EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP KEYS

An effective leader knows that through an understanding of situations and followers, their results are achieved based on their approach. The leader expects to create the direction, alignment, and commitment that will enable them to work together to achieve organizational success. It is getting more difficult to make this happen. The basic solution that leader can do is developing relationships with others to create a sense of responsibility. Connecting to individuals, navigating a goal through the complexities in an organization, and making sense of challenges can benefit others when leading is overcome by the unpredictable difficulties of the organization. In this approach to leadership, the major goal is to no face complex organizational problems alone and to work at defining problems. Also emotional intelligence is important for leaders and followership. Leaders must always be aware of values, norms, and what is right and what is wrong. This involves emotional intelligence. Emotionally intelligent leaders are able to effectively lead others by relating ideas and using the most appropriate solutions through an emotionally comprehensible perspective.

MOTOROLA AND MALCOLM BALDRIGE AWARD

Motorola has had great success in the past years due to its Razr cell phone sales. They also have won the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 1988 for its advancements based on Shainin Methods. Now that many people have cell phones and many people and companies have fed Motorola billions of dollars, Motorola is looking to take their profits and come up with something new and cutting edge. Many people see this time as the beginning of a recession now that there’s a phone in every person’s pocket, which means its time for Motorola to take its saved money and come up with the new thing on the market. The money “Moto” can make in the stock market is really what’s driving the company. Investors have seen the stock roller coaster this year, but they have seen higher dividend pay outs and more stock buyouts. After all the company has billions it can spend at any moment, and in the business world controlling your own destiny is really what you can hope for. But what does Motorola see you in their future? Two recent acquisitions have made things a little easier for Moto; they purchased Good Technologies which came up with programs and software for newer Motorola phones. Also Prudential Equity Group analyst Inder Singh believes Motorola could get on the internet TV bandwagon and generate money that way. What Moto really needs is a “cash cow”, but where the Motorola Razr and other Moto handsets raised profits, they need to take it and invest it into something new. A new service is what the powerful company is really looking for, they want to take their money and invest it into something that is long term and produces money over time, unlike the Razr which just made money over a short period, but by no means is bad. The key is to think long-term, but Motorola, because of their large pockets can use the clock a little to come up with their new money making plan. Even if Motorola comes up with a new handheld hit and does what it did the past couple years again, then there will be nothing but more revenue to reinvest, which is a great thing. Moto is in great shape right now, even though they have competition and need a game plan soon they have many options open. Motorola chief financial officer says, “Operating margins have improved, we’ve cut our working capital needs in half, and we’ve moved to an ‘asset light’ philosophy- that’s over $4 billion in cash that’s permanently available to do other things with. I believe Motorola is in the shape it wants to be in, they have money to spend, operations look to being going on without a sign of trouble, and they have a credible name in electronics. The key is to take the money they have and develop something that will keep their employees paid and their stocks high. Another Razr selling like cell phone is a short term answer; they are looking for the cash cow that will take them home tonight. Motorola has ruled out buying out a large company so it looks like they will have to look for the success and talent within their own system. If this company is destined to make it and dominate the big leagues it will make its move in the next four years. They can keep playing hot phone from Motorola every year, but that’s more of a risk and doesn’t secure them a decade down the road. The future is in their own farm system and I think it will be interesting to watch what they do.