Leading Strategic Program Management Essay Example for Free

Leading Strategic Program Management Essay Some people might say a good leaders is born that way. It is true that some individuals have a natural instinct to lead people, but they also have tools to help them in their success. In watching the movie Twelve O’clock High we see different types of leadership. Why is Colonel Keith Davenport’s leadership ineffective in comparison to General Frank Savage’s leadership? With all the men of the 918th Bomb Group loyal to Colonel Davenport, what steps does Gen Savage take to not only win their loyalty but make them an effective team? While working on a project is a lot different than fighting a war, we see how good leadership techniques, trust, good communication, developing leaders, and instilling a sense of pride can turn around the poorest of teams. If you have an ineffective leader, chances are the team will be ineffective. There were many deficiencies in Colonel Davenport’s leadership style. Colonel Davenport was more focused on each individual in his group than he was on the mission at hand. He had the loyalty of his men but failed to lead them. When one of his men failed to accomplish their mission or messed up, Colonel Davenport assumed responsibility and failed to discipline them. When Colonel Davenport received orders to push his men to the maximum potential, he wouldn’t, for fear of burning them out. While Colonel Davenport could not see his deficiencies in his leadership, it could be seen by the commanding General of the VIII Bomber Command, Eighth Air Force. General Pritchard brought Brigadier General Frank Savage in to see if he could fix not only the leadership problem but the productivity of the men in the 918th Bomb Group. When Brigadier Frank Savage arrived at the 918th Bomb Group he went right to work. One of the first items on his agenda was restoring the military standards that had become very laidback. We see this in a couple of scenes. He reprimands the gate guard for not checking his identification card upon entering the base. When he walks into his new office he catches Sergeant Mclllheny typing without his uniform top on. Brigadier General Savage immediately reduces him in rank and tells him why. Word soon travels around the base that they must adhere to the military standards and rules. Once Brigadier General Savage has made it clear that he will restore accountability and standards he calls a meeting to set his expectations clear. In this meeting Brigadier General Savage lets everyone know that they have a job to do and they need to stop feeling sorry for themselves. He tells everyone that from this point on they will be held accountable for their mistakes. Brigadier General Savage then informs everyone that since they are performing poorly, they will practice over and over again until they get it right. This infuriates the pilots and they immediately put in for a transfer. Once Brigadier General Savage has made his expectations clear, he begins gathering support from others. Major Stovall is the group Adjutant who works directly for Brigadier General Savage. Brigadier General Savage begins asking Major Stovall’s opinions on individuals in the unit. He takes the advice given to him by Major Stovall. Major Stovall begins to see that Brigadier General Savage is a great leader and he has a plan to get the 918th Bomb Group back on track. Major Stovall becomes a loyal hard working member of the 918th Bomb Group. He can see that Brigadier General Savage is committed to his job. A trust is built between the two men. â€Å"Trust is at the core of all meaningful relationships. Without trust there can be no giving, no bonding, no risk-taking† (Berkun, 2008, p. 242). He then begins to talk to the other men and gather support and trust for Brigadier General Savage. The next item on Brigadier General Savage’s agenda is to develop leaders in the 918th Bomb Group. When Brigadier General Savage is reviewing everyone’s personnel records he  notices that the second in charge is underperforming. Lt Colonel Ben Gately is immediately fired from his position and place in charge of a plane full of underachievers. He informs Lt Colonel Gately that he will receive every lazy nonperforming person who comes into the 918th Bomb Group. If Lt Colonel Gately wants to survive he needs to step up to the plate and become a good leader. The plane that Lt Colonel Gately is in charge of is called the Leper Colony. By doing this, Brigadier General Savage is giving Lt Colonel Gately a way to prove his leadership. This method of leadership works very well on Lt Colonel Gately, because he begins to perform exceptionally well. Lt Colonel Gately even flies with an injured spine. Brigadier General Savage can see the 918th Bomb Group is turning around into an effective unit. He then sets out to develop a sense of pride in the group. Savage praises them for their performance and what they have achieved as a group. He begins promoting excellence in everything they do. On days where there is no mission they practice to get it perfect. Individuals who show outstanding performance in the Leper Colony get promoted out and those who make mistakes move to the Leper Colony. Results from all their hard team work began to pay off. When the 918th Bomb Group goes on a dangerous mission they return with everyone. The whole unit is put in for a commendation. While Savage has turned the unit around he still has trouble communicating to his people. Communication is a major part of being an effective leader. While Savage has begun communicating very well with Major Stovall, he still had trouble communicating with his pilots and ground crew. Only when he finally sits down and communicates with a young pilot named Bishop, do the other pilots removed their request to be transferred to another unit. Savage was trying to keep his distance from his pilots. He felt that not becoming emotionally involved with his pilots would help create a barrier. Savage cared about every single person in his unit, but he kept his emotions inside which was the cause of his breakdown. Looking at a project manager or leader of a company, it is easy to see why you would want someone like Brigadier General Savage in charge. He arrived  at the 918th Bomb Group with a clear and direct sense of responsibility. He knew what he had to do and he knew it was not going to be a popularity contest. While Brigadier General Savage had trouble communicating to everyone, he understood his people, their motivations, and the emotions they were feeling. It is important when you are in charge of a project to know the people you will be working with. There needs to be trust between you and your employees. As the project manager when you say you will do something, you must ensure you follow through. Brigadier General Savage demanded that the members of the 918th Bomb Group give him loyalty, respect, integrity, and selfless service. He in turn not only gave the same right back, he gave them leadership, direction, and a sense of self-worth. By the time Brigadier General Savage left the 918th Bomb Group, they were able to continue their mission under any good leader who took over. As a leader, you have to take responsibility for the decisions you make. You must inspire your people and establish teamwork. Sometimes being a leader is not an easy job, but with the right set of tools you can be an effective leader. â€Å"Where there is no guidance the people fall, but in the abundance of counselors there is a victory† (Proverbs 11: 14). Reference Berkun, S. (2008). Making Things Happen. Sebastopol, CA: OReilly Media, Inc. New International Version. (1970). Thomas Nelson Inc.

Free Hamlet Essays: Complex Hamlet :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Complex Hamlet There are many factors that lead Hamlet into putting himself in a difficult position. There are many incidents where it’s not Hamlet’s poor attitude that gets him in trouble, but his great ambition to uncover the truth. Once Hamlet discovers that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are spying on him, he never lets them out of his sight. Hamlet suspects that his mother, Gertrude, was an accomplice for the murder of his father. Polonius was slain by Hamlet who had mistaken him for Claudius. His pretense of madness drove Ophelia to her death. All of these incidents show that its Hamlet’s great ambition to uncover the truth that gets himself in difficult positions. Hamlet would not show mercy even when confronted by his best friends from his childhood. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were sent by the King and Queen to spy on Hamlet to discover the reason for his disturbing behavior. Hamlet isn’t fooled by their sudden arrival and gives them a chance to show their loyalty to him by admitting they were sent by the king. "That you must teach me. But let me conjure you by the.... be even and direct with me whether you were sent for or no." (II-ii.274-278) Hamlet is aware of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s alliance with the king. He sends them to England, replacing the letter that they carried with a forgery of the king’s seal stating that the bearers of the letter should be killed. He felt no guilt or remorse for the sudden loss of his two best friends. "They are not near my conscience; their defeat does by their own insinuation grow." (V-ii.58-59) Hamlet’s curiosity caused him to not only suspect his mother, but also kill poor Polonius. He believed Gertrude was an accomplice in the murder of his father.Hamlet has violent outbursts towards his mother. His anger increased as Gertrude misinterpreted the situation. She believed that she was in danger of being assaulted and therefore cries out for help. Hamlet, who was full of rage, runs his dagger through the arras and kills Polonius, mistaking him for Claudius. "O me, what hast tho done/Nay, I know not. Is it the king?" (III-iv.27-28) Hamlet's passion was furiously aroused, and his words to his mother grew increasingly bitter and sharp. His words acted like daggers that shattered Gertrude's peace of mind. "Nay, but to live in the rank sweat of an enseamed bed, stewed in corruption, honeying and making love over the nasty sty.

Darden case study Essay

1. Using the full spectrum of segmentation variables, describe how Darden segments and targets the sit-down dining market. The types of segmentation include geographic, demographic, psychographic, and behavioral segmentation. For geographic segmentation, Darden has all of its Longhorn Steakhouse restaurants in the eastern half of the United States but they are trying to expand to the west coast. This is a great idea because out west is an untapped market with great potential for lots of earnings. Darden has a chance to redefine the image of steakhouses as is currently being done like the classiness that is being added to the brand. The customer traffic is increasing and Longhorn Steakhouse could potentially even overtake Outback Steakhouse as the premier steakhouse type of restaurant. For demographic segmentation, Red Lobster represents the opportunity Darden has to fill the gap between the young fast food concept and the upscale white-tablecloth restaurants. Red lobster is even making many changes to accommodate for the changing times around America which is causing sales to fall. With innovative concepts such as wood fired grilling resulting in a â€Å"taste of wood-grilled seafood† and investments in equipment and training, Darden is putting itself back in the spotlight to becoming recognized and respected. You can also never go wrong with fried shrimp so Red Lobster will always have that marketing card to play. The Psychographic segmentation is shown by how people want to feel positive emotions when they go out to restaurants such as the concept of a happy family and namely the mythical Italian family. Customers want to feel emotionally satisfied as much as they want to be physically satisfied by the food. Creating an authentic menu hits close to home because people get that warm and happy feeling when they see the authenticity. Even Olive Garden’s commercial â€Å"When you’re here, you’re family† and slogan show the feelings of connection that Americans want to feel and would be willing to come in for. Behavioral segmentation is shown in how less frequently Americans want to sit down at restaurants to eat their meals. With all of our financial constraints we are choosing different and more cost effective ways to eat out and have a good time with the family. Darden needs to use more cost effective ways to lower the meal prices so that family’s will once again be willing to eat out at a sit down restaurant on a regular basis.

Civil Rights Movement During The Civil War - 960 Words

Civil Rights Movement With the winning of the Civil War still in the minds of many, conducting interviews of previous slaves intrigued those wanting to know what it was like being a slave. With the interview there is a look inside the life of, a woman still in her childhood, what her life was like, and how she dealt with being a slave. The life of a slave was no easy feat, but with perseverance many made it to the wars end, although life still has many hardships for the Freedman today. The interview was given to Betty Powers by the New Deals Federal Writer’s Project in 1936, quite a few years after the slaves were freed. These interviews were given to give a look into the life of a slave, what they went through, and the pains and turmoil that white people had caused. This interview just proved how terrible and inhumane slavery was, and why it needed to be ended, although it caused the south to completely change its ways in the Reconstruction Era. In the textbook there were vie ws from both the North and the South on slavery and its end. This article is on the view of the slaves and the North, believing it was the right thing to end slavery, and that the color of your skin doesn’t mean you aren’t human. On the South’s view, they believed the opposite that African Americans were below the whites, and were meant for harsh labor. The treatment of African American’s thus leads to Reverend Henry McNeal Turner to give a speech before the Georgia State Legislator in 1868, becauseShow MoreRelatedCivil Rights Movements During The World War II911 Words   |  4 PagesCivil Rights Movements After the World War II, the United States has a significant impact in social changes on minorities’ social class status and gender. Women were not given equal rights to men and segregation in school between African American and White people to raise the issues to the roof. 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During his presidency, he was not able to implement his promises successfully. â€Å"Without a clear Democratic majority in Congress he was unable to increase federal aid to ed ucation, provide health insurance for the aged, create a cabinet-level department of urban affairs, or expand civil rights† (Tindall and Shi 1050). His successor Johnson, committed to New Deal Democratic Liberalism, launched a War on Poverty and the so-called Great Society, a large