the employees are paid otherwise they would not agree to this type of leadership. The positive aspects of this style include: clarification of individual employee responsibilities and employees who regularly perform at higher levels have the chance to get promoted (MindTools, 2014). If this type of leadership goes unchecked the results can be abuse of employees, high turnover, and a stifling of employee creativity. The next section discusses the appropriateness of George’s leadership style.

Bureaucratic/Transactional Leadership Effectiveness

The style that George has elected to use is not appropriate in this situation. First, the working environment appears to be somewhat laid back. The bureaucratic style of leadership dictates that everyone remains focused, serious, and that the guidelines are followed explicitly. UNDERSTANDING 4

Also, reminding employees of their possible punishment for assumed noncompliance is not really a motivator to do better work. It can actually discourage the employees.

Second, it is true that Shelly is a new employee which would warrant the use of the bureaucratic style, however, she has some traits that actually clash with it. Shelly appears to be motivated to do a good job, pays attention to detail, and seems to be adaptable. Adaptability is extremely handy especially when there are new skills to learn in order to do the current job or to advance to the next job. Shelly’s attitude and apparent work ethic are clashing with the controlling and perfectionistic managerial styles that George displays.

Third, the task in question is not really a hard but requires some guidance if the person performing it is new. George would definitely need to walk Shelly through at least one time maybe two times. After that as described earlier Shelly should be able to manage by herself.

Fourth, George’s discretion seems to be very limited. Shelly does not appear to have a problem asking for help or reporting her status to her superiors.

Allowing her to work freely would be the best option because she feels alienated whenever George hovers during her attempts to complete tasks. Also, the way that George speaks to Shelly could be misinterpreted as condescending instead of guiding for better work performance. Because Shelly has recently accepted this position she is locked in for the time being so she will need some micromanagement survival skills in order to better deal with George at work.

Micromanagement Survival Skills

Micromanagement is not the end of the world if employees have these four simple strategies to handle this situation. The first step requires a self-assessment (ASUA). Usually bosses not just ones like George come after employees because they have noticed a problem or UNDERSTANDING 5 have noticed a weakness that could become a problem. Their goal is to either resolve the issue or stop the problem before it manifests. Shelly should perform a self-assessment to see if there is anything about her current work behaviors or performance that would cause George to hover over her. If there is nothing the same assumption is that the problem solely lies with George and his chosen leadership styles?

The second step requires frequent and detailed updates (ASUA). Micromanagers want to know about the smallest details and want to know about them almost immediately. This explains the hovering over their subordinates. If Shelly simply gives George frequent updates with as much detail as possible he will most likely leave her alone? It is true this might be stressful but not as stressful as having a manager hovering almost constantly.

The third step actually draws in the micromanager but requesting his or her input. Now this step may seem contradictory to step two but actually it is another way to keep George in stabilized. By asking George for his input about the way work situations are handled it makes him feel as though he is in control. Also, there are times when he will not be able to give the input because he is busy but the fact that Shelly asked for it will put his mind at ease.

The fourth step involves a reward for good behavior (ASUA). This move may seem like something that George should do towards Shelly but it actually works both ways. If Shelly has found something that George has said or expressed as helpful she should tell him thank you?

Everyone wants to feel appreciated. This move may engender increased trust between George and Shelly which means that she may receive more freedom and even get promoted.

Conclusion

Leadership is necessary for any organization or group to properly function. Leadership provides direction and correction to achieve the best outcome possible. In the case with George UNDERSTANDING 6 and Shelly, micromanagement was not the best course of action. Specifically George was engaged in bureaucratic and transactional leadership. These are strict and menacing types of leadership that do not go well with easy going environments and employees who are already drive at work. Shelly has four strategies to use to help her with George: self-examination, provide frequent detailed reports, ask for input from the manager, and thank the manager. Some employees will not be able to leave and so these survival skills will be very important. UNDERSTANDING 7

References

Arizona State University Alumni (ASUA). (n.d.). 4 Strategies for Dealing with A

Micromanaging Boss. Retrieved November 25, 2014 from

https://alumni.asu.edu/news/blog/4-strategies-dealing-micromanaging-boss

Gillard, P. (2014). Confessions of a Micromanager. Retrieved November 25, 2014 from

http://www.transassoc.com/org-real-micromanagement/

MindTools. (2014). Leadership Styles. Retrieved November 25, 2014 from

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_84.htm