Effective Managers and Leaders Gender and Cultural Diversity

Effective Manager and Leaders- Gender and Cultural Diversity

Argosy University

COM450: Communication Gender & Culture

Module 4, Assignment 2

Introduction

In any organization there should be a leader otherwise the group would not be as one. A leader leads and conducts the group and makes sure that the team members are as one and follow the guidelines of an organization.

Effective leader characteristics

Steve Goodier said good leaders are…

“Listeners. They take time to listen to the suggestions and concerns of those they endeavor to lead.

Encouragers. They don’t try to do it all themselves. Neither do they motivate by force or guilt. They encourage others and help bring out their best.

Assertive. They say what needs to be said without being unkind. They tell the truth as they see it, openly and frankly.

Decisive. They know what needs to be done and they make timely, even difficult, decisions when necessary. But they can also take charge without running over the people in their lives.”

There are so many good characteristics that makes up an effective leader but these four characteristics listed above, I think is what really an effect leader should have.

Manager and leader should perform the same task because I really don’t see the difference. Both are leading groups of people and are responsible for them making sure they follow the rules and do their assign jobs.

I used to work for a big company and my first job with this company I was assign as a receptionist and I was put under a female manager. My second job with the same company I was put as an inventory assistance and I was also put a male manager.

Female vs. Male Manager Characteristics

Female Manager

The female manager was so much different from the male manager. Female manager gave me things to do aside from answering the phone. I don’t mean to say anything negative but this was my observation with the two managers.

The female manager was a good leader but to me personally she had much more weaknesses than strengths. Because I worked in the same office with her I got to know her better and as a best friend to my mother I got to know her even better.

Listener- We have meetings and trainings regularly and she would listen. She would make comments and take notes on any suggestions or concerns. But she did not do anything to solve any of the suggestions or concerns.

Encourager- When I worked for her, she gave things to do even some of her own responsibility things to do and I was fine with it at first because I was learning new things and it was bringing the best out of me. Until I later found out that she wasn’t doing anything because I was doing her job.

Assertive- She is a sweet talker. She would say exactly what a person needs to hear and then turn around and talk bad about them. She also lies sometime to cover herself.

Decisive- She makes decision sometimes based on herself. For example, I was working in the office day and I heard her talking with the male manager and she was telling him that one of the cashiers didn’t have to have access to any of the accounts and that access should be taken away from her. But when that cashier came up and ask her why she can’t have access, she said she doesn’t know anything and to go talk to the male manager. She made a decision and yet it was putting her nose in where it doesn’t belong.

Male Manager

This leader at first I didn’t really know because he is hardly at the office and he is always busy so I don’t want to disturb him. But when I was assign as an inventory assistance I got to work even more close with him and I actually enjoyed working with him. Yes, he was hard working and was hardly at the office but it was because he was doing his job.

Listener- Because we worked in the warehouse where all the products of the store come in and out we are to have honest employees. There were few men who I worked with who would steal and I would talk to this manager. He would listen and then he would act upon it. He would take that person and talk to that person one on one without that person knowing who he got the information from.

Encourager- He always encourage us to do our best and to rest if we need to because he understands that the warehouse is hot and dusty. He would also take time to meet with us and help us do even better at our work and would suggest ways we can do things.

Assertive- He would speak the truth and he would say it in a way that everyone would feel that we can do better and motivates us to work harder without making us feel bad.

Decisive- He was the kind that makes decision that are really hard and he would even talk to his team before making a final decision.

Conclusion

I think gender has nothing to do with the way a manager is because I have other managers who were female but they had the characteristics that the male manager had and vice versa. But I think culture plays a huge role in how a manager is. I say this because my female was a Tongan and speaking from experience they think of themselves. I am not saying all of them but I am speaking about the ones I have been around. I used to visit a Tongan church and everyone styles up as if they are going to a prom. I would sit and observe and everyone is competitive. They would talk about how good their own family is and the other would do the same thing too. If they see someone who is styles up more than them they would say negative things about that person behind their back but when they go up they say good things.

They kind of remind me of the story of the crabs. If you put crabs in a bucket. They would not survive coming out because if one crab tries to come out and the others would pull that crab down and they would start over again.

My male manager on the other hand he is from the Philippines. Such a humble man. They know that they don’t have much and that helping others as others have helped them is the key to success.

Reference

Goodier, Steve. (2001). Four Traits of Effective Leaders. Retrieved from http://www.appleseeds.org/4-traits-lead.htm

Personal Experience