Chapter 10

Differentiation involves highlighting the unique or special qualities of a company's product or service(pg. 312). I have a perfect example of this theory. When our company bids a job to paint we must call a company that makes paint to get prices. Every company has a price that is within a dollar or two of each other. When we tell the company's that the other company is offering the same product cheaper they begin selling themselves. One company had the strategy of telling us that we have been doing business for a long time and the other company stressed the fact that they delivered the paint the day we ordered it. It is a perfect example of differentation because each company is using its strong points to sell thier product.

Chapter 9 Communicating Leadership

Situational leadership suggests that appropriate leadership emerges from behavior that is responsive to varied situations (pg. 278). I understand this to mean that a leader handles every situation differently. This makes sense when you are dealing with people. There are some people that you have to talk to differently than others. For instance my boss yells at me when I mess up but it is not meant to hurt my feelings but instead to make sure I remember. I do not mind because he is family and he always makes a joke after he yells at me. I know if he were to talk to some of his other employees like he talks to my brother and I they would start crying. He knows who he can and cannot mess around with.

Chapter 8 Teams

Project teams are teams which help coordinate the successful completion of a particular project (pg. 236). Every semester fraternities and sororities have a two and a half week period where potential new members are recruited. In my fraternity we elect two people to organize events for this two week period. They set up bbq's, pass out flyers, give house tours, and are responsible for getting new members. They also have a committee which helps them with all aspects of recruitment. In total around eight guys are responsible are entrusted with this particular project. This is an example of project teams.

Chapter 7 Authenticity

Authenticity is defined as being real and honest in how we live and work with others (pg. 200). The book goes on to say that we must reveal our true selves not only during personal time but also through our professional affiliation. I like to think of myself as an authentic person. My personality and actions are the same whether I am at work or out with my friends. It could be because I work in a construction atmosphere which allows a lot more freedom to be authentic than a person who works at a bank. Although when I am around my parents and grandparents I tend to tone down my authenticity because sometimes my language tends to contain vulgar language and I do not want to disrespect any of them.

Reward Power

There are many types of power. The power that I have seen in action is reward power. Reward power is when a person can give some formal or informal reward in exchange for another persons compliance. Today at work the foreman notified us workers that someone was going to have to work graveyard shift. This job requires all painting to be done when the office is closed. So we would have to start at eight at night and work until four. Nobody was eager to accept the assignment. Then the foreman said we would get overtime pay for the entire job. That is time and a half. All of a sudden there were some volunteers. I am glad the foreman decided to use reward power as opposed to using coercive power.

Partial Inclusion

"An unmotivated person at work may be a church leader or a model parent (pg. 118). I found the theory of partial inclusion interesting. I can think of many examples where I have seen this theory in action. I have a friend that does not do well in school. This same friends excels at his job and trains six days a week in kickboxing. Another guy I know gets straight A's in school but does absolutely nothing else. I think that I am the same way. If it is something that I am interested in I will give my full effort. If it is something that I am forced to do I find myself to be unmotivated.

Questionable Labor Practices

"By hiring people from less developed countries, U.S. companies gain new consumers for their products and services (pg. 11). The next sentence talks about how this can lead to trouble for United States communities. I work for a painting contractor who employs around forty five people. Some guys that my uncle employs are not necessarily legal. Before I worked with my uncle, I had this backward attitude that these guys were stealing jobs from Americans. As I worked with these guys my attitude changed. I no longer feel that way. On the site one day a plumber made a comment about "those dirty spics taking jobs away" to me. I am half Italian and Mexican. I did not get offended because I did not want to waste the energy. I was just shocked that a guy that works hard and deals with crap all day is bias towards another guy working hard to make a honest living. I am not sure if my story is relevant but I thought it was interesting.