The Benefits of Self Evaluation/Self Assessment as it Related to Leaders Today

Todays leaders face a marketplace unlike any other time in human history. With the explosion of information, ideas and avenues for success through television and the internet, leaders no longer have the ability to forcefully rely on a single idea or thread and then rely on this single thread to reach the end goal. In a world where the lowest employee or team member can access the same information and ideas as the top executive, leaders need to not only be in tune with understanding the behavior and trends of the business community but they need to understand the smaller community of their individual company and even more so their own beliefs and values as it relates to being a leader in todays marketplace. Leaders both in the marketplace and social circles have a vision, a perfect scenario and outcome to each situation, problem or opportunity. In each of these visions it is clear to the leader what the purpose and reasons are for attaining the desired outcome. What fails these same visionaries is that although the reasoning is clear to them, it is either unclear to the operators driving this vision as to what they should do to get to the end result or in many instances it has not been communicated why it benefits them to reach the outcome that they have been challenged with. In an article by professional speaker Steven Gaffney (Gaffney, 2008), understanding that human behavior tends to guide people to the Whats in it for Me way of thinking. The people most directly involved with carrying out the vision may not engage fully in the process if they do not see the personal benefit in carrying the plan out to its full and envisioned intent. Gaffney believes that there are 7 key areas that are important to most people; Money, Time, Security, Achievement, Making a Difference, Image, and Enjoyment. Although it is believed that everyone wants a higher salary, it is more likely that the true driving force behind carrying out any well intended plan is to understand that additional time away for personal endeavors or a feeling of security may be what is motivating the individual. Others may want the personal satisfaction of accomplishing a goal or the public recognition (image) that they have contributed to the success of the project. In either instance it is the leaders responsibility to ensure that his vision is executed through the beliefs, values and skills of his team rather than his ideas of what he/she thinks the team should believe hold as motivation and how they should execute to reach the end result. In order to understand the team in which a leader relies on, he/she must come to the realization that there is not a single belief system in any facet of human life. The leader may believe that a rock is best left alone whereas his subordinate may think it should be flipped over. In reality both are right and both are wrong. The real question that should be addressed is; although the leader says to leave it untouched, is he/she saying this because he believes it is the best course of action? Or is it because he/she believes that it is the only course of action? In this simple example the leader may in fact be expressing what he thinks is the best course of action. The subordinate may in fact not have a concern either way. However if the leader takes a step back, evaluates and assesses the situation, he may find that there may be underlying reasons on why his/her subordinate may have a different viewpoint and or reasons. This alternate approach may in fact come to the same conclusion or end result however the greater gain is the trust and loyalty of the subordinate by

assessing the original thought process and listening to alternatives that may be better, or at a minimum be of no greater disadvantage. In a 2007 article Robert Kaplan relates a story of a manager in a large financial firm that was passed over for promotion year after year. During a year end review he had received an evaluation that he believed to be unfair. His boss had said that some of his faults included poor communication skills and that he tended to isolate himself from others. The manager became confused and wondered whether or not he had a future with the company. He decided to ask for feedback from the same subordinates that relayed his poor communication and lack of direction to his boss earlier. The manager asked for blunt and honest feedback, what he found was that he had become so immersed in day to day operations that he had failed to articulate the goals and direction of the company to those that needed it most. After taking this step back and assessing both the feedback and his own self evaluation the manager changed his habits and behavior and soon received the promotion he was passed over just one year prior. (Kaplan, 2007) So many times leaders become so immersed in looking for success and completion of the goal that they often wait until they realize a personal failure to reassess themselves and their behaviors. A leader that evaluates his/her performance and objectives daily is flexible and is better equipped to adjust to a changing set of boundaries or goals. Edward Hess, Adjunct Professor at Emory University (Hess, 2003) Hess says that Good Leaders think about how people react to them daily. Good leaders evaluate their performance constantly and more important, consistently. Hess writes that followers look to those above them and notice variations in direction, confidence and unintended messages. Followers are keen to these changes and take it as a lack of confidence in the outcome the leader is trying to achieve. Making a self assessment part of the daily routine refocuses the leader and ensures that any deviations to either themselves or the course are recognized and communicated accordingly. In the end, leaders in business need to assess themselves constantly and consistently. They need to look at not only the performance of their subordinates or themselves but to rather look at how their own actions, directions and desired outcomes can affect or be affected by the behaviors, goals, values and beliefs of those around them. Once this has been assessed, articulate what the desired end result is and in the words of US Army General George Patton, Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.

Gaffney, S., 2008. 7 Benefits that Drive Human Behavior: Steven Gaffney Company. [Online] Available at: http://www.stevengaffney.com/articles/7-benefits-that-drive-human-behavior/ [Accessed 31 January 2013].

Hess, E. D., 2003. What do Leaders Actually Do?. [Online] Available at: http://www.edhltd.com/articles/leaders.htm [Accessed 31 January 2013].

Kaplan, R. S., 2007. What to Ask the Man in the Mirror: Harvard Business Review. [Online] Available at: http://hbr.org/2007/01/what-to-ask-the-person-in-the-mirror/ar/1 [Accessed 1 February 2013].

Discuss How You Can Personally Reduce Prejudice in the Workplace

From 1997 to 2012 the Equal Employment Opportunity Center reported that there were nearly 1.4 million reported cases of discrimination in the United States.i The vast majority of these allegations, over 40%, were on the basis of Race and National Origin. Prejudice in the workplace is not limited to the United States. The International Labour Organizations report on the fundamental right to work (Internantional Labour Conference, 2007) states that social and geographical segregation perpetuates ethnic inequalities, reinforcing perceptions of inferiority by majority groups. This is and has been an ongoing struggle since workplace equality and prejudices became a forefront fight decades ago. As a business leader I have long recognized both the importance for employee training and the need for a diverse business. In my nearly 30 years in the workforce I have learned many lessons and varying viewpoints from a wide range of colleagues. These colleagues have been from all social and economic groups. I have also been blessed to become immersed in many cultures as the years have brought as many Nationalities through my doors both as employees and customers. I have made three conclusions over the years. First, people are inherently good at heart. Each in their own way of course however all people have a desire to be kind to others. Second, there is no race, gender, economic class, sexual orientation, or color that holds the key to hard work. And third, as there is a will to do what is right and just towards each other, regardless of any group they may be classified as. But just as these are true, it is also evident to me that the human race in general is ignorant. We, even with the best intentions, are ignorant of each other. Combating this ignorance is and has been one of my ongoing battles as a business leader. Although diversity training and awareness is vital in my companies success and health, I have found that creating a diverse workforce through hiring practices is one of the most effective ways to create a workforce free from prejudice. By hiring a diverse middle management team I have found that the hiring tendencies become more diverse. This does not mean that I hire my managers solely on the basis of race, or gender, etc. I am however aware of the pattern of person I am looking for and make a conscious effort not to repeat hiring the same type of person that I may have been successful with in the past. With the same effort I am aware that a past failure in hiring is not a reason for eliminating a candidate for a position just because they are similar to an unsuccessful hire in the past. By hiring a management team from different cultures, different social groups, or even different ages, I create a workforce that is as varied as the applicants that apply. With this workforce of differences, views are discussed, family experiences are shared, and histories are learned. An example I can share involves two managers I had hired years ago. Manager A is from Pakistan, I have known him for many years. Over the years I have found him to be hard working, loyal, and passionate about his culture and family. Manager B is from a small logging and fishing town in Oregon. I have found him to be strong willed in his ways regarding politics, his passion for sports, and a military background where he served in the Gulf War. These two men are about as far apart in backgrounds as I could imagine. Throughout the years they have worked both side by side and at times as leader/subordinate. As imagined these backgrounds and beliefs have led to many heated discussions, however in private conversations with both of them they have both always relayed their respect for one another. These two managers have hired totally different styles of workers and run their operations with a complete different leadership style. Now fast forward seven years later; These two are some of my most loyal managers, both have had success and setback in my companies. Both have become ingrained in each others lives to the extent that Manager B questions Manager A about Pakistan and is generally interested in his homeland and the strife that his homeland has gone thru. At the same time I see Manager

A seem to notice that when Manager Bs sports team is in the news he pays attention whereas he would never have done so in the past. These two men from different parts of the world are familiar with each other, interested in each other enough to alter their daily routine just enough so that they can learn and be part of another, completely foreign, culture. Relationships are built across nationalities, friendships are realized regardless of sexual orientations, and cultures are learned through company and social interactions with one another. All of this combined has become a much more valuable tool in creating a workplace free from criticism, degradation and alienation.

US EEOC website, charged statistics http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/statistics/enforcement/charges.cfm