Defining the New President

Defining the New President Kellee Ann Plumb Bus 119 Robert Lindquist March 5, 2012

Defining the New President

Defining the New President

What capabilities are needed to leverage in a candidate to have the ability to gain market advantage and an organizational structure that supports such a goal. Define these, and the hiring criteria are revealed. The following will first outline the approach used to hire a candidate. Secondary will be a discussion of the requirements of the candidate and the supporting documentation for those requirements. In hiring the individual to fill the open position of president, a number of candidates will be interviewed in the following manner. For this position, the approach will leverage the use of a recruiting consultant for the first level screening of candidates. The interviews are behavioral in nature and related to core competencies, discussed throughout the balance of this report. Essentially, the competencies relate to knowledge skills, self-concepts, attitudes, motives, and values. The interviews will consist of a number of questions associated with the candidates successes and failures, work education and experience, and responses to hypothetical situations, (Holdeman, Jeffrey, & Jackson, 1996, p. 55). Through the responses, core competencies will be identified and scored, followed by a review to determine next level interviews. Low scoring competencies will be considered to determine if the competency is one that improves through exposure to the company and coaching, or an inbred competency that cannot be overlooked. In reviewing these lower scores; one must be aware of the elements that harm an organization. An organization and its employees often feel negative consequences when a leaders personal goals overshadow those of the company, (Harvey, Buckley, Heames, Zinko, Bouer, & Ferris, 2007, p. 117). If the candidate us seeking the position to further

Defining the New President

his personal ambitions and material gain without any interest in the corporation or the market itself, then the loyalty of his or her decisions would be in question. A good leader cannot have shortsighted goals; they must be long-term goals to serve the organization. Harvey, et.al, (2007) define seven personal characteristics as indicators of destructive leadership behaviors (p.118): Narcissism Fear Outcome uncertainty Power motives Object beliefs Negative life themes Lack of self-regulation

Situational, Harvey, et.al. (2007) indicators are (p.118): Alienation Unsupportive family Negative role models Life stressors Competitive pressures Exposure to negative superiors or peer groups Financial need

Negative and positive competencies can be revealed through responses to interview questions and background checks.

Defining the New President

Knowing the attributes of a leader with negative impact to a corporation, a discussion of a good leader is in order. House, Spangler, and Woycke (1991) suggests a leaders effectiveness depends on their personality and charisma and not solely on their control over bureaucratic structures (p.365). Moving from the theories of the traditional leadership role, focused on the control by leadership, the 1970s ushered in leadership where exceptional leaders were charismatic. This style had leaders invoking inspirational, visionary, and symbolic behavior, (House, et.al, 1991, p.366). These leaders would have exceptional results from their followers and effect on social systems. The expectation is that chosen by the capabilities and the characteristics defined by the needs of current market and social environment, the effect of a charismatic leader would be measurably different quantitatively and qualitatively from prior regimes. This leader would have the ability to motivate followers by transforming their needs, values, and preferences. Thus, the leader is inspiring these followers to make personal sacrifices in the interest of the corporate mission and to perform beyond expectations. House, et.al, (1991) describe the focus of this charismatic leader as (p.368): The emotional and motivational arousal of followers Identification with the mission articulated by the leader Followers self-esteem Trust and confidence in the leader Important values to the followers Followers intrinsic motivation

Followers become less motivated by self-interest and more motivated to serve the interest of the larger collective, (House, et.al, 1991, p.368).

Defining the New President

A direct link to the charisma would be the vision and passion a president would use to guide the organization. Developing a vision requires foresight, which is the ability to consider things that are not so obvious yet are having an impact on shaping the future in the market and industry. The requirement is to sense upcoming change. Experience and knowledge can only support such an attribute. Visioning would be not only this foresight but also to aid in shaping the coming changes to market and industry. Social systems are complex and while some can envision mechanical or technical systems, they cannot envision social systems. A vision should encompass not only the business vision but have its consideration of the social system for the development of a combined purpose. The right candidate will have the ability to do this and motivate people to embrace this purpose. In other words, he or she would have the ability to implement the vision. Can the leader listen to what motivates people? Can he or she communicate in a way that inspires the resources? Maccoby (2001) states a good leader can not only communicate information, but also a sense of meaning that inspires people to follow, even to sacrifice in terms of hard work, long hours, and deferred rewards, (p.58). In a study directed by Bachiochi, Rogelberg, OConner, and Elder (2000) twenty qualities were identified for that of effective leaders. Reducing these into six themes, they are, in order of importance according to the study, (p.11): Task oriented skills Interpersonal skills Communication skills Personal characteristics/traits Background and expertise

Defining the New President

Liaison skills

Interestingly, task oriented skills consisted of six qualities: Planning/organizing Decision-making Delegating/sharing power Problem solving Facilitating the process Motivating

Additional definition was provided around interpersonal skills: Conflict management Persuasion and influence Coaching/mentoring Understanding/supporting

Rounding the discussion are the elements of personal characteristics, those being: self-confidence/emotional stability Consistency/trust Flexibility

Finally, the leader must focus on the interpersonal dynamics of the team as well, (Bachiochi, 2000, p.11). The interpersonal dynamics is the handling of the relationships within the organization. How does the candidate detect and manage the emotional environment? The candidate would need to be competent at sensing subtle changes in the social atmosphere. This has become key interest for all professional development and

Defining the New President

recruitment. In an article by Latour and Hosmer (2002), the University of Virginia Business School revealed a study that most sought skills from corporate recruiters were interpersonal (p.27): The ability to adapt to the feelings and concerns of others To motivate others To deal effectively with conflict and adversity

They claimed the higher the rank of professional the more emotional intelligence capabilities were detected in support of his or her effectiveness, (Latour & Hosmer, 2002, p.27). In their article, they identify six leadership styles involved in using emotional intelligence: Visionary EI competencies: self-confidence, empathy, and catalyst for change Coaching EI competencies: developing others, empathy, self-awareness Affilliative EI competencies: empathy, building relationships, communication Democratic EI competencies: collaboration, team leadership, communication Pacesetting EI competencies: conscientiousness, achievement, initiative Commanding EI competencies: achievement, initiative, self-control

The more effective leaders switch flexibly among the leadership styles as needed, (Latour & Hosmer, 2002, p.28). Northouse (2012) describes similar behaviors by classifying leadership into three categories: authoritarian, democratic, and laissez-faire, (p.52). Authoritarian is described as a style used to give direction, set goals, and structure work, (Northouse, 2012, p.52). This might be the most effective style in times when resources are learning new jobs, but the negative aspects of authoritarian leadership appear to outweigh the positive.

Defining the New President

Secondly, is a consideration for the democratic leadership style? This type of leader would work with subordinates rather than attempting to control them. Outcomes from this style are mostly positive. This style would seem to lend itself to a more open degree of emotional intelligence, obviously than the authoritarian approach. Finally, there must be a consideration for the laissez-faire style. This style could simply be called nonleadership (Northouse, 2012, p.57). As previously mentioned a good leader will vary his or her style depending on the circumstances. When considering the motivation of followers it must be understood and level set. The discussion is not the Great Man form of leadership as explained in Anderson and Wasserman (2002, p.38). For a leader cannot be a great man without his followers. In other words, a man with all the charisma and required personality traits would be nothing without considering the situational context of the application of these traits. Anderson and Wasserman (2007) use the example, No Moses would have emerged as a leader without the Jewish people yearning to be free from Egyptian bondage, (p.38). They go on to suggest the leaders role is determined not by his personal qualities in the abstract but by his standing in relation to his fellow members in the special qualities required by the particular group or situation, (Anderson & Anderson, 2002, p.38). Through this and observation should be made this organization may be ready for change after 25 years under the same leadership. Quoting Bielski, (2005), We want senior-level executives who are adept at motivating people and adept at aligning strategies with existing resources, (p.21). Fostering teamwork, strategic thinking, hard-working, the ability to set expectations and steer strategy, the desire to learn about the organization and its people, and the ability for

Defining the New President

pacesetting everyone for top performance delivering on singleness of purpose these are the things to seek in the candidate. The days of stewardship have gone, it is time for the active executive who rolls up his sleeves and absorbs the details daily, (Bieski, 2005, p.21). This will establish a corporation of workers who are confident in their leadership and a leadership they are willing to follow. Authenticity and kindness are necessities. As an organization, the desire is for a leader that has foresight to make organizational changes, synchronizing with market and industry realities. Understanding the workers and such issues as work/life balance, flex scheduling, family leave, and similar priorities is needed from this candidate. Finally, an excellent moral code must be evident and that they can listen and ask the right questions are requirements to fill the role of president. Many capabilities and traits have been discussed and outlined. The Northouse (2012) classification for the ethical leader should be used as the foundation for the interview scoring session. These are: Character Actions Goals Responsibility for power Values

Being educated in all the capabilities and characteristics will aid in identifying the best candidate to proceed into the next levels of interviewing.

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References: Anderson, D., & Wasserman, D. (2001). A Group Interactional Approach. Journal of Leadership Studies, 8(2) 38. Retrieved March 2, 2012, from Questia Database. Bachochi, P., Rogelberg, S., OConnor, M., & Elder, A. (2000). The Qualities of an Effective Team Leader. Organization Development Journal. 18(1) 11. Retrieved March 2, 2012, from ProQuest Database. Bielski, L. (2005). What Makes A Good Leader? The Go-to-guy with Vision and Passion will top the org chart and lead change management. ABA Banking Journal. 97(12) 21. Retrieved March 2, 2012, from Questia Database. Harvey, M., Buckley, M., Heames, J., Zinko, R., Brouer, R., & Ferris, G. (2007). A bully as an Archetypal Destructive Leader. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies. 14(2) 117. Retrieved March 2, 2012, from Questia Database. Holdeman, J., Aldridge, J., & Jackson, D. (1996).How to hire Ms. /Mr. Right. Journal of Accountancy, 182(2), 55. Retrieved March 2, 2012, from ProQuest Database. House, R., Spangler, W., & Woycke, J. (1991). Personality and Charisma in the U.S. Presidency: A Psychological Theory of Leader Effectiveness. Administrative Science Quarterly, 36(3), 364. Retrieved March 2, 2012, from Questia Database. Latour, S., & Hosmer, B. (2002). Emotional Intelligence: Implications for All United States Air Force Leaders. Aerospace Power Journal, 16(4), 27. Retrieved March 2, 2012, from ProQuest Database. Northouse, P. (2012). Introduction to leadership, concepts and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

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Maccoby, M. (2001). Successful Leaders Employ Strategic Intelligence. Research Technology Management, 44(3), 58. Retrieved March 2, 2012, from ProQuest Database.