Leadership Communication Styles Inventory Essay Example for Free

Leadership Communication Styles Inventory Essay As a manager or leader of an organization of any kind, the power and ability to effectively lead others are in the choices made to build a healthy, motivational, and productive relationship with people on your team. We all influence others in some way, its Just that we seldom realize that we do or how we do it. Power in the workplace has traditionally been defined as force, dominance, assertiveness, strength, invincibility, and authority. In forward thinking corporations, power requires a commitment and a plan of action (Hale, 2010). Power and influence are somewhat interchangeable. Power is the capacity of a person, team, or organization to influence others. Power is not the act of changing someonws attitudes or behavior; it is only the potential to do so. You might feel powerful or think you have power over someone else, but this is not power unless you truly have the capacity to influence that person (McShane, Steven L, Mary Ann Von Glinow, 2010). One of the hardest lessons of management is that practically everything that has to be done must be done by others. Manager ¤Ã‚ ¬ws duties not only include directing employees ut controlling the budget, assets, and other Jobs within the organization as well. Leadership is the ability to get people to do what they don ¬wt want to do and like it. In other words, the core problem for leaders in any organization involves getting others to do what is required to accomplish the organization ¤es goals (Michelson). The concept of power and its application to leadership and management has gotten a bad reputation. Terms such as power hungry, abuse of power and corrupted by power have diluted powerws real use and meaning and deprived some leaders f the opportunity to understand and use various forms of power to good purposes (Wood, 2010). I like to believe people misuse their power simply because they have it and are unaware of it. When used in a positive, moral, and ethical manner, power is an excellent resource. It requires the perception of dependence, so people might gain power by convincing others that they have something of value, whether or not they actually control that resource. Consequently power exists when others believe that you control resources they want (McShane, Steven L, Mary Ann Von Glinow, 010). People rely on their emotion more frequently than they realize to make decisions, so to become a more powerful influencer, it is wise to consider othews values, personality, and intelligence and express confidence in the personws ability to accomplish the Job. The type of power applied affects the type of influence the power holder has over the other person or work unit. Everyone has power and I d believe that to be a bad thing. The issue becomes what kind of power a person has and how it is used. The most powerful source is based on one osition within an organization and the authority given in that position (Wood, 2010). An abusive boss can lose respect and influence from their team members. As a leader, your influence and power are not only about getting the Job done, itws about the relationships you develop in the workplace. A supervisor on my Job is retiring in a couple ot months and it seems ner whole attitude and demeanor nas changed. She seems to be on a quest to get all the people she wants out of the company and all that she wants promoted before she leaves. The influence and respect that she once possessed is no longer apparent or given to her and the orale in the office is very low. Her tactics to get the Job done are threatening, humiliating, and demeaning for some of the employees. They are afraid to go above her for the fear of retaliation, so they wait and hope that their Jobs are safe until she retires. French and Raven, social psychologists, identified five sources of power legitimate, coercive, reward, expert, and referent that help the dependent person directly or indirectly achieve his or her goals. Legitimate, reward and coercive are sources of power granted formally by the organization and informally by co-workers; hey are positional powers (McShane, Steven L, Mary Ann Von Glinow, 2010). Legitimate power is an agreement among organizational members that people in certain roles can request certain behaviors of others. It depends on mutual agreement from those expected to abide by this authority (McShane, Steven L, Mary Ann Von Glinow, 2010). True and lasting power comes from being a leader worthy of respect and admiration. If you treat people with dignity and respect, you will build a trusting relationship and people will look up to you, listen to what you say, and want to be like you. Reward power derived from the person ability to control the allocation of rewards valued by others and to remove negative sanctions. Managers have power over the distribution of organizational rewards such as pay, promotions, time off, vacation schedules, and work assignments (McShane, Steven L, Mary Ann Von Glinow, 2010). This power comes with the position and can be taken away if the position is removed. Coercive power is the ability to apply punishment. Employees also have coercive power to ensure that co-workers conform to team norms (McShane, Steven L, Mary Ann Von Glinow, 2010). You have this kind of power when youwre in a position to punish others if they don ¬wt do what you want. People fear the consequences of not doing what has been asked of them. Expert and referent powers are based on an individuws personal power. These powers are based on charisma, likeability, and positive feelings the leader generates among subordinates (Wood, 2010). There is research suggesting that charismatic leadership is negatively related to harmful behaviors in the workplace. For example, transformational leadership was negatively associated with safety accidents which harisma is a large component of (Hale, 2010). These powers originate from the power holders characteristics and are power bases brought to the organization. Expert power is an individualws or work uws capacity to influence others by possessing knowledge or skills that others value (McShane, Steven L, Mary Ann Von Glinow, 2010). This power is based on what you know and will quickly gain you respect and influence in the workplace. It is all about knowing your Job and doing it well and not being afraid in learning all that you can. It could potentially be the basis for a managerial role for an employee. Referent power is a function ofa perso ¬ws interpersonal skills which allows others to identify with them, like them, or respect them and is associated with charismatic leadership (McShane, Steven L, Mary Ann Von Glinow, 2010). People are well liked and are considered role models because of their connection and concern for other people. People who are well-liked and respected nave a tremendous amount ot reterent power. A wise leader knows now and when to apply the right amount of power to influence an individual, group, or situation to move an agenda forward (McShane, Steven L, Mary Ann Von Glinow, 2010). In order to be an effective leader, a person cannot rely solely on either of these positions of power. Leading by example, offering rewards, or threatening punishments all can be used as power tools to accomplish goals, however more power can be gained by sharing it among the team in a more subtle and counterintuitive way (Wood, 2010). If you want your team to be ethical and respectful of each other, I believe the example should start from the top. Using influence tactics well requires a healthy combination of interpersonal, communication, presentation, and assertiveness techniques, verbal skills such as asserting, probing, ersisting, speaking conversationally, and willingness to ask for favors ( (Selling and Persuaion Techniques ). Influence refers to any behavior that attempts to alter someonws attitudes or behaviors (McShane, Steven L, Mary Ann Von Glinow, 2010). You may try to exert your influence through coercion and manipulation and you might even get things done but that isn ¬wt really influencing. Thatws forcing people to do what you want them to do and often against their will. Effective leaders use combinations of various strategies for different purposes under different onditions which can be classified under three categories: retribution, reciprocation, and reason (Michelson).

Poetry appreciation of Death of a naturalist Essay -- English Literatu

Poetry appreciation of Death of a naturalist This poem ‘Death of a Naturalist’ by Seamus Heaney is about the lifecycle of frogs and a child’s interest in nature. As the child grows up he looses interest in all aspects of nature. It is as if ‘Death of a Naturalist’ was referring to the loss of innocence of the child and the love of nature he once had died inside him. Not only that, he now has respect for nature but not necessarily disliking it; nor loving it either. The atmosphere of the first stanza is quite positive. A phrase such as ‘There were dragon-flies, spotted butterflies,’ suggests a happy mood and refers to pleasant memories to Heaney as a child. Diction such as the ‘warm thick slobber’ indicates to me the child-likeness theme of this poem. Which proves that it is from an adult’s perspective looking back at his childhood. Heaney has done this by using the ‘child-like’ vocabulary as well as a more complex and mature tone to the poem. He has done this so that we as the reader can recognise the difference of the fascination of a child and a simpler explanation of things from an adult. For example as the first stanza draws to a close we learn that by frogs we can tell the weather ‘For they were yellow in the sun and brown/in rain.’ This is the typical child learning something new in school, and then assuming they know it all. From that I get the image of the child telling its mother ‘mum did you know†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Where as an adult would dismiss it as merely a fact. By the second stanza the poem takes a rather dark turn. All the positivity in the first stanza has been replaced with a sinister and morbid tone. The beginning of the stanza ‘ Then one hot day†¦fields were rank’ suggests the dramatic change in ... ...ts changed and I realised that the poem was not all about frogs. It was a case of reading between the lines. Heaney’s overall message fascinated me and urged me to delve more into the subject of ‘loss of innocence’. Which set me on a train of thought. One thing in particular that made the poem more enjoyable for myself was Heaney’s flair for style. The way in which he concentrates on the onomatopoeia in the poem is very effective. As I had not previously read any other of Heaney’s poems this immediately drew my attention. Another thing I liked was the images he created in my mind. One of those images were (in the second stanza); a battlefield where the child is on one side and the frogs are his opposition and the frogs are invading the land-similar to a war scenario. Therefore I would highly recommend this poet simply for Heaney’s unique style of writing.

Blake is the enemy of all authority(TM) Essay

Blake’s poetry often serves to propagate his anti-authoritarian views and loathing of institutional power. Furthermore, his views often impress upon the reader his belief in the human right for both spiritual and social freedom, unconstrained by established convention. Blake’s treatment of the institution of the church and religion is often contemptuous and shows his attitude to what he sees as the hypocrisy of an uncompromising establishment which in his eyes causes misery, rather than nurturing the human sole. In ‘The Garden of Love’ Blake conveys his anti-clerical message in the stanza â€Å"the gates of this chapel were shut† and reflects his view of the church as exclusionary. Moreover, the â€Å"shut† gates imply that the path to heaven and God does not start at the foot of the alter, but in individual belief and spirituality. The idea is further reinforced in the poem by the image of priests â€Å"binding with briars my joys and desires† and thereby placing the priests in the position of Christ’s oppressors, making them seem malevolent in robbing people of their natural joyful impulse. The alliteration and assonance within the â€Å"binding with briars† further reinforces the idea of a cruel path to supposed salvation. ‘The Marriage of Heaven and Hell’ challenges traditional Christian theology and makes the statement that â€Å"Prisons are built with stones of Law, Brothels with bricks of Religion†, this conveys his belief that whilst society may restrain immorality, religion can create it. The â€Å"prisons†¦ built with stones of law† also symbolise how traditional doctrinal teaching has imprisoned personal individuality. Furthermore â€Å"Good is the passive which obeys reason. Evil is the active springing from energy† epitomises the teaching of the Church of Blake’s time and is contrary to the sentiments of most contemporary readers in an age prizing individuality and condemnatory of passive indolence. â€Å"The Marriage of Heaven and Hell† was composed after the 1789 French Revolution and in a period of radical ideological and political conflict, therefore Blake’s condemnation of apathy is aimed to promulgate his vision of anarchic energy free from the restrain of authority. â€Å"Reason is the bound or outward circumference of energy† suggests that living purely through one’s intellect is what constrains boundless energy, which to him is â€Å"eternal delight†. So in this respect it is evident that the traditional authority given to rationality is seen as preventative to living life to its full as â€Å"the restrainer or reason†¦ governs the unwilling†. This indicates Blake’s view that the natural human instinct is to oppose reason and that to act according to reason is tantamount to acting under duress, in the mistaken belief that to oppose reason is to go against the â€Å"Good [which] is the passive that obeys reason†. In the poem â€Å"The school Boy† Blake condemns school- an institution which tries to teach reason as restricting the childs’ vivacity in his natural environment. â€Å"How can the bird that is born for joy sit in a cage and sing? † is a metaphor for human imprisonment to show that the environment of the classroom cannot cultivate the unrestrained and joyful energy which Blake reveres. This is in contrast to â€Å"the sky-lark [which] sings† with the boy when he â€Å"rise[s] in a summer morn When the birds sing on every tree†. This illustrates the bucolic setting, filled with aural imagery and how joy prevails in the boundless confines of nature. The repression of man-created institutions such as school can be contrasted to the freedom provided by nature, where arguably God is the only authority. The nurses song centres on the liberating environment of nature where â€Å"the voices of children are heard on the green and laughing is heard on the hill†. This evokes the abundance of delight created by God’s creation of the natural world and how in Blake’s time the idyllic countryside of England was yet largely unspoiled by large, polluting manufacturers seeking profit maximisation. The laughing of the children in â€Å"The Nurse’s Song† almost becomes as natural as the song of â€Å"the little birds† and shows that in such pastoral surroundings the children’s freedom is boundless just as that of the birds. However, this freedom is circumscribed by the watchful nurse in â€Å"The Nurses Song† in ‘Song’s of Experience’ who reprimands the children saying â€Å"your spring and your day are wasted in play† and in contrast to the well intentioned protection of the children in the first â€Å"Nurse’s Song†, this poem presages the eventual loss of the children’s natural freedom. However, Blake does not oppose parental authority arising from love, that is in the best interests of the child. Whilst he may rightfully condemn the parents in â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper† (experience) who â€Å"clothed†¦ [their child] in the clothes of death And taught†¦ [him] to sing the notes of woe†, this is because they are uncaring and hostile to their child’s happiness that is anathema to them. Consequently, their authority is destructive and oppressive. But, Blake does not condemn the guiding role of the mother in â€Å"The Little Black Boy†, who â€Å"taught†¦ [him] underneath a tree†, as her teaching is not institutionalised and rigidly doctrinal, but done outdoors in the natural environment that Blake so venerates. Moreover, at a time when slavery was still legal in England and the general perception of other races was of a racist sort, Blake’s portrayal of the boy and his mother in an affectionate manner, devoid of savagery would have challenged the notions of his day. In another radical step away from the customs of his time the introduction to Songs of Innocence gives authority to the child, to which the piper assents. † ‘Pipe a song about a lamb. ‘/ So I piped with merry cheer† paints the child was the origin of creativity and beautiful, with the piper as his instrument. The reference to the lamb suggests that the child has a moral and spiritual purpose and that his youthful innocence makes him more adept than the piper to whom he shoes how to convey the message through song. However the transience of the child’s authority is conveyed in the words â€Å"so he vanished from my sight† which re-establishes the reality of Blake’s time when children were powerless to resist the demands of their elders and could not dictate their own wishes or destinies. Blake’s focus on authority is intended to make a social and political statement about the customs of his day. Arguably, he does not oppose all authority but merely the kind arising from self-interest and requiring the sacrifice of fellow human beings. His poetry advocates individuality and unrestrained vivacity for life rare for his time and fundamentally preaches unbridled equality.

A Guide to Installing Microsoft Access 2010

Due to its widespread availability and flexible functionality, Microsoft Access 2010 is still a popular database software in use today. Access 2010 introduced a version of the ACCDB file format that supported SharePoint, which allowed support for the Mac through a browser for the first time. New in Access 2010 was the Backstage view through which you can access all the commands for an entire database. The ribbon and navigation pane, which was introduced in Access 2007, is in Access 2010.   Benefits of Access 2010 Enhanced securityImproved spell checkerSharePoint supportNew user interfaceImproved data presentation How to Install Access 2010 The Access installation process is straightforward. Verify that your system meets the basic requirements for Access. Youll need at least a 500 MHz or faster processor with 256MB of RAM. Youll also need at least 3GB of free hard disk space.Ensure that your operating system is up to date. Youll need Windows XP SP3 or later to run Access 2010. Its a good idea to apply all security updates and hotfixes to your system before installing Access.Insert the Office CD into your CD-ROM drive. The installation process begins automatically and asks you to wait while the system prepares the Installation Wizard.The next step of the process prompts you to enter your product key and accept the terms of the license agreement.If youd like to install the entire Office suite or youre using an Access-only CD, you can choose Install Now on the next screen. If you want to customize your installation, click Customize instead.When the installation completes, you may be prompted to restart your computer. Go ahead and do so. After you install Access 2010, visit the Microsoft website for video tutorials on the software.