Lesson 9 Discussion

C. Report on the communication strategies of an effective leader

Do some research on a current or past organizational leader who is admired for her or his
effective communication. You can read one of the following articles, or you can come up
with your own article.

A.G. Lafley, CEO of Procter & Gamble [4 short online pages]

Question 3 (answer all 3 parts)

Summarize this person's communication strengths, explaining how they helped the leader
to be effective.

Relate these strengths to some of the communication principles you've read about in this
lesson.

Explain how you could apply some of these principles in your own organizational
communication.

When A.G. Laftey took over Proctor & Gamble he had been working there for
many years and knew what was working and what had not. He took that
experience and built upon it with traits of flexibility, provisionalism
(Andrews & Herschel, 102) and a strategy. In my opinion he used a
situational approach (Andrews & Herschel, 165) to management because
the company was failing and because he believed that many goals were not
being clearly communicated to others.
What I liked best was how he was able to explain his reasoning; why they
needed to experience life in India before marketing to them. He said, "You
really have to have integrity when doing consumer-centric innovation," Lafley
said. "If we want to create something for Indian consumers in India, we're
cutting corners if we sample Indians living in the U.K." (Schleier) It helped the
employees view its congruence with its consumer base as well as give clear
reasoning to the goals that were being implemented.
One of the biggest challenges I think we all face is being able to listen,
identify and respond appropriately to the challenges around us.
Interact(ing) ethically (Anrews & Herschel, 219) is something I still
struggle with because I forget that my understanding is not always correct. I
realize how respect is earned only as we willingly share our differing
perspectives.
I think that I can improve this by clarifying what others are trying to tell me
rather than trying to make sure others understand what I am trying to say. I
want to be like A.G. Laftey when he talked about the importance of taking

time away from the constant decisions that as a manager he had to make,
and reflecting upon the companys long term goals.
Impulsive behavior tends to get the better of me in stressful situations but I
realize that my first impressions are typically negative and disrespectful. For
example, I recently got released from a position for reasons that were out of
my control. While I was very hurt by the decision I realized that they had
made the choice because they had the ultimate authority and they were
trying to do what they thought was best for the organization. When we take
the time to look for alternatives we enable others to help themselves instead
of putting down road blocks for them.
Citations
Schleier, Craig. A.G. Lafleys Winning P&G Contribution: Top Strategy.
Investors Business Daily. Web. Accessed Nov. 11, 2015 at
http://news.investors.com/management-leaders-and-success/012213641428-ag-lafley-produced-winning-strategy-procter-gamble.htm?p=2
Andrews, P.H. & Herschel, R. Organizational Communication: Empowerment
In A Technological Society Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin Company.
(1996) Print.
Dustin,
You seem to sure have some good ideas to share. I was recently doing research on the results of different
kinds of surveys and how they turned out. What was most interesting about this pew study was that it
showed that we express more negative views and opinions online, not about our selves, but about others.
(pewresearch.org/2015/05/13/from-telephone-to-the-web-the-challenge-of-mode-of-interview-effects-inpublic-opinion-polls) I don't know if technology will lead us in the right direction unless we become more
capable of harnessing our expressions while using it. Like our text says, "when developed properly,
(leadership) can enable individuals to motivate and shape the behavior of others, to manage
diversity and conflict, and to promote positive team building behaviors..." (Andrews & Herschel,
187)
I am not sure I agree that we should always seek out change, but I do appreciate that there are
companies like yours who encourage training and career development. It gives me hope that as
technology enhances empowerment and teamwork, it won't always just mean "freedom" but also
encourage respect and improvement.
Jennifer
Lauren,
I really didn't agree with your disadvantages to empowerment because those kinds of disadvantages
remind me of the different power bases (Andrews & Herschel, 174) and how leaders sometimes use
them. You had a really great example of how empowerment has helped your boyfriend grow and become
more competent in his job. It is nice to hear about the sucesses of companies who have benefited from

the life cycle theory of leadership (Andrews & Herschel, 77) to improve employee and consumer
satisfaction. Thanks for sharing.
Jennifer