Abstract
People do not always become managers for hard work, but rather for power and money, especially in the government structures. However, the real leadership that the fictional character Ali shows is different – charismatic, kind, and emotionally wise. Ali gained respect by working hard and being considerate towards his subordinates and directory. He possessed many great leadership qualities, but the most distinguishing ones were his ability to keep things simple, even in a stressful situation, to break down the boundaries of the type hierarchy to delegate and empower the subordinates. The combination of individual brilliantness and group respect made a mix of perfect managers of ancient Egypt. His story of success teaches a lot about the importance of hard work and staying humane in a position of power.
Egyptian General as a Role-Model for the Modern Manager
Managers play a crucial role in people’s lives as teachers, bankers, or directors at work. They give people orders to finish by the end of the workday and ideally inspire them to grow. Managers can become great leaders in all fields with the necessary character qualities and views in life. The military is not an exception, even if it does not always promote the best management style, but it allows it to flourish in exceptional leaders. A manager can become a great leader through hard work and great determination.
A True Leader
Management inevitably deals with a certain degree of power and influence over subordinates, whether it is an executive manager or a military general, often leading to an abuse of power by unprofessional managers. However, real leadership can not be based on disrespect and search for power or money (Sampayo & Maranga, 2019). Balanced leadership is more about human interaction and an excellent organization for the subordinates to develop and achieve the goal together.
The fictional character of the story shows how accurate management and leadership can be achieved through excellent cooperation and employee inspiration. Ali was a trusted emperor’s commander and minister of defense and military production. Ali was born in a typical Egyptian farmer family but got recruited to help his parents. After years of hard training, he moved up the carrier ladder right to the position of Pharaoh’s right-hand man. Ali never really was a genius, and nothing came easy for him in life, but he accepted the challenges and worked on his flaws. The position of a simple man from the farm was well-valued in deciding great military questions, and his humbleness was much respected.
Ali’s management style could be named the beginning of the transformational model of management, where the leader inspires and motivates the subordinates by building extraordinary trust (Hamad, 2015). His soldiers and the Pharaoh himself widely respected him for humble wisdom, consideration, and charisma. Ali had the whole Egyptian army entrusted to him and battled bravely until his very death.
He possessed many great leadership qualities, but the most distinguishing ones were his ability to keep things simple, break down the boundaries of the type hierarchy and empower the subordinates (Sampayo & Maranga, 2019). Ali took the mediator’s role in conflict and never publicly stressed in a situation even in the middle of the battlefield. He was always collected and gave orders thoroughly explaining the issue.
Moreover, Ali always treated his soldiers and servants as people and communicated with them as friends without the upper class’s arrogance. Even though it came through great self-sacrifice to take and weight essential decisions and achieve trust, his flexibility and open-mindedness allowed him to build great friendships with his soldiers (Choudhary et al., 2017). They willingly followed him into the battle as he established a trusting relationship with them. The combination of individual brilliantness and group respect made a mix of perfect managers of ancient Egypt.
The Becoming of a Manager
However, obedience and hard work that seem appreciated in the military system do not form authentic leadership. Ali was continually strengthening his personal and professional competencies to develop as a leader. The most critical skill for any given system is flexibility. It allows the leader to adapt to the situation and lead through coaching, visioning, democratic style, and affiliative behavior (Hamad, 2015). Such a leadership style allows staying open to new ideas even in a traditional management system.
An intelligent manager never stops developing on his career path. Ali was on a constant way of improving from his rural lifestyle to being a top executive of Egypt. He was not a charismatic leader, born with a talent to attract attention, but rather a man-made transformational leader, who enlarged his advantages to the fullest, battled his drawbacks, and never betrayed his principles (Glinkowska & Kaczmarek, 2017). The commitment and daily responsibilities that Ali fulfilled were exhausting, but overcoming them only helped him to become stronger. The appetite for learning and improving was the main driving force that led him to the place he took in society.
Personal View on the Character
Ali seems like a very genuine, hard-working, yet inspirational leader. He is the type of manager I would like to see at the workplace because an attitude of actively building a trusting relationship would make me want to trust such a leader. Ali’s ability to process a situation in a crisis and explain it to the employees would allow me not to lose hope or unfocus in a stressful case. Moreover, a personal approach and willingness for me to develop would inspire me to accomplish even more at the workplace.
I can personally relate to Ali because he seems not only an ideal manager but also my role model. He possessed the qualities I value in people and myself and worked on them to reach the highest competence. I envision this path as I intend to get a bachelor’s degree with high honors in a couple of years to have an excellent educational basis. I also plan to get a job in a managing position while still at college to start my training to achieve an excellent manager position. These goals require thorough planning but are achievable through hard work and determination.
Such important characteristics as being an excellent informant, a visionary, and maintaining respect for subordinates are often lost in the workspace when the deadline hits. They are not always easy and have such disadvantages as requiring much self-sacrifice and taking the team’s hit, but give the best results. If Ali were applying for a job nowadays, his resume would stand out from the crowd of standard managers. In modern terms, he is stress-resistible, a team worker and an excellent communicator, and a visionary.
Stress-resistance does not seem like an outstanding quality, but:
- It allows the team to maintain exceptional performance in the workplace even amidst a crisis;
- It boosts employees motivation when the manager is collected and knows what to do next;
Being a great team member is also essential at the workplace because:
- It reduces unnecessary conflicts and maintains a productive atmosphere in the team;
- It allows team members and a manager to bond with one another and creates a crew of professionals that work on a common goal;
Finally, being a visionary is essential for a great leader as:
- It allows the company to develop new projects and ideas that create a revolutionary product;
- It creates the future of a company and leaves a legacy of a unique corporation.
These traits do not only prove to be useful for top managers but fruitful for me. When the finals come, stress can primarily affect the exams’ results, so I train stress resistance through different time management techniques. Teamwork is an essential part of student lives, so I work on my team-building skills every time we have a group project. Like Ali, I try to mediate the conflicts, organize work, and lead the group to the best result. Envisioning the goal and inspiring the group when the members are reluctant is the hardest part. It is essential to be open to communication, so I always try to find out why the person does not want to work and build a better relationship. These qualities improve my personal and professional life, so I remind myself of them regularly.
All in all, creating a fictional character is an excellent way to manifest the information I learned in the class and apply it to envision the goal I want to achieve. Ali, who does not even exist, became my role model and a friend while writing a paper, and I intend to follow his path in the modern managing world. His story of success teaches a lot about the importance of hard work and staying humane in a position of power.
References
Choudhary, N., Naqshbandi, M. M., Philip, P. J., & Kumar, R. (2017). Employee job performance: The interplay of leaders’ emotion management ability and employee perception of job characteristics. The Journal of Management Development, 36(8), 1087-1098. Web.
Glinkowska, B., & Kaczmarek, B. (2017). The image of the manager-leader of the near future – an outline of the issues. Management, 21(1), 111-119. Web.
Hamad, B. H. (2015). Transformational leadership theory: Why military leaders are more charismatic and transformational? International Journal on Leadership, 3(1), 1-8. Web.
Sampayo, J., & Maranga, K. (2019). The servant-leader model: Air force lawyers. Journal of Management Policy and Practice, 20(2), 93-99. Web.