Communication Strategies

The business world has so far presented many challenges to several organizations and the 21st century is promising not to be an exceptional. Mergers and acquisition has been one of the strategies employed by organizations in order to survive in the competitive global world. Though challenging and complex, organization integration has been another strategy employed by organizations. Organizational integration is the tendency of organizations to breakdown units within an organization to ensure that they pursue uniform objectives and interact effectively with each other.
   
However, organizational integration is normally hard to achieve because of some functional territories which are resistant to change. These territories act as barriers to the flow of information within the supply chain. Conflicts between various units within an organizational may also hinder integration (Kerber, Buono, 2004). For instance, the production department has an obligation to cut down on the costs by ensuring that there are no deficits or surplus within the supply chain. On the other hand, the sales department aims at responding to the demands of customers which are unpredictable.

Communication breakdown which arise from too much bureaucracy also create barriers to organizational integration. The vertical bureaucratic procedures do complicate the decision making process which is necessary for integration. The other problem associated with integration is the complex analysis of the competitive advantage versus the cost of implementing the integration. Lack of effective leadership through the integration process is also barrier. Leadership is essential in that it sets out patterns on how the integration process is to be achieved.

Absence of clear operating structures within organizations hinders the integration process. Many organizations do have passive communication plans which are normally inform of newsletters and circulars. This is another barrier to the integration process. To facilitate the integration process, the top management should engage staff of the lower cadre in a one to one session which will give a sense of direction through the integration process (Chapman, n.d.). Lac of effective team work also acts as barrier to effective organizational integration. Through teamwork the functional barriers can be broken.

Alternatives   
Competitive advantage within organizations can be achieved using other strategies, other than organizational intregration. First, developing proper organizational capability ensures that the vision and mission of an organization are achieved.

Automation of operation within organization has been a strategy to have an edge over the competitors. However, this has not worked well since they technique is always subject to imitation. It is recommended that organizations should invest in process innovation which will ensure that new patterns which respond easily to change are adopted. Establishing solid foundation is also a strategy to having a competitive advantage. Though the costs associated with internal service processes should be minimal, they should be customized to suit the needs of customers (Chapman, n.d.). For instance, companies like Orange U.K which is one of the best performing companies have infested much on customer care and this has enabled it to be a dominant service provider despite having a volatile market. The organization image is also important. Organizations should cultivate a good image to their customers. For instance, if an organization claims to be approachable this should be evident in service delivery. Organizations should also utilize the public relation department. For instance, organizations should organize seminars for both existing and potential customers. Product differentiation is also a strategy to have a competitive advantage  in that, through re-branding consumers assume that there is a new product in the market which they should try out.

Memo Employee Motivation

The success of an organization is highly influenced by the effectiveness and motivation of its employees. The working conditions of the employees and the diverse challenges that the staff encounter, determine the success or failure of an organization. A competitive firm requires a skillful workforce where the staff is resilient, dynamic and focused to the visions of the company. The above notion signifies the importance of employees development program especially to the human resource personnel.
             
The MacDonalds has dominated the fast food industry since its inception. The recent past has been characterized with intense competition from newly established multinationals, and for safaricom to remain competitive, it has to retain and increase the skills of its staff. One development program the company can focus on is in the academic sector. High education program unlike the commonly practiced norm of workshops, seminars and training programs, is essential in creating professionals who are specialized in their specific fields.
              
J.D. Spencer gives a series of fundamental principles that an organization can utilize to ensure the success of the staff development program. First, managers must ensure that recruiting and selection process is done professionally since it will define the kind of staff the company will have. The induction process should be simple and elaborate to enable the new-starters understand how the company works. The induction process is crucial in enabling the staff to be productive within a short period. Supervision defines the length of time the manager oversees the work of a staff in order to monitor his progress and develop his experience. Another step involves evaluation of the staff development. Internal evaluations assist the manager to determine the effectiveness of the staff development program
              
The company must also have well defined career path in order to limit ambiguity and to enable the staff to focus towards a particular goal. Moreover, classifying the job to various categories enables the staff to put more energy and dedication in order to be promoted to the next level. For the staff to be productive, the management should put in place a diverse motivational system. The first system is customer oriented and it focuses on the prowess of an employee to attract a costumer and to convince him or her come back again. The second factor involves the ability of an employee to generate revenue within a certain time period. The third system involves the staffs ability to follow rules and guidelines set by the firm, their creativity, prowess, and devotion and commitment. Therefore, the employees who adhere to these criteria will be liable for promotion and wage increment.
             
Motivation is an important aspect it the growth and advancement of an individual in the company. A motivated and jovial employee will create a cordial working relation with fellow colleagues and maintain loyal customers. Therefore, an organization benefits from retaining its experienced personnel than hiring new ones. There are different aspects of employee motivation that a company should consider. Open communication enables junior employees articulate their concern easily to the management without fear. The leadership aspect implies that the manager will be highly respected by their juniors if they excel in their roles and act professionally. The team work aspect implies that employees are able to attain set goals in a short period if there is mutual respect and understanding. Compensation and benefit is also an important factor in ensuring that employees remain motivated and satisfied in their working environment.

Academic Success

(1)    Liberal Arts education circumvents on understanding the different disciplines associated with the arts. It seeks to provide students with a holistic understanding of the different processes associated with areas such as the Arts, History, Politics, English, etc. Seeing this, the value of obtaining a Liberal Arts education revolves around the capacity of students to appreciate and value the ideas to be applied in the professional setup. In liberal arts, the focus is more on the learning of the profession (University of Washington, 2006, p.1). Thus, this engagement opens students with the capacity to explore more on the realities and diverse ideas in life.

(2)    In responding to people who ask about my chosen major, I deem to use my background in computer science as an opportunity to uplift the capacity to become dynamic to todays business and professional trends. This is in light of the increasing demand for computer technicians and professionals. As businesses adhere towards technological innovations and the digital age, so is the trend to find suitable and qualified professionals who can handle the associated responsibilities (Arizona State University, 2010). This course can then become a vital tool towards professional competency and development.

(3)    Given the articles, I do believe that my perspective about choosing my major changed. In here, I value not only the process of contemplating and making decisions. At the same time, I seek to find the opportunity to gain new information and insights on things that matter. Regardless if I am going to use them in my chosen profession, these ideas can help shape the way I handle the challenges of life and provide the tools towards ambition and success (University of Tennessee, 2009).

(4)    Reflecting on my transferrable skills, I do believe they include (1) leadership, (2) adaptability, (3) perseverance, and (4) dedication. Given the complexity and difficulty of studying computer science, I do believe that having leadership can correspond to a good position for employment as many employers seek competent individuals with the ability to manage people accordingly (Marion, 2009). At the same time, having the adaptability can ensure better ways to address the changing trends and evolution of my chosen profession. Lastly, with perseverance and dedication, I can have the capacity to rise above the career ladder and become effective regardless of the tasks given.

(5)    Given the complexity of my chosen profession, I do believe that entering schools again for an advanced degree can guarantee not only a better position in the future but also infuse better capacity to become skilful in my chosen profession. The idea of expansion in schools shall not only induce better knowledge, it can also foster greater opportunities for change (Arizona State University, 2010).

Part II
(1)    Reflecting on the precepts of my contract, I had sought to made adjustments not only with my study time but also in my ability to create opportunity to find time during unforeseen circumstances. For example, I had made effort to establish a schedule wherein I sought to maximize my time to study and expand my skills associated with my major. At the same time, I found time to unwind and release stress. Having this process can induce greater ways to become adaptive to the challenges of school (Marion, 2009). These exercises became effective towards addressing the tenets with my contract.

(2)    Given my new action plan, I began to understand the value of perseverance in my studies. In here, I gained the ability to maximize my time and gain the necessary information towards increasing my skills. For example, the professor provided a difficult equation. In this process, I studied the equation intently and reviewed previous examples. After some time, I gained the answer. Without my dedication, I would not have done so. Seeing this, and the complexity of the computer science field, having the patience and perseverance and induce better results (Arizona State University, 2010).

Part III  
Reflecting on the ideas of my major in Arizona State University, I found out the relevance of computer science and how it applies in different business process. Under this website, I saw the conditions that provide future professionals the ability to synthesize and decipher what possible options can be made in the future (Arizona State University, 2010). In here, it encompasses not only on computer related industries but also on other areas as well.
   
On the other hand, University of Tennessee offers students a holistic understanding of what a degree in computer science can offer. Under this process, it seeks to provide students the capacity to see the positive and hurdles associated with the chosen major.  From a non-technical field towards programming, the information is given to induce greater appreciation on the student on what potential employers and responsibilities can be made (University of Tennessee, 2009). Moreover, it seeks to provide the necessary skills plus what expectations can be made under the profession of a computer science major.

Interaction Based Theories of Conflict

All of these give a very good insight of the way conflicts happen and grow. However, to better understand which model is more applicative and represents our day to day and normal lives better, let us take an example.
            
The Phase Models Perspective shows how a conflict progresses through a number of stages. Different theories here give different stages however the basic build-up is the same. It starts with a conflict that is not being solved by talking it out. Then it goes on to the point where it becomes a problem of ego and viewpoints become standpoints. In the next stage the people involved in the conflict look for concrete actions to do something about the conflict. Then you start stereotyping everything negative with the person you have a conflict with. After that it is stated that the cognitive reasoning of the people involved in the conflict reduces to that of 6-year olds because even though they know the others perspective they can no longer see it as a reasonable option.  After that the conflict reaches an unrealistic peak where both of the parties think theyre right and no way can they lose in court or by the verdict of a third person. Both parties want total control of the situation. This situation ends when either party reaching physical or mental exhaustion. In the middle of this whole process at any point the parties may seek mediation. When mediating it should be considered well what point of conflict the parties are in as that determines how to deal with it.
                
In real life, I think that conflict is not always so orderly. And yes the context in a lot of ways determines how the conflict is going to unfold. Also in normal life we see that mediation is usually done in the first few stages. For example, if two friends have a fight about a project that theyre doing together and they have an argument about how to go about it. The conflict will say start from the differences in opinion and most probably it will be mediated at that point only by a third friend. This third friend will calm the situation down and reasonably find a solution with the end result that one of the friend will have to compromise at one time.
   
The context matters in the way that if the two people who were in the conflict arent friends and already have a little contention between them there are a lot of chances the conflict will get escalated. In this case, a common friend of the parties will need to intervene in the situation. However, without an intermediary the conflict can result in physical fights and the parties can get hurt.
           
The field theory states that a persons behavior is a result of his own disposition as well as the nature of the environment they are present in. Without understanding these fields in which the person is present we can not totally comprehend the behavior of people.

The term contriently interdependent has been used which in most simple terms means being competitively related. If the probability of goal attainment for A increases that means that the probability of goal attainment for B will decrease. This means that A and B are contriently interdependent. This means that if I give in or if I let the other person have their way that will result in lesser chances that I will get what I want and the probability of my goal attainment will decrease. This creates a very big conflict and creates a rigid standpoint for both parties who will now want to give in because giving in or seeking integrative outcomes will mean losing out on what you want. For example, during our university course registrations there was a clash between me and another person regarding the course timings. I wanted the course time changed to 1220 which would have been a convenient time for me as I would have been able to take back to back classes and not wait in between. This other class member wanted to get the course timings changed to an hour later that day due to his football practice. This situation was exactly as described in fields theory. Both of us were at a conflict and neither of us wanted to compromise as we had our own reasons. I had tried to argue and explain my viewpoint to the other course member but she being as stubborn as me remained fixated on her point. The final decision to resolve the conflict was given to the course professor who in the end decided to change the day of the class so that none of us had a problem anymore.

Reciprocity theory states and explains that the actions of humans are reciprocated in a way that if you act positively towards a person that person will act positively towards you and if you act negatively towards a person that person will act negatively towards you. However, there are exceptions to this rule and sometimes people may act positively when the other is acting negatively or vice-versa. For example, once my childhood friend and I had a very big fight over football match. For some time I remained passionate about my viewpoint just like my friend, however after a while I thought of our lifelong friendship and decided to respond positively to my friends negative behavior. However, in some situations positive behaviors is reciprocated with negative behavior. This happens mostly in situations where there are preconceived notions about the other persons dispositions and this escalates the conflict and takes it to higher stages of conflict. However, when one party takes the compensatory role the conflict dies down soon and no serious damage is done.
             
In my opinion compensation is a good option and we should try to do that because most of the time positive behavior is rewarded by positive behavior. However, there are some instances when positive behavior is not returned by positive behavior. In those situations going on compensating is a foolish mistake no one should make. We should all draw lines for ourselves and until that line if the other person goes on being negative and selfish we should start reciprocating.
           
All three theories give us perspectives that we see in different situations. However, in my opinion and experience I have seen the field theory to be of most significance and most relevant. In our daily dealings we see that the same occurrence may happen with different people but the way it is perceived and looked at it different. Why These differences are accounted for by the fields in which one is present at different times. The phase models perspective although gives a nice stage by stage description of the conflict fails to look into this important point and looks at conflicts in a very orderly fashion disregarding the fluid unpredictable manner of daily life. The reciprocity theory in my opinion is a very general overview of how people react to each other which can be negative or positive and doesnt really give an insight into the relationships between the people or the fields and atmosphere present

Communication

Communication is a process through which information is exchanged between two or more people. Moreover, its the transfer of ideas, thoughts, and opinions through dialogue, writing, or sign language. For communication to be effective, there has to be a medium of conveying the information, and the recipient should be in a position to decipher the message. Communication is classified into verbal means, like singing and talking, and the nonverbal means, like facial expressions, eye contact, touch, sign and body language, and writing (Kramer, 2004).
           
As it has been defined, communication can only be effective when parties involved are willing to listen to each other. Conflict usually arises or made worse when there is a communication problem. Moreover, when a speaker does not explain himself well to the audience, its certain that the information he passes through will be vague (Salwen, Stacks, 1996). The audience can also cause communication problems when they presume that they already have the message being conveyed or are rowdy.
           
The second problem that can arise is when there is a cultural or language differences.  When written information cannot be properly interpreted or when an interpreter is not fluent and clear enough, the recipient can receive the wrong information. The third setback can arise from a non-verbal communication (Conville, Rogers, 1998). An individual who is partly deaf or blind may not decipher information given in sign language.
         
Communication is important during conflict resolution. When there is a difference in opinions and parties involved are at war, only effective communication can resolve it. Moreover, effective communication skills among the managerial team are crucial for an efficient organizational behavior. Its also important to study communication since a bold orator is in a better position to convince people and capture their attention.

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey is huge name in todays world. This name brings tears, smiles and energy into millions of lives. She is a living example of courage, faith and hard work. With her unending effort she has proved to the world that anyone can do anything provided that its the right thing.

The paper revolves around The Oprah Winfrey Show. It begins by giving a brief background about Oprah and her success. It also briefly mentions the awards and achievement of Oprah as an ordinary person and as a star. Oprah Winfrey has affected millions of people worldwide and thus her influence on the people is elaborated in detail. After this the values and ideology Oprah represents are stated.  Not only the positive aspect is mentioned in this paper, but the criticism on Oprah is also highlighted. In the end the overall contribution of Oprah to television and to America is discussed and concluding remarks are given.

Background
Oprah Winfrey is the most influential woman in media according to Forbes. She has a huge fan following. Be it talk shows or social media, Oprah Winfrey is everywhere. Press mentions and her remarkable earning power also contribute her making the most influential woman (Blakeley, 2009).
Born on January 29, 1956, Oprah Winfrey is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in US. She was born to a poor family. She suffered a lot of misery in her childhood. She was abused and also raped. She thought she had lost herself but then her grandmother saved her and showed her the true meaning of life. She went through so much pain and now helping others and taking them out of misery makes her feels better, which is a great tremendous contribution to society.

Oprah Winfrey has the highest rated talk show in history. She was the first African American woman to become a billionaire. Being a black woman she never backed out, she has always moved forward.  By 1998, Oprah Winfrey Show had received 30 Daytime Emmy Awards and also received a life time achievement award at just the age of 44. Her show is broadcasted in more than 100 countries. Oprah Winfrey is not just good at talking she has also won three beauty pageants (Krohn  Cosgrove, 2005).

Problem Statement
    Many leadership, culture and communication studies have been done to study Oprah Winfrey traits and communication style. Oprah Winfrey has won millions of hearts and people follow her blindly. Therefore this paper aims to study how she influences them and what is the extent of persuasion. The paper aims to identify the key factors which contribute towards what Oprah Winfrey is today.

Degree of Influence
    In 1986, Oprah started her own show The Oprah Winfrey Show and since then her influence on people kept growing. It is the longest running daytime television talk show in the nation and approximately around 40 million viewers watch her show in US alone (Pop, 2009).
   
The Oprah Winfrey show was a major influence to women on a variety of issues including child abuse, education, health care, racism and poverty. The show also included healthy, beauty and fashion tips. She covered every sort of issue and went into detail of each one of its which showed her motivation toward it.
The Oprah Winfrey show attracts people from all age groups. She relates to people and helps them in any way she can. In this world of violence and terrorism activities, people feel relieved and soothed to see celebrities working for a good cause. Oprahs optimistic nature helps people to focus on the positive aspect of their lives and learn from the negative side. Especially the black people who have always been discriminated in every way, they can easily open up and even feel that they also exist.

Oprah was aware of the fact that she is one of the few black women to ever have a voice in American society, so she must use it to the fullest. This doesnt mean that she restricted herself to blacks only. She managed to address people from all the races and ethnics groups and won their hearts. In fact she managed to erase some strict lines between different races in America (Oprah Winfrey, 2000). She managed to clear the misunderstandings between the varieties of societies and tried to created peace amongst them. Due to her positive attitude many people changed their perspectives.
   
The current president of United States of America was also endorsed by Oprah Winfrey. She had never previously endorsed any political candidate but she endorsed Obama as he was a close friend of hers. Obama appeared in her show on Oct 18, 2006 and as a result the Illinois senator vaulted 358 the week following his appearance (Tancer, 2007). Oprah is just like a leader which people love to follow. People have faith in her, she is like an enlightenment to them who guides them and will never let them down.
   
This is not it. Articles, books and magazines are overloaded with examples of Oprahs widespread influence. Such as according to a survey airline travels choose Oprah Winfrey as the celebrity that theyd most like to be seated with on long flights (Lowe, 1998).  She also endorsed some products which started selling like hotcakes such as lemon drop martini, banana pudding and Rachael Rays 5 minute fudge. It just seems the marketers waste billions of dollars in promoting their products through various channels they should simple make Oprah Winfrey use their products and then people would love to buy and use those products as well (Tancer, 2007).
   
Another very popular story is that Oprah wanted to find her favorite brownie and she found it in the suburbs. She pointed that Lennerts deeply fudged brownies were one of her favorite things and within hours the manufacturer got 1,000 brownie orders. Demand exceeded supply and the brand was globally known as.

The Oprah Brownie (Sotonoff, 2009).  
Audiences treat Oprah Winfrey as their girlfriend. A girlfriend who you can trust and share your stories. Fans believe that girlfriends defend and support each other and thats what Oprah Winfrey does. She supports her guests and women all over the globe. She has the art of creating para-social relationship in which the guests and strangers feel the illusion of having an intimate relationship with host of the show. Normally there is a distance between the host and the guest but at The Oprah Winfrey Show everyone talks as if they are friends or relatives (Lowe, 1998).
   
Oprah Winfrey is so influential that the word Oprah is now used as a word in the language. Its very frequently used in the youth dictionary which means to engage in persistent, intimate questioning with the intention of obtaining a confession usually used by men of women, as in I wasnt going to tell her, but after a few drinks, she Oprahd it out of me. Even the Wall Street Journal and National Review magazine confirmed and asserted the emerging of a new word among adults (Lowe, 1998).

Studying the Success of Communication  
The Oprah Winfrey Shows success gives us deep insight into communication strategies and techniques. She might not use these techniques deliberately but they can be used as tools for effective communication.
   
Fran Lebowitz states that Oprah Winfrey has the greatest influence on the adult population and is almost like a religion (Lowe, 1998). This statement has great depth. Association of the word religion means Oprah Winfrey has a set of rules and ideologies which she believe and have also persuaded her audience to believe in it.
   
One would wonder why Oprah is so influential. What are the traits and characteristics that one requires to be so persuasive and influential How does she make America and people around the globe follow her According to Patt Williams and Michael Mink the secret of Oprahs success is her sincerity. Oprah states that one of her secrets to success is in believing the fact that she is no different than the viewer. She is known as a great anchor and a great business woman but more than that she is known as a philanthropist. She loved helping people in any way she could. She herself had gone through humongous miseries and pain in her childhood and had successfully overcome all the fears and miseries. Therefore she wanted to genuinely help others to come out of their miseries as well. Having gone through the pain herself, she understands the pain of others. Understanding others make her more sincere in work as a philanthropist (William  Mink, 2003).
   
Another important aspect of Oprahs communication success is pointed out by Laurie L. Haag.  Ability to construct intimate relationships plus her own legend seems to be the formula for success. It has been pointed that talk shows hosted by women always had the touch of homeliness and friendliness. These women talk shows started in 1960s and paved the way for the Oprah Winfrey Show (Haag).
   
The art of managing different voices is also very important while studying Oprah. She is never monotonous and knows how to vary her pitch and tone according to the situation. She has various voice tones that her fans are familiar with. Viewers are aware of the serious Oprah, the playful Oprah, the empathic Oprah and the angry Oprah. This level of connection with the viewers is build over a huge span of time (Haag).
   
Another important aspect of Oprahs communication is the non verbal aspect. She has been known for touching her audience members and grabbing their arms as she asks questions. These gestures add an informal touch to the environment and guests feel comfortable. Non verbal cues such as eye contact are a strong asset of Oprah. She makes sure she maintains strong eye contact with the guest to show she wants to know the story. Her other gestures such as laughing, crying and screaming make her more human than other talk show hosts. When the audience sees the host cry, they automatically connect to the host. (Haag ,n.d.).

The Church of Oprah Winfrey
Oprah addresses moving issues that matter to countless people and thats what makes her popular. Her shows are not only emotional but are fun as well. She has the art to navigate complex discussions as well as light-hearted matter that the audiences love to watch (Pop, 2009).

Due to racism it was believed that only whites and blondes can have access to money, fun and fame. Oprah made everyone see the right direction. She reinforced the idea that anyone can seek after fun and time. Its not limited to whites only.  Americans who were used of racial discrimination liked the new view point. Oprahs book live your best life endorses the concept of believing in yourself and doing whatever best you can. According to her its important for everyone to realize their true potential and then do what they love. Unless and until a person does what he loves, he cant be successful. Oprah asserted the notion of doing the right thing. She believed if you are right then success will follow you.

Oprah also encouraged women to believe that they can find value in their lives and make a difference in the world. She represented the advantages of recognizing women rights. She has made humongous contributions regarding women rights and one of these was funding a young womens hostel. In order to help women she created the Dr. Phil show which assisted troubled individuals.

Oprah has a unique of making people talk about their stories. She talked to her guests in a way that no one else could. People could tell their stories to Oprah fearlessly. This shows that Oprah induced courage in people. People stood up for what they were and tried to learn from their mistakes.

Criticism
Despite of all her efforts and hard work she couldnt stay away from criticism. She made some blunders due to which many people criticized her. Many people felt that they have lost respect for her.
  
 Suzanne Somers was invited by Oprah Winfrey on her show to stay her secrets of staying young. Suzanne Somers secrets were quite unusual and ignited the audiences. In order to stay young the 62 year old actress rubs potent estrogen cream and progesterone as well. She swallows 60 vitamins and supplements daily to remain healthy and show her as a 30 year old.  Somer also claimed that all these drugs were FDA-approved and completely organic, natural and safe. Thats not all she stated that she wears nanotechnology patches to help her sleep, lose weight and promote overall detoxification. (Kosova  Wingert, 2009)
  
 All in all Oprah was promoting whatever Suzanne Somers did. By the end of the program Oprah stood up for Somers and said every woman should read books related to bio-identical hormones. Oprah didnt acknowledge the fact that these hormones pose great risks for cancer in women. Oprah holds her guests as prophets and shell go to amazing heights to defend them. The problem here is that Oprah is widely relied and worshipped in America. If she purchases a brownie, people purchase it if she discards something, people discard it. Thats why the women health activists criticized Oprah for having Suzanne Somers at her show as it promotes taking of artificial hormones to look young (Kosova  Wingert, 2009).
   
Despite of the criticism, Oprah Winfrey is known as Americas beloved best friend. She is the most trusted and relied upon celebrity in America. She invades people personal space and people dont mind. She questions people about intimate details and people tell her all the stuff willingly. This shows that Oprah Winfrey show is a true success. She is a role model today for African American youth. She has given hope to previously neglected societies of America. She has ignited the ray of hope in her audiences.
   
Criticism is inevitable and unavoidable. Critics will always be there and cant be diminished. The important point here is how you handle criticism and how you respond to it. Oprah handled criticism wisely and always responded in a timely manner to all accusations.
The Oprah Winfrey show has ended now but Oprah Winfrey hasnt. She continues to connect to her audiences through social media and her magazines. She still contributes into many charities and is trying harder to make this world a better place.

Reflective Leadership

In the personal leadership development plan that I will formulate, I will focus on important leadership skill that I think I need to develop to become a better and more competent leader. To begin, the Skill-based Model of Mumford which capitalizes on leadership traits required in order to acquire ability in solving management problems will be used in the evaluation of my leadership trait. Effective problem-solving according to Mantha and Sivaramakrishna is highly essential because it empowers managers in their professional and personal lives (p. 1).  However, he also acknowledged that good problem solving skills seldom come naturally they are consciously learnt and nurtured (p. 1). 

Theory 1 The skill-based model leadership theory
The Skill-Based model of Mumford has five components of which the three are essential leadership skills, while the other two help in enhancing those leadership skills (p. 44). As pointed out earlier that problem solving skills are learned, and so the model emphasized that the components of the model which contribute to the competency of a leader helps in acquiring problem-solving skills.
   
The first three components are Individual Attributes, Competencies, and Leadership Outcomes each represents a box arranged consecutively from left to right with arrow pointing to the box on the right. Competencies, which is at the center, composes several elements such as problem-solving skills, social judgment skills, and knowledge all are vital for effective performance (Northouse  Northouse, p. 44). Accordingly, competencies involve acquired intelligence or perceptual understanding which balances situations in order to achieve organizational goals. A leader has to be sensitive enough to use possible hints in decision-making to avoid negative consequence of a wrong decision. The individual attributes include general ability (or intelligence), crystallized cognitive ability (or acquired intelligence), motivation, and personality. These attributes are basic in ones self which contribute to his leadership competencies. This is the foundation of a leaders competencies, which they need to nurture first. All these aspects affect ones leadership ability. Lastly, the leadership outcomes would be the effective problem solving and performance. Again, these outcomes are influenced by the leaders competencies (Northouse  Northouse, p. 50).
   
The last two components are career experiences and environmental influences, which coordinate the first three components as illustrated in form of connecting arrows under each box.  The model also explained that career experiences nurture further the individual attributes and competencies, while environmental influences may affect the three components.
   
This model is very useful in my development plan because it will help as I determine which areas I am good at and which am not. This model will also guide me as I identify tasks involved in my action plan.

My Leadership Strengths and Weaknesses
My strength as a leader is basically my technical knowledge of what leadership should be and practically how to motivate and involve people in my plan. On one hand, my weakness lies on problem-solving aspect of my leadership which affects the decision I make for the company.
   
To capitalize on my strength, I will use my knowledge to effectively motivate my people to involve wholeheartedly maximizing their effort for the advancement of the company. I will develop more plans that will generate more profits and sustainability for the growth of the organization by means of strengthening cooperation and collaboration among the employees. I will do it in good manner
   
Despite a good leadership trait that I manifest, the problem-solving aspect brings me a lot of difficulty because I am afraid to allow my employees to intervene in the decision-making as if I am permitting them to act freely causing to lose the distinction between the leader and the employee. Few of the reasons for this perhaps, are lack of self-confidence, lack of trust to my employees, and fear of criticism for inability to make decision on my own or to settle conflicts.
   
To modify my weakness, I rarely share sensitive issues to my subordinates instead, I try to solve corporate problems which are often ineffective.  Another strategy is focusing the teams attention on other issues which are often appealing and interesting.

Addressing the gaps between the leader you are now and the leader you would like to become  
To make me a better leader, I need to address my personal struggles over facing difficult problem, which normally caused by lack of confidence and inability to handle interpersonal conflicts. In this way, I need to enhance my emotional quotient by accepting my strength and weakness and believing that other peoples skills are essential in the organization. Problem-solving is one competency of emotional intelligence, in which according to Hughes, Patterson and Terrell, is the social emotional competency that calls into action our sleuthing skills, as it is very much like detective work (p. 101).Basically, I am referring to my personality which is one of the attributes needed to become competent according to Skill-Based Model.  Thus, making advantage of my members skills should not threaten me rather I should see it as an advantage on my part. By allowing them to contribute ideas, I can divert my attention from self to a much important thing. Conger, Riggio and Bass pointed out, technical and creative problem-solving skills allow leaders to orchestrate the context for the integrative efforts that provide a basis for idea generation (p. 138).
   
If ever I will lessen my tendency to focus on my own weakness, I can create a team that actively involved in decision making through a sound problem-solving effort. In that way, I can intensify the motivation of my members and at the same time, I will become an emphatic and charismatic leader.

Action Plan  
As part of the action plan that I have to take in order to overcome areas of concern that hinders creative problem-solving skills is enhancing my emotional quotient. According to Feinstein, emotional intelligence has different abilities that are essential for a leader to possess, such as (a) the ability to accurately perceive and express emotions (b) the ability to access and generate feelings when they facilitate cognitive activities (c) the ability to understand emotion-related information and make use of emotional knowledge and (d) the ability to manage emotions optimally in both self and in others (p. 201).  At this condition, difficult and challenging situations normally test a persons personality only his emotional quotient can make him intelligent in balancing both his emotion and the given situation which often results to a better decision-making process and lasting positive change. It is emotional quotient that enhances the creative side of problem-solving.
   
To increase my emotional quotient, I need to be practically aware of my own emotion during taxing period. In a sense, I must be aware of disturbing negative emotion that ruins my day and disposition. Secondly, I need to cultivate trust for my team members and allowing fear to subside because of my inefficiency (as I thought), then be optimistic with the result. Perhaps, as I gain exposure of the different views, my knowledge will also increase and so my understanding of the emotion of other people. Knowledge is also an attribute in order to develop competence in problem-solving. Thus, as Singh suggested, I need to unlearn bad emotional responses and equip them with necessary emotional competence (p. 64) in order to acquire attributes and competence as a leader. Third, I must develop a positive outlook in life by engaging in meditational activity where I can be alone to release stresses and bring in positive ideas.

Realistic Implementation Timeline 
It will help me if I give my self at least one month self-training that begins in the morning until the time before going to bed. Morning and evening must be my time for meditation and self-reflection. Furthermore, the daily circumstances are presumed as challenges where I need to apply self-control over negative emotions.
  
However, in cases because of lack of self-discipline I fail to be consistent with my plan, I will enroll in some training center for emotional intelligent which are available in the internet.  I can also join with a group who conducts meditation every day.
   
Realistically, the appropriate timeline to follow when training for increase in EI is lifetime to which the age maturity is the top among the factors. People at age 40 normally have achieved some degree of emotional maturity.

The impact of the plan to leadership, follower and organization        Developing emotional intelligence on a daily basis will gradually transform my personality and my personal dealing with people in various situations. For this reason, the ability to handle conflict or problem in the workplace in a nice and intelligent way can increase my competence as a leader.

The workplace is the good place to start my personal training in enhancing my emotional intelligence through which, using my plan given the situations in the organization will benefit not only me but also my follower and my organization. By allowing the team to brainstorm and contribute to the solution to the problem, greater is the possibility that it will increase their motivation, enhance my leadership skills, and bring success to the company. Sala, Druskat and Mount had stressed that emotional intelligence is associated with better outcomes in work groups, leadership qualities such as the ability to propose compelling goals and ideas, better performance in group decision-making activities, higher supervisor ratings of job performance, higher performance rankings from managers, and higher percentage merit pay (p. xxxiv).Means of Assessing and modifying the plan

Through personal assessment after each days work is a good time and means to assess and modify the plan. Assessing and modifying include evaluation of the effectiveness of my implementation while, modifying takes place when there is adjustment in my action plan. Both of these will guide me to maintain my focus until I get what I desire. 

Another helpful tool towards building emotional intelligence is through collaboration with a trusted friend who can coach me during unguarded moments. Motivating the team members to undergo training such as this using corporate approach can also help maintain my focus.

The Skill-Based Model which focuses on developing problem-solving skills required of a leader through enhancing personal attributes and competencies guarantees effective performance as the outcome suggests. Using this model, I figured out that the reason for my lack of problem-solving skills is lack of self-confidence and trust for other people, which fall under personality, a component of individual attribute. To increase problem-solving skills requires enhancing my emotional intelligence, which helps regulate my emotional responses in order for me to facilitate creative thinking. Despite the fact that developing emotional intelligence may take years, serious upholding on my action plan would make it easier to happen.
Indeed, it will take discipline and self-control before a person can learn emotional maturity but its fruit is lasting.