Interview Report: A Residence Director Of The Resident’s Life/Prostaff Department Of The College
Managers in practice can be far different from managers in text, through personal experiences with managers, this is easily said. For this interview, I selected a Residence Director of the Resident’s Life/Prostaff department of the college. This role would be considered a middle-level manager, as they are above Resident Assistants, who manage and aid students as well as provide helpful and useful resources to students. Luke Westmoreland had very interesting, and man-to-man answers for the questions asked, and a sense of comfort and relaxation can be felt in his voice when he answers them. Luke makes it clear, he is comfortable in a management job.
Two concepts that Luke focused heavily on was listening and leading. It is believed that the listening portion is about solving problems through a group-centric mentality. Luke’s belief is that without listening to those under them, managers fail to address the proper problems and find the best solutions.
The secondary portion, leading, is how to get people to work for him, and inspire them to do well. Luke’s idea of a good manager is one who never asks more of those under, than they would of themselves. This mentality goes closer with a clan structure, which, when Residence Life is taken into question appears on the lower level and is transformed into a hierarchical structure in the upper portions, once you get to Dean Schmidt, and Dean McAllister. However, upon inspection, a board of Trustees truthfully heads the college, in what’s a more Clan-centric organizational structure. Clearly, throughout the levels of the college the organizational structures are flipped back and forth.
A very focal theory in business is the importance of communication, In Business Discourse by Bargiela-Chiappini, et al. (2007) says: “Business discourse is all about how people communicate using talk or writing in commercial organizations in order to get their work done.” Communication in business is everything, when done effectively, it can be the difference between being successful and failing. This emphasis on communication is focal in getting work done; if those under you do not understand what is communicated, or they’re not clear and concise, then issues will be had. As Luke said in the interview, one way management can improve his job is by being more clear and concise on the methods they want Residence Life to use in dealing with affairs.
Luke Westmoreland failed to use any language from the course, however he’s not a manager through education. Luke is a self-made manager who came about from the bottom of the work force in either industry he took leadership roles in. This is the presumed reason for his failure to use academic language, as some managers who don’t have formal education, seem to be more personable and use more layman’s terms. Managers hired from within are generally easier to get started off, versus managers hired externally who may have credentials in leadership but need the knowledge from inside the company so it can be hard to integrate them. The struggle external hires is that with often times they tender to underperform those who already know and are trained to the ropes of whatever industry they took. Luke for example was a Resident Assistant prior to being an Resident Director so he had a better understanding of how to effectively communicate and transmute jobs for R.A.s Luke Westmoreland’s definition of Management led to more of a definition of leadership than anything else. Luke went on to say that a good manager never asks those under him to do something he wouldn’t do. This contrasts starkly with the textbook saying that the definition of a manager is to get things done “Efficiently and effectively”, however that’s a goal-oriented outlook, versus Luke’s people-oriented outlook. The difference is understandable however, because Luke’s job mostly pertains to interacting, and understanding, people’s thoughts, ideas, and processes, as he works with residents and resident assistants on campus and attempts to transfer legislation and policy deans set into real-world, practical enforcement and production policies. Managers however do not need to be distinctly separate than leaders, and more importantly good managers tend to also be good leaders. Importantly distinctions found by Bennis in an inspection of Moses’ life between contemporary managers and they life of Moses. The inspection of contemporary management defines that managers are simply to maintain status quos and have short range views. This inspection is seen in many management positions in America today, and like Bennis’ depiction of Moses, it can benefit many leaders to be innovative, original, and their own person. This isn’t too indifferent from Luke Westmoreland’s outlook on management and the importance of being a leader as well. I learned about the importance of leading and listening. Hearing it from a person over top of you when you work with them can be extremely beneficial. Understanding the importance of effective communication is extremely focal, without a clear interpretation of what jobs need to be done, doing the Right job can be extremely difficult. This is incorporated into the textbook, and an important part of the problem-solving process as well. I can bring in some outside experience from cheerleading and vouch for the importance of leading and listening. I have been a side-base, main-base, and now a back-spot. This understanding of all roles that support the flyer is extremely beneficial in allowing me to effectively communicate with my bases on how a stunt functions and what their roles are, and how to improve their ability to perform. Without this knowledge of the mechanics of their positions, I wouldn’t be as effective as a back-spot.
When Luke said, “Only do what is asked of you”, I was extremely shocked. At first glance it appeared as though Luke was telling me to do the bare minimum. This idea was new to me, so I asked for a pinch of elaboration. However, following a pinch of elaboration, I understood that it was a “Don’t get distracted” message that Luke was trying to portray. This can be beneficial for new managers because it’s easy to get caught up in the small details and forget the significance of your goals. I think that this is very important because it allows new managers a more well-rounded idea of efficiency. For the most part Luke’s idea of management is more of leadership and seeing results than it is managing and micromanaging individuals. He sees his job as hands on and takes focal roles with his crew. I agreed with this based on my idea of management. Doing plastic injection molding, my manager was what held our third shift crew together. He was the one to change molds and assist every member on the shift. I like this idea of a manager because they make jobs a lot easier and more importantly they are personally invested in their jobs.
I think I would enjoy being in a management position, however I think those under me would have a dislike for working under me. I expect every one of my workers to work like me and have the same work ethic. This isn’t realistic as they don’t have the same investments as I do. This is why I struggle with hiring anyone to do work for me. They weren’t instilled with the same work ethic, and it often times causes disputes. I unfortunately don’t think that I’d make a good manager for those under me, but instead for those who would want results from upper management. I can deliver results, not happiness. I think my father had the same issue when he worked as a maintenance manager, he often hated being asked stupid questions. Similar to me, my father isn’t very charismatic.
I think I possess some managerial qualities. I can manage my time, I can listen, and I can lead. However, I expect a lot out of those under me. I think the hardest part about leading that underneath me is attempting to understand that they don’t have the same background and same investments. Staying conscious of this would allow me to make sure I’m not as hard as my father was often on his workers and me. This kind of personal understanding of being berated would allow me to prevent this from occurring in myself. Alternatively, if you were working above me, you’d see the most efficiently and effectively operating branch of the company. There would be no equal, there would be no competition, my cell, or my division would be the best, because I always get personally invested in my work. I love working, and I love appraisal — even if it comes at the cost of others. I am a very cut-throat, rational person. That’s where the book and I diverge, as intuition becomes focal in one section, and I disagree with that portion more than I’d care to admit.
Overall, there was a lot of learning involved in the interview with Luke Westmoreland. Insight into the managerial world was highly beneficial in writing this paper, and I believe that this helped me grasp closer understandings of management from the book, and put it into real world, accessible examples. Seeing this now I understand portions of the book, that I did not understand before, and I see the practicality of some practices. I would’ve liked to compare interviews with someone who gained a managerial position through a degree in Business Management. I think that this would’ve been interesting to see the difference between external hires and internal hires. I’m certain the outlooks are very different. However, this interview was beneficial none the less.
