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Leadership Interview

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The following report describes the result of an interview conducted with a human resource manager of a leading electronic store in the city. Theaim of theinterviewwas to gain anunderstanding of the leader’s philosophy and leadership strategy.The interview also gave insight into the essential leadershipcompetencies and traits that make effective leaders. The interviewlasted twenty-five minutes. In order to ensure the interviewee obtainmaximum insight, the interview was recorded and later transcribedto identify themes.

The manager noted that motivating his team and ensuringevery time members is empowered with the necessary skills andresources to accomplish tasks is critical in ensuring the overallsuccess of the organization. He noted that one had to be ready tocommunicate to the team when in doubt and be able to makedecisions, particularly in uncertain times. In order to better hisleadership skills, the manager noted that he has to improve hisresilience at appraising risks and be able to create a great vision forthe team. As a leader, one has to understand when to use discretionand when to consider the context of a situation while making adecision. The manager informed that leaders have to be prepared tolead effectively especially in times of uncertainty and crisis. Duringcrises and uncertainty, the leader must be ready to listen, decide andsimplify issues quickly. The need to make decisions fast requiresleaders to empower their followers or subordinates to makedecisions. He or she need to define whether he is led by thefollowers. The managers noted that even if leaders have theresponsibility of motivating workers and listening to their input, theleader need to be decisive. He or she has to recognize the right goaland the path forward for the success of the team. As such, themanagers definition of a leader concurs with Greenleaf’s definitionof a servant leader. According to Green’s definition, a leader has tolisten to followers and be ready to “serve first” (Spears, & Lawrence, 2002).

Role modeling is an essential characteristic of a leader(Ogden & Meyer, 2009). While leading a team, the managersacknowledged that it is possible not to please everyone. He noted “ifyou lead, you will also hurt; you will blame and sometimescelebrate. That is all part of your job.” Whenasked about his role indevelopingfutureleadersandmotivation to passleadershipskills to others, themanagernotedthatit is easy to teachhardskillssuch asworkprocessbutverycomplex to teachsoftskillssuch as experience. Agood leader needs to be intelligent, be able to think conceptually, beambitious, innovative, and growth oriented, noted the manager.Although these traits are important, the manager added that theyhave to be balanced with a specific level of skepticism or therecognition that not everything will succeed. The manager’srecognition that not everything will work every time enables him toset realistic goals and establish mechanisms to monitor processes.As such, the manager is able to institute correction measure at theright time. The manager emphasized the importance of being able tomake strategic plans and mobilizing resources to achieve suchgoals. However, such efforts often encounter challenges, asresources are always scarce and prioritization, has to take place.

According to the manager, every leader needs someone whocan listen, speak in confidence and understand the dynamics ofleadership. The importance of a stable emotional relationship iscritical in ensuring every leader performs according to expectation.The manager also emphasized the importance of maintaining goodhealth and physical stamina.

In an effort to explore leadership in a particular project, themanager was asked to give some of his recent roles, tasks or projectthat required his leadership skills. The manager was in charge ofoverseeing the establishment of the new business branch in New York. Asthe one in charge of ensuringthe organization hires thenecessary talent, the manager was given the responsibility ofrecruiting and training new employees. His responsibility was toensure the new branch had the right talent within the shortest timepossible. According to the manager, the responsibility wasenormous because he had to instill the organization’s culture andvalues to the new recruits. In addition, the manager had to managethe relocation of some employees from the parent company to instillsome sense of experience within the new branch. He acknowledgedthat, it is very tricky in the modern labor trends to identify andrecruit the right personnel. Having the right qualification andexperience may not be the only criteria to use, stated the manager. One has to look for employees who can easily adapt to anorganization culture, who have a passionfor their jobandwho arewilling to learn. The manager noted that there is always a trickybalance between ensuring diversity and avoiding discrimination andgetting the most appropriate employees. Often, the managers haveto put the interest of the organization first, and then ensure all theother activities are aligned to meet organization or business goals.

When asked how he manages to remain focused as a leaderand ensure effective leadership, the manager answered” In thismodern business environment, one has to keep on learning andseeking information.” The statement underscores the important ofpersonal and professional development. The manager noted that healways get advice from fellow managers and seek information frombooks and the internet. In order to furnish his leadership skills, themanager is current leading “The Leadership Challenge, fifthedition” by Kouzes and Barry. According to the manager, one cannot exhaust the amount of information about leadership andthere are mountains of information on every aspect of leadership.He noted that a leader needs to bereceptive to newskills,information and competencies is the key to remaining relevant. One cannot afford to ignore the information in this fast-paced globe. Themanager noted that he gets a lot of inspiration from the leadership of Steve Jobs. He noted that, although Steve Jobs has passed on, thelegacy he built with the Apple Company will live forever. He notedthat, Steve was driven by his childhood dream and every decision hemade was aligned to achieve one specific goal. In addition, headmired how Steve built an empire based basically on innovation.Innovation and motivation enable employees to explore new waysof doing things and with the right environment, employees can drivethe success of the company (Ramsey, 2003).

When asked about the greatest the 21st century leaders arefacing, the manager noted that managing time and resources aresome of the greatest challenges. Most modern leaders are highlyaccessible and there are numerous issues and people seeking theirattention. Consequently, the leaders have to maintain the vision andperspective of the company in a demanding environment. Apartfrom challenges of leadership itself, the manager noted that leadershave to contend with practical pressures such as deadlines, finances,projects and other day-to-day challenges. He also noted thatmotivating people while “one is seen not to be” is a major challengeto his responsibilities as a human resource manager. It is hard toassess the success of some project that are aimed at motivatingemployees.

In conclusion, the activity gave a lot of insight into theessential competencies and traits of leadership. Some of theunderstanding themes include the ability of a leader to establish aclear vision, plan adequately, and motivate followers (employees),making effective decisions on time and leading. In addition, a leaderneeds to be receptive to learning and be ready to seek informationfrom various sources.

References

Ogden G & Meyer D (2009). Leadership Essentials: Shaping Vision, multiplying influence, definingcharacter.InterVarsity Press, USA.

Ramsey R (2003). What is a “servant leader?” National Research Bureau.

Spears, L. C. & Lawrence, M. (2002).Focus on Leadership: Servant-Leadership for the Twenty-First Century New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN: 9780471411628

Appendices 1: Interview Questions

1. According to you, what are the most critical skills of a manager?

2. Can you describe one of the recent activity or situation where youare required to utilize these skills?

3. Is it possible to pass over these skills to subordinates orfollowers?

4. Most leadership books emphasize the importance of managing ateam effectively. What is your opinion on the same?

5. How do you as a leader remain focused to your responsibilities?

6. Throughout your leadership journey, there must be some personwho motivates you or provides a role model to emulate. Who is thatperson?