Leadership Practices at Whole Foods Research Paper

Leadership Practices at Whole Foods - Research Paper Example The company, which entered the stock market in 1992, has undergone numerous tests, including lawsuits and natural disasters but has remained highly competitive. Its distinguishing niche, which also doubles as its competitive edge, is the emphasis on foods, which have not been processed in any way. The company ranks third in terms of preserving the environment. This is due to their concern for a cleaner environment (Edwards 64). This award is among several that the company has received. Despite these accolades, it has faced accusations of using its ‘natural’ slogan just for marketing. Such achievement in a company is because of first-rate leadership by the management and other positive qualities among the management and staff. Leadership styles can affect the working environment, which then affects the efficiency of the business. If the workforce feels that their opinions are of no value or their contribution is insignificant, the jobs may lack satisfaction, and consequen tly, results to poor performance. This and other scenarios are dependent on the style, structure and practice of management (Kouzes and Posner 23). Kouzes & Posner identified five practices of exemplary leadership. These included leading by example, inspiring others, questioning the status, empowering others to do and encouraging the heart. The first practice emphasizes the need for leaders to show the way to the others. It underscores the importance for leaders to portray the values they advocate for, in both word and deeds. They should be at the forefront in the battle they are fighting (Kouzes and Posner 23-42). Inspiring others connote that leaders should light up the passions of their followers. The convictions they have about different issues in the company should be communicated well to the constituents. All means should be used to make sure they hold these convictions as their own. The course of the leader should be the course for all constituents (Kouzes and Posner 43). The y should share in the enthusiasm of the leadership. It is also required of leaders to invent and adopt new strategies for dealing with problems. Great achievements have always followed creative thinkers. Leaders must be innovative in their approaches to problems. Leadership also requires decentralizing of capabilities (Kouzes and Posner 173). The achievement of the goals of the company should be met by involving all the constituents. Everyone should be viewed as part of the future of the company, and everyone’s idea should be acknowledged. Finally, leaders should be able to strengthen the weakening wills. They should instil perseverance and dedication in the face of tough times. They should uplift, for example, by rewarding variant effort (Kouzes and Posner 315). Leadership practice: Empowering people to act Execution The leadership of Whole Foods has employed several of the above leadership practices in different times, and to varied degrees. The most conspicuous of these pr actices is its emphasis on empowering people to act. The employees at whole foods are the main custodians of the company’s processes towards it goals and objectives. The company organises its staff into teams. These teams are responsible for the development of the company (Jones and Hill 288). Each retail outlet has about eight teams on charge of the various departments. The leadership emphasizes this in the process they use to hire new staff. To ensure that the new employees to be hired are of the best quality, they are first