120 words to each discussion

Use references if you use outside material

Discussion 1

While reading the learning objectives, the notion of knowing what followers want from leaders and what leaders expect from followers stuck out to me. Most of issues between leaders and followers tend to arise from miscommunication or poor communications. For example, followers think that they are doing a great job, but leaders actually have different expectations. On the other hand, leaders think they possess all the skills to be great leaders, but followers may actually with that their leaders use a different kind of leadership styles. Another topic that stuck out to me is motivation. According to Daft, motivation affect productivity; thus, leaders should be able to encourage followers towards the accomplishment of the organization’s vision and goals (2019). Furthermore, motivation is the strongest and rapid influence (Mokhniuk & Yushchyshyna, 2018). There are also four categories of motivation which include extrinsic positive approach, intrinsic positive approach, extrinsic negative approach, intrinsic negative approach (Daft, 2019).

When bosses refuse to give negative feedback to followers even when they make mistakes and show too much love, it can be damaging to followers in the long run. According to Dahm and Greenbaum, there are diminishing returns when love becomes relatively much greater than fear (2019). However, it is important to note that negative feedback should be constructive and not personal. Followers should know when they make mistakes, so they will be more aware going forward. Furthermore, they will be able to learn from their mistakes; thus, advancing their career. Afterall, great leaders cultivate followers to be even greater leaders than themselves.

There are five ways in which followers need to use courage. I personally think that assuming responsibility is the most important. This is because when followers assume responsibilities of the success of the company and the company’s employees, they are being bold and brave. Responsibilities show a strong emotion / sense of belonging. In order for followers to derive the courage to assume responsibilities, followers need to start initiating ideas and action on their own. When leaders think that followers are still too scared to do so, leaders should collaborate with followers and encourage them to come up with solutions/suggestions. On the other hand, I don’t think there is any way that is the least important, because followers need all these five ways to courage up.

As we all know, there can be thousands of employees at a Google location; thus, it is very likely that employees only know their colleagues from the same department. As a result, Google would try to increase lunchtime mingling to get the employees more acquainted with each other from other departments. Furthermore, the cafeteria location provides a neutral ground for all employees, and they can bob thoughts off each other without being afraid of getting judged or/and reprimanded. I personally think the lunchtime mingling is somewhat an informal innovation session among employees

When sales employees are sabotaging each other to get bonus, they are working as silos, which is detrimental to the company. Employees must understand that they are a team and are working towards the same goals. To mitigate employees from sabotaging each other, I would structure the incentive to be a more group incentive. For example, instead of giving commission on each sale for each employee, the business owner can have “once all sales representatives achieve this x amount of sales, each sales rep will have x amount of bonus” type of incentive. I would also create more team-bonding activities and give continuous feedback. As to rewarding high performers, I would reward them in confidential to avoid promoting the wrong type behavior.

Discussion 2

Most Important Aspects of my Learning

The most important aspect I learned from chapter 7 – which talks about Followership – is that followers should try and understand their leaders (Daft & Lane, 2018). For followers to have a good relationship with their leaders, they should try and understand the weaknesses and strengths of their leaders as well as the needs, goals, and leadership styles of skills of their leaders. Chapter 8 talks about motivation and empowerment, which, to me, are key ingredients for achieving high performance in any organization (Daft & Lane, 2018). The most important thing I learned from the chapter is the need for leaders to motivate and empower their followers. These are things that leaders can achieve by using rewards, employee benefits, and setting realistic objectives for employees.

Was the Learning Worthy of my Time?

Yes, the learning was worthy of my time because it discusses the different experiences that organizational leaders go through. In most cases, leaders and their followers fall out because they fail to understand one another, or they fail to collaborate effectively. As explained in chapter 7, these conflicts can be resolved if followers could understand their leaders and adapt to their styles. Similarly, leaders must also understand their followers because no two individuals behave similarly under different situations (Daft & Lane, 2018). Additionally, the concepts of empowerment and motivation addressed in chapter 8 are also very important in keeping employees motivated in their work (Daft & Lane, 2018). The ideas shared in these two chapters are fundamental to the business community because they shed more light on how leaders and their followers can relate with one another to achieve both their individual and organizational objectives.

Question 1

Yes, I agree with the organizational observer. A leader who fails to give negative feedback to followers may achieve temporary kindness, but in the long run, doom followers into incompetence. Leaders must, therefore, always remind their followers that negative feedback is not just encouraged but acceptable. Leaders should stress to their employees or followers that negative feedback not only helps strengthens their organizations, but it also facilitates a culture of open communication.

Question 2

I think the most important way to use courage as a follower is to use it to assume responsibility. Effective followers feel a sense of personal ownership, and responsibility is not just an organization but also its mission. Followers must, therefore, use their courage to assume responsibility for their behaviours and how they impact their organizations. Additionally, followers should use their courage to initiate opportunities which they can use to exercise their potential, achieve personal fulfillment, and provide their organizations with the best of their abilities.

Question 3

Google is always looking for new ways to improve the happiness of its employees and to optimize their performance, and one way the company does this is through its lunch lines. Using data analytics, Google discovered that an average lunch line should last for about 3 to 4 minutes, which is “short enough that people don’t waste time but long enough that they can meet new people” (Manjoo, 2013). The lunch tables at Google’s Cafeterias are long, making it possible for workers to mingle with one another even when they do not know each other.

Question 4

As a leader, I would develop such a reward system by ensuring that the rewards are achievable for all employees. In most cases, organizations reward very few employees and leave out the rest even when they put in their best (Burkus, 2012). The employees that go unrewarded may lose motivation to work hard, or they may begin to sabotage one another. As a leader, therefore, I would try to have a series of rewards yearlong to motivate excellent performance. For instance, instead of having an annual trip, I would have three-day gateways each quarter. I would also introduce different types of rewards such as top sales reward, most diligent employee reward, top research reward, among other types of rewards. This will make it possible for all deserving employees to be recognized and rewarded for their efforts or input. Leaders need to understand that employees are motivated by different things (Burkus, 2012).