Leadership
Leadership
Introduction
Leadership is a process involving social influence where a person can enlist the support and aid of others in accomplishing a task. Leadership involves organizing a group of people in order to achieve a common goal. In leadership, a leader might not have a formal authority. The theories of leadership involve situational interaction, traits, behavior, power, vision, charisma, function, and values. A leader is someone who is followed by people and directs or guide them. Good leaders are usually made, but not born. A leader can be anyone, but a good leader is made. A good leader comes from the will power and the desire of being an effective leader (Lussier & Achua 2009). A good leader usually develops through a process that is never ending of education, self study, experience, and training. In order for a leader to inspire the workers to form high levels of teamwork, certain things that they should know, do and be. These are things that do not happen naturally, but they are continually studied and worked. A good leader should continually study and work so that to improve the leadership skills.
Leadership
Leadership is the process where person influences other people to accomplish a goal and direct the organization in ways that make it more coherent and cohesive. Leaders usually perform their duties through applying the leadership skills and knowledge. This is referred to the process of leadership. The traits that have the ability to influence actions is called trait leadership (Lussier & Achua 2009). Effective leadership is significant to the success of the organization. It is normally difficult to define the qualities of a leader.
Additionally, it is also unclear how an organization can help develop the qualities in its people. Those leaders who inspire commitment and action have unique approaches, looks, practices, skill sets. These are things that can be internalized and learnt. It is essential for leaders to clearly understand their organization, themselves, and their people. It is possible for organizations to develop strong leaders (Lussier & Achua 2009). Organizations that allow emotional awareness risk learning and failure are usually prepared to developing leaders who are strong. Leadership usually makes the followers to want to achieve high goals.
Factors of leadership
There are four major factors in leadership. These factors include followers, leaders, situation, and communication (Lussier & Achua 2009). The first factor is a leader; a leader should have an honest understanding of oneself, what they know and can do. The follower is the person who determines if the leader is successful. Through the actions of the leader, the follower can be able to determine if the leader is successful or not. When the follower do not trust or have no confidence on the leader, then the followers will not be inspired (Lussier & Achua 2009). A leader can be successful if they convince the followers that the leader is worth to be followed.
The second factor is the follower. Different people usually require different styles of leadership. An employee who is new in the organization will require more supervision than an employee who is experienced. Employees who do not have enough motivation usually need a different approach than that the person who has a high level of motivation. It is necessary for a leader to get a better understanding of the human nature, their motivation, emotions, and needs. It is essential for the leader to know the people that they are leading.
The third factor is communication. In leadership, there are two forms of communication that is used in leading. Much of communication is through non verbal. An example is when setting an example, which communicates to the followers that one would not ask them to do anything that one would, not be willing to do. The method of communication to the followers has the ability of building and harming the relationship between the leader and the followers. The last factor in leadership is situation. Situations are normally different; therefore, what one does in one situation may not work in another situation (Lussier & Achua 2009). A leader should always ensure that they use their judgment effectively in determining the best course of action and the leadership style needed for the situation. Situation usually has effect on the leader’s action than their traits. This is because a trait might have impressive stability over a certain period of time. They usually have little consistency across situations. There are various forces that tend to affect the factors that include the skills of the followers, the relationship with the seniors, the way the organization is organized, and the informal leaders in the organization.
Effective leadership
An effective leader is that a leader who makes the followers to want to achieve higher goals. Effective communication is extremely necessary in leadership as it is the key to winning confidence and trust in the organization. Through effective communication, a leader is able to help the employees understand the overall business strategy of the company. The employees are able to know how they assist in achieving the business objective. The leader should be able to share information with employees on how the organization is doing relative to the business organization. A leader should be able to provide this information to the followers in order for them to be motivated to attain the goal of the organization.
An effective leader is someone who is trustworthy and one who can communicate the vision of the organization in whatever place that they go (Lussier & Achua 2009). This contributes to employee satisfaction in the organization. An effective leader is authentic. A leader should be able to lead from their strength and experience. They should capitalize on what they know is unique about themselves. Self leadership means being able to admit ones weakness and humanness. In order for a leader to lead others, they should first lead themselves. Leading one starts by truly knowing oneself. A leader should first make self knowledge his priority and then schedule time for reflection. The awareness and inner knowledge tend to build trust in a person’s intuition and instincts. Leaders should be people who focus on their followers and make sure that they build supportive and effective relationships so that every member can work for the good of achieving the common goal.
Principles of leadership
There are several principles of leadership that a leader should know and implement. A leader should know oneself and seek self improvement. A leader should seek self improvement through strengthening their attributes. Self improvement can be through formal classes, self study, reflection, and interacting with others. A leader should be technically proficient. Leaders are people who are supposed to clearly know their job and be familiar with the tasks of the employees. They should take and seek responsibility for their actions. A leader who is effective should always search for ways that are going to guide them in taking the organization to new heights (Lussier & Achua 2009). Whenever a problem happens, the leaders should always take responsibility and look for actions that will improve the situation. The leaders should start by analyzing the situation, taking the corrective action, and moving on to the next challenge.
A good leader is someone who has good decision making skills, problem solving skills, and planning tools. A leader should be a person who can make effective decision that will contribute to the organization success. The decision that will move the organization from the position that it is at the moment to a higher position (Lussier & Achua 2009). A leader should be a good role model. That person who shows a good example so that others can follow. Employees usually follow what they see their leaders doing. If the leader portrays a good picture for the employees, they are likely to follow on the same steps. Employees not only hear what is expected of them, but they also see. One of the key responsibilities of a leader is communication. An effective leader should ensure that they communicate the tasks to the followers. Make sure that the tasks are clearly understood, supervised, and accomplished. Leaders should ensure that they use the full capabilities of the organization. This can be possible through developing team spirit hence enabling one to employ the organization full capabilities.
Leadership theory
This is a theory that is meant to predict the effectiveness of the leaders. According to this theory, great leaders are people who are destined to rise to leadership whenever needed; they are heroic and mythic. Leaders usually have some qualities that they are born with that are effective in the success of a leadership role. Traits such as cognitive and personality ability are extremely effective in leadership. According to the theory, a successful leader is one who has abilities, interests, personality traits, which are different from those of leaders who are not effective. The core traits that a leader should have are necessary in determining if the leader will be successful. Some of the traits include leadership motivation, self confidence, integrity, honest, emotional maturity, cognitive ability, creativity, flexibility, and charisma (Lussier & Achua 2009).
Knowledge of business is extremely essential in leadership (Lussier & Achua 2009). A leader should have an understanding of the industry and also the technical matters. This is a theory that provides constructive information regarding leadership and can be used for people in all levels in any type of organization. This is a theory that makes the leaders understand their weaknesses and strengths. Therefore, they understand how to develop their leadership qualities. Leadership requires some techniques and skills in order to make it effective. A person is usually never born with self confidence; however, it is something that is developed. Integrity and being honest is something that is a matter of personal choice. The motivation for leading a person usually comes from the individual. Cognitive ability may originate from the genes, but they also need to be developed (Lussier & Achua 2009). The traits that a person has for leadership despite being in born they need to be developed in order for them to be of use in leadership.
A good organization leader should be someone who is able to motivate people in the organization to do beyond the requirements of their tasks. In order for a leader to inspire other members, they need to be visionary, risk takers, daring, inspiring, and thoughtful thinkers. According to this theory, a leader should be charismatic. However, this is not enough to cause a change on the operations of the organization is conducted. The present environment is characterized by global turbulence, uncertainty, and organization instability. Therefore, the environment is calling for this leadership theory so that to be able to prevail in all levels of the organization. The followers for leaders who have these characteristics usually demonstrate high levels of organization commitment and job satisfaction. The followers are also people who show to be engaged in citizenship behaviors in the organization. There are several factors that good leadership should have including
Motivation
According to this theory, the foundation of a good leader is the promotion of consistent mission, vision, and a set of values to the members. A leader should be visionary; the vision of the leaders is so compelling such that they know what they want from any interaction (Lussier & Achua 2009). An example of a visionary leader is Barrack Obama, the president of United States. Barrack is a visionary leader who leads the country from what they know is for the best of everyone. Leaders should be able to guide their members through providing them with a sense of challenge and meaning. These are leaders who work optimistically and enthusiastically so that to foster the spirit of commitment and teamwork. A leader should be able to create a team that works effectively and one whose members are committed to achieving the common objective.
Idealized influence
An effective leader is a leader who believes that they can influence the followers by practicing what they preach. According to the theory, the leaders should be people who act as role models whom the followers will seek to emulate. A leader who is a role model will win the respect and the trust of the followers through the actions that they display (Lussier & Achua 2009). A good leader should be a person who places the needs of the followers ahead of theirs. These are people who will sacrifice their personal gains for the followers and show a high standard of ethical conduct. According to this theory, the leader is supposed to provide members with an environment where they have more opportunities of making decisions. During the decision making process, leaders should ensure that every member is provided with a chance of participating in decision making.
Intellectual stimulation
In order to change the organization, this is one factor that a leader should have. Leaders who encourage the followers to be creative and innovative. Leaders should be able to encourage new ideas from the followers and never try criticizing them in public for the mistakes that they have committed (Lussier & Achua 2009). An effective leader is one who focuses on what the problem is not, but not blaming other people for the mistake. These are leaders who do not hesitate in discarding any practice that they find not to be effective. The leaders should make sure that they monitor the work of the subordinates and take corrective actions so that to prevent mistakes. The leaders are supposed to only intervene when the standards are not met.
Effective leaders should always make sure that they take action before the problems arise. They are people who are visible especially during times of crisis and change. This is to make sure that their knowledge and skills is used in participating in solving the problem and implementation of the change. Effective leadership can be referred to as a balancing act. This is an act where it is possible to pull from various approaches and responses based on the personal strength, audience, and the situation.
Individualized consideration
A leader is a mentor to his followers. A leader should be able to provide rewards to the followers for innovation and creativity (Lussier & Achua 2009). Followers should be treated according to their talents and knowledge. However, leaders should not practice favoritism when offering rewards to the followers. Follower’s motivation usually increases when they know that they will be rewarded for better performance. A leader should link the goals of the organization with rewards. The leaders should clarify the expectations; they should set mutually agreed goals, and provide the necessary resources required for the attainment of the goal. When setting goals to be achieved it should be specific, attainable, measureable, realistic, and timely.
Leadership style
Leadership is usually more about the needs of the people and organization being lead and less about a person’s own needs. The style of leadership needs to be adapted according to the demands of the situation, challenges facing the organization, and the requirements of the people. The leadership style of the theory should aim at moving people towards the new set goal. A good visionary leader should be able to articulate the direction to which the group is moving (Lussier & Achua 2009). The members should be set free to experiment, innovate, and take the calculated risks.
A leader should be able to couch the members on how they can improve their performances. They should help members to connect their own goals to those of the organization. Having a one on one style of couching normally develop an individual well. It normally works best for those employees who want more professional development and those who show initiative. It should not undermine the self confidence of the follower (Lussier & Achua 2009). An effective style of leadership should emphasize on the significance of teamwork. The best leadership style is one that creates harmony among the members by connecting people to each other (Lussier & Achua 2009). Teamwork usually heightens team harmony it improves communication, increases harmony, and it helps in repairing broken trust in the organization. This theory emphasizes on democracy. This is a style that draws upon the skills and knowledge of people. The teams that have been created normally create commitment to resolving the goals.
Conclusion
In leadership, successful leaders should know that their behaviors are most appropriate in leading the organizations. Leaders should be able to respect the followers so that they can also earn respect from them. Effective leadership should ensure that all the above principles and characteristics are implemented when leading leaders. Communication is key to effective leadership as every follower and leader is aware of what should be done and understanding of each other idea concerning the mode of leadership
Reference
Lussier, R Achua, C (2009). Leadership Cengage Learning
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