Power and influence are two very important characteristics to have in order to be an effective leader. In class we defined power and the capacity to influence, and influence as all about action and power in motion in an attempt to influence someone. In order to distinguish between the two we explained it like this, power is like when you are at the top of a ski slope just looking down (potential energy). Influence is all about motion, or kinetic energy. This is the energy being released when skiiing

Cognitive Bias

Retrievability Bias
I find myself using retrievability bias when I am driving in areas that I am not familiar with. This happens when I am traveling in an area I have only been in a few times. I try and pick out certain structures, houses, signs, or businesses. I use something in my memory to make a decision while driving and base my decision off that assumption.

Insensitivity to Sample Size
The best example I can think of where sample size had an effect on a past event is when my sister and I were at a bmx event at Woodward Camp. There were a couple of famous bmx bike riders there and the camp was giving away a signed bike for free. My sister and I both entered our names in the drawing. In order to win the bike, participants had to be present at the time of the drawing. I knew a lot of people were not going to stay that late so I convinced my mom to stay. The sample size was smaller because of everyone going home, therefore our chances of winning were greater. After drawing four names with none of the people present, my sisters name was drawn and we took the bike home with us that day.

The Politics of Going to College

I believe that Obama has started a trend and convinced many American’s that it is essential to continue your education after high school. I want to make a point as to why I believe this. The number of people that are living on this planet is increasing everyday, so the openings for jobs are slowly becoming scarce. Parents are raising their kids with the mindset that it is necessary to go to college so they do not have problems when it comes time to look for a career.  As college graduates are becoming older and having kids, they want to support a candidate that will allow their children to receive help from the government when it comes to paying for college. We can see this point being proven with the number of Democrats increasing that are “better-educated” and the growth of college-educated people entering the elections.

I think Santorum is going to have a hard time receiving votes from people who have a college degree because he believes that education is the responsibility of the consumer, the parent. He is not using rational thinking and considering the consequences associated with the idea that it is full responsibility for the parents to be paying for college. I think Romney is thinking rationally and is using conformity to support his thinking. On his website he made a point that is exactly what Obama said in the article, “post-secondary education cannot become a luxury for the few.” His decision is based off of what Americans want to see happen with our government funding towards higher education. 

Stay in Afghanistan or withdraw troops?

Motivation

In class Monday we watched a video on what motivates us. This is my second time watching this and I loved it just as much this time as I did the first. He took a very effective approach with this lecture. He started out explaining the typical assumption, if you reward something you get more behavior you want, and if you punish something, you get less behavior you want. This said, top performers get a bigger reward and lower performers are ignored. Four economists, two from MIT, one from University of Chicago, and one from Carnegie Mellon, did a study that proved this assumption wrong. They proved that a larger reward lead to poor performance when you are above rudimentary cognitive skill. When a task gets complicated this type of reward does not work. They discovered three factors that lead to better performance and personal satisfaction. These three factors are autonomy, mastery, and purpose. Autonomy is our desire to be self-directed. Mastery is the urge to get better at something. Purpose is the reason why you are at work and what you need to accomplish. We can relate these three factors to the equity theory, which we discussed in class. The equity theory is about incentives. If the incentives are beneficial to the employees, they will engage in activities they like. This is kind of like the company that gave employees 24 hours to work on whatever they wanted, however they wanted, and with whomever they wanted. In these 24 hours, employees accomplished a huge amount of work and came up with innovative ideas. There are three things that make up the equity theory, effort that leads to performance, which leads to various outcomes. Effort and autonomy can be related because the more effort you put into a task, usually you have a desire to get somewhere with your work. Performance and mastery can be related because everyone has the urge to excel at what they’re doing so their interactions within the company increase. Finally purpose can be related to the various outcomes as a result. You are working for a firm so you can produce results with the materials you’re working with. 

The Organizatonal Kid

I personally believe that the amount of success that students at Princeton University have can be due to the parenting ways of the parents. To attend Princeton, students are not paying the price we pay here at Shippensburg. The kids attending Princeton usually have parents that have high paying jobs, which are also very good jobs. They are more likely to raise their kids similar to the way they were raised. With that being said, I think they push their kids to become “Future Workaholics of America” and become the best of the best. The students are putting so much effort into their schoolwork that they have no time to get involved in larger issues. This could be an issue in the future because if every student is putting all their time into school, how is a student suppose to follow politics, or get involved in crusades? 

The author also mentioned in the article that these students are extremely respectful to authority. I believe a big part of this deals with not only Princeton students, but also people all over the world. Our society has a “norm” that everyone wants to follow. It is not a part of the “norm” to argue or disobey people of authority. We can see this early on in out childhood years. If we were told in kindergarten to get in a straight line, we all followed the teacher’s directions and formed a straight like. As a college student if we are told to hand in a paper on a specific date we do what we are told and turn in the paper that day.

Richard Grasso

Power and influence are two very important characteristics to have in order to be an effective leader. In class we defined power and the capacity to influence, and influence as all about action and power in motion in an attempt to influence someone. In order to distinguish between the two we explained it like this, power is like when you are at the top of a ski slope just looking down (potential energy). Influence is all about motion, or kinetic energy. This is the energy being released when skiing down the hill.

Richard Grasso worked his way from the lowest of the low in the New York Stock Exchange to becoming CEO years later. He was the kind of man that knew all the ins and outs of the NYSE. We discussed in class where power comes from and can relate these sources to Grasso and his success within the walls of the stock exchange. The 5 sources of power are referent, expert, coercive, reward, and legitimate. I personally think that Grasso uses coercive power because he was known to come off as intimidating and was “very good at destroying people.” Referent power also applies to Grasso because he was very good and maintaining interpersonal relationship with people. He believes that surrounding yourself with people that have similar interest will keep you on your toes.  This is interesting because he could be the complete opposite of this and come off as a prick to everyone. A final source is expert power. Grasso has been working at the NYSE since he was 22. He knew what kept the stock exchange running. With many years of experience he had something no one else had, and that’s, knowledge.

          Wednesday in class we discussed influence and the extent that pharmaceutical companies go to for their product to be the best in the market. These large companies have the capabilities of investing billions into free gifts, lavish dinners, or even a round of golf at the doctor’s favorite country club. I personally think that this is a good way for these companies to influence doctors to prescribe their medications over the competing brands. These companies are spending millions of dollars on research and experimental testing; so pharmaceutical representatives want to make their companies drug known. By offering free gifts like pens, mugs, and note tablets, the companies goal is to make doctors recognize a certain brand. Think about it this way, doctors use a pen to write out prescriptions all day, for multiple types of medication. If he happens to be writing out a prescription for a certain brand of birth control, he happens to pull out of his pocket a pen that has some birth control company on it, chances are he is going to prescribe that certain brand.

            The power of influence is not only present in the pharmaceutical industry. It also ties into common every day appearance, working in groups, and cooperation. Physical appearance is an important factor in being capable of influencing people. The way you dress is another important factors. You do not want a lawyer representing you if he or she is dressing in slippers, sweatpants, and a cut off tee shirt. When working in groups we tend to work with people that are similar to us. I personally think that we as humans adapt to create a social bond with people that we share a common interest with. Cooperation between individuals can be something like dividing a task at work by 50%. You take half and your partner takes the other half. All three of these types of influence create a sense of “liking.” When positive emotions bleed together, a strong healthy relationship is formed that will be hard to break. 

Women in Leadership

Corporate

Top CEO’s, board seats 15-16%.

Political

109 heads of state, 9 are women.

Non-Profit

Usually lead by more women, only 20% of women are at the top.

            I agree with Sandberg and think that women can be at fault in a situation like this. Women are not making it to the top in any profession. More and more women are starting to either be stay at home moms, because their husband could be bringing in a large salary. 

Causes of inequality can start with the lack of women staying in the workforce. More and more women are dropping out for various reasons. Three messages with women need to remind themselves but don’t will be discussed in the paragraph following this. Other causes of inequality are the fact that women in the workforce have harder choices between professional success and personal fulfillment. Studies have shown that when women were asked how they did something, they respond with “someone helped me.” When a man was asked the same question, they responded with “it’s because I’m awesome.” I get from this that women lack confidence when working with male co-workers because they constantly feel belittled.

Women need to frequently remind themselves of three messages that will help them succeed in the competitive “higher up” positions of the business world. The three messages that spokeswoman, Sheryl Sandberg identified are 1. sit at the table, 2. make partner a real partner, and 3. don’t leave before you leave. Sit at the table refers to women and how they need to get involved in discussion instead of sitting against the wall. Getting their voice heard will help their ideas be noticed. Make partner a real partner means that the woman and her husband need to split the responsibilities 50%. This includes work, household jobs, and childcare. This takes less responsibility off the women and divides it equally. The final message is don’t leave before you leave. In other words, don’t go on vacation early. Women that make decisions too far in advanced start losing interest in promotions or projects and start thinking about how to fit a child into their schedule, then two years passes and they are finally going back to work. 

Leader vs. Manager

In class Wednesday we discussed the differences between a leader and a manager. We started by constructing a t-table and labeling one side as leadership and the other as management. A leader is someone who brings original ideas to the table of what their future could be or look like. They provide strategy, inspiration and have an imagination. Some objectives for a leader within an organization is to provide a sense of direction, motivate and inspire workers. On the other side of the t-table we wrote down characteristics of a manager. A manager is responsible for taking the vision of the leaders and put it into perspective and make that vision happen. They provide resources that are needed to achieve the goals within the firm. A few responsibilities of a manager are planning and budgeting, organizing and staffing, and finally controlling and problem solving.

            After making the distinction between a leader and manager, I related the characteristics to the article that was assigned to read called Vista-Sci Health Care Inc. The two key players in this article are a lady named, Jamie Hernandez and Michael Upshaw. We found Jamie to be outgoing and open with her feeling. On the negative side she likes tasks to be done her way, and her way only. A manager like this could be good for Vista-Sci Health Care because it means that she is motivated in completing her work, but on the opposite side of that Jamie might cause conflict with other workers because of her stubbornness. Michael Upshaw also has many creative ideas to bring to the table. He is less of a risk taker, but does careful accurate work. If told to do something he will gladly do what is asked of him but nothing more. This could cause conflict because his lack of motivation might not help the company excel. Between the two candidates, I personally believe that Michael would better fit this position. He does careful, accurate work and completes the job on time. Jamie has had a past history of taking time off and not being able to complete her goals for her company while taking time off. If hired, the senior VP of Vista-Sci Health Care will have to work with Michael to get him to come out of his shell.

            Carefully looking at characteristics of a leader/manager I would say my boss at the restaurant I work at called La Primavera Italiano Ristorante, could classify as a leader. Even though he has a lack of education (didn’t go to college) his experience working has created a leader. Aside from La Primavera, he also owns 2 other businesses. His type of management is similar to a book that I am reading for my finance class called, The One Minute Manager. If caught doing something wrong he will kind of have a one-minute reprimand. He will briefly tell you what you did wrong and correct your mistake while looking you straight in the eyes. One problem with this approach is his ability to remain calm. He has a lot on his plate and can be stressed out a lot. When doing this one-minute reprimand, the tone in his voice can come off as mean. This just to make sure you understand what you did and to make sure you will not make the same mistake again. 

"Leadership and Organizational Excitement"

The article, "Leadership and Organizational Excitement" was focusing on a way to revitalize organizations that are lacking some sort of technique to run a successful business. There were three factors identified on revitalizing an organization. These factors were, organizational development, presence of personnel, and labor relations programs. I found it interesting when author, David Berlew, said that many people within their organization get "excited" about the potential for change, rather than the actual change itself. A leader was founded as someone who is good at creating a game plan and sticking to it to achieve objectives and goals, and have productive, satisfied workers. I think it's a good idea for leaders to include everyone and get everyone involved in business goals. People like feeling "accepted" so a good was to do this is to be fair and give everyone an opportunity to achieve those goals. An objective for the manager to achieve is to make everyone feel stronger. I the article it stated that "exposure to a certain type of leader, like JFK, it leaves people feeling stronger, more confident of being able to determine destinies." This is important for a manager because he/she wants to set a good example for his/her workers. A way the manager of a company can keep staff strong is by giving them a chance to change things. This goes back to what I mentioned earlier about feeling accepted. Three factors tie in with change. First, a common vision of what they are trying to create together and value-congruent manner must be present. Change in an organization provides confidence to individuals and gives them an opportunity to test themselves.

I would strongly agree with anyone that believes that personality matters in leadership. I would not say I completely agree with finding out what type of personality you have by taking a simple test online, but I feel that the results can tell a lot about a person. The five characteristics measure after completing the test are openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. I personally think three of the five closely relate to a person who is a leader.  The three are conscientiousness, because a good leader should be reliable and have an organized game plan for their company, openness to experience because a good leader should be full of ideas and to maximize shareholders wealth, he/she needs to have new, creative ideas. The third characteristic I think a good leader needs to be extremely outgoing, social, and energetic, or better known as extraversion. Having this type of personality is good for a leader because he/she should be able to communicate with staff members and have an open mind when working in groups.

The Brand Called Obama

I found this article to be very interesting. I'm not a huge politics person, so I know very little about Obama. The article started out with Obama putting off calling fund-raisers or leading a rally, instead he was shooting hoops with his nephew and brother in-law. He argued that shooting hoops was his type of theropy. He was also known for his humorous jokes before he hit the podium. This behavior was not a show, Obama believes that this type of leadership characteristic is important for understanding societies changing ways. His greatest strength is among the young, ages 18-29. He is familiar with what this age group is growing up with and knows how to advertise to them. His website has constant updates, videos, photos, ringtones, and widgets. Obamas website explores how technology is changing politics. By him reaching out on social networks like Facebook and Twitter, he connects to young better than traditional barriers. In the article it identified Obama's new way of thinking as "adaptive leadership." this type of leadership that is effective in handling problems that necessitat a shift. I strongly think that leadership characteristics is a part of your personality and who a you are instead of one being turned into a leader. I think that some people are naturally shy and others are born to be in charge of people.

"American Everyman"

Before reading the a article, "American Everyman" I thought to myself what characteristics a good leader should have. I think a leader is someone who has dedication in his or her work. I think a leader should also be creative and should constantly bring new ideas to the table. A third characteristic a good leader should possess is fairness. Negotiation in the business setting is important, not only for yourself, but the poeple you are working with. Warren Buffett, CEO of Birkshire Hathaway, has become a self-made and very successful leader. From the article I personally got the impression that he was bold, devoted, and professional person. Buffett was willing to take a risk by sitting out the high-tech and dot-com stock run-up. His reasoning for this was that he "didn't understand" them. This is a good approach because he stuck to industries he had knowledge about. Buffett also acts in a very professional manner. The letters to his shareholders open with sentences updating them on the corporations financial performance. He avoids lavish photos and text. In the article Buffett uses a form of show-and-tell, exaggeration, dramatic, and numerous to teachS lessons about humility. Another positive leadership characteristic Buffett believes is, "a corporate leader is someone who grabs hold of his own bootstraps and never stops pulling up, no matter how far he rises." From this be can see Buffett doesnt like to stop what he has started midway through the project. He survived many catastrophic events and will continue to do so if he continues operation his company the way he started it.