http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO7a9wS_K2k&feature=related
The video I picked to discuss was an interview conducted with the CEO of UsedCardboardBoxes, Marty Metro at one of his warehouses. UsedCardboardBoxes is a company that buys cardboard boxes from major companies. Metro tells how cardboard boxes that are recycled here in the United States are actually shipped over to China, where there is a high demand for the fibers in the boxes. China then takes the fibers and makes cardboard boxes of their own to ship valuables all around the world. What UsedCardboardBoxes actually does is buy cardboard boxes, inspects them to make sure they are reusable, and sells them as moving boxes for the 43 million families that move in the United States every year. Metro explains how in the past few years, “reduce, reuse, and recycle”, has been a phrase commonly used, but over the course of time has been a saying that has been blended down into the term recycle. He poses the question, “Why break something down if it can be reused in its own form?” Metro takes reuse to a whole new level. He points as “green” as reducing cardboard boxes may seem, the fuel cost to ship the boxes across seas, to have large machines and plants use fuel and energy to break these boxes down and use fuel again to ship these boxes back, is not really a green way. Keeping the boxes domestically, and not having to do a thing to these boxes, the most the families that buy these boxes have to deal with is miscellaneous company names on their boxes.
This interview really opened my eyes as to how some forms of recycling actually are not necessarily green. This makes me wonder what other forms of going green are not necessarily environmentally friendly and what possible extra steps could be taken by major businesses to avoid issues like this.
Looking at Metro, he definitely encompasses leadership qualities in the sense that he has produced a major change in the way the cardboard box industry works, and hopefully he is producing movement along with the change. He’s inspired many companies that he buys the boxes from to donate them to his company instead of ‘recycling’ them to China. Since it is not a very large company, he also possesses manager qualities because he still has a good grip on the company through controlling and problem solving many day to day activities throughout the company.
And also looking at the Comprehensive Skills Model , Metro seems to have many qualities off of the model. His problem solving skills are what led his business to be what it is today. He discovered a major problem in the cardboard box recycling industry, and decided to make a major change. His knowledge about the issue, what was being done before he stepped in really helped him when he was creating a business. Metro also has incredible motivation for what he is doing. His motivation drives him to make his business bigger and better every day. What I’m posing is, does it take someone with many skills to do what Metro has done? Are all of these competencies and individual attributes necessary to start and run a business? If not, are there other possible ways to be a leader and make a difference without possessing all of these skills?
Wow! That video was really interesting, and I learned a lot from it that I did not know before! From that video I think his knowledge stands out the most. He definitely has expert power. He knows what he is talking about when it comes to 1. recycling 2. his company 3. others' operations 4. his goals.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question I think that he did need those individual attributes and competencies to get the performance outcome that he did. I think I can prove this by breaking down his individual attributes.
General Cognitive Ability- Just one of those abilities includes creative and divergent thinking. Honestly a cardboard box is a cardboard box to most people. Most people don't look farther but he had the ability to do that.
Crystallized Cognitive Ability- This is not linked to biology unlike general cognitive ability so he probably learned about the environmental impacts and recycling of cardboard boxes from his work experiences, school experiences, or from someone he knows. He created this idea from experiences he had with cardboard boxes in the past.
Motivation- He is definitely committed to the social good of the organization. His outcomes are to "advance overall human good" by selling the boxes to Americans for a discounted price, and helping the environment we all live in. He also had the willingness to tackle what seems like a complex problem--finding efficient and non-harming technology to reuse these boxes.
Anyone have any ideas on the fourth attribute.. PERSONALITY?
I think that it took him to be broad-minded to see a solution to a problem many people didn't even see as a problem. He also had to be very imaginative to create the business he did. Also courage and integrity to really step out of the box to make a change, and stand behind what he believes in!
ReplyDeleteAny comments on Trait VS. Process leadership?
Or Assigned VS. Emergent leadership?
I realled like what Marty is doing, and have never heard of this before. I would have to say that Marty is exemplifying process leadership. He is certainly influencing companies to provide him with boxes to in turn reach the goal of reducing waste. On the other hand, he is also reaching out to individuals,families, and companies to buy his products which is also helping to achieve the goal his company carries out.
ReplyDeleteI would also go to say he has emerged as a leader. He is very dominant, intelligent, and is very confident in what he is doing. He was not just assigned to be the CEO of this company, but brought it to the place it is today, and has many followers that take respect in all he provides for the environment. I would agree that as CEO, you could say assigned leadership would fit in some respects. What do you think? Also, what kind of power does Marty have?
Assigned VS. Emergent Leadership--I think that it was emergent leadership. I don't know all of the background on it, but it doesn't seem like someone just handed him the company--did he come up with it on his own? To me it seems like he saw a need for change and went after it. He is not just the CEO which is based on him just occupying a position in the organization. I think people in his organization support and accept his behavior and attempts to go green which is emergent leadership.
ReplyDeleteI'm not so sure whether it's trait or process though.. Can anyone help us with that?
Marty Metro is an innovator and visionary. In this brief interview, Metro shows a lot of major leadership traits. He seems to be very competent and knowledgeable about the cardboard box industry which would tie into intelligence. Furthermore, he seems very determined to make this niche industry work. He shows a lot of passion in what he is doing and really knows how much of a demand cardboard boxes are weather it’s here in the united states because of how many people move each year, or the demand that is in china. Also to go into the 5 personality Factors, Metro also demonstrates openness, with of course his creative business but also his insight in it just like I outlined in the above section of people moving in the USA and the demand of these boxes in china.
ReplyDeleteI don’t know if I would go as far to tell a difference between task or relationship behavior because the interview really doesn’t touch on that, but he does seem to be very sociable in this clip, seems to be a person that could be easily approachable. Yet, he does seem to have a good sense of where this company is going and how to get there so he may use a mix of both task and relationship behavior in his company.
I agree with Mike in that it's difficult to tell within the short clip if he has trait or process leadership. Trait has to be part of it in the sense that he clearly possessed leadership traits to begin with to start such a great movement in the cardboard box industry. It could also be process in the sense that maybe he has learned a lot through his experience, and his leadership emerged through stepping up and starting his own business. I believe a good leader should possess both trait and process leadership. A leader should have great leadership qualities to begin with, but learning more and improving to become an even better leader is important.
ReplyDeleteYes I think you could have all of the perfect traits needed but if you lack in experience then how can you be successful. Lifelong learning, work experience, and mentors all help leaders grow. Without that I think leaders themselves would become complacent and fall behind in competition.
ReplyDelete