Organizational Future Orientation, upgrade professional development, and corporate foresight

 I believe there is no single best solution for improving personal growth, especially leadership skills and strategy. Therefore, instead of trying to pick one strategy, I tend to understand the concepts behind them and how to effectively take advantage of them. I reckon that in order to improve my personal growth, I must first identify what my goal or my vision is. This step involves the SMART Technique and Strategic leadership. And, here comes the important part, the hybrid of two or more models or methods. For example, Strategic leadership is a practice in which executives, using different styles of management, develop a vision for their organization that enables it to adapt to or remain competitive in a changing climate. And, those mentioned management and vision must apply the SMART Technique. For strategic leaders to use vision and management to motivate employees and departments, I believe that there is no one fits all solution. I believe professional development goals can help me achieve my short-term and long-term objectives, help me stay up-to-date on industry trends, and increase engagement and job satisfaction. However, setting goals that are SMART is not enough. Other skills such as emotional intelligence, SWOT Analysis, STAR, and GROW Approach are all I have to learn. 

To start with a clear end in my mind, I have to set many SMART goals for each small step on the path of my professional development objectives. However, setting these SMART goals does not mean I will eventually succeed without other strategies and skills. For example, I was learning and growing myself to be a good business owner and a great leader. But, if I set each of these goals ONLY considering the SMART technique, there would be so many issues on the path such as communication issues with my employees, when I need my team to undergo training, and being unable to continually evaluate my team culture and employee satisfaction. 

Therefore, I suggest that to upgrade professional development goals, keeping skill set updated and developing human skills such as interacting smoothly with one another are important, rather than just setting the goals and working hard on them. And, finally, I have to learn to take up leadership responsibilities and show others that I am striving to grow. In addition, I think most companies are only focusing on operating their current business, to become more efficient or outcompete rivals. However, efficiency and rivals are just two factors of the SWOT Analysis(rivals = threats, efficiency = strength). To ensure long-term survival and success, we need more than just that. Companies have to become future-oriented and develop corporate foresight to identify future change and identify opportunities and threats. Nokia is a bloody example that did not catch up with the trend and failed. If Nokia increased engagement with external stakeholders and operated new business-development units that make more investments to build more possible options for their future, the result might be different. By doing this, Nokia was able to build its corporate venturing units that permit to nurture a portfolio of promising future businesses and also very likely to launch its excellent smartphone series even before the iPhone. I believe that all companies must systematically build future options and keep upgrading their competitive advantages.

References

Hyken, S. (2021, June 13). Six leadership strategies that bring out the best in your employees. Forbes. Retrieved July 10, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/shephyken/2021/06/13/six-leadership-strategies-that-bring-out-the-best-in-your-employees/?sh=e37071726055 

What is organizational future orientation. Future Orientation. (2015, December 4). Retrieved July 11, 2022, from http://futureorientation.net/2010/07/29/what-is-organizational-future-orientation/ 

Frequently Used Leadership Terms, Aikido, SMART, DELPHI Analysis, SWOT Analysis, STAR, and GROW Approach

 Introduction | Frequently Used Leadership Terms

Aikido

Aikido is a Japanese martial art known as the “art of peace". Unlike other martial arts, it aims to resolve conflict peacefully. Aikido transcends instinctual obsessions of “winning” and “losing” and realizes a new path and blending attacks to achieve peaceful resolutions. In today's business world, conflict is inevitable and addressed directly with the complete self. As we continue to look for new ways to approach leadership development, Aikido provides the basic attitudes we need such as lifelong learning, connection and protection, and keeping an open mindset.

SMART

SMART is an acronym used to guide goal setting. It means that if you want your goals to be clear and reachable. Your goal must be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. The goal should be clear and specific, otherwise, you won't be able to focus your efforts or feel truly motivated to achieve it. In addition, it's important to have measurable goals, so that you can track your progress and stay motivated. Realistic and attainable means the goal should stretch your abilities but remain possible. And, every goal must have a target date, so that you have a deadline to focus on and something to work toward. 

DELPHI Analysis

The Delphi method is a forecasting process framework based on the results of multiple rounds of questionnaires sent to a panel of experts. This process combines the benefits of expert analysis with elements of the wisdom of crowds.

SWOT Analysis

SWOT analysis is a framework used to evaluate a company's competitive position and to develop strategic planning. The SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. By understanding these four factors, companies can develop a better strategic plan. SWOT analysis involves internal and external factors, as well as current and future potential.

STAR

STAR is an acronym for a formula that stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. Determine the Situation and the Task you were asked to accomplish. The Action you took and the Results of your actions. 

GROW Approach

Before you become a leader, success is all about growing yours. After you become a leader, success is to help others grow. Therefore, one of the leaders' most important roles is to coach their people to do their best, helping them make better decisions, learn new skills, and otherwise progress their careers. The GROW Model is a powerful framework for structuring your mentoring sessions. The GROW stands for Goal, Current Reality, Options, and Will. "A good way of thinking about the GROW Model is to think about how you'd plan a journey. First, you decide where you are going (the goal), and establish where you currently are (your current reality). You then explore various routes (the options) to your destination. In the final step, establishing the will, you ensure that you're committed to making the journey, and are prepared for the obstacles that you could meet on the way."(the Mind Tools Content Team, 2022).

Summarization

To summarize, these terms are ineffective if you do not catch their core value or their spirit. Instead of seeing limitations as things we need to hide, we use them as a source of data for constant improvement. One of the most important things to learn as a leader is how to become insightful on individual and corporate levels because they are interwoven. Businesses frequently ran into obstacles in their daily operation. These great tools and terms provide the reasons and good equipment we need to gain even more energy and explored creative solutions rather than getting stressed out and frustrated we got excited. Too many people, including business leaders, are disconnected from their life experiences, either ruminating on the past or worrying about the future. These tools increase a leader's awareness and make it possible to develop a harmonious relationship with what's happening. Accept the situation rather than resist it. And, from a position of awareness and acceptance, a leader can mindfully influence a situation, rather than mindlessly react to it. I reckon that this is the essence of social responsibility. 

The goal for leaders is to think big with innovation. One of the most important things to learn as a leader is how to become insightful on individual and corporate levels because they are interwoven. The tools and terms mentioned above provide leaders with useful techniques to get to the point where global issues could be viewed from a collective point of view. Notice that strategic thinking applies to individual patterns of thought and action while corporate foresight refers to collective ways. When leaders try to secure a viable future, they have to take action and change the way they think.

Decisions | Tesla

Tesla is an American electric vehicle giant. It is famous for its innovative approach to the market. Tesla has emerged as one of the most discussed and analyzed companies among business enthusiasts. Its SWOT analysis of the very organization will reveal all the significant insights regarding every factor of Tesla's business model. For example, during its early period, Tesla has tons of outstanding debt which bring this innovation company huge financial uncertainty. If the company is unable to generate enough cash flow to repay its debt, then there is a risk of delaying expansion, reducing investments, or even selling assets. Therefore, Tesla decided to launch the Model 3, which is a more affordable version of the Model S with less range, power, and fewer features. It is an excellent opportunity for Tesla to expand the size of its audience market.

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References

Anasagasti, A. (2022, June 2). Tesla Swot Analysis (2022). Business Strategy Hub. Retrieved July 10, 2022, from https://bstrategyhub.com/tesla-swot-analysis/ 

Kenton, W. (2022, July 8). How swot (strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat) analysis works. Investopedia. Retrieved July 9, 2022, from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/swot.asp 

the Mind Tools Content Team By the Mind Tools Content Team, Team, the M. T. C., wrote, B. T., wrote, K., & wrote, M. (n.d.). The grow model of coaching and mentoring: A simple process for developing your people. Skills From MindTools.com. Retrieved July 9, 2022, from https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_89.htm 

the Mind Tools Content Team By the Mind Tools Content Team, Team, the M. T. C., wrote, Y., & wrote, M. (n.d.). Smart goals: How to make your goals achievable. Time Management Training From MindTools.com. Retrieved July 9, 2022, from https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/smart-goals.htm 

Twin, A. (2022, July 8). What is the delphi method? Investopedia. Retrieved July 9, 2022, from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/delphi-method.asp 

What can aikido teach us about effective leadership? Sanger Leadership Center. (2020, March 31). Retrieved July 10, 2022, from https://sanger.umich.edu/news-1-2-19-ema-aikido/ 

Corporate Foresight | The Vaccines for Companies and Organizations

 Corporate Foresight | The Vaccines for Companies and Organizations

Companies and organizations often suffer from the lack of a framework to encounter future economic conditions as well as assuring all relevant external changes and responses properly. Therefore, all corporates need to develop the capabilities of foresight. For example, if electric cars will dominate transportation in the future, why so many car manufacturers are procrastinating in investing in them? Oftentimes, companies neglect the high diversity of foresight activities inside the companies and only focus on foresight development projects. 

Corporate foresight involves multiple stakeholders and leads to value generation through access to critical resources for superiority in competition, prepares for changes, and to step forward desired future. It is mainly seen as the process of external environmental information collection, interpretation, the future scenarios gathering process to combat unexpected events, and the attempts to cover the weaknesses of a company and proposed a framework that combines corporate foresight and strategic planning approaches.

For many companies, predicting the future is extremely hard. But, it is can facilitate the analysis of future scenarios if companies propose a framework for the study and develop a strategy by incorporating foresight methodologies. Just like our immune system protects our bodies from outside invaders such as germs such as bacteria and viruses. The immune system is made up of different organs, cells, and proteins that work together. Moreover, strategic planning also yields to decrease the uncertainty. On the corporate level, success is mainly measured by such criteria as market share increase, productivity growth, and profitability. However, there are multiple barriers to the execution of the foresight models such as future inaccessibility, changes in forecasts, contribution increases, data collection, and cost reduction. Companies must employ foresight capacities to reduce existing uncertainties, evaluating the condition to enter foreign markets. Awareness of existing opportunities and affecting factors are the practical steps for long-term success.

Similar to research on an economics event, recognizing the affecting factors on these events is one of the top priorities. So, to enhance corporate foresight performance, it is crucial to recognize affecting factors on corporate foresight and to design a specially structured framework to develop corporate foresight capabilities. Foresight is a vital issue for both public and private companies. Foresight is a structured process that gathers insight-making information on the long-term future continuous progressive actions. It also arises from strategic planning and future study.

The Remarkable Foresight | Tesla

Nickel is an essential component for the batteries of Tesla's products. When the mass production of electric vehicles has become a global trend, nickel was already experiencing a rise in cost. However, as global nickel supply is reported a big issue, the American electric vehicle pioneer Tesla has shown some remarkable foresight as it reportedly secured an undisclosed nickel supply deal with Brazilian mining firm Vale. 

Tesla has spent a considerable amount of its resources over the years to push its battery tech further and even built a Gigafactory for its battery production. This step was to ensure that it is not as affected by the rising costs of battery components as other automakers. Tesla urged nickel miners two years ago to mine more of the component and promised nickel suppliers a great deal to inspire the miner to efficiently produce more materials. How can you confidently promise such a big deal and sign a contract? It is the power of foresight.

Developing Corporate Foresight | PDLA

Among so many methods and models, I noticed that the top priority is to identify the issue first. You cannot actually resolve an issue if you have a wrong understanding of the issue. For example, as an automaker, should you invest in the innovation of electric vehicles? Even though we all know the answer is clear. Back in the early stage of EV development, it was harder than we think. First, there is more than one energy option such as Hydrogen, Natural gas, and even solar. Before Tesla decided to develop its own battery and EV, I think it had already done an analysis of its own on these possible options. Secondly, I suggest that companies can follow a development cycle to try and test these possible options, the PDLA(Plan, Do, Learn, Action). 

i. Plan

Set a SMART(Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound) goal and make a detailed investment plan including financial, human resources, budgeting, teams, consumer analysis, and stakeholder research).

ii. Do

After the plan has been made, the next step is to execute and do the experiment within the budget and calculated risks.

iii. Learn

Learn from experiment and execution. Report the pros and cons of each option and learn from them. This is a great opportunity for companies to grow and innovate even more.

iv. Action

This step is like a reflection after you get the result of your exam. Now, you know the possible answers to each question, how to achieve the goal, and determine whether the goal is believed to be the future or not.

And, there is one more thing. I think corporate foresight should be somewhat connected to the overall mission and vision since it is the core value and the future of a company. The benefit is companies can now actually "think about the future" during their daily operations. This is important because we should not only prize the past but also we must inspire future imagination within an oganization. 

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References

Alvarez, S. (2022, March 30). Tesla shows foresight with undisclosed nickel supply deal with vale: Report. TESLARATI. Retrieved July 9, 2022, from https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-secret-nickel-deal-vale-report/ 

Dadkhah, S., Bayat, R., Fazli, S., Tork, E. K., & Ebrahimi, A. (2018, October 3). Corporate foresight: Developing a process model - european journal of futures research. SpringerOpen. Retrieved July 8, 2022, from https://eujournalfuturesresearch.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40309-018-0147-7 

How To Set Up The Mission, Vision, and Value

 

Introduction

Appreciative Inquiry is a model that seeks to engage stakeholders in self-determined change. The Appreciative Inquiry Model is one of the key positive organizational approaches to development and collective learning. I reckon that the importance of defining a clearly articulated set of mission statements, vision statements, and statements of core values is to remind all members in an organization of the big picture and act as a source of reference for their codes of conduct. These statements would be ineffective unless those settings actually guide companies' decisions, shape their operation, and influence their activities and investment. The mission statement, in essence, I believe it represents a description of what an organization desires to be and where it wants to go. 

As the core values of an organization can best be described as operating philosophies or guiding principles that guide an organization’s internal conduct as well as its relationship with the external world, I believe they also can be described as the codes of conduct that guide the mindset of its stakeholders. In addition, if the mission statement tells an organization what it currently exists to achieve and its vision statement articulate where it desires to go, the purpose of stating its core values would be to define the type of company it strives to be. Moreover, core values must keep reminding all of its members what is important. 

Imagine you are a strategic leader who has to develop a mission, vision, and values statement for a NEW (imaginary) company. You will have to decide on a product or service that this new company would like to offer and clearly state it. And, here is my example.

An Oat Milk Dream

Oat milk is a kind of plant-based milk derived from whole oat grains by extracting the plant material with water. Oat milk has a creamy texture and oatmeal-like flavor. Oat milk may be consumed to replace dairy milk in vegan diets, or in cases of medical conditions where dairy is incompatible, such as lactose intolerance or an allergy to cow milk. Compared to dairy milk and other vegan milk products, oat milk has relatively low environmental impacts due to its comparatively low land and water needs for production. However, it is just too expensive compare to dairy milk. In Taiwan, you can buy a bottle of 936ml dairy milk for around NT$90. But, it costs you at least NT$189 to buy a 936ml oat milk which is almost twice as much since they are imported from western countries. This is just insane. 

Therefore, the mission here is to bring much cheaper but still high-quality oat milk to the people in Taiwan to fill the need of oat milk lovers, vegans, and any other people who want to switch their diets to plant-based. A plant-based diet should not be a right only for the few. I believe everyone should have the freedom to choose oat milk for their favor or health rather than be limited by their living conditions or income. Moreover, the mission of the company is to produce affordable and high-quality oat milk for the people in Taiwan to make profits by sourcing its raw materials from local suppliers and manufacturing locally.

We all deserve the freedom of choosing what to drink. That's what I believe. High-quality oat milk should also have an affordable price tag. Without the budget constraint, you can choose to drink more oat milk. 

Our Mission and Vision

At the core, the mission is to produce and sell affordable but still high-quality oat milk for the people in Taiwan to fill the need of oat milk lovers, vegans, and any other people who want to switch their diets to plant-based. We all deserve the freedom of choosing what to drink. High-quality oat milk should also have affordable price tags.

Our Mission

Our mission is to produce affordable and high-quality oat milk for the people in Taiwan by sourcing its raw materials from local suppliers and local mass production.

Our Vision

 We believe plant-based diets should not be a privilege only for the few. We achieved and produce high-quality oat milk with affordable price tags to bring the freedom for the people in Taiwan to fill the need of oat milk lovers, vegans, and any other people who want to switch their diets to plant-based.

Our Guiding Principles

Our employees are guided by our key principles, core values, and highest aspirations. These standards keep us on track as we work to achieve our mission and vision.

Integrity

Without integrity, there can be no trust. Customers trust our products behind the affordable tags. We have to keep it up.

Quality

Without high quality, our mission would be an empty shell and the affordable price tags would also be meaningless.

Environmental-Friendly

Affordable products do not mean they have to cost the Earth. We produce our products with no damaging effect on the environment. 

Fair Trade Standards

Our products are produced based on dialogue, transparency, and respect, offering better trading conditions to oat farmers, and prohibiting child labor or forced labor.

References

Fairtrade products. Fairtrade International. (n.d.). Retrieved July 2, 2022, from https://www.fairtrade.net/product 

Appreciative inquiry, Mission and Vision Statements, The Guiding Principles and The Core Value

What Is Appreciative inquiry?

Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is a model that seeks to engage stakeholders in self-determined change. The Appreciative Inquiry Model is one of the key positive organizational approaches to development and collective learning. 

My Appreciative Inquiry 

DISCOVER

When I recall the moments of the past in my life, I found that the happiest and most fulfilled moments are when I was able to see my friends, my coworkers, and my lover's smiles induced by me, and also when I was able to help kind people and animals.

DREAM

When I was in high school, I desired to be a veterinarian who can cure as many adorable animals as possible and a successful investor who is able to provide enough capital for companies that are trying to make the world a better place.

DESIGN

I believe that before I am able to help others or any animals, I have to brace myself first and keep accumulating my ability for becoming those characters I desired to be. Therefore, first, I have to learn how to efficiently improve my investment skills while still having a full-time job. Thus, I would be able to accumulate my experience in investing. After I can start up a venture capital company, I finally can choose to fund companies or entrepreneurs with great ideas to make the world a better place. Moreover, I can also use the money from the investment to operate animal clinics. 

DELIVER

Abraham Lincoln once said “ Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the ax. ” As I mentioned above in the DESIGN phase, learning how to efficiently improve my investment skills and accumulating my experience in investing are the two top priorities. The exact steps would be complete the basic courses, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Basic Accounting, Finance, and Basic Management first. Of course, it should be lifelong learning, so these courses are just the bases.   

My Mission and Vision

Deep in my heart, I believe my mission is to gather investment skills, knowledge, and intelligence to make great decisions on investment as well as business administration skills to operate my own businesses to provide good job opportunities for good people. Business administration skills are also helpful while operating an animal clinic chain to take good care of animals. If I imagine what heaven looks like, I think it is a place where all people and animals are always happy and safe. My highest principles guide my vision and all that I do are integrity, boosting emotional intelligence, empathy, learning, and kindness.

My Mission

In my imagination, my mission is to provide capital to excellent entrepreneurs and planet-friendly companies, provide good job opportunities for good people, and take good care of animals by:

• Gather investment skills, knowledge, and intelligence to make great investment decisions
• Gather business administration skills to operate planet-friendly businesses and an animal clinic chain

My Vision

My vision I believe is through my knowledge, insights, and actions to consistently provide services and necessary sources for a better future. 

My Guiding Principles 

Integrity

Without integrity, there can be no trust. So, I put integrity first.

Boosting Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence helps me build stronger relationships and achieve my goals. It can also help me to connect with my feelings, turn intention into action, and make informed decisions about what matters most to me.

Empathy

The benefit of being empathetic is that it helps me to better understand and accept people, making it easier to build social relationships with partners and allies.

Learning

Learning gives me motivation. During this pandemic of COVID-19, most of us are spending more time at home and are physically isolated from many loved ones. This can take a toll on our mental health. Learning a new language, practicing an instrument, or tending to an herb garden can give me energy and a sense of purpose.

Kindness

I believe being kind can help me reduce stress and improve my emotional wellbeing. If we take the time to be kind to other people, we can reap emotional dividends. It can make a difference and especially for people who are vulnerable or struggling.

Strategic & Focusing On The Big Picture

I reckon that the importance of defining a clearly articulated set of mission statements, vision statements, and statements of core values is to remind myself of the big picture and act as a source of reference in this modern world. These statements would be ineffective unless those settings actually guide our decisions, shape our actions, and influence our behaviors.

My mission statement, in essence, I believe it represents a description of what I want to be and where I want to go. As the core values of an organization can best be described as operating philosophies or guiding principles that guide an organization’s internal conduct as well as its relationship with the external world, I believe my personal value should also be described as the codes of conduct that guide my mindset as well as my relationship with the world. In addition, if my mission statement tells me what I currently exist to achieve and my vision statement articulate where I desire to go, the purpose of stating my core values would be to define the type of person I strive to be. Moreover, core values must keep reminding me what is important. 

References

Abe Lincoln quote - sharpen your axe. American Music Theatre. (2018, February 22). Retrieved July 1, 2022, from https://amtshows.com/abe-lincoln-quote/ 

Cfellows. (n.d.). Appreciative inquiry resources by Gervase Bushe. The Appreciative Inquiry Commons. Retrieved July 1, 2022, from https://appreciativeinquiry.champlain.edu/educational-material/appreciative-inquiry-resources-by-gervase-bushe/ 

What is appreciative inquiry? A brief history & real life examples. PositivePsychology.com. (2022, June 28). Retrieved July 1, 2022, from https://positivepsychology.com/appreciative-inquiry/ 

The Leadership Development & Personal Effectiveness | The Learning Styles Questionnaire

 I think most of the time when we went to school and try to learn something, there are always books, papers, black and white boards, teachers, and professors. Group learning oftentimes makes it hard for teachers to customize the suitable content for students with different learning styles. Moreover, students are also not so sure which learning styles fit their brains and they don't even know they can learn the same content differently and easily. As the world is changing so fast, AI, Quantum computers, and even Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, we have to learn new things consistently and quickly. So, I believe that finding an effective and high efficient learning style for ourselves would be one of the top priorities on a good leader's to-do list. It is also one of the crucial factors that will help me become a much more effective leader. 

However, saying and doing are two different things. How can I know one way is not suitable or better than the other one? How many learning styles out there can I adopt? There are so many doubts in my mind before I tried to answer the questionnaire. Then, I completed the learning style inventory provided by the Leadership Development & Personal Effectiveness. My scores in the diagram are 18(Reflector), 12(Activist), 14(Pragmatist), and 16(Theorist). I think that means I am relatively preferred to be a Reflector. So, I read the general description of the Reflector. It says the Reflectors like to stand back to ponder experiences, observe them from many different perspectives, collect data, and prefer to analyze them thoroughly.

I think I agree with the outcome mostly such as the collection and analysis of data, observing from many perspectives, prefer to take the back seat, and adopt a low profile. However, I think it doesn't mean that I am a reflector ONLY since there are so many other characteristics I also have such as being open-minded, thinking vertically and logically, and positively search new ideas and practical decisions. Therefore, I reckon that the result represents a RELATIVE preference.

After I got the result, I started to think about how it would be helpful for my learning in the future. I believe once I know my areas of strengths and weaknesses, I am in a much better position to choose learning experiences and opportunities as well as strengthen my weaker styles. I reviewed the "Activists and Pragmatists learn best from" where I got the lowerest scores. Then, I wrote down my Learning Styles Inventory Defects List. 

My Top Four Learning Styles Inventory Defects Are:

1. Insufficient Tries in New Experiences & Opportunities
2. Unable To Lead Discussions Well
3. Unable To Deal with The Awkward People
4. Cannot Learn Well When There Is High Face Validity

Now, I am looking forward to work out a plan to get rid of the defects during this course.

References

Identifying your personal learning style. Department of Health | Identifying your personal learning style. (n.d.). Retrieved June 27, 2022, from https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/publications/publishing.nsf/Content/drugtreat-pubs-front1-wk-toc~drugtreat-pubs-front1-wk-secb~drugtreat-pubs-front1-wk-secb-2~drugtreat-pubs-front1-wk-secb-2-5~drugtreat-pubs-front1-wk-secb-2-5-ide 

Leadership Development & Personal effectiveness | How to build your strengths and reduce the gaps between your ideal and your real self.

 INTRODUCTION

After I read and review Leadership Development & Personal Effectiveness by Westburn, J & Ireson, J., I started to think about my ideal self and my real self. Then, I tried to think about the possibility of closing the gap between the two(my ideal self and my real self). Before I was able to know how deep the gap is, I have to identify both my ideal self and my real self, in order to compare the two and find out how deep it is. And, with the knowledge of the gap in mind, I can try to make it closer or smaller, and eventually close it. Therefore, the first step is to find out what my ideal self is. Who do I want to be? What metaphors and images do I use to describe my ideal self? Then, I stood in front of a mirror and asked myself, who I am? I believe it is a very deep brainstorming as people thought they already know who they are. Next, as I already know both my ideal self and my real self, I can see what the gap looks like. However, it is not easy to measure how deep the gap is since it is conceptual. I have to analyze and develop a measurement to measure the gap. Finally, I came out with a solution to close the gap or build a bridge to cross it. I reckon that if you want to be a leader, you have to be a real human being. You must recognize the true meaning of life before you can become an excellent leader. You must understand yourself first. Step by step, learn from my example, and let's grow together.

Step 1 | Discover My Ideal Self

i. Who do I want to be? 

ii. What metaphors and images do you use to describe your ideal self?

iii. If you allow yourself to dream about an ideal state in the future, what would be its specific characteristics?

iv. Develop a range of alternative scenarios for yourself in the future. What are your most and least preferred, and why?

v. What is the relationship between your public self and your private self in the ideal scenario?

vi. In your speech at your retirement party, what aspects of your life will you highlight as giving you the most satisfaction?

vii. What do you want your legacy to be?

Step 2 | Discover My Real Self

i. How do others see you?

ii. What would your closest friend describe as your greatest strengths and weaknesses?

iii. What are you really good at - where do you make the greatest impact?

iv. Would you describe yourself as being equally successful in your personal and professional life?

v. How accurate is your self-image?

vi. What evidence do you have for your judgment?

vii. Does your concept of self include all the dimensions of an effective person - social, moral, and spiritual?

viii. How strong are your emotional and spiritual connections to yourself, nature, and humanity?

ix. Do you like yourself?

x. Do you have a clear sense of your personal growth and development? How did you become the person you are?

Finally, you are able to analysis and your plan how to build your strengths and reduce the gaps between your ideal and your real self. 

References

Westburn, J & Ireson, J. (n.d.) Leadership Development & Personal Effectiveness. National College for School Leadership. 

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Covey believes the way we see the world is entirely based on our own perceptions.

 PREFACE

"The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" was first published in 1989. It is a business and self-help book written by Stephen R. Covey. Covey suggests an approach to being effective in attaining goals by aligning oneself to what he calls "true north" principles based on a character ethic that he presents as universal and timeless. It is written on Covey's belief that the way we see the world is entirely based on our own perceptions. To change a given situation, we must change ourselves, and to change ourselves, we must be able to change our perceptions(Hussain, 2022).

PERCEPTIONS

I reckon the most important point that most people fail to achieve is that Covey believes the way we see the world is entirely based on our own perceptions. For instance, if we are able to change ourselves such as how we see the world, we would feel and act differently in the same situation. However, it is not easy for most of us, especially, when we are experiencing failure, distress, and disappointment. The concept of success is also a complex one. For me, owning an excellent business is a success. For many people, financial freedom is their success. For humans, dinosaurs are monsters. For dinosaurs, we are also monsters. 

THE HABITS

According to Covey, Habits 1(Be Proactive), 2(Begin with the End in Mind), and 3(Put First Things First) are focused on self-management and moving from dependence to independence(Hussain, 2022). It makes sense logically since leaders should not be a person who is highly dependent on others. Habits 4(Think Win-Win), 5(Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood), and 6(Synergize) are focused on developing teamwork, collaboration, and communication skills, and moving from independence to interdependence(Hussain, 2022). Those skills are critical because leaders have to lead their followers by sharing the same value and vision. They have to communicate with their teams and collaborate with the people they lead.

KEYSTONE HABITS

I believe that before we are able to lead others, we should keep growing ourselves. After we become a leader, success is to help others succeed. Since habit 7(Sharpen the Saw) is focused on continuous growth and improvement and embodies all the other habits, I think it works like the keystone habits such as making your bed, stopping smoking, eating healthier, and doing exercise, eventually, these keystone habits will create a structure that helps other habits to flourish.

SMART Technique

Stephen Covey’s Habit 2 suggests that, in everything we do, we should begin with the end in mind(Hussain, 2022). I believe that if we do something with a clear destination, it is able to keep us focusing in the right direction and avoid distractions. I reckon that it can be adopted with the SMART Technique(Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) to get the best result. For example, suppose you get up in the morning and write down all the tasks you want to accomplish using the SMART Technique. You would be able to focus on the goal and also have a clear destination which is also the goal in mind. Writing down your tasks is one of the keystone habits and related to Covey’s Habit 2.

Covey’s Habit 2

According to Covey’s Habit 2, we can use our imagination to develop a vision of what we want to become and use our conscience to decide what values will guide us. Then, I tried to understand it. I believe the core of this concept is to set a mission or vision statement for yourself. While most people work hard to achieve victories and higher income, whom of them actually have a clear goal in their life? Although we all think money is important to everyone, most of us may not have a clear path to go. For example, if I would like to run my own business, I must have a clear road map and set the required steps such as learning required skills, having enough savings, and making a business plan. As a result, all these three steps will keep you in the right direction of your path. It is also critical for businesses to keep on track with their mission and vision. However, before individuals or organizations try to set goals, we must be able to identify our core values. For example, suppose that I want to lose weight, my core values might be being healthy, in a good shape, or being able to do some specific exercises. In addition to the core value, identifying the center of the value is required. It is the major reason why the value exists and fundamentally affects us.

REFECT MY MYSELF

When I tried to identify my center of my life, I felt it is difficult to pick only one center. I reckon I am at least three or more centered. My feelings of security are based on the way your spouse treats me, founded on fulfilling family expectations, and also determined by my net worth and my assets. I think my spouse and family memebers let me feel that I am loved. Net worth and assets let me feel I have the ability to live well in the society and is able to help others. I have many different roles in my life, a lover, a family member, a classmate, a coworker, daddy of my puppy, a friend, and an investor, etc. 

Finally, I would like to share a book review that I think is worth reading. The book is "The Power of Habits: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business " by Duhigg Charles. In The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg explained why habits exist and how they can be changed. Duhigg also presents a whole new understanding of human nature and its potential such as the key to exercising regularly, losing weight, being more productive, and achieving success is understanding how habits work. 

References

Hussain, A. (2022, April 11). 7 habits of highly effective people [summary & takeaways]. HubSpot Blog. Retrieved June 24, 2022, from https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/habits-of-highly-effective-people-summary 

Task-oriented or People-oriented ?

 After I took the Least Preferred Coworker Scale by Fiedler, I found myself as a task-oriented leader. Then, I was on my journal to understand what it means, why I am a task-oriented leader, and the pros cons that come with it.

Task-oriented leadership often means doing their best to get the job done. This approach tends to emphasize completing tasks required to meet organizational goals. However, I think the task-oriented style is much more like a manager that focus on tasks needed to achieve goals. One of the significant defects is that task-oriented leadership is more likely to lack attention to the well-being of team members and tend to be deficiency in many situations that require proper leadership to keep employees satisfied with their work.

I believe the manager’s job is to plan, organize and coordinate. The leader’s job is to inspire and motivate, even though leaders sometimes tend to be both. In the past, I always came out with structure, plans, and schedules for getting things done. I wrote down a to-do list, prioritizing achievement, and sticking to rigid schedules. However, I think it is considered as autocratic and oftentimes, lead to motivation problems. I reckon that most talented people do not want to be lead by authoritarian, especially when a company highly rely on talented employees such as Google, Apple, Tesla, 3M, or Honeywell. For example, Google.org, the philanthropic arm of search giant Google that offers funding, innovation and technical expertise to underserved communities, announced on Monday that it will invest $14 million in the nonprofit Goodwill Digital Career Accelerator. Together, their goal is to help people of color, under-represented groups, people from rural areas and those without high school and college degrees attain credentials that will offer entry into the workforce with good, well-paying jobs. 

After all, a company is formed by a group of people. The past success is not a ganretee to future success. The ultimate throttle on growth for any great company is not markets, or technology, or competition, or products. The ability to get and keep enough of the right people is considered to be the most important part of an organization to survive in the long term. Therefore, I have to learn more about how to replace my task-oriented leadership by an more more effective one.

References

Kelly, J. (2022, May 12). Google's $14 million investment into goodwill empowers underserved people to gain access to well-paying jobs. Forbes. Retrieved June 21, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2022/05/11/googles-14-million-investment-into-goodwill-empowers-underserved-people-to-gain-access-to-well-paying-jobs/?sh=76f26f0460bf 

What is task-oriented leadership? - st. thomas online. STU. (2022, June 16). Retrieved June 21, 2022, from https://online.stu.edu/degrees/education/what-is-task-oriented-leadership/ 

Suggested Lessons We Can Learn from WikiLeaks Events

 WikiLeaks is an international non-profit organization that publishes news leaks and classified information provided by anonymous sources. Founded by Julian Assange, the group has been responsible for disseminating hundreds of thousands of formerly classified files. The Australian-born Assange is a computer programmer and activist who set up WikiLeaks in 2006. In 2010, Wikileaks published a video from a US military helicopter showing the killing of civilians in Baghdad, Iraq. Reuters photographer Namir Noor-Eldeen and his assistant Saeed Chmagh were both killed in the attack. 

This isn't the first time Wikileaks is in the news due to its release of classified files. In the past, Wikileaks even released many sensitive government files. However, it also provides an opportunity to reconsider how these kinds of data should be handled and the lessons we can learn from these events.

A business generates a lot of internal documents from the inane emails to complex, secret business processes that provide us a competitive advantage. For example, the hospitals where you get medical help, store your personal information and medical records so they are able to give you better treatment. However, that data can also be used to threaten you if it is leaked or stolen.

In 2022, this year, MCG Health reported a data breach after discovering an unauthorized party obtained certain personal information about affected individuals that matched data stored on MCG’s systems, including the names, the social security numbers, addresses, phone numbers, emails, dates of birth, and even genders. In response, MCG secured its systems and enlisted the help of cybersecurity professionals to investigate the incident. MCG Health also reviewed the affected files to determine what information was compromised and to whom it belonged. 

Among these cases, I reckon that these events have taught us several lessons and we can learn a lot from them. I listed my suggested five lessons in sequence and priority from the most important to the less important that I as a leader would want to learn from. The sequence is from prevention, minimizing the risks, to how it is supposed to be handled after the leak or breach.

i. Keep The Door Locked

A locked door keeping an honest man honest. Many impulsive actions are for petty reasons which the criminal then regrets after the fact. Locking your door saves a person from doing something they would most likely regret later. Knowing the door is locked or everyone is armed causes most people to think twice about their actions. As the IT technology help companies operate smoothly with efficiency, those sensitive data is also like tasty meat to great white sharks. Companies must make enough effort to secure their systems and the data.

ii. Understand and Lead Your Staff Effectively

Even though you have locked the door, there are still many tactful ways to unlock the door or break it. Therefore, not each of your staff should have the authority to handle all the sensitive information. In addition, business owners and executives must ally the same goal with their employees or subordinates.

iii. Evaluating The Risks and Benefits of Holding These Data

As mentioned above, holding the critical or necessary information provides businesses competitive advantages. That's why they desire to know more about their customers. However, since there are no truly secure systems, what are the risks if the data is breached? Trust is hard to build but easy to lose. Many popular brands build their reputation not only on preferences but also mostly on trust. Therefore, if the information is highly sensitive and very likely to destroy your credibility, you must have a strong plan to handle them.

iv. Diversify The Risks

As long as there are no truly secure systems, businesses must segment the data to diversify the risks when they leak. For example, when a doctor is only permitted to the records of their patients, sensitive data of other patients will be affected if the doctor leaks out the data. Create segmented systems and only provide data on a need-to-know basis to your employees rather than providing a gold mining opportunity for all.

v. Learn How to Handle an Embarrassing Data Breach

As always, bad things happen all the time. Just like the reason why Wikileaks founder Julian Assange was arrested at Ecuador's London embassy, where he had been granted asylum since 2012, Wikileaks has published hundreds of thousands of documents leaked by former US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning. Many of the government officials did not handle this data release very well and said some things which just embarrassed them. Instead of just trying to cover or telling more lies, bringing in a professional response team who has handled these types of situations would be much more appropriate. For example, in response, MCG secured its systems and enlisted the help of cybersecurity professionals to investigate the incident. MCG Health also reviewed the affected files to determine what information was compromised and to whom it belonged. The MCG was attempting to rebuild its credibility.

One More Thing & Thinking Box

The 2018 Google data breach was also a major data privacy scandal in which the Google+ API exposed the private data of over five million users, although it was fixed immediately, exposing the private data of approximately 500,000 Google+ users to the public. In August 2019, Google declared a shutdown of Google+ due to low use and technological challenges. Do you think it is a good way to handle it? Why? Let's discuss it.

References

BBC. (2019, April 12). Wikileaks: Document dumps that shook the world. BBC News. Retrieved June 17, 2022, from https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-47907890 

Reis, J. (n.d.). 5 lessons businesses can learn from Wikileaks. Learnthat. http://learnthat.com/5-lessons-every-manager-should-learn-from-wikileaks/