The Relations of Leadership and Management - Research Paper Example

?When one considers leadership and management, they may be quickly inclined to think that due to the nature of these two qualities, it is oftentimes difficult if not impossible for them to be represented adequately within a single individual. However, the truth of the matter is that even though the products that they might be representing and/or selling are inherently different, the methods by which the accomplished leader/manager must engage the consumer with and the means by which the actual communication takes place is far more similar than different. As a function of understanding this, the following research will focus upon the means Meg Whitman, CEO of HP, engenders the qualities that have developed her into the leader that she has become (McCLEAN et al., 2013). The first aspect of leadership that can be observed is with regards to the fact that Meg Whitman provides a unique level of interest with regards to the subjects he discussed with stakeholders within HP; acting as a prime motivator for how the shareholder viewed the product or the situation in question. As such, Whitman’s ultimate leadership strength was her knowledge of when to allow a sense of effect to develop and when to continue on (Suriyamurthi et al., 2013). Similarly, with respect to the second determinant listed above, Whitman’s exhibits the importance of tailoring and “lasering” her management message to meet the given needs within the specific workgroup she seeks to integrate with. This is a skill that many might otherwise overlook; however, it is one of the utmost importance due to the fact that without the ability to target the given shareholder with identifiable and gripping information, no matter how important the subject or how great the need to increase sales might be, the message will doubtless appear flat and otherwise stale (Dries & Pepermans, 2012). Comparatively, Whitman utilizes keen levels of communication to engage stakeholders with the excitement and uniqueness of HP’s product designs; serving to drum up support and interest for the products long before they were even able to integrate with the consumer market. As a means of presenting herself as the sole individual on an otherwise empty stage and methodically yet engagingly discussing these products with both a physical and multimedia audience, Whitman is able to convey a sense of leadership awe and excitement that would likely not have been engaged by a lesser CEO (SCHAUBROECK et al., 2012). With regards to the second determinant, Whitman seemingly has a type of built-in understanding for the type of language that would grip the consumer and provide them with a sense of awe with regards to the given product; further representing a dynamic level of leadership that helped to hone the marketing prowess with which she seeks to engage the consumer and define the organization by effectively representing its culture. As a function of this, her communication style is not one that wandered from topic to topic during the few brief minutes which she engages with the public. Rather, there is a direct point, key functionalities, and technical specifications that are related to the would-be user within terms that would not frighten those that otherwise would not have a great deal of technical expertise or understanding (Senn et al., 2013). This primary knowledge of the market with which she was ultimately engaging was the primal reason why HP has become such a fixture of US technology and engineering that it is today. Moreover, Whitman herself is a unique example of a management professional that was actually responsible for the development of the final product rather than merely a CEO that oversees projects completed under her watch. As a function of this technical standpoint from which Whitman necessarily approaches the business world, her communication style differentiates extensively from that of other leaders and managers (Muethel et al., 2012). Yet with regards to the means whereby Whitman was effectively able to utilize both verbal and non-verbal communication (i.e. body language) as a means of engaging key ideas with shareholders, this is an area of the communication process detailed within this analysis that she fell short on (Leclerc et al., 2013). As a function of not being a polished public relations guru and not necessarily having a natural spark for the form of communication, Whitman would oftentimes come across as dry, stodgy, and/or a bit boring. This shortcoming has and continues to have detrimental effects on HP and its viability within the business world. Though Whitman herself is definitely one of the most successful businesswomen of our time, it is worth noting the degree to which his drawbacks in communication ultimately harmed the firm he represented and doubtless continues to cause a fundamental perception issue with relation to HP and its products. It must also be noted that Whitman is not a perfect manager or leader. Rather, she engenders a great many drawbacks that hindered her career and prompted her to engage in a level of self betterment in order to more effectively represent the needs of her clients and fellow stakeholders. Yet, once again, Whitman represents a high level of expertise in leadership and management due to the fact that she was able to effectively communicate to the people under his supervision and address, at the same time, the drawbacks that she faced on a personal level. Whereas it is oftentimes tempting for an individual to sweep these failures under the rug and to continue to operate under the same mechanisms that have previously defined their leadership and management, Whitman actively seeks out means of improving upon his overall management and leadership so that the firm that was under her purview could continually benefit from the improvements that he made as a leader on a personal level. Naturally, it is not possible for each and every leader to address the shortcomings that they have to of full and complete degree; however, being cognizant of these and working actively to address them is a powerful step in the right direction. As the prompt for this essay has noted, the ability for a communicator to truly realize their full potential comes only as a function of being able to plan, organize, direct, staff, and control each and every aspect of the business process over which they preside. Due to the universal communication strengths that have thus far been discussed as a means of engaging with potential customers and providing an exciting environment for which the firm/organization can hope to grow, all of these internal functions are served by the leader that represents the aforementioned qualities. In short, the development and exemplification of a successful business communicator is tried and proven within the internal environment before it ever has a chance to take hold within the outside environment. In other words, if a communicator such as the ones which have thus far been listed does not exhibit the ability to engage with the internal shareholders that represent the interests of a given firm or organization, they will doubtless have little if any success transmitting this same type of communication style or strategy into the outside environment. In this way, the communicator’s ability to engage with and excite the internal components of the firm is the ultimate litmus test for whether or not the entity will be likely to experience a high level of growth in the external environment. When one considers the case of planning, it is conceivable that planning could take place in a vacuum and be disseminated by a leader that has little if any trust in the component parts of his/her organization (Otubanjo, 2013). However, when it comes to organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling, there is little if any hope that any of these will take place effectively without a clear, concise, and effective communicator at the helm which is capable of implementing his/her goals as a function of buying shareholder support and input into the process. Ultimately, it is impossible for any single individual to be exceptional in all of the forms and best practices for management and/or leadership. However, with the proper level of dedication and a commitment to realizing that growth can take place within a litany of different areas, individuals such as Meg Whitman have been able to maximize their potential and hone the ability that they have to lead individuals. Moreover, from the distinction between management and leadership that has thus far been put forward, the reader can come to the appreciation for the fact that although these two aspects are merely contributions that can increase the ultimate utility that a firm or individual can express, it should also be appreciated that they are unique and distinct unto themselves. Obviously, the greater of these two is with regards to the leadership potential that an individual can have. Whereas it is true that Meg Whitman is effectively a very dynamic manager, her management skills in and of themselves are not what was able to vault HP to the forefront and help it to become the multibillion dollar company that it currently represents. 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