Interview with Kent Larson free essay sample

Energy is a leading electric and natural gas utility. Xcel Energy is an end to end provider of electricity. Electricity is provided from generation, to high voltage transmission, to distribution, to customer’s homes and businesses. Xcel Energy provides energy-related products and services to 3. 3 million electric and 1. 8 million natural gas customers. With regulated operations in eight states; Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin, revenues are more than $9 billion annually for the employer of 12,000. A commitment to the environment is vital to the core business practices of Xcel Energy. This strong environment focus has led Xcel Energy to become the number one provider of wind power in the country (Xcel Energy, 2008). Kent Larson is the Vice President of Transmission for Xcel Energy. In the organizational structure, Kent has twelve direct reports and over 2,000 employees report up through his direct reports. From those direct reports, he has six titled Directors of different aspects of substations, transmission, and design. We will write a custom essay sample on Interview with Kent Larson or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The other six direct reports are of various rotational managers, administrative assistants, and governance. Kent directly reports to Paul Bonavia, the President of the Utilities Group, who reports to Dick Kelley, the Chairman, President, and CEO of Xcel Energy (Appendix 1). A unique management style can be derived from your past experience. Different experiences managers draw from should be used to motivate employees to encourage a high level of performance and achieve organizational goals (Jones George, 2008, p 62). Kent’s vast experience has led him to lead confidently based on his long list of positions held. Kent has held various positions throughout the company. He began his career as an electric designer, before moving into the role of an Operating Engineer in St. Paul. He then became involved in cost benefit analysis as a Traveling Engineer. From there, he became the Director of Outstate Construction, Operations, and Maintenance (ND, SD, Non-Metro MN) located in Fargo, ND. He spent time as the Director of Sales in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota Regulatory, MN State Vice President, before his current position as the Vice President of Transmission. A typical day for Larson is anything but typical. With his wide area of responsibilities, he often has a dynamic day. The majority of the time he spends at meetings and communicating via email. He has to be â€Å"On your toes and ready to go† at all times (K. T. Larson, personal communication, October 15, 2008). Another pitfall of his high level position is that he has to be careful of what he says. The majority of the meetings he attends, he has to give presentations anyone from the Public Utilities Commission, Corporate Executives, Mid-Level Managers, to Union Front Line employees. He has to carefully weigh any response he gives to a question on the off chance that his response will invoke a surety. At his level, caution needs to be taken so that comfort is not given where it should not, nor is fear spread when is should not be. Preparation is vital in planning for his meetings. Many of the meetings he attends, he is a presenter. Kent makes sure to prepare himself well ahead of time for any meetings he leads. Usually, Kent defines his time commitments as 75% true management tasks and 25% other. His definition of management tasks are anything related to his job responsibilities. It could be anything from presenting at a meeting, attending a meeting, or being the recipient of a presentation. Being a corporate level manager, he deals mostly with results and not the process to achieve them. His strong focus on having strong direct reports seem to help facilitate this. The rest of his time is spent on various tasks, but mostly travel. His roles vary depending on the day and time of year, but basically he provides the direct link to the Senior Management from the Business Unit and that link from Xcel Energy to the regulatory organizations. Strategic Planning is the largest portion of Kent’s day to day function. He also relies heavily on his technical expertise as part of this planning process. The scope of his organization’s planning is vast. Kent’s strategic planning comes from anywhere from substation design, to transmission line design, while keeping corporate values and regulatory concerns addressed. Goal setting is another important function to Kent. He needs to know what is going on (K. T. Larson, October 15, 2008). In order for goal setting to occur, a way of measurement is required. Score Cards, are his preferred method. Score cards, done correctly, can all roll up into each other. Starting with a broad base, each business unit can roll up into a higher business unit until they reach the corporate level. This process not only helps the individual business units reach their goals, but also assure that corporate goals can be attained as well. A main process for Kent’s approach to management is to hire good people. You have to have a strong team at his level. Not only do his direct reports need to have a strong sense of team work, but they must work well together. If they do not work well together, he is not afraid to replace them. His direct reports are there to meet corporate goals. If those direct reports can not work well together, he will replace them with those who will for the betterment of the company. Allocation of his time to his employees is different today than it was earlier in his management career. Today, his direct reports have corporate goals. In the past, he managed performance based groups. He still tries to allocate time though based on need. New employees will have much more of his time than those who are more experienced. He wants employees to work to their potential, but potential is not a defined limit. Some employees have a higher potential than others. His goal as a manager is find that potential and develop that into the highest possible outcome. He feels that direct feedback is the only way to manage. It is very important have the direct feedback between himself and his employees whether is it positive or negative. The ability to be able to both give and receive constructive criticism is vital to any strong manager. Xcel Energy would currently be classified as a Matrix organization. Matrix organizations are an attempt to combine the advantages of the pure functional structure and the product organizational structure. Companies, such as Xcel Energy, that are project driven companies, are ideally suited for this management structure. In a matrix organization, each project manager reports directly to the vice president and the general manager. Since each project represents a potential profit center and/or reliability enhancement, the power and authority used by the project manager come directly from the general manager. Information sharing is mandatory in such organizations, and several people may be required for the same piece of work. However, in general, the project manager has the responsibility to maintain technical excellence on the project. Each business unit is headed by a department manger whose main responsibility is to ensure that a unified technical base is maintained and that all available information can be exchanged for each project (Visitask, 2008). At Xcel Energy, many different levels of the engineering staff could be swapped out to a project manager in title alone and nothing would change. Rather than having true project managers, the engineers take on the responsibilities of most project management. This type of structure does have its benefits and weaknesses. Depending on where you sit in the organizational ladder, the centralized choices, standard outcomes, and Operational Companies being decentralized can either help or hinder the process. Conflict can arise because of no clear lines of responsibilities between the centralized company and the state jurisdictions. Beginning in 2000, Xcel Energy was managed from a central, large corporation aspect. In 2005, Public Utility Commissions required that each individual Operational Company be able to attest for its financials and prove that the money was being spent in each state. This led to having both centralized choices as well as jurisdictional decisions. Financially, the accounting is better tracked through this process and helps to build a rate case to the Public Utilities Commission. Other problems have surfaced though trying to standardize equipment. Silos have developed in all aspects of the design and construction phase, mostly dealing with standardization of equipment. For example, Texas uses the same size and type of underground conductor that North Dakota does. The climates are completely different during the winter and create many operational challenges. For being such a large company spread over such a vast territory, Kent believes this strategy is best for the company at this time. The overall benefits of being structured this way currently outweigh the negative aspects. In theory, if this changes, Kent sees it as Corporate Management’s responsibility to change to organizational structure. Once again, put the best members together to make the team work in the best possible manner. Digging deeper into the interpersonal relationship side of management, Kent believes that management must be cognizant of each work groups needs and idiosyncrasies. Xcel Energy hires all classifications of employees from engineers, lawyers, analysts, computer IT, technicians, administrative assistants, to union line workers. It is important to understand how different management theories affect the behavior and attitudes of employees. Specifically cited, union line workers are viewed as Theory X employees. It’s not that all union employees are inherently lazy, but their union rules do not reward thinking outside of the defined union work rules. Any extra or additional hard work outside of the standard union rules is not encouraged or rewarded. Managers of union employees must closely supervise these employees to ensure that daily work is completed. Company managers and union management have created a strict set of work rules as well as a well defined punishment system. In contrast, exempt employees; engineers, lawyers, analysts, are managed with the Theory Y thought process. Most managers at Xcel Energy allow the employee to take ownership for their daily work process. They allow the employees to have the resources necessary to achieve both organizational goals and individual goals (Jones George, 2008, p 66). One thing Kent has also learned that each manager brings their own individual twist to management theory. The longer he has been with Xcel Energy, the more tolerant he has become. He wants to judge the end results. He is not so concerned with whether a person fits into a certain profile, but what the outcomes that person achieves. From all accountable sources, Kent Larson is a highly regarded manager for Xcel Energy. His ability to lead his business units to accomplish goals set before them is undeniable. One thing that sets a good leader apart from an ordinary manager is the impact that that manager has on those employees once they are no longer their manager. The most rewarding feeling that Kent has had is that even though he is not someone’s direct manager, they value his opinion and ask his opinion. It is important to try to develop a relationship with subordinates to nurture this kind of relationship. In daily management, you have to embrace the fact that not all managers will manage the same. Kent feels that you should not run your organization like a dictatorship. In contrast, Dave Sparby, President and CEO, NSP-MN, micromanages his direct reports. Neither style of management is inherently wrong, but the ability to understand the difference and be able to adapt to your employees is important to becoming a successful manager. It is important to understand the human aspect of managing just as much as the financial or technical side. Without good employees working with you as well as for you, it is difficult to be a successful manager in modern day businesses.

Expressing Preferences with Would Rather

Expressing Preferences with Would Rather Both  would rather and would prefer  are  used to express preferences in English.  Here are some examples of short conversations that use would rather  and would prefer  to either state or ask for a preference. John: Lets go out tonight.Mary: Thats a good idea.John: How about going to a film? Theres a new film out with Tom Hanks.Mary: Id rather go out for dinner. Im hungry!John: Okay. Which restaurant would you prefer?Mary: Id prefer to eat at Johnnys. They serve great steaks. Sue: Im not sure which topic to choose for my essay.Debby: Well, what are your choices?Sue: I can write about the economy or about a book.Debby: Which would you rather write about?Sue: Id prefer to write about a book.Debby: How about Moby Dick?Sue: No, Id rather write about Timothys Gift. Would Rather - Structure Use  would rather  plus the simple form of the verb. Its common to use would rather in the shortened Id rather form in positive statements. Use  Would rather  to refer to the present moment or a future moment in time. Here are the structures: Positive Subject would rather (d rather) verb Peterd rather spend time on the beach.I would rather learn a new language than study math. Question Would subject rather verb   Would you rather stay at home?Would they rather do homework tomorrow morning? Negative Subject would rather (d rather)   not   verb   Shed rather not go to class today.Id rather not answer that question. Would Rather Than Would rather is often used with than  when making a choice between two specific actions: Would you rather eat dinner out than cook dinner tonight?She would rather play tennis than go horseback riding. Would Rather Or Would rather  can also be used to ask for a choice between two with the conjunction  or: Would you rather eat here or go out?Would you rather study or watch TV? Would Rather Someone Do Would rather is also used to express what one person prefers another person would do. The structure is similar to the unreal conditional because it expresses an imaginary wish. However, the form is also used to ask a polite question. S would rather Person past verb   Tom would rather Mary bought an SUV.Would you rather she stayed here with us? Positive Subject would rather (d rather) object past tense I would rather my son worked in finance.Susan would rather Peter took a plane. Question Would subject rather object past tense Would you rather her sister flew home tomorrow?Would you rather he came with us to the meeting? Would Prefer Its also possible to use  would prefer  instead of  would rather  to speak about present preferences.  In this case, follow prefer by the infinitive form of the verb: Positive Subject would prefer (d prefer) infinitive (to do) Jennifer would prefer to stay at home tonight.The teacherd prefer to have the test next week. Question Would subject prefer   infinitive (to do) Would you prefer to go out for dinner tonight?Would they prefer to stay in New York for the week? Expressing Preferences with Prefer Use the simple present with  prefer  to express general preferences between people, places or objects. Use the preposition  to  to state your preference: Positive Subject prefer   object to object She prefers coffee to tea.  I prefer summer vacations to winter vacations.   Question Do subject prefer   Ã‚  object to object Do you prefer wine to beer?Does she prefer New York to Chicago? When stating preferences for activities, use  prefer  followed by either the gerund or the infinitive form of the verb:   Positive Subject prefer  Ã‚  to do / doing object My friend prefers to finish his chores early in the morning.  Jack prefers doing his homework at home to doing it in the library. Question Do subject prefer   to do / doing object When do you prefer staying at home to going out at night?Does she prefer to eat in restaurants? Preferences Quiz I Fill in the gap with the correct form of the verb (do, to do, doing, did): Jenniferd rather _____ (stay) home for dinner tonight.I think Id prefer _______ (play) chess  today.Would you rather I _____ (leave) you alone?Id rather the students _____ (study) for their test.Peter prefers _____ (relax) at home on the weekend. Preferences Quiz II Fill in the gap with  to, than, or: Do you prefer coffee _____ tea?I think Id prefer _____ drive to California.  Would you rather go to the club _____ go to the beach? (asking for a choice)Hed rather work all day _____ go to the beach! (make a specific choice)My friend prefers Japanese food _____ American food. Quiz Answers Quiz I stayto play  leftstudyrelaxing / to relax Quiz II totoorthanto

Being socially responsible is the key for organization success. Do you Assignment

Being socially responsible is the key for organization success. Do you agree with this statement Support your viewpoints on t - Assignment Example Corporate social responsibility does not have a common definition as many companies understand, interpret and apply the concept differently. For instance, the activities that the company A can engage in as part of their corporate social responsibility program cannot be the same activities that company B will apply. As such, defining the concept becomes difficult. Even so, considering all aspects of the concept, a broad definition can be established. The general definition for the concept states that: corporate social responsibility refers to the deliberate efforts by the organization beyond its business obligations to do appropriate things and engage in behavior that is appealing to the society. This paper seeks to explain how embracing the idea of corporate social responsibility can have a positive impact on the profits f an organization. One of the most notable ways through which corporate social responsibility of a company impacts on its revenues is through the reduction of the ex penses it incurs. One of the most prominent ways through which a corporation can reduce its expenses, is through the fact that a socially responsible corporation will likely receive tax incentives from the government (Mackey et al, 2007). Such incentives may come in the form of tax holidays, periodic relief and reduction in tax burden. A company usually pays tax out of its annual profits. Tax is a pre-dividend deduction. In the event that it is not deducted, the net income of the company will possibly be high. As a result, the amount of money accruing to each member or shareholder will be considerably high. Governments across the world are finding the need to have companies participate in social matters. It is for this point that they promote the concept of social responsibility. They reward those companies that engage in such activities as prevention of soil erosion, reforestation and provision of social amenities. Under normal circumstances, the amount spent in the execution of th e social activities is too little compared to the tax savings made. The second way through which corporate social responsibility pays out is that it helps a company gain an upper hand in the industry. Research carried out in California in the year 2008 indicated that the average consumer was likelier to purchase commodities from a socially responsible firm, than one that is unconcerned about the welfare of the general public. It is an issue of common knowledge that in the business world, today, competition is serious in all industries. This is so because of advancement in technology and the effects of globalism. One of the ways of surviving the completion, especially among the multi- national companies, is through engaging in activities that contribute to the wellbeing of the society (Bishop, 2008). Consumers associate a socially responsible firm with an excellent public image. This plays a primary psychological role in the minds of the community. It is from such psychological pheno mena that the potential clients get to prefer the corporation that is socially responsible. This, in turn, translates to an increase in revenue. An increase in revenue is connected to an increase in the profits of the concerned corporation. Much like total quality management, corporate social responsibility is a social transaction. A social transaction is a process through which different