Leadership Analysis on Sheryl Sandberg

Leadership Analysis on Sheryl Sandberg

Sheryl Kara Sandberg was born to a Jewish family on the 28th of August 1969 in Washington, D.C. Sheryl is the daughter of Adele and Joel Sheryl. At two years old, the family moved to Florida, where she attended the North Miami Beach High School, where she graduated with a 4.6-grade point average. In 1987, she enrolled at Harvard College and graduated in 1991. Sheryl founded the Women in Economics and Government organization, where she met her Professor (COO) of Facebook. She is also recognized as the founder of the Lean ln. Org. She has also participated in various philanthropic works. She is also recognized as the first woman to serve on Facebook’s board of directors as she was elected to join the board in June 2012. Before she was elected the COO of Facebook, Sheryl served as the vice president for global online sales and operations at Google. She also served as the chief of staff for the United States Secretary of the Treasury, Lawrence Summers, before joining Google. Sheryl has also been identified as an influential world leader. For instance, in 2012, Sheryl was named in Time 100, which refers to an annual list of the world’s best leaders. Sheryl is also believed to be a very wealthy leader. As of 2019, Sheryl was reported to be worth over 1.8 billion US dollars as per the stock holdings at Facebook Inc. and other companies.

Sheryl is one of the leaderswho follows a transformational leadership style. Transformational leadership refers to a leadership style in which the leader begins to create a connection with the people he/she is leading at an individual level (Northouse, 2014). Currently, most leaders are adopting this leadership style due to the many benefits accrued by following the use of this leadership style. According to Peter Northouse, the transformational leadership style is one of the most effective leadership styles in increasing people’s motivation. According to the transformational leadership style, the leader comes down from the high stage of leading and socializes with other employees down the leadership hierarchy (Northouse, 2014). This culture has enabled Sheryl to encourage those around her and those below her to work even harder and live by her example. Her transformational leadership skills were evident immediately; when she joined Facebook. When she joined the company, she moved from one desk to another, introducing herself to the employees. She also collected all the employees’ ideas on what they feel should be changed or introduced to enable them to work more productively. This way, she learned about the employee’s expectations and what she needed to do to support them. Her acts of humanity and her ability to demonstrate vulnerability has enabled her to connect more with the people she leads, thus becoming an international leader.

Sheryl, as an international leader, has demonstrated various leadership traits. One of the leadership traits that are evident in Sheryl include; optimism. Research has shown that Sheryl is an optimistic leader. Sheryl never backs down no matter how hard the situation may be. Sheryl follows her dreams and beliefs and will do anything to ensure that she abides by her principles (Greenfield, 2019). She is one of the women who have been advocating for women to take up leadership roles not just as mothers in their homes but also to mark their territory in the corporate world. Sheryl believes that women need to be empowered to take charge and close the gender gap in the workplace. This explains why she fought to become the first women to join the Facebook board of directors.

Sheryl is also a good example of a courageous leader. Throughout her life, Sheryl has demonstrated significant courage in all her undertakings. The corporate work environment is usually not very conducive for female employees, making it challenging for the majority of them to survive in such environments. However, Sheryl has managed to fight and thrive in the industry where she grows even stronger every day. She was also able to come out of the worst situation in her life following her husband’s death. Despite this social loss, Sheryl did not accept the development of depression, which would have affected her career significantly. Instead, she gathered the necessary courage to get out of the situation and continued with life despite the loss.

Sheryl has demonstrated critical thinking throughout her life, which has become one of her strong leadership traits. Sheryl has demonstrated her ability to think about the future and works on her present to shape her future. Sheryl has been preparing different people throughout her career and succeeds in different positions after her departure. Sheryl understands the importance of preparing people to succeed after avoiding creating a gap if one decides to leave or in case of other eventualities’. Sheryl does not only prepare those going to succeed her but even those who will succeed after them. She once claimed that “You should always have several people who could succeed you—and then several people who can succeed them—so that you’re prepared for future challenges” (Fortune, Sep 2015). This shows that Sheryl is always three steps ahead of other world leaders. Sheryl is also an example of exceptional leadership traits. Sheryl is always ready to account for all her actions. She is persistent for her success, an excellent communicator, and can manage complex. She is also a very creative and innovative leader. These are the traits that have helped her to become the person she is today.

From the above discussion, it is evident that Sheryl is a great leader who believes in transforming people. The analysis has shown that Sheryl believes in her work and also loves the people that she leads. Through her leadership skills and traits, Sheryl encourages and challenges women to take up leadership roles. She challenges women to come out of their comfort zone at home and join the corporate world.

Results That Emanated fromHer Leadership Style

It is evident from the above discussion that Sheryl has adopted a transformational leadership model to lead the people in the various organizations where she has been employed. Research has helped to show how Sheryl has worked and interacted with her seniors, colleagues, and women at the workplace, which has led to significant results. As mentioned in her leadership qualities, Sheryl was a visionary leader who had led to significant social impact.For example, when she began writing her book,Lean In, Sheryl managed to challenge different women within American culture and  society to come out of their comfort zone and seek jobs in the corporate world (Andrew, 2020). This has been a significant step towards bridging the gender gap. In the past, the gender gap was so enormous,especially since women were not typically encouraged to take part in jobs previously perceivedto be for men. Following the Sheryl’s book and leadership style, many women have been motivated and inspired to take her up on her challenges,referred to in her book, to inspect, introspect, and improve their lives.

Various organizations where Sheryl has worked, such as Google and Facebook, follow her leadership model. The leadership model adopted by any leader in leading their organizations and the employees working in that organization determines the organization’s future success or failure.  Through her transformational leadership model, Sheryl has successfully managed to inspire the employees to work hard to ensure that the organization achieves its goals and objectives (Northouse, 2014). As mentioned above, Sheryl joined Facebook in 2008 when the company was still young, with around five hundred employees. Since then, the company has managed to expand, becoming a multinational company with over fifty-two thousand employees all over the world. Today, Facebook is ranked as one of the leading companies in the world.

Apart from supporting and challenging women and enabling companies to grow, Sheryl has also contributed to social impact through financial support. For example, in 2016, Sheryl contributed shares worth millions of shillings to different charitable organizations. To be exact, a regulatory filing reported that she donated shares worth $100 million for various charitable causes.  In the same year, she donated eight hundred and eighty thousand shares worth approximately one hundred and ten million dollars of Facebook to the Sheryl Sheryl and Dave Goldberg Family Fund. According to Forbes 2016, this was a charitable donor-advised fund that was later named after his death. In her effort, Sheryl was also trying to teach women an important lesson that they can balance their personal life and professional goals.

 How would you assess her/him as a leader?

It is vital to assess a leader’s effectiveness to determine whether they are successful leaders in what they do or are failures. Assessing a leader must follow a specific procedure to ensure that you do not miss important information. The following are the methods that I can use to assess the Sheryl. One of the methods that I will use is collecting information from the employees. The employees are an important source of information regarding leader performance. This because these are the people that interact with the leader more often. This can be done by asking around to hear out the employees’ different views regarding the leader’s performance. Secondly, this can be done more formally; for example, the employees are given questionnaires with specific questions regarding the leader’s performance.

The second method involves assessing the leader’s education, experience, and level of training. Most successful leaders invested much of their time to gain more knowledge and skills on how to deal with and manage people. Most successful leaders are those with adequate knowledge. People also acquire knowledge on how to handle and lead people successfully through experience. A person who has spent adequate experience in leading people is more likely to be a successful leader than leaders who have little experience in leading people. For example, Sheryl has a twelve-year experience in the leadership position. Sheryl is, therefore, in a better position to lead and handle different challenges.

If you have selected a social worker, which I recommend you consider, what aspects of this individual’s leadership style are consistent with social work values and ethics?

Research and analysis of available data have revealed that several aspects of Sheryl leadership are consistent with the values and the ethics of social work. One of these aspects involves recognizing the importance of the human relationship. Sheryl is an example of a transformational leader who mainly focuses on changing the employee’s perspective to feel that the organization and its leaders support and respect them. Adopting this form of leadership helps the leader establish strong relationships between the leaders and the employees, thus supporting them (Andrew, 2020). Sheryl believes that with effective human relationships, she can achieve anything she wants. This trait was evident when she reported working for Facebook. She decided to take it upon herself to personally introduce herself to the company employees, thus establishing a personal relationship with the employees. Throughout her career, Sheryl has tried to create and maintain a personal relationship with her employees.

Competence is another leadership trait of Sheryl that has remained consistent with the social work values and ethics. Sheryl is an example of a competent and professional leader. She focuses on achieving perfection in everything that she does. Due to her competence, she has managed to work for Facebook for almost twelve years now. Sheryl understands what is expected of her and works very hard to ensure that she delivers to her employer’s expectations.

Service provision is the third leadership trait demonstrated by Sheryl that is consistent with the values and the ethics of social work. Service refers to the desire for an individual to serve other people and work hard towards addressing certain social problems in society. Throughout the research, Sheryl has been portrayed as a leader who focuses on ensuring that she serves others. Sheryl is always ready to help others to ensure that they progress from their current situation towards greatness (Andrew, 2020). Although she went to Facebook as a leader, she offered her service to the junior employees. She went through most of the employees, asking them what they felt should be done to enable them to perform better. This demonstrates her willingness to serve others. The gender gap at the workplace is a major social problem in the society. This is also portrayed in the wage gap between men and women, where women are paid less for the same work done by their male counterparts even if they have the same qualification. Sheryl has dedicated herself to address the gender gap at the corporate level by challenging women to fight for opportunities at the corporate level, including positions at the leadership level. All through her life, Sheryl has remained consistent in addressing this social issue by ensuring equality between both genders.

Having dignity and respect for every person regardless of their ranking in class or leadership ranking is the fourth leadership trait demonstrated by Sheryl that is consistent with the ethics and the values of social work. Sheryl is very respectable to every human being. She does not use her leadership position to take advantage of other people. Instead, she uses her leadership position as an opportunity to help others rise to greatness and achieve that which they felt was impossible for them. The respect is also demonstrated by her ability to respect every person’s cultural background. Sheryl acknowledges that we all come from different cultural backgrounds. The majority of the company that she has worked for, such as Facebook and Google, is a multinational government, which implies that they employ employees from diverse cultural backgrounds. To work with such employees for as long as Sheryl has been working, one has to acknowledge and respect cultural diversity.

Integrity is the final leadership trait demonstrated by Sheryl that is consistent with social work’s values and ethics. Integrity is defined as the act of being trustworthy and upholding an individual’s professional mission, ethical principles, values, and other ethical standards. Throughout her career, Sheryl is guided by her professional ethics. Like it is expected with any social worker, Sheryl focuses all her energy on achieving the organizational goals.  Sheryl does allow anything within her control to distract her from her objectives. This was demonstrated during the death of her husband. Although this was her lowest moment in life, she collected herself shortly after the experience and continued with her effort to ensure that Facebook achieves its goals. Based on the above analysis, it is evident that Sheryl is an example of an effective social worker. Throughout her life, she has demonstrated consistency with all the values and the ethics of a social worker.

Leadership techniques one can learn from the reading, which might be helpful as you pursue the leadership path

There are several leadership techniques that one can learn from the reading and successful leaders, such as Sheryl, that can help one become a better leader in the future. Leading by example is the first leadership technique I have learned from the reading. I have learned that being a leader means showing and directing others on what needs to be done to achieve a given objective. Therefore, it implies that if one wants to be a good leader, you must be ready to get your hands dirty in showing the rest what needs to be done. For instance, leaders should practice professionalism and integrity in all their undertakings to ensure that all the other employees can follow. Suppose the leader does not serve as an example in demonstrating these important skills. In that case, the rest of the employees will also not have these essential skills, leading to the organization’s failure. Sheryl is a good example of a leader who is willing to lead by example so that others can follow.

The second most important leadership lesson that I have acquired from reading is the importance of listening to other people’s viewpoints. I have learned that by being a leader, it does not imply that you know everything. No one in the world knows everything because we all have one thing or two to learn from one another. Sometimes, the employee may have better ideas on how to solve a given problem or might have an idea of a pending problem that the leader might not be aware of. This leadership technique was evident in Sheryl when she went to the Facebook employees, asking them to share their views on what they felt should be changed to enable the delivery to their perfection. Listening to other people’s views helps one to see things from a different perspective. The technique also helps to motivate the employees. For the employees to be able to deliver, they need to be motivated. Listening to their views helps make the employees feel like part of the organization, thus owning the organization’s success. Such employees will do their best to see the organization achieve its goals compared to the employees who are less concerned about the company’s affairs.

I have also learned another leadership technique involving the importance of effective communication in leadership. Junior employees and other people that a given leader might be leading are all human beings. It implies that these people need to know what is happening or anticipated to occur in the future. Even though these people are there to be directed on what to do, they also need to prepare psychologically (Wilson, 2017). Poor communication creates suspicion and confusion among the employees since they do not know what to expect. To be an effective leader, you need to ensure that the employees stay updated will the relevant information. This helps to kill all the employees’ suspensions regarding the events of the company, thus motivating the employees.

One of the lessons that we can learn is the need to be a visionary leader (Andrew, 2020). A leader has to be visionary for him/her to achieve transformation in each scenario and process. A visionary leader like Sheryl can think through, evaluate, and look beyond for him/her to achieve the needed success for the organization and self (Andrew, 2020).  Sheryl had a vision for Facebook back in 2008 when she decided to leave Google, one of the largest companies, and joined Facebook, which only had five hundred and fifty employees.

I also learned the importance of taking care of other people’s interests when it is in a leadership position, such as Sheryl leadership position. Although there are various praises on Sheryl as a role model for women, it is vital to note that there is no direct evidence of Sheryl’s role in preparing future leaders. Although she is always three steps in preparing people to take up several roles, succession plans have not been evident in all the roles that she had taken up. This is evident in several of her approaches, such as the lean in approach. In this approach, Sheryl challenges women to take up the leadership role instead of staying at home and managing the various home activities. However, although she motivates and challenges these women towards greatness, she does not focus on hold one or two women to lead them. I feel that this a weakness on her, which may affect the organization’s performance. As a leader, it is important that as I empower those below me towards greatness, I also focus on mentoring a handful of individuals who can also mentor others.

The final leadership that I have learned from the reading is to ensure that you praise the employees for good performance (Andrew, 2020). Some leaders are ineffective because they tend to take all the credit for good performance without recognizing the employees’ effort. To be an effective leader, one needs to understand the importance of praising others for good work. Praising the employees ensures that they feel appreciated at work. The reading shows that when employees are valued for their good work, their productivity rate will also increase since they feel motivated. The manager can praise the employees in different ways. One of the strategies of recognizing the employees is by issuing rewards. This is the most adopted strategy. Another strategy is to recognize the employee in the presence of other employees. This method is used to praise the employee and also to encourage other employees to improve their performance (Wilson, 2017). Lastly, the company can promote the best-performing employee to a higher level. This also encourages other employees to work hard so that they can also be promoted. This leadership technique is essential as it enables the leader to recognize the employees who have performed exemplarily well and a team effort. With these leadership techniques, I am better positioned to become an effective leader, thus achieving personal goals and organizational objectives.

ETHICS IN LEADERSHIP

It is important to note that leaders lead other human beings. Unfortunately, some leaders have taken advantage of their leadership position to take advantage of their subordinates. Since leaders deal with human beings, leadership must have an ethical and moral dimension. Leaders must, therefore, practice ethics in leadership to relate well with the people that they lead (Mayer et al., 2012). Ethical leadership is defined as a form of leadership in which the leader demonstrates and promotes appropriate conduct through personal and interpersonal actions.

Leaders should practice ethics in their leadership for the following reasons. For one, ethical leadership helps to boost employee’s morale towards achieving the intended objectives(Tang. Ethical leadership ensures that leaders obey their employees (Ahmad et al., 2017). When employees feel respected, they become motivated and are willing to ensure that the company succeeds.

Ethical leadership also helps to reduce organizational scandals and other ethical issues. Ethical leadership ensures that things are done correctly, and there are no taking shortcuts, which eventually leads to ethical leadership (Heres & Lasthuizen, 2010), August. Ethical leadership also enables the organization to gain customers and other partners to enable the company to expand and achieve its intended objectives.

Ethical leaders have specific traits that enable them to become effective leaders. For a leader to behave ethically, it takes consideration and thought (Kapur, 2018). Some of these traits include; leading others by example, the willingness to evolve and learn new things, and the ability to respect others and their views regardless of their background, whether socially, economically, or culturally (Kapur, 2018). Ethical leaders also communicate effectively to ensure that all employees remain updated. This helps to enhance honesty and trust (Mihelič et al., 2010). Ethical leaders can also manage stress. Leaders are bound to resolve the challenges the organization faces from time to time. These challenges are usually a major source of stress for the manager. Ethical leadership enables these leaders to resolve these challenges with little or no stress at all.

Sheryl has demonstrated ethical leadership in many ways. Sheryl is able to demonstrate ethical leadership because she possesses several ethical leadership traits. Example of these traits include the respect for all employees. Sheryl is also an example of a good communicator and also likes to lead by example. Ethical leadership is also evident in the way she solves challenges.

Sheryl Kara Sandberg was born to a Jewish family on the 28th of August 1969 in Washington, D.C. Sheryl is the daughter of Adele and Joel Sheryl. At two years old, the family moved to Florida, where she attended the North Miami Beach High School, where she graduated with a 4.6-grade point average. In 1987, she enrolled at Harvard College and graduated in 1991. Sheryl founded the Women in Economics and Government organization, where she met her Professor (COO) of Facebook. She is also recognized as the founder of the Lean ln. Org. She has also participated in various philanthropic works. She is also recognized as the first woman to serve on Facebook’s board of directors as she was elected to join the board in June 2012. Before she was elected the COO of Facebook, Sheryl served as the vice president for global online sales and operations at Google. She also served as the chief of staff for the United States Secretary of the Treasury, Lawrence Summers, before joining Google. Sheryl has also been identified as an influential world leader. For instance, in 2012, Sheryl was named in Time 100, which refers to an annual list of the world’s best leaders. Sheryl is also believed to be a very wealthy leader. As of 2019, Sheryl was reported to be worth over 1.8 billion US dollars as per the stock holdings at Facebook Inc. and other companies.

Sheryl is one of the leaderswho follows a transformational leadership style. Transformational leadership refers to a leadership style in which the leader begins to create a connection with the people he/she is leading at an individual level (Northouse, 2014). Currently, most leaders are adopting this leadership style due to the many benefits accrued by following the use of this leadership style. According to Peter Northouse, the transformational leadership style is one of the most effective leadership styles in increasing people’s motivation. According to the transformational leadership style, the leader comes down from the high stage of leading and socializes with other employees down the leadership hierarchy (Northouse, 2014). This culture has enabled Sheryl to encourage those around her and those below her to work even harder and live by her example. Her transformational leadership skills were evident immediately; when she joined Facebook. When she joined the company, she moved from one desk to another, introducing herself to the employees. She also collected all the employees’ ideas on what they feel should be changed or introduced to enable them to work more productively. This way, she learned about the employee’s expectations and what she needed to do to support them. Her acts of humanity and her ability to demonstrate vulnerability has enabled her to connect more with the people she leads, thus becoming an international leader.

Sheryl, as an international leader, has demonstrated various leadership traits. One of the leadership traits that are evident in Sheryl include; optimism. Research has shown that Sheryl is an optimistic leader. Sheryl never backs down no matter how hard the situation may be. Sheryl follows her dreams and beliefs and will do anything to ensure that she abides by her principles (Greenfield, 2019). She is one of the women who have been advocating for women to take up leadership roles not just as mothers in their homes but also to mark their territory in the corporate world. Sheryl believes that women need to be empowered to take charge and close the gender gap in the workplace. This explains why she fought to become the first women to join the Facebook board of directors.

Sheryl is also a good example of a courageous leader. Throughout her life, Sheryl has demonstrated significant courage in all her undertakings. The corporate work environment is usually not very conducive for female employees, making it challenging for the majority of them to survive in such environments. However, Sheryl has managed to fight and thrive in the industry where she grows even stronger every day. She was also able to come out of the worst situation in her life following her husband’s death. Despite this social loss, Sheryl did not accept the development of depression, which would have affected her career significantly. Instead, she gathered the necessary courage to get out of the situation and continued with life despite the loss.

Sheryl has demonstrated critical thinking throughout her life, which has become one of her strong leadership traits. Sheryl has demonstrated her ability to think about the future and works on her present to shape her future. Sheryl has been preparing different people throughout her career and succeeds in different positions after her departure. Sheryl understands the importance of preparing people to succeed after avoiding creating a gap if one decides to leave or in case of other eventualities’. Sheryl does not only prepare those going to succeed her but even those who will succeed after them. She once claimed that “You should always have several people who could succeed you—and then several people who can succeed them—so that you’re prepared for future challenges” (Fortune, Sep 2015). This shows that Sheryl is always three steps ahead of other world leaders. Sheryl is also an example of exceptional leadership traits. Sheryl is always ready to account for all her actions. She is persistent for her success, an excellent communicator, and can manage complex. She is also a very creative and innovative leader. These are the traits that have helped her to become the person she is today.

From the above discussion, it is evident that Sheryl is a great leader who believes in transforming people. The analysis has shown that Sheryl believes in her work and also loves the people that she leads. Through her leadership skills and traits, Sheryl encourages and challenges women to take up leadership roles. She challenges women to come out of their comfort zone at home and join the corporate world.

Results That Emanated fromHer Leadership Style

It is evident from the above discussion that Sheryl has adopted a transformational leadership model to lead the people in the various organizations where she has been employed. Research has helped to show how Sheryl has worked and interacted with her seniors, colleagues, and women at the workplace, which has led to significant results. As mentioned in her leadership qualities, Sheryl was a visionary leader who had led to significant social impact.For example, when she began writing her book,Lean In, Sheryl managed to challenge different women within American culture and  society to come out of their comfort zone and seek jobs in the corporate world (Andrew, 2020). This has been a significant step towards bridging the gender gap. In the past, the gender gap was so enormous,especially since women were not typically encouraged to take part in jobs previously perceivedto be for men. Following the Sheryl’s book and leadership style, many women have been motivated and inspired to take her up on her challenges,referred to in her book, to inspect, introspect, and improve their lives.

Various organizations where Sheryl has worked, such as Google and Facebook, follow her leadership model. The leadership model adopted by any leader in leading their organizations and the employees working in that organization determines the organization’s future success or failure.  Through her transformational leadership model, Sheryl has successfully managed to inspire the employees to work hard to ensure that the organization achieves its goals and objectives (Northouse, 2014). As mentioned above, Sheryl joined Facebook in 2008 when the company was still young, with around five hundred employees. Since then, the company has managed to expand, becoming a multinational company with over fifty-two thousand employees all over the world. Today, Facebook is ranked as one of the leading companies in the world.

Apart from supporting and challenging women and enabling companies to grow, Sheryl has also contributed to social impact through financial support. For example, in 2016, Sheryl contributed shares worth millions of shillings to different charitable organizations. To be exact, a regulatory filing reported that she donated shares worth $100 million for various charitable causes.  In the same year, she donated eight hundred and eighty thousand shares worth approximately one hundred and ten million dollars of Facebook to the Sheryl Sheryl and Dave Goldberg Family Fund. According to Forbes 2016, this was a charitable donor-advised fund that was later named after his death. In her effort, Sheryl was also trying to teach women an important lesson that they can balance their personal life and professional goals.

 How would you assess her/him as a leader?

It is vital to assess a leader’s effectiveness to determine whether they are successful leaders in what they do or are failures. Assessing a leader must follow a specific procedure to ensure that you do not miss important information. The following are the methods that I can use to assess the Sheryl. One of the methods that I will use is collecting information from the employees. The employees are an important source of information regarding leader performance. This because these are the people that interact with the leader more often. This can be done by asking around to hear out the employees’ different views regarding the leader’s performance. Secondly, this can be done more formally; for example, the employees are given questionnaires with specific questions regarding the leader’s performance.

The second method involves assessing the leader’s education, experience, and level of training. Most successful leaders invested much of their time to gain more knowledge and skills on how to deal with and manage people. Most successful leaders are those with adequate knowledge. People also acquire knowledge on how to handle and lead people successfully through experience. A person who has spent adequate experience in leading people is more likely to be a successful leader than leaders who have little experience in leading people. For example, Sheryl has a twelve-year experience in the leadership position. Sheryl is, therefore, in a better position to lead and handle different challenges.

If you have selected a social worker, which I recommend you consider, what aspects of this individual’s leadership style are consistent with social work values and ethics?

Research and analysis of available data have revealed that several aspects of Sheryl leadership are consistent with the values and the ethics of social work. One of these aspects involves recognizing the importance of the human relationship. Sheryl is an example of a transformational leader who mainly focuses on changing the employee’s perspective to feel that the organization and its leaders support and respect them. Adopting this form of leadership helps the leader establish strong relationships between the leaders and the employees, thus supporting them (Andrew, 2020). Sheryl believes that with effective human relationships, she can achieve anything she wants. This trait was evident when she reported working for Facebook. She decided to take it upon herself to personally introduce herself to the company employees, thus establishing a personal relationship with the employees. Throughout her career, Sheryl has tried to create and maintain a personal relationship with her employees.

Competence is another leadership trait of Sheryl that has remained consistent with the social work values and ethics. Sheryl is an example of a competent and professional leader. She focuses on achieving perfection in everything that she does. Due to her competence, she has managed to work for Facebook for almost twelve years now. Sheryl understands what is expected of her and works very hard to ensure that she delivers to her employer’s expectations.

Service provision is the third leadership trait demonstrated by Sheryl that is consistent with the values and the ethics of social work. Service refers to the desire for an individual to serve other people and work hard towards addressing certain social problems in society. Throughout the research, Sheryl has been portrayed as a leader who focuses on ensuring that she serves others. Sheryl is always ready to help others to ensure that they progress from their current situation towards greatness (Andrew, 2020). Although she went to Facebook as a leader, she offered her service to the junior employees. She went through most of the employees, asking them what they felt should be done to enable them to perform better. This demonstrates her willingness to serve others. The gender gap at the workplace is a major social problem in the society. This is also portrayed in the wage gap between men and women, where women are paid less for the same work done by their male counterparts even if they have the same qualification. Sheryl has dedicated herself to address the gender gap at the corporate level by challenging women to fight for opportunities at the corporate level, including positions at the leadership level. All through her life, Sheryl has remained consistent in addressing this social issue by ensuring equality between both genders.

Having dignity and respect for every person regardless of their ranking in class or leadership ranking is the fourth leadership trait demonstrated by Sheryl that is consistent with the ethics and the values of social work. Sheryl is very respectable to every human being. She does not use her leadership position to take advantage of other people. Instead, she uses her leadership position as an opportunity to help others rise to greatness and achieve that which they felt was impossible for them. The respect is also demonstrated by her ability to respect every person’s cultural background. Sheryl acknowledges that we all come from different cultural backgrounds. The majority of the company that she has worked for, such as Facebook and Google, is a multinational government, which implies that they employ employees from diverse cultural backgrounds. To work with such employees for as long as Sheryl has been working, one has to acknowledge and respect cultural diversity.

Integrity is the final leadership trait demonstrated by Sheryl that is consistent with social work’s values and ethics. Integrity is defined as the act of being trustworthy and upholding an individual’s professional mission, ethical principles, values, and other ethical standards. Throughout her career, Sheryl is guided by her professional ethics. Like it is expected with any social worker, Sheryl focuses all her energy on achieving the organizational goals.  Sheryl does allow anything within her control to distract her from her objectives. This was demonstrated during the death of her husband. Although this was her lowest moment in life, she collected herself shortly after the experience and continued with her effort to ensure that Facebook achieves its goals. Based on the above analysis, it is evident that Sheryl is an example of an effective social worker. Throughout her life, she has demonstrated consistency with all the values and the ethics of a social worker.

Leadership techniques one can learn from the reading, which might be helpful as you pursue the leadership path

There are several leadership techniques that one can learn from the reading and successful leaders, such as Sheryl, that can help one become a better leader in the future. Leading by example is the first leadership technique I have learned from the reading. I have learned that being a leader means showing and directing others on what needs to be done to achieve a given objective. Therefore, it implies that if one wants to be a good leader, you must be ready to get your hands dirty in showing the rest what needs to be done. For instance, leaders should practice professionalism and integrity in all their undertakings to ensure that all the other employees can follow. Suppose the leader does not serve as an example in demonstrating these important skills. In that case, the rest of the employees will also not have these essential skills, leading to the organization’s failure. Sheryl is a good example of a leader who is willing to lead by example so that others can follow.

The second most important leadership lesson that I have acquired from reading is the importance of listening to other people’s viewpoints. I have learned that by being a leader, it does not imply that you know everything. No one in the world knows everything because we all have one thing or two to learn from one another. Sometimes, the employee may have better ideas on how to solve a given problem or might have an idea of a pending problem that the leader might not be aware of. This leadership technique was evident in Sheryl when she went to the Facebook employees, asking them to share their views on what they felt should be changed to enable the delivery to their perfection. Listening to other people’s views helps one to see things from a different perspective. The technique also helps to motivate the employees. For the employees to be able to deliver, they need to be motivated. Listening to their views helps make the employees feel like part of the organization, thus owning the organization’s success. Such employees will do their best to see the organization achieve its goals compared to the employees who are less concerned about the company’s affairs.

I have also learned another leadership technique involving the importance of effective communication in leadership. Junior employees and other people that a given leader might be leading are all human beings. It implies that these people need to know what is happening or anticipated to occur in the future. Even though these people are there to be directed on what to do, they also need to prepare psychologically (Wilson, 2017). Poor communication creates suspicion and confusion among the employees since they do not know what to expect. To be an effective leader, you need to ensure that the employees stay updated will the relevant information. This helps to kill all the employees’ suspensions regarding the events of the company, thus motivating the employees.

One of the lessons that we can learn is the need to be a visionary leader (Andrew, 2020). A leader has to be visionary for him/her to achieve transformation in each scenario and process. A visionary leader like Sheryl can think through, evaluate, and look beyond for him/her to achieve the needed success for the organization and self (Andrew, 2020).  Sheryl had a vision for Facebook back in 2008 when she decided to leave Google, one of the largest companies, and joined Facebook, which only had five hundred and fifty employees.

I also learned the importance of taking care of other people’s interests when it is in a leadership position, such as Sheryl leadership position. Although there are various praises on Sheryl as a role model for women, it is vital to note that there is no direct evidence of Sheryl’s role in preparing future leaders. Although she is always three steps in preparing people to take up several roles, succession plans have not been evident in all the roles that she had taken up. This is evident in several of her approaches, such as the lean in approach. In this approach, Sheryl challenges women to take up the leadership role instead of staying at home and managing the various home activities. However, although she motivates and challenges these women towards greatness, she does not focus on hold one or two women to lead them. I feel that this a weakness on her, which may affect the organization’s performance. As a leader, it is important that as I empower those below me towards greatness, I also focus on mentoring a handful of individuals who can also mentor others.

The final leadership that I have learned from the reading is to ensure that you praise the employees for good performance (Andrew, 2020). Some leaders are ineffective because they tend to take all the credit for good performance without recognizing the employees’ effort. To be an effective leader, one needs to understand the importance of praising others for good work. Praising the employees ensures that they feel appreciated at work. The reading shows that when employees are valued for their good work, their productivity rate will also increase since they feel motivated. The manager can praise the employees in different ways. One of the strategies of recognizing the employees is by issuing rewards. This is the most adopted strategy. Another strategy is to recognize the employee in the presence of other employees. This method is used to praise the employee and also to encourage other employees to improve their performance (Wilson, 2017). Lastly, the company can promote the best-performing employee to a higher level. This also encourages other employees to work hard so that they can also be promoted. This leadership technique is essential as it enables the leader to recognize the employees who have performed exemplarily well and a team effort. With these leadership techniques, I am better positioned to become an effective leader, thus achieving personal goals and organizational objectives.

ETHICS IN LEADERSHIP

It is important to note that leaders lead other human beings. Unfortunately, some leaders have taken advantage of their leadership position to take advantage of their subordinates. Since leaders deal with human beings, leadership must have an ethical and moral dimension. Leaders must, therefore, practice ethics in leadership to relate well with the people that they lead (Mayer et al., 2012). Ethical leadership is defined as a form of leadership in which the leader demonstrates and promotes appropriate conduct through personal and interpersonal actions.

Leaders should practice ethics in their leadership for the following reasons. For one, ethical leadership helps to boost employee’s morale towards achieving the intended objectives(Tang. Ethical leadership ensures that leaders obey their employees (Ahmad et al., 2017). When employees feel respected, they become motivated and are willing to ensure that the company succeeds.

Ethical leadership also helps to reduce organizational scandals and other ethical issues. Ethical leadership ensures that things are done correctly, and there are no taking shortcuts, which eventually leads to ethical leadership (Heres & Lasthuizen, 2010), August. Ethical leadership also enables the organization to gain customers and other partners to enable the company to expand and achieve its intended objectives.

Ethical leaders have specific traits that enable them to become effective leaders. For a leader to behave ethically, it takes consideration and thought (Kapur, 2018). Some of these traits include; leading others by example, the willingness to evolve and learn new things, and the ability to respect others and their views regardless of their background, whether socially, economically, or culturally (Kapur, 2018). Ethical leaders also communicate effectively to ensure that all employees remain updated. This helps to enhance honesty and trust (Mihelič et al., 2010). Ethical leaders can also manage stress. Leaders are bound to resolve the challenges the organization faces from time to time. These challenges are usually a major source of stress for the manager. Ethical leadership enables these leaders to resolve these challenges with little or no stress at all.

Sheryl has demonstrated ethical leadership in many ways. Sheryl is able to demonstrate ethical leadership because she possesses several ethical leadership traits. Example of these traits include the respect for all employees. Sheryl is also an example of a good communicator and also likes to lead by example. Ethical leadership is also evident in the way she solves challenges.