PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS
Executive summary
By compiling data from ghSMART, a consultancy leadership organisation, CEO Genome Project has comprehensively examined leadership capabilities. The research has helped to distinguish between CEOs who do well and those who don’t. Communication is the key to establishing a positive relationship among the employees to understand their body language and moods. Understanding the changing market trends helps them make decisions and effectively regulate the firm’s operational element. Reliable CEOs can generally acquire the trust of the employees and the investors, which helps the business organisation perform effectively. Task 2 has highlighted my learning style as a Theorist who tends to be a perfectionist who prefers to analyse small details meticulously to create a rational scheme. In task 3, I have chosen and justified my choice of Udemy business as an appropriate learning platform.
Introduction
Business Leaders are responsible for a wide range of activities, such as making appropriate decisions, people management, risk analysis and adapting to the changing market environment. Components such as communication, building positive relationships and reliability, along with maintaining the priorities of the stakeholders, are a few fundamentals of leadership. CEO Genome Project has thoroughly analysed leadership capabilities by accumulating information from ghSMART, a consulting leadership organisation. The project has aided in differentiating high-performing CEOs from lesser ones. Swift decisions and high adaptability to the changing environment are highlighted in the project as the CEO’s required skills. Along with that, employee engagement and reliability have been informed to influence strategies and discipline among workers effectively. Task 1 reviewed the leadership of Indra Nooyi and Steve Jobs to assess their competencies as CEOs.
Task 2 is based on the different learning styles of individuals, which are presented with “Honey and Mumford’s Learning Styles. In this task, I have attained the “Honey and Mumford’s Learning Styles learning questionnaire” to determine my learning style. The theorist’s learning style can make it easier to develop hypotheses that may be tested to see whether a concept or course of action is relevant. Theorists are rude to people’s intuition and subjective opinions about a particular issue and uncomfortable with confusing information. The online learning platforms LinkedIn and Udemy have been analysed based on my learning style to determine their appropriateness.
Task 1 – Case Study Review
The CEO Genome project highlights four definite behaviours to evaluate the competencies of individuals. The four behaviours are “Decide with Conviction and Speed”, “Practice Relentless Reliability”, “Relationship Masters”, and “Proactive in Adapting to Changing Circumstances” (Shaffer et al. 2022). The four characteristics of the genome project have been used to analyse the leadership capabilities of Steve Jobs and Indra Nooyi.
Decide with Conviction and Speed
The high-competent CEO is generally more decisive than others and can make a swift decision at the moment of need. The CEO can make fast and early decisions with incomplete information and ambiguity. The conviction to make swift decisions requires confidence and knowledge about the market (Wenzinger et al. 2019). The Genome project highlights that the “decisive” is the major strength of CEOs. They understand making a decision is better than being undecisive in critical moments. Indra Nooyi, the former CEO of PepsiCo, has been able to analyse the complicated challenges and provide the senior executives with information to make good decisions (Nooyi and Govindarajan, 2020). Indra Nooyi has highlighted the importance of analysing the bigger picture to make appropriate decisions.
On the other hand, Steve Jobs has shown high competency in making swift decisions from the start as he guided Apple to focus on four types of computers. Steve Jobs concentrates on deciding on things the firm should not execute (Beck, 2022). It highlights that the ability to make fast decisions is one of the considerable skills of the CEOs Steve Jobs and Indra Nooyi.
Relationship Masters
Successful CEOs are more competent in building positive relationships with their employees and other stakeholders. The CEO must obtain a perfect balance between delivering appropriate business outcomes and maintaining the stakeholders’ priorities. The CEO generally have a greater understanding of the requirements of the employees and the proper ways to motivate them (Beck, 2022). It helps them to influence higher performance from the employees by driving them with the aim of value creation. For example, Indra Nooyi has highlighted the importance of communication in the business environment (Onyusheva, 2019). Through practical communication skills, she has interacted with the higher executives effectively to provide them with important information enabling them to make good decisions. She believes in short and simple messages which are easy to comprehend by the workers facilitating positive communication.
Figure 1: Communication type at Workplace
(Source: Bans-Akutey, 2021)
On the other hand, Steve Jobs was more focused on motivating the employees as he took the “Top 100 people” to retreat yearly. Additionally, Steve Jobs involved the employees in the decision-making process through a Whiteboard to write every suggestion down; later, with comprehensive discussion, irrelevant points were crossed out one by one until he came to a list of 10. Steve Jobs and Indra Nooyi have displayed adequate communication skills to build positive relationships with internal stakeholders.
Proactive in Adapting to Changing Circumstances
Adapting to the changing environment is another crucial element in leaders which makes them successful. It helps them manage unpredictable situations effectively by focusing on long-term and short-term perspectives. Successful CEOs are more focused towards the long-term objectives of the firms (Aschbacher and Sablik, (2019). Steve Jobs was able to assess the changing environment and modify the products accordingly to retain the market space for Apple. He has derived the continuous modification of the iPhones and various apps such as iTunes. It has helped Apple gain popularity in the global market even through the changing requirements of consumers.
Indra Nooyi has been focused on producing convenient foods and beverages which have been able to capture the attention of the young generation. However, PepsiCo has not addressed the changing environment of the global market, which shows a trend towards healthy food and beverages (Buribaevich, 2023). As a result, it can be deduced that Indra Nooyi has shown lesser competency in adapting to the changing market requirements.
Practice Relentless Reliability
Reliability is an essential element in the CEOs, directly correlated with producing a satisfactory outcome for the business. Reliable leaders are more likely to acquire higher investment from the stakeholders as they are confident about their financial return (O’Reilly and Chatman, 2020). Steve Jobs has been able to maintain his firm’s global market success substantially. He has made Apple popular among potential consumers by providing premium products and quality. He has taken appropriate steps to further the enterprise’s business, which has delivered. Success and acquired higher investment (Swaminathan, 2019). On the other hand, Indra Nooyi has been able to establish success for PepsiCo, which also highlights the reliability of the CEO. PepsiCo has been able to make firm decisions to stay relevant in the highly competitive food and beverage market with the introduction of new products.
Task 2 – Evaluation of Learning Style
1. Assessment of learning style
The “Honey and Mumford’s Learning Styles” highlights four different learning styles to optimise the learning process following individual competencies. It informs four learning styles such as “activist”, “theorist”, “pragmatist”, and “Reflector” (Maulyda and Amrullah, 2019). I have completed the “Honey and Mumford’s learning styles questionnaire” and found my main learning style to be theorist, scoring 17. Theorists are generally individuals who like to understand the concepts behind each action. It is one of the main strengths of the theorist as they can imply the same decision in future instanced through analysis of the concepts behind the situations (Stander et al. 2019). I have always enjoyed models, facts and concepts of specific actions as it has helped me understand and make testable hypotheses. The strength of the theorist’s learning style is it aids in creating hypotheses which can be tested to assess the relevance of an idea or action. [Refer to Appendix 1]
Figure 2: Results of Honey and Mumford’s learning styles questionnaire
(Source: Mint-hr.com, 2023)
Additionally, theorists can apply various theories in real situations and appropriately analyse statistics and data. However, theorists are not adequate in learning without proper instruction. It highlights a significant gap in self-regulation and depicts a need for a coach or supervisor to regulate the learning process (Oliveira et al. 2020). Theories are not comfortable with situations with ambiguous information and are insolent of intuition and subjective views of individuals on a specific situation. On the contrary, theorists can analyse problems through a “step-by-step” approach assimilating various facts into coherent theories. However, they are often restricted to vertical thinking and reject ideas which do not have a logical explanation. [Refer to Appendix 2]
2. Challenges of online learning and remote working
One of the main challenges of online learning is the learner needs to take responsibility for their lessons. Online learning restricts the interaction between the teacher and the students, as it is usually done on online platforms (Idris, 2020). It limits face-to-face interaction with the teacher, which provides adequate guidance and structure to the lessons. Theorists can face significant issues in online learning as access to teachers is limited (Troussas et al. 2022). As online learning depicts higher responsibility on the students for their learning, it is a significant issue for the theorist who needs proper instruction to learn. [Refer to Appendix 3]
On the other hand, online learning limits the possibility of testing hypotheses in practical use. It is a challenge for the theorists as they are restricted from learning the models and theories without establishing testable hypotheses (Dyulicheva and Kosova, 2020). On the other hand, remote work is a process of working from home or another location, limiting interaction with others. It gives individuals an advantage as they do not have to travel to the office and save significant time by working from home. However, it also has various challenges which can affect people with a theorist’s learning style. Theorists generally need access to a wide range of data to decide after carefully assessing the situation (Amponsah, 2020). They usually take a step-by-step approach to persistent issues, often restricted by the remote working method. Remote working restricts communication with colleagues, resulting in inaccurate facts and associated data regarding a situation. [Refer to Appendix 4]
As a result, theorists can face situations where they cannot make decisions or provide a solution due to limited information (Dantas and Cunha, 2020). On the other hand, managing time is another challenge in remote working which often impacts the employees’ time. As a result, it is a massive issue for the theorists as they tend to focus on solving the issues, and it can extend beyond working hours.
Task 3 – Analysis of Online Platforms
1. Online platforms for personal effectiveness
The two online platforms appropriate for enhancing my effectiveness are LinkedIn Learning and Udemy Business. The “Honey and Mumford’s learning styles questionnaire” test results indicate I need to improve my problem-solving skills significantly as I have scored only 5 in the “Activist” section. It also highlights the requirement for having an open mind and reducing biases in new situations (Tahir, 2020). LinkedIn Learning offers various creative and business courses and technology-related sessions. It has over 16,000 courses and has acquired a user base of approximately 700 million people (Liu and Correia, 2021). The instructors of this site are systematically vetted for analysing their competencies and are “subject matter experts”. LinkedIn also highlights superior presentation skills and is careful, requiring quality control.
Figure 3: Difference between Udemy and LinkedIn
(Source: Liu and Correia, 2021)
Additionally, the site offers innovative processes to increase interactivity for the students and the teachers through “practice exercise files” and quizzes. As a theorist, I need stable interaction with the teacher who delivers a definite course structure. The quizzes and the practice files can be completed simultaneously with “microlearning videos” (Merritt, 2019). It will help to boost my problem-solving skills and integrate an “open-minded” approach to learning. Additionally, the teachers who are experts in their subject matter will be able to provide a strict structure for the course. It will fulfil my need for coaching and instructions in the learning sessions. However, direct interaction with the teachers and fellow students is not allowed on the site (Mansoor et al. 2019). Udemy Business is another platform for business learning courses with 14000 courses for more than 9500 companies with various topics. It provides a skill-based training course for the learners, which involves the evaluation of the existing competencies. It can help me take the evaluation test and identify my areas for improvement. The site also provides recommended courses to help me determine appropriate sessions (Boya and Gundala, 2022). The teacher uploads instruction-based videos through presentations, screencasts and “talking head videos”. The expert instructors can also track the progress of the learned and provide them with valuable insights. As a result, it can provide me with an indirect interaction with the instructor and help me gain insight into my progress during the courses.
2. Appropriateness of one learning platform
Udemy Business is more appropriate for me as an online learning platform as it provides skill-based training. It will help me in attaining appropriate courses to elevate my problem-solving skills. The platform also controls the quality of its courses and provides completion certificates (Kovács, 2021). Therefore, it delivers quality courses for the learners, which is directed towards improving their competencies. As I have a learning style-theorist, I generally need instructions to learn effectively. The platform is unable to provide direct interaction with the teacher. However, expert instructors can review students’ progress and analyse their performance. The instructors generally deliver their opinions and guidance to the students to improve their performance. It can provide me with substantial interaction with the teachers.
Moreover, the quizzes, the practice material, and the microlearning videos can help me improve my problem-solving skills. It also helps increase the learner’s engagement as the tests are available directly after the learning videos. The courses on Udemy are affordable, and various training courses are available, which is helpful for professionals and learners (Mansoor et al. 2019). As a result, it can improve my effectiveness as an employee. Furthermore, the courses do not have deadlines that facilitate learning on my own time and are available in various languages.
Conclusion
The study has been comprised of three different tasks, ranging from analysing CEOs’ leadership capabilities through the Leadership Genome project analysing personal effectiveness and assessing appropriate online learning platforms. Task 1 analysed the four characteristics of the “Leadership Genome project” to evaluate the skills of Indra Nooyi and Steve Jobs. It emphasises that the CEOs Steve Jobs and Indra Nooyi have several valuable skills, including the capacity to make quick choices. Steve Jobs incorporated the staff in decision-making by having everyone write their suggestions on a Whiteboard. After a thorough discussion, the extraneous suggestions were removed one by one until he had a list of 10 ideas. Indra Nooyi and Steve Jobs have demonstrated the necessary communication abilities to foster productive collaborations with internal stakeholders. My primary learning type scoring 17 on the “Honey and Mumford’s learning styles questionnaire”, is a theorist. Theorists cannot learn effectively without appropriate training. It reveals a substantial self-control gap and shows the requirement for a trainer or administrator to control the learning process. The assignment has also evaluated the difficulties of online learning based on theoretical learning styles and remote working.
Task three has analysed two online learning platforms relevant to my learning style and has provided critical assessments of both platforms. Udemy has been chosen as the appropriate platform as it contains various spontaneous quizzes and enables the instructors to guide the lanterns. I think Udemy is a suitable platform for me as it provides skill-based training sessions, which will help improve my activist skills.
References
Journals
Amponsah, S., (2020). Exploring the dominant learning styles of adult learners in higher education. International Review of Education, 66(4), pp.531-550.
Aschbacher, M.C. and Sablik, J., (2019). Innovative leadership style for industrial companies. Science Journal of Business and Management, 7(2), p.45.
Bans-Akutey, A., (2021). The Path-Goal Theory of Leadership. Academia Letters, p.2.
Beck, C.E., (2022). The Leadership Aspect of Management: Insights from Government and Business Leaders. Global Business & Economics Anthology, 1.
Boya, S.S.K. and Gundala, H., (2022). A comparison through heuristic evaluation of two MOOC platforms: Coursera and Udemy.
Buribaevich, M.K., 2023. Leadership as an Effective Tool in Management Activities. Central Asian Journal of Literature, Philosophy and Culture, 4(1), pp.153-158.
Dantas, L.A. and Cunha, A., (2020). An integrative debate on learning styles and the learning process. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 2(1), p.100017.
Dyulicheva, Y.Y. and Kosova, Y.A., (2020), December. The students group detection based on the learning styles and clustering algorithms. In 2nd International Scientific and Practical Conference on Digital Economy (ISCDE (2020)) (pp. 106-111). Atlantis Press.
Idris, A.K.M., (2020). Assessing of the Students Learning Style using Honey and Mumford Questionnaire and Determining Psychometric Properties among Medical Students University of Gezira-Sudan (2020) (Doctoral dissertation, University of Gezira).
Kovács, I., (2021). Digital marketing soft skills and university students’ perceptions of employability. GiLE Journal of Skills Development, 1(1), pp.25-36.
Liu, C. and Correia, A.P., (2021). A Case Study of Learners’ Engagement in Mobile Learning Applications. Online Learning, 25(4), pp.25-48.
Mansoor, S.N., Yousaf, O. and Rahman, S.S., (2019). Comparison of learning styles among post graduate residents and full time specialty clinicians pursuing higher educational degree. Pakistan Armed Forces Medical Journal (PAFMJ), 69(4), pp.887-93.
Maulyda, M.A. and Amrullah, L.W.Z. (2019). HONEY-MUMFORD LEARNING STYLE: REVIEW OF MATHEMATICAL COMMUNICATION FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN PROBLEM SOLVING.
Merritt, A.C., (2019). Learning Styles and Demographic Predictors of College Student Satisfaction in an Online Learning Environment. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, PO Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106.
Nooyi, I.K. and Govindarajan, V., (2020). Becoming a better corporate citizen. Harvard Business Review, 98(2), pp.94-103.
O’Reilly, C.A. and Chatman, J.A., (2020). Transformational leader or narcissist? How grandiose narcissists can create and destroy organizations and institutions. California Management Review, 62(3), pp.5-27.
Oliveira, A., Teixeira, M.M. and Neto, C.D.S.S., (2020), May. Recommendation of Educational Content to Improve Student Performance: An Approach based on Learning Styles. In CSEDU (2) (pp. 359-365).
Onyusheva, I.V., (2019). Gender Aspect in Leadership: Who is Better in Leading PositionS. Вестник университета «Туран», (3), pp.119-123.
Shaffer, H.B., Toffelmier, E., Corbett-Detig, R.B., Escalona, M., Erickson, B., Fiedler, P., Gold, M., Harrigan, R.J., Hodges, S., Luckau, T.K. and Miller, C., (2022). Landscape genomics to enable conservation actions: the California Conservation Genomics Project. Journal of Heredity, 113(6), pp.577-588.
Stander, J., Grimmer, K. and Brink, Y., (2019). Learning styles of physiotherapists: a systematic scoping review. BMC medical education, 19(1), pp.1-9.
Swaminathan, M., (2019). Steve jobs and the value of interventional imagers. Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography, 32(10), p.A21.
Tahir, W.M.M.W., (2020). The Relationship between Students’ Learning Styles and Academic Performance in Accounting. Academic Journal of Business and Social Sciences, 4(1), pp.1-8.
Troussas, C., Krouska, A. and Sgouropoulou, C., (2022), September. Employing FFNN and Learning Styles to Improve Knowledge Acquisition in Educational Digital Games. In Novel & Intelligent Digital Systems: Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference (NiDS (2022)) (pp. 95-103). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Wenzinger, E., Weinstein, B., Singh, R., Reid, C.M., Suliman, A. and Herrera, F.A., (2019). Deconstructing a leader: an in-depth analysis of the commonalities between plastic surgery chiefs and chairmen. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 144(1), pp.235-241.
Websites
Mint-hr.com, (2023). Mumford and Honey LSQ. [Online]. Available at: https://www.mint-hr.com/results.html [Accessed on 29-01-2023]
Appendices
Appendix 1: Honey and Mumford's learning styles questionnaire 1
(Source: Mint-hr.com, 2023)
Appendix 2: Honey and Mumford's learning styles questionnaire 2
(Source: Mint-hr.com, 2023)
Appendix 3: Honey and Mumford's learning styles questionnaire 3
(Source: Mint-hr.com, 2023)
Appendix 4: Honey and Mumford's learning styles questionnaire 4
(Source: Mint-hr.com, 2023)