Leadership Style - ETR 500 Week 8 Blog

The topics of what makes a good leader and what are the most effective styles are topics that has be written on and discussed ad nauseum.   I have taken the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) test several times and it has move from INTF to ENTJ.  I do believe as I have developed more as a leader, I have become more vocal and expressive.  I have worked for various styles of managers and I do prefer one that is not a micro manager, someone that provides their workers with a bit of latitude in getting the job done.  An individual that provide their team with the skill sets to achieve success.

I find that I my decisions are based on the facts and insights from my team members.  When it comes to making the tough choices, I want as much information as I can process in deriving an answer. Which is why, I prefer to provide my team with necessities they required to execute their daily dues.  I do believe that you should you should surround yourself with talented people and step out of the way in order for progress to be made.

Based on the chapter 12 four categories of leadership styles, I display more of a delegating technique.  I prefer to foster the talents of my team in achieving a deliverable.  However, this does not mean that I do not also incorporate the other styles depending on what is required in meeting the goal at hand.  In the text, it indicates that the best leaders are those that are able to utilize all four categories effectively and as required.  I do agree with that assessment and although, I do believe I am a work in progress as which is why I am seeking my MBA.  I do imply each of those styles (supporting, coaching, delegating and directing); however, I think that finding the balance is my challenge going forward.

Product Innovation Challenges - ETR 500 Week 6 Blog

Production innovation will always come with its own set of challenges whether they are internal or external to the company it almost a rite of passage.  This article explains the leading cause of most product innovation not living up to their expectations is due to “lack of product differentiation and poor market analysis.”  Furthermore, the driving force to those causes were that most of those organizations resources were spread thin with too many development projects in process on at the same time.  Well, it isn’t too surprising that management seem to be driving the focus on too many things at once or even detracting the required resources from the products and areas that could be of some real benefit to their companies.  These echoes seem to get louder and louder which is why a few companies tends to loss some of its market share to others because either the competition has caught up or they have taken the next step forward.

Whether more product innovation tends to fail more often than they succeed, it is the path to success.  The reason as to why products such as the IPod/ITunes work is simply due to the fact that leaders like Steve Jobs celebrate failures on the path to success.  Failures are used as stepping stones in achieving their ultimate goal(s).  Apple went after the music industry which at the time saw its profit margin diminishing with each illegal download.  Apple stepped in with the IPod/ITunes package and offered ITunes as the intermediary solution to music piracy.  

Outbound vs Inbound - ETR 500 Week 5 Blog

Inbounding is considered the new way of marketing.  In today’s culture most businesses are moving to if not already utilizes the Inbounding marketing strategy as a way to respond to customer evolving purchasing habits.  The key for inbounding is that it relies on customers seeking them out through marketing mediums such as blogging, search engines, YouTube, Facebook, etc.  For an entrepreneur this is the most cost effective way in which to reach out to their customer base and even grow the business.

Outbound is the opposite of Inbounding.  It is the known as the traditional or the old way of marketing, "buy, beg, or bug their way in".   This was often done through the process of paying for advertising, flyers, telemarketing/cold calling, etc. This was the equivalent of casting a wide net with the hopes of reaching all consumers.  This is in contrast to the inbounding which identifies a target audience in trying to capture market share.

I think it would be very difficult in today’s way of business execution to survive by not incorporating the inbound along with outbound marketing.  Larger companies such as the Wal-Mart can pursue both avenues but it is a bit more difficult for the mom and pop businesses.  They may need to focus their efforts on the inbound marketing because it is more financially beneficial.