Central Texas College Team Management Memorandum

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Central Texas College

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Scenario: Assume that you have been assigned by your immediate supervisor to produce a memo regarding a new small team’s manager orientation program. Your supervisor wants you to indicate specific skills new managers will need to be aware of to successfully manage and lead their new teams. You then need to explain how the orientation program will be set up to address different learning styles so the new managers will successfully learn to lead and manage their work teams.

Write a  business memo to your supervisor in which you address the following:

  • Explain three skills these new managers of small teams will need to effectively manage and lead their small teams. Be sure to note at least two specific differences between managing skills and leading skills.
  • Explain how you will ensure that the three different learning styles are addressed in the training session so the new managers will successfully learn to lead and manage their work teams.

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1 Learning Styles, Study Strategies, and Managing Versus Leading In this unit you will identify your personal learning styles and your study strategies; you will also identify your personal strengths and weaknesses that you bring to your college experience. Finally, you will explore the differences between managing and leading. Learning Styles Being aware of the way that you learn best will help you succeed in school. Your ability to achieve your personal, professional, and academic goals is directly related to knowing how to use your own personal learning style to your advantage. Different people have different ways of learning and retaining information. Some prefer to hear the information, some prefer to see the information, and some prefer to "do" it. For example: If you had to put a bicycle together, would you: Read the instructions? Ask a friend to tell you how it is done (or read the instructions to you)? Ignore the instructions and just start putting it together? A visual learner would read the instructions. An auditory learner would want to hear how to put the bike together. A kinesthetic learner would prefer to "do" it and learn while feeling or touching. Knowing your learning style will help you find strategies that will help you to retain information. Most people consider themselves to be visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learners. However, the majority of people use a combination of all three learning styles, although you each have a preferred way of learning. Think about it. When you learn something new do you like to see it, hear about it, or move around when you are taking in information? The Right Style for the Right Task Different tasks and circumstances may require you to use one learning style over another. Take, for example, riding a bike. Would you prefer to read about riding bikes, listen to someone tell you how to ride a bike, or get on a bike and try it yourself? For most of us, riding a bike is the kind of activity that requires "hands on" training; therefore, you would need to actually attempt the task in order to learn it. Another example is learning how to play an instrument. In this situation, you would probably need to use all three learning styles. You would need to see the notes in order to know what sounds to make, you would need to hear someone else play the instrument so you know how it should sound, and you would need to actually play the instrument to make your own music. Once you identify the ways you learn best (note that it can be plural), you can modify your study environment and tailor your study experience to meet the needs of your learning style. For example, if you are an auditory learner, you will most likely learn best by listening, you might find it helpful to record yourself reading your Assignments and then listening to the recording afterward. If you learn best by actively participating in the task, a tactile/kinesthetic learner, you might find it helpful to experiment with new activities where you can apply the information you have read. Of course, if you are a strong visual learner you need to see everything for the greatest “clarity” in learning. Multiple Intelligences There are 8 Multiple Intelligences (as described by Howard Gardner, 2006). Here is a specific chart you can use to readily comprehend the intelligences and their meaning to you as individual learners: • Interpersonal: If you have strong interpersonal skills, you are “people smart.” 2 • Intrapersonal: If you have strong intrapersonal skills, you are “self-smart.” • Verbal-linguistic: If you are verbal-linguistic you are word smart. • Logical-mathematical: If you are logical-mathematical, you are logic and math smart. • Naturalist: If you are a naturalist at heart, you are nature smart (science and math). • Visual-spatial: If you are visual-spatial, you are picture smart. • Bodily-kinesthetic: If you are bodily-kinesthetic, you are hands-on or body and movement smart. • Musical-rhythmic: If you are musical-rhythmic, you are music smart. Utilize the following resources based on Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences to learn more about each type of intelligence and how you can make use of your unique strengths by going to the Teacher’s Network website. If you are a Verbal Linguistic learner, (1) write a story for a book or newsletter, (2) keep a journal. If you are a Mathematical/Logical learner, (3) sort, categorize, and characterize word lists, or (4) while reading a story, stop before you have finished and predict what will happen next. If you are a Body/Kinesthetic learner, (5) write on a mirror with lipstick or soap, (6) take a walk and read all the words you find during the walk, or (7) handle a Koosh™ ball or a stress ball during a study session. Continue to make connections as you move from unit to unit. Search for the strategies that you find most helpful to your learning and thinking processes. Begin to use them over and over because through repetition you will establish habits of success. Study Strategies TIPS: Visual Learners • Use organized or typed material • Use visual images, diagrams, flash cards, and mind mapping • Use drawings and written images TIPS: Auditory Learners • Use memorization strategies, songs, and auditory repetition • Use tape recordings of notes, readings, and important topics Use verbal skills to reinforce information TIPS: Kinesthetic Learners • Use a combination of sight, touch, taste, smell, and hearing • Use chinking or step-by-step processes for lengthy tasks • Use direct involvement and hands-on strategies As you are focusing on becoming a stronger, more empowered learner it will also be important for you to consider your strengths and weaknesses in terms of your study strategies. Where do you excel? Where do you need to make some improvements? How can you make full use of your strengths as you focus on making improvements? • • • Explore the following areas as you seek to know yourself better as a learner and thinker: Anxiety ~ How well do you deal with your emotions? Attitude ~ How does your attitude affect your daily performance? Concentration ~ Do you find that you are easily distracted or are you good at staying focused? 3 • • • • • • • Information Processing ~ Are you good at remembering and retaining information or is this something you struggle with? Motivation ~ Do you find it easy to stay motivated and engaged or do you tend to lose interest in things easily? Selecting Main Ideas ~ Are you confident when it comes to selecting main ideas? Self-Testing ~ How effective are your current self-testing strategies? Testing Strategies ~ How effective are your current testing strategies? Time Management ~ How well do you manage your time? Using Academic Resources ~ How efficient are your current study aids? Managing and Leading Managing and leading are both extremely important when it comes to effective work teams; however, there are several distinct differences between the two, and as a military professional it is important that you understand these differences so that you can effectively function in your own work teams. Managing focuses mainly on the work itself, whereas leading focuses more on the people themselves. According to Bateman and Snell (2013, p. 233), “Effective managers are not necessarily true leaders. Many administrators, supervisors, and even top executives perform their responsibilities successfully without being great leaders. But these positions afford an opportunity for leadership. The ability to lead effectively, then, sets the excellent managers apart from the average ones.” Review the chart below to see some of the main differences between managing and leading. Managing Versus Leading: What is the Difference? Managing Activities Leading Activities Day-to-day operations Planning Budgeting Structuring Staffing Monitoring Results-centered Supervisory leadership Orchestrating Change Setting Direction Creating vision Inspiring Motivating Overcoming People-centered Strategic leadership Take time to read the following article from Caroline Smith (2015) entitled Managers Versus Leaders: the big debate from Mindtools.com. 4 References Bateman, T. S., & Snell, S. A. (2013). M, management (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill/ Irwin. Chapman, A. (2014). Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences. https://www.businessballs.com/self-awareness/howard-gardners-multipleintelligences/ Chapman, A. (2014). Personality theories, types and tests. https://www.businessballs.com/self-awareness/howard-gardners-multipleintelligences/#multiple%20intelligences%20tests Gardner, H. (2006). Multiple intelligences: New horizons in theory and practice. Basic Books. Golubtchik, B. (n.d.) The multiple intelligence classroom: Matching your teaching methods with how students learn. [New Teachers handbook excerpt] teachers network. http://www.teachersnetwork.org/media/NTHchapterbenna.htm Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day. (n.d.). https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-ofthe-day Smith. C. (2015, May12). Managers versus leaders: The big debate! [Blog post] Mind Tools.com. http://www.mindtools.com/blog/managers-versus-leaders-the-big-debate/ Management versus Leadership Leadership means a person could be alone in his or her initial vision and it implies some risk. These people are innovators. Their job is to inspire others to see and believe in the mission, vision, and goals of the organization or initiative. Management means responsibility for administration of a plan or carrying out the plan or initiative through others. Leaders can move whole nations to action. One example of this is Winston Churchill’s famous radio broadcasts (as Prime Minister) in the United Kingdom during World War II (1939– 1945). On the brink of defeat in the campaign against Germany, Churchill refused to be conquered or accept anything less than total surrender from the enemy. His broadcasts and speeches inspired the entirety of the nation to keep on fighting. However, Churchill also risked ridicule at the very beginning of the war when he warned the public of the threat of Hitler’s ambitions in Europe. Reference Dubrin, A. J. (2010). Leadership: Research findings, practice, and skills (6th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage. Leadership Skills Executive skills needed by leaders: Communicate the larger picture and/or vision and goals to others Negotiation skills to obtain needed resources Decision-making Empowering and motivating others Creating an effective and diverse team One great individual possessing these leadership skills was former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. He assembled a cabinet of people around him who, in some cases, had initially been his adversaries, but he knew that having a diverse range of thought, talent, and debate would benefit both the country and his ability to make good decisions. He would also tell story after story to drive home an idea or make his argument and sway opinion to his side. The public could relate to him because these were stories they could all understand and which were based on common sense and everyday life. He also timed his decisions so that he would propose a new law or announce a decision when he knew the public was ready for it, and as a result they were able to accept it (Goodwin, 2005). Moving into the 21st Century, leadership is becoming increasingly more collaborative. As the world becomes more globalized, and thus more complex, so too does the nature of leadership. Collaborative leadership is based on the idea that no one has all the answers and expertise in everything. Now the leader becomes more of a facilitator, empowering and motivating the team (Hackman, 2010). This type of leadership is characterized by fostering diversity and learning, soliciting feedback and opinions of the group, and supporting the group’s decisions. It also involves mentoring team members and empowering others to lead special project or assignment teams. However, this collaborative leadership model must be balanced with the need for timely decision-making as the pace of business increases with globalization and increased productivity through the use of technology. References Goodwin, D. K. (2005). Team of rivals. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster. Hackman, J. R. (2010). Leading teams: Imperatives for leaders. In G. R. Hickman (Ed.), Leading organizations: Perspectives for a new era. (pp. 206–238). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. Hicks, D. A. (2010). Globalization. In G. R. Hickman (Ed.), Leading organizations: Perspectives for a new era. (pp. 14–20). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
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