How Literature Displays Positive Character Trait Through Characters Essay

Traits Through Its Characters It is known that a piece of writing can do more than tell a story, but can also portray indirect ideas to the reader. A narrative piece is able to show positive traits, presented through its characters. Literature can display a variety of positive attributes, through different characters, and situations. This is demonstrated in the story, â€Å"The Blue Bead,† through Sibia’s acts of selflessness, and again in the text â€Å"Long, Long, After School,† through Miss Tretheway’s acts of kind-heartedness. In the story â€Å"The Blue Bead,† an example of how literature shows positive raits through its characters, is composed by Sibia’s displays of selflessness when saving a woman from an attacking crocodile. In the text, the narrator states, â€Å"Sometimes it had seemed difficult to cross these stones, especially with the big gap†¦ But now she came on wings†¦ and in a moment, she was beside the shrieking w oman (pg. 61). † This shows selflessness because Sibia, usually hesitant on the slippery stones, flies across them making rapid footing decisions, throwing herself towards to woman being attacked, aware of the fact that if she falls, she could harm herself severely. Another piece of evidence is shown when the narrator states, â€Å"Its eyes rolled on to Sibia. One slap of the tail could kill her. (pg. 61). † This shows selflessness because the young girl willingly put her life at risk, to save one that was not her own. Through the young girl’s displays of selflessness, one can see how the text, â€Å"The Blue Bead† portrays a positive trait through Sibia. Throughout the text, â€Å"Long, Long After School,† Miss Tretheway shows kind- heartedness through acts presented in the story. An illustration of this is when a flashback occurs, back to when Miss Tretheway states, â€Å"Why, Marilyn, Wes’s hands re much cleaner than yours. Maybe Wes doesn’t like to get his hands dirty†¦ (pg. 114). † This shows kind-heartedness because though Miss Tretheway is Wes’ teacher, she stood up for him when his classmate insulted him in front of his peers. Another illustration of how Miss Tretheway shows ki nd-heartedness is when a character states, â€Å"She gave me a whole quart, just as soon as she found out that hers would match. † This shows kind-heartedness because one was willing to give up blood, an element that signifies life, almost immediately to save someone who with the woman shared a student-teacher relationship. Through the acts of kind- heartedness displayed through the story, â€Å"Long, Long, After School† shows that literature shows positive attributes through its characters. A piece of writing can portray positive traits through its developed characters. Sibia shows selflessness through her acts of saving the woman being attacked by the crocodile, putting one’s own life at risk. Miss Tretheway displays kind-heartedness by standing up for a student, and giving the aforementioned student a much needed blood transfusion. These examples show that positive traits can be demonstrated through characters presented in literature.

Leadership Case Study

Leadership in General The study of leadership has an extremely long history, and presently is one of the most popular areas of management study and publishing. Yet, despite this long history of interest in the subject of leadership much is still unknown and unresolved about the idea of leadership. Today, there are many different conceptions about what constitutes leadership and effective leaders. Notice that most people talk about leadership as if they clearly understand what constitutes leadership. They also assume that other people share that unspoken understanding.Yet, both of these assumptions are probably false most of the time. Leadership in General For example, try to clearly and concisely define what you mean by â€Å"leadership. † Then ask someone else for their definition of leadership. Can either of you define it well? Do your definitions agree? Are your definitions so broad that they could describe activities that you do not think constitute leadership? Conversely, are your definitions so narrow that they cannot describe leadership in a variety of different situations? Now define â€Å"management. Is your definition of â€Å"management† different than your definition of â€Å"leadership? † Should â€Å"management† and â€Å"leadership† be defined differently, or are they in reality the same concept? The questions could go on, but you get the point. Leadership is difficult to define and differentiate from other concepts. Now think about what constitutes â€Å"effective† leadership? Hundreds, if not thousands, of books on leadership have been published over the past two or three decades. Each book propounds a somewhat unique theory of what constitutes â€Å"effective† leadership; each supporting its claims with anecdotes and testimonials.Similarly, magazine articles, television shows, and books constantly herald the newest effective leader. Often, a few years later, either the company fails or the lead er acts in a manner that calls into question whether that person ever possessed the leadership qualities and behaviors attributed to him or her. Think about the rise and fall of some chief executive officers over the past few years. But, does defrauding people, ending up in jail, or bankrupting a company necessarily mean that the person was never an effective leader?  Also you can read about  History of the Culinary Arts.Some might argue the final results determine the effectiveness of leadership; others might argue that it is the process of leading, not the outcome, that defines effective leadership. Despite all this uncertainty, people are so fascinated by the idea of â€Å"leaders† that they continue to believe that â€Å"leadership† exists and matters. This course cannot possibly reconcile all the competing leadership theories, nor can it do much to explain why some apparently effective leaders fail miserably later, or fail as leaders in some other aspect of th eir life. Moreover, few of us want to read about every leadership theory ever espoused by someone.Rather, the primary objective of this course (and the textbook) is to introduce you to a variety of different leadership theories that have some research support and have stood the test of time (to varying degrees). When people make conflicting claims about leadership, the scientific model proposes that research should be conducted to determine which of the competing theories has more factual support. Without research, there would be no way to determine which plausible theory better reflects reality, or whether any theory actually reflects reality.Chapter 1- The Nature and Importance of Leadership There are many different definitions of leadership, and the textbook outlines several definitions. However, most definitions have the common theme that leadership is about influencing people to achieve goals that are accepted by the group members, or followers. Notice that this theme doesn't l imit leadership to formal leadership positions, nor does it say that there can only be one leader at a time, or that leadership only flows from the â€Å"top-down. † The other common theme in many definitions is that leadership is a process, not a role.Thus, many people can be leaders at the same time because all are involved in the leadership process. One person may be more effective than the other people. But all of the people could be acting as â€Å"leaders† in the process sense of leadership. In this light, leadership is a broad construct that encompasses many different types of influence from many different types of people in many different types of contexts. While this is a broad definition, maybe more of a description, some people question whether there is any great value in trying to more narrowly define leadership.The study of what determines the effectiveness of different influence techniques in organizations doesn't necessarily require agreement on the defi nition of the overarching construct, or what is called leadership. On the other hand, the argument can be made that a better definition of leadership helps ensure that everyone is discussing the same concept. There is no clear answer to this debate, but for the purposes of this course leadership refers to the processes that people use to influence other people to achieve accepted goals. The leader is simply the person or persons who are making that influence effort.Another critical point of the chapter is that leadership outcomes result from the reciprocal interactions of the â€Å"leader,† followers (or â€Å"group members†), and the situation. Although we often think of leadership as a one-way influence, the leadership process necessarily includes the context in which the influence attempt occurs (i. e. , the situation) and the object of the influence attempt (i. e. , the followers). Thus, followers shape the leader's behaviors and attitudes just like leaders shape t he followers' attitudes and behaviors.In the extreme case of â€Å"servant leadership† and â€Å"stewardship† models of leadership, the general thrust is that effective leaders focus on aiding or facilitating the followers. This in turn helps the leader accomplish organizational goals. This general framework shapes the organization of the book (see Figure 1-2). The distinction between â€Å"leaders† and â€Å"manager† is discussed in this chapter (see Table 1-1 Leaders versus Managers). Leader| Manager| Visionary| Rational| Passionate| Businesslike| Creative| Persisitent| Inspiring| Tough-Minded| Innovative| Analytical| Imaginative| Deliberative| Experimental| Authoritative|Warm and Radiant| Cool and reserved| Initiator| Implementer| Acts as a coach, consultant, teacher| Acts as a boss| Does the right things| Does things right| Inspires through great ideas| Commands through position| Knows results are achieved through people| Focuses on results| Focuses o n uplifting ideas| Focuses on plumbing| The distinction is largely unproductive because the extent to which a person performs managerial versus leadership roles is largely a question of degree, as the book points out. Managers' jobs are difficult enough without considering them to be second-class citizens incapable of leadership.In fact, effective leaders need to be good managers, and vice versa. This is highlighted in the textbook's discussion of leadership roles because many of them could also be characterized as â€Å"managerial† roles. Moreover, according to a common framework proposed by Henry Mintzberg, leadership is only one of many managerial roles. (See Mintzberg, H. (1980). The Nature of Managerial Work. Prentice Hall. ) A major concern relating to the first chapter is the issue of whether leadership makes a difference in reality. While this question could have been put off until the end of the course it is useful to at least think about it now.Then, you can see if your opinions change during the course. Moreover, before devoting time to studying leadership one should know whether the time will be well-spent. The general conclusion is that leadership makes a difference in many cases, but not in all situations. When there are factors that substitute for leadership (or even neutralize leadership attempts), leaders may not be able to make much difference. The book outlines a number of factors that substitute for leadership, but there are many more factors that have been researched with mixed results.In reality, there is no evidence that leadership substitutes always exist, or that they necessarily undercut attempts at leadership. Therefore, people should be careful about attributing success or failures solely to leadership. Leaders can only do so much given the constraints they face. The existence of constraints is the basis for Pfeffer's â€Å"leader irrelevance† theory. Similarly, â€Å"complexity† theory holds that leaders have l ittle influence in complex organizational systems. For example, look at coaches and managers in profession sports.Often they are fired after poor seasons, yet no new manager or coach can succeed either because their players simply aren't as good as the other players and teams in the league. Usually they have little control over which players are hired, which makes it even more irrational to attribute the success or failure of the coach to his or her leadership ability. Another common example is organizational success in good economic times and organizational downturns in poor economic times. Obviously, the economy is out of any individual's control, so good times and bad times cannot be attributed to the leader.On the next page, you will read an excerpt from an article that suggests that leadership does make a difference. Leadership Makes a Difference Below you can read a short excerpt from an article about Commander D. Michael Abrashoff and what he calls â€Å"Grassroots Leadershi p. † This article suggests that leadership does make a difference. But what makes this a particularlyinteresting leadership anecdote is that it appears that the best explanation for the dramatic improvement on the ship is probably the change in commanders. The reason is that all Navy ships operate under substantially similar rules with basically similar crews.Therefore, when a change occurs on one ship that doesn't occur on other ships, then the change is quite likely due to whatever changed in the situation, in this case the change in leadership. Whether you find the article persuasive or not, the other point is that by the end of the course you should be able to characterize Commander Abrashoff's leadership style in terms of the theories you will be studying in this course. Enlightened Leadership in the U. S. Navy by Jonette Crowley Commander D. Michael Abrashoff had a mission. Through what he calls â€Å"Grassroots Leadership,† he turned around the operations of the USS Benfold, one of the U.S. Navy's most modern warships. His methods aren't complex, yet the results are astounding. * Under Mike Abrashoff's 20-month command, the Benfold operated on 75% of its allocated budget, returning $1. 4 million to the Navy coffers. * During that time, the ship's combat readiness indicators were the highest ever in the history of the Pacific Fleet. * The promotion rate of his people was 2-1/2 times the Navy average. * The pre-deployment training cycle, which usually takes a total of 52 days, was completed by the Benfold crew in just 19 days. During a 12-month period under the previous command, there were 28 disciplinary actions for which 23 sailors were discharged. During Abrashoff's tenure there were five disciplinary cases and no discharges. * Under his predecessor 31 people were detached from the ship for limited duty, usually for complaints of â€Å"bad backs. † He had only two crew members leave for health reasons. * A third of all recruits don' t make it through their first term of enlistment, and only 54% of sailors stay in the Navy after their second duty tour. Commander Abrashoff had 100% of the Benfold's career sailors signing on for another tour.It is estimated that this retention alone saved the Navy $1. 6 million in 1998. What did he do to stage such a turnaround in less than 20 months? He asked questions, he listened, he acted on what he heard. Almost immediately upon taking command, he had a 15 to 20 minute personal interview with each of his staff of 300. He asked these questions: * â€Å"What do you like best about this ship? † * â€Å"What do you like least? † * â€Å"What would you change if you could? † He made it a point to â€Å"see the ship from the eyes of each crew member. † Abrashoff acted as quickly as he could to institute the ideas that came from these interviews.He focused on what was important: morale and combat readiness. â€Å"I didn't put an emphasis on paperwork,â⠂¬  says Abrashoff. He encouraged his middle managers (junior officers) to delegate the paperwork that had always swamped them and focus instead on the training that enabled them to run the weapons and the ship. â€Å"That inspires confidence in the officers for our combat readiness, and the lower level people loved the responsibility for the paperwork stuff that the officers used to do,† the commander reports. Abrashoff analyzed the processes, always assuming that there has got to be a better way.Simply following SOP (Standard Operating Procedures), or doing things the way they've always been done, didn't hold water. The rules were changed or bent, always with the vision in mind of doing what was best for the crew. â€Å"Saving money wasn't the focus, it was a by-product of efficiency. We did things right the first time. † He set the vision and trusted his crew. He helped people take pride in their work. â€Å"I gave my officers my trust and free rein. They didn't w ant to lose that trust. † Abrashoff said, â€Å"I focused on doing right by the crew, not by the admirals.I didn't even care if I ever got promoted again. That gave me the freedom to do what made sense. † One of the biggest complaints was the food, so he sent five of the Benfold's cooks to culinary school. The ship is now known as having some of the best food in the Navy, making it a showcase for VIPs. By focusing on the needs and ideas of his people, by relaxing the rules, by giving control over to his officers, a ship's culture has been changed, and with it the lives and confidence of scores of young sailors. A â€Å"virtuous cycle† has been set up that is continuing to inspire the crew to do even better.Even after Mike Abrashoff has taken up other duties at his home base in San Diego, the USS Benfold continues to have the highest combat readiness indicators ever seen in the entire Pacific Fleet.  © 1999 Enlightened Leadership Int'l, Inc. Enlightened Leadersh ip International Transforming Organizations Through People www. enleadership. com [email  protected] com 800-798-9881 or 303-729-0540 Chapter 2 – Traits, Motives and Characteristics of Leaders Trait-based theories of leadership are among the oldest leadership theories, and they are still considered somewhat important today.The earliest theories were â€Å"universal† theories that tried to find the leader's personal qualities that differentiated effective from ineffective leaders in all situations. Although these personal characteristics and qualities are usually called traits, they are not limited to personality traits (inner qualities). For example, the textbook refers to many different personal characteristics, including personality traits, in Chapter 2. Unfortunately, the trait approach does not tell us which traits are most important, in which situations or how much of a trait is required.The biggest problem was that people who possessed the traits deemed critica l were not always leaders, i. e. , the traits were necessary, but not sufficient for leadership. Moreover, trait-based theories cannot explain why people are not always successful leaders in all situations. History is full of military leaders who were effective in war, but not in peace. The converse is also true. On the other hand, recent research has found that some traits are important in a wide-variety of situations, but not all situations. In addition, in specific situations there are likely to be specific traits that are important.The â€Å"trait-based† theories do not limit themselves to personality traits, so do not be fooled into limiting the scope of the personal qualities to personality dimensions. The theories include any characteristic on which individuals differ, such as intelligence, physical characteristics, attitudes, values, and personality traits, to name a few. At some point, the distinction between a trait and a behavior is blurred, but in general the dist inction is between â€Å"who you are† versus â€Å"what you do. † The textbook lists a wide-range of traits found to be important, and categorizes them into: * Personality Traits Motives and Drives * Power Motive * Tenacity * Strong Work Ethic * Drive and Achievement Motive * Cognitive Factors * Analytical Intelligence * Knowledge of the business * Creativity * Insight into people and situations * Farsightedness and conceptual thinking While you don't need to memorize every possible leadership trait, it is worthwhile reading the lists. You should be able to recognize the most important traits. Perhaps more importantly, you should be able to reject some traits as unrelated to effective leadership, such as gender and race.In conclusion, research suggests that effective leaders possess different personal characteristics than ineffective leaders or non-leaders. Knowing which traits are associated with leadership effectiveness helps in the selection of leaders. To the exten t you can train people to develop a trait, knowing the importance of different traits helps organizations to design leadership development programs. For example, some aspects of emotional intelligence, which is a collection of traits and behaviors, can be taught and practiced. The trait-based approach to leadership is less valuable ecause present research cannot definitively specify which traits, and how much of those traits, are most useful in a specific situation. General Comments about Assignments Write your answers and comments concisely, answering the question(s) as directly as possible. Remember, you must answer the questions about cases using the facts of the case and the concepts introduced in the textbook and any additional readings. The general format for all your case answers is to relate the concepts and principles from the textbook or other readings to the facts in the case.Reporting all sorts of background information is unnecessary. However, you do need to refer back to the facts in the case that support your statements and conclusions. Your answer will be graded on the quality of your analysis and its clarity. It is difficult to describe the length of and amount of detail that should be in good answers. Obviously, this is a judgment call that varies case by case, and question by question. However, usually you can write good answers in 500-700 words per case, although obviously this varies according to the number of questions you are asked to answer.You may exceed the word limits without penalty when necessary to adequately answer the questions. Review the Syllabus for more information on answering case assignment questions, but in general good tests of the quality of your analysis is to ask yourself â€Å"Does this answer show that I read and understood the material in the text? † and â€Å"Could I have written this answer without reading the book? † As for the self-assessment exercises in this course, if there is more than one se lf-assessment exercise assigned during the week, then you must submit all of your scores and comments in one assignment submission.When more than one self-assessment exercise is assigned in a week, clearly identify the separate exercises. Don't forget to discuss whether you think the score is an accurate reflection of you or the person being evaluated. Other reflections are also valuable. Refer to the Syllabus for more detailed comments about answering questions and the grading standards. The Syllabus controls in the event of some accidental inconsistency between the Weekly Schedule and the Syllabus. General Instructions for Submitting Assignments What follows is a brief review of how to submit assignments. For details, efer to the Welcome page. Submit your answers to the assignments by locating the assignment within each weekly module. You can also find the list of assignments by going to the Assignments tool over in the toolbar on the left. But if you only use the toolbar, you may miss important information that is contained within each weekly module. Make certain you choose the correct assignment and submit the correct answer for that assignment. This week you will be submitting†1. 1 – Week 1 Case Assignment† for your answer to the case assignment and â€Å"1. 2 – Week 1 Self-Assessment Exercise† for your self-assessment answers.Next week and in the following weeks, the set-up will always be the same. You will NOT be attaching a document to submit. I suggest you compose your answer in a Word document so that you can edit and spell check but for submission, copy and paste your answer into the text box under the word â€Å"submission† in the assignment tool. If you submit the answer to the wrong link, your answer will not be graded. You can be penalized for late submissions, as outlined in the Syllabus. Required Readings The following items are required reading for this week: DuBrin, A. (2013) Leadership: Research Findi ngs, Practices, and Skills (7th ed).Mason, OH: South-Western * Chapter 1: The Nature and Importance of Leadership * Chapter 2: Traits, Motives and Characteristics of Leaders Copies of these two chapters are included in the â€Å"Textbook eReserves† folder on the Course Homepage for your convenience. If you have not yet purchased your textbook, you should do so immediately. Please go to MBS Direct to find the appropriate textbooks for this course. Discussions After reading the course materials and required readings, you should be prepared to participate in our weekly discussion. * Week 1 Discussion – Effective LeadersIdentify a person you interact with and regard as an effective leader. * What traits described by DuBrin in Chapter 2 apply to this person? * What traits do not apply? * Do these affect his or her overall performance? If so, how Once you post your answer please respond to at least one other students' post. A link to the discussion can be found on the follow ing page. Assignments Please complete the following assignments and submit via the Assignments tool. You will find a link to each of these assignments within this module. Directions for completing the assignments can be found in the syllabus.Remember to use the text box for your submission – Do not attach a document. * Case Study * Ch. 1 Leadership Case Problem A – Mike Todman Makes a Splash at Whirlpool. Pgs. 30-31 * Questions 1, 2, and 3. * Self Assessments * Ch. 1 Quiz 1-1 Readiness of the Leadership Role. Pgs. 11 – 12 * Ch. 2 Quiz 2-2 Behaviors and Attitudes of a Trustworthy Leader. Pg. 42 This week you will continue studying leader traits in the context of charismatic leaders and transformational leaders. Charisma is clearly a trait the some people possess, which suggests it may be difficult to teach, i. e. the â€Å"right stuff† of leadership. However, there is some evidence that if a person exhibits behaviors that followers associate with charismat ic people, the person will be seen as charismatic. Thus, perhaps charisma can be taught, or, at least, faked. When a leader's charisma is oriented towards transforming an organization, it becomes one factor in transformational leadership. However, transformational leadership encompasses more than charismatic leaders. Transformational leaders focus on developing the followers and getting them to direct their efforts towards changing the status quo.This contrasts with the idea of â€Å"transactional† leaders who primarily focus on exchanges with the followers that result in the maintenance of the status quo. Thus, transformational leadership relates to organization development and change; therefore, this aspect of leadership is taught in most organizational behavior courses. Then we completely shift the focus away from â€Å"trait-based† theories of leadership to â€Å"behavior-based† or â€Å"behavioral† leadership theories. Behavioral theories suggest tha t â€Å"leaders can be made† by teaching would-be leaders the behaviors used by effective leaders.As you will see, leader's traits are not part of this group of leadership theories, although they may predispose people to behave certain ways. Basically, the simplest model divides leader behaviors into relationship-oriented and task- or performance-oriented behaviors. There are many variations on this dichotomy, which is the main point of the chapter. Several â€Å"universal† models of leadership emerged from the research on leader behaviors, but like the universal â€Å"trait† models studied last week, the models do not explain why the same leader behaviors are effective in one situation and not in another.However, pay attention to these behavioral models because they form the bases for many of the contingency theories you will see later in the course. Leadership studies conducted at Ohio State University identified the importance of two broadly defined categorie s of leadership, â€Å"consideration† and â€Å"initiating structure†. Consideration is the degree to which leaders interact with others in a friendly and supportive manner. Initiating structure, the second factor, represents how the leader structures his or her subordinate's roles to accomplish common objectives.The Ohio State studies were accompanied by a comprehensive research program at the University of Michigan. The focus of the research at Michigan was on relationships related to leader behavior, group processes and group performance. The principle types of leader behavior identified in the Michigan studies were â€Å"job centered† which is similar to consideration and â€Å"employee centered† which is similar to initiating structure. Required Readings The following items are required reading for this week: DuBrin, A. (2013) Leadership: Research Findings, Practices, and Skills (7th ed).Mason, OH: South-Western * Chapter 3: Charisma and Transformati onal Leadership * Chapter 4: Leadership Behaviors, Attitudes and Styles Additional Readings * Review the article on leadership and emotional intelligence: Goleman, D. , Boyatzis, R. , & McKee, A. (2001). Primal Leadership: The Hidden Driver of Great Performance. Harvard Business Review, 79(11), 42-51. This and other articles are available from the library website. Click on the Library link in the Course Menu to get direct access to the Webster University library. Be sure to read the material before doing the assignments and discussions.Hover your mouse here: Directions for accessing the Library to see the steps for accessing a database in the Webster University Library. 1. The Library link under the Course Menu on the left side of your course page will take you directly to the Library Resources for Walker School of Business and Technology. 2. In the area â€Å"Find other database content by subject: Choose Business and Financials 3. On the right side of the page, under More Informa tion, choose Journal/magazine/newspaper list. 4. In Find the Journal title, type Harvard Business Review and click Search. 5. The journal will be identified on the next page.Click on Look up Article. 6. In the box that says â€Å"Article Title† type â€Å"Primal Leadership† and in the Date box type â€Å"2001† then click Search. 7. The next page lets you know the article is available. Click Article. 8. On the Journal/Magazine/Newspaper List page, at the middle of the page where it indicates â€Å"Find a journal title†, enter Harvard Business Review and click on Search 9. You will be required to enter your last name, your student number, and EWL at the end of your student number to gain access to the library databases. Chapter 3 – Charismatic and Transformational LeadershipCharismatic Leadership The oldest line of leadership research appears to be the search for the defining traits of leaders. One line of this research was the attempt to explain cha rismatic leaders. Charismatic leaders are so exciting, stimulating, magnetic, and visionary that followers willingly accept their leadership. This clearly roots the idea of charismatic leadership in the realm of trait-based leadership models. As you might expect, the original theorizing about charismatic leaders was not in the organizational context, but around religion and social movements.There are several theories of charismatic leadership, and according to most, charismatic leaders have the following attributes: Charismatic Leadership Attributes| They have compelling visions. | They have masterful communication skills. | They have the ability to inspire trust. | They are able to make group members feel capable. | They have energy and an action orientation. | They have emotional expressiveness and warmth. | They romanticize and take personal risks. | They use unconventional strategies. | They have a self-promoting personality. | They challenge followers. | They are dramatic and u nique. |There are a variety of charismatic leaders, but the most important distinctions are between leaders with personalized power motives versus leaders with socialized power motives. A socialized charismatic leader uses power to benefit the followers and the group, whereas the personalized charismatic leader uses power to serve his or her own interests. This may or may not help the group attain its goals, but attaining those goals is not the focus of the personalized charismatic leader. Research suggests that a person can increase his or her charisma by copying the behaviors of charismatic leaders. These behaviors include the following: 1.Articulate compelling visions for the future 2. Be enthusiastic, optimistic, and energetic (perhaps these are traits, but you can act like you are enthusiastic, optimistic, and energetic) 3. Persist in the face of adversity 4. Personalize your interactions with people, such as remembering their names 5. Maintain your physical appearance 6. Appea r to be candid 7. Reject the status quo or be defiant. Transformational Leadership Transformational leadership is related to charismatic leadership, but this newer group of theories focuses not on the leader's traits, but on the transformation of the organization.Perhaps being charismatic helps, but it is not enough to transform an organization. The transformational leader helps bring about major, positive changes in the organization. Four factors are seen as elements of transformational leadership are : * charisma * inspirational leadership * intellectual stimulation * individualized consideration According to one transformational leadership theory, the transformational leaders can be contrasted with a transactional leader. The transactional leader focuses on routine, day-to-day exchanges (or transactions) with the followers.The transactional leader rewards followers who meet existing standards of performance. While the concept of transactional leadership highlights the distinction between maintaining versus transforming an organization, the concept is not used much. Instead, the research focus has been on the more specific theories that you will learn later in the course, such as behavioral or contingency theories of leadership. Chapter 4 – Leadership Behaviors, Attitudes, and Styles This chapter introduces students to research on leadership behaviors, sometimes called leadership styles.When the research on leader traits and other characteristics was relatively unsuccessful in explaining leadership, the research changed orientation from â€Å"what a leader is like† to â€Å"what a leader does. † The focus was on leaders' behaviors, not on their underlying traits. This was a somewhat optimistic shift as well because this line of research indicated that leaders could be trained. This is in contrast to the â€Å"leaders are born† orientation of the trait-based leadership research. There are relatively few important behavior-based uni versal models, and most have been superseded by newer contingency models (discussed in Chapter 5).Knowing these early behavior-based models are important for a couple reasons. First, knowing them help students appreciate how leadership models evolve. Second, they are important because contingency theories (discussed in Chapter 5) attempt to incorporate these behaviors into their frameworks. Behavior-based Leadership Models Researchers at Ohio State University and the University of Michigan were among the first to study what behaviors were used by effective managers or leaders. The research found that effective leadership behaviors can be categorized as focusing on: 1. Relationships with followers (i. . , addressing their social and emotional needs) or 2. The tasks that need to be performed to increase productivity. There are many different terms or phrases describing effective leaders' behaviors. Task-oriented behaviors are called a variety of names, such as: * Work-oriented * Task- oriented * Production-oriented * Concern for production * Initiating structure * Directive behaviors With respect to the social and emotional focus, the labels or names include: people-oriented, worker-oriented, relationship-oriented, social, consideration, concern for people, and concern for relationship. Note: There are subtle differences among the different concepts, but you do not need to know them for this course. ) Some theories assumed that leaders could be either task-oriented (Concern for Results) or relationship-oriented (Concern for People), but not both. However, researchers at Ohio State assumed that leaders could demonstrate high or low amount of each type of behavior. In other words, task-oriented and relationship-oriented behaviors were not mutually inconsistent and a leader could be high on both dimensions, low on both dimensions, or high on one and low on the other dimension.This last view became the foundation for contingency theories and more modern universal mod els, such as the â€Å"Leadership Grid† (see Figure 4-3 pages 126 and 127). The descriptions of the positions on the chart are as follows: * 9,1 Controlling * 1,9 Accommodating * 5,5 Status Quo * 1,1 Indifferent * Paternalistic (1,9 and 9,1) * Opportunistic (all green quadrants) * 9,9 Sound Although behavior-based leadership theories are usually considered to be universal leadership models, the textbook's discussion of â€Å"adaptability† suggests more of a contingency approach. Undoubtedly, the behavioral research can be modified to accommodate ontingencies, but they were originally universal in nature. Other dimensions have also been investigated since the original research, but the importance of behavior-based theories rests primarily in the recognition of two broad dimensions of leader behaviors. You will see this more clearly when you study contingency leadership theories. Participative Leadership The chapter then briefly addresses â€Å"participative leadership. † Despite the relatively little coverage of this topic in the text, a key decision managers and leaders must make is how much to â€Å"empower† the followers.Tannenbaum and Schmidt developed an early model that had a continuum of leadership decision making behaviors that ranged from â€Å"boss-centered† to â€Å"employee-centered† behaviors. This theory focused on allocating decision making authority to employees, ranging from autocratic (â€Å"boss-centered†) to more or less participative (â€Å"employee-centered†) decision making. These two leader decision making behaviors were at opposite ends of a continuum. Therefore, in theory, a leader cannot be autocratic and participative at the same time. However, towards the center of the continuum the two styles blur together somewhat, with moderate levels of each style.The textbook addresses this topic in terms of a subsequent model that divides this continuum into autocratic and participative s tyles. The participative style is subdivided into consultative, consensus, and democratic styles. Issues The text next discusses two issues related to leadership. First, the book describes entrepreneurial leaders' traits and behaviors as if there was one way to be an entrepreneur (i. e. , a universal approach to entrepreneurship). However, this may be misleading because the best entrepreneurial style may depend on the followers and entrepreneurial idea.In other words, quite possibly there are no universally effective entrepreneurial styles. Perhaps future research will shed more light on this issue. Next, the textbook discusses whether men and women have fundamentally different leadership styles that are relatively consistent across situations. If so, in essence these differences would be universal styles for each gender. Past research on gender differences in leadership has been hampered by many factors, such as there being relatively few female leaders of large organizations. In d dition, the observed gender differences may be due to the followers' expectations based on their stereotypes about each gender's typical leadership styles and relatively inflexible social norms that shaped both gender's behaviors. You can draw your own conclusions about the chapter's comments on gender differences in leadership styles. However, it may be useful to reflect on a couple points. First, if you reject the importance of universal models of leadership, then any difference in male and female leadership styles becomes relatively unimportant. If contingency theories are correct, there is no one best way to lead.Thus, neither gender can corner the market on leadership, even if there are relatively stable differences in male and female leaders' preferred leadership styles. Second, there is so much individual variation in preferred leadership styles within each gender that discovering a â€Å"typical† or average style is unlikely to adequately describe the leadership style of any specific person. Many men are relationship-oriented, and many women are task-oriented, contrary to the typical stereotypes. The text concludes this chapter by stating that there is no one best leadership style. This idea sets the stage for the next chapter on contingency theories.Self-Assessment Quizzes I want to make a couple comments about the self-assessment quizzes. My hope is that by answering the questions in the self-assessments you will get a better sense of what the concepts mean and that hopefully you will gain some insight into your traits, styles, and preferences. However, the scores should be taken with a grain of salt because no inventory, and especially short inventories like those you are completing in this class, can accurately assess all your nuances. If you think the total score doesn't reflect you, or that certain questions do not measure you accurately, that is fine.Reflection upon the self-assessment inventories is valuable. Whether you agree with that assessment is of lesser importance. Analysis Paper One of the requirements of this course is for you to complete an Analysis Paper which will be due the last week of the course. For this assignment, you are to read one of the four books listed below. You are to identify the author's purpose for the book, its major themes, principles and concepts, and describe how those themes, principles, and concepts relate to the themes, principles and concepts presented by DuBrin in the text.In other words, I want to see at minimum four (4) concepts from your â€Å"chosen author† and how they to compare to DuBrin: where they agree, where they don't or if they don't. This is not a book review but rather it is an analysis of an outside reading, and the documentation of that reading's relatedness to the material you have been studying throughout this class. Technical Requirements: * The paper should be submitted as a Word document attached to the assignment. * APA citation style is required * Length: 6-10 pages – no more, no less * Double- spaced, 12 point font Must include, at a minimum: * an Abstract * an Introduction Section * a Discussion Section * a Conclusion Section * a Reference page * Both your name and page number must be included on each page of the paper (in a header is preferred). * Be certain you have carefully reviewed the paper for the requirements, misspellings, syntax errors and page numbers. The book you select will need to be obtained from a local library, Webster's library, a bookstore, an online book service such as Amazon. com (linked below), or some other book source.I would encourage you to actually purchase the book so you can retain it for future purposes. The books from which you must choose are: * Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell ( 2011) * It's All politics: Winning in a World Where Hard Work and Talent Aren't Enough by Kathleen Kelley Reardon ( 2006) * Tribal leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization by Dave Logan, John King and Halee Fischer-Wright (2011) * The Zen leader: 10 Ways to Go From Barely Managing to Leading Fearlessly by Ginny Whitelaw (Apr 22, 2012) If, because f special circumstances (i. e. you are out of the country), you are unable to obtain one of the books listed above, and would like to review and report on an alternative, you must send me, no later than the beginning of Week 5, the title of the book you are requesting to use, the date of its copyright, and a valid rationale for using the alternative. An appropriate rationale could be, for example, that none of the books are available to you because you are on military deployment, and book resources at your location are limited.Just wanting to review a book that is: 1) more easily available, 2) one you are currently using in another course, 3) one you have read previously for another class or 4) one you would like to review for personal reasons, is not an adequate reason and will not be approved. Once you have decided on your book, go to the Course Home Page and click on the link entitled â€Å"Analysis Paper Book Sign Up. † Click â€Å"Sign Up† next to the book that you are choosing so that I know which book you will be using. You should choose your book for analysis, and indicate your choice on the sign up sheet, by the end of Week 5.Please be aware: 1. This assignment is due on Wednesday of Week 9 2. Late submissions will NOT be accepted unless arrangements have been made with me personally no later than the beginning of Week 7. 3. You will be required to submit your paper to Turnitin prior to submitting it in the Assignments tool. The Turnitin assignment will be found on the course homepage. Make a copy of the Turnitin originality report to include with the assignment submission. Should you have any questions or concerns, please let me know. Week 2 Activities Required Readings The following items are required reading for this week: . DuBrin, A. (2013) Lead ership: Research Findings, Practices, and Skills (7th ed). Mason, OH: South-Western * Chapter 3: Charisma and Transformational Leadership * Chapter 4: Leadership Behaviors, Attitudes and Styles Copies of these two chapters are included in the â€Å"Textbook eReserves† folder on the Course Homepage for your convenience. 1. Also, review the article on leadership and emotional intelligence: Goleman, D. , Boyatzis, R. , & McKee, A. (2001). Primal Leadership: The Hidden Driver of Great Performance. Harvard Business Review, 79(11), 42-51. DiscussionsAfter reading the course materials and required readings, you should be prepared to participate in our weekly discussion. * Week 2 Discussion – Charasmatic Leadership In Chapter 3 of the text, DuBrin suggests it might be artificial to separate charismatic from transformational leadership. In fact, on page 93 of the text, DuBrin clearly states that charismatic leadership is a component of transformational leadership. Respond to al l 3 questions using concrete examples to support your answer and then respond to at least 1 other student’s posting whose answer you relate to. 1.Have you experienced charismatic leaders who were unable to be transformational? 2. Have you experienced transformational leaders who were not charismatic? 3. What were the circumstances surrounding the situation(s) you have experienced? Once you post your answer please respond to at least one other students' post. Assignments Please complete the following assignments and submit via the Assignments tool. You will find a link to each of these assignments within this module. Remember to use the text box for your submission – Do not attach a document. Directions for completing the assignments can be found in the syllabus. Case Study * Ch. 3 Leadership Case Problem B – Time to Rebound at Willow Pond. Pgs. 101- 102 * Questions 1, 2, and 3. * Self Assessments * Ch. 3 Quiz 3-1 The Emotional Expressiveness Scale. Pgs. 79 †“ 80 * Ch. 4 Quiz 4-2 What Style of Leader Are you or Would You Be? Pgs. 125-126 Analysis Paper The list of available books from which you will choose one will be provided this week. By the end of Week 5, please use the â€Å"Analysis Paper Book Sign Up† link on the Course Homepage to indicate which book you will be reading. You are responsible for obtaining this book on your own. Ch. Quiz 3-1 â€Å"The Emotional Expressiveness Scale†: My composite score for the Chapter 3 Quiz was 72. This score places me in the level that defines my emotionality as â€Å"about right for a charismatic individual† and that I am â€Å"emotionally expressive†. I believe this is fair assessment. On numerous occasions in my past jobs, my employees and co-workers have commented on their trust in my abilities to get the job done and that I will not â€Å"throw them under the bus† for my own gain or as a result of a decision I have made. Also, my last supervisor commente d to me on my vision in leading my division. Ch. Quiz 4-2 â€Å"What Style Leadership Are You or Would You Be? †: I scored 14 on this assessment. The scale defined in the text is that a score of 15 and higher indicates a Participative style and a score of 5 or below indicates an Authoritarian style. There is no description for the scores (like mine) that do not fall in either range. I submit that the leadership style required will depend on the situation and environment you are in at the moment. There are times where you have to be the authoritarian and other times where you have to be more democratic in your approach. The trick is to know when. ) There are several reasons while this case pertains to this chapter on charismatic and transformational leadership. As indicated in the issues Heather and the owners see as most pressing, Willow Pond as an organization that must transform itself from a low performer to a higher level to survive. Considering the task at hand, Heather will have to demonstrate many of the traits of a charismatic leader to be successful. This case demonstrates the need for both utilized in unison to achieve success. 2) There are several key leadership areas where Heather can focus to transform Willow Pond.I will present the three areas that I believe to be the highest priority. First, Willow Pond has been losing money for the past three years. She must concentrate resources where most needed. Especially in the areas that could impact passing the state inspections which could close them down. If this were to occur, not only would the residence by impacted but also the employees. Also, there are services (i. e. wireless internet/fresh paint/improved food quality) that could be put into place that would improve the physical appearance of the facility and the quality of life for the residence.Second, she must work to help the staff understand the need for change. Not only from the possible loose of income but in that the focus of their organization is to take care of people. Mistreating the residents when they make simple requests is an unacceptable behavior. This not only impacts the morale of the residents but can generate a reputation that can cause others not to choose Willow Pond as their assisted living choice. Lastly, I believe she needs to build trust not only in the management and employees but also with the residents that all parties have a vested interest in success.If the residents trust that the staff will take care of them and the employees trust that she is doing all she can to support them, the cumulative effect will be success. 3) Heather can utilize many charismatic aspects of her personality to aid in the transformation of Willow Pond. She will have to employ her â€Å"masterful communication skills† to get her vision on how great Willow Pond can become with everyone’s support. She must be very tactful in her communication to ensure she keeps folks on board with her plans.This is very important considering that Willow Pond has lost money for the last three years and the possibility of the facility being closed if it does not turn around. Additionally, she will need to set the example for others with her energy and her actions by going the extra mile to ensure success. 1. Have you experienced charismatic leaders who were unable to be transformational? 2. Have you experienced transformational leaders who were not charismatic? 3. What were the circumstances surrounding the situation(s) you have experienced 1) Yes. Dubin implies for a leader to be transformational he/she must be charismatic.However, charisma on its own does not make one a transformational leader. If the charismatic leader cannot provide the vision and focus required to change the culture and/or subculture of the organization, he/she will not be effective. 2) Honestly, I cannot say that I have worked for a transformational leader that was not charismatic at some level. 3) What I have experienced are transformational leaders that have several difference levels of charisma. What drove the success of these leaders was their type of charisma match to organization required for transformation.For example, one of my past supervisors was a more reserved personality but was very personable, good at promoting individual growth and setting goals. These traits proved to be valuable in merging two product offices and building a project office organization. He would be a â€Å"Hedgehog† utilizing Jim Collins definitions in the book â€Å"Good to Great†. The flip side, I have had one supervisor who was very charismatic but was not effective in leading transformation. He could not focus the organizations energy on a common goal. Jim Collins would classify him as a â€Å"Fox†.It sounds like he may have been successful in some aspects, but at what cost. This type of work environment not only drives a lot of good people away it has a tendency to taint those who stay. The long term impacts on the organization and personnel may be more harmful than any perceived short-term success. V/R, JS Week 3 Activities Required Readings The following items are required reading for this week: DuBrin, A. (2013) Leadership: Research Findings, Practices, and Skills (7th ed). Mason, OH: South-Western * Chapter 5: Contingency and Situational Leadership * Chapter 6: Leadership Ethics and Social ResponsibilityWeek 3 Overview Overview The contingency model discussed in Chapter 5 assumes that the most effective leadership style or behavior depends on the situation or the followers. The leader's   behaviors are similar to those discussed before, but in this case the appropriate behavior depends on the situation, i. e. , is contingent upon some other factors. The theories differ in terms of what types of contingent factors are important and how leaders should behave in light of those contingent factors. You will need to become familiar with the key contingency variables th at differentiate the various contingency theories.Chapter 6 introduces the concepts of ethical and moral leadership as well as social responsibility. While these topics have always been important, recent events involving arguably unethical leader behaviors makes these ideas more relevant today. Required Readings The following items are required reading for this week: DuBrin, A. (2013) Leadership: Research Findings, Practices, and Skills (7th ed). Mason, OH: South-Western * Chapter 5:   Contingency and Situational Leadership * Chapter 6: Leadership Ethics and Social Responsibility Week 3 Instructor NotesChapter 5 – Contingency and Situational Leadership This chapter introduces the concept of contingency leadership, or what has also been called situational leadership ( Hershey and Blanchard). . The theories collected in this general category extend the behavior-based leadership research by recognizing that specific leader behaviors are more effective in some situations than o ther situations. In other words, the most effective leadership behavior is contingent upon the situation, which can be broadly defined to encompass anything in the leader's environment.For example, one contingency factor that is found in almost every contingency theory focuses on the follower's personal characteristics. Other common contingency variables include: the nature of the task, the nature of the work group, the organization's culture, and the amount of power the leader possesses. Each theory incorporates specific factors based on what factors the researcher felt were most important. There are many different contingency theories, but the textbook introduces the most important theories. Fiedler's Contingency TheoryThe first contingency theory introduced in the textbook ( pages 144-146) is Fiedler's Contingency Theory, or what is sometimes called â€Å"leader match† or â€Å"LPC theory. † In this theory, the contingent factors are 1) the leader's relationship wit h the group or follower, 2) how clearly defined or structured the task is that the person or group must perform, and 3) the amount of position power possessed by the leader. Dichotomizing these three variables results in eight possible combinations that range from little leader control to high leader control.The theory matches the leader's preferred style, either high task or high relationship, with one of the possible combinations. When the leader's style matches the existing situation, this should result in effective leadership. Fiedler's model is important because it was one of the first theories to highlight the contingent nature of leadership. While the research support is mixed for his theories, nevertheless Fiedler's theories were important in the development of leadership research. Another contingency theory developed by Fred Fiedler and his colleague Joseph Garcia is called the Cognitive Resource Theory.This theory describes how stress plays a key role in determining how a leader’s intelligence is related to group performance. These are the three points made by Cognitive Resource Theory. 1. Those leaders with greater experience but lower intelligence are like to have higher-performing groups under high-stress conditions. Or under low stress conditions – the leader’s experience e is less relevant. 2. Leaders with high intelligence are more valuable than an experienced leader when innovation is needed and stress levels are low. 3.The intellectual abilities of a leader who is experience stress will be diverted from the task at hand. As a result, measures of leader intelligence and competence do not correlate with group preference when the leader is stressed (New Approaches to effective Leadership: Cognitive Resources and Organizational Performance, 1987). Path – Goal Theory The next major contingency theory introduced in the textbook is path–goal theory, which is usually associated with Robert House's theories. While th ere are several variations of this theory, the book presents the most common version.Although the theory is relatively complex, it focuses on the followers and the situation, just like Fiedler's LPC theory. However, the important characteristics of the followers and the situation are different than in Fiedler's LPC theory. The contingency variables in path-goal theory are based on expectancy theory, one of the more powerful motivation theories. Because effective leaders must motivate followers, it makes sense to integrate a motivation theory with a leadership theory. Unlike many other contingency theories that focus on only two leader behaviors or styles, path-goal theory attempts to explain in which situations each of four ifferent leadership styles are most effective: directive, supportive, participative, and achievement oriented leadership styles. A newer version of the theory adds transformational leadership behaviors, but this is not covered in the book and you do not need to k now it for this course. Blanchard Situational Leadership Model The next leadership model, the Situational Leadership II model, is one of the most popular leadership models. Many companies train managers in this theory. The Situational Leadership model was specifically developed to simplify the complexity of most contingency theories (see Figure 5-4).As leadership theories become more complex, they also become more difficult for managers to use on a day-to-day basis. Accordingly ,Blanchard developed a simplified theory focuses only on the followers' characteristics. They concluded that the follower's readiness to perform a task is the most important contingency factor, even though there are many other relevant factors. Followers' â€Å"readiness† levels are comprised of their abilities and willingness to do a specific task. In this model, the leaders' behaviors are either task oriented or relationship oriented, which makes it similar to the Leadership Grid and Fiedler's LPC mo del.Although the logic of Situational Leadership's prescriptions is somewhat questionable, and the research support is somewhat weak, nevertheless this theory has had a big impact on management and leadership training. Blanchard subsequently developed a modified version of this Situational Leadership model that shares the same name, which can create confusion. Normative Decision Model The next contingency model introduced in the textbook is the Normative Decision Model proposed by Vroom and Yetton, and later modified by Vroom and Jago.As the name indicates, this theory attempts to prescribe the best type of decision-making in a given situation: autocratic, consultative, or group-based decision making. This is a contingency theory because the critical decision nodes or points in the theory reflect either a concern with the situation or with the followers. When diagrammed, the decision nodes or points in this model create a decision tree. Thus, this model is also referred to as the â €Å"decision tree model. † Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory Another perspective under the contingency approach is the Leader – Member Exchange (we will see this model again in Chapter 9).The textbook finishes with a short description of how top executives actually lead and a discussion of leading during a crisis. These two topic areas are descriptive, and lack the kind of theoretical reasoning found in other theories and they have very limited research support. According to the text, top executives perform multiple leadership styles, the choice of which depends on the situation (a contingency approach). All of the styles reflect some combination of strategic leadership and change leadership, with relatively little emphasis on motivating individual followers.In a sense, these styles are variations on the transformational leadership style discussed earlier in the textbook. Week 3 Instructor Notes Chapter 6 – Leadership, Ethics, and Social Responsibility This ch apter introduces the concepts of ethical and moral leadership behaviors. Whether you can prevent unethical or immoral behaviors by teaching ethics and morality is not clear. However, being aware of ethical and moral issues is valuable, if for no other reason to have students reflect on their own ethics and morality. The text has a multifaceted approach to ethics. To be ethical, you should: * Be honest and trustworthy (have integrity) Pay attention to all relevant stakeholders * Find compatible goals for all stakeholders (â€Å"build community†) * Respect individuals by treating them fairly and honestly * Demonstrate modesty and restraint in accomplishing moral victories (â€Å"accomplish silent victories†) Leaders, of course, differ in their morality and ethical nature. One of the more interesting ideas is that leaders' level of moral development varies (from pre-conventional, to conventional, to post-conventional levels). However, the situation can also have a large i mpact on the leader's behavior.Certain corporate cultures seem to ignore ethical issues, while others have extremely strong ethical values. There is a table outlining leaders who have questionable ethics, which will no doubt become longer over the near future. Whether leaders recently have become less ethical, or they are simply being detected and publicized more is an unanswered question. Corporate social responsibility is the next concept in the chapter. This refers to the idea that organizations, and thus their leaders, have an obligation to society beyond simply following laws and making money for owners and shareholders.This idea reflects an ethic, but goes beyond any simple ethical principle (see Figure 6-1 Initiatives for Achieving a Socially Responsible and Ethical Organization). As the book notes, the topic cannot be covered well in the space allotted, but being sensitive and responsive to the community and the employees is the key idea. Whether an organization should lose money to help the community and employees is the key issue. If the concept of a â€Å"virtuous circle† is correct, then there is no trade-off between profits and social responsibility because social and financial performance reinforce each others.Week 3 Discussion Description (click to collapse) Week 3 Discussion| Refer to the leadership styles shown on page 153 of the text (Figure 5-4 Situational Leadership II ). * What is your present style of leadership in most situations (directing, coaching, supporting and/or delegating)? * Is this leade

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Martin Luther King, Jr said, â€Å"There is no greater reward than to make a fundamental difference in someone’s life†. To me, Social work is a profession that involves helping individuals, families and others who need assistance. Knowing that I would someday help people makes me feel happy and fulfilled. I have been a student of the BSW program for some months now and this is the end of the first semester. Throughout these few months, I have grown and learnt more than I thought I would. Although, there have been some challenges but I have been able to surpass them and know that this is really what I want to do with my life in the nearest future. In this paper, I would be discussing about my experiences in this program since these few months†¦show more content†¦By researching more about social work, I will gain more knowledge and I would also be able to educate people about the program. 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As a clinical social worker, I am meant to follow the medical model but I feel that using both the social and medical model in my practice is the right thing to do. This is because people need medical help but at the same time, they need the care and mixing the two models is the best way to improve my skills. The best steps to take in order to achieveShow MoreRelatedThe Ten Bsw Program Competencies Help Student Students Analyze And Evaluate Professional Development1638 Words   |  7 Pages The ten BSW program competencies help BSW students analyze and evaluate professional development. These ten competencies help social work students learn and integrate the NASW Code of Ethics into the classroom and field. The first competency based on identifying as a professional social worker requires constant self- reflection to ensure the NASW Code of Ethics are being followed, and to continue to develop as a professional. 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Losing Someone You Love free essay sample

Losing someone you love can be hard. But what does it mean to lose someone you love. Most people think death, but knowing that someone is leaving your life,and not knowing when they will return if they ever do. Let me tell you how I learned this, let me tell you my story of how I learned this. It all started around the end of April in two thousand eleven I was in eighth grade. And when I got home one afternoon,I was told something that I know it was going to,but it seemed unrealistic that it was finally happening. We got a letter from the government telling us that my mom had to go to the us embassy in mexico to begin the process to become a citizen and that she had to be there in the beginning of may. At the time I didnt think much of it cause as I was still naive and I thought it wasnt going to take long. We will write a custom essay sample on Losing Someone You Love or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page But I soon realised that i would be wrong.days past then weeks and before I know it summer had come again. On a July day I had to write a littler to the us embassy to tell them why my mom should be allowed to come back and at that point in time I had stared to miss my mom but I was always working so I didnt think of it much. So I wrote the letter and looking back at it know I can tell of how a weak the letter was letter as I didnt know how important my mom was to me and how I would start to miss her.the letter was sent and in a couple of weeks we got a letter from the embassy saying that my mom had to stay there and she wasnt allowed to come back for ten years. As the days went on after finding this out I started to feel sadness inside me. I always thought that I didnt need my mom for many things but I realized that I do in fact need her for multiple reasons some of which were unknown to while she was here I started to realize I that I took all the things that she had done for my ov er those Fourteen of my life. I didnt treat her the way I should have I got mad at her for asking how my day was and nagging me over things. I got mad to where I wanted to yell. Theres still this one time when I was younger I yelled at her cause she was telling me to wear a jacket but I said no and ended up yelling at her and I can still see the tears in her eyes that is something that I believe I will never forget cause remembering it now I get mad with myself for ever making her cry. Time went on and I tryed to call as much as I can but I forgot from time to time as much as it saddens me to admit. But Christmas break came and I got a flight to go Mexico and I was able to be with my mom for the holiday. Time has still past and this upcoming April will be four years since my mom left, it has been a difficult these past years have taught me never take anyone for granted and that losing someone means them leavening your life and not knowing when they will re enter it if they even do e nter it again.

Labor Market

The oil and gas industry has experienced significant growth in the past four years, becoming one of the leading employers of trained and well-educated people in the United States. To qualify for employment in Superior energy services, one should belong to a pool of qualified applicants ready to fill any vacancy that arises in the company.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Labor Market – Superior Energy Services Company specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Despite the company being an equal opportunity employer, it is necessary to investigate the demographic profiles and the educational status of the pool of trained people available in the USA to determine any additional training necessary to qualify them to work for Superior Energy Services Company. An investigation into how Superior energy services and its subsidiaries recruit employees to fill open positions shows that the company is an equal opportunity emplo yer which takes employees from the pool of prospective employees with different demographic profiles and educational status. Superior energy Services Company deals in natural gas and oil-well by providing services to oil and gas production and exploration companies. The company verifies the eligibility of job applicants for the positions that fall vacant using electronic techniques and social security numbers.  A summary of the demographic profiles of the people in the pool of those eligible to work for the company with some college qualifications but no college degree and aged 25 and above were 34,532, those with associate degree and above were 20,506 and those with bachelor’s degree and above were 65,430 by 2014. A statistical analysis of the demographic profiles shows that the people eligible or with qualifications to work for the company were143, 929 aged 16 years and above, and 54,712 had the qualifications necessary to work at the management and professional levels. T he study showed that 26,458 of the pool of eligible workers were men aged 20 and above, 28,114 were women aged 16 and above, and 27,928 were women aged 20 and above. A statistical summary of the educational status of the labor force eligible to work for Superior energy Services based on age, sex, race, and educational attainment showed that 24,424 people had diploma education, high school graduates were 61,949, and those with associate degrees were 55,038 by February 2014. Those with some college qualifications but no college degree were 34,532; those with associate degree and above were 20,506 and those with bachelor’s degree and above were 65,430. The study shows that the above academic and professional qualifications were critical for anyone interested to work in any industry but be hired and work for Superior Energy Services, Inc.; applicants are required to undergo further training to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to work in the industry.Advertising Loo king for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Enhanced skills make employees to optimise their abilities and work hard to increase productivity and meet the additional requirements necessary to sustain their jobs. It is important for the workers to recognize the need to work and protect the environment, ensure a secure working environment, develop better leadership qualities, and foster cultural growth (Autor, Katz Kearney, 2008). An investigation into the skills requirements shows that one must be well trained in project and risk management skills. However, the sought after skills in the oil and gas industry include technical skills and the ability to work within tight deadlines, ability to deliver results as part of a project team leader, and possess the right people management skills. Besides that, one should be well trained in technical, general technical, scientific, management, people skills, marketi ng, and leadership skills (Riise, Kirkeleit, Aarseth, Farbu, Midgard, Mygland Myhr, 2011). The technical skills include the training undertaken in â€Å"chemical, electrical power, drilling, operations, petroleum, reservoir, production, mechanical, pipeline, structural – especially those with practice expertise, report writing and consultancy skills† (Riise et al., 2011, p.32). On the other hand, an applicant or a new employee should be trained in general technical skills, which include drilling, fire safety, industrial energy efficiency, pressure vessel design, well-site supervision, Information Technology, problem-solving, and research and development skills. It is also critical for the pool of new applicants to be trained in chemistry, geology, and microbiology (Riise et al., 2011).  For instance, some of the specific technical skills that those anticipating to work for the company as electrical engineers include the ability to provide specifications for electric al equipment and reliable prepare technical drawings. In addition, one should have the ability to discuss with other engineers and stakeholders some of the potential engineering projects to carry out and how they can be implemented, provide direction and coordination of manufacturing, maintenance, documentation activities, have good understating of the codes of practice, and ensure compliance to established industry standards.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Labor Market – Superior Energy Services Company specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Typically, one should have competencies in mathematics, design, physics, engineering and technology, have critical thinking skills, be an active listener, and have complex problem abilities.  Project management training is undertaken for prospective employees to acquire the knowledge and skills on how to manage small and large projects. To work for the company, a person must be trained in technical management, risk management, contract skills, and additional practical skills as opposed to the theoretical knowledge acquired in class that sometimes is not useful for one to work in the industry. In addition, the people skills that are important for one to work in the oil and gas industry include line management skills at the departmental levels and the skills necessary to manage managers. In the marketing discipline, people need to be trained to become â€Å"sales and marketing managers† who are specialized in â€Å"selling the â€Å"added value† of the company. Additional training should be in marketing profile skills, closing sales, understanding of world markets, dealing with clients, marketing of technical skills, managers with wider experience of commercial technology, and commercial skills to develop new markets† (Riise et al., 2011, p.2). In addition to that, people need to be trained in leadership skills to be leaders and not followers, to lead teams in industry engagement initiatives, gain self-confidence, and enable technologists to become leaders. The study showed that the oil and gas industry is in short supply of people trained in the ability to observe and learn, communicate effectively, initiate innovation activities, motivate other employees, and the ability to instruct others.  In conclusion, there are enough prospective employees applying for jobs to work for Superior energy Services Company that offers services in the oil and gas industry. Here, the labor market has a sufficient pool of trained people with certificate, bachelor, and graduate qualifications who are 20 years and above who can fill the various vacancies that arise in the company. However, further training is necessary in project management, leadership, and technical skills for employees to be proficient skills in their areas of specialization. References Autor, D. H., Katz, L. F., Kearney, M. S. (2008). Trends in US wage inequality:  Revising the revisionists. The Review of economics and statistics,90(2), 300-323.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Riise, T., Kirkeleit, J., Aarseth, J. H., Farbu, E., Midgard, R., Mygland, Ã…. Myhr, K. M.  (2011). Risk of MS is not associated with exposure to crude oil, but increases with low level of education. Multiple Sclerosis Journal, 17(7), 780-787 This essay on Labor Market – Superior Energy Services Company was written and submitted by user Jaliyah Wolf to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.