The Quest to Become an Effective Leader
Leadership is like a complex mathematical equation. Each situation has a different set of variables which fit together to solve a problem. Using the principal described above, the author believes that leadership can be developed in an organization/individual in order to promote change within the corporation. In order for this to happen one must have an idea of what leadership skills they currently use well and which skills they need to hone. Not all managers will make good leaders but with the proper tools all managers can become better leaders than they are today. Using what has been discussed during this course, what psychometric testing has disclosed and what Six Sigma instills, the author intends to explore his leadership potential and the potential for change within the organization.
The Current Situation
The first part of Six Sigma training is a psychometric evaluation. This evaluation is used as a tool to determine how well a candidate will fit into the role of leader and change agent. The evaluation looks at the following key attributes determined to be essential for a leader: change leadership; dissemination of expertise; superior results focus; problem solving; impact influence and relationship building; team leadership and listening skills (Guertin, 2005). These attributes can be directly linked to organizational development which Warren Bennis describes as, “needed for dealing with continuing change and can be described as a complex educational strategy.” Shockley-Zalabak goes on to state the following, “Fundamental to the Bennis notion of organizational development is the ability to identify needed change, to develop educational strategies that help to bring about change and to evaluate the results of these efforts.”(Shockley-Zalabak, 2006)
As a task oriented leader the author’s primary focus is: planning; clarifying roles and objectives and monitoring operational performance. In...