Introduction
As an organizational consultant at We Make Widgets, Inc, I will try to find an individual approach to each of the leaders who work in this organization. Although, these people face different problems, in each case it is necessary to strike a balance between professional and personal life. Without it they may not be able to do their work effectively. To some extent, each of the leaders is driven by his or her need for professional fulfillment, and this behavior often results into family problems, fatigue, or inability to relax.
The main task of the leadership team is to seek outcomes that can benefit these individuals and the company in general. In order to achieve success I will rely on the assistance of my colleagues. Moreover, I will have to gain the trust of the leaders so that they could share with me their beliefs, opinions, and tell me more about their goals or values. The main goal of the team will be to offer solutions that can improve of these peoples’ lives without impairing their productivity or reducing their contribution to the successes of the company.
Maria Visionaria and the necessity to ease the heavy workload
The first person whom I will need to approach is Maria Visionaria. She is the Chief Executive Officer at We Make Widgets. Currently, she works six or seven days per week and this emphasis on work adversely influences her physical health and relations with other people. There are several questions that I will have to ask her. First, I will ask her whether there are people to whom she can delegate some of her duties. It is important for every leader to find a person who can support his or her ideas and carry out some of the duties that a leader performs.
According to Robert Thomas, a leader must be able to find a person should have confidants, in other words people on whom he or she can rely on (2008, p. 46). Without them, it is rather difficult to achieve any success in personal or professional life. Thus, Maria should also find such confidants. In turn, other members of the leadership team will interview other employees of We Make Widgets, Inc. These people may suggest ways of how she can delegate some of her authority to her colleagues. In this way, the team will try to develop the most effective strategies for Maria Visionaria.
Secondly, I would ask Maria whether she has other interests, apart from professional activities. Robert Thomas says that a wide range of interests is one of the strengths that can help a person overcome stressful situations (2008, p. 46). One should take into account that many people can become too focused on their job, and it may be difficult for them to find other interest or goals. Yet, by paying more attention to their interests or hobbies they can make their lives more fulfilling. Apart from that, if Maria Visionaria allows me, if will ask her several questions about her family. In particular, I will ask her about the amount of time that Maria spends with these people. It is quite possible that she will acknowledge the necessity to pay more attention to the needs of these people. This is how our team will try to approach this person.
Overall, I will make several recommendations to Maria Visionaria. First of all, I will suggest that she should have a vacation at least once a year since she may be tired both physically and mentally. Moreover, she should develop a habit of taking at least one day off per week, and this is the minimal requirement. One of the most important things for me will be justify my recommendations. First of all, I will say that by exhausting herself Maria will eventually lose all her energy and her productivity will eventually decrease. In this way, she can only harm herself and the company. This is one of the things that she will certainly try to avoid.
It is worth noting that Maria reached the age of 50. According to Barbara Bjorklund, this age can be referred as middle adulthood, when signs of aging become more pronounced (2010, p. 411). Moreover, a person should remember that his or her strengths cannot be restored very easily at this age (Bjorklund, 2010, p. 411). This is one the issues that Maria should keep in mind. She cannot assume that her physical and mental capacity is limitless.
Additionally, I will argue that by taking a vacation, Maria can break daily routine, and take a different look at the problems or difficulties that We Make Widgets, Inc has to encounter. She may come up with new strategies or ideas that she never thought before. Such a break can also improve a person’s creativity. On the whole, I will try to emphasize the idea that by reducing the workload that is placed on her shoulders, she will eventually improve her productivity. Furthermore, I will suggest that by relying more on other employees of the company she can improve the process of decision-making in this organization. These benefits may be appeal to Maria. Thus, the proposed recommendation can be beneficial at individual and organizational levels. This is one of the main arguments that I will put forward in order to convince Maria.
Mujibar Delhi and the difficult transition to retirement
The challenges faced by Mujibar Delhi are slightly different. He works as the Chief Operating Officer and for a long time he has been able to cope with his duties. However, other people believe that he begins to show the signs of fatigue. The members of the leadership team do not know whether his beliefs are fully justified. According to popular stereotypes, people who reach the age of 60 or more are likely to lose their work roles. However, in many cases, this stereotype is hardly substantiated (Schulz, 2006, p. 365).
The main problem is that sometimes people, who represent this age group, become too sensitive even of the minor mistakes that they can make. In their opinion, such mistakes will always be regarded as signs of fatigue or even incompetence. Very often, this fear is hardly related to the actual performance of a person. Thus, I would first ask Mujibar Delhi whether there is any evidence showing that he cannot cope with his duties. It is quite possible that there is no reason for him to think about fatigue. This is the first issue that the leadership team should take into account.
When talking to such a person as Mujibar Delhi, it is impermissible to mention such issues as fatigue or retirement because such remarks can be viewed as a form of impoliteness. This is pitfall that the leadership team will need to avoid. One should take into consideration that professional fulfillment is essential for this person even at the age of 62. More importantly, the expertise that Mujibar Delhi has can be invaluable for this company. Even if he cannot do his work as he did before, the company cannot lose such employees as Mujibar Delhi. I will make this point in order to show to Delhi that he should dismiss himself as a professional.
There are several issues that team members can ask this person. For instance, they can speak ask whether Mujibar Delhi would agree on part-time employment. Mujibar Delhi can work as a highly-paid consultant at We Make Widgets Inc. This suggestion may appeal to Mujibar Delhi, because he will still play an important role in the company. Yet, he will also be able to spend more time with his wife who has already retired. Moreover, one should note that his wife needs his support because she needs to take care of her mother who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. Thus, by taking the position of a part-time consultant Mujibar Delhi can remain at the company and better attend to the needs of his family. Thus, Delhi may find this option very attractive.
Apart from that, Mujibar Delhi can take a different approach. For instance, he can choose a person to whom he can entrust some of his daily duties or responsibilities. Again, such an approach will enable Delhi to spend time with his family and occupy an important position in the organization. Furthermore, in this way, he can find a person who will eventually become the Chief Operating Officer of the company.
These are some of the options that that this person can choose from. Other members of the leadership team may discuss ways in which Delhi can delegate some of his responsibilities to other employees. On the whole, Mujibar Delhi will have to find a compromise between his professional and personal life. Many researchers believe that part-time employment can be the so-called “retirement cushion” (Schulz, 2006, p. 365). In other words, this activity can help them adjust to retirement and a different lifestyle.
It should be mentioned that sharp transition from professional life to retirement may not be easy for many people. It can lead to the alienation from former colleagues and even family members. As it is pointed out by Barbara Bjorklund, elderly people, who remain engaged in professional and social life, are more likely to be satisfied with the quality of their lives because they feel that they are valued by others. (2010, p. 433). This is the reason why Delhi can prefer part-time employment. This option may best fit his current needs. Moreover, in this way the company will retain probably the most experienced employee who knows the company and its business processes very well.
Additionally, when discussing these issues with Mujibar, we can also ask him about his interests or hobbies. As it has been said before, interests can help a person cope with stress (Thomas, 2008, p. 46). These interests become particularly important when a person begins to get ready for his or her retirement. Without them, a person may not adjust to the life in which there is no professional fulfillment. Many old people believe that such life is meaningless. We should stress the importance of interests or hobbies when talking to Mujibar. This is they way in which the team can help this leader at this stage of his life.
Wanda Sharp and her excessive need for control
The difficulties that Wanda Sharp encounters have several dimensions. First of all, she believes that she bears the main responsibility for the successes or failures of the company. Certainly, Wanda plays an important part in the organization because she is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), but she does not have to take control of everything that takes place in the company. Such an approach may be effective for some people, but it often results in fatigue and even reduced productivity.
Secondly, she currently encounters family problems. The thing is that she and her husband want to adopt a baby and this is a very important decision that may require full-time commitment from Wanda. Moreover, her son struggles with substance abuse, and this is the main cause of her distress. Thus, one can assume that at the moment, she should spend more time with her family, especially her son. Yet, our team will have to remember that it may be difficult to convince Wanda of this idea.
There are several issues that one should discuss with Wanda Sharp. As a leadership consultant, I would like to focus on those cases when Wanda acted beyond the scope of her duties. I would ask her why she sees herself responsible for every step that the company takes. Probably, there is no need for her to act in this way. The main purpose of this discussion will be to show that this over-responsibility can be irrational or even harmful. In fact, psychologists argue people, who have an excessive need to control everything, often tend to blame themselves even for the faults of others (Anthony & Swinson, 2009, p. 55).
Besides, they sometimes cannot focus on their immediate duties (Anthony & Swinson, 2009, p. 55). This behavior can be very harmful for the mental health of an individual. Thus, Wanda Sharp should see that this perfectionism and perhaps workaholism are not justified in any way. By acting only as the CFO she can make sure that her career does not harm her family life. This is one of the key steps that she should take.
Secondly, she is very concerned with the substance abuse of her son. She constantly says, “How could he do this to me” when referring to her son. To some degree, she blames herself for the behavior of her son. Under such circumstances, many people may think that they spent too little time with their children (Taylor, 2004, p. 3). As a psychologist I would tell Wanda that no family is completely insured against substance abuse problems. It can affect people of different cultural origins or income levels (Taylor, 2004, p. 3). So, one should not believe that there are some parents whose children are pre-destined to take drugs.
To some degree, these problems can be attributed to peer pressure or the influence of mass media (Taylor, 2004, p. 3). Admittedly, the idea that ones child takes drugs is unacceptable to any person. However, Wanda should not jump to the conclusion that she is a bad mother. The most important thing for Wanda at this point is to help her son. One of the ways in which she can do it is to spend more time with him. Her support and encouragement will of enormous help to him, especially at this point.
There are several things that the team can recommend to her. First of all, she should change her attitude toward work. There is no reason for Wanda to believe that the success of the company depends only on the effort that she takes. There is hardly any evidence that supports such a view because there are other senior executives in this company. Besides, it is not rational to assume that a single individual can be responsible for every success or failure of the organization. This is probably the main idea that Wanda will need to admit in order to find a way of this situation.
Apart from that, this attitude can lead to various mental problems such as anxiety or depression. A person who, suffers from this disorders, is not longer able to work effectively. This is one of the ideas that I will set stress on when talking to Wanda. By changing her mindset, she will be able to pay equal attention to the needs of her family and her work duties. In the long term, she can better contribute to the performance of this company.
Secondly, Wanda may also consider taking a short leave. This temporary absence from work will not lower her status in the company as Wanda may suggest. She is one of the most capable and diligent employees at We Make Widgets, Inc. Other executive officers will support Wanda in her decision to spend some time with her family. More importantly, she will be able to help her son who currently struggles with substance abuse. On the whole, this time will not be spent in vain. So, Wanda Sharp can approach her problems in this way.
Conclusion
Overall, the recommendations that have been proposed to each of these leaders are aimed at balancing personal and professional life. In each case, it may be necessary to find a person to whom some responsibilities of a leader can be delegated. Maria Visionaria, Mujibar Delhi, and Wanda Sharp can find a person who they can rely on. The strategies that have been developed for each of these people are based on the idea that by achieving work-life balance a person can eventually improve his or her productivity. It is hardly reasonable to believe that a person can continuously work tirelessly without exhausting oneself or harming ones family life. In fact, this assumption can adversely affect the performance of an employee. The strategies have been put forward can benefit these leaders individually and the entire company.
Reference List
Anthony, M. & Swinson, R. (2009). When Perfect Isn’t Good Enough: Strategies for Coping With Perfectionism. New York: New Harbinger Publications.
Bjorklund, B. (2010). The Journey of Adulthood. Berkeley: Prentice Hall.
Schulz, R. (2006). The Encyclopedia of Aging: A-K. New York: Springer Publishing Company.
Taylor, G. (2004). Youths Serving Youths in Drug Education Programs. Washington: R&L Education.
Thomas, R. (2008). Crucibles of Leadership: How to Learn from Experience to Become a Great Leader. Cambridge: Harvard Business Press.