Assignment: what does it mean to be an effective manager?

Introduction

An effective manager understands their personal style of leadership. One that requires practicality and realism to better lead and accomplish organization goals. In this essay, I will explore the nature of communication supported by leadership qualities and driven by common goals (team building). With references, these finding supports the research question in a contemporary social organization.

Communication

One very important skill a manager should master is communication. According to Lauring, J”… effective communication is a critical intercultural competency. Individuals capable of cross-cultural communication can limit potential misunderstandings, social barriers, and ethnocentrism.” No doubt, its more than a two-way interaction. With today’s technology, I am surprised by how fast it brings the world together at the click of a mouse. In comparison to centuries ago, we are blessed with technology, such as mobile devices and the internet as a form of communication. There is so much more that I can do as a manager to minimize social barriers, gather information accurately and receive feedback for improvement. By making myself accessible to employees through open sharing and employee feedback, it builds relationship as employees feel valued. Hence, the Ministry of Manpower, MOM concludes, “ 87% of companies surveyed agreed that workplace harmony was important to business outcomes.”

As a part-time product marketer, I find the importance of effective communication as a daily goal. Building courage to pitch to the general public, from all walks of life, age, race, and status, have certainly connected me to a wider audience and increased my awareness of sensitive issues. Translating my strength into action have done justice to me as I am able to close more deals with clients not of my own race. Hence, I strongly support organizations to recognize intercultural communication skills as an ongoing and progressive course of action in creating an effective communication platform for all employees.

Leadership, Manager as a Role Model

Quote ‘ Leadership is not a position or a title, it is action and example” Indeed, leadership earns its place as a character of an effective manager. We need leaders who are driven for success and cultivate confidence in employees to persevere when work gets challenging. Looking back, internship taught me valuable lessons such as efficiency, responsibility and adapting to changes. My manager was highly valued and respected by colleagues despite his age, he respects the opinion of others and takes pride nurturing younger colleagues. I realize how much a man can influence an environment for people to thrive towards a common goal, leaving fear of failure behind. He appreciates the team and make us feel as part of something bigger than ourselves. He credits deserving member and admit “ great things in business are never done by one person”. In this sense, only with effective leadership style, it is possible to achieve an organizational goal and greatly influence employee’s performance and productivity.

Team Building (Common Goals)

Personal experience taught me the importance of team work and to recognize individual differences as a bridge to broader achievements. Managing a diverse workforce is not about emphasizing the differences in its constituents but about getting the best of their uniqueness for optimum corporate performance and common goal. In this sense, our different experience, knowledge and skill, are valuable resources to others that we work with. I couldn’t agree more “… that human nature is much more created than it is discovered. We design human nature by designing institution within which people live and work”. This closely relates to constructivist paradigm, a theory assuming that human are active creators of their own knowledge through experience and reflection. Team building encourages a harmonious work environment, with everyone on board, collaborating and delegating task equally. As a result, more problems can be solved with better work quality. Thus, employee like myself can take the opportunity to progress and enhance individual skills.

Conclusion

In reality, a manager requires more effort than what we imagine, leading, coordinating and building bridges for employees. He or she oversees a spectrum of talented individuals and build trust for each employee towards the success of the organization. A manager who leads with passion and puts effort to translate theory into action is bound to continual success.

Reference

1. Lauring, J.(2011). Intercultural organizational communication. Journal of Business Communication, 07/01/2011, Vol. 48(3), pp. 231-255
2. Taylor, E.(2013). Business Startups: Use of Technology in Business . Article Source Ministry of Manpower, MOM(2010). https://www. mom. gov. sg/
3. Adenoro, A. C., Popa, A. B., Bletscher, C. G., & Albert, J.(2012). Storytelling as a vehicle for selfawareness: Establishing a foundation for intercultural
4. competency development. Journal of Leadership Studies, 6(2), pp. 102-109.