Leadership is a trait that differs from a situation to situation. Leadership, in a simple and small organisation, is different from Leadership in a large, complex organisation. Leaders of large, complex organisations need to build teams that would accomplish any outcome of the desired objective. Organisations need leaders that can collectively function across different business environment including emerging economies, start-up organisations and mature markets.
The globalisation of the business pushes the leaders to address several of these situations simultaneously. During the initial stage of accomplishing a specific objective, the Leader must first make sure that the desired objective or result is measurable and clear in the minds of its team members. This is a forming stage which requires the Leader to embrace the chaos, face high level of risk, and also adjust its strategies. It is his duty to push innovations that can take business to a new direction while engaging its team members. The team needs to clear any ‘storming’ differences that exist among members, and it must ensure that it is willing to work towards the achievement of the desired goals.
One of the distinct leadership capabilities is to uncover and foster disruption that might prove to be a hindrance in achieving the desired goals. The leader needs to forge his team, embrace chaos, tolerate high levels of risk and failures and adjust their strategies as per the need of the hour. Once, the team is united, it is said to be at a ‘norming’ stage where it is getting ready to embrace the challenges in accomplishing the desired objectives.
The traditional idea of leadership has reached its nadir, the traditional style of functioning that served organizations in the past may not work today. Companies need to design their leadership strategies in order to address the uncertainty and complexities that have become a trademark of today’s business world. A situation where the team acts as a unified force is indicative of the achievement of organisational goals.
Once the effort has been made on the part of the team, it is the responsibility of the leader to assess the effectiveness of the effort and long term performance. It must be made clear whether or not the team could successfully achieve its desired objectives.
References
Bill P. Leadership: Debunking the Superhero Myth. Retrieved from online.wsj.com/
Week7, Lecture B. Chapter 13 Leading Effective Teams
