Midterm Essay - Motivation and Leadership

I believe the five ways in which leaders can tangibly develop two-way communication is by implementing the following:

1. The leader should be present: Being present and showing your face often to your followers will create possibility for two-way communication. Managing remotely/from another location and being an absentee leader can make room for one-way communication (the leader only communicating when they deem necessary), miscommunication or lack-of-communication entirely.

2. Create and open-door policy: Allowing followers to enter the office, ask questions and have an open discussion without having to go through any formal procedure to do so, can allow for two-way communication.

3. Set time aside for group discussions/meetings: having weekly, bi-weekly or monthly standing scheduled meetings set will allow for better two-way communication. This will give the followers comfort in knowing that the leader wants to share new ideas and possibly hear some as well.

4. Include followers in decision making: asking for followers' opinions on certain ideas and decisions automatically creates two-way communication as this allows for them to express their thoughts and views. Allowing them to brainstorm different ideas and make suggestions helps them to feel like they are a part of the team and can possibly help them to see the "bigger picture". This is especially good when the decision(s) that is being made will affect them. They will feel a sense of security and honesty from their leader.

5. Lastly, a good way to create two-way communication is by being involved in tasks as well: making suggestions and encouraging followers to do their best, can open the door to better two-way communication. Get out of the office and go out on the floor/work area and see what the workers are doing by having constant access and conversation.

Define Transformational and Charismatic Leadership. (2) Explain why some people think charismatic leadership is bad; (3) provide an example of a positive charismatic leader and explain why you think this person is charismatic.

Transformation leadership is when optimism, charm, intelligence, and a myriad of other personal qualities are used to raise aspirations and transform individuals and organizations into new levels of high performance." (The Art of Leadership). Transformational leadership is also viewed as Charismatic Leadership and also includes special charm and the ability to inspire while maintaining optimism, sense of adventure, and commitment to a cause.

Some people believe that charismatic leadership is negative because it usually has influence on followers for short term. It is believed that a charismatic leader does not have 'knowledge-based' leadership and therefore cannot be an effective leader.

When I hear the term 'charismatic leader' the person that comes to mind