William School of Business

Personal Leadership Model Leadership in a Multicultural world

Ahmed Al-own

For Team Solo Mid management

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This personal leadership model address three segments that I feel are important for me to be an

effective leader; Individual, group and community. Although my experience at being a leader is

limited, this paper will discuss the various aspects that I will need to develop or have already

developed to become a good leader. I will try to use my strengths and weakness to develop a

model that will fit me.

Individual:

One of the many advantages in my life is that I moved a lot. I lived in five different countries and

visited over twelve countries. It allowed me to develop the skill to adapt to different

environments, cultures and ways of life. Throughout all the countries I moved to I have always

found success in adapting. I always integrated myself in the culture. I never felt like an outsider

or someone that was not accepted. What I mean by finding success in adapting, is that I always

found new friends, found foods that I enjoyed and always tried to balance what I have lost with

something that I have gained by moving somewhere new. An example of this, is when I moved

to Madagascar. I would no longer live in a city apartment where I could just walk and find my

favorite restaurant or store that sold my favorite brand of cereal, but I tried to look at the good

side of it. I get to live in a big house with a garden which allowed me to have three dogs. I

always wanted to have dogs and these small things allow me to adapt; the ability to look at the

bright side of things.

Following what Mark Anderson explains in his book. The first day on the job is adapting to a

new a culture, environment and people. He continues by saying that you need to identify key

stakeholders and get on their good side. I have been doing this my whole life. Moving to a new

school means identifying new “stakeholders” making new friends and being successful at finding

happiness at school. Anderson also emphasizes the important of planning. It is important to be

prepared as no one wants to follow a leader who doesn’t know something. Prepare as if you

know nothing.

One of the traits that stood out the most in my self-test was determination. This is mostly because

I follow my instinct a lot of the time. Anderson explained that leaders do not follow rules but

rather follow their instinct which leads to risk, but risk goes hand in hand with reward. A leader’s

role is to take on risk while a follower’s is to stay in the safety zone. That’s why leaders are

important; they have the responsibility to fail or to succeed on their shoulders.

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I absolutely hate people who stick to company policies, rather than reflect on the values of the

policies. As they are very situational and there is no single policy that can fit every situation. A

good leader needs to understand that dependent on the situation rules are meant to be bent.

Realistically company policies are put in place for employees who have no sense of judgement

and therefore cannot be leaders. An example that helps emphasize my point, if a professor sets a

deadline for everyone to submit a paper on a given date and the professor only allows late

submissions for students that have a medical issue. There are still thousands of other possible

situation outside of medical reason that could require a late submission by a student.

Understanding that rules can not fit every situation is very important and that’s the first step of

being a leader. To be more precise in my explanation, leadership is too complex to follow rules

as Anderson explains.

When we looked at the trait theories which are important for understanding the individual, there

are certain flaws in the theories. Every situation requires different leadership traits. In my

opinion the best leader would be someone who can both control and use a specific trait

depending on a situation, which is impossible. How can anyone suppress their traits and activate

a contradicting trait. It is not as simple as an on and off switch. Leaders are not computers.

Nevertheless there is one thing that can be done and it is self-monitoring. I believe I am great at

self-monitoring myself. This is especially true when leading a multicultural team. Drolet explains

you need to be culturally sensitive which goes in hand with being able to self-monitor. Drolet

explained that one of his employees did not speak English very well. That employee had

managed to solve an issue that the firm has been facing for a while. Since his English is not

understandable Drolet asked someone with finer English to present his solution. Drolet said: you

need to be culturally sensitive as they may be disappointed to be absent (or not actively

participating) from key meetings.” This is what the trait theories lack at stating. Drolet explained

while managing a multicultural team there are many barrier such as language, religion, family

gender, country of origin and company culture etc… The way he manages to deal with it is by

“bridging the gap”. The way he bridges the gap is “Always show interest in Culture. Make rules

and then apply them... always. Never show preference for any culture. Always walk your talk.

Interest in culture: When a tight deadline approaches, you cannot give away privileges or stop

showing sensitivity to cultural differences - example of long lunches to allow time for prayers If

you allow some cultures to have certain privileges, you need to be fair with privileges requested

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by people from other cultures or even from different reasons - time off for prayer OK, no lunch

break due to Ramadan OK, time of to go to medical appointment with child should also be OK...

you need to be consistent. Even when hiring, giving promotions, giving recognition, you have to

be culturally blind if you are asking employees to espouse the company culture regardless of

their own, you need to show that you are standing behind the culture yourself” (R.Drolet,

Multicultural Leadership, 2015).I would agree with this very much and it is something I believe

in. You have to be fair with everyone and adapt the rules dependent on the situation. Since I have

moved so much in my life and participated in so many different cultures I can only attribute this

to my ability of being culturally sensitive. Due to my cultural intelligence I have always

managed to succeed at being happy in all the countries I visited and lived in.

Group:

Being a leader in a multicultural team does not simply require being culturally sensitive. It goes

deeper than that. The leadership style that a leader

employs is very much at the center of success. If

we look at the model that Drolet developed to

lead multicultural teams. Drolet explains that all

the multicultural team members need to be under

the same single roof. In this case is the company’s

vision. Adapted to general leader centric model

all followers should follow the leader’s vision

regardless of their culture. It is the leader’s job to

facilitate and convey the vision that he wants to

instill. Although each team member might have a different culture, they should all bridge and

believe in the vision the leader has to offer. I believe Drolet’s model goes hand and hand with the

leadership styles we have learnt in class. My self-test explained that I had a 40% task style and

60% relationship style. I believe when leading a one dimensional team, a task centric aproach is

the best way to approach leadership. With globalization increasing everyday it is no longer

possible to lead a one dimensional team. Leaders are required to develop relationship skills as

today they need to care for the many different cultures they have in their teams.

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I would be a good multicultural leader not only because I have been exposed to so many

different cultures through-out my life but because I understand the balance between relationship

and task. Different members required different approaches.

Looking at the Mutton’s Blake leadership grid, anything that is not.9.9 such as 1.1, 1.9, 5.5 and

9.1 are suited for one dimensional teams. In order to be a good multicultural leader you need to

be standing at the 9.9 and adjusting it dependent on the followers. That is why I believe I will be

good at leading a multicultural team.

Furthermore, looking at the situational approach will allow us to understand the importance to

adapt and not sticking in a one dimension leadership style. The situation approach adaption

centered model explains that there are two

different behaviors that need to be adopted

by a leader; supportive and directive

behaviors. As we can see in the model within

both behaviors there are different styles;

coaching, directing, supporting and

delegating.it is important to treat all members

of a multicultural the same to assert fairness

but with a different style that is adapted to

the individual at hand. Leaders can no

longer have a single leadership style

humanity has developed far too much for that

to be possible.

One of my weaknesses according to the self-test is my inability to be articulate. Communication

is a top priority when being a leader. A leader needs to communicate his vision, ideals, goals,

strategy and corporate culture. Failure to effectively communicate will lead to organizational

failure. However, I have been improving my communication skills and unlike other traits such as

persistency and being determined, being articulate is something that individuals can work on and

can easily be rectified.

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Community

Similarly to companies and corporate social responsibility a leader needs to look at the external

world to be effective. In my opinion, everything that a leader engages in should be strategic and

not reactive. As the moment a leader enters a reactive move he has lost his advantage and has

failed. Leaders’ responsibilities are not limited to their followers as external factors will always

impact the success of their leadership. In class, we have not really looked into the external

factors that affect a leader, but there was a presentation that explained the impact of public

relations on leaders. It explained that leaders can be trained to deal with the impact of external

environment such as the media. Through videos, the presenters demonstrated how external

factors can negatively impact a leader. It also showed that external factors can also be used

strategically and help attain an end goal.

It is important for Leaders to understand the force of external factors. An example that

demonstrates my ability to consider external factors as a leader is when I was a project leader for

my marketing class. My team members wanted to go to winter fest instead of working on the

project. We had to move forward in our project and could not afford to go to winter fest. Thus I

decided to use the external force to my advantage. I told my group members that they could go

but that they had to distribute surveys while being there. The surveys were crucial for the success

of our project and without winter fest I do not think we would have filled as much as we did.

According to my Leadership skills questionnaire I am more suited to be a top manager as I

scored high in the conceptual skill section. Overall a leader’s vision is impacted by the

community it surrounds. Community can also refer the internal factors for a leader. For example

the head of finance has internal factors that affect him and his team directly such as marketing or

operations management. My ability to be conceptual allows me to be good at managing these

factors, seeing that I will be looking at the greater culture and bigger picture.

The transformational approach can help us better understand the importance of community. One

of the strengths of this model is being able to put other’s needs ahead of the leader’s which is

often times required when dealing with community as a whole.

Individual, group and community are three important factors I believe each leader should

conquer. Individual leaders should try to look at themselves such as their traits, their personal

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lives, their values and vision and try to exceed and improve it. While in groups they should look

at their direct team members or followers. People they directly influence and have an impact on.

Finally in community leaders need to understand the indirect factors that affect and are affected

by their leadership decision. This is a leadership model that I adopt when put in a leadership

position. Understanding these three components has been an important element of my success.

The following assignments are more in-depth analysis of me and where I fit as a leader. With the

aid of self-test taken by myself and people I impact the most everyday.

Assignment 1:

It is hard for me to pick a specific country, as I lived in five different countries throughout my

life. Furthermore I grew up with a family that mixes in cultures. My mother was born and raised

in France by parents that were from Algeria. My father is from Kuwait. I was born in London,

UK and moved back and forth between living with my grandma in Cannes and my mother in

London. Growing up I went both to French schools and British schools. It is very hard to tell if I

am French or English educated. At the age of 12 my mother sent me to boarding school in La

Bretagne, which is situated in the north west of France. I lived for a while in Cannes with my

grandma but Bretagne is a very different culture itself. Cannes is located in the south of France.

Although there are both in the same country there are very different cultures. At the age of 14

years old my mother and I moved to Madagascar. This is one of my most cherished memories, as

I learnt that you do not need materialistic things to be happy.

Due to visa issues I could not stay in Madagascar longer. At 15 years old I moved to Dubai,

UAE with my mother, so that I could be closer to my father. Once again a very different culture

than I am used to. A new country meant yet again new norms and more culture shocks.

Nevertheless we quickly adapted and learn to love the UAE. I spend my whole high school in an

international school. It was my favorite schools I have ever attended. Today I am in Quebec,

Canada I have been living here for four years. Without a doubt Canada was the hardest for me to

adapt. Perhaps it was easier for me to adapt to the other countries because I was so young.

Maybe it was just university life that made it harder. Or it was perhaps that my expectations were

very different of Canada. It took me one year to fully adapt and get past the culture shock

Canada challenged me with, but today I am really starting to love Quebec.

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Looking at this assignment I decided to have a look at five different cultures; France, England,

Saudi Arabia (UAE is not in it), Algeria and Canada. I will try to find different aspects that I

believe fit me.

Conversation:

France: “When meeting someone for the first time, a good way to begin conversation is to talk

about things that France is known for abroad; you could show an interest in French cuisine.”

Although this fits my mother perfectly, it does not fit me at all perhaps I am not proud enough of

being French.

England: “The single most important thing to be aware of when visiting the UK for the first time

is the sheer diversity of cultures that you will come across. It is essential not to assume anything

about a person’s culture, heritage, or background.” I can relate to this because I hate being

asked the question of where I am from. It is so difficult for me to answer as I do not know where

I am from. I lived in many different countries and can claim four different nationalities.

Algeria: “When meeting people, you should approach them differently depending on their

gender. It is also best to briefly find out some general information about the person’s social and

professional environment, the company and town where he/she works ECT...” I do not really

agree to approach people differently dependent on their gender.

Saudi Arabia: “Work and family are some of the recommended topics to start a conversation

when meeting Saudis for the first time. Saudis are generally friendly and sociable. They are well-

travelled and the majority of those with professional and administrative jobs had their education

abroad. Questions such as: where are you from, where did you study and what part of the world

you have visited would make a good first impression.” I would not enjoy talking about work.

Family is a topic I would not mind too much, yet it feels too old school for me. So I do not agree

that this fits me.

Canada: “When meeting Canadians for the first time, there are a number of topics that can be

touched upon. But the first question on first contact will be: what do you do? Work/occupation is

important to Canadians, and it is also a social marker; it is what separates and defines a person

in relation to another. Another related topic of conversation is educational attainment and/or

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professional experience.” I can agree to this. Talking about careers, experience and educational

achievements can be great, but is only good for small talk.

The culture I can relate the most in terms of conversation is England’s culture.

Communication style

French: “French people are generally courteous and are set on certain conventions such as

using the formal form of "you" ("vous" in French); particularly older persons.” I strongly agree

with this, especially when I speak French. I try to be as polite as possible when speaking English.

England: “Standing too close to someone can really put them off. Keep your distance to about 2

feet or more. Do make eye contact with people. It is important not to seem distracted while

addressing someone. If you are talking to a group, then make eye contact with all people, and do

not focus your attention on one person alone. While being addressed, maintain a certain amount

of eye contact, but do not stare at the person talking.” I also very strongly agree with this. It is

pretty odd when I just meet someone and they try to touch me.

Algeria: “When first meeting or when greeting an acquaintance, both male and female Algerians

typically shake hands and people do not kiss one another on the cheek until they know one

another better and have a closer relationship.” Very much agree this is me.

Saudi Arabia: ”The Saudi society is segregated in general. However, you find women working

and/or dealing with men in some workplaces such as hospitals, industrial companies, media and

some business institutions. Distance is a must when communicating with female

workers/colleagues. Most Saudi female professionals are conservatively dressed in an islamic

attire (hijab) which consists of non-revealing loose clothes and head covers. Some are fully

veiled in black "niqab' which covers face and body from top to toe, showing only the eyes. It's

important to avoid shaking hands with those female workers.” I do not agree but I respect it.

Canada: “Canadians jealously guard personal space and privacy, making them very reserved

people. It takes a while for them to warm up to newcomers, but this does not mean that

Canadians are not welcoming. They are quite civil and polite. Thus a first contact will almost

never include discussion on personal aspects of their lives, such as earnings, weight, diets,

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health conditions, etc. This may change as the relationship develops or if it fits with the purpose

of the meeting.” This describes myself!

Display of Emotion

France: “Young people often engage in public displays of affection. You will likely see "love

birds" (young couples) laying down in the many parks or embracing in the movie theatre.” I find

this disgusting and rude I totally would never do it.

England: “Public displays of emotions are something that is on the increase in the UK, though

still better to err on the side of caution here. As a general rule, the British would keep emotions

hidden from public view as they can make others uncomfortable. With the advent of reality

television, the UK is becoming more accustomed to seeing such displays, though they are still

not common outside of this setting.” Not really my cup of tea.

Algeria: “In Algeria, it is not commonplace to see public displays of affection and they are

strongly frowned upon or even forbidden. This type of behaviour is confined to an individual’s

private life and has to do with humility and intimacy. Nevertheless, it is acceptable to kiss, hold,

and hug a young child in public.” This is a belief I strongly share with the Algerian culture,

surely due to my grandmother and my Islamic background.

Saudi Arabia: “Although Saudis are very affectionate, they are somewhat reserved in terms of

expressing their emotions in public. Some degree of dualism applies on what constitutes the

social image. A man can be stigmatized by some individuals if seen holding hands with his wife

or kissing her in public. At the workplace, anger is communicated occasionally between

superiors and their subordinates but self-composure dominates. High tone of voice at times and

dramatization when speaking are characteristic of Saudi culture and not necessarily an

indication of a particular emotional stance.” This is part of my character I can see myself in this.

Canada: “Canadians do not appreciate aggressive behaviour or driving and have a low

tolerance for shouting and public displays of affection. Many Anglophone Canadians are

uncomfortable with strong demonstrations of emotions, particularly if it is with someone they do

not know well. In Quebec or in many immigrant communities, emotions may be more freely

expressed.” I don’t like aggressive behavriour but if something is really unfair I will voice my

opinion.

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Relationship-building

France: “It is crucial to establish good relations with people with whom you are planning to do

business. Take the time to get to know them and find common ground. You should also meet

regularly even if you do not have anything to discuss. This will help establish trust and maintain

the relationship.” I believe meeting regularly is important if it is about business. It is important

for me to build trust but not relationships. I believe only the first meeting is necessary to develop

relationships.

England: “Breaking the ice before a business meeting is a good idea and will make everyone

more comfortable and able to talk freely. Niceties (such as, "have you travelled far to get to this

meeting?", "Nice weather for it today!") are a good way of breaking the ice before a business

meeting. In this way you will establish a relationship before starting to talk about the serious

stuff.” Very much agree with this. I do not like to get too personal when doing business.

Discussing things such as weather or none personal is something I feel more comfortable doing.

Algeria: “In Algeria, business relations do not generally need to flow from already established

personal relations; they are based on economic criteria alone. Nevertheless, that does not mean

that this will not happen and personal relations may lead to other business opportunities with

different business partners. It is also helpful to be recommended or referred by someone who

knows the person with whom you want to conduct business personally. Trust will build quickly.”

This strongly describes my view on business relations. This is something I share with the

Algerian culture.

Saudi Arabia: “It's not significantly important to establish a relationship with a colleague before

getting to business. It's somewhat more important to establish a relationship with a client

because of the nature of business which requires selling a product or an idea. Generally, a

colleague or a client can be invited to a café or to a restaurant to meet socially at first. Some

Saudis exchange home invitations with business associates. Local attitude in this respect vary to

a great extent. While some are quite liberal and open to social meetings some are reserved and

may reject an invitation outside the work environment. Your first impression meeting with the

person may be a good indication to how open or reserved that person is.” Similar to Algerian

culture but I can relate to Algerian culture more than this one.

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Canada: “Building rapport is very critical to conducting successful business affairs in Canada.

The type and depth of the rapport would greatly depend on the sort of business. A good starting

place is a meal, and the person who hosts usually covers the hospitality costs. Some

company/institutions would invite candidates for an interview or to meet him/her in person and

cover the costs. When offering any services and the meeting takes place over lunch, the person

offering the services may pick up the tab.” I share this with the Canadian culture also.

Overall it seems I share cultural similarities with all five countries.

Assignment 2:

Results:

The most shocking result personally is that friends and family thought I was perceptive. It was

the lowest grade I gave myself throughout this self-test. This test helped me realize that

depending on the subject at hand I am more perceptive then I though. When I rated myself my

two highest grades were determination and trust. I am pretty sure everyone will say they are

trustworthy, so I am not sure how true my trustworthy is. In my opinion, someone can’t rate his

own trustworthiness. It seems that I am really determined. It might be because I am stubborn

sometimes or it might me that I do not like inequality or playing played. Everyone gave me a

high mark on this one and is my highest average score.

# Traits Self Friend Friend Girl Friend Mother Average

1 Articulate 3 4 4 3 2 3.2

2 Perceptive 2 4 4 3 5 3.6

3 Self-confident 4 4 5 4 3 4

4 Self-assured 3 5 4 4 3 3.8

5 Persistent 4 4 5 4 4 4.2

6 Determined 5 5 4 4 5 4.6

7 Trustworthy 5 5 3 4 5 4.4

8 Dependable 4 4 4 5 5 4.4

9 Friendly 5 4 4 3 5 4.2

10 Outgoing 2 4 5 3 3 3.4

11 Conscientious 2 4 4 3 3 3.2

12 Diligent 3 5 5 4 5 4.4

13 Sensitive 4 4 4 4 4 4

14 Empathic 4 4 3 5 4 4

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An example of my determination is I can’t stand when my girlfriend allow people to step all over

her. Last fall she had issue registering for courses online due to an issue with bishop’s system.

She was the only one with that issue. The classes she wanted to register for where high demand

courses. She was panicking and crying as she didn’t know why she couldn’t register. When she

called the registrar office they explained that they will try to register her themselves. As the time

went by the registrar office still hadn’t registered her. She went to their office the next day at

9AM and wanted to stay there until they registered her instead of staying home worrying. They

told her that she couldn’t stay there and that she will be registered whenever they can. Obviously

I believed that we extremely unfair because she has been trying the register the minute the online

registration opened. As her classes were filling up she was afraid that she could not graduate on

time. The issue here is that my girlfriend was too nice to the registrar office. She needed to take

a firm stand and not allow this unfairness progress. So I took action. I called them and said all

sorts of things, stating that they have no right to delay her graduation due to a system error. That

they should either alt the registration until it is fixed or register her for her class right away.

Thirty minutes later she was registered for her class. Had I not made that phone call she might

have not been register anytime soon. This is just one of the many times I show the trait of

determination in my character.

In a group setting this would mean I would always push to be treated fairly and if something

unjust or bias happens to the group I would be the first to stand up to it. There is definitely a

sense of over-confidence that I will achieve fairness.

The highest grade my friend and family awarded me with is the trait diligence. I can kind of

understand this because when I really want a high grade in a class I can go overboard with the

way I study, but I do not really agree with it. It depends on what I am passionate about. If the

subject is something I am really passionate about I would definitely be perceived as diligent.

Assignment 3:

Total scores:

Administrative skill: 23

Interpersonal skill: 26

Conceptual skill: 27

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According to the leadership skill questionnaire, my leadership skills are conceptual. This in tells

that I understand the bigger picture and have a clear vision where an organization should be

headed. Looking at Katz’s Management skill approach, each leadership skills have different

roles in organizations. Katz explains that individuals with high in technical skills are best suited

to be lower-level managers. Meanwhile individuals with strong interpersonal skills should be

middle managers. Katz’s explains that to be a top manager individuals most possess conceptual

skills. According to Katz Technical skills is composed but not limited to proficiency in

specialized fields. An example of someone with technical skills is when someone is really good

at designing software and is very efficient are producing a software, but does not really care for

the organizational culture or the long term. He rather thinks about doing the job done today or

this year and is extremely talented at it.

On the other hand Katz explains that to be a middle manager individuals require human skills.

The ability to be self-ware and aware of others, motivating and keeping great relationships with

the people that surrounds him, are all important factors when considering a middle level

manager.

Top level management required individuals with conceptual skills. What katz means by

conceptual skills, Is the ability to grasp abstract ideas and see what no one else can see. Have a

vision that they can articulate and persevere.

Analyzing my result from this test I did not expect it to be as high in conceptual skills. I believe

the business school mentality is the reason why my conceptual skills are so high. We are

prepared to be top managers and not really to be lower managers, unless it is in accounting. I

really enjoy discussing organizational values and culture as I believe it a decisive factor for any

organization to be successful. The first thing I always question myself of when applying for a job

is what is their cooperate culture?

Apparently this self-test suggests that I have high interpersonal skills. This comes to a surprise to

me, as I definitely believe I need to improve them. I can create trust and I work well with others,

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even though I am an introvert group work does not bother me as much as others. Throughout my

university life I have always managed my group projects very well. The groups I have worked

with have always been happy with end product, which translate in a successful completion of the

assignment at hand. Other than that I do not agree with this test result suggesting I have high

interpersonal skills.

Assignment 4:

Result:

According to the results I have in the moderately low range in regards of being task oriented and

I have in the moderately high range with regards of being relationships oriented. If we compare

my result with the Blake and Mouton’s leadership grid I would be a middle of the road manager

(4, 6). I believe this result is pretty accurate. I value relationships a little bit more than the task at

hand. I believe that both are important factors to the success of any organization.

I believe task oriented behaviors facilitate the end goal. You always will have the end product as

you imagined on time. Relationship behaviors is more risky and rewarding because you help

subordinates feel comfortable and you can increase creativity. You might receive a product later

but the quality could be superior.

Being too relationships oriented can back fire. Although through my university life I have been

content with all my groups, there was one member on one of my class. He was a personal friend

Questions Task Relationship

1 & 2 3 5

3 & 4 3 5

5 & 6 5 5

7 & 8 4 4

9 & 10 4 3

11 & 12 2 4

13 & 14 2 3

15 & 16 2 5

17 & 18 3 1

19 & 20 2 2

Sum 30 37

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of mine. We had a good relationship. He would never do any work. I believe this is due that

since he was my friend we took a relationship approach to it. We thought he didn’t know how to

do certain tasks. Turns out he was just lazy and wasn’t motivated to do anything. I take full

blame for his miss success in this group, due to the fact that I was not able to motivate him. This

is why I sometimes question leadership roles. Can a leader really motivate someone who doesn’t

care? Or they pick people who are motivated already? I can understand motivating someone that

has the potential but motivating someone that hopeless is a waste of energy.

This is the issue I have with relationships approach. Although they are great in same

circumstances but they are really terrible in other. At least with a task approach you cannot go

wrong. Nevertheless if a leader wants to facilitate learning he should use a relationships style.