Skills Development: Strategic Management and Leadership at McDonald's

This essay delves into the development of strategic management and leadership skills, emphasizing their importance in a practical setting, specifically within McDonald's Corporation. It highlights the application of leadership theories, such as transformational and contingency theories, in managing a team of 27 employees. The essay underscores the significance of communication, interpersonal, and motivational skills in enhancing employee performance and resolving workplace conflicts. It also addresses the influence of international and cultural differences on leadership strategies, advocating for cultural sensitivity to foster creativity and improve overall work procedures. The five fundamental practices of exemplary leadership are examined, emphasizing modeling the way, inspiring a shared vision, challenging the process, enabling others to act, and encouraging the heart. The author's experience at McDonald's illustrates how these principles are applied to achieve organizational goals and boost employee productivity, with a focus on adapting to market demands and effectively utilizing employee skills and traits. Desklib provides access to similar essays and study tools for students.

Developing Strategic
Management and Leadership
Skills
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The use of leadership theories is of great importance as they help in evaluating the effectiveness
of the entire workplace. There are five of the fundamental practices of exemplary leadership
which help in making the practical and right decision regarding the execution of the work
procedures. I have evaluated that these five practices are modeling the way, getting inspired from
a shared vision, challenging the process, enabling others to act and encouraging the heart to take
right decisions (Sadiq & Aminath 1-11).
Current, I am working in a restaurant of McDonald corporation in Sydney market, and I am
managing a team of 27 people regarding their execution of the work activities. It becomes
essential for me to allocate work between the 27 members as per their skills, capabilities and
interpersonal skills as it will help in enhancing the overall effectiveness of the concerned
business. Moreover, the use of the excellent communication skills is required to provide the
desired elevation in improving the overall performance of the employees along with the entire
firm. The method of the communicational abilities increases the credibility of a leader like me,
and the instructions are more accessible to be followed by the respective employees.
The use of the interpersonal skills like communication skills, facilitating skills, leadership skills,
monitoring, negotiating skills and others can effusively influence the workplace dynamics. The
purpose of the mentoring skills is essential as it helps in monitoring the execution of the work
processes in a more defined way. I have used negotiation skills to reduce conflicts between two
of the employees at some point in time at the workplace (Yahaya, Rusliza, and Ebrahim 190-
216). It has helped in making the people understand regarding reducing conflicts and to work
cooperatively. Moreover, I have learned that the practical use of the negotiation skills helps in
teaching the perspective of mutual gain in the concerned workplace.
The use of the motivational skills has helped me in evaluating the overall performance of the
employees that have helped them in achieving the organizational goals of the firm. The
leadership decision-making strategies merely depend on the situation and the skills possessed by
the respective employees.
There is a list of the theories such as the contingency theory, the transactional and
transformational theory that provides the correct path to the employees to execute the required
work processes. The use of the transformational leadership theory reflects the working of the
employees within the firm as per the change and demand of the situation. The employees are
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required to adapt as per the requirement of the work processes and as per the market demands.
The consumers are expected to be the vital factor that helps in enhancing the overall growth of
the firm to a great extent. The trait theory reflects the fact that there exist few of the crucial traits
and personal characteristics of the employees which should be effectively utilized in boosting the
overall growth and performance of the firm (Donate, Mario and Jesús, Sánchez de Pablo 360-
370). I evaluated the fact that there are few of the crucial traits that are vital to leadership and
these are adaptable to situations, being cooperative and self-confident to execute the work
processes in the more defined way so that the overall productivity and profitability. While
working for McDonald Corporation, I understood those different ways to bring out the desired
work from the employees as per their respective skills and capabilities.
The influence of the international and cultural differences generate significant impact on the
formation and execution of leadership strategies. Different people have different values and
beliefs, and it, therefore, becomes essential for a leader to analyze the various cultural aspects to
reduce conflicts among the employees (Anderson, Marc and Peter 76-96). People coming from
multiple cultures promotes creativity as per their culture, and this increases the reliability and
effectiveness of the entire work procedures.
The concept behind each of the five practices reflects that firstly, the processes or the desired
path need to be evaluated on which the employees are going to work (Pilbeam & Colin 110-121).
Moreover, various inspirations that are good for the execution of the work processes should be
incorporated with the activities of the organization to achieve the desired goals of the firm. Next
is the challenging the method according to the need of the firm. The different work processes
should be divided as per the capability and skills of the employees as this will help in achieving
the business goals by sharing the common vision (Jacobsen, Bøtcher, and Andersen 829-841).
Finally, each of the employees should be motivated to boosts their overall performance.
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References
Anderson, Marc H., and Peter YT Sun. "Reviewing leadership styles: Overlaps and the need for
a new ‘full‐range’theory." International Journal of Management Reviews 19.1 (2017):
76-96.
Donate, Mario J., and Jesús D. Sánchez de Pablo. "The role of knowledge-oriented leadership in
knowledge management practices and innovation." Journal of Business Research 68.2
(2015): 360-370.
Jacobsen, Christian Bøtcher, and Lotte Bøgh Andersen. "Is leadership in the eye of the beholder?
A study of intended and perceived leadership practices and organizational
performance." Public Administration Review 75.6 (2015): 829-841.
Pilbeam, Colin, et al. "Safety leadership practices for organizational safety compliance:
Developing a research agenda from a review of the literature." Safety science 86 (2016):
110-121.
Sadiq, Aminath. "A study of the impact of national culture on transformational leadership
practices in the Maldives." AU Journal of Management 9.2 (2018): 1-11.
Yahaya, Rusliza, and Fawzy Ebrahim. "Leadership styles and organizational commitment:
literature review." Journal of Management Development 35.2 (2016): 190-216.
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