Charda Johnson MGT/521 December 24, 2012 Lola Jackson
I am a manager at a small organization of about 20 employees. I work for a
substance abuse clinic and we are funded through the county of Fresno. I have
been at my job for about two years but I have only been a manager for one year.
This past year has been a struggle but a learning process as well for me. I am
learning how to be a leader for my employees and a good manager. In this paper
I will focus on leadership and management. Two things that is very similar.
Leadership is defined in the dictionary as the action of leading a group of
people or an organization (dictionary.com, 2012). Being a leader involves doing
that but being a leader also consists of other things. Leaders are the ones who
influence others by their knowledge and goals. A leader is someone who
continues to work on their skills and knowledge so they are able to give there
employees 110% all the time. Also by being a leader your actions can influence
people so you have to be careful on how you represent yourself. Schen argued
Those leaders strive to embed their beliefs, values and assumptions into
members shared understanding (Academy of Management Journal, 2012). I do
believe leaders do this overall. Look at all the things that are going on in the
world today everyone that is consider to be a leader has somewhat brainwashed
people in believing in their ethical systems. If you are going to be a leader you
also have to have clear communication with your organization as well. You have
to be confident in your position as a leader because no one is going to follow you
if you are not sure on your task or not sure on what you believe in. It’s a lot of
leaders who don’t know what they are talking about but they have confidence so
people follow them.
Management is similar to being a leader because a leader is usually
someone who manages. Management task is usually being able to get
everyone together in order to achieve a goal or task. Managers have to
organize things they have to control situations; they have to plan and they
have to lead. Managers are put in place to make sure that the organization
is run smoothly. Buckingham & Coffman, (1999), describe one function of
management as an imperative, “The manager role is to reach inside each
employee and release his unique talents into performance,” (p. 58). Managers
are really put in place to make employees work and make sure they get their jobs
done. If employees do not get their job done then managers are the ones who
have to deal with the consequences.
My roles in both these areas would be to do all the things listed and more.
As a manager I would be responsible for making sure things were organized. At
my job being organized means to have all paper work finished and where it
needs to be. Being organized at my place of business also consist of making
sure schedules are organized and that my sites are organized. I would have to
plan for budgets for my sites and things I want to do for the kids. I would be
controlling my sites by making sure things get done how they are suppose to and
making sure that people are not stealing time from the company. I would be
leading by setting a good example for employees and by being a good influence
on them so that they know that their manager is a hard worker just like them. I
have had many jobs where my manager was lazy and didn’t set a good example
for the employees. I also have had managers