What good is life if we have all the riches in the world but aren’t happy? Does that make a life successful? There are many stories out there about people who have limitless wealth but no friends and no family to share them with. This does not sound like the definition of success to me.

The motivational speaker Dale Carnegie once said, “Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.” To me, he means the material things in life only have a little weight, but the emotional and relationship aspects are the most important. A person simply cannot be successful in any sort of life without friends and family.

So how do we measure success? A fulfilling career? Jobs can come and go and nothing lasts forever these days. Good health? It is wise to be thankful for good health and take care of yourself, but one never knows when disease or disaster might strike.

Perhaps, I will never be a millionaire in my lifetime, but I think having a good support system of friends and family make me a very successful person. Family is there when I need them and when they are not I can always rely on a network of friends to fill in. I feel rich!

How are government employees supposed to advocate for their rights? People who work for private corporations take industrial action whenever they feel that their rights have been violated. During this time, no work takes place. All company activities stop till the dispute is resolved. What would happen if policemen and firefighters were to go on strike? A sad picture of unchecked crime comes to mind. Does this mean that government employees should not strike? Industrial action as a means of pushing for rights should be available to everyone. Therefore, government employees should have this right just like everybody else. Why should they?

First, working for the government does not mean that there will be no mistreatment. Governments abuse their employees in several ways such as paying them low salaries, firing them without notice as required by law, and asking them to work long hours with little pay. Junior government employees also get mistreated by their seniors. When such crimes get to a point where they cannot be withstood any more, policemen, firefighters and other government workers should be allowed to call for industrial action. This is the only way to send a message that they should to be treated with respect.

Secondly, industrial action or going on strike remains a major means of getting attention from headstrong or unresponsive employers. If government employees are denied this very vital organizing tool, they will have no other means to defend and protect themselves from abuse by their employer, who in this case is the government.

In conclusion, government employees such as policemen and firefighters should go on strike if it is necessary to do so.

This is because governments also mistreat employees and industrial action or striking remains the most effective means to deal with unresponsive employees.

        

Future management will need to make sure information travels freely throughout their organization. This may involve adjusting the organizational structure of the company to match any adjustments to the strategic plan. In addition to making changes to management strategies, companies will have to be sure that it hires leaders capable of successfully working within this new framework. Leaders of the future will need to able to exhibit a transformational style of leadership. Someone states, “they are responsible for leading a corporate transformation that recognizes the need for revitalization, creates a new vision, and institutionalizes change”.

The difference between the future of management and leading is that leading is only one part of management. In order to discuss the entire topic of the future of management, you must consider more than the function of leading.

We are experiencing similar changes in my workplace. I have witnessed first hand the benefits of having a vision-oriented leader come into a company. Our company was founded in 1915, and is quickly approaching its centennial birthday. Over the last decade, the managers were not successful. They were mostly autocratic leaders, and did not show appreciation for the employees. Over time, employees left the organization or became highly discouraged. In addition to creating disgruntled employees, the company found itself in a precarious financial position that can be traced to the poor decisions of past management. For these reasons, I believe that the autocratic leader is a dying breed. The employee of the future will want to feel important and therefore given more responsibility in their organization.

The new leadership at my company has completely changed the environment within the office, and employees are beginning to realize the elevated vision and commitment to success that the new CEO has. In addition to improving employee moral, the new CEO has computerized the company. Previous management did not see the benefit of utilizing the Internet in daily operations of the company. The first change that the new CEO made was to get every employee online, and the benefits have been enormous. The Internet has facilitated the way our employees communicate with each other and customers. It allows information to be sent instantaneously rather then waiting for it to arrive in the mail. Basically, these changes allow our employees to react more quickly and therefore increase their efficiency. In essence, our new leader has already made some of the changes suggested in this paper, and gives a good example of how to lead an established organization into the future.

If management is to make a change, then each of the four main functions of management must change as well. The future of planning will have to address the many new competitive strategies of rival companies. One way they can accomplish this is adopt a diversified strategy. This “helps an organization avoid the problem of having all its eggs in one basket by spreading the risk among several products or markets”. It also prepares the organization for any unforeseen challenges that may develop, and puts them in the most effective position to deal with the changes.

The future of organizing will have the responsibility of structuring organizations to match its revised strategic plans. In other words, a manger develops a plan based on his/her experiences. Once the plan is developed, it is the basis for the organizational structure, and can be used to structure relationships between resources so that goals are obtained. In addition, managers will have to be wary of changes in the business environment and use their experience to recognize when changes are needed in the organizational structure.

The future of leading must be one that embraces employees and makes them an integral part of the organization. Leaders will also be expected to be proficient communicators. All of the changes that we have discussed will have to be communicated throughout the organization in order for them to be effective. In my opinion, a mixture of transformational and considerate styles of leadership will be most successful.

In conclusion, management of the future will continue to determine the overall success of an organization. However, the success of the management team will depend on their ability to recognize changes in the business environment, and determine the best course of action to combat these changes.

        

Currently, I work as a human resources generalist at ARC. Through my three years of employment with ARC, I have observed the different styles of conflict management. As part of the management team, I must be able to deal with conflict on a day-to-day basis. Conflict is inevitable within any organization.

Upper management of ARC has different styles of conflict management that it utilizes amongst its staff. The Chief Financial Officer of ARC, Joe Scrip, utilizes avoidance as a conflict management style. When a disagreement occurs within the accounting department, he pretends the conflict does not exist. He hopes with time the disagreement will eventually go away. Avoidance is not a practical style of managing conflict. The underlying tension within the department never really goes away.

The human resources director of ARC, Mary Bruno, utilizes the collaboration style of conflict management. As the director of human resources, Mary is able to listen to both sides of a disagreement and distinguish the best course of action that needs to be taken. She bases her decision upon what is best for the organization. Ultimately, Mary’s goal is to solve the problem by raising all of the relevant issues and openly discussing the issues with the parties involved. The final result is a win-win situation amongst the employees that the conflict involved.

Occasionally, arguments may occur that can only be resolved through the authoritative style of conflict management. The authoritative style is utilized when quick and decisive action is vital or when unpopular action needs to be taken. The Chief Operations Officer of ARC, Karry Riddell is the manager that would utilize this style of management. The authoritative style is needed in the agency when an employee works in a small area have tried to work through a disagreement, but fail doing so. Karry would dictate a solution for the employees to follow. This particular style is not effective, eventually the conflict occurs again within a short period of time.

While observing the different management styles within the agency, I agree with the human resource director’s style of dealing with conflict. In any type of disagreement, both side of a story need to be heard. Many times an argument can be resolved fairly through listening, discussing, and negotiating with the parties involved. A manager, I would take into consideration what is best for the agency when resolving a disagreement. A conflict resolved correctly the first time will save the agency time, money, and heartache.

The results of the assessment on page 356 of Organizational Behavior, concluded that my style of conflict management depends on the type of situation which may arise. The assessment scores are as follows: twelve on collaborating and ten on compromising, avoiding, and accommodating. The scores reflect my character and my approach. The field of human resources requires a person to be able to collaborate with others.

        

Performance development plans, in my opinion, must be considered at each stage of the performance management process.

An important component of the performance management process is the development of the employee’s work related skills, knowledge and experience. The development process must offer another opportunity for us and our employees to work collaboratively to improve or build on employee’s performance and to contribute to the organizational effectiveness.

Some of the essential reasons to be established in today’s rapidly changing work place are: development of employee skills, knowledge, and experience; monitoring employee’s awareness of company’s objectives, policies and procedures; pursuing employee satisfaction through recognition; promoting guest satisfaction and monitoring its levels; establishing clear and affective communication; having a hands-on awareness of revenue control; making sure the work environment is safe and free of hazards; promoting continual job knowledge updates; monitoring initiative, displays of attitude and cooperation

In order for our organization to remain competitive and stand true to our mission and our reputation for excellence, employees should have up-to-the-minute information and the ability to use new technologies, adapt to organizational change, work in a cross-functional training environment and work effectively in teams and other collaborative situations. We must recognize that it is essential for our employees to continue to learn so that they will be effective in their current job, able to move into other positions, or accept new responsibilities as circumstances demand.

Achievement Plan and Timeline:

- General HR Issues
- Awareness
- Knowledge of applicable policy
- Proper documentation completed
- HR involvement as appropriate

As a new supervisor, my first step toward general HR issues is to become aware of all applicable policies and procedures, proper documentation and needed HR involvement as appropriate. This will be achieved by the following.

- A thorough review of the operations manual
- Establishing a working relationship with the HR Department
- Seeking assistance from my supervisors, peers and shift assists

The progress of this goal will be documented timely via email to management and will be achieved by the end of the third quarter.

- To improve employee awareness of general HR policies and procedures, I will implement a weekly communiqué to all employees via email with a hard copy posted to the employee notice board.
- Will rate the quality of work by reviewing all error reports and will coach employees accordingly

For timeline on the above, see timeline chart at the end of the proposal.
Achievement Plan and Timeline:

- Employee Discipline
- Employee awareness of policies
- Identification of violation
- Specific corrective action
- Proper documentation

It is sometimes difficult to provide feedback to an employee who is not performing as expected as one has a temptation to avoid a potentially confrontational situation. A poor performing employee may not be aware of the short-comings in their performance. By focusing the conversation on the desired results rather than the perceived employee’s short-comings, we will improve the chances of a positive performance enhancement which benefits the employee as well as the company.

I will implement the following interview process defined as “Disciplinary One-on- One”.
1. Present the purpose of the meeting
2. Make employee aware of the violation
3. Describe the unsatisfactory behavior
4. Encourage employee’s feedback by asking open-ended questions to fully understand employee’s behavior
5. Describe consequences of the continued behavior
6. Relay actions required by specific date
7. Summarize the interview
8. Set a follow up date for review
9. Close the meeting

The above one-on-one meetings will be held as necessary and appropriate.

Once the “Disciplinary One-on-One” is concluded, the employee file will be updated accordingly and a copy sent to operations supervisor. These employee disciplinary interviews will cover, but is not limited to tardiness, abuse of break times, non-adherence to dress code, relationship with fellow employees and insubordination.

All related disciplinary actions will be taken in accordance with the HR and Operations policies and procedures.

For timeline on the above, see timeline chart at the end of the proposal.
Achievement Plan and Timeline:

- Employee Performance Appraisal
- Communicate clear expectations
- Observations of and feedback to employees throughout the year
- Documentation
- Free of grammar and spelling errors (minimal editing required)
- Use fully acceptable – low as the baseline
- Involve team leaders/accountability

A candid and just performance appraisal is a result of clearly communicated expectations and accountability based on the job description, giving an employee the opportunity to give their observations and feedback and documenting employee’s performance in a timely manner.

I have already established a one-on-one meeting with all assigned employees. This one-on-one meeting is designed to help facilitate a smooth and effective performance review. The interview is being held in a relaxed informal atmosphere where a job description is relayed and reviewed within company guidelines. The employee is given the opportunity to assess his/her performance first. I make sure that the interview covers key areas of job, standards and priorities, stressing the points where improvement is needed and discuss any future training needs and development. I also make sure that at least one observation per month is documented for each shift assist, lead and general duty personnel assigned to me. Furthermore, prior to this one-on-one appraisal meeting, all files are being reviewed along with acquiring a feedback on the specific employees from leads and GDs to assess the performance level.

To achieve this established goal, all assigned PSAs will be met with tri-annually to have a one-on-one meeting. All assigned Shift Assists, Leads and General Duty personnel will be met with on a quarterly basis.

For timeline on the above, see timeline chart at the end of the proposal.
Achievement Plan and Timeline:

- Employee Morale
- A pleasant, clean, and safe work environment
- Fun atmosphere
- Motivational programs

Employee satisfaction or lack of it, hinges on a productive fulfilling relationship between staff and management. The success of any organization depends on staff members who enjoy their jobs and achieve rewards by their efforts. Satisfied employees will shine.

The costs associated with low employee morale can be calculated by looking at the expenses associated with decreased productivity, employee turn-over and unproductive time spent gossiping and complaining to coworkers.

Before developing a highly motivated environment, I will be looking for the following symptoms of low employee morale.
- A thorough review of each employee’s attendance and punctuality
- A review of conflict among employees
- Complaints about seemingly insignificant issues
- Turnover, either voluntary or involuntary
- Insubordination
- Decreased productivity
- Disorganized and unkempt work place environment
- Related guest complaints and conflicts

The timeline for the above is the end of the second quarter.

Once the above analysis is complete, the following will be implemented.

- Implement an employee satisfaction survey
- Recognize self-motivated employees
- Confirm all employees have tools, resources and information to perform their job
- Arrange carry-in dinners
- Weekly motivational postings on notice board
- Once a month outstanding employee will choose a supervisor to work in his place for two hours
- Writing thank you notes of recognition to employees for “A Job Well Done”

The timeline for the above is currently implemented.

- Establish an “Out to Dinner” award program for employees going above and beyond
- Establish “A Night at the Movies” for those employees going above and beyond

The timeline for the above will be based upon management approval.

Achievement Plan and Timeline:

- Guest Satisfaction
- Official guest complaints are minimal
- Compliments are received
- All parking areas are ascetically pleasing

One must remember that Guest Satisfaction is not a department, it is an attitude.

Parking Operations is a service industry business whereby it is difficult to measure guest satisfaction due to the somewhat intangible nature of the service rendered. To achieve a satisfied guest experience, the following will be implemented.

- Employees will be coached and tested on different aspects of their job
- Employees will be tested by direct questions of procedures on different aspects of their jobs
- Employees will be encouraged to communicate less but effectively
- With the diversity of ethnic backgrounds we are faced with, I believe employees are being encouraged to communicate with our guests without specific direction, which is resulting in more complaints.
- I will be preparing an effective communication manual specifically designed for our business with the help of Donna Reynolds.*
- Our employees will be made aware of the need of a speedy transaction. This will be achieved by one of the motivational rewards for the most transactions completed in a period of one month with least number of errors.
- An ongoing coaching via email and notice board posting relating to our guest needs will be implemented.
- I will make sure that employees are informed of all new policy changes and promotions.
- As guest dissatisfaction can be contributed to malfunction of equipment, a timely evaluation of equipment performance will be implemented weekly.
- A weekly inspection of all parking facilities will be implemented to insure the safety and ascetically pleasing environment.
- All first line supervisors will be made accountable for the performance of PSAs.

For timeline on the above, see timeline chart at the end of the proposal

* Will be completed by the end of the second quarter.

Achievement Plan and Timeline:

- Communications
- Concise, error-free reports
- Effective working relationships with other airport sections and contractors
- Effective communications with subordinates, peers, and superiors
- Ability to prepare and deliver polished presentations tailored to the audience
- Know what communications are expected

It is important to understand how to effectively deal with subordinates, peers and superiors. The workplace climate can be very challenging. To overcome some of these problems, I will make every possible effort to be abreast of the numerous laws and regulations affecting the daily operation. I will endeavor to understand the causes and be prepared to deal with relating to employee morale, motivation, employee conflict, absenteeism, turnover, and low employee productivity. Some of the steps I will follow to make myself an effective supervisor are outlined below.

- Communication will be on a timely basis within the guidelines of company’s policies and procedures
- I will continue to communicate in an clear, effective and concise manner with staff
- I will make sure all meetings are focused on one issue at a time
- Required reports will be presented in a timely, concise, and error-free manner
- I will make every effort to keep in touch with all other airport departments and their managers and supervisors affecting airport parking operations
- I will continue to communicate with employees and other departments of the airport using the right questions, as not asking the right question can be costly
- I will use positive critiques focused on actual behavior, not the person
- My communication will always be based on planned and rehearsed subject matter
- All communications will be properly documented for ease of follow up in an organized manner
- I will increase the use of direct email system to all parking operations employees, peers and superiors
- Regular informal meetings with Leads and PSAs will be established via plaza time.
- A good amount of time will be focused on listening

Achievement Plan and Timeline:

- Revenue Control
- Understanding of revenue control responsibilities
- Demonstrated ability to use available tools
- Random reviews for compliance

Being a new kid on the block, I am currently aware of the basics of the revenue control policies and procedures. The following will be implemented to insure complete awareness of Revenue Control.

- I will continue to educate myself on all procedures and policies dealing with revenue control with the aspect of employees working in that department and their role, employees generating the revenue and their role, and finally the expectations of the airport board

The above timeline will be accomplished by the end of the first quarter.

- I will make certain that all related documentation regarding revenue control is precise and error-free
- Revenue control will be a part of my quarterly one-on-one meetings with the parking operations employees
- I will establish a random check and review to insure compliance of revenue policies, procedures and reporting on a weekly basis
- I will make every effort to reduce overages and shortages in this department
- Employees falling short of any revenue policies and procedures will be coached as necessary
- Frequent spot checks will be established
- Class changes will be scrutinized

For timeline on the above, see timeline chart at the end of the proposal.
Achievement Plan and Timeline:

- Safety
- Zero preventable OJIs
- No hazards in the workplace
- Favorable safety audits

DFW Airport being a company employing diversified ethnic groups poses a more challenging problem towards making their employees aware of all safety issues. As a supervisor, I will make it my team leads and my job to insure our work environment is safe and free of hazards, protecting the interest of guests, employees and the airport board by establishing the following.

- Make sure that the work place is free from serious recognized hazards and comply with standards
- Examine work place conditions to make sure they conform to applicable standards
- Make sure employees have, use and maintain safe tools and equipment
- Establish the use of color codes, posters, labels or signs to warn employees of potential hazards
- Communicate all updated safety operating procedures to employees
- Promote the use of all correct documentation and forms in case of accident or injury
- Promote employees to follow all safety and health rules and regulations and use of caution while working
- Promote an attitude of immediate report of hazardous conditions to supervisor or management
- Promote reporting of job related injury or illness to insure prompt treatment and documentation
- Will be focusing on frequent communication with Risk Management

The timeline for the above will be an ongoing process.

- Establish a safety inspection procedure for different departments and within the plazas

The timeline for the above will be established on a bi-weekly basis.

- A thorough review of current airport safety rules and regulations

For timeline on the above, see timeline chart at the end of the proposal.
Achievement Plan and Timeline:

- Job Knowledge
- Evidence of classes or self-paced improvement courses
- Knowledge of policies and procedures
- All functions of subordinates

At this time, being a new supervisor, my job knowledge of all aspects of the parking operation is primarily on a need to know basis to fulfill the basic requirements on a daily basis. It is my intention to increase my knowledge of all policies and procedures.

- Thorough review of Operational and Training Manual
- Improve my skills by utilizing all training which is available through HR
- Seeking assistance from my superiors, peers and subordinates
- Promote job knowledge in all employees assigned to me.
- Will seek related information over the net to improve the quality of work

For timeline on the above, see timeline chart at the end of the proposal.
Achievement Plan and Timeline:

- Initiative
- Takes ownership of business
- Proactive
- Prodding to complete assignments not required
- “It is my job” attitude

As “Initiative” is a broad term, I have tried to cover some aspects and related topics in this document. DFW Airport, being a large organization, has established many good rules, regulations, policies and procedures, however; some of these referred policies and guidelines are being ignored or not given enough importance. As a part of my initiative nature, I will establish the following.

- Will conduct performance checkups:
Informal review and an assessment of performance during the middle of an appraisal period preventing surprises at the formal appraisal, alerting the worker to a perceived performance problem and giving him/her the opportunity to correct and strengthen his/her performance.
- Continue coaching employees:
I will establish an ongoing coaching of leads, GDs, and shift assists to improve the quality of job performance of our front line staff
- Will establish an environment developing a sense of loyalty
- Will establish different motivational programs in relation to job performance
- Will promote a proactive attitude among employees assigned to me
- Will promote an attitude of ownership of parking operation in all Leads and PSAs
- Will take the initiative and continue to volunteer for any and all projects necessary to improve the quality of the work environment

For timeline on the above, see timeline chart at the end of the proposal.
Achievement Plan and Timeline:

? Project Management
- Assigned specialty
- As assigned
- Knowledge and utilization of resources

I am always ready to accept new projects and will continue to create projects for myself to help improve the quality of work and its environment. The following projects are already in process or established.

- Monthly birthday poster was initiated and continues featuring all our birthday boys and girls for each designated month at both plazas
- As “Annuals” are currently being done on a manual basis, I am in the process of developing an Excel spreadsheet to cover attendance and punctuality statistics
- Spreadsheet completed for monitoring vacation and leave requests, pending comments from other supervisors
- In process of establishing monthly meeting of all supervisors over and above the scheduled meeting with management
- Have assisted in arranging Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for North Plaza C shift
- Plans are in place to use the labor force in slow times to do other details around the plazas; example, cleaning of booths, lanes and other areas of the plaza, including different detailed inspections, and reporting of maintenance required
- Update of all parking devices and lanes completed the first week of December, 2002

For timeline on the above, see timeline chart at the end of the proposal.

Achievement Plan and Timeline:

- Additional Skills & Abilities
- Effective delegation
- Leadership
- Problem solving ability
- Effective decision making
- Staff utilization/scheduling
- Ability to multi-task

In addition to the above mentioned plans and timelines, I would like to elaborate on the following.
- Effective delegation: I have always been a believer in promoting a work environment that breathes proactive attitude. The proactive environment is created in part by effectively delegating tasks, freeing one for bigger and better projects. One of the pros of effective delegation is it continues to produce people to take over bigger and better job assignments, creating an environment of promotion.
- Leadership: I believe in General Collin Powell’s statement, “When boys stop bringing their problems to you, that’s the day you stop leading them.” I have always believed in an open-door policy and have encouraged my subordinates to come to me with any and all problems or needed assistance.
- Problem solving ability: I take pride in my ability to solve a problem and bring about a resolution in a logical and timely manner. A good example would be helping an accident victim and his family by locating an arriving relative who would not have been picked up.
- Effective decision making: Decisions are made from small to big continually through the day, months and years. And these decisions affect oneself and others. Being an effective decision maker, to me, is a person who makes decisions on time and when needed based on the situation. Effective decisions in a work environment affect employees, the company and most importantly, your customer (guest) and the bottom line. An example of my good decision making was assisting a most upset guest of the airport, who had missed his flight due to Express Parking employee’s inability to perform his job. My decision was to offer this customer free parking for three days while he was away and the problem was resolved.
- Staff utilization and scheduling: I understand the need of proper staff utilization/scheduling as I have demonstrated this ability on a number of occasions by switching staff in cases of other personnel calling in sick and complete closures of north-bound and south-bound International Parkways.

- Ability to multi-task: I am a person who performs much better when I am loaded while performing multi-tasks functions. In a situation when I am busy and doing different things at the same time, I tend to be a more effective leader, my level of problem solving ability is at its peak, and I make more effective decisions.

I acknowledge and understand these expectations and core competencies are baseline minimums and are not intended to be all-inclusive. Performance above this level is necessary to achieve higher ratings on my next appraisal. Performance below this level will result in corrective action.