2014Cambridge Conference Business & EconomicsISBN : 9780974211428

LEADERS 5112014

LOOKING FOR LEADERS

WHO CAN MEET

TODAY’S CHALLENGE OF GLOBALIZATION

BY

Dr. Faith M. Pereira

Professor Emeritus

of

Management & Marketing

Dowling College

2014

This paper will be based mainly on the Empirical Data collected over the years spent on my Education: obtaining degrees in Science: [Medical Microbiology &Chemistry: B.S.(Honors), M.S. (Research) & Doctorate]: St. Xavier’s College, Bombay University, India, and in Business: [International Business: Management & Marketing: Executive MBA & Doctorate: D.P.S.], Pace University, New York, together with decades of Tertiary Teaching, including inter alia, Involvement as an Advisor of Business Students at the Graduate and Undergraduate levels. Also as the Academic Chairof the School of Business (>7 years), and Chair of the Academic Standards Committee (4 years) at Dowling College.And also at Briarcliffe College, Long Island, New York, (for over two decades); and also a Member of its Board of Trustees (for over two decades), and a Participant at Global Conferences (for 15 years). Earlier as a teenager, and years later too: as the Academic Advisor to local students in my Community in Bombay, India; and now, as a Scholarship Judge of the International Honor Society, Delta Mu Delta, for students of Business Administration. I am also the Faculty Advisor of the Dowling College Chapter, Delta Pi (for three decades).

Decades ago a college education was the prerogative of the elite of society. On graduation, a position of leadership was a foregone conclusion, and the individual was given the expected position of a leader in society. That position could be in any sphere: be it education, business, politics or a special place in society. One did not have to look for a leader; the candidates were few and the choice was easy.

As time went by, those who belonged to the upper levels of society, sent their children, mainly the boys, for a higher education in the local High Schools and Colleges. On graduation these young men were considered to be the leaders of society. They held leadership positions locally and in the Government. Some were educators, and some turned to the world of Business. To select the best of the few, was no difficult task. Looking for leaders then, may have been quite easy.

Years later, young women were also among the educated few; but most of them took to teaching in the local schools. A very small number of them were selected to be Administrators in Education. Even fewer majored in Science in College, and took up some of the few Technical positions available. Later, a few of them rose to be Scientific Administrators. However the salaries that the women received, was almost always less than that of their male counterparts, with similar backgrounds, and perhaps, with even lower grades. At this stage, almost all the selected leaders were men. The family status may have helped in their selection.

Later still, more individuals were educated; but the leadership positions were based on the Quality of the Education and the background of the individual. A very much smaller number of women succeeded in being selected, based mainly on their very high Academic Grades, and at times, their family background may have been a consideration in the selection of the leaders.

For a rather long period of time, Academic Grades were the criteria used to select leaders; but now, times are changing. People believe that a College Education is a Ticket to Success. Enrollment in a College is believed to be the only way to a successful future. The best students decide to enroll in expensive Private Colleges, making sure of their chance to succeed. But soon the enrollment in Colleges increased. As a result the number of College Graduates increased by leaps and bounds; but the Qualitywas not the same. Looking for Leaders now becomes a rather difficult task. The number of Faculty needed for the increasing number of students, increased too. It is easy to see now, that the number of the selected Faculty did not quite Fit the Bill.

Lacking the education: a Major in the Disciplineassigned to teach, and also, the expected education level. At times, Faculty selection was based solely on Family or Business connections. Looking for a Leader now, is indeed an extremely difficult task. To add to all these problems, the Economy has taken a bad turn; so the best qualified students rush to the much less expensive State and City Colleges, leaving the average and below average students to register in the expensive Private Colleges. Those students are compelled to take on additional jobs to help pay for the expensive Private College tuition. As a result they have no time for class preparation and homework. They are tired and lost in class, and have no idea of what is being discussed in class. This results in total dissatisfaction, and it gives us no opportunity of selecting a leader from this group.

Private Colleges are tuition-driven. They are desperate for students, just to fill and run their classes. As a result they make the worst Academic decision: Lowering the Admission Academic Standards. This is a sure way to commit Academic Suicide. A much better way could be by Offering Assistantships or Scholarships for achieving and maintaining really Great Grades, and by reducing or even cancelling the tuitionincentive for falling Grades, even in the economic environment of the day.Involved and enthusiastic financiers like Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffet, will be happy to help really hard-workingstudents, with the threat of cancellation of all funds, if the grades dropped even once. There are indeed other ways to fill classrooms with really good, hard-working students. Lowering the Admission Academic Standards is certainly not one way.

Looking for students to fill classrooms is a problem experienced mainly in western countries wherein low birth rates have been experienced over the years. Other countries seem to have no admission problems. Raising Admission Academic Standards helps those Colleges and Universities attract the better students. Looking for leaders there will be an easier task.

1. LEADERSHIP: The 21st Century with all its advances in technology and challenges resulting mainly from globalization, is more than a decade old today. So isn’t it surprising that we are still looking for leaders? No, it is certainly no surprise at all. We are all aware that they were looking for leaders in the early Biblical days. He came and lived in their midst, but they failed to recognize Him. They did their best to try and get rid of Him. He was not at all what they expected. What they were looking for, was a Leader who was a successful warrior, a financial genius, one who was a King, with a powerful Kingdom, with servants and slaves to satisfy hisevery command.

Yes, He was, and is, our one true Leader, who has stood the test of time. His physical death occurred thousands of years ago; and yet, He is more alive today; very popular everywhere. True it is, there have been long lists of leaders who satisfy most of those qualities, but where are they now? They have all died natural deaths, and are almost erased from our memories. And so we are still looking for leaders with those special qualities – often referred to as je ne sais quoi– but I’ll know it when I see it. That one Leader is the one we must all try to emulate, in as many ways as we can; as we are mere mortals with finite reaches.

The Leaders of the past, were mainly men; with name recognition. They stand out as shining stars, appreciated especially by those who received the Scholarships and Awards from the Foundations that these leaders set up for the benefit of achievers who are less fortunate financially. Most popular for us, are the Rockefeller, Ford and Carnegie Foundations. People then were classified into the groups; theirs was referred to as the Upper-Upper Class in Society. The old money that people in this category enjoyed, resulted in excluding major philanthropists of today. (Bill Gates Sr. Jr.andMelinda); and Warren Buffet. These have been included in the next category; Lower-Upper Class. Those included in the first category have beenTask-Oriented: Theory X Management modus operandi. Those listed in this second category, aremore People-Oriented: Theory Y+These additions (at times referred to as RensisLikert’s Systems: 111 & 1V, Robert Blake & Jane Mouton’s 9:9 Leaders, Organic Concerned Managers, using the sometimes popular Six Sigma or Reorganization or Continuous Improvement techniques for “better” results) to the conventional Theory Y. This is what we need today; as we deal with people with specific skills and wants, based on individual academic and technical backgrounds. Decades ago, Theory Y, all by itself, was sufficient to encourage people to enhance their performance at work. Integrity was their way of life. There was no thought of the Monday or Friday car. Every product produced, was perfect. Quality Control, an FDA requirement, was mainly used for the production of Pharmaceuticals & Chemicals. The ambience at work made things easier for all involved. Respect for superiors and for subordinates too, was common practice; as was dedication to duty and Company; and also, concern for colleagues. It will not be easy to bring back those Good Old Days; but with enhanced education, technological advances and improved working conditions, we can, and must increase our production output. With no rejects, in shorter time intervals, making things easier for all involved. A leader today will have to take on several roles: that of parent, friend, confidant, and be a really good listener and advisor; one who plans to help subordinates grow, by giving them gradually increasing responsibility, with the authority to help them make decisions with confidence.

2. EDUCATION: Most people believe that when one graduates with a degree, one has an education. This is not true at all; for even thermometers and barometers have degrees. Our Graduation Ceremony is referred to as a Commencement ceremony. Doesn’t that say something to us? It is certainly not the Finale! Our education has to be revived and refreshed on a regular basis, to assure us that we are keeping up with the issues of the day, especially those concerning our community, our country and the world in which we live. It would certainly help if, after graduation, we acquired a taste for some disciplines of which we have no previous knowledge. No benefit can equal that of broadening our depth and scope of knowledge.

For starters, we must first select a School, College and University with a reputation of high Academic Standards, well-trained Faculty and the reputation that will make us proud to be Alumni of that Institution in the years ahead. It will certainly help to make an observation over time, of the quality of students graduating from the Institution. Often our selection is based on the satisfaction and selection of our Parents and Relatives, with the Institution they attended.

Getting a degree is indeed something of which we can be proud. But do we remember what we learned for the degree? What about our study habits? Did we have the proverbial last minute studying that made us forget most of the subject matter at the time of the examination, or a few days later, resulting in a Grade that is far below our expectations? The competition we will most certainly face, particularly at the time of a job search, and even later, looking for an initial position or a promotion at a later date. These times of global involvement, will demand a really good Grade and adequate knowledge to underscoretheimportance and depth of our knowledge. Have we planned for our future at the very beginning? Have we selected subjects and majors that suit our innate abilities, or those we can eventually master, realizing them to be essential today? Or are we prepared to accept whatever comes our way? Certainly a really Good Grade and the right choice of subjects are essential. But that is not all. Can we say that having a Good Grade in the carefully selected subjects, we are also Management Material? Will we be able to step in as and when the occasion arises? That will involve much more.

“Good Manners” is essential at this point. Any good book on Good Manners will help. What about respect? For our Superiors at work, the Elders in our Family and Community? And above all, respect for ourselves; so that we will never say or do anything of which we will be ashamed or embarrassed at a later date. Has our education made us more marketable, even in this global Environment? Has it improved our communication skills? Has it helped us to understand people from other cultures? Has it helped us to avoid every type of prejudice that exists today? Are we Socially Responsible? Positive answers to these questions will indicate that we are on the right track.

3. COMMUNICATION SKILLS: With reference to Education to prepare us to meet the challenges of today, we must consider International issues. The English language is indeed the language of Higher Education, for ease of communication internationally. At the start it must be mentioned that very few individuals will admit to inability in understanding and speaking in English. They will readily admit to their inability to understand or speak in other languages: French, German, Spanish, Italian, Chinese or Portuguese, to name a few. [Personal experiences are many]. All forms of communication: Speaking, Reading, Writing, Comprehension, Listening and Body Language are essential. Surprisingly, the unspoken word, Body Language is often referred to as being more vocal than the spoken word. It is believed to be unplanned and natural to most people; and as a result, more than is intended. All forms of communication: speaking, reading, writing, comprehension, listening and body language are essential. Surprisingly, the unspoken word, Body Language, is often referred to as being more vocal than the spoken word. It is believed to be unplanned and natural to most people, and as a result, reveals more than is intended.

Unlike most languages, in which rules and exclusive vocabulary are extremely important, the English language has accepted words from other languages. (Latin, French, Hindi, and rather recently, technical terms and even some slang expressions). They result in enriching the English language. People used to languages that depend on rules, using a different script, find it very difficult to write in the English language. When they realize the importance of the use of the definite article, they start using it indiscriminately; especially before the names of people. Regular usage and reading are ways to help them improve. They have little or no problem speaking; but their major problems are Spelling and Grammar. One wonders how after spending years in High School and College, they still have problems in Spelling and Grammar!

Good Communication skills are absolutely essential in Management. No one can imagine what a person is thinking, if he/she does not communicate clearly, leaving no room for ambiguity or misunderstanding. We can easily understand the difficulties experienced by people who hail from different countries, who do not speak English; but perhaps learn it as a Second Language, But what excuse can our local people have; if the only language they know, is English? leaving no room for ambiguity or misunderstanding. Good Communication skills are absolutely essential in our personal dealings with family and friends, so too at work and play.

Unfortunately, it has been noted that the persons who are in dire need of Good Listening Skills, to understand their subordinates, their wants and needs: Managers at all levels have the least success with regard to their Listening Skills. Regular practice, listening to little children, will help them.

With Writing Skills: There is only one way to improve them: by constantly writing. Unfortunately people with good writing skills, are the ones who write regularly. We note that those who really need to improve their writing skills, tend to avoid every opportunity to write. As a result, they just can’t improve their writing skills. It can be said that most Managerial (and other) Problems can be solved easily by improving their communications at all levels. Communications are absolutely essential for all Managerial and other activities. Also essential are certain additional issues: Be Fair, Flexible, at the start. Be FIRM at first, and relax later; and have FAITH in your people, Communicate BAD news personally and immediately-so it is not heard before you communicate it. GOOD news is always welcome and may be delayed, based on the time situation. Learning to speak in the language of the subordinates, and the people in general, will certainly be a great asset. Everyone involved will be more at ease at all times, especially at the time when a dialog is in progress; and more so, when instructions and new technics are involved, and discussed for clarifying certain specific issues. Good communication skills are always an asset that will be a great help to us in the home, in personal relationships with family members, friends, and also at work: dealing with co-workers, subordinates and also our competitors.