Course terminology
Make sure to have the following when you answer any question,
- Course terminology
- Some evidence from the case study
- Reasons for any argument
- Minimum of 100 words
These are some sample answers for the Cheri case study
- Vision
How have they shared their vision for the organization with others?
Cheri is a sales professional now even though she never imagined that this is where you would be. She had a vision to do work in Communication and Advertising which she majored in college. Her vision changed when she graduated from college and she currently is the Sales Director in Mania, Philippines at Coca-Cola. She shares her vision through her dedication and passion of her work. Cheri leads a group of over 900 people, but you will only hear from her that her team’s success is important. Cheri states that “If I can see one person become better at what they do because of my help, that’s actually priceless and fulfilling,” which emphasizes how she inspires her team to ensure her vision of success gets done. (126 Words)
- Support
Explain what it means to empower others. What does this leader do to empower others?
Empowering others in the workplace involves giving them the trust that they need to prosper in their jobs. It means giving them autonomy or a say in how they do their job, asking them for their ideas about how things should or could be done. Giving access to information through open communication and collaboration. Cheri empowers others through her sense of confidence in them, she shows her confidence in others by coaching them so that they can take on new responsibilities and be effective at their job. She also offers words of affirmation, or constructive feedback to empower others. She does this through her coaching and through getting to understand the personal objectives and motives of others. Cheri recognizes the valuable contribution of others and does all that she can to support them to be their best. She shares what she learns with others so they can be their best and uses her learning to inform how she supports and empower others. She considers those who work with her as her team and believes that the organization can only be successful when those who work there are empowered. (188 words)
- Leardership Qualities
What are some strengths/weaknesses of this leader-explain?
One of the biggest strengths of Cheri is to motivate her team members and increasing their output by doing so. This has been evident at several instances in the case study. For example, the satisfaction that she receives by helping others, helping them improve, and thus resulting in increased profits for her company. It all started during the Women in Leadership training, when her mentor asked her if is aware of the personal and business objectives of her team. This experience helped Cherri think about how a project could help her team instead of only asking them to help her finish the project. Additionally, Cherri is always open to new ideas and learning insights from other leaders. She is continuously willing to improve her leadership style and feels deep satisfaction and fulfillment by helping her team and customers grow.(139 Words)
What values does this leader display? How do you know this?
Cheri has several values which made her a recognizable team leader, which are listed as below:
- Supporting her employees; Cherri used to pay attention to her employees’ personal objectives and personal motives, not only the project’s or the company’s objectives. This demonstrate that she is truly a smart and a professional leader. She has realized the importance of satisfying her employees’ mental and professional desires which would positively reflect on their productivity and efficiency towards achieving the company’s objectives.
- Wisdom: Cherri used to show her immense satisfaction and to show her extreme positive energy to her own employees. She have used to talk about her team and how she is proud of them every time she is asked about the reasons of her success. Undoubtedly, such a smart trick would always fuel up her employees and make them even more motivated and inspired to work and produce more.(149 Words)
Would this leadership approach be successful in all organizations? Why.why not?
In my opinion Cheri’s approach would be successful in all organizations. She has the “innate ability to motivate while delivering results”. The ability to motivate others is an important leadership skill. Cheri motivates her team by empowering them and providing them with opportunities. She finds out the personal objectives of each team member and then supports and coaches them. Her team feel motivated by this and are inspired to do their best and this means they are more effective which is good for both them and the organization. Cheri herself is very motivated and optimistic. She looks for opportunities for her company, her team and her customers. She understands the importance of relationships and works to build and maintain them with her team, customers and community. The ability to motivate others and build relationships are important skills for any leader in any organization. All these themes could be applied to any company, regardless of the industry. And what is more, her optimism and infectious sense of the future offer people the sense of contribution and the sense of purpose, which can go a long way in being strong motivators and important elements of a successful leadership approach. (180 words)
If you became leader of this organization what would you change and what would you keep doing?
I believe Cheri is doing many things an effective leader would do. She leads by example- she was the first female sales director and is still the youngest and she is supporting others to move ahead in the organization. She motivates and inspires others with her passion and enthusiasm and by spending time getting to know them so that she can understand what motivates them. This then makes them feel valued. Cheri could do more to encourage creativity and innovation in her team. To further promote a culture of innovation, I would introduce more opportunities for teamwork across the organization. This would include having teams from different departments or teams with new and more experienced workers. I would also open up communication so that people could share ideas and suggest new business opportunities. I would include customers in this also. Finally, being open to ideas from anywhere and be willing to experiment would also help. But the most important aspect I would introduce is to offer more autonomy to members of the team. That would unleash untapped potential as well as increase job satisfaction. (184 words)
Does this leader have a positive impact on others in the organization – explain?
Yes – As the first woman to be ta this position, Cherri’s persistence to prove her merit in sales and leadership must been an inspiring example not only to the rest of women in her organization, but also to all Filipino women. Her achievements and even multiple promotions have proved her tremendous abilities and wisdom as a young female salesman head.
In addition, Cherri has always emphasized a team development culture in her leadership. She has always prioritized her employees’ own goals, motivations and satisfactions. This skill is very important in boosting her employees’ satisfaction as well as productivity, happiness and development.(101 Words)
- Communication
How has the leader used communication?
Communication and empathy go a long way in business and entrepreneurships. Cheri Masipag-Moran is a leader who uses communication very effectively. She networks with professionals and continues to strive to become a better leader. She listens to the advice from her mentor and uses what she learned to show empathy to her team. She understood from the statement of her mentor that she needed to know more than just the goals and objectives of a project. She needed to understand the personal motives and objectives of the team members. When team members experience effective communication from a supervisor, they are more likely to buy into a project and be productive personally and professionally.(113 Words)
What would you do to improve/strengthen communication in this organization?
Employees should feel comfortable to communicate in the company to have a productive and positive organizational culture. To improve internal communication in this company, I would explain the company’s mission and vision to unify employees to achieve goals faster. Also, while Cheri spends time getting to know her employees and listening to what matters to and concerns them, I would improve communication amongst the team members. I would do this by setting up teams, having fun areas where employees could socialize and share ideas. When employees feel that managers and their coworkers listen to them and address their problems, they become more connected. Managers should share information with employees to keep them up to date regarding the company’s changes or future plans. Again, Cheri does this on a personal level but I would introduce other forms of communication like weekly emails, newsletters and WhatsApp groups. Employees are communicating more when they feel they are involved. Safety and support are very important to strengthen communication in a company. I would create a safe and supportive environment, so employees feel safe and comfortable to share information and communicate with others. I would do this by allocating time and opportunities to share information and ideas as well as by continuing to build personal relationships with employees. (213 words)
What ways can a leader use to communicate with others?
Listening: The most important communication skill leaders should have is listening. Leaders who listen effectively are able to understand their employees, create trustworthy relationships, and increase employees’ motivation and loyalty.
Delegating Tasks Clearly: leader should be very specific and clear when assigning any task or asking employees to work on any project. leaders should make it clear with the job requirements, deadlines, etc. Also, explaining reasons/ outcomes/ benefits of the job make employees more motivated and connected.
Get personal: Leaders should communicate with employees in person. Listening, understanding and communicating with empathy increase employee’s loyalty and productivity.
Safety & Support: Managers should create a safe and supportive environment, so employees feel safe and comfortable to share information and communicate with others. (121 Words)
How does/could this leader use communication to promote innovation/creativity?
There really isn’t anything specific in this case study that describes how Cheri uses communication to promote innovation/creativity. However, we do learn that Cheri likes helping people succeed, and she has an innate ability to motivate people while also delivering results. Because of these qualities, Cheri was chosen to participate in a Women in Leadership program where she had a life changing experience. A program mentor asked Cheri if she knew the personal objectives of the people involved in a project she was leading. This question made Cheri realize that she has only been focusing on the project and not on the people doing it and what their personal goals and objectives were. Cheri realized that in order to get true “buy in” she needs to communicate with her employees better so that she understands their objectives. This way she can create alignment between the goals of the project and peoples’ individual goals. This simple communication technique motivates people and motivated employees will be more inspired and thus more creative and innovative.(172 Words)
- Planning
What is organizational culture and what can leaders do to build/develop a positive culture?
An organization’s culture is an integral part of a business, it outlines the proper way to act within an organization. A culture consists of shared beliefs and values set by leaders which are then communicated and reinforced through various methods which will help shape employee perceptions, behaviors and understanding of the company’s environment. Therefore, a positive corporate culture helps employees feel and perform their best at work. Leaders have a big responsibility in building a positive culture. They can do so by focusing on points such as, employee wellness, clarity on mission and vision by creating core values and communicating them to employees, and by giving specific examples of how their roles positively impact the company. As well, they must help bring employees together through creating goals and objectives that everyone can work toward. Encouraging positivity by expressing gratitude, being optimistic so employees engage better with their leaders, and foster social connections by listening to their subordinates needs. Finally, for leaders developing a positive culture can be done easily without the need for a budget, at any size company and within any industry. As long as they are willing to take the time to genuinely invest in the happiness and well-being of their workforce, a positive culture will grow and thrive.(211 Words)
