Interpersonal Communication Interview Paper

I interviewed Michael Cummings, my father, to gain an understanding of management and leadership from his perspective. He has been in multiple management positions of varying management levels over the last 30 years. These positions have mainly related to banking and money management. Currently, he is the president of a financial institution in Wisconsin. This position fits the definition of a high-level management position, in that he works with a board of directors to develop both long and short time goals, and works to advance the economic welfare of the institution.

The first question I asked him was perhaps the most important inquiry of the interview. The question being, “What personal characteristics contribute towards being a strong

Coordination involves collaboration between all of the smaller subparts of a company, and the ability to work together as a singular model. During the interview, I asked him to discuss what coordination looked like on a day to day basis. He described it as being an open flow of info trading throughout the course of the day and followed up by talking about the use of digital, and written word as being a primary source of communication. He also said that if meetings were held, they were concise and incorporate a consensus approach. In this case, it seems that coordination is tailored specifically to this profession. In order to communicate with multiple branches within a banking system without driving hundreds of miles every day, you must rely heavily on digital communication. As for within any specific branch of the bank, you see all coworkers five days a week and face-to-face communication is abundant and easy, so shorter, more frequent meetings are more

In my father’s words, he experienced this back when the corporate environment involved rigid and driven leadership egos. I have always seen groupthink as being negative, and to be avoided because of its creativity killing characteristics. He now tries to avoid it for this same reason. He made the remark that avoiding it helps to encourage respectful contention when it comes to key decisions.

We covered ethical systems earlier in the semester and discussed which fit best for an effective leader. It helps that I know the individual I interviewed when it comes to understanding his ethical practices. I understand that personal ethics usually shine through in every aspect of one’s life, so I also know what ethical practices my father would follow in the workplace. I tested my theory by asking him what ethical system he followed. In his eyes, he wanted to serve the highest number of affected individuals, so