Introduction
In contemporary world the spread of the globalization influences the behavior of the people within the business units and different organizations. With that, the style of the conduction of the negotiations is faced the numerous amendments as well. In other words, it is highly important for the leaders of the organizations to have the appropriate corporate and leadership skills in order to pursue the realization of the goals and objectives of the organization for protection of the rights and values of the humans.
This paper focuses on the consideration of leadership skills of Kofi Annan as one of the managers of the United Nations. His leadership style has influenced the development of the organization and the adjustment of the strategies of the UN accordingly to the world events and crisis since his first appointment in 1997. Several researches and studies show that Kofi Annan was loyal to the participative conduct in the performance of his duties within the organization. Moreover, Kofi Annan is believed to have the great impact over the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals. In addition, the leadership style of this person has a direct impact over the prosperity of the regions being previously involved in the conflicts as Bakassi Peninsula, the Lockerbie Bombing, etc. In this regard, the author of this research compares the delegating and transformational style of Kofi Annan with the purpose to identify the positive and negative sides of his activity. This aim is based on the fact that Kofi Annan was the leader of the organization which should maintain the legal order in the world and ensure the equality in the rights of the people.
Literature Review
Almost all organizations and business units are working at the prosperity with the aim increase the welfare in the current flexible environment, where the stability is absent. Today the organizations have the intention to achieve the established goals with usage of all available instruments and strategies covering the leadership skills of the management. Furthemore, due to the necessity to purchase numerous assets, which may have the contribution in future to the development of the organization, the members of this unit prefer to finance the personal development of the skills of the manager. This conduct is caused by the fact that the manager should guide the activity of the particular unit. In addition, it is highly important to have the understanding in the difference between the good management and the leadership. In the contemporary society every manager should have the proper leadership skills in order to become the effective leader of the particular organization. Therefore, the leadership is inevitable feature of the performance of the manager that should guide the company to the success regardless of the external factors (Crawford, n.d., p. 20).
The United Nations was established with the purpose to unite the countries from the different regions in the world for the maintenance of the order and peace. Consequently, it is quite clear that the management of this organization is the complex process, which requires from the leader of the organization to have the proper management and leadership skills (Lentner, 1965, p. 540). Kofi Annan was appointed to the position of the Secretary-General during the period of the deep crisis of the United Nations. Besides, he was full of the desire to make personal contribution to the development of the world. Moreover, Kofi Annan became the first black person that was selected for the office of the manager of the United Nations. For the purposes of the assessment of the leadership skills of Kofi Annan, his family relations and the professional experience should be considered. Kofi Annan's father was performing the functions of the leader of the Fante ethnic group in Ghana. At that time, the overwhelming amount of the people turned to him for the advice regarding particular activity. Due to this activity of the father, Kofi Annan had the opportunity to observe the performance of father's duties as he gained the opportunity to conduct the efficient negotiations between the people. Furthemore, the father taught him with the instruments for the reaching the consensus in the dispute. Accordingly, the leadership skills of the future Secretary-General were developed during the education in the school. There the pupils requested the state authorities to provide them with the better nutrition. During that period, Kofi Annan performed the functions of the mediator between the school administration and the pupils from the other side for the resolution of the social problem. Afterwards, in 1962 Kofi Annan started to work in the World Health Organization where he gained the experience partaining to improvement of the welfare of the human living. However, in 1976 he was requested by the United Nations to perform the functions of the Assistant Secretary General. Before his election to the position of the Secretary-General, Kofi Annan had the opportunity to observe the performance of the other leaders of the organization. This experience added to the development of his leadership skills. Therefore with appointment to the position of the Secretary-General, Kofi Annan had an advantage before the others, due to the fact that he was familiar with the work and structure of the organization. Meanwhile, he recognized the importance and the role of the manager of the United Nations. He was aware of the obligations before the world regarding the future resolution of the conflicts by virtue of the negotiations without the usage of the force (McGuinness & Chesterman, 2008, p. 111).
Kofi Annan's experience may teach the other leaders with the several important lessons, which are necessary for the efficient performance of the organization. First of all, any individual, business unit or organization should pay attention to the development of the knowledge. This sphere is considered to serve the role of a powerful tool for the progress of everyone. Kofi Annan was drawing the attention as his leadership was based on the actions of the individual, rather than on the preferences of the certain persons having the value in the organization. In this respect, every person should have the proper understanding of the problems in order to choose the relevant instruments suitable for their resolution. In fact, the efficient leader should be able to take the side of the victim in the conflict. This statement can be confirmed by the activity of Kofi Annan in 2001 with regard to the HIV/Aids crisis spreading within the world. Despite the fact that majority of the people within the organization did not welcome his actions, regarding the financing of the fight with the spread of the disease, Kofi Annan continued to adopt the measures for the realization of this activity.
The experience of Kofi Annan presented to the world the idea that any leader should have the ability and the relevant commitment before the community as to the resolution of the particular problem. In addition, Kofi Annan presented that the successful leaders should have the following skills:
Given the fact that the United Nations today is passing through the new organizational crisis, the leaders may take a look at the experience of Kofi Annan. His experience may provide the lessons about resolution of the current problems in the world as the crisis in Syria, spread of the terrorism, etc. In particular, the experts believe that Kofi Annan has the qualities of the patient leader. He pursued the impartiality in the resolution of the conflict between the parties as the successful and reasonable mediator. In particular, Kofi Annan succeeded in the removal of the aggressive activity in Kenya in 2007. He performed the duties of the negotiator between the two political leaders what resulted in the adoption of the National Accord and Reconciliation Act.
In 2001 Kofi Annan was rewarded with the Nobel Prize for the contribution to the peacemaking activity. This award confirmed his leadership skills as the efficient manager of the United Nations. Some experts believe that Kofi Annan was able to move the development of the organization from the deep crisis in order to advance the protection of the human rights within the world. As the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan performed his functions as successful strategic leader. He had the strong vision of the development of the policies of the organization with the aim to fulfill the responsibilities of the United Nations anticipated by the world. At the same time, he recognized the importance of the performance the functions regarding the maintenance of the legal order without usage force. He deemed it was necessary to do this activity through the peacemaking process for satisfaction the needs of the population. Moreover, the main focus of his activity was dwelled on the regions living in the poverty. Kofi Annan built his imagery about the best state of the world, where the majority of the people may care about such issues as the spread of AIDS in Africa and conflict zones as Iran and Pakistan have found the amicable solution, while the level of the poverty is reduced to the minimal one (Brown, 2001, p. 1265).
Meanwhile, it is necessary to underline that Kofi Annan was a quite charismatic leader. By virtue of his speeches he pursued the aim to create the friendly and open environment for the establishment of dialogue with the society about the problems of the world. Besides, the messages contained in this speech were quite emotional, so that to push the people to act in the desired manner, for the resolution of the particular problems taking place in the world. Despite the fact that in majority cases Kofi Annan communicated with the leaders of the states as the members to the United Nations. With the help of his messages, he tried to reach everyone and deliver the importance of the particular problem. He believed that any individual and organization may cooperate with him for the creation of the ideal and peaceful world. In every visit to any country Kofi Annan was seeking for the opportunity to communicate with ordinary people of this state for the proper understanding of the issues and challenges of this country. By virtue of this open dialogue and strategy, Kofi Annan was able to adjust the agenda of the United Nations accordingly (Annan, 2005, p. 63).
Beyond the activity of Kofi Annan as the wise leader of the United Nations regarding the peacekeeping activity, he was focused at the transformation of the United Nations in general due to the crisis time within the organization. His activity was divided into two spheres: as to the reformation the internal structure of the organization and the attitude of the members to the role of the United Nations. He intended to change the perceptions of the world about the organization as the powerful one as with his coming to the office of the Secretary-General. Besides, no one treated the United Nations as the organization that may play the significant and valuable role in the maintenance of the flow of the world affairs. In this regard, Kofi Annan took the transformational leadership as he tried to change the status of the organization and its structure. He was seeking for the followers to his ideas and values. During the presentation of the speech upon the appointment to the position of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan stressed the weakness of the activity of the organization in the international arena and highlighted the importance to amend the funding of the activity of the organization. He requested the members of the UN to finance the operations which may be of the strategic interest for the particular country. Moreover, he underlined that the transformation of the organization in this particular manner would benefit the activity of the organization and the role of the countries as the protectors of the peace in the world (Van Boven, 1991, p. 80).
Meanwhile, it should be said that the position of the Secretary-General is the complex job. The manager of this organization should find the balance between the necessity to perform the obligations as the Secretary-General of the peacekeeping organization, jointly with the functions of the CEO. Being the Secretary-General, Kofi Annan should have performed the functions of the administrator of the organization, which directed the activity of the international civil servants. The experts believe that Kofi Annan performed these functions quite well, as he had the appropriate features of the character for the fulfillment of these obligations. Given the fact that the main responsibility of the Secretary-General is to find the amicable solutions for the parties, Kofi Annan was regarded as the successful negotiator. He was able to unite people and plead to the consciousness to stand to legal standards and principles (Traub, 1998, p. 62).
Analysis
The current research paper dwells on the consideration of the surveys about the skills of Kofi Annan as the efficient manager of the United Nations. The analysis in this research is focused on the classification of the leadership style of the manager of the United Nations during the different situations where the decision-making process took place. At the same time, for the consideration of the leadership style of the manager the author uses the framework of the most provident theories of the behavior of the managers which are suitable for the interpretation of the skills of Kofi Annan as the leader of the United Nations. In this respect, the author focuses on such primary theories of the leadership as the path-goal theory, the situational approach, etc. In addition, for the purposes of the evaluation of the work of the United Nations and the role of Kofi Annan as the leader of the organization for the long-lasting period the author compares the influence and activity of the organization before the Secretary-General came to his office and left the organization. In this regard, the assessment of the leadership style and skills of Kofi Annan is linked to the impact of this decisions over the implementation of the orders of the United Nations as to maintain the peace in the different regions, for example as in Sub-Saharan Africa, etc. (Koestler-Grack, 2007, p. 60).
The overview of the performance of Kofi Annan as the manager of the United Nations provide the world with the example of the resolution of the heat conflicts regarding of the risk posed to the health and life of the leaders. Based on the experience of Kofi Annan, one should accept the fact that the leadership is linked to numerous factors as the previous working experience of the person, ability to perform the functions of the mediator, the commitment to the work and the desire to assist to the organization or individual in the achievement of the particular results.
Synthesis
The overview of the leadership style of Kofi Annan as the head of the United Nations for two terms presents the evidence that this person was able to apply the strategic, charismatic and participative style of the leadership. Given the fact that with his coming to the office the United Nations was in deep crisis, Kofi Annan faced the necessity to find the instruments that will provide the organization with the opportunity to address the conflicts in the world with the limited amount of the international civil servants and financial resources. In addition, Kofi Annan was able to realize the agenda regarding Sub-Saharan region with the consequent application of the participative leadership style. Moreover, as the leader of the powerful organization but weak in its performance within the world, Kofi Annan was able to took numerous initiatives for the resolution the conflicts in the world. In this regard, he had the reasonable mind to define the best appropriate option during the mediation process between the parties to the conflict in order to find the balance for all parties to the conflict. Therefore, it is necessary to state that current Secretary-General of the United Nations should take the example of experience of Kofi Annan as the best practice for the assistance the international organization to come out of the crisis period. Moreover, the situation in Europe with the crisis Eastern Europe, Syria issues should be addressed with the leadership lesson left after Kofi Annan. Beyond this scope, the United Nations today is seemed to play the role of the silent observer rather than the participants of the international arena so that the leader of the organization should take the appropriate steps in order to transform the role of the organization and change the perceptions of the world to it (Ifesinachi & Adibe, 2014, p. 30).
Conclusion
Kofi Annan performed the functions of the Secretary-General for the long-lasting period within which he presented his ability to address numerous challenges that the United Nations faced on the global scale. At the same time, the experience of Kofi Annan resulted in the fact that as the head of the organization he transformed the attitude of the world to the abilities of the United Nations as the peacemaking organization. In addition, Kofi Annan has improved the connections between the international organization and the civil society within the world, with the involvement of the private sector and several non-governmental organizations in the assistance to the United Nations to the resolution of the several numerous conflicts and global issues. The activity of Kofi Annan as the efficient leader has led to the adoption of the Millennium Development Goals that provided the society with the opportunity to unite the efforts necessary for the realization of the global goals and objectives having the relevant importance for the all regions and countries. Moreover, he highlighted to the members of the organization the importance to interfere in the heated conflict zones as the United Nations can not perform the role of the silent observer. Given the role and responsibilities of the international organization before the community, Kofi Annan showed that it is highly important for the Secretary-General to participate in the regular living of the people regardless of the welfare of the country and its participation in the internal activity of the organization. Due to the fact that Kofi Annan was able to find the balance between the position of the Secretary-General as the head of the organization and the CEO of the United Nations, he treated the members in the equal and fair manner as well as the issues and challenges posed to the United Nations were resolved in the fair manner accordingly. Meanwhile, the experience of the ruling of Kofi Annan in the United Nations should serve the example for the leaders of the states today which have the intention to address the crisis in Europe. In addition, Kofi Annan showed to the members of the United Nations and to the rest of the world, that the leaders of the particular international organization is able to pursue the goals and objectives of the organization in the proper manner without the standing for the personal interests. This behavior and conduct should be respected by the leaders in the international arena and within the business units, as in the majority cases the CEO are too much concerned with the opportunities empowering them with the ability to increase the profit, while the interests of the staff are not taken into account. Finally, the long-lasting governance of the United Nations as the Secretary-General by Kofi Annan presents the evidence that the skills of this person were highly appreciated by the majority of the members and international community in general. He was able to resolve the conflicts and cease the exposure to the aggressive actions in the vulnerable regions without additional financial expenses within the United Nations due to the fact that organization did not have the relevant resources. The example of Kofi Annan shows that the proper leader may guide the activity of the organization completely and transform it for the better.
References
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