Translating Personal Values into Calculating Action

On the other hand, managers have the roles of planning, directing, coordinating, organizing and resourcing, and controlling resources. By constructively organizing, controlling, and planning the processes and people for which they are responsible, managers provide a positive and professional work environment. In his article, Badaracco (4) states that, for managers to become leaders, they need to translate their personal values into calculating action. Through a series of questions, Badaracco demonstrates how managers can give up their personal values to demonstrate calculating action for effective leadership. The article starts by acknowledging that everyone has, at one point or another, experienced situations where professional responsibilities conflict with personal values. In this manner, they start transitioning from being managers to become leaders. As described by Badaracco, managers can transition to becoming leaders by following a continuous process of self-inquiry and discovery of values and principles throughout their work lives.

However, as Badaracco puts it, this is an instinctive personal process of self-assessment that can hardly be perfected by managers who are trained in the extroverted, practical art of management. It is from this point that Badaracco introduced three basic questions that can help managers in taking time out from their daily managerial hustles and bustles to carry out self-inquiry and discovery of values and principles necessary to practice leadership. Badaracco asserts that the self-inquiry process helps managers in effectively handling their most essential, challenging, and elusive managerial and business problems. right decisions are the root of many managerial tasks. On a daily basis, managers need to confront situations that present conflicting interests, each of the interests representing an attractive choice.

Such situations are often problematic for managers as they find it difficult to get the one right answer. As Badaracco puts it, right is set against right. For managers in such situations to become leaders, they need to translate their personal values into calculating action on the based on the specific type of right-vs. c. Shrewdness and Expediency Badaracco acknowledges that the level of self-inquiry required to translate personal values into calculating action can easily lead managers to diverge from real-world contexts. As such, the managers may be deeply absorbed by personal issues and subsequently suffer personal and career hindrance. From this point, a self-inquiry question that managers should have is, “what combination of expediency and shrewdness, together with boldness and imagination, can help in implementing a personal understanding of what is right?” The second type of defining moments: Who are we? As managers assume more roles and responsibilities in an organization, they find it more difficult to resolve the increasingly complicated defining moments.

At high levels of management, it becomes mandatory for managers to think beyond two conflicting personal beliefs. In this manner, effective managers should devise strategies that detect and resolve defining moments long before such moments occur. c. Playing to win Defining moments often present themselves in a series of options that put a lot at stake for all those that are involved. In most cases, those involved often prioritize their own interests. In such situations, managers must determine whether they are playing along or playing to win. c. From vision to reality In Badaracco’s understanding, transitioning from vision to reality requires an in-depth understanding of the manager’s friends and enemies within and outside the organization. This entails a careful assessment of the allies and opponents.

In this endeavor, managers should avoid overestimating their ethical commitment or underestimating their tactical skills and power. Leadership Styles in Organizations Those in positions of management in an organization must develop a leadership style that embodies the organizational culture and performance. is a leading US-based organization that specializes in manufacturing consumer electronics and computer software. The company is recognized for making computer software such as iTunes, the iOS, the Safari web browser, and the iLife among others. Other products designed by the company include the iPod, iPhone, iPad, and the Macintosh range of computers. For Decades, Apple Inc. has been recognized as an ideal example of an organization that widely applies the autocratic style of leadership. Even after Steve Jobs’ resignation from Apple Inc.

in 2011, the company has largely remained an autocratically led organization. The executives at the company still set the organization’s vision and directions and clearly explain roles and responsibilities that every individual employee will play in that long-term vision. As such, employees at Apple Inc. know their place in the organizational hierarchy and are obligated to adhere to it strictly. Most of the company’s success can be attributed to the style of leadership adopted across the organization. Today, Starbucks is known as the most ethical companies across the globe, which is an indication of the company’s commitment to focus on people and make a difference in other people’s lives. Servant leadership is an understanding where an organization is committed to the sole purpose of serving others; prioritizing other people’s needs.

This style of leadership was officially introduced in 1970 by Robert K. Greenleaf through his essay “The Servant as a Leader. They operate under the philosophy that “how managers treat employees is the same way that the employees will treat customers. ” Alternative Leadership Style for Apple Inc. It is evident that through the autocratic style of leadership, Steve Jobs had an unwavering determination, a brilliant vision, and an impressive understanding of the customers’ needs and wants. Through the leadership style, he built Apple Inc. to be the most valuable enterprise and set new standards for the technology industry. Apple Inc. is a leading multinational electronics and software company that employs highly skilled employees that are intrinsically motivated and know their roles in the organization.

Such people do not like to be told what to do. As such, an autocratic leader at the top of Apple Inc. could negatively impact on the employees’ morale and reduce their productivity and creativity. Furthermore, transformational leaders would be the most appropriate for Apple Inc. because the company’s employees are highly skilled and experienced, hence, prefer to be driven by inspiration performance rather than control. A transformational leader at Apple Inc. could make the employees to understand the organizational goals better and adopt strategies to reach those goals. In addition, transformational leaders are high risk-takers and do not shy away from fighting against injustices and unethical conduct in an organization. Competitiveness in an organization is a reflection of servant leadership and often leads to increased productivity.

However, although natural competitiveness may be beneficial to the company, it may inhibit dynamic, collaborative work partnership in the organization. to overcome this challenge of contemporary management, servant leaders should respect and celebrate differences in age, ethnicity, culture, gender, and encourage all employees to feel they are valued members of the organization. Another alternative leadership style to overcome the potential negative outcomes of competitiveness is team leadership. According to Warrick (13), an organization’s ability to develop skilled teamwork and build high performing teams is a crucial element that can be used as a competitive advantage and can determine the future success or failure of the organization. Work Cited Badaracco, Joseph L. "The discipline of building character. " Harvard business review 76 (1998): 1-25. Chi, Hsin-Kuang, Chun-Hsiung Lan, and Battogtokh Dorjgotov.