PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS

Section 1.0: Introduction

Personal effectiveness entails developing the soft skills of life that individuals often take

for granted as being common sense behaviors. In a work setting, it is a daily goal for almost all

staff to attain their full capacity in their jobs and life. Employees struggle to undertake their work

to the best of their capability, efficiently and fruitfully, and this is made possible by utilizing the

skills one possesses. For one to perform at his/her highest ability, then he/she must maximize the

personal effectiveness he/she possesses. Personal effectiveness depends on one's career, personal

goals, and life. Therefore, personal effectiveness means utilizing one's skills, energy, and talent to

accomplish a set of goals and master life. Some individuals are never exposed to these skills or

aren't taught to them as they are growing up, such as handling difficult people, persuasion, or

anger management, so they lack awareness that they are learned behaviors. Learning can impact

one's personal effectiveness; hence one must have the ability to reflect on his/her beliefs,

behaviors, and values. An example of a leader who has portrayed superior personal effectiveness

is Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai. He grew up in a humble background but has since tremendously

progressed in ranks ever since he joined Google in 2004 as the head of product management to

become CEO in 2015. This paper sheds light on the spectrum of personal effectiveness in

business leadership, citing global business giants such as Google. Sundar Pichai’s personal

effectiveness in the company’s leadership will be analyzed, and the application of his policy and

method of leadership in a layman's world will be touched on.

Section 2.0: Case Study Review

2.1 Skills and behaviors that have resulted in Sundar Pichai becoming a personal

effective global leader

simplicity, poised attitude, and commitment to work. Young entrepreneurs revere him for his

courteous nature, resilience, and willingness to steer clear of office politics and drama, which has

helped him center on his career growth and build an influential personality (Kinicki et al., 2011).

Pichai shares the view that the world is filled with numerous creative ideas; hence an

entrepreneur should keep thinking of the next best action. What needs focus is boosting creative

thinking for a better future. In a global village where innovation and new technology are

booming from corner to corner, individuals should reinvent and update themselves, which is far

more important than mere competition. This way, entrepreneurs will be able to strongly think

about major bottlenecks and develop more zealous ways to handle these problems, and big

successes will be attained in the long run.

Pichai also has a desire to see others succeed. He pays attention to his employee's success

by making sure he has good people; hence his work revolves around removing barriers and

roadblocks so that employees can be successful in what they do. According to Kinicki et al.

(2011), he is also empathetic, has a self-deprecating nature, and is graceful at navigating political

minefields. Pichai steers clear of confrontations and instead emphasizes cooperation. He is also

an able communicator who makes sure that his staff understands the organization’s mission.

Once, during a meeting between Larry Page, one of Google’s co-founders and a couple of vice

presidents and directors, Pichai acted as a spokesperson for Page’s idea after Page described

unrelated ideas and concepts (Grind et al., 2019). He explained to the group what Page was

talking about.

Pichai has been described to be a boring person. This is a character trait that effective

leaders possess since studies have revealed that boring leaders are usually emotionally mature,
which means that they are agreeable, emotionally stable, and conscientious. He is also

predictable and reliable, which characterizes most of the best leaders. Pichai does not exude

charisma since he regards it as just a politically correct term for narcissism, a personality

disorder.

2.2 Positive constituents of Pichai’s skills and behavior and their impact

Resilience: When Pichai launched Google Chrome, making it an undisputed market

leader, he portrayed the greatest evidence of resilience skills. The project kicked off as an

experiment by his team of 10 engineers. Upon getting the prototype to work, they faced

resistance within the company. The co-workers did not want the challenge of taking on

Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. Pichai presented Google Chrome to Sergey and Larry, the

founders, and he still faced skepticism. The CEO then, Eric Schmidt, also objected to Pichai's

project. It was only through his resilience that he later won the confidence of Larry Page to

proceed. Reis et al. (2009) state that Google Chrome was finally released in 2008, and history

was made.

Team player: Pichai’s leadership style entails helping his staff members succeed by

eradicating any obstacles and barriers that might be standing in their way. He ensures success for

his company by fostering personal development and collaboration (Ahmed, 2018). Mr. Pichai

values teamwork quite a lot, and he thinks it is very important to build companies where the staff

really want to work together. He has also been seeking to set up collaborative cultures as he says

that everything comes out of people working together.

Collaborative: Pichai, as a leader, is known to steer clear of conflicts and confrontations.

He always insists on cooperation and knows how to be supportive. Reports have remarked that
Pichai has been different from other senior executives at Google since the way he operates

differs from the rest. This is because the upper ranks at Google used to have a combative

internal culture, and as a result, turf wars cropped up, which can be fierce. Yet, Pichai is usually

eager to collaborate instead of waging political fights (Kinicki et al., 2011). He can also

willingly give up some territory to other executives for harmony’s sake. This trait has won him

respect across the entire organization and the trust of Larry Page.

Relationship builder: After taking charge as Google's CEO, Pichai, in the company's

annual developer conference, said to his colleagues that he intends to create a sense of

community within the organization and make it more informal (Strang, 2007). That would be the

value that would build relationships. Pichai can create an emotional connection while addressing

people, which reveals how emotionally intelligent he is. He also values people, and the ability to

connect with them has caused him to be loved by his colleagues, business people, and product

managers.

2.3 Negative elements of Sundar Pichai's skills and behavior and their impact

Not visionary: According to polls, more Google staff are losing trust in their CEO’s

vision. In an internal audit where workers were asked whether Pichai’s vision of Google’s

achievement inspired them, 78% indicated yes, which was down 10% from the year earlier. Also,

employees were asked whether they had trust in Pichai and his executive team to lead the

company in the future expeditiously. 74% of the total responses were positive, an 18% drop from

the previous year. While most responses are still encouraging, the declines are a fretting shift for

Google, which takes pride in great working conditions, high staff motivation, and salaries. The

erosion of these things could mean that the company is at a high risk of losing talent to other

Silicon Valley companies, threatening its ability to build new services that drive its booming
advertising business. In 2019, a disagreement arose between the company’s management and

employees and further reached the members of the public (Johnson, 2019). The staff complained

about a range of issues, including the moral use of artificial intelligence and lack of benefits for

contract staff. The employees also aired their grievances in a staged walkout regarding the large

exit payments that the company was giving to executives accused of sexual harassment.

According to Cho et al. (2009), in another survey regarding whether the employees were

planning to be working at Google for one more year, the response was 82% down 1% from the

previous year.

Since Sundar Pichai is very adored, and managers sometimes make some unpopular

decisions, he could look to appease, which is never a favorable characteristic for a CEO

(Johnson, 2019). Pichai has built allies across the organization and has taken on projects across

Google's myriad arms and executive suite. He largely avoids outright conflicts within the

organization, and during meetings, he is mostly silent or answers questions indirectly, asking for

more time to make decisions in private. Appeasing may be a sign of weakness, which is contrary

to what a leader should display.

2.4 Frameworks relating to personal effectiveness

According to Kwantes and Boglarsky (2007), personal effectiveness consists of personal

characteristics, self-management, and professional and career development.

1. Personal qualities

a) Enthusiasm and perseverance- It is the need for pride and passion in one's work. A leader

should be highly motivated even when work is tedious and inspire enthusiasm for his/her

employees. Perseverance demonstrates motivation and self-discipline. In the face of obstacles, a

offer support to peers (Johnson et al., 2006).

b) Self-confidence- A leader should possess some personal abilities and be willing to

demonstrate them. Self-confidence also entails the ability to defend ideas in the face of

challenges from the management or colleagues (De Cremer & Van, 2004). Sundar Pichai

demonstrated this trait when he presented his new project, Google Chrome, after facing

opposition from Google Co-founders and his colleagues.

c) Responsibility- Individuals should take complete responsibility for their projects and

wellbeing. Leaders should develop independence and have the ability to lead a team and develop

the members.

2. Self-management

a) Preparation and prioritization- An effective leader prepares and plans projects to attain

the goals set and adapts if necessary (Claessens, 2004). He/she should be ready for the

unexpected and should have a long-term strategic vision.

b) Time management- Claessens (2004) highlights that a leader should manage time

effectively to deliver projects on schedule since he/she should have established time management

skills. He/she should also respond flexibly and act as a role model, as in Sundar Pichai's case.

c) Work-life balance- An effective leader should be able to manage pressure and maintain a

pleasant work-life balance (Kossek et al., 2014). He/she should be sensitive to signs of stress and

pressure on self and colleagues and should be able to advise accordingly.

3. Professional and career development

their career progression, set realistic goals, and develop ways to enhance employability (Markaki

et al., 2013)

b) Professional development- An individual should demonstrate self-awareness and identify

personal development needs. Commitment to progressing professional development should be

exhibited. Also, to develop professionally, an individual should engage with other learned

people in society as a networking strategy (Markaki et al., 2013). Professional development also

requires one to have self-esteem and be able to speak with authority.

Section 3.0: Reflective Statement

3.1 My self-assessed development needs concerning personal effectiveness

a) Patience while listening to others- The need to listen to subordinates and colleagues in the

workspace goes a long way in ensuring effectiveness in communication (Fiumara, 2013). All

input is vital in a work environment. Hence, as a task force leader, I must take note of different

opinions that emanate from the workers. At a certain point in time, I used to disregard some

ideas from subordinates and view them as inferior or even worse still, and I did not consider

them at all. I resolve to pay keen attention to feedback or presentations, even from lower-ranking

colleagues, as they would give constructive criticism that would solve common problems at

work.

b) Prioritizing tasks- Order is important in a business environment. Obligations arise,

sometimes in large volumes. Many a time, all these tasks need to be completed with ultimate

urgency and thoroughness. There was a period when I was quite a poor planner and used to

get onto different tasks of the day without proper preparation and planning. I could pick any

task
from my in-tray, which negatively affected my work, as many important tasks were left

incomplete by the end of business. Therefore, there is a need to plan on a formula to approach

them in order of importance. I purpose to have a clearly laid out plan, probably scribbled down

or digitally recorded, of how to deal with tasks one after another and in order of importance.

c) Be more assertive- As an individual in the pursuit of development, standing by what you

believe in comes in handy. I have struggled with gullibility for a while and have had my

professional decisions and opinions, even strong logical ones, swayed by acquaintances. This has

made me miss out on opportunities and has also made me almost lose my sense of independence.

Sometimes your opinion, or how you go about things might not sit well with the people you

interact with as you develop. However, if your belief has been previously tried, tested, and

proven to work, you need to guard it strongly. Decisions that are easily swayed are difficult to

respect. In my process of self-development, I strongly believe in the might of my opinion. I

believe that sober decisions are quite important, and if applied smartly, would assure success in

self-development.

d) Manage multiple tasks- For self-development, multitasking is an essential trait. The

ability to perform a variety of tasks, sometimes simultaneously, fosters efficiency and rigorous

development in a place of work. For instance, if I could work my finances, market my services,

and supervise my employees in my business environment, I would achieve so much success at

the end of business that day. However, I have undergone a period where I could not combine a

few tasks that were not even that demanding, which has negatively reflected my personal and

professional life. In a technologically developing world, applications and software have been

developed to help solve daily solvency problems. Incorporation of the same could help a person
with the same problem. As a leader or even at a personal level, the need to outperform yourself

demands that you achieve multitasking as a skill.

e) Improve organizational skills- For some time, I lacked proper organizational skills in my

personal and professional life. This made me under-deliver at work as I wasted too much time

being unproductive. Since I learned how to plan an itinerary, it is simpler to glide through the

day. These skills also help with cost-effectiveness. Improved organizational skills also save

time assigned to duties. I can perform more tasks now and even have time to spare. It is

important to have a laid out plan, whether digital or written, to ensure sobriety in a personal or

professional space.

3.2 Strategies I would adopt to address my personal development needs in relation

to personal effectiveness.

a) Get out of my comfort zone- A place where one feels that their security lies upon may

make a person lax and dormant. Whether personal or work-related, a comfort zone could lead to

underachievement and monotony in a situation of development. Going out of my comfort zone

will demand me to think, act, and speak differently to achieve new, quality results. I have been

quite reluctant to try out new adventures, but I will focus on setting a goal to execute at least one

new idea a day, which I have not implemented before. I will make it like a game. Also, this will

make me creative and limitless and pave the way to new results and development. The way out

of my comfort zone will be demanding and painful, but I will be grateful and celebrate every

new idea.

b) Mindset importance- According to Abelmann et al. (2009), optimism is an essential

characteristic of self-development. Having a positive mindset goes a long way to create an

for an unprecedented opportunity for personal development in every vital situation. I have been

quick to react to and be influenced by negative people, but I purpose to surround myself with

people of positive mindsets who could be of inspiration and avoid those who negatively impact

my thought process and mood. I will attempt to start my mornings with affirmation and visualize

my goals to feed my focus. I want to set myself in a working mood by making a habit of

watching short inspiring vlogs and videos regarding personal effectiveness strategies.

c) Creating a favorable surrounding- Sparing time for adequate interaction with individuals

whose qualities and principles you sincerely admire creates a favorable environment for personal

development. I have been in a cocoon with defocused people before, which made me latent for a

long time. If it is impossible to have personal physical communication with these mentors or role

models, then I can read about them, watch interviews, or video clips in which they partake.

Human connections make it possible to exchange emotions, moods, and conditions of

personalities. I will study the biographies of my role models and try to let their positive qualities

impact mine.

d) Constant learning- We live in a dynamic world, and knowledge gets outdated quite fast.

To be efficient, I need to keep developing and learning something new every chance I get. At a

point in time, I was reluctant to learn new styles in my line of work. However, the study of

personal effectiveness has made me aware of the need to upgrade myself regularly. I started

attending regular seminars, online courses, and programs on the subjects of my interest. I

decided to invest in knowledge as it is profitable and reliable. Knowledge brings with it relevant

contacts and inspiration for new projects and ideas. Every opportunity is a chance to learn and

therefore resulting in personal development.

obligations, meanwhile ignoring the mechanisms which could have steered them to greater

results. Big opportunities lie in those ideas that are ignored for the sake of urgent operation

matters of the business. I have had a notion that "Why change it if it works?" The notion has

limited me from seeing bigger visions and better versions of myself. I have decided to set the

task of the greatest profit for myself that can bring me to results I dream about most briefly. I try

to begin my day performing the hardest task and, sometimes, the most uncomfortable one. I have

also learned better to look for some time when I turn off all gadgets, including forwarding

telephone calls and replying to messages without emergency. This way, I can achieve longer

concentration spans, and hence my personal development is advanced further.

4.0 Conclusion

Sundar Pichai has brought with him a new style of leadership that goes against the grain.

The ideology of emotional volatility in leadership is a requirement for productivity in Silicon

Valley. The information and technology-giant CEO employed the experience of his humble

background to impact his leadership style and drive towards his target of inspiring the globe

through technology. Moreover, Pichai's servant leadership style has helped him lead an

exceptionally diverse team culture, experience, perspective, and abilities fostering a strong and

able company that provides services to the world. In our pursuit of personal development, Pichai

is a global leader, and we can get many lessons from especially bringing out the best in others. I

have realized that the surest way to maximize personal effectiveness is by working to one’s

strengths. Many at times, we neglect and fail to capitalize on our strengths and focus on our

weaknesses. Time is well spent when skills, talents, and energy are aimed at things that work to

one’s strengths than capitalizing on activities that bring out one’s weaknesses. Individuals should
go for hobbies and careers that bring out their strengths, and this way, the sky will be limitless

for how their personal effectiveness will be boosted. In an organization, when each team

member brings out his/her strengths, success is more likely to be achieved. We should also know

when to give ourselves some break. Realizing when to take a break and when to recharge is

essential to personal effectiveness. To operate at our best, we should take the appropriate actions

outside of work that entails rest. Lastly, we should embrace continuous learning and growth as it

enhances personal effectiveness. Learning can be in the form of attending seminars, reading

books, or partaking in workplace training. Learning enhances one's personal effectiveness by

growing the magnitude of an individual's skills, talent, and vigor.

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