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Practices of Exemplary Leadership

Currently, the corporate environment is not only uncertain but also turbulent, dynamic and very complex. In order to enhance optimal functioning, organizational leaders are faced with the task of providing the followers with effective guidance and encouraging them to face the challenges aggressively. Certainly, leadership is of paramount importance for any organization that wishes to maintain a competitive edge. Effective leadership is particularly vital for international companies such as Coca Cola. Undoubtedly, the ability of Coca Cola Company to maintain leadership in the competitive market industry is attributable to ideal and exemplary leadership that its management exhibits.

Market trends indicate that this company has maintained industry leadership since its inception. Besides incorporating creativity in its practices, viable leadership has also enabled it to maintain the desirable position. In light of the practices of model leadership that were put forth by Kouzes and Posner, the management of Coca Cola Company has exhibited certain ideal behaviors that are consistent with the exemplary behaviors.

With regards to modeling the way, the management understands that although leadership titles re prestigious, behavior is more important as it wins them respect. In this regard, Bennis (2003) posits that leaders that wish to achieve quality and high standard need to exhibit desirable behavioral models that they wish their followers to have. The leaders of Coca Cola Company often establish organizational standards of excellence and set ideal examples for their employees to follow. They are usually at the forefront with respect to implementing and enforcing the quality standards that they wish the organization to have.

They also develop and establish distinct values regarding how they want their clients and employees to be treated. They then ensure that the values are upheld both inside and outside the organization. Since the management understands that change in some instances can be overwhelming, they break down the organizational goals and set to achieve these in small wins. Furthermore, they identify incidences of bureaucracy that had adverse impacts on effective operations. Their persistence and innovation enables them to identify opportunities for growth and success in a timely manner.

With regard to inspiring a shared vision, the management has a passionate believe that they have the ability to initiate change in the organization. Organizational leaders imagine a highly attractive and exciting future or their organization and develop dreams and vision for it. Further, they exhibit confidence in their capabilities to trigger extra ordinary occurrences. Using creativity, they rejuvenate any decaying culture in their organization. To enhance attainment of the respective dreams and visions, the leaders enlist people in them. This is attained through dialogue and according to Northouse (2007), it makes the employees to feel appreciated and ultimately motivated. The leaders on the other hand have a chance to intimately know the hopes, aspirations, values, dreams and visions of their employees.

The leaders also focus on breathing life in the dreams and hopes of their followers in a bid to enable them identify the exciting opportunities that the future presents. They encourage unity and inform the followers about the common good of organizational visions. Further, they instill in the followers a passion and enthusiasm for the vision through expressive style and vivid language.

Regarding the practice of challenging the process, Coca Cola Company leaders tend to venture out. They persistently search for viable opportunities in a bid to initiate change in the organization. They consistently search for creative and innovative ways with which they use for improving the status of this organization. Usually they take measures to confront the traditional culture that in some instances derail organizational development.

The use radical and new ideas to influence imaginative thought processes within the organization. This does not imply that they do not face any challenges. In the current dynamic business environment, emergent challenges are wide and varied. According to Bennis (2003) sustainable leadership is learnt and not necessarily acquired. Leaders learn best by experiencing obstacles and wide ranging challenges. However, they do not let the obstacles to weigh them down, rather they learn form this and derive invaluable lessons to shape their competencies. They perceive their mistakes positively and learn from both their successes and failures.

Leaders of this organization also empower others to act by fostering trust as well as collaboration. They hold team work in high regard involve all stakeholders in critical decision making. They consider the capacities held by the employees to be very important and extent this attitude to suppliers, clients, managers and so forth. They also work towards providing viable environments that are supportive of effective functioning. They acknowledge the fact that sustainable performance is characterized by a sense of ownership of projects and the organization by all stakeholders. For this reason, they aim at making people not only capable but also strong and committed.

In his research, Northouse (2007) argues that individuals that are entrusted with authority, discretion and information tend to be more committed to producing quality and extra ordinary results. Notably, the management founds organizational leadership relationship on confidence and trust. This makes the employees and all stakeholders to take risks, initiate changes and keep the organization and its relative movement alive. The employees are encouraged to assume important leadership qualities that also make them responsible and hardworking.

With regard to encouraging the heart, organizational leaders appreciate that organizational growth and development is arduous and tiring. Along the way, individuals are likely to become exhausted, disenchanted and frustrated. For this reason, they encourage their followers to persist and carry on with the tasks amid varied challenges. They use simple acts of appreciation and recognition. They also reward their employees through promotions, salary increments and so forth. Besides, they encourage team work and emphasize on harmonic co existence. By celebrating all achievements, leaders make the followers to feel like heroes. This positive spirit enables them to face challenges with ease and take risks as well as capitalize on opportunities.

In sum, the management of the Coca Cola Company has exhibited exemplary leadership since its inception. This has enabled it to maintain the leading position in the industry. Leaders do not only encourage the employers but they also involve them in critical decision making. Moreover, they reward them, celebrate their achievements and make them feel like heroes. This motivates them to work harder. In essence, the leaders instill in their workforce a positive organizational culture and a sense of leadership. This makes them responsible and enhances their capacities with regard to leadership. Finally, leaders of this organization set the pace by being on the forefront with respect to implementing and enforcing the performance standards that they establish.

References

Bennis, W. (2003). On becoming a leader. New York, NY: Perseus Publishing.

Northouse, P. G. (2007). Leadership: Theory and practice (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.