http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoO_DwW4nDs
I watched a video on environmental sustainability that was showing the environmental accomplishements of William McDonough and his partners. Within the video the main theme was that society and especially corporations need to be eco-effective and model a tree. For example a tree produces no waste, everything it does benefits the ecological system in some way. McDonough is a leader that is not afraid of taking on a challenge, he is very committed and determined to his cause.
Because of this I feel that two of the main leadership traits that have advanced McDonough so far is his intelligence and determination. Throughout the movie you can tell that McDonough's drive never faltered even under what seemed like impossible projects. For instance he was asked by DesignTex to develop a fabric that was completely eco-effective. During his mission he asked 69 chemical plants to help and all denied, him and his team also researched over 16,000 chemicals and narrowed it down to 16 that we able to be broken down naturally. Once the fabric was put in to production the results were amazing. Any scrap material that was made was able to be used for mulch since it was biodegradable and there was no waste since all raw material were able to be broken down naturally by the environment. McDonough could have stopped his research after the chemical companies rejected but he pushed forward even more determined and in the end he made a great product that in no way hurts society. This brings me to my next trait that he possesses: Intelligence. McDonough is very perceptive he saw the need for an environmental change and because of that he is determined to make a difference.
You can also apply McDonough to the skills model. For instance his problem solving skills are extraordinary; he is able to take the concept of how a tree works and apply it to the manufacturing industry. It is clear that McDonough has social judgement skills because people come to him and his team to help that make a positive change towards ecological effectiveness. He also is very clearly knowledgeable he is able to come up with complex ideas and implement them. Just as the model shows these three competencies lead to effective problem solving and performance.
These are just a few of the things the McDonough and his team have accomplished. I urge all of you to watch the full movie, I'm sure all of you will be just as impressed as i was. I put the link to the trailer at the top for a quick preview of the movie! --Brittany
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ReplyDeleteBrittany - I really found this article very interesting. I think it an interesting perspective that he not only looking to increase profits for this organization, but that he was concerned about the environment also. I would add and additional skill to Mc Donough in saying that he was very self confident in his own abilites to lead the organization in an eco-friendly direction. I really found this article to show how McDonough created a vision and culture in his organization to work towards being eco-friendly.
ReplyDeleteKyle Burrows
One question by Mr. McDonough that I really like in this video was “What do we want to grow?” That is a very wise question to ask. This is the start of any organizational strategy. Knowing what needs to be changed helps the company’s leaders to formulate a strategy and then implement it. In my opinion, I believe that Mr. McDonough would be considered as having expert power. Being creative enough to compare growth in an industry or company to the growth of a tree will demonstrate to others that he has the knowledge to formulate a growth strategy. - Michelle Fulkerson
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ReplyDeleteI agree with you Brittany that McDonough showed great intelligence. Specifically in the area of creative and divergent thinking. He shows this is the video when he talks about making the human footprint a "delightful" thing. This creative thinking comes from his openness to doing business differently. From the video it is clear that McDonough is not trying to manage the company. Instead he is trying to lead his and other companies to do business differently for the benefit of this and future generations. McDonough is clearly motivated to improving the way companies do business. He shows a willingness to tackle complex problems and exert his influence on others. His out of the box thinking has companies thinking more about the social good rather than profits. I believe McDonough's ideas are the way more companies will operate in the future. Do you guys agree?
ReplyDelete-Clay Gruenwald
Clay I agree that the standards that McDonough and his partners use should set a standard for how business is done among all companies. One thing that you mentioned that I hadn't really noticed was he's not trying to manage the company he's leading companies to do business differently. It made me think of chapter one in the book where it really clarifies the differences between managers and leaders. One distinction that i thought was especially fitting was to manage- "means to accomplish activities and master routines" which is exactly what corporations have done to some extent, thay have developed a way of producing goods and have no desire to change what has worked for them for so long. Where as to lead was described as- "to influence others and create visions for change" this is exactly what McDonough is doing. For instance he wants people to envision corporations and houses as trees- doing no harm to the environment. --Brittany.
ReplyDeleteMichelle - I agree with your post that understanding "where a business wants to grow" is extremely imporant for an organization. Without and understanding for where the business is heading - it will not only lack on an effective organizational strategy - but will also lack an effective mission statement and vision to led the organization on a day-to-day basis.
ReplyDeleteKyle Burrows