Discussion, ethics, leadership, and motivation

To recap our discussion, the 1st main idea is that McGregor X vs Y suggests that X folks are more intrinsically motivated while Y folks are intrinsically motivated. We need to be careful not to assume others are like us in that regard.  

The 2nd big idea in this discussion is our need to sometimes code switch and be a different version of ourselves across work, school, sports, family, etc. Simen Sinek and Stuart Friedman and others would suggest that being one version of yourself is "authentic" and that builds trust with other humans and lends itself to effective leadership.  Although effective leaders set and apply policy evenly / fairly to members of their org they can choose to flex their communication style/ medium to meet folks where they are/prefer.  Effective leaders also flex their style to match the urgency and importance of certain situations. As situations become more urgent/important the style can rightly evolve from consensus builder to coach, and at times toward command and control behaviors.  

As an example, collecting data via conjoint analysis to decide on features for a product might call for a consensus building (best idea in the room wins) style, whereas leading a fire brigade into the Twin Towers on 9/11 may have likely called for a command and control style of leadership. 

In class, we discussed the difference between what is legal versus what is ethical and practiced asking ourselves three key questions when faced with potentially unethical actions: Is it legal? Is it balanced? and how does it make me feel? 

We evaluated our own ethical orientation on whether we lean more towards justice or care, and discussed the importance of flexing in leadership and treating different individuals differently. We explored the differences between leaders and managers, examined various leadership styles, and matched leadership approaches to real-world situations. 

In terms of leadership & motivation, we reviewed the Hawthorne Effect which refers to individuals changing their behavior when they know they are being watched. We also reviewed Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and the pursuit of self-actualization once lower levels of needs are met, as well as distinguishing between Herzberg’s motivators and hygiene factors. Motivators drive employees to be better, while Hygiene factors are dissatisfied when they are absent. 

Additionally, we continued practicing writing income statements and calculating break-even points to understand business decision-making.