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Introduction

This report includes three tasks, and it will be linked to Leadership and Employability. The first task that must be done for this portfolio is a study of the leadership strategies that are presently being used at Amazon, which should be followed by a discussion of the consequences that the leadership has had on the company. The purpose of the second task is to provide the reader an idea of the author's level of expertise after they have participated in the employability diagnostic tasks. The ultimate goal is to create a personal development plan that illustrates how the individual's potential for leadership and employability may be enhanced via introspection on their own actions.

Task 1 Leadership: The Amazon Way

Introduction

Jeffery Bezos founded Amazon.com in 1994, making it the very first online bookshop in the world. It began out selling just video games, but it has now expanded its product offerings to include things like furniture, CDs, MP3 players, items for health and families, and many other things. According to industry experts, Jeff Bezos's managerial style is the primary factor in Amazon's phenomenal success. According to Kantor and Streitfeld (2015), it was not until the late 2000s that Amazon began allowing third-party shops to sell their products on the Amazon.com website. Bezos' decision, which made it simple for consumers to migrate to competitors, was cited as an example of the ineffective business strategy he employs by a great number of individuals who follow the business world attentively. Bezos, on the other side, attempted to defend his position by asserting that the goal of his approach was to enhance the whole shopping experience for customers. He put a greater focus on the demands of the customer as opposed to those of the rival company.

Leadership Style Followed in Amazon

Even while many people working in the industry recognized that this was one of Bezos' effective customer-centric strategies, other people complained to Amazon.com's deteriorating profitability and questioned Bezos' leadership style as a transformational leadership style over an autocratic leadership style . Others questioned whether Bezos was the right person to manage the company.

The great interest that Amazon has in the issue has resulted in the publication of many books and articles on the approach to leadership that the firm takes. Many aspiring business executives and entrepreneurs have shown interest in learning from Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, about his management philosophy and business philosophy in general.

Amazon is a worldwide online business and innovation stalwart that utilizes an unmistakable initiative way of thinking. Chiefs at Amazon are expected to direct their work as per the organization's picked authority style, which is illustrated in a bunch of 16 Authority Standards. These ideas reflect the organization's obligation to progress, yet additionally of its thoughtfulness regarding development and its accentuation on the client. According to Stone and 2022, Amazon's leadership principles centre on the company's consumers. The leader's first responsibility is to focus on the customer, and only after that should they consider how to assist the consumer. To accomplish this objective, you must first know the needs that have been set by your clients, then make decisions and carry out activities that are compatible with giving great service. This concept exemplifies Amazon's unwavering commitment to providing excellent service to its clientele (van et al., 2023).

Amazon puts a high priority not just on creative new ideas but also on making their website easy to use. It is anticipated of the individuals in control that they would streamline the processes and think of novel approaches to the problems. This helps to cultivate a culture of continual research and development, which is important to Amazon's success in the ever evolving digital and e-commerce markets (Charles and Uford, 2023).

Success is what drives those in leadership roles at Amazon. They must be able to make intelligent decisions under time pressure. The company puts a premium on leaders who can think on their feet, take calculated risks, and bounce back fast from failures. This does not mean that rigorous thought and analysis do not have their place in the organisation. The senior leadership at Amazon is built on a foundation of trust. It is the job of leaders to earn and maintain the respect and confidence of their followers. This makes it imperative that information should never be fabricated and that one should always be upfront and honest (Classen, 2019).

Executives at Amazon are strongly urged to focus their undivided attention only on the job at hand. Someone who is engaged in all elements of their firm and is educated about all of those aspects is required for this role. This helps leaders to make informed choices and guide their people in the appropriate path for them and their organizations.

Amazon places a high premium on both the onboarding of new workers and their professional development. Leaders are accountable for the recruiting, development, and training of their respective teams. This concept highlights the company's dedication to widening and strengthening its pool of competent people and draws attention to that commitment. At Amazon, being thrifty is held in high esteem and is one of the company's key leadership values. It is recommended that leaders strive for maximum efficiency. According to Harney and Dundon's research from 2020, businesses may save money without compromising efficiency if they reduce their expenses.

Alternative Leadership Style: Autocratic

Amazon values its workers' integrity and encourages them to speak their minds. Those who are able to own up to their mistakes, learn and evolve as a result of those mistakes, and share their wisdom with others are leaders. This strategy contributes to the creation of an atmosphere in which learning and development are given high priority. The production of Amazon executives is ultimately what matters most in their evaluation. This concept places a strong focus on the need of developing stringent performance standards and following through with them in order to ensure success.

Leaders have a responsibility to make decisions that can be reversed easily and with minimal bureaucracy, while also giving due consideration to possibilities that cannot be reversed. This strategy makes it possible to make speedy adjustments to a dynamic business context while yet providing time for comprehensive analysis of important decisions. At Amazon, executives are not only required to lead, but also to train and mentor the individuals under their supervision.

Long-term thinking drives Amazon leadership. While immediate results are important, leaders must also consider long-term effects. This viewpoint underpins the company's strategy and market domination (Mergen and Ozbilgin, 2021). Amazon practises its leadership values every day. These principles influence Amazon's culture, communication, and decision-making. These principles make Amazon a customer-focused, inventive, and very successful IT and e-commerce corporation (Charles and Uford, 2023).

Task 2 Reflection

Introduction

This reflection will discuss my own growth and learning from employability activities. I'll discuss Driscoll's reflection model's primary lessons here. The Driscoll Model of Reflection, used in education and reflective practises to help people reflect on their experiences and learning, may assist healthcare professionals and others. This model was published by Chris Driscoll in 1994 (Da'as, 2023). In this situation, Driscoll's appearance model emphasises the need of recognising sentiments and analysing one's actions and their effects on others. The methodology asks "what did you see and hear?" to highlight objective facts. Driscoll would have seen his kid weep and heard his yelling and compromise. This model phase helps separate objective reality from emotional presumptions. This reflection will examine my leadership skills and future goals.

Throughout this module, I have used a variety of employability resources and exercises to better understand my own strengths and areas for improvement in the workplace. These methods and exercises have given me the chance to examine my own strengths and weaknesses and make informed decisions about where to put my efforts. This essay is a self-reflection in which I will analyze my approach to leadership and outline the steps I must take to develop my leadership skills.

Leadership Style Reflection:

By completing the diagnostic exercises for potential employers, I have gained insight into my own leadership style and its influence on my efficiency in that role. The Leadership Style Questionnaire and the 360-degree comments were very helpful in highlighting my areas of strength and development as a leader.

My inclination for a more democratic form of leadership is one of the most important things I've learnt about myself as a leader. The Leadership Practices Inventory found that I am a participative leader who values the opinions of those around me. By taking this tack, I am able to foster a positive and empowering work atmosphere for all employees.

But I've also learned where I can go more as a leader. According to the results of the 360-degree feedback, there are occasions when I put too much emphasis on reaching an agreement and fail to recognize when it is necessary to take a stand. This criticism has helped me see that, as a leader, I need to have the ability to make harsh choices and move swiftly when required, even if it means excluding people from the decision-making process.

I need to take a number of steps to better develop my leadership skills. My first priority should be to improve my ability to make sound judgments. Taking initiative and responsibility for one's actions is key to achieving this goal. Doing so will help me gain trust in my judgment and enable me to take calculated risks when necessary.

Second, I have to work on my ability to express myself. A leader's ability to articulate their vision, objectives, and expectations to their team members is essential to their success. I need to practice becoming more confident in presenting my ideas and making sure everyone on the team understands what I'm trying to convey. In addition, it's crucial that I learn to listen attentively to others and consider their input, even if it conflicts with my own.

Third, I need to make an effort to connect with other influential people and established experts in my industry. By participating in networking events and actively pursuing a mentor, I will be able to have access to a wealth of knowledge and insight from more seasoned executives. Because of this, I will be able to learn more about leadership and receive exposure to other perspectives.

Moreover, as a leader, I must maintain a high level of self-awareness. It is crucial that I periodically evaluate my accomplishments, shortcomings, and growth opportunities through the lens of self-reflection. To that end, I want to actively get input from my colleagues, peers, and superiors on a frequent basis. Having others' perspectives on my leadership abilities will help me see where I may be lacking and where I may make the most progress.

Finally, I need to stretch my leadership abilities by taking on more challenging roles. Leadership opportunities may arise in the form of cross-departmental initiatives or participation in student groups and other extracurricular pursuits. Taking on new tasks and pushing myself out of my comfort zone is helping me grow as a leader and gaining me experience that will be useful in my career.

Conclusion

My participation in these employability events allowed me to learn and develop in many ways, which I will discuss in my reflection. In my reflection, I used Driscoll's reflection process to talk about the most valuable lessons I learned. Overall, I feel like I've learned a lot about myself as a leader and where I can improve thanks to the employability diagnostic exercises. I believe that I can grow as a leader and have a great influence on my team and company if I put my attention on growing my decision-making abilities, enhancing my communication, creating a strong network, retaining self-awareness, and actively seeking out leadership chances. I intend to take these measures and develop my leadership skills further so that I may serve my organization and its constituents more effectively in the future.

Task 3. Personal Development Plan

Overall goal	Development opportunity to meet my overall goal	What will I do to achieve this	Resources and support needed	What success looks like	The target date for completion
What is your overall goal?	What do you want to achieve?	What specific actions will you take?	What resources might you need, and who will help you?	How will you know when you’ve achieved success?	What is the date you want to complete this by?
My goals are to further develop my existing leadership abilities and to acquire new leadership talents.	I have other goals that I want to accomplish, but first and foremost, I want to learn how to effectively lead in a variety of settings and with a variety of individuals. c	To successfully develop my main leadership talents, I will educate myself on a variety of leadership styles, such as transformational leadership and transactional leadership styles, among others.	To get an understanding of the many approaches to leadership, the major resources that I will need are classroom settings and online education. My friends, my coworkers, and my instructors are the folks who are going to be of assistance to me.	When I can study and use the many types of leadership that I utilize successfully, then is when I will have achieved success.	Within the next quarter, I will be able to accomplish my goal.
My objective is to become more efficient with my time.	I want to eventually be able to juggle several projects and duties at once. In order to enhance one's proficiency in public speaking, it is important to devise a comprehensive strategy that encompasses deliberate practise and a receptive mindset. I want to enhance my oral communication abilities via the use of self-recording techniques, followed by a comprehensive review of the recordings to identify areas in need of improvement. I am inclined to seize any opportunity to engage in verbal discourse during daylight hours, such as when I am requested to provide introductory remarks in a professional setting or when I participate in an oratory contest. By gradually immersing oneself in circumstances that need public speaking, I will enhance my preparedness and ease in such situations.	The ability to juggle many projects at once is a talent I want to acquire.	Classes and online tutorials will be my key tools for mastering the art of time management. My friends, coworkers, and instructors are the ones who will aid me.	If I can learn to multitask efficiently, I will finally be successful.	2 Months
My objective is to get better at managing my time.	I want to broaden my experience with various tasks and hone my research skills. Individuals use a self-awareness strategy, including a set of objectives and corresponding actions, to engage in personal development. The primary purpose of this book is to assist individuals in identifying their strengths and limitations, establishing attainable objectives, and formulating a strategic framework to achieve such objectives. The formulation of a meticulously devised strategy for personal development may facilitate the cultivation of self-awareness, thoughtfulness, and overall well-being. This essay will delineate my strategy for enhancing self-awareness and examine the measures I will do to achieve my objectives.	I'd want to hone my abilities so that I can do research on many fronts at once.	To understand how to gather data, I will mostly rely on classroom instruction and internet tutorials. Friends, coworkers, and instructors will be the ones who provide a hand. The establishment of objectives is a key aspect in formulating a comprehensive strategy for personal development. I am inclined to engage in introspection by posing inquiries such as, "What is my envisioned trajectory in the forthcoming years?" What kind of talents should I consider incorporating? In whatever aspect of my life do I want to elevate my endeavours to a higher level? By allocating dedicated time for contemplation of these inquiries, one might ascertain the specific objectives that need concerted efforts.	When I can efficiently gather data and do study at the same time, I will have succeeded. One additional objective I have is to enhance my proficiency in time management. Due to unspecified factors, I often have a sense of being overwhelmed and pressured, which might be attributed to my challenges in effectively managing my time. To achieve this objective, I will use strategies such as organising my daily schedule, directing my attention on my assignments, and establishing feasible deadlines. Furthermore, I shall endeavour to assertively decline responsibilities or commitments that are incongruent with my objectives or principles. Another objective I want to achieve is the improvement of my public speaking abilities. As a professional, I often find myself in situations where I am required to elucidate my thoughts or engage in public speaking. However, I have feelings of anxiety and encounter difficulties while engaging in public speaking. In order to achieve this objective, I want to enrol in a public speaking course or become a member of a Speakers club. Moreover, I will consistently engage in the act of rehearsing by acquainting myself with others inside my social circle.	2 Months

References

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