Page 308 - Business Principles and Management

Chapter

The Manager as Leader 12

12.1 The Importance of Leadership

12.2 Developing Leadership Skills

12.3 Leadership Styles
12.4 Dealing with Employee Problems

RE ALITY CHECK

Is Politics a Popularity Contest?

rittany and Foster walked to the bus stop to return home after attending
a political debate. Because the election for the city’s mayor and council
Bmembers was only three weeks away, their government and economics
class decided to attend the debate and then discuss the candidates the next
day in class. Each student was asked to identify the characteristics they
believed were most important for the office of mayor and be prepared
to discuss each candidate using those characteristics.
Brittany: Our city is growing rapidly and has a lot of problems. We need
a mayor who’s a problem solver and willing to make tough deci-
sions. I don’t know if any of the candidates showed me they were
willing to do that.
Foster: I think as politicians they want people to like them. They all seem
to be effective communicators but don’t want to say anything that
will upset voters. Do you really think they can do what has to be
done for the city without making some people upset with them?
Brittany: Running a city is just like managing a large company. If you’re
a good manager and the business is successful, people will be
satisfied.
Foster: I’m not sure. Being mayor of a city and manager of a large business
may be similar in some ways. But a manager can make decisions
that are best for the business and still have dissatisfied employees
and customers. I don’t think a mayor can risk upsetting voters even
if a decision seems to be best for the city’s future.
Brittany: I think we both agree that it’s not easy to lead a large organiza-
tion, whether it’s a city or a business. It’s hard to decide what
the most important characteristics of an effective manager or
mayor should be.

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