Your boss has just called a meeting to discuss lost work orders and customer order information. She has sited messy desks and a poorly used filing system as the root cause for the lost information. Since this information is critical for the firm, she has decreed that each desk and office will be cleaned and organized, starting today. As you leave the meeting, you notice that her office is very

Question

disorganized and that she has made no effort to clean up. Will you make the change? Why? Why not? What would you do as an effective leader to make the change possible?

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

You probably won't make the change because the leader has not set an example to follow. Effective leaders "walk the talk.". Their actions display to other members of the organization what is expected. As Dwight Eisenhower so aptly stated: "They never listened to what I said, they always watch what I do.". Since employees focus on the activities of their leaders, leadership involvement in key activities is crucial when encouraging people to work in a manner that creates value for their firm. Effective leaders can encourage people to create value by supporting key activities driving organizational success. These key activities, whether it be providing customers with easy access to support information or developing a new manufacturing process, require investment of both financial resources and time. Effective leaders show their commitment and involvement by providing financial support, becoming involved in improvement efforts, and making sure that employees have time available in their workday to pursue the necessary activities. Effective leaders know what needs to be done and provide the tools to enable the workforce it.