Leadership Development Essay For Bakers Delight.

The task for this assessment is to prepare and present a plan for your development as a leader. The period of your plan could be 2, 5 or 10 years. Select the period that makes most sense to you, depending on the current stage of your life and career. Briefly explain the reason for the time period that you have selected.

Your plan needs to be based on or anchored by an established model of personal development. A number of possible models were provided in Module 1. The choice of a model is up to you. The Whitman GROW and Boyatzis Intentional Change models are two of the most comprehensive at a personal level. However, other models may be more relevant to your current needs. You are also welcome to use an appropriate model that was not included in Module 1, provided it meets the tests of academic rigour and usefulness to you. Provide a brief description of your chose model and a justification for your selection. It is important that you go to the source documents and not rely only on the summary version of your chosen model.

Choice of Personal Development Model

Leadership refers to research area along with practical skill that encompasses ability of an individual or an organization to provide guidance to the other individuals along with teams. The leaders help in setting the direction and builds a vision that can be of benefit for an institution or an organization (Scarborough, 2016).The leaders make use of the management skills that can help in guiding people towards right destination. Leadership is indicative of the ability of the management to achieve the challenging goals and they inspire the other people so that they can perform well within the organization. A leadership development plan can prove to be an invaluable tool that can help an individual in the aspect of being guided throughout the course of the career. Leadership Development Plan refers to a detailed plan that can help in setting the career on that of a strategic leadership track. Bakers Delight is a bakery franchise chain within Australia that has outlets in the local area and also within New Zealand along with Canada. This report throws light on my leadership development plan and how I can make progress as a leader in Bakers Delight.

I have completed my MBA in marketing from La Trobe Business School of Australia. The course at the school has taught me that a good leader should be appreciative, confident and compassionate. Such traits will enable an individual to excel in the organization as the leadership qualities is of crucial importance for progression in one’s career. I want to make progress in my career and I want to find myself in the position of General Manager of Baker’s Delight. Initially I am in the position of Marketing Company Analyst and within the framework of five years I want to see myself in the top hierarchical position of General Manager that would require a great amount of leadership skills (Ward, 2016). I have selected this particular time frame as I think the initial stage of my career is of crucial importance for my professional development. The position of a General Manager will require great amount of leadership skills like problem-solving, planning, time management and communication. I think that it is hence important for me to nurture these skills from the very outset that can help in my professional development. The desired outcome from my leadership development plan would revolve around helping my subordinates focus on the technical aspect of accomplishing the tasks (Edie et al., 2016) The position of the General Manager should help me to inspire my subordinates and to ensure that all the parts of the company are working together.

The manager in Baker’s Delight has to ensure that the personnel in the kitchen are being properly supervised and the customers are made to feel comfortable. Communication is an important aspect of successful leadership and the right kind of communication can help in the prevention of confusion in the bakery franchise chain. I would want my team to collaborate in the right manner so that it can help in increasing the efficiency of the employees of Baker’s Delight. My business objective for Baker’s Delight would be to build a committed customer base and develop a model that can help in bringing income that can cover the expenses (Debortoli, Müller & vom Brocke, 2014) I want Baker’s Delight to occupy the top position among the bakery companies of Australia. Baker’s Delight has evolved from being a humble bakery that was initially existing within Hawthorn to more than 700 bakeries in four countries. I want Baker’s Delight to grow in terms of market positioning along with the bakery number. My goal for Baker’s Delight within five years would be to become the number one bakery franchise in Australia.

Background and Business Objectives

I have got skills related to innovation, communication and I am passionate about my work that can help me in my position of manager. There are however other skills that I need to build on- decision making capability, time management and delegation. Decision making is a process that goes on within every business. The critical thinking skills are important for a manager as it can help one in ascertaining problem and coming up with solution that can prove to be beneficial for an organization (Hurst, Thye & Wise, 2014). The managers are responsible for making decisions and one needs to make prompt decisions that can prove to be vital for the development of company. I think that my decision making skills are weak and I need to hone my skills so that I can excel in my career path. Delegation can help in improving efficiency of an individual and with the help of delegation work is transferred to the other people who have got the skills to perform the work in a better manner. Delegation can help in incorporating power in the members of the team with the help of effective leadership. Empowering other people can help one in becoming experts and this can prove to be advantageous for an organization (Block, 2016). According to me, I lack in the skill of delegation that is an important attribute of a good leader. I need to improve in my time management related skills that is crucial in the present age. Time management is a crucial aspect of a manager and I should be able to build on these skill that can be useful in my career path.

Behavioural theory of leadership focuses on the fact that a great leader is made with the help of adequate circumstances and environment. This theory stresses on the fact that one can become a successful leader with the help of observation and with the help of experiences. From the position of marketing company analyst, I want to see myself in the position of company administrator that can help in sharpening my leadership skills. This can be achieved within a span of 1 year. Being the business administrator of Baker’s Delight I would be responsible for establishing and carrying out the goals and procedures of Baker’s Delight. I would have to oversee the financial along with budgetary activities of Baker’s Delight. This position would enable me to consult with that of the other executives and appoint the department heads along with managers (Hoffman & Tadelis, 2018). In the position of company administrator I would I would have to manage the calendar that would sharpen my abilities related to time management. I would learn to schedule the meetings and co-ordinate the office procedures that can help me in learning effective leadership skills. I shall be able to learn about time management as I have to handle multifarious duties when being in the role of company administrator.

 The next position as the senior manager of the company would help me in gaining the skills pertaining to delegation. Serving in the company for three years would help me in getting this position in Baker’s Delight. I will be able to involve other people which is an important aspect of a leader. One learns about responsibility when one is delegating work to other employees in an organization. In the role of the senior manager, I have to fulfil my own tasks and also making sure that the other employees are also performing their tasks. I lack the skill relating to delegation and this activity will strengthen my skill set (Delaney et al., 2017). I will have to supervise the employees in the shop that can help in ensuring that proper procedures are being followed in the organization. I shall have to look after the operations of the kitchen and receive the complaints of the customer.

Skills and Areas of Improvement

 I will be able to learn about decision making abilities in Baker’s Delight when I am provided with the professional position of General Manager. The decision making ability of the manager can help them in reframing the problem and they have to take care of the fact that one aspect is not being emphasized too much that leads to the neglect of other aspects in the organization. The general manager has to make decisions that are based on evidence instead of trusting the instincts (Cao et al., 2016). They have to make use of the faculty of judgement and make use of performance data for supporting decisions. Decision making ability of the general manager can help them in challenging status quo and they will learn to be open-minded (Carnall, 2018). I shall be able to attain this position after five years that will point forward to the success of my learning process within the organization. The Grow Model lays stress on the aspect of coaching along with mentoring that can pave the path for the development of an employee. One of the important roles of a leader is to coach people so that they can give their best for the organization. A successful leader helps others in making effective decisions, solving problems and the learning of new skills. The formal training cannot provide one with the requisite amount of skills that is imperative for being a good leader (Quinn et al., 2014).  One can only learn the leadership skills by learning things in the practical manner within an organization.

I shall need effective support from my co-workers, supervisors and the top management of Baker’s Delight so that I can develop in my professional domain. My colleagues have to provide me with all kinds of support that can help me in learning leadership skills. The professional relationship can be said to be symbiotic in nature. The relationships being interactive in the professional world can help an individual in learning from the strong point of other people. The financial activities that I will accomplish after becoming the business administrator within Baker’s Delight can be achieved with the help of active support provided by my supervisor in the organization. Interacting with him on daily basis can help me in learning more about the monetary activities pertaining to the company (Wagner, 2016). I have to make decisions when I am raised to the position of senior manager in Baker’s Delight and the president of the company can help me in this aspect. He can help me in taking vital decisions when I am unsure about certain things. I will be able to measure the progress in relation to my skills development with the help of feedback from my colleagues and my supervisors. A polling can be conducted over the website of the company that can help in revealing the fact that I have grown strong in terms of decision making, delegation and time management (Cottrell, 2015). The clients can be asked about my communication abilities and my creative abilities and they can reveal that I was good at these aspects. The increase in gross annual revenue by around 30 % can act as an indicator of the fact that the company was growing with the help of superior skill set of the employees. It was able to acquire the top position among the bakery companies that indicates the success of the management of Baker’s Delight.

Conclusion

Leadership is indicative of the ability of an individual that can help them in guiding other people in the organization. A leader can set direction for a company and they can build a vision for the company that can help the organization in its efficient working. I am possessed with good amount of innovative along with communication skill that is of grave importance for the position of manager. The skills that I need to build on are my decision making, delegating and my time management skills. Moving ahead in the hierarchical position of the organization can teach me about leading and sharpen my skills that is integral for the professional development of a person. I was provided with active help from my co-workers and supervisors that can help me in the aspect of my professional development. Professional relationship can be said to be symbiotic and help from all avenues in the organization is of great importance for my professional development. Polling conducted at the company website and feedback from the clients can help me I ascertaining success in relation to my professional position in Baker’s Delight.

References:

Block, P. (2016). The empowered manager: Positive political skills at work. John Wiley & Sons.

Cao, C., Goldie, B. A., Liang, B., & Petrasek, L. (2016). What is the nature of hedge fund manager skills? Evidence from the risk-arbitrage strategy. Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, 51(3), 929-957.

Carnall, C. (2018). Managing change. Routledge.

Cottrell, S. (2015). Skills for success: Personal development and employability. Macmillan International Higher Education.

Debortoli, S., Müller, O., & vom Brocke, J. (2014). Comparing business intelligence and big data skills. Business & Information Systems Engineering, 6(5), 289-300.

Delaney, Y., Pattinson, B., McCarthy, J., & Beecham, S. (2017). Transitioning from traditional to problem-based learning in management education: the case of a frontline manager skills development programme. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 54(3), 214-222.

Edie, A. H., Marshall, E. S., Winters, C. E., & Mariani, B. A. (2016). Faculty Leadership Development: Mentoring, Team Leadership, and Community.

Hoffman, M., & Tadelis, S. (2018). People Management Skills, Employee Attrition, and Manager Rewards: An Empirical Analysis (No. w24360). National Bureau of Economic Research.

Hurst, J. L., Thye, A., & Wise, C. L. (2014). Internships: The key to career preparation, professional development, and career advancement. Journal of Family & Consumer Sciences, 106(2), 58-62.

Quinn, R. E., Bright, D., Faerman, S. R., Thompson, M. P., & McGrath, M. R. (2014). Becoming a master manager: A competing values approach. John Wiley & Sons.

Scarborough, N. M. (2016). Essentials of entrepreneurship and small business management. Pearson.

Wagner, W. E. (2016). Leadership for a better world: Understanding the social change model of leadership development. John Wiley & Sons.

Ward, J. (2016). Keeping the family business healthy: How to plan for continuing growth, profitability, and family leadership. Springer.