HR Management
Of the Fortune Best Companies to Work For, I chose to analyze Hilton in the hospitality industry, Salesforce in the information technology industry, and Edward Jones in the financial services industry. The primary factor that these companies all have in common is that they truly care for their employees. Hilton accomplishes this by treating their employees like family rather than like numbers. Salesforce emphasizes employee care by placing employees at the center of their business and by fostering inclusivity through a wide variety of employee resource groups. Finally, Edward Jones provides their employees the opportunity to be their best selves at work through the promotion of a high care and high expectations work environment (Great Place to Work, 2020).
As someone who will be managing others immediately after graduating from college this June, it is important for me to emphasize employee care as a leader. I have had several leadership opportunities in the past through work, school, and extracurricular activities, and these opportunities have given me the chance to develop my own personal style of leadership. I strive to place service at the forefront of my leadership by taking care of others in the workplace, taking a personal stake in the growth of others, and fostering an environment where employees can be the best versions of themselves. I also think that leadership is primarily achieved through the way you behave, and it is important to utilize adaptive behaviors. The way that Google addresses leadership is a great example of how you should both be an adaptive leader and care for your associates. According to Google, a good manager has key technical skills that help them advise their team, which makes them an adaptive leader (Garvin, 2013). Further, Google notes that being a good manager also means to care for others by expressing interest in and concern for the personal well-being of others, listening and sharing, and coaching rather than micromanaging (Garvin, 2013).
The aspects of a manager’s job that I anticipate being the most challenging include leading a large team and guiding change. Leading a large team would be challenging because there are many moving parts, and it would be difficult to ensure that every member of the team has the resources and information they need, each member is receiving adequate support, and to build a relationship with each team member. Guiding change would also be challenging because mobilizing change takes much time and effort, it is difficult to instill lasting change, and it requires you to overcome resistance to change.
References
Great Place to Work. (2020). Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For 2020. [Online]. Available at: https://www.greatplacetowork.com/best-workplaces/100-best/2020
Garvin, D. (2013). How Google sold its engineers on management. Harvard Business Review, 91(12), 74–82.
