Midterm Essay Questions
Chapter 1, Question 21
Using Kotter’s functions of management and leadership model to support your argument, would you rather your direct supervisor be a leader or a manager? Use Kotter’s model as a reference to the specifics of each.
* I would rather my direct supervisor be a leader because I honestly feel leaders are advocates for change whereas managers are more for the status quo. It is important to have a strong leader because those are the leaders that create a vision which gives subordinates a sense of direction. With Kotter’s functions of management and leadership model, we are able to see that leaders are the ones that communicate goals, seek commitment, build teams and inspire subordinates. I feel like those are more effective because without any of those qualities, management wouldn’t go anywhere in an organization.
Chapter 2, Question 25
Of the five major leadership traits discussed in the Chapter, which would you claim to be the most important? Which the least important? Support your claim with specific examples from the chapter.
* I believe that self-confidence, determination, integrity, sociability, and intelligence all go hand-in-hand. I would have to say that the most important trait would be self-confidence. If you are confident about yourself, then most likely you are someone that is determined, motivated and intelligent because if you feel confident about yourself, it means that you have done things in the past that have been smart and have boosted your self-assurance. This chapter gives us an example of Steve Jobs. Even though many people doubted his ability to create world-changing products, Jobs never doubted his ideas and did things the way he thought were the best way. Without self-confidence, determination, and intelligence, Steve Jobs wouldn’t have ever been as successful as he was.
* I also believe that sociability is a very important trait, however, I don’t believe it’s the most important...