Key Concepts and Group Process
- 1. Key Concepts and Group Process Leadership People interpret organizational and individual leaderships in many different ways. The core values that make good organizational leaders as well as individual leaders should be the same. Leadership techniques have been studied and taught throughout history however, experience proves to be the best teacher. No person knows how others will react to their individual leadership skills. Nor will you know how your leadership is accepted by others and proven capable until challenged by being in a position of leadership. A simple formula for being a good leader does not exists however, traits of good leaders have been studied. Group One attempted to provide our class with examples of leadership in action. Group One was assigned the task of providing speakers for class weeks forty-five, forty-six and forty-seven. We brought in leaders from our community to share their insights on leadership values. Each of the speakers was asked to speak on the topics of leadership and integrity. Our first speaker, Mr. Hank Hershey was director of managed care for Aventis Pharmaceuticals Company. The second speaker was Mr. Timothy Finchen from the Veteran's Administration, responsible for improvements in the delivery of health care to VA patients. 1
- 2. COMPARISON AND CONTRAST OF THE SPEAKERS Both speakers emphasized the importance of honesty in the business environment. Mr. Hershey focused very much on values as a foundation of developing a leadership style. He talked about leadership qualities which we should all strive to posses. He referenced both corporate and personal values, stating that there should be cohesion between personal and corporate values in order for work life to be satisfying. Because of this, he recommends that we pick our company and industry wisely. Personal values influence personal leadership perspective. He feels that if a leader has these qualities and portrays these qualities, they will be strong leaders. He emphasized possessing these skills are a must to pursue careers which require leadership. Mr. Finchen spoke more about the 'things' that are affected by leadership rather than the leadership qualities which most affect people. These 'things' such as quality processes and procedures are important to creating an environment where quality work can happen and people are satisfied with the work produced. His primary focus was quality improvement, tailoring the product to the needs of the customer and using honesty in all interactions. He advocates organizations should have philosophy, tools and techniques to improve processes in a systematic manner. Important to Mr. 2
- 3. Finchen's philosophy is the philosophy of heading Northeast, or doing right things right. Heading northeast will stop re- work, which is a major time waster for all corporations. Collectively he estimates that thirty-five to fifty-five percent of time is spent in re-work. He states that corporations have to build a culture that supports constant improvement and deliver clear expectations to workers about the standards. He lists four ways to deliver a quality product: a. Do the right things right b. Find out who the customer is c. Give the customer what they want d. Constantly improve. Both speakers empahsized that leaders have to walk the talk. People look at what leaders do, not what they say. Mr. Finchen says the top characteristics of a great leader are honesty, learning to let others lead, learning to appreciate diversity and doing the best job you can, expecting the best from other people. Mr. Hershey stresses that values are the foundation and time should be spent on building that foundation. He states that the foundation will be tested over many times in a career. 3
- 4. INSIGHTS FROM THE SPEAKERS Leadership, is a personal statement of who you are and the environment you create as you lead others. This environment stems from a personal set of firmly held values that extends to creating an environment where people are treated with honesty and integrity. Realize your own values and morals, and let others know what they are. Try to integrate your personal values them into the company values as much as you can so that the values seem natural to others. The values most important to creating this environment are conscience, character, morality, humanity, sacrifice and principles. (From the Seven Deadly Sins - handout from Mr. Hershey). In this environment people are allowed and encouraged to do their best and continually improve. This treatment extends beyond employees to the customers. Personal best leadership should lead to personal satisfaction, fulfilled employees and customers who are delighted with the products and service they receive. CONCLUSION Leadership begins with understanding ourselves. This understanding leads to knowing our values and beliefs. With this understanding, we are able to choose industries and jobs that suit us without compromising our values. As leaders, we are responsible to create the environment for growth of other 4
- 5. people in our organization. This environment leads to improvement of the organization and ourselves. The term leadership implies leading others, it is very much a process that begins with personal growth. 5
- 6. people in our organization. This environment leads to improvement of the organization and ourselves. The term leadership implies leading others, it is very much a process that begins with personal growth. 5