More Related Content Similar to Leadership Development (LinkedIn) Compressed Similar to Leadership Development (LinkedIn) Compressed (20) 2. C U R T C O M A R A T A
8184 Lakevalley Drive ! Cincinnati, Ohio 45247 ! 513-886-4832 ! Comaratac1@nku.edu
! http://www.linkedin.com/in/curtcomarata
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
Professional Experience
Vector Marketing Cincinnati, OH December 2011 to Present
Branch Manager 2014 to Present
• Opened independent branch office and personally managed all office functions: Marketing strategies, advertising, finance,
negotiated office lease, risk/cost management, as well as all recruiting, hiring, training, and management of employees.
• Interviewed over 720 applicants, lead a sales force of over 50 employees, and profited within three months.
• Reconfigured initial business plan’s budget, without cutting staff, which decreased total operating cost by 18%.
• Average order for office was 160% greater than company’s average order and was awarded for one of the top 5 branch
offices for highest sales during a sales blitz for the Ohio/Kentucky/Tennessee division during the month of June 2013.
District Office Manager 2013 to 2014
• Managed, trained, and recruited 50+ sales personnel to directly market Cutco product via professional presentation.
• Account for $2.4M career sales, which positions office as one of the top 20 offices in nation over 650+ offices in category.
• Designed and implemented a strategic plan with sales team, individually, going over personal goals, what’s in it for them,
and holding them accountable. This resulted an additional 24% sales growth in productivity per sales representative.
• Excelled in eight-month leadership training boot camp (twice); developed skills in management, leadership, business
development, marketing strategies, and entrepreneurship.
Sales Representative 2011 to 2012
• Created an organized lead-generated network and presented a personalized sales presentation to market the Cutco
product, produced over $180,000 in personal sales B2C and B2B markets for the Cutco product line.
• Top sales in district for spring 2012 and ranked in top ten from Ohio/Kentucky/Tennessee division for spring 2012.
• Awarded Certified Field Trainer by providing example of a successful presentation to 105+ representatives individually.
• Awarded eight company incentive trips, attended numerous multi-day personal development conferences, and established
a clientele base in 21 states plus Canada and Europe.
Education
Northern Kentucky University May 2015
• Bachelor of Arts & Science: Business Management, Integrative Studies Dean’s Advisory Board
• Minors: Business Administration, Entrepreneurship Major GPA: 3.1/4.0
RMSR Medical Sales Training Program May 2015
Campus Involvement
NKU Dean’s Advisory Board December 2014 to Present
Student Ambassador
• Planned out a two-day business seminar from scratch, held multiple speakers and real-world experience workshops.
• Innovated a chain of communication channels for events by designing a large strategic social media presence.
• Streamline ideas with 4 student organizations to market and strategically plan projects, events, and a Social Media Summit.
Northern Kentucky Marketing Association (NKMA) August 2012 to Present
President
• Rebranded organization from scratch to 30+ active members, 5 executive members, and branded 3 key events for NKU.
• Designed a successful marketing proposal for a start up to drive brand awareness and retain consumer engagement.
• Attended 14 events and conferences on student development, leadership, marketing, and branding strategies.
• Awarded for two competitive events at state conference for the Professional Business Leaders Association.
Interests: Sales, negotiating, entrepreneurship, leadership development, human capital, results
3. [CURT&COMARATA]! 1!
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LDR$308($Leadership$Development$
Personal$Learning$Statement$
! This!portfolio!is!designed!to!highlight!how!the!course!objectives!for!LDR!308!
(Leadership!Development)!are!satisfied!from!my!previous!employment!and!current!
employment!as!a!business!owner!and!organization!leader.!Throughout!this!document!I!will!
be!exhibiting!how!my!role!as!a!leader!has!impacted!my!understanding!of!the!functions!for!
leadership!and!how!to!put!these!tactics!into!application.!I!will!initiate!this!learning!
statement!with!a!brief!summary!of!my!current!role!and!responsibilities.!
! I!am!employed!at!Vector!Marketing!who!partners!with!Cutco!Corporation.!Vector!
Marketing!is!the!direct!seller!of!Cutco,!which!is!a!highJquality!line!of!kitchen!cutlery,!
kitchen!accessories,!gardening!tools,!and!sporting!knives.!Everyone!starts!out!as!a!sales!
representative!to!get!a!taste!of!business!experience,!as!Vector!is!a!promoteJfromJwithin!
company.!I!began!in!2011!in!the!Sales!department,!became!an!Assistant!Manager,!Sales!
Manager,!a!Branch!Manager!where!I!personally!owned!my!own!office!for!a!summer,!and!
currently!I!am!a!District!Office!Manager.!My!additional!involvement!I!will!be!discussing!will!
be!that!of!being!President!of!NKU’s!Marketing!Association!and!being!on!the!Haile!U.S.!Bank!
College!of!Business’!Dean’s!Advisory!Board.!!
! As!an!Assistant$Manager,!I!was!responsible!for!a!team!of!about!15J20!employees.!
With!this!position,!I!was!a!key!influencer!for!my!team!to!increase!productivity,!diminish!the!
complexity!of!communication,!provide!experiential!guidance,!effectively!manage!conflict,!
assess!team!performance,!problem!solve,!etc.!I!would!set!up!field!trainings!with!our!
employees!where!they!would!have!a!halfJday!to:!learn!tips,!see!me!do!an!actual!client!
4. presentation,!and!I!would!teach!workshops,!etc.!With!my!teams,!I!had!to!implement!quick!
decisions!with!my!teams!to!solve!any!questions!a!client!may!have!to!help!close!the!sale.!
! As!a!Sales$Manager,!I!would!map!out!a!strategic!plan!with!the!representatives!on!
my!team!to!encourage!goal!setting,!goal!creation,!develop!skills,!and!implement!tactics!
individually!and!as!a!team.!I!was!responsible!for!servicing!a!clientele!base!that!stretched!
from!Dayton,!Ohio!to!Chattanooga,!Tennessee.!In!addition,!my!personal!clientele!that!I!
engage!stretches!over!21!states,!Canada,!Puerto!Rico,!and!Europe.!From!being!a!sales!
manager,!I!have!a!responsibility!to!teach!our!team!about!sales!techniques,!consumer!
psychology,!market!knowledge,!team!leadership,!etc.!!
! My!Branch$Manager!experience!demonstrates!the!key!essentials!to!being!a!leader!
versus!a!manager.!Prior!to!becoming!a!Branch!Manager,!we!go!through!an!eightJmonth!
“boot!camp”!training!series!to!learn!what!it!takes!to!run!our!own!office!completely!from!
scratch.!I!have!provided!some!of!the!agendas!associated!with!our!training!program,!“The!
Leadership!Institute”!(Exhibit!1).!In!addition,!I!have!provided!an!example!of!my!business!
plan!layout!as!I!progressed!through!the!semester!to!demonstrate!what!steps!I!took!to!
thrive!as!an!entrepreneur!and!plan!out!the!summer!as!I!built!a!massive!team!(Exhibit!6).!In!
the!spring!semester!of!2013,!I!consulted!with!my!professors!at!NKU!to!allow!me!to!take!my!
final!exams!two!weeks!early.!This!was!necessary!because!the!main!applicants!we!recruit,!
high!school!seniors,!get!out!earlier!than!NKU!and!I!would!need!to!make!sure!I!had!my!office!
set!up!by!that!time.!!During!this!time,!I!negotiated!my!own!office!lease!for!the!summer!of!
2013,!did!all!of!the!recruiting,!advertising,!promotions,!training,!development,!budgeting,!
and!all!other!facets!of!individually!owning!a!business!(4,!5,!and!6).!I!managed/lead!a!team!
of!50+!sales!and!customer!service!employees,!an!assistant!manager,!and!managed!a!team!of!
5. [CURT&COMARATA]! 3!
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four!receptionists.!I!will!be!discussing!throughout!this!document!about!various!experiences!
I!had!from!the!beginning!of!developing!a!team,!the!process,!leadership!strategies,!
communicative!and!motivational!strategies,!decisions,!etc.!
! As!a!District$office$Manager,!I!also!serve!as!a!team!leader!to!suffice!team!
development!and!team!cohesion.!Since!the!Branch!Manager!is!our!form!of!a!summer!
independent!business!owning!experience,!once!school!starts,!Branch!Managers!return!back!
to!their!District!office!as!the!head!Manager.!Basically,!this!position!takes!on!all!the!
responsibility!of!owning!a!business!as!well!but!the!difference!is!that!the!financial!element!is!
under!the!District!Manager!not!the!District!office!Manager!(aka!“DOM”).!As!a!District!office!
Manager,!my!focus!transitions!to!more!of!new!team!development.!This!includes:!recruiting!
strategies,!marketing!tactics,!and!maintaining!a!new!team!structure!to!increase!
productivity!and!decrease!turnover.!
! As!President$of$NKU’s$Northern$Kentucky$Marketing$Association,!I!have!an!
executive!team!of!five!and!we!have!an!organization!with!25+!active!members.!We!started!
completely!from!scratch!when!we!became!officers.!I!brought!together!five!great!people!at!
NKU!with!marketing!backgrounds!to!help!lead!our!organization.!In!doing!so,!we!found!a!
way!to!collaborate!our!efforts!to!drive!recruiting!and!showcase!our!organization.!There!are!
various!characteristics!that!go!into!a!group!or!team!such!as:!Interdependent,!interpersonal!
interaction,!structured!relations,!mutual!influence,!and!individual!motivation.!These!
characteristics!have!all!been!very!important!when!it!comes!to!our!team!and!getting!goals!
accomplished.!Since!we!all!were!marketing!majors,!we!had!a!strong!level!of!
interdependence.!Especially!when!it!came!to!creating!a!strategic!plan!on!what!we!were!
going!to!accomplish!and!setting!goals,!interpersonal!interaction!and!effective!
6. communication!was!immensely!valued!within!our!officer!team!to!coordinate!specific!tasks!
and!be!proactive!as!a!team.!Besides!communication,!we!established!specific!roles!within!
our!officer!team!for!structured!relations.!Between!the!officers!I!divided!up!the!work!into!5!
positions:!Advertising,!Recruiting,!Promotions,!Finance,!and!Graphic!Design.!Each!member!
had!a!role!that!allowed!a!feeling!of!importance!and!role!significance.!Mutual!influence!and!
individual!motivation!came!from!our!desire!to!build!our!resume!and!brand!our!
organization!as!the!preeminent!organization!on!campus.!Our!team!of!five!officers!branded!
our!organization!to!eventually!grow!to!having!30+!active!group!members.!As!a!result,!there!
is!a!social!identification!that!takes!place!within!that!group,!as!they!understand!they!are!a!
separate!identity,!but!still!have!the!same!social!representation!that!our!organization!shares!
from!our!beliefs!and!values.!
! As!a!member!of!the!Haile$U.S.$Bank$College$of$Business’$Dean’s$Advisory$Board,$
my!position!is!more!of!a!student!ambassador.!This!is!a!complete!role!reversal!from!being!
President!of!the!Marketing!Association!or!owning!a!business.!Instead!of!being!the!leader!
coordinating!team!activities,!this!position!has!me!on!the!other!side!where!I!do!not!have!
power,!but!I!do!have!influence!and!work!with!our!student!team!and!faculty!team!to!
accomplish!specific!projects!and!goals!set!out!by!the!Dean.!Currently,!I!meet!weekly!with!
the!Dean!and!the!other!student!representatives!for!the!Dean’s!advisory!board.!I!also!meet!
with!the!Dean!and!the!College!of!Business’!faculty!members,!as!I!am!one!of!the!two!student!
representatives!from!our!student!group.!Our!weekly!meetings!have!been!structured!and!
focused!around!collaborating!together!to!plan!and!execute!NKU’s!“Business!Week”!for!the!
2015!spring.!This!involves!superior!task!management!and!group!decisionJmaking.!There!
are!several!advantages!of!group!decisionJmaking.!One!of!which!that!played!heavily!in!our!
7. [CURT&COMARATA]! 5!
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situation!was!the!benefit!of!having!additional!resources!available!for!certain!problems.!
Certain!decisions!we!managed!by!allowing!the!member!with!the!best!experience!in!that!
field!to!take!authority!or!more!ownership!of!that!decision.!For!example,!I!have!experience!
in!marketing!and!social!media!promotions.!In!turn,!another!student!representative!and!
myself!teamed!up!to!create!a!promotional!video!and!social!media!plan!for!leading!up!to!our!
event.!As!a!result,!we!were!successfully!able!to!use!our!skills!and!knowledge!to!lead!to!a!
new!idea!that!no!single!member!would!have!developed.!Also!known!as!process!gain.!!
Course$Objective$1:$Analyze$the$relationship$between$leaders$and$followers!
I!was!a!manager!in!the!respect!that!I!started!a!business!2!summers!ago,!from!
scratch,!hired!and!trained!a!team!of!51!employees!and!4!receptionists,!and!turned!a!profit!
in!less!than!three!months.!I!was!a!leader!in!the!respect!that,!I!held!weekly!meetings!for!
everyone!in!my!business!to!learn!advanced!skills!that!they!could!utilize!both!in!and!out!of!
the!business.!These!included:!Personal!development!skills,!time!management,!leadership,!
interpersonal!skills,!etc.!Just!because!these!are!skills!not!necessarily!taught!in!the!
classroom.!I!mentioned!earlier!that!I!have!a!plaque!of!a!quote!by!John!Quincy!Adams!on!my!
office!desk!that!says,!“If!your!actions!inspire!others!to!dream!more,!learn!more,!do!more!
and!become!more,!you!are!a!leader”!to!remind!me!that,!at!the!end!of!the!day,!have!I!done!all!
I!can!do!to!influence!my!team.!It!sounds!funny!saying!this!but!to!be!a!better!leader,!I!have!
found!you!have!to!give!up!control.!Sure!my!sales!team!can!get!advice!from!me!but!if!I!put!it!
in!the!hands!of!advice!from!a!top!employee!in!the!officeJ!it!will!be!more!valued.!If!I!tell!
someone,!on!my!marketing!side!of!the!business,!that!“we!aren’t!getting!enough!attention!
but!I!know!your!work!has!been!second!to!none,!what!do!you!recommend?”!By!giving!up!
8. control,!once!the!decision!is!theirs,!they!tend!to!be!not!only!more!creative!but!also!more!
careful!and!feel!tied!into!the!business.!
One!key!function!as!a!leader!is!not!to!just!comprehend!what!is!necessary!to!lead!
others,!but!also!understand!how!to!be!a!follower.!!Most!of!us!start!in!an!organization!or!a!
community!as!a!follower.!It!is!rare!that!any!of!us!will!step!into!any!type!of!leadership!
position,!formal!or!informal!without!demonstrating!that!we!can!be!and!are!good!
followers.!Being!a!“promote!from!within!company,”!it!makes!it!a!beneficial!transition!that!I!
get!to!develop!my!skills!as!a!follower!to!understand!the!positives!and!the!struggles!in!that!
role.!If!as!a!manager!or!leader!that!I!forget!what!used!to!frustrate!me!in!the!position!as!a!
follower,!it!is!harder!to!be!able!to!effectively!coach!those!that!follow!me.!As!I!reflect!on!
what!it!would!be!like!if!I!was!not!a!manager!or!leading!my!followers,!I!must!analyze!what!
would!I!want!or!expect!out!of!whomever!was!leading!the!organization.!What!characteristics!
would!I!want!them!to!possess,!how!would!I!like!them!to!respond!to!me!when!conflict!or!
negative!feedback!is!needed,!do!I!respect!their!actions!and!view!them!as!genuinely!caring!
about!the!organization,!etc.!By!understanding!this!ideology,!I!can!interpret!how!to!better!
lead!by!putting!myself!in!their!shoes.!The!organization!can!not!be!about!manipulation:!
“How!can!I!make!you!just!do!the!assignment?”!It!is!more!about!understanding!their!
concerns!from!being!a!follower!and!actively!listening.!This!can!show!that!you!are!on!the!
same!page!and!are!willing!to!give!up!some!control!to!let!them!voice!their!opinions.!!
This!may!sound!like!a!paradox,!but!based!on!my!experience!I!notice!that!good!
leaders!understand!boundaries!and!are!willing!to!accept!sound!advice!from!followers.!Too!
many!leaders!think!that!they!should!know!it!all,!be!able!to!do!it!all,!and!always!be!in!charge.!
But!the!best!leaders!are!selfJaware!enough!to!realize!their!limitations!and!secure!enough!to!
9. [CURT&COMARATA]! 7!
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know!they!can!let!go!of!control!and!let!others!take!charge.!The!key!to!high!performance!
isn’t!simply!good!leaders!but!good!leadership.!In!the!set!of!skills!and!abilities,!and!in!the!
highest!performing!organizations,!the!emphasis!is!on!following!the!process,!not!the!person,!
So!if!we!were!to!look!at!leadership!and!followership!though!this!lens,!here's!what!I!would!
be!asking!people!to!follow:!
• A!clear!set!of!values!and!beliefs!consistent!with!their!own!
• A!vision!of!the!future!that!they!share.!
• Creative!ideas!that!enable!the!organization!to!make!changes!so!that!the!values!and!
vision!can!be!realized!
• Other!people!whose!strengths!and!talents!contribute!to!realizing!shared!values!and!
vision,!and!teams!whose!collective!capacity!is!greater!than!our!own.!
• Our!hearts!and!the!esteem!we!have!for!the!people!who!make!it!possible!for!us!to!get!
extraordinary!things!done!
From!this!perspective,!we!are!all!followers!of!a!wayJ!a!path!to!making!a!difference!in!the!
world.!Leaders!are!asking!people!to!follow!a!process!and!it!is!in!this!way!that!leaders!
should!always!think!of!themselves!as!followers.!If!leaders!kept!this!in!mind,!then!leadership!
could!move!around!the!organizationJ!up,!down,!sideways,!in,!and!out.!Leaders!would!be!
thinking!of!what's!best!for!the!mission,!not!what's!best!for!them.!There's!another!important!
reason!for!leaders!to!follow.!No!one!person!can!do!it!alone.!The!idea!of!being!the!inJcharge!
leader,!the!one!who!is!supposed!to!do!anything!that!is!required!and!be!better!than!anyone!
else,!the!charismatic!biggerJthanJlife!personality!is!daunting.!But!what!happens!when!we!
set!aside!this!heroic!myth!and!realize!that!leaders!are!not!independent!of!others!but,!more!
10. to!the!point,!dependent!upon!the!energies!and!efforts!of!others?!We!become!more!effective!
as!leaders.!We!admit!that!we!can't!do!it!alone,!and!we!then!begin!to!develop!and!utilize!the!
full!potential!of!everyone!
Course$objective$2:$Examine$Human$Behavior,$Motivation,$and$$
Persuasion$including$Diversity$Challenges$and$Management$
Chapter!12!starts!off!with!Maslow’s!Hierarchy!of!Human!needs:!Survival,!security,!
belonging,!respect,!and!fulfillment!(Manning!and!Curtis,!285J286).!You!can’t!be!a!leader!
without!followers!so!you!have!to!understand!how!to!motivate!people!to!buy!into!your!
agenda.!Motivation!is!what!makes!employees!act!in!certain!ways.!Understanding!people’s!
motives!and!their!reasons!for!doing!something!is!the!key!to!becoming!a!good!leader.!In!the!
fourth!course!objective,!I!talk!about!an!exercise!I!walk!through!with!my!employees!to!give!
them!reasons!and!a!purpose!to!be!ultimately!motivated!by!their!goals.!
One!of!the!main!theories!relating!to!motivation!is!Maslow’s!Hierarchy!of!Needs.!
People!have!needs.!A!need!is!a!lack!of!something,!something!we!want.!This!produces!the!
drive!and!desire,!which!motivates!us!to!satisfy!that!need.!Satisfying!this!need,!or!getting!the!
thing!we!want!or!lack!is!the!goal.!Leaders!and!managers!need!to!have!this!level!of!
understanding!if!they!are!to!be!in!a!position!to!motivate!their!staff.!However,!to!be!a!good!
leader!and!manager!you!need!to!recognize!that!people!are!different.!One!of!the!many!other!
ways!I!do!this!takes!place!the!first!day!of!training.!I!present!them!with!a!document!called!
“The!Better!We!Know!You”!(Exhibit!11).!This!document!has!them!answer!what!they!value!
most!between:!recognition,!involvement,!income,!awards,!and!advancement.!To!display!the!
traits!of!a!good!leader!you!need!to!recognize!that!some!people!come!to!work!to!earn!money!
(existence!needs)!and!have!no!desire!either!to!get!on!with!others!(relatedness!needs),!or!
11. [CURT&COMARATA]! 9!
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earn!promotion!(growth!needs).!Others!work!to!meet!people!and!have!a!personal!challenge!
and!sense!of!achievement!(relatedness!needs).!Others!work!to!gain!experience!to!get!
promotion!(growth!needs).!It!may!also!be!a!combination!of!these!needs!for!others.!!
Persuasion!is!another!tool!used!for!motivation.!My!goal!with!persuasion!is!to!get!my!
employees!to!expand!their!confidence!to!do!more.!Just!like!my!example!in!course!objective!
four,!I!have!tremendous!confidence!in!my!employees.!I!knew!that!employee!could!do!
$15,000!for!the!twoJweek!contest!even!though!he!only!thought!$10,000!was!possible.!This!
confidence!and!persuasion!drove!him!to!aim!for!the!$15,000.!Although!he!ended!up!just!shy!
of!his!goal!at!$13,000,!the!persuasion!allowed!him!to!think!bigger.!If!I!just!agreed!with!the!
proposed!$10,000!goal,!he!may!have!hit!it!or!end!up!at!only!$7,000!or!$8,000.!From!a!
diversity!standpoint,!I!work!with!a!very!diverse!team!from!all!backgrounds.!Some!have!the!
confidence!and!the!sales!experience,!where!as!others!have!never!been!oneJonJone!with!a!
customer!before.!There!are!many!challenges!but!the!advantage!of!a!diverse!team!is!similar!
to!having!“supervisory!ability”!by!“getting!the!job!done!through!others”!as!Chapter!two!
talks!about!(Manning!and!Curtis,!16).!I!can!use!my!diverse!team!of!experienced!team!
members!to!help!out!those!that!have!never!had!a!sales!job!before!or!had!a!bad!sales!start.!I!
enjoy!when!conflict!arises!and!a!new!employee!tries!to!use!a!different!approach!that!an!
experienced!employee!says!won’t!work.!Occasionally,!they!will!prove!the!experienced!
employee!wrong.!This!shows!them!another!perspective!that!they!may!choose!whether!or!
not!to!implement!in!their!approach.!Vice!versa,!if!the!new!employee!is!wrong,!the!
experienced!employee!can!coach!them!as!to!why!it!may!not!have!worked!or!can!come!up!
with!alternative!solutions!together.!Diversity!unlocks!this!innovative!gap!and!allows!my!
office!to!grow!in!both!revenue!and!team!cohesion.!!
13. [CURT&COMARATA]! 11!
!
need!to!be!switched!out!from!time!to!time!if!a!company's!performance!establishes!a!pattern!
of!decline.!
The!qualities!required!to!show!leadership!can!be!demonstrated!by!all!types!of!
people!in!many!different!ways!and!as!we!have!seen!with!many!differing!styles.!They!can!all!
be!equally!effective!(or!ineffective)!in!performing!a!leadership!role.!However,!to!be!
successful,!especially!over!the!longer!term,!people!need!to!understand!their!style!of!
leadership!and!how!this!may!impact!on!others.!Just!as!the!emotional!intelligence!chapter!
teaches,!it!is!important!to!be!selfJaware.!This!can!help!us!to!minimize!our!blind!spots,!
which!might!derail!us!in!a!particular!situation.!
All!leaders!do!not!possess!same!attitude!or!same!perspective.!As!discussed!earlier,!
few!leaders!adopt!the!carrot!approach!and!a!few!adopt!the!stick!approach.!Thus,!all!of!the!
leaders!do!not!get!the!things!done!in!the!same!manner.!Their!style!varies.!The!leadership!
style!varies!with!the!kind!of!people!the!leader!interacts!and!deals!with.!A!perfect/standard!
leadership!style!is!one!that!assists!a!leader!in!getting!the!best!out!of!the!people!who!follow!
him!or!her.!Some!of!the!most!effective!leaders,!those!with!the!best!results,!use!multiple!
leadership!styles!and!are!able!to!switch!between!styles!dependent!upon!the!project!type,!
whole!situation!or!individual!team!member!needs.!Leaders!need!to!use!multiple!
approaches!while!dealing!with!their!subordinates,!some!of!which!include!relationship!
development,!training!and!professionalism!of!subordinates!and!time!allotments.!The!three!
wellJknown!styles!of!leaderships!are!authoritative,!participative!and!delegating.!
Authoritative!is!a!style!where!the!leader!is!in!complete!control!and!orders!his!
subordinates!regarding!their!duties!without!any!consultation!from!them.!This!style!is!not!
very!popular!with!the!subordinates!and!is!only!effective!if!the!leader!has!complete!
15. [CURT&COMARATA]! 13!
!
allow!them!to!be!more!creative!and!innovative.!Not!every!outcome!will!be!needed!but!you!
miss!your!employee’s!full!potential!by!not!engaging!them!and!letting!them!show!some!
creativity!and!innovative!strategies!every!now!and!then.!All!of!this!goes!back!to!diversity!
because!each!employee’s!brain!is!wired!differently.!!
Course$Objective$4:$Examine$Personal$Leadership$Traits,$Interests,$Ability,$
and$Style!
Every!action!I!take!with!my!team!is!situational!but!there!are!some!traits!and!styles!I!
focus!on!more!than!others.!Chapter!two!mentions!three!key!traits!that!result!in!effective!
leadership:!Basic!intelligence,!clear!and!strong!values,!and!high!level!of!personal!energy!
(Manning!and!Curtis,!16).!I!am!well!known!by!my!team!as!someone!who!appreciates!
knowledge,!promoting!my!vision!and!driving!our!office’s!goals,!and!being!energetic!and!
confident!in!our!ability!to!do!so.!It!is!instinctual!and!primitive!that!we!follow!in!a!fight!or!
flight!style.!For!example,!emotional!intelligence!tells!us!that!if!we!are!cornered!into!a!
situation,!which!we!need!to!fight,!we!are!almost!always!going!to!stick!by!the!leader!that!
says!“I!think!we!should!try!this,!come!on!”!versus!the!person!that!doesn’t!know!what!their!
first!step!will!be.!It!is!important!that!not!only!I!know!where!I!want!the!business!to!go,!but!to!
know!how!my!followers!are!going!to!get!there!with!me,!and!that!they!understand!my!vision!
and!values.!I!have!found!that!it!is!not!just!your!values!that!are!important.!If!you!can!find!a!
way!to!get!each!employee!to!create!a!picture!of!their!goals!and!values,!a!couple!things!will!
happen.!First,!they!will!respect!you!more!as!a!leader!because!you!took!the!time!to!help!
them!feel!confident!about!what!they!are!doing.!Second,!every!employee!has!different!
values,!but!by!knowing!their!values!you!can!better!lead!and!manage!them.!It!also!allows!
your!followers!to!feel!that!you!have!given!them!a!purpose.!When!we!set!major!goals!in!our!
18. The$Art$of$Leadership$Chapter(by(Chapter$Course$Learning$Objectives$
CH1. The$Importance$of$Leadership$
Having!a!steady!leadership!role!for!the!past!5+!years,!there!are!countless!tools!I!
have!learned!and!reasoning!behind!why!leadership!is!extremely!important.!First!and!
foremost,!I!want!to!illustrate!that!I!am!talking!about!leadership,!not!management.!Although!
both!can!be!dependent!on!one!another!it!is!key!that!I!illustrate!differences.!I!have!always!
been!taught!that!a!manager!maintains,!and!a!leader!develops.!For!a!leader,!you!focus!more!
on!the!people!and!have!a!more!longJrange!view!than!managers.!A!leader,!from!my!
experience,!is!someone!who!is!trustworthy,!genuine,!structured,!create!a!vision!with!his!or!
her!followers,!and!most!importantly,!knows!how!to!be!a!good!follower.!The!text!starts!out!
mentioning!the!three!different!types!of!leaders:!Teachers,!heroes,!and!rulers!(Manning!and!
Curtis,!3).!!I!have!a!plaque!in!my!office!that!is!a!quote!from!John!Quincy!Adams!that!states:!
“If!your!actions!inspire!others!to!dream!more,!learn!more,!do!and!become!more,!you!are!a!
leader.”!I!have!this!quote!on!my!resume!and!my!email!signature!as!well!because,!as!a!
manager!and!as!a!leader!it!speaks!a!lot!of!volume!to!me.!It!reminds!me!that,!by!the!end!of!
the!day,!have!I!truly!given!my!team!everything!to!inspire!them!to!grow!and!develop!as!
potential!future!leaders?!If!I!can!confidently!answer!yes,!then!I!have!“won!the!day”!as!I!call!
it.!Page!10!of!the!text!mentions!two!aspects!of!caring!leadership!are!commitment!to!a!task!
and!concern!for!people!(Manning!and!Curtis,!10).!From!my!experience,!they!are!
interconnected.!If!you!show!true!genuine!care!and!concern!for!your!people,!they!are!more!
likely!to!be!open!to!commit!to!a!task!versus!if!you!just!give!orders.!This!way,!if!you!have!to!
assign!a!task!down!the!road!that!is!unfavorable!to!them,!they!are!more!likely!to!respect!
19. [CURT&COMARATA]! 17!
!
your!decision!because!they!know!it!is!not!personal.!In!turn,!you!have!a!solid!foundation!for!
commitment!to!the!task!assigned!or!the!goal!desired.!!
Page!six!talks!about!how!people!want!their!work!environment!to!consist!of:!
integrity,!having!a!leader!with!clear!direction!and!job!knowledge,!and!people!building!skills!
(Manning!and!Curtis,!6).!There!are!a!many!examples!of!this!in!my!exhibits.!I!have!weekly!
team!meetings!with!all!the!employees!on!my!staff!(Exhibit!8).!One!of!the!first!slides!shows!
my!office!rules!“TRA”!which!stands!for:!Trust,!respect,!and!accountability.!Integrity!is!very!
important!with!my!office.!Trust!is!the!foundation!of!any!relationship.!I!don’t!look!over!my!
employee’s!shoulders!when!they!work!with!customers!and!anyone!can!trust!a!manager’s!
advice!because!we!are!a!promote!from!within!company.!Selling!is!not!easy!for!everyone!but!
knowing!your!manager,!even!our!CEO,!have!actually!done!the!hard!work!builds!
tremendous!respect!and!credibility.!As!for!accountability,!I!make!sure!my!team!knows!that!
I!don’t!expect!perfection,!but!if!they!make!a!mistake,!it!is!okay!to!own!up!to!it!and!I!expect!
them!to!hold!me!to!the!same!standards.!Every!meeting!has!a!purpose!whether!it!is!to!share!
a!vision,!build!sales!momentum,!teach!a!new!or!advanced!skill,!etc.!This!shows!a!constant!
reminder!that!I!am!not!only!credible!of!job!knowledge!but!I!am!willing!to!share!everything!I!
know!and!if!there!is!something!I!am!not!sure!of,!I!will!go!out!and!research!it!for!my!team.!
We!are!a!very!competitive!team,!we!are!number!nine!in!the!entire!nation!right!now!for!our!
category!!Much!of!our!growth!has!been!centered!on!what!page!six!talks!about:!
“performance!planning,!performance!coaching,!correcting!poor!performance,!and!having!
the!ability!to!motive.”!As!a!result,!we!accomplish!three!functions!of!leadership!that!are!
described!on!page!11:!“establishing!a!direction!(planning),!aligning!people!and!resources!
(organizing),!and!energizing!people!to!accomplish!results!(directing)”!(Manning!and!Curtis,!
20. 11).!Since!about!90%!of!my!team!are!salespeople,!energy!and!motivation!are!vital!keys!for!
success!within!my!organization.!!
CH2. The$Leadership$Equation$
The!trait!theory!of!leadership!focuses!on!identifying!different!personality!traits!and!
characteristics!that!are!linked!to!successful!leadership!across!a!variety!of!situations.!!
Based!on!the!descriptions!in!the!text,!I!would!label!myself!closer!to!the!“Fully!
Functioning!Manager”!(Manning!and!Curtis,!22J23).!The!Fully!Functioning!Manager!has!
high!concern!for!both!production!and!people.!As!a!branch!owner,!there!are!incentives!to!
make!sure!we,!as!managers!and!leaders,!put!effort!towards!both.!Personally,!I!feel!best!
when!I!know!that!my!team!is!doing!well.!In!doing!so,!I!make!sure!everyone!has!the!
opportunity!to!get!to!that!level,!regardless!where!they!start.!If!things!get!off!balanced,!I!
have!a!group!of!our!top!performers!that!love!having!a!leadership!role!where!they!can!help!
someone!on!our!team!that!may!be!struggling!with!sales!or!feeling!overwhelmed!due!to!
stress!from!low!time!management!or!priority!management.!Knowing!that!they!have!that!
power!and!support!has!made!my!team!stronger!to!overcome!obstacles!and!adversity!when!
faced.!In!addition,!with!this!support!structure,!productivity!and!sales!revenue!increases!on!
it’s!own!as!a!result.!!
Leadership!Contingency!Theory!suggest!that!the!“best!leadership!qualities!and!
actions!vary!from!situation!to!situation”!(Manning!and!Curtis,!27).!I!can!definitely!relate!to!
this.!Prior!to!opening!up!my!office!during!the!summer!of!2013,!I!went!through!two!separate!
eightJmonth!leadership!boot!camps!with!my!company!to!obtain!the!best!skills!before!I!ran!
my!office.!Now,!I!teach!situational!leadership!to!my!employees!and!also!to!all!of!our!new!
21. [CURT&COMARATA]! 19!
!
managers!in!Tennessee,!Kentucky,!and!Ohio.!Situational!Leadership!demonstrates!the!most!
appropriate!actions!to!take!based!on!someone’s!development!level!or!situation!level.!!
As!a!business!owner,!if!I!want!to!approach!the!right!coaching!style!with!the!
appropriate!situation,!I!must!look!at!two!things:!Their!level!of!competence!and!level!of!
commitment.!I!train!my!Assistant!Managers!and!team!Leaders!on!a!study!of!situational!
leadership!(Exhibit!3).!I!have!attached!a!scanned!document!that!demonstrates!the!outline!
of!how!I!teach!situational!leadership!and!how!it!is!applied!(Exhibit!3).!!Given!a!team!
focused!business,!every!member!within!our!team!is!different!in!respect!to!how!they!learn!
and!how!they!can!be!managed.!For!example,!an!employee!that!has!been!with!the!company!
for!25+!years!does!not!have!to!be!managed!or!overseen!as!much!as!an!employee!who!is!
new!to!the!program!and!unsure!of!what!is!expected!of!them.!In!situational!leadership!I!
teach!and!utilize!each!of!the!four!developmental!levels!and!diagnose!them!accordingly.!!
When!I!have!new!employees!on!my!team,!they!are!often!curious,!excited,!
inexperienced,!and!unsure!of!what!they!will!be!coming!into.!In!turn,!as!a!manager!and!a!
leader,!I!need!to!know!that!this!team!member!needs!to!feel!that!their!skills!are!transferable!
and!that!they!want!you!to!acknowledge!their!enthusiasm.!To!manage!this,!I!help!them!set!
clear!goals,!understand!their!role!and!design!an!action!plan!for!them!to!start!off.!While!this!
goes!on,!it!is!extremely!vital!that!I!give!consistent!feedback!on!their!progress,!both!good!
and!bad,!with!concrete!examples!to!make!them!feel!they!are!moving!in!a!positive!direction.!
After!a!while,!an!employee!may!be!sunk!into!“D2.”!This!level!has!many!warning!signs!such!
as:!They!are!inconsistent,!frustrated,!demotivated,!overwhelmed,!discouraged,!etc.!I!always!
warn!my!employees,!especially!my!management!team,!that!going!into!D2!is!the!best!thing!
that!could!happen!to!them.!It!shows!me!that!they!are!learning!new!skills,!challenging!
22. themselves,!and!that!they!are!growing.!By!celebrating!“being!comfortable!with!being!
uncomfortable”!it!eases!the!tension!they!had.!It!lets!my!team!know!that!it!is!okay!to!make!
mistakes,!as!it!is!all!just!a!process.!Once!I!teach!my!team!to!learn!and!understand!this!
philosophy,!the!next!step!is!helping!them!move!to!D3!as!quickly!as!possible.!In!response,!I!
work!much!harder!to!help!them!define!their!personal!sales!goals!and!put!them!into!action.!
Someone!in!D2!can!not!transition!to!D3!unless!I!give!them!efficient!coaching,!build!their!
skills,!and!let!them!see!how!the!mistakes!were!made!and!the!reasoning!behind!their!
mistakes.!Too!many!managers!focus!on!telling!employees!that!they!made!mistakes!versus!
sitting!down!with!them!and!explaining!the!theories!on!the!long!term!effects!or!ways!to!
avoid!future!mistakes.!At!the!same!time,!I!will!do!this!with!analyzing!their!successes!and!
create!a!vision!on!how!that!success!could!be!replicated!and!enhanced.!For!the!employees!
that!have!shifted!to!D3,!they!are:!confident,!capable,!cautious,!selfJcritical,!etc.!For!these!
employees,!motivation!is!a!constant!factor.!!
$
CH3. Leadership$Qualities,$Characteristics$of$Followers,$and$Situational$Factors$
There!are!ten!qualities!that!the!book!lists!that!I!find!very!powerful!for!a!leader!to!be!
effective.!They!include:!Vision,!ability,!enthusiasm,!stability,!concern!for!others,!selfJ
confidence,!persistence,!vitality,!charisma,!and!integrity:!
Vision:!This!is!a!major!key!in!my!company’s!success.!It!is!not!just!about!having!a!
vision.!Everyone!has!dreams,!visions,!goals,!etc.!I!would!extend!this!to!saying!s!
leader’s!vision!is!only!as!strong!as!how!he/she!shares!it!with!his!or!her!
followers.!It!is!important!to!keep!your!team!“in!the!loop”!on!your!vision.!If!they!
23. [CURT&COMARATA]! 21!
!
don’t!constantly!know!where!you!stand!or!how!big!your!goals!are,!there!is!no!
concrete!understanding!on!what!they!can!do!to!help!build!the!organization.!!
Although!Levi!is!for!LDR!385,!I!found!this!relevant!to!LDR!308!to!
demonstrate!vision.!Levi!mentions!a!threeJpart!definition!to!team!success!by!
Hackman!(Levi,!page!20).!The!book!says!leadership!success!involves:!
“completion!of!the!task!or!reaching!goals,!developing!social!relations!to!help!the!
team!work!together!and!maintain!the!group,!and!participation!of!the!group!for!
social!support,!new!skills,!and!rewards.”!From!my!experience,!I!partially!agree!
with!this!statement.!Having!goals,!social!interactions,!and!participation!are!all!
very!essential!in!team!success;!however,!my!view!of!team!success!expands!to!
situations!such!as:!sharing!a!vision,!being!passionate,!and!active!engagement.!So!
many!times!I!have!seen!managers!or!worked!with!managers!that!have!had!goals!
and!shared!them!with!their!team!but!failed!to!share!their!vision!on!what!
accomplishing!that!goal!as!a!team!could!do!for!their!organization.!There!is!
always!a!bigger!picture!that!a!manager!or!leader!can!share!with!their!team.!For!
example,!being!the!President!of!NKU’s!Marketing!Association,!my!executive!
team!was!fine!with!just!10J12!members.!I!had!a!vision!of!having!a!massive!army!
of!members.!I!shared!my!goal!with!them!but!also!gave!them!a!vision!that!by!
getting!to!40+!members,!we!can!do!so!much!more.!There!are!few!to!none!other!
organizations!that!have!that!capacity,!for!our!resumes!we!can!now!say!we!
started!from!scratch!to!having!over!40!active!members,!and!for!our!larger!
projects!it!will!be!easier!to!split!into!teams!of!six!which!they!can!be!the!leader!of!
their!own!mini!team.!For!these!reasons,!we!all!agreed!to!envision!the!same!end!
24. result.!In!response,!we!were!able!to!project!a!comfortable!goal!into!a!much!
larger!picture!to!get!more!accomplished!and!have!a!larger!presence!on!campus.!
From!what!I!have!listed!above,!the!vision!is!more!productive!if!it!also!provides!a!
“what’s!in!it!for!them”!scenario.!For!that!example,!it!builds!their!resume,!gives!
tem!an!opportunity!to!be!a!leader!of!a!mini!team!if!they!choose,!and!see!that!
their!efforts!to!attract!members!are!paying!off.!!
Ability:!Having!a!company!built!on!a!“promote!from!within”!foundation!creates!
a!tremendous!amount!of!credibility.!My!employees!consistently!call!me,!text!me,!
or!request!to!talk!to!me!in!person!about!any!questions!they!have!or!advice!they!
want.!I!encourage!them!to!pick!my!brain,!which!gets!them!to!feel!comfortable!
with!any!job!specific!question.!I!have!trophies!in!my!office!from!when!I!was!in!
their!same!positions,!won!multiple!company!trips,!and!hold!a!personal!average!
sales!order!that!is!160%!greater!than!the!company’s!average!order.!The!book!
explains!that!ability!is!important,!but!having!the!results!that!you!have!done!the!
job!well!increases!their!respect.!
Enthusiasm:!There!is!so!much!to!say!about!this!topic!but!if!I!have!to!narrow!it!to!
one!word!it!would!beJ!ENERGY!!I!spent!some!time!with!our!Puerto!Rico!Division!
to!learn!the!top!skills!and!see!how!they!became!so!successful.!One!thing!that!
stood!out!is!passion.!The!Divisional!Manager,!Cathy,!has!created!a!culture!with!
her!team!where!she!says!you!should!treat!everything!you!do!as!if!it!is!the!most!
important!thing!you!will!ever!do;!no!matter!how!small.!Every!conversation,!
every!decision,!every!greeting,!etc.!must!be!treated!this!way.!In!turn,!you!gain!so!
much!respect!and!credibility!but!it!keeps!your!energy!up!and!positive!all!
26. made!was!saying!an!employee!was!there!for!21!years!but!he!was!only!their!for!
20!years.!!He!proved!us!wrong!and!showed!that!he!genuinely!cares!for!all!of!his!
workers,!from!the!top!to!the!bottom.!He!visits!them!almost!every!single!day!and!
asks!how!they!are!doing.!That!spoke!volume!to!me!on!the!significance!and!
importance!of!having!concern!for!others.!His!average!employee!has!been!with!
the!company!for!27!years!to!put!that!into!perspective.!
SelfJconfidence:!If!you!doubt!your!vision!and!the!ability!to!do!a!task,!so!will!your!
followers.!If!you!throw!out!a!goal!and!hesitate,!your!team!will!wonder,!“why!did!
he!hesitate?”!That!can!go!one!of!two!ways,!either!your!team!will!doubt!the!goal!
with!you,!or!they!may!accept!the!challenge.!SelfJconfidence!is!how!you!
represent!yourself!through!your!actions,!your!tone,!and!your!passion!behind!
your!vision.!
Persistence:!As!a!manager,!I!have!seen!countless!times!where!an!employee!gives!
up!on!a!goal!or!starts!to!selfJdoubt!their!abilities.!Having!concern!for!others!is!
great!but!it!is!vital!to!be!persistent!to!build!them!up!when!they!are!down.!There!
are!many!adversities!one!faces!in!a!business!or!in!personal!life!but!having!
persistence!and!belief!can!help!overcome!adversity.!For!example,!I!hired!a!new!
salesman!who!has!a!great!personality!but!is!a!little!shy.!Since!he!would!be!face!
to!face!with!customers,!he!felt!uncomfortable!and!didn’t!think!he!could!pull!it!
off.!I!asked!if!I!could!challenge!him!and!he!agreed.!I!then!asked!if!he!would!go!on!
a!field!training!with!one!of!my!top!representatives!to!see!how!they!interact!with!
customers.!I!followed!up!with!him!after!every!meeting.!Two!weeks!later,!I!saw!a!
light!from!him.!He!was!much!more!confident,!tripled!his!average!order,!and!
27. [CURT&COMARATA]! 25!
!
even!came!up!with!a!couple!great!jokes!that!he!shared!with!his!customers!to!
make!them!laugh!and!ease!his!anxiety!of!talking!in!front!of!people.!Three!
months!later,!he!was!giving!talks!at!our!team!meetings!in!front!of!30!plus!
employees!at!our!team!meetings!!If!I!wasn’t!persistent!and!showed!genuine!
interest!in!his!success,!I!know!he!would!have!quit!the!job!and!never!thought!
twice.!!
Vitality:!Having!strength,!vitality,!and!health!is!key.!The!book!states!“Even!if!the!
spirit!is!willing,!strength!and!stamina!are!needed!to!fulfill!the!tasks!of!
leadership”!(Manning!and!Curtis,!32J34).!!I!joke!about!this!but!this!is!why!I!try!
to!stay!away!from!fast!food!!I!need!my!health!and!energy!throughout!the!day!to!
be!able!to!do!everything.!I!only!get!about!four!hours!of!sleep!every!night!so!
maintaining!good!eating!habits!and!having!a!morning!workout!help!increase!my!
vitality.!In!the!summer,!we!have!such!a!large!team!and!sometimes!we!do!
something!active!to!keep!us!going!on!a!long!day.!For!example,!in!the!summer!I!
have!8am!workshops!for!all!my!salespeople.!This!is!optional!but!I!make!
everyone!breakfast!and!we!may!do!some!type!of!activity!to!start!the!day!before!
the!actual!workshop!begins.!I!have!done!things!from!morning!yoga!with!my!
employees!to!walking!around!our!building.!Following!this!we!have!the!actual!
workshop!but!this!10!minutes!of!activity!helps!wake!up!everyone!on!our!team,!
even!if!they!are!not!a!morning!person.!
Charisma:!This!is!more!of!a!perceptional!quality!but!those!who!possess!it!make!
a!major!impact.!Charisma!is!about!being!influential,!creative!positive!outlooks,!
and!creating!hope!or!optimism!
28. Integrity:!As!I!have!mentioned!before,!Integrity!is!part!of!our!office!rules.!You!
must!be!honest!as!a!leader.!Even!for!negative!feedback,!there!are!ways!you!can!
be!honest!but!not!damage!the!relationship.!However,!in!order!to!do!this!
successfully,!you!must!establish!trust!and!credibility!before!you!proceed!with!
giving!negative!feedback.!!
CH4. The$Importance$of$Vision$and$the$Motive$to$Lead$
There!are!many!forms!of!having!a!strong!vision.!The!book!states!“Henry!Ford’s!
leadership!success!began!with!a!vision.!To!this,!he!added!a!strategy!to!succeed”!(Manning!
and!Curtis,!68).!!I!have!visions!in!the!form!of!a!business!plan,!what!I!share!at!my!team!
meetings,!and!the!strategies!to!align!with!my!vision.!Also!for!NKU’s!Marketing!Association,!I!
have!complied!a!SWOT!analysis!(Manning!and!Curtis,!76)!for!our!group!to!analyze!where!
we!are!in!our!vision,!as!well!as!an!OGSP!(Objective,!Goals,!Strategies,!and!Plan)!for!a!Social!
Media!Summit!for!NKU!(Exhibit!7).!My!business!plan!(Exhibit!6)!helped!guide!my!vision!so!
I!could!make!a!strategy.!This!document!is!important!because!without!it,!my!business!would!
be!disorganized!and!it!would!be!difficult!to!have!a!stern!vision!without!it!planned!with!a!
purpose.!The!book!labels!three!functions!for!visions:!Taking!personal!responsibility!for!
initiating!change,!trusting!and!supporting!others,!and!creating!a!vision!and!strategy!for!the!
organization!which!must!be!leaderJinitiated,!shared!and!supported!by!followers,!detailed,!
and!worth!doing!(Manning!and!Curtis,!70J71).!!Your!team!and!organization!are!not!going!to!
take!you!as!a!serious!leader!if!you!do!not!take!responsibility!for!changing!some!part!of!the!
organization.!!
Each!Wednesday!night,!we!have!a!team!meeting.!In!this!team!meeting,!we!make!sure!
to!have!our!vision!in!sight,!I!share!it!with!our!team,!and!there!are!usually!incentives!to!help!
29. [CURT&COMARATA]! 27!
!
hit!goals!that!utilize!positive!reinforcement.!We!have!small!goals!such!as!prizes!or!for!every!
$1,000!in!sales;!I!would!donate!$5!to!their!charity!of!choice.!The!company’s!average!order!
is!$250!so!that’s!only!four!average!sales!so!it!was!very!obtainable!and!motivated!my!team!
to!want!to!succeed.!It’s!interesting,!but!this!spoke!a!lot!more!volume!to!my!employees!than!
prizes!and!it!allowed!me!to!connect!on!a!personal!level!to!see!what!they!are!passionate!
about.!With!having!such!a!strong!vision,!during!the!meeting!I!meet!with!every!employee!
individually!for!what!we!call!a!private!consultation!or!PC.!This!is!important!because!an!
office!vision!is!only!as!strong!as!the!followers!that!help!build!it.!In!this!meeting!we!go!over!
what!is!in!it!for!them,!set!a!personal!goal,!I!ask!them!what!was!positive!this!week!and!what!
was!negative.!By!doing!this,!I!can!see!where!everyone!in!our!organization!stands!and!what!I!
can!do!to!help!them!achieve!their!personal!visions!in!order!to!help!our!office!hit!our!vision!
and!goals.!!
CH5. Organizational$Climate$
From!the!text!examples,!my!office!would!follow!pattern!III!(supportive).!“Supportive!
leadership!shows!a!great!deal!of!interest!and!concern!for!members.!Power!resides!in!
leaders,!but!there!is!good!communication!and!participation!throughout!the!organization”!
(Manning!and!Curtis,!90).!!What!is!strong!with!my!office’s!culture!is!that!we!have!built!a!
team!style!organization!that!allows!leaders!to!emerge.!I!have!a!group!that!anyone!can!be!a!
part!of!if!they!earn!the!spot.!It!doesn’t!pay!any!higher!directly!but!by!being!a!part!of!it,!they!
get!more!time!with!me!and!more!advanced!skills!from!my!workshops!and!have!
opportunities!to!be!leaders!if!they!want.!It!is!easy!to!get!on!this!team,!as!all!I!look!for!is!
someone!with!a!team!leader!attitude,!participate!at!meetings,!hit!their!goals,!and!help!
others!on!a!team!succeed.!!
30. There!are!times!in!the!summer!especially!when!I!cannot!physically!control!all!50+!
employees.!To!help!me!with!recruiting,!training,!and!team!motivation,!I!reach!out!to!my!key!
staff!and!those!that!want!to!have!a!leadership!role!have!an!opportunity.!I!will!split!the!
teams!into!mini!teams!where!they!can!lead!their!own!team!name!or!chant,!and!be!held!
responsible!and!accountable!for!their!micro!team.!They!all!still!can!interact!with!me!but!if!
they!can’t!get!ahold!of!me,!they!are!to!reach!out!to!their!team!leader.!These!are!individuals!
who!have!had!proven!themselves!through!sales!results,!great!character,!and!development!
focused.!This!is!vital!so!they!may!support!the!people!on!their!micro!team!to!help!them!in!
situations!they!are!not!familiar!with!or!how!to!handle!customer!objections!in!a!more!
advanced!way.!By!doing!this,!it!increases!productivity!as!well!due!to!competition!within!the!
teams.!It!gives!the!designated!team!leader!a!way!to!motivate!the!team.!!
! The!text!talks!about!storytelling!(Manning!and!Curtis,!91),!which!is!a!very!impactful!
method!when!I!am!giving!workshops!or!talking!to!my!team!about!examples!of!how!to!
sell!to!customers!and!how!to!build!product!conviction.!I!may!say!something!during!a!
meeting!or!on!a!personal!phone!call!to!them.!Recently!I!mentioned!this!story!to!some!
representatives!that!were!struggling!with!appointments:!“I!remember!when!I!was!
starting!out!and!I!had!seven!appointments!in!one!day!and!five!of!them!canceled!on!me!
and!I!felt!crushed.!I!didn’t!want!this!to!be!the!last!memory!of!that!day!so!I!appreciated!
the!other!two!appointments!that!didn’t!cancel.!I!still!gave!it!my!best,!had!a!ton!of!fun!
with!the!customer,!and!ignored!what!happened!because!it!is!about!who!is!in!front!of!me!
that!matters.!Later!that!day,!that!second!appointment!ended!up!being!my!biggest!order!
at!the!time!of!$3,213.!”!This!story!explained!to!them!that!there!would!be!times!when!
their!weeks!won’t!be!ideal!but!it!is!about!the!mental!attitude!behind!it.!!!I!let!them!know!
31. [CURT&COMARATA]! 29!
!
that!“you!can’t!get!emotionally!attached!to!your!results!and!you!should!always!strive!to!
make!the!customer!feel!good.!It!will!cheer!you!up,!get!you!a!higher!sales!ratio,!and!you!
will!come!out!feeling!like!the!day!was!a!success.”!The!power!behind!this!story!gives!
them!a!new!perspective!that!it!doesn’t!matter!if!you!don’t!succeed!right!away,!as!you!
may!even!be!surprised.!Telling!this!story!helped!turn!a!negative!situation!into!a!
positive.!
CH6. The$Importance$of$Ethics$
Ethics!concern!an!individual's!moral!judgments!about!right!and!wrong.!Decisions!taken!
within!an!organization!may!be!made!by!individuals!or!groups,!but!whoever!makes!them!
will!be!influenced!by!the!culture!of!the!company.!The!decision!to!behave!ethically!is!a!moral!
one;!employees!must!decide!what!they!think!is!the!right!course!of!action.!This!may!involve!
rejecting!the!route!that!would!lead!to!the!biggest!shortJterm!profit.!There!are!moral!
judgments,!aesthetic!judgments,!and!factual!judgments!(Manning!and!Curtis,!100).!!No!
matter!where!you!stand,!ethics!is!a!muchJneeded!structure!within!a!business.!!The!text!
mentions!there!are!three!levels!of!moral!development:!preJconventional,!conventional,!and!
postJconventional.!!
PreJconventional!mortality:!This!is!when!you!are!aware!of!cultural!prescriptions!of!
what!is!right!versus!what!is!wrong.!How!you!response!is!based!on!two!concerns:!Will!I!be!
harmed!(punishment)!or!Will!I!be!helped!(pleasure)?!
Conventional!mortality:!This!is!categorized!by!a!group!conformity!and!allegiance!to!
authority.!The!individual!acts!in!order!to!meet!the!expectations!of!others!and!to!please!
those!in!charge.!
32. PostJconventional!morality:!Most!advanced!level.!The!individual!is!more!concerned!
with!right!versus!wrong!over!selfJinterest!and!without!regard!to!authority!figures.!
Business!ethics!play!an!important!role!in!hiring!and!business!management!practices.!
The!first!people!hired!should!be!aware!of!the!company's!values!and!ethics!practices,!so!as!
the!company!grows!and!expands,!those!practices!continue!to!be!upheld.!When!a!business!is!
managed!well,!employees!will!usually!feel!that!they!are!being!treated!fairly;!this!can!help!
the!company!to!hire!and!retain!excellent!employees,!which!is!instrumental!to!its!overall!
success.!!
Of!course,!the!importance!of!business!ethics!goes!beyond!the!direct!relationship!
between!its!employees!and!management!team,!extending!out!to!how!the!company!deals!
with!the!local!community!and!its!social!responsibility.!A!business!that!behaves!in!an!ethical!
way!as!a!member!of!the!community!will!often!find!that!the!community!offers!its!support!in!
return,!which!can!also!be!invaluable!to!the!success!of!the!company.!This!may!be!done!by!
assisting!with!community!events,!donating!funds!in!support!of!local!charities,!or!simply!
behaving!honestly!in!dealings!with!other!local!businesses.!
Customers!who!do!not!feel!as!if!they!are!being!treated!fairly!by!a!business!will!often!not!
hesitate!to!do!something!about!it.!Social!networks!have!made!sharing!negative!information!
about!a!company!much!easier,!and!customers!do!not!hesitate!to!do!so.!It!does!not!take!
much!bad!press!for!sales!to!decline.!This!principle!works!in!the!opposite!direction!as!well,!
however:!customers!who!feel!as!if!they!are!dealt!with!honestly!are!more!likely!to!tell!their!
friends!to!visit!the!business.!
In!my!business,!we!have!had!many!issues!in!the!past!recovering!from!situations!where!
we!have!had!great!managers!that!had!current!employees!and!past!employees!with!great!
33. [CURT&COMARATA]! 31!
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respect!and!experience!from!being!with!the!company,!and!we!have!had!managers!that!
focused!more!on!the!power!and!prestige!of!the!positive!over!being!ethical!and!relational!
with!employees.!As!a!result,!this!spread!over!social!media!like!wildfire!from!those!with!
negative!feedback.!Our!company!took!a!hit,!employees!questioned!our!motives,!and!
recruiting!became!a!hardship!because!those!that!were!called!in!for!interviews,!looked!our!
company!up!online,!saw!negative!connotations,!and!with!canceled!their!interview!or!didn’t!
show!up.!Even!though!this!was!a!result!of!11!manager!officers,!out!of!500+!offices,!the!viral!
spread!of!negative!information!branded!our!company!to!have!a!negative!image.!We!have!
had!to!spend!a!lot!of!money!trying!to!recuperate!but!it!still!has!its!ups!and!downs.!We!were!
noted!that!we!have!failed!to!provide!proper!training,!mistreatment!of!employees,!you!had!
to!pay!to!buy!the!product!before!you!started,!and!that!it!was!strictly!commissioned!based!
and!no!one!would!make!money!doing!it.!What!they!don’t!see!is!our!A+!rating!with!the!
Better!Business!Bureau.!This!all!started!about!eight!years!ago!when!we!Facebook!and!
everything!became!viral.!Some!of!the!many!ways!our!company!tried!to!make!things!better!
were:!We!created!a!base!pay!plus!commission!system,!we!loaned!the!product!to!new!hires,!
and!made!our!training!program!got!stronger.!Our!training!program!is!now!used!in!nine!
colleges!and!universities!from!Purdue,!North!Carolina!State!University,!University!of!
Dayton,!and!several!others.!In!order!for!them!to!graduate!from!their!400!level!Marketing!
classes,!they!have!to!go!through!our!training!program!before!their!even!eligible!for!
graduation.!!
All!of!this!hard!work!is!a!result!of!poor!ethical!choices.!This!is!why!ethics!is!so!vital!in!
every!organization!because!it!doesn’t!take!much!for!a!growing!company!to!get!a!bad!
reputation!with!all!the!channels!and!avenues!of!social!media!and!word!of!mouth.!
34. CH7. The$Role$of$Values$and$Ethics$in$The$Workplace$
Ethics!is!a!tricky!subject!because!it!is!one!that!is!subjective!and!varies!from!person!to!
person.!I!am!a!major!follower!of!Procter!&!Gamble!and!from!an!internal!perspective;!one!
key!function!they!will!always!respect!is!their!Purpose,!Values,!and!Principles,!which!they!
often!refer!to!as!PVP.!P&G!tends!to!relate!their!decisions!based!on!doing!a!PVP!analysis.!
From!recruiters!and!a!former!CMO!that!I!know,!P&G!has!declined!multiJmillion!dollar!
proposals!strictly!because!it!was!against!their!principles!that!have!stated!in!their!PVP.!
There!was!even!a!major!project!that!would!have!increased!revenues!drastically!but!wasn’t!
considered!fair!and!against!their!principles!and!codes!of!ethics.!The!COO!pulled!the!full!
production!schedule!and!ceased!its!operations.!Customers!respect!companies!that!stand!by!
their!values,!which!is!why!it!is!so!essential!to!not!just!clarify!values!but!reinforce!them!as!
well.!!
There!are!some!red!flags!that!the!text!mentions!to!know!if!a!company!needs!to!reinforce!
or!clarify!its!values:!Members!lack!clear!understanding!about!how!they!should!behave!as!
they!attempt!to!meet!organizational!goals,!different!individuals!and!groups!have!
fundamentally!different!value!systems,!top!leaders!send!mixed!messages!about!what!is!
important,!and!members!complain!about!the!organization!to!neighbors,!friends,!and!family!
(Manning!and!Curtis,!117J118).!
In!my!business,!there!are!two!strong!codes!of!ethics!and!values!we!carry!in!our!
organization.!For!my!specific!office,!I!have!a!section!titled!TRA,!which!stands!for!trust,!
respect,!and!accountability.!Our!region!holds!another!statement!called!our!“3!H’s”:!Hunger,!
Heart,!and!Humility.!We!have!this!so!engrained!within!our!followers/employees!that,!by!
their!second!week,!they!could!tell!any!third!party!what!our!company!values.!For!my!office,!I!
35. [CURT&COMARATA]! 33!
!
promote!these!core!values!at!the!very!beginning:!the!interview,!day!3!of!training,!and!every!
Wednesday!at!our!team!meetings.!As!I!mentioned!earlier!in!chapter!1,!Trust!is!the!
foundation!of!any!relationship!so!I!don’t!look!over!my!employees’!shoulders!when!they!
work!with!customers!and!they!can!also!trust!any!of!our!managers!for!advice.!Since!we!are!a!
promoteJfromJwithin!company,!every!manager!(including!our!CEO)!has!started!as!a!sales!
consultant!so!any!questions!they!may!have,!we!can!answer.!!
Respect!goes!without!saying!but!I!make!this!a!part!of!our!organization!through!all!of!the!
team!activities!we!do.!Everyone!on!our!team!gets!to!know!each!other!and!I!encourage!the!
new!hires!to!get!to!know!a!more!experienced!employee!so!they!can!get!to!know!them.!Vice!
versa,!I!have!our!experienced!sales!team!members!to!take!one!of!our!new!team!members!
on!a!field!training.!Field!training!is!when!the!experienced!salesman/woman!will!take!
someone!less!experienced!to!watch!one!of!their!presentations!to!a!client.!At!the!end!of!the!
field!training,!they!give!each!other!all!feedback!from!their!experience,!then!come!up!with!an!
action!plan!on!what!aspects!they!intend!on!implementing.!What!is!great!about!this!system!
is!that,!just!because!a!representative!is!more!experienced,!doesn’t!mean!the!presentation!
will!be!a!success.!As!a!result,!the!new!representative!can!see!what!success!and!failures!look!
like!and!they!usually!have!an!alternative!solution!on!what!they!can!do!better.!We!also!have!
reverse!field!training,!which!is!just!the!exact!opposite.!In!this!case,!a!top!representative!will!
watch!someone!who!is!new!to!give!them!tips!and!advice!and!go!over!what!they!did!well!to!
boosts!their!confidence.!Everyone!gets!to!know!everyone!on!a!personal!level!by!interacting!
at!our!team!meetings!and!our!Sunday!meetings.!!
Accountability!is!thrown!in!my!organization’s!ethics!because!it!is!vital!for!my!employees!
to!see!the!realization!that!no!company!is!perfect.!I!let!them!know!that!accountability!is!
36. basically!just!doing!what!you!say!you’re!going!to!do!and!owning!up!to!it,!good!or!bad.!I!
don’t!expect!perfection!but!if!a!mistake!is!made,!it!is!best!to!just!own!up!to!it.!I!also!let!them!
know!that!I!want!them!to!hold!me!to!the!same!standards!as!well.!!
I!have!been!in!organizations!where!there!are!ethics!in!place!but!the!upperJlevel!
managers!appear!as!if!they!are!excused.!As!a!result,!for!me!as!an!employee,!I!would!lose!
trust!or!respect!for!that!manager!and!ultimately!they!would!not!have!as!much!credibility!if!
they!brought!up!ethical!conduct!to!their!employees.!Having!an!ethics!program!is!extremely!
beneficial!because,!as!an!entrepreneur,!I!have!learned!that!it!is!difficult!to!move!your!
business!further!if!you!do!not!have!everyone!on!the!same!page.!It!is!beneficial!to!be!
charismatic!and!an!employer!that!your!followers!look!up!to!but!it!is!key!that!they!know!
your!expectations!and!trust!that!you!will!be!true!to!your!word!as!well.!!
CH8. Leadership$Authority$
There!are!two!views!of!leadership!authorityJ!top/down!and!bottom/up.!TopJdown!view!
is!more!centered!on!social!hierarchy!which!power!flows!from!the!top!to!the!bottom!level.!
This!is!a!classic!example!of!frontline!workers!on!the!bottom!level,!managers!and!
supervisors!on!midJlevel,!and!topJlevel!executives!at!the!top.!My!company!has!an!outlook!of!
a!topJdown!structure!but!is!also!a!promoteJfromJwithin!company.!Everyone!in!our!
company,!including!our!CEO,!starts!out!as!a!sales!representative!and!moves!their!way!on!up!
via!promotions.!
The!bottomJup!view!of!authority!argues!that!the!power!flows!from!below!because!
people!can!always!reject!a!demand.!According!to!the!text,!someone!will!generally!accept!an!
order!if!these!conditions!are!met:!The!person!understands!the!order,!the!person!believes!
the!order!is!consistent!with!the!organization’s!goals,!the!person!believes!the!order!is!
37. [CURT&COMARATA]! 35!
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compatible!with!his!or!her!interests,!and!the!person!in!mentally!and!physically!able!to!
comply!with!the!order!(Manning!and!Curtis,!160J161).!!
There!is!another!form!of!leadership,!servant!leadership!that!is!categorized!as!someone!
who!genuinely!wants!to!help!others.!They!do!not!see!leadership!as!a!position!of!power!but!
as!a!coach,!or!facilitator!(Manning!and!Curtis,!162J163).!I!see!myself!partially!leaning!
towards!this!approach!because!I!have!a!lot!of!concern!for!my!employees!and!want!to!help!
them!in!and!out!of!the!business.!There!is!another!quote!I!am!a!big!fan!of!by!JW!Marriott!“If!
you!take!care!of!your!employees,!your!employees!will!take!care!of!your!customers,!and!
your!business!will!take!care!of!itself.”!I!enjoy!the!form!of!power!in!the!sense!that!I!have!the!
authority!and!power!to!be!able!to!challenge!my!staff!and!help!them!when!I!can.!While!at!the!
same!time,!know!that!I!am!running!a!business!and!in!turn!have!a!workJhard,!playJhard!
mentality.!Servant!leadership!is!something!that!encourages!trust,!listening,!and!an!ethical!
use!of!power.!
CH9. Empowerment$in$the$Workplace$and$the$Quality$Imperative$
The!text!gives!a!great!diagnosis!to!understand!if!a!group!or!organization!needs!
empowerment!(Manning!and!Curtis,!175).!There!can!be!times!when!employees!begin!to!
feel!uninterested!in!their!work,!don’t!feel!task!significance,!are!frequently!absent,!lack!
communication,!which!all!can!result!in!employee!turnover.!In!this!chapter,!I!will!be!
discussing!ways!I!have!responded!to!prevent!employee!turnover,!how!I!have!inspired!
employees!at!their!worst,!and!how!we!have!gone!to!improve!our!service.!!
As!a!manager,!I!make!it!my!responsibility!that!I!am!fully!engaged!with!my!team!so!they!
are!not!uninterested!in!their!work,!lack!communication,!etc.!to!prevent!turnover.!I!know!
that!I!work!extremely!hard!to!find!top!talent!so!making!sure!my!efforts!are!effective!and!
38. efficient!is!vital.!It’s!costly,!time!consuming,!and!a!lot!of!energy!given!to!those!that!make!it!
to!training.!I!have!learned!that!you!need!to!treat!your!employees!as!if!you!are!married!to!
them!in!the!respect!that:!if!a!problem,!lack!of!communication,!or!feeling!of!being!
uninterested!occurs,!you!need!to!find!a!way!to!make!it!work;!this!is!not!an!opt!out.!This!
requires!talking,!open!communication,!and!active!listening.!Just!as!the!text!mentions,!a!lot!
of!these!solutions!can!come!from!enhancing!performance.!When!you!allow!an!employee!to!
feel!confident!in!their!position,!but!still!feel!challenged!to!reduce!being!uninterested!in!the!
work,!they!begin!to!perform!to!greater!standards!and!will!communicate!more!with!you.!
Just!like!anything!else,!people!love!talking!about!what’s!positive!versus!their!mistakes.!
Giving!them!an!opportunity!to!do!better!can!help!this!cause!and!reduce!potential!employee!
turnover.!!
There!is!perhaps!some!truth!in!staff!resistance!to!training!when!it!is!presented!as!
mandatory!or!“offJtheJshelf”!as!I!have!heard!before.!However,!when!training!is!linked!to!
employees’!professional!and!personal!objectives!and!made!relevant!to!the!organization!and!
their!job!role!it!can!be!seen!as!empowering!and!beneficial!rather!than!a!waste!of!time!and!
energy.!Make!it!specific,!easyJtoJfollow,!and!engage!with!them.!
Some!companies!see!attrition!as!inevitable.!They!look!outside!for!reasons,!blaming!the!
economy,!family!and!other!personal!considerations!or!modern!cultural!trends.!But!very!
often!the!reasons!are!internal.!Capable!and!ambitious!employees!are!constantly!looking!to!
expand!their!expertise!and!sharpen!their!skills!so!that!they!stay!upJtoJdate!in!their!chosen!
field.!If!an!employer!does!not!offer!learning!and!development!opportunities,!they!risk!
losing!talented!staff!and!ending!up!with!poor!performers.!Demotivation!due!to!inadequate!
training!or!opportunities!to!learn!and!to!advance!within!the!company!forces!frustrated!
39. [CURT&COMARATA]! 37!
!
employees!to!look!elsewhere!for!professional!and!personal!satisfaction.!That!is!what!
ultimately!would!drive!employee!turnover,!but!it!is!preventative!as!I!have!displayed.!
Conversely,!happier!and!more!contented!workers!who!are!supported!through!training!are!
more!likely!to!be!loyal!to!their!employer.!
By!adhering!to!some!of!the!five!principles!of!leadership!that!empower!people!by!Robert!
Cole,!success!will!follow!(Manning!and!Curtis,!177).!They!are!Trust!in!people,!invest!in!
people,!recognize!accomplishments,!decentralize!decisionJmaking,!and!view!work!as!a!
cooperative!effort.!I!have!mentioned!a!lot!in!earlier!statements!about!how!trust,!investing!
in!people,!and!how!I!recognize!accomplishments!within!my!teams!but!I!see!a!lot!of!value!in!
decentralizing!decisionJmaking!and!being!more!cooperative.!Each!decision!is!important!
and!one!must!reflect!on!how!decisions!can!impact!the!organization!as!a!whole.!They!should!
put!responsibility!for!making!decisions!where!information!is!and!relate!it!to!the!customer!
or!target!audience.!!
Effective!communication!is!another!key!problem!area!for!companies.!According!to!the!
text:!Distance,!distortion,!fear,!and!trust!all!play!a!major!role!with!reasons!for!these!issues.!
As!I!stated!before,!it!is!important!to!stay!laserJfocused!with!your!team!and!be!thoroughly!
engaging.!Too!many!times,!I!have!seen!past!employers!just!give!“head!nods”!as!a!response!
because!they!are!busy!or!trying!to!do!other!work!while!having!the!1J1!conversation.!When!
an!employee!works!day!and!night,!comes!up!with!a!solution,!and!is!excited!to!tell!you!about!
it,!they!feel!they!deserve!more!than!a!head!nod.!This!loses!employee’s!respect!toward!the!
employer!and!distances!them!from!mentioning!ideas!or!suggestions!that!could!be!valuable!
to!the!business.!!
40. Quality!management!comes!in!numerous!forms!as!every!industry!has!its!own!standards!
and!ideas!to!have!the!best!service!or!best!product.!From!my!experience,!the!best!way!to!
understand!quality!is!to!be!honest!with!yourself!about!your!service.!One!must!be!selfJ
aware!of!what!needs!improvement!and!what!the!strengths!are;!very!similar!to!a!SWOT!
analysis.!From!this,!you!can!proceed!with!the!fourJstep!process:!Plan,!implement,!
review/analyze,!and!act!on!lessons!learned!from!successes!and!failures.!
CH10. Effective$Leadership$and$Human$Resources$
The!art!of!leadership!is!one!that!has!many!controversial!sides!and!arguments!on!which!
approach!is!best!and!should!be!definitive!for!the!organization.!Situations!ultimately!cause!
different!styles!and!approaches!to!click!more!than!others.!Human!Resources!is!a!very!
helpful!department!that!can!help!facilitate!when!conflict!arises!and!when!questions!are!
raised.!In!this!chapter,!I!will!go!over!some!tools!and!strategies!that!are!general!to!provide!
successful!outcomes!if!demonstrated!properly.!!
The!text!indicates!10!practical!leadership!tips!that!I,!not!only!agree!with,!but!also!make!
sure!to!practice.!These!are:!Be!predictable,!enthusiastic,!set!the!example,!show!support,!get!
out!of!the!office,!keep!promises,!praise!generously,!hold!your!fire,!and!always!be!fair!
(Manning!and!Curtis,!216J217).!Some!of!these!are!simple!to!uphold,!whereas!others!may!be!
a!constant!struggle!in!organizations.!Showing!that!you!are!consistent!with!your!rules,!
guidelines,!performance,!and!promises!are!much!appreciated!by!followers.!I!am!a!big!
believer!in!having!enthusiasm!and!passion!in!the!business.!It!is!contagious!and!if!you!show!
energy!and!that!you!are!excited!for!new!opportunities!and!challenges,!you!can!build!a!team!
of!champions!because!they!want!to!share!your!excitement.!They!know!that!sharing!this!
excitement!can!mean!promotions,!recognition,!awards,!confidence,!higher!selfJesteem,!etc.!
41. [CURT&COMARATA]! 39!
!
All!of!which!are!basic!human!desires.!I!don’t!want!to!be!repetitive!but!page!217!indicates!
the!experience!of!flow!with!high!challenge!and!high!skill.!This!relates!a!lot!from!my!
situational!leadership!resolution!approach!(Exhibit!3).!It!is!important!to!know!if,!from!the!
chart,!your!employees!are!in!the!anxiety,!flow,!apathy,!or!boredom!quadrant.!This!is!very!
similar!to!understanding!the!concepts!of!situational!leadership!and!how!one!must!be!aware!
of!employee’s!developmental!and!experiential!stages.!In!addition,!the!proper!coaching!
methods!for!each!quadrant!which!I!have!shown!in!exhibit!3.!
Another!approach!is!storytelling!for!effective!leadership.!Good!storytelling!is!a!hallmark!
of!effective!leadership.!It’s!a!medium!that!allows!leaders!to!move!others.!It!also!lets!people!
know!how!the!leader!thinks!and!feels.!I!do!this!a!lot!during!team!meetings!or!private!
consultations!to!build!team!confidence!or!individual!confidence!in!their!ability!to!perform!
at!a!higher!level.!Innovative!stories!are!crucial!when:!a!business!is!changing!direction,!
building!confidence,!you!need!to!mobilize!people!when!things!go!wrong,!or!to!reinvigorate!
a!team!with!low!morale.!
Human!Resources,!commonly!referred!to!as!Human!Relations,!is!just!as!it!sounds.!They!
are!designed!to!upkeep!the!relationships!between!the!company!and!its!employees;!
essentially!the!are!the!liaison.!If!an!employee!has!issues!with!their!department,!pay,!or!
certain!coJworkers,!they!are!to!take!it!up!with!HR.!Human!relations!in!the!workplace!are!a!
major!part!of!what!makes!a!business!work.!Employees!must!frequently!work!together!on!
projects,!communicate!ideas!and!provide!motivation!to!get!things!done.!Without!a!stable!
and!inviting!workplace!culture,!difficult!challenges!can!arise!both!in!the!logistics!of!
managing!employees!and!in!the!bottom!line.!Businesses!with!engaging!workplaces!and!a!
wellJtrained!workforce!are!more!likely!to!retain!and!attract!qualified!employees,!foster!
42. loyalty!with!customers!and!more!quickly!adapt!to!meet!the!needs!of!a!changing!
marketplace.!!
In!the!previous!chapter,!I!talked!about!employee!turnover.!Having!an!effective!Human!
Relations!team!can!create!a!major!positive,!or!negative,!connotation!to!your!company.!
There!are!times!where!it!may!be!uncomfortable!for!employees!to!go!to!their!manager!for!
advice!or!they!have!fear!of!being!judged.!Positive!Human!Relations!can!make!the!employee!
feel!comforting!to!talk!to!and!not!disturb!their!boss!and!get!unbiased!feedback.!Workplace!
relationships!provide!a!source!of!employee!motivation,!which!is!important!to!maintaining!
productivity.!Employees!who!are!interested!in!their!work!and!in!the!well!being!of!other!
employees!tend!to!be!more!productive!than!those!who!are!not.!This!productivity!pays!
obvious!financial!dividends!to!the!company,!as!it!can!get!more!done!in!less!time!with!fewer!
costs.!Building!relationships,!by!both!recognizing!an!employee's!value!to!the!company!and!
a!concern!for!their!needs,!often!goes!a!long!way.!Making!sure!quality!employees!remain!
interested!and!engaged!in!the!business!requires!patience,!compassion!and!flexibility,!but!
can!actually!make!the!business!more!financially!sound.!
CH11. The$Team$Concept$
The!text!points!out!12!key!characteristics!(Manning!and!Curtis,!162J163)!for!an!
excellent!team!so!I!will!go!in!detail!on!what!I!have!found!important!in!each!from!my!
experience:!
1. Clear!Mission!
a. Having!a!clear!mission!is!more!about!narrowing!the!broad!mission!to!the!
specific.!I!see!this!as!what!do!you!want!to!have!done!by!the!end!of!the!day,!
what!is!your!one!single!objective!as!a!team!
43. [CURT&COMARATA]! 41!
!
2. Informal!Atmosphere!
a. It!is!important!for!a!team!to!get!along!and!get!to!know!each!other!well.!
There!are!three!meetings!I!typically!see:!people!meeting!for!coffee,!lunch,!
or!a!beer.!Coffee!meetings!are!generally!businessJonly!and!maybe!get!to!
know!you.!Lunch!meetings!vary!between!strictly!business,!casual,!and!
sometimes!awkward!because!many!people!don’t!fully!understand!the!
level!of!professionalism!needed!for!these!meeting.!Grabbing!a!beer,!in!my!
experience,!is!surprisingly!the!best!if!you!want!to!get!things!done!(from!a!
team!building!standpoint)!they!are!super!informal!and!people!tend!to!
stay!and!talk!a!lot!longer.!One!physical!benefit!of!my!current!office!is!that!
I!also!have!a!lake!behind!my!office!with!a!walkway!around!it.!Another!
way!I!have!been!known!to!conduct!private!consultations!is!during!the!
team!meeting,!instead!of!bringing!them!to!my!office!I!will!take!them!for!a!
walk!around!the!office!and!the!lake.!What!I!have!found!is!these!
conversations!tend!to!be!easier!to!make!into!a!deeper!conversation,!as!it!
is!more!relaxed!and!informal.!I!can!reflect!on!the!week!with!my!team!
individually,!they!don’t!feel!the!constraint!of!being!in!an!office,!and!as!a!
result;!they!tend!to!open!up!more.!By!doing!this,!I!have!been!able!to!
substantially!increase!productivity!and!commitment!through!this!
approach.!I!do!this!randomly!and!not!often!so!that!it!is!seen!as!valued!
more.!If!I!did!this!every!meeting,!my!team!would!lose!value!and!
significance!of!being!able!to!walk!outside!on!a!nice!day!versus!being!in!the!
office.!
44. 3. Lots!of!Discussion!
a. Communication!is!vital.!Make!things!urgent!as!necessary.!If!you!were!to!
email!me,!it!tells!me!that!whatever!you!want!to!discuss!must!not!be!that!
urgent.!If!it!is!something!urgent,!I!have!found!its!best!to!be!proactive!in!
situations.!
4. Active!Listening!
a. Unfortunately!this!is!one!that!is!often!left!out.!I!have!attending!multiple!
conferences!where!they!go!over!active!listening!exercises!because!many!
times!in!our!dayJtoJday!lives!we!feel!rushed,!anxious,!and!side!tracked.!As!
a!result,!we!feel!the!need!to!ignore!certain!details!like!what!team!
members!or!employees!say!in!conversation.!In!response,!we!lose!
potentially!valuable!information.!
5. Trust!and!Openness!
a. Trust!is!the!key!to!any!relationship.!If!your!employees!don’t!trust!you,!
they!will!leave.!Once!they!leave,!they!will!talk.!And!once!they!talk,!you!will!
be!out!of!business.!Trust,!ethics,!and!respect!are!highly!valued!in!
organizations.!
6. Disagreement!is!OK!
a. Conflict!is!a!positive!situation.!If!there!were!no!one!to!agree!with!you,!
every!day!would!appear!the!same!and!you!would!never!have!any!truly!
valuable!feedback!or!challenges!if!things!were!ideal.!If!an!employee!
disagrees,!it!shows!they!care!enough!about!the!position!or!assignment!to!
find!it!necessary!to!voice!their!concerns.!
46. picture!and!6!months!later,!he!is!still!at!every!meeting!and!taking!some!
employees!of!field!trainings!to!watch!what!a!successful!sales!pitch!is!like.!
Going!back,!I!would!not!have!chosen!any!other!conflict!management!style!
than!problem!solving.!
c. What!is!so!beneficial!about!disagreement!is!there!is!chance!for!another!
perspective;!increases!your!selfJawareness!of!your!conflict!management!
style,!and!can!lead!organizations!in!a!positive!direction!if!managed!
properly.!Conflict!is!inevitable!in!any!interpersonal!relationship!and!can!
be!a!very!positive!experience,!if!managed!properly.!If!I!had!to!narrow!
down!to!one!conflict!management!style,!it!would!be!collaborating.!
Collaborating!involves!an!attempt!to!work!with!the!other!person!to!find!
some!solution,!which!fully!satisfies!the!concerns!of!both.!It!means!digging!
into!an!issue!to!identify!the!underlying!concerns!of!the!two!individuals!
and!to!find!a!solution,!which!meets!both!sets!of!concerns.!I!find!this!
approach!to!be!beneficial!with!my!organization!because,!if!a!conflict!were!
to!arise,!I!want!to!make!sure!both!parties!feel!their!needs!are!met!to!
create!mutual!respect!so!they!may!continue!to!work!together!versus!
against!each!other.!A!major!tool!in!making!this!successful!is!to!
incorporate!active!listening!to!hear!other!points!of!view.!Many!of!the!
conflicts!I!have!managed,!I!have!noticed!that!many!times!the!listening!
party!is!not!listening!but!is!thinking!about!a!clever!reply!in!order!to!
persuade!their!point!of!view.!To!show!active!listening,!one!should!be!able!
to!paraphrase!back!what!the!other!says.!This!is!just!the!beginning.!To!
47. [CURT&COMARATA]! 45!
!
wrap!everything!up,!I!put!it!into!a!problem!solving!strategy.!To!begin!this!
process,!I!analyze!and!clarify!the!problem,!decide!what!is!needed/wanted,!
create!some!alternative!solutions,!decide!together!about!which!solution!
appears!best!for!all!parties,!and!plan!how!to!implement!the!problem.!
d. There!are!five!stages!within!a!group:!“Forming,!storming,!norming,!
performing,!and!adjourning.”!Forming!is!the!beginning!of!a!group!where!
they!get!to!know!each!other.!As!time!passes,!they!are!exposed!to!each!
other’s!strengths!and!weaknesses!and!arises!conflict!and!the!storming!
stage!begins.!Conflict!may!be!good!or!bad!but!with!norming,!there!is!an!
opportunity!to!have!structure!to!establish!some!rules!and!guidelines!plus!
social!relationships.!Now!that!this!stage!is!set,!the!transition!to!
performing!stage!occurs!to!focus!on!completing!the!task.!Finally,!
completion!of!the!task!happens!and!the!adjourning!stage!is!formed,!as!it!is!
the!end!of!the!group.!All!of!these!stages!are!important!but!one!that!stands!
out!to!me!is!conflict!from!the!storming!stage!and!the!norming!stage.!
Conflict!is!needed!in!an!organization!in!order!for!there!to!always!be!some!
challenge!that!we!must!overcome.!Without!conflict,!everything!we!do!
would!be!right!and!there!would!be!no!feeling!of!selfJaccomplishment.!
!
7. Criticism!is!issueJoriented,!never!personal!
a. Always!seek!feedback!as!it!is!just!like!chapter!12!mentions,!you!must!be!
selfJaware!and!socially!aware!of!situations.!!
8. Consensus!is!the!norm!
48. a. Decisions!are!clear!and!kept!in!general!agreement!as!they!are!reached!in!
consensus.!
9. Effective!Leadership!
a. As!Exhibit!3!points!out!about!situational!leadership,!it!is!best!to!find!how!
to!react!and!manage!each!situation!to!be!as!effective!as!possible.!The!
issue!isn’t!about!who!controls!the!job,!but!how!the!job!gets!done.!
10. Clarity!of!Assignments!
a. The!best!action!plans!have!everyone!on!the!team!fully!engaged!and!
understanding!of!what!is!expected!of!them.!
11. Shared!Values!and!Norms!of!Behaviors!
a. There!is!agreement!on!core!values!and!norms!of!behavior!that!determine!
what!is!accepted!and!not!accepted!by!the!group!
12. Commitment!
a. Every!time!I!speak!at!our!team!meetings,!I!make!sure!that!anything!I!say!
is!clear!and!that!I!can!engage!everyone!to!commit!and!share!the!same!
vision!I!have!in!respect!to!what!we!want!to!accomplish!for!the!week.!
CH12. Human$Behavior$and$the$Art$of$Persuasion$
Maslow!has!a!wellJknown!theory!about!five!basic!human!needs.!From!basic!needs!such!
as!survival!and!security,!to!social!needs!for!belonging!and!respect,!to!feeling!fulfilled.!
Motivation!is!a!major!factor!as!to!why!people!behave!the!way!they!do.!The!goal!of!each!of!
my!team!meetings!is!to!produce!additional!knowledge,!drive!results,!build!and!connect!
with!the!team,!and!motivate!to!go!beyond!their!selfJperceived!potential.!There!is!a!
presentation!I!have!done!in!the!past!(Exhibit!12)!that!goes!over!motivation!and!how!new!
49. [CURT&COMARATA]! 47!
!
managers!can!interact!with!employees.!There!are!only!a!few!presenter!notes,!but!it!goes!
over!my!personal!experience!as!I!mentioned!to!the!class.!These!highlight!various!powers!
that!managers!have!such!as!referent!power!and!motivation,!which!is!Performance=!
(motivation!X!ability).!This!goes!back!to!my!“Better!We!Know!You”!document!(Exhibit!11).!
In!the!document!I!specifically!have!a!line!that!asks!what!motivates!them,!what!they!value!
between!income,!recognition,!awards,!or!advancement.!I!also!have!them!take!the!CVI!
personality!and!values!test!so!I!know!the!best!way!to!interact!with!my!team;!which!I!
explain!in!more!detail!in!Chapter!15!and!in!Exhibit!10.!This!also!follows!under!emotional!
intelligence.!I!am!currently!taking!LDR!394!which!is!about!emotional!intelligence!so!we!
have!gone!over!motivation,!persuasion,!and!the!Myers!Briggs!personality!test!as!well;!
which!my!score!is!also!listed!in!exhibit!10.!!
Emotional!intelligence!is!a!vital!piece!of!knowledge!that!can!get!you!to!better!connect!
with!your!team!and!understand!their!background!before!you!dive!into!judgment!too!
quickly.!First!and!foremost,!you!need!to!be!selfJaware.!This!is!why!knowing!and!
understanding!these!personality!and!values!tests!can!help!improve!your!selfJawareness,!
but!even!more!is!if!you!get!360!degree!feedback!by!asking!others!to!rate!how!they!see!you.!
Key!of!the!matter!is!if!you!don’t!understand!you,!you!wont!be!effective!understanding!
someone!else!or!their!reactions!to!you.!I!mention!this!again!in!chapter!15,!but!for!example,!
lets!say!you!are!a!strong!people!person!that!likes!to!talk!and!one!of!your!employees!is!more!
straight!to!the!point!and!likes!putting!things!into!action!right!away.!If!you!are!selfJaware!
that!you!talk!a!lot,!you!may!use!selfJmanagement!by!not!trying!to!build!so!much!rapport!
with!that!person!and!be!more!direct.!That!way,!they!do!not!dread!coming!to!your!meeting!
50. because!they!believe!it!will!last!forever.!Knowing!you’re!on!their!side!helps!them!feel!more!
comfortable!and!respect!you!for!your!help.!!
CH13. The$Diversity$Challenge$
I!am!a!big!fanatic!of!having!a!company!with!strong!diversity.!I!have!learned!so!much!
from!other!cultures,!backgrounds,!gender!differences,!generations,!and!experience!
levels.!From!a!cultural!standpoint,!everyone!comes!from!different!learning!styles.!In!
response,!from!my!experience,!I!have!noticed!that!this!enhances!creativity!and!a!
broader!range!of!knowledge/skills!as!if!the!brain!is!wired!differently.!In!a!sales!and!
marketing!position!this!has!pros!and!cons,!but!the!pros!definitely!outweigh!the!cons.!
When!you!are!reaching!tens!or!hundreds!of!thousands!of!people,!having!those!ideas!and!
creative!alternatives!can!be!very!helpful.!Although!my!employees!are!90%!students!
since!it!is!an!entryJlevel!position,!we!do!have!older!applicants!that!come!in!which!we!do!
have!positions!for!them.!Although!they!are!not!our!targets!for!an!entryJlevel!position!
we!have!seen!tremendous!amounts!of!wisdom!that!they!have!shared!from!their!
experience.!They!are!seen!as!role!models!and!play!a!major!influential!role.!!
The!way!I!see!diversity!is!how!I!see!prejudging!our!customers.!Our!sales!team!meets!
with!our!customers!request!us!to!come!to!their!homes!since!it!is!a!high!quality!product!
that!will!be!used!in!their!kitchen,!they!want!to!see!it!in!a!place!they!will!use!it.!I!always!
teach!my!sales!team!to!never!prejudge!our!customers!based!on!their!living!conditions!
because!that!makes!you!prejudge!them!and!discriminate!which!can!lead!to!a!low!
average!order!or!negative!results.!The!text!mentions!“tolerance!is!important!because!
intolerance!can!lead!to!discrimination,!and!discrimination!can!have!harmful!effects”!
(Manning!and!Curtis,!329).!!I!remind!my!team!that!I!have!personally!sold!our!biggest!
51. [CURT&COMARATA]! 49!
!
sets,!over!$1,500,!to!customers!that!live!in!lower!apartments!where!the!kitchen!is!a!
mess!and!small;!and!I!have!sold!just!one!small!item,!about!$50,!to!customers!that!have!
mansions!and!live!in!a!gated!community.!At!the!end!of!the!day,!they!buy!because!of!the!
representative!and!how!much!they!value!the!product.!Everyone!with!a!pulse!eats!and!
could!use!the!product!so!there!is!no!need!to!prejudge.!!
Besides!my!experience!in!a!culturally!diverse!team,!I!have!had!many!occurrences!in!
my!organization.!The!challenge!of!leading!groups!of!people!from!different!backgrounds,!
with!wide!ranging!aspirations!and!experience,!of!different!gender!and!ages!shouldn’t!be!
underestimated.!More!generations!than!ever!before!are!coming!together!under!the!
same!workplace!roof,!as!people!stay!in!work!longer.!I!have!a!team!with!various!
backgrounds,!experiences,!values,!and!educational!structures.!I!have!employees!who!
already!have!a!wealthy!network,!so!sales!come!natural!to!them.!I!have!employees!who!
have!rough!backgrounds!and!have!to!work!hard!to!get!great!clients.!My!most!interesting!
case!was!about!a!year!ago!where!I!found!out!I!hired!someone!and!after!training!I!found!
out!he!was!homeless.!As!it!turned!out,!he!was!one!of!my!hardest!working!employees!
and!very!successful.!!
The!biggest!take!away!from!that!experience!was!to!not!play!favorites.!Since!I!
believed!that!with!his!ambitions,!work!ethic,!and!personality,!there!was!no!way!he!
couldn’t!be!successful!so!I!kept!him!on!the!team.!Since!he!didn’t!have!a!solid!network!on!
people!he!could!contact,!I!pulled!him!aside!and!gave!him!a!list!of!50!people!that!needed!
our!sharpening!service,!which!some!were!personal!clients!of!mine!so!I!knew!their!sales!
would!help!build!his!confidence.!What!I!found!from!all!my!diversity!experiences!and!
52. challenges!is!to!not!have!favorites,!have!an!openJdoor!policy,!share!knowledge,!build!a!
common!workplace!culture,!and!unify!the!team.!!
Good!managers!take!the!time!to!understand!everyone!on!their!team,!regardless!of!
differences!in!age,!geography!or!experience,!to!find!out!what!makes!them!tick!and!how!
they!can!best!contribute.!Not!enough!leaders!handle!workplace!conflict!well.!Among!a!
diverse!team,!whether!of!age,!geography!or!cultural!background,!conflict!will!arise!and!
the!leader!must!be!skilled!in!dealing!with!it.!People!need!a!set!of!ground!rules!that!help!
them!understand!the!expected!consistencies!amongst!all!the!differences!they!
experience,!and!to!help!deal!with!confrontation!and!conflict.!Without!solid!ground!rules,!
people!won’t!understand!what!they!can!expect!and!misunderstanding!will!often!
escalate!into!conflict.!When!describing!effective!leadership,!employees!do!not!point!to!
the!big,!companyJwide!initiatives!like!values,!but!rather!having!a!common!set!of!
guidelines!for!things!like!meetings!and!dayJtoJday!conversations.!Inevitably!what!the!
leader!does,!says!and!how!they!act!is!what!the!rest!of!the!team!will!follow.!It’s!up!to!the!
leader!to!set!the!tone.!If!he!or!she!doesn’t!get!the!basics!right!J!establishing!the!
consistencies,!motivating!and!supporting!team!members!J!it!will!be!very!difficult!to!
create!a!effective!diverse!team.!
I!find!it!interesting!on!the!research!from!the!text!in!respect!to!religion!and!
leadership!itself.!“The!Dutch!place!emphasis!on!egalitarianism!and!are!skeptical!of!the!
value!of!leadership.!If!a!father!is!employed!as!a!manager,!Dutch!children!are!reluctant!to!
admit!it!to!their!schoolmates”!(Manning!and!Curtis,!320).!!Another!topic!the!textbook!
raises!is!“Women!in!Leadership.”!It!starts!out!from!the!beginning!as!how!boys!play!
outside!in!large!hierarchically!structured!groups!while!girls!play!in!small!groups!or!in!
53. [CURT&COMARATA]! 51!
!
pairs!(Manning!and!Curtis,!332J333).!!In!my!company,!we!have!completely!gone!against!
the!stereotype!of!women!not!being!in!leadership!roles!or!women!succeeding!in!sales.!I!
have!actually!talked!to!some!of!our!higher!up!managers!and!our!stats!show!that!for!our!
sales!position,!women!show!a!slightly!higher!sales!efficiency!then!men.!!
With!communication!barriers,!a!good!leader!must!create!a!team!that!is!open.!Team!
members!appreciate!openness!and!sincerity!but!it!seems!that!most!leaders!don’t!
communicate!the!rationale!for!their!decisions.!Sharing!thoughts,!feelings!and!rationale!
will!help!unify!people!from!different!backgrounds.!Being!upfront!about!the!situation!
and!involving!people!as!much!as!possible!in!decisionJmaking!causes!a!sense!of!inclusion!
and!will!ensure!everyone!feels!part!of!the!same!team.!If!they!are!not!part!of!the!process,!
the!team!won’t!develop!the!understanding!of!the!business!they!need!to!be!effective.!!!
!
CH14. Effective$Delegation$and$How$to$Design$Work$
There!are!six!steps!for!effective!delegation!that!the!book!describes!(Manning!and!
Curtis,!349J350).!!You!should!select!the!person!for!the!task,!define!the!task,!gain!the!
person’s!views,!give!authority!and!resources!to!perform!the!task,!use!checkpoints!to!review!
progress,!and!hold!them!accountable!with!rewards!or!incentives.!Over!the!course!of!
planning!both!the!Social!Media!Summit!and!Business!Week!for!NKU!(Exhibit!9),!we!had!to!
design!a!plan!on!how!we!were!going!to!delegate!tasks.!For!the!Social!Media!Summit,!exhibit!
9!points!point!who!we!selected!for!each!part!based!on!their!interest!and!their!experience.!
Underneath!their!name!is!what!role/task!they!are!responsible!for.!The!professor!who!was!
in!charge!of!the!overall!event!gave!each!of!us!a!clear!understanding!on!what!must!be!done.!
From!here,!we!held!monthly!meetings!as!a!group!to!go!over!our!progress!and!had!separate!
