Michael Rohland Exploring Leadership Assignment 3 Due: 10/15/2012 John P. Kotter on What Leaders Really Do Chapter 1 in the book “John P. Kotter on What Leaders Really Do”, focused on a few distinct ideas. First, leadership today and leadership many years ago are much different in not only their definitions, but in the way in which we see leaders. Globalization and the increasingly fast-paced world in which we live have created a strong need for organizations to be lead in a direction that inspires growth and change. Product life cycles that used to be twenty or so years are now cut to five years or even shorter. If organizations are not able to keep up with how quickly the market changes, the consequences can be fatal. Chapter 1 also begins to explain the harsh differences between management and leadership. Both managing and leading are important, but they serve completely different roles within organizations. Where management can be thought of a task delegating, in which it is clear who the bosses are, leading is the process of creating change. Leadership does not have to be from an executive of a company. Middlemanagers and even members at the bottom of a management grid can be some of the strongest leaders of any organization. Top-level executives must be able to delegate much of the management aspect of their jobs to lower level employees, so that they may have the time to focus on the role of being a successful leader and creating change. “Firms that are failing to delegate more from the top and to purge unneeded activities are facing increasing burnout among top managers.” (Kotter 21) If top employees are trying to both manage and lead, they will become worn out, stressed, and tired, and fail to continue to create a path for the organization that will lead to growth and change rather than stagnation. Chapter 2, Choosing Strategies for Change, focuses on the methods of installing great changes in an organization. One of the most important things to assess when attempting to make a change within an organization is the potential for a resistance to the change. There are four major reasons that people would resist a change including: Parochial Self-Interest, Misunderstanding and Lack of Trust, Different Assessments, and Low Tolerance for Change. The first type of resistance occurs when the people affected feel as though they are going to lose something of value as a result of a change so as a result, they will try to undermine the change efforts. Misunderstanding and lack of trust is a type of resistance in which the people involved do not fully understand the need for change or feel that the change will cost much more than they will gain. Differing assessments refers to when workers affected by a change do not agree with the change proposed. They will therefore resist or undermine the change because they feel strongly against its potential for benefit. Finally, low tolerance for change refers to when workers feel they do not have the ability to successfully learn the new skills required do to the change. They will therefore resist the change even if they feel the change is for a good cause. There are many strategies outlined for dealing with resistance. The most important thing to do before implementing a change is to understand what type of resistance may be faced and the reasons for that resistance. Doing this will allow the leader to choose a strategy that will most effectively implement a new change. Some resistance requires a great deal of participation whereas other resistances require careful manipulation. Utilizing the best strategy for a particular change is the most important aspect of being successful with that change. Chapter 3, What Leaders Really Do, focuses solely on the differences between managing and leading. Kotter explains that most organizations today are over managed and under led. This is not to say however that management is unimportant. A company that is over led and undermanaged is potentially worse off than the opposite. It is therefore extremely invaluable for companies to understand the importance of leadership and management and how the two complement and coexist. Managers are responsible for tasks such as planning and budgeting, where leaders would set a direction for the upcoming change. Likewise managers organize and staff where leaders align people. It is obvious then, that the core difference between leading and managing is that successful management is based on the organizing structure of a company and successful leadership is based on creating vision and satisfying the ever-growing need for change. Creating an environment that encourages leadership is an equally important aspect for companies to become proficient. Actively seeking out young individuals with high leadership potential and then creating challenging opportunities for those people is one very effective way to build leadership potential. The ultimate goal of a company should be to create a culture that is rewarding to those who lead and seek change versus one in which leaders are seen as rebels. Chapter 4, Leading Change, explains in simple context, the methods of making a significant change within an organization. Primarily, it outlines eight major errors that are commonly made during an effort to produce such change. These errors include: not having enough urgency, not having a powerful guiding coalition, lacking vision, under communication, not removing obstacles, not systematically planning for short term wins, declaring victory too soon, and not anchoring changes in the corporation’s culture. Each of these errors can be catastrophic to the successful change of an organization. Often times, if most people within the company do not feel that a change is needed, they will themselves become roadblocks. One of the most important factors in creating change is to make the change and then fully anchor it within the company’s system. If a successful change has been made, but then new employees are promoted that do not follow the new methods, the changes will quickly disappear. Successful preparation and continuous assessment of the change efforts along the way will help ensure the ability of the company to make a change that will create lasting results. Chapter 5 is entitled Power, Dependence, and Effective Management. In this chapter, Kotter begins by explaining that as Americans, we are typically not comfortable with the idea of power. Not only do we often fear or resent those who possess power, but we often do not understand how to handle or use power if we obtain it. The first step in utilizing one’s power as a manager is to recognize the people around which that manager is dependent. Not only are managers dependent on subordinates as well as bosses, but they are often dependent on people outside of their division or even outside of their company. It is vital to understand who you are dependent on and why in order to become a powerful manager and in turn, a powerful leader. Next, Kotter describes the many methods in which managers can acquire power. These methods include: using a sense of obligation, obtaining belief in their expertise, allowing others to identify with the manager, and using a perceived dependence on that manager. One of the most effective and least time consuming methods of acquiring power is by utilizing a sense of obligation. To do this, managers will perform very small deeds in which people identify strongly with. In return, those people will go out of their way to help that manager since they feel obligated to help them in return for favors. The overall goal of chapter 5 was to introduce power and explain how it may be acquired and used successfully. There are many ways to utilize power; some more risky such as using indirect ways to manipulate those you wish to control. In order to be fully successful as a manager however, it is vital to become comfortable with power as well as utilize it. Chapter 6, Managing Your Boss is perhaps one of the most important chapters in this book. By “managing your boss” Kotter does not mean that as a lower level manager, you should try to control or manipulate your boss, but that you should take care to make sure that the relationship between you as a manager and your boss is a good one. “Successful managers develop good relationships with everyone they depend on – including their boss.” (Kotter 124) As expressed by this quote, it is important to have a good working relationship with your boss because he or she is one of the people in which you would depend on most. It is first important to fully understand the boss’s personality and work style. It is, however, equally important for the manager to understand his or her own personality needs and work style. If successful in these two ways, a manager can be very accomplished in handling the relationship between them and their boss. It is important to not see the boss as an enemy as Kotter points out as well. Some managers see their bosses in a negative light strictly due to their possession of power over them. These managers will often fight with their bosses just because, and the relationship between them will be strained, severely impacting their abilities to be effective. It is important to understand the mutual expectations between both the manager and the boss. If this criterion is met, the relationship will never be surprising to either party. This chapter may be more accurately titled, “Managing Your Relationship with Your Boss” since it is the relationship, not the bosses themselves that needs to be managed effectively. The final and seventh chapter, What Effective General Managers Really Do, goes into great detail explaining how most general managers go about a typical work day. It first gives a detailed day-long agenda that most of the GM’s that were studied would have. Included in this were many very short and choppy conversations that took place with a wide range of people within a GM’s network. During these short conversations, it is explained that good GM’s will find much vital information that they need from the other workers while simultaneously encouraging a good relationship with those same people. Another key aspect of this chapter is to explain how good GM’s will handle a new job once appointed to the role of Manager. Almost always, the first six months to a year on the new job is spent both building a network in which to work and setting an agenda. Both of these activities are extremely vital. Without proper network building, a GM’s job will essentially be impossible due to the earlier explained dependencies that inevitably affect all workers and managers. Likewise, without a proper agenda set, GM’s will not have a good sense of direction, nor will they be able to understand what they need their subordinates to accomplish and in what time frame. Their work would be largely ineffective without an agenda, and that is why much of the first year on the job is spent setting an agenda. It is crucial to understand that the agenda is never fully complete however. It is always evolving and growing to meet the ever changing needs of the company or organization. Chapter 7 largely explains how the most effective of GM’s do not perform a very standardized set of work, yet their seemingly inappropriate work schedule is very effective because it utilizes little time to accomplish many vital goals. “John P. Kotter on What Leaders Really Do” was a far more valuable read than I had originally anticipated. As with many books of this nature, I expected it to be a very dry explanation of leadership. I was delightfully surprised by the amount of real-world research that was presented. I have learned many lessons that for most, takes years of actual managerial experience to gain. One of the most invaluable lessons I have taken away is the differentiation between management and leading. Before reading this book, I felt that the words leading and managing were one in the same. I now understand the crucial differences between the two. Managing is a very task oriented thing. Managing means setting specific goals, setting budgets, making sure the employees needed for a particular task are available and so forth. Leading is a much less defined aspect of business. Leading means inspiring change, motivating subordinates, and creatively working to keep up with the ever changing globalized world. When I become a manager of a company or even the owner of my own business, I will be sure not to confuse the crucial differences between managing and leading. I am going to make certain that I keep the organization organized (managed) as well as flexible (led). I am also going to always remember that many companies are often over managed and under led. This is a dangerous formula because it causes these companies to become stagnant. They fail to keep up with the volatile world. I personally think of a current example of a company that is currently failing due to their inability to change with the demands of business. Research in Motion, a company largely focused on the development and selling of cellular products was once a dominant company in the sector. Their most known devices are the Blackberry products. Blackberries were once extremely popular as they were seen as the most capable devices of their kind. With the introduction of touchscreen smartphones by huge companies including Apple and Samsung however, Research in Motion has failed to innovate to maintain their hold on the market share. The phones are now often looked upon as a thing of the past and along with their innovation, the stock price has fallen. I feel that the company’s failure is largely due to a resistance to change with the needs and wants of consumers. When I am leading as a manager or owner of an organization someday, I will always be careful to pay close attention to the competition. If new products and/or services are being released that make my organization’s products obsolete, I will make every effort to keep my organization ahead by innovating and changing. RIM fell into a trap by simply sticking to a formula that worked, while failing to realize that the formula was slowly becoming obsolete. I, as a leader, will always stay innovative so that this does not happen. Finally, the last lesson that I will carry with me is that all people within a company are dependent on many other people both within and outside of the organization. Even CEO’s of companies are extremely dependent people. Understanding this dependence is crucial to being effective as a leader. Instead of feeling that I can control 100 percent of my situation, I will understand that I need the cooperation of others to be effective. Knowing this, I will put great emphasis on building strong relationships with everyone within my network including but not limited to subordinates, bosses, and outside suppliers or consumers. With these relationships, I feel I will be able to much more efficiently lead and encourage change for the greater good of the company or organization. Overall, I felt that this book was an incredibly valuable read which provided me with a vast amount of wisdom that has been collected through years of research and with thousands of employees and many companies. I feel fortunate to have learned the lessons of so many missteps and successes. Works Cited Kotter, John P. John P. Kotter on What Leaders Really Do. Boston: Harvard Business School, 1999. Print.