One of my friends rushed a sorority our freshman year of high school. Although I was not a part of it, she shared some of the rituals of the bothersome organization how girls were talked about and chosen based on looks or the status of their parents. We attended some of the fraternities, and witnessing some of the hazing going on, I was astonished that these were deemed "rituals". There was undoubtedly questionable behavior that looked highly unethical in the name of rituals.

RUSSELL’S POST:

I believe that the one ritual I can think of for my organization is the new employee orientation, both a rite if integration and a rite of passage. When I first began working here there was an extensive and monthly and mandatory orientation. It gave new employees the information and tools they needed to integrate into the fabric of the organization. Over time, some of those functions moved to the online orientation and some just dropped away entirely. If I were given the opportunity I would suggest a new and improved, and in-person (or virtual) new employee orientation to give new people that feeling of inclusion and safety.

LOWEST PRICE

PLEASE RESPOND TO AT LEAST TWO STUDENTS. PLEASE NOTE THAT ONE-TWO SENTENCE POSTS OR RESPONSES WILL NOT SUFFICE.

KELVIN’S POST:

In most situations, companies should provide the lowest price possible and the best service to their consumers. People deserver to be treated with the utmost respect and decency. However, some cases can call for the opposite. I would not necessarily say prices should change (they could though), but service might decline if a customer comes in who is always angry or disgruntled with the employees. People who repeatedly act in rude ways should receive the same sort of service. Now say if someone has a business that requires a water tank with chemicals on the back of a truck to care for customer's lawns and gardens. If an area is hard to get to or always blocked by other traffic, raising the price might be necessary from the lowest to meet the issue at hand.

GERRIT’S POST:

I do not think that companies owe their customers the lowest price and best service. I do think that is a good business practice to attract more customers to provide good customer service regardless of the price range of the product or service being provided. I think what a business owes its consumers is an honest representation of its goods and services that fits their price points. It is up to the consumer to accept the transaction or find another company to deal with. I always shop around to try to find the best bang for my buck I can. I think that it is a lot easier nowadays with most people having smartphones and access the Internet to find the deals and stuff that'll fit with your price points best. That being said, any company that mistreats its customers, whether being through deceitful practices or poor customer service, will not last long as other companies are constantly coming up to their place and competing with them for their customer base.

TOXIC LEADERS

Respond/reply to at least one other student (the best response/reply will have at least two (2) paragraphs with at least five (5) sentences per paragraph).

AARON’S POST:

I agree with all of the reasons posed by the textbook as to why followers become henchmen for toxic leaders. However, within what I have seen in the past, I would have to say that the need for security and certainty has been one the most significant reasons. In the context of following toxic leadership, I think that every circumstance is different for everyone. But, if someone knows that they are following a toxic leader but feels as if they cannot leave due to what would happen if they did, this is a prime example of these type of followers taking advantage of our need for security and certainty. I think that this applies all across the board, from the example given in the text about the migrant workers, all the way to a person who feels like he is stuck at his terrible work environment and cannot simply quit due to what it might do to his career.

I think that the two most important principles of leadership as described in the text are serving others as well as being honest. “Leaders who serve are altruistic: They place their followers’ welfare foremost in their plans. In the workplace, altruistic service behavior can be observed in activities such as mentoring, empowerment behaviors, team building, and citizenship behaviors, to name a few (Kanungo & Mendonca, 1996).” (Northouse, pp. 502, 2019). As we discussed within last week’s topic of servant leadership, I think that having a deep desire to serve others before we consider ourselves is one of the most powerful forms of leadership. We must be the ones who show up early, stay late, and do anything and everything that we can to lead our subordinates in the right direction. When it comes to being honest leaders, I really liked this point that the text made: “But being honest is not just about telling the truth. It has to do with being open with others and representing reality as fully and completely as possible.” (Northouse, pp. 504, 2019). What makes a great leader is having the ability to be completely and totally honest, why also respecting the fact that there are times when certain things need to said and done through a different filter in depending on different situations.

The reason why I chose serving others and being honest as the two most important principles of leadership is because within my own personal experience, these have been the two that have been the most prevalent within the best leaders that I have ever followed. Not only have these been significant with the best leaders I’ve followed but have also been what the worst I have followed have lacked significantly. Whenever I am following a leader who chooses to serve others before he/she themselves are served, I have always been inspired to do the same exact thing. This, in turn, has made me both a better follower as well as a leader. Whenever a leader that I follow consistently displays honesty in both the big and small areas, I am encouraged to trust them more and therefore I become a better follower, as well as developing the desire to be honest within both my followership and leadership.

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