Leadership is one of the most crucial subject matter in any aspects of human affairs. This is very important because of two main reasons. First, leadership solves the problem of organizing a collective effort, which is a major ingredient in group or organizational success (Daft, 2011). With great leaders, government, business, personal and community organizations succeed and develop. When organizations are successful, the members are happy and fulfilled.
Leadership matters because it is greatly consequential for the effectiveness and the success of an organization and the well being of the members of an organization (Daft, 2011). Leadership affects organization. For instance, in a moral perspective, bad leaders inflict misery on his subjects. This can be seen by how Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Benito Mussolini, Pol Pot, Mao Tse Dong, and Saddam Hussein. Take a look at the current North Korean President Kim Jong Il. It all goes to show how bad and ineffective leaders make people around them miserable.
It also shows that leadership is an adaptive instrument for individual and group survival. (Northouse, 2007) In essence, it is mainly concerned with creating and maintaining effective teams and this is made possible by the personality of the leader. The final point is that the leader influences the team’s performance. Thus, the way or leaders are is the way or organization moves and this will eventually determine the success of one’s organization.
Aside from making a business organization successful, effective leadership also contributes to a lot of things. Leadership can also support the business to single handedly focus on its operations. Sharp leadership skills align the business and human resource goals and resources (Daft, 2011). These can also improve poor business performance and internal conflicts among members. It saves the country in times of danger. It allows a non-profit organization to comply with its objectives. In ordinary sense, effective leadership in the family enables children to develop as responsible and productive individuals (Daft, 2011).
Likewise, the lack of leadership is infectious. Organizations move slowly without leadership. They stagnate and lose their directions. Big organizations can also suffer from several individuals who try to make business decisions. In a more personal level, the lack of leadership can also lead to loss of direction and purpose in life.
In the past, the dominant leadership theories have been focused in studies of leadership. These included the contingency theory, trait theory, emergent leadership theory, leadership style theory, psychodynamic theory, situational leadership, and the path goal theory (Northouse, 2007). Many of the available literatures on leadership emphasize decision-making. If a leader decides correctly, completely and in the right time, things will turn out well. However, a decision is also made meaningful when there is effective leadership which will ensure that the right decisions are carried through (Northouse, 2007). This is a crucial task in implementation or getting the tasks done in timely and effective manner. Again, in this aspect, the challenges in implementation are still relegated to leaders and how they influence organizational behavior, the course of events, and overcoming resistance. In sum, leadership is really critical in implementing successful decisions.
Leaders are often considered as the “bringer of change” (Northouse, 2007). To develop and sustain their mandate to lead, effective leaders communicate and promote communications so as to create and maintain productive relations. This helps to build the trust that is essential to sustain performance in uncertain times (Northouse, 2007). Leaders make a difference because their role is crucial. Their major roles are to engage all the members of the organization (Northouse, 2007).
Leadership is normally used to refer to a process that helps in directing and mobilizing people (Northouse, 2007). For the past 100 years, much attention has been paid to leadership. Notable among them were the trait theory of leadership, the theory of emergent leadership, leadership style theory, Bradford model of leadership, psychodynamic theory, the path goal theory, contingency theory, and situational leadership theory. They touch on common qualities and characteristics of effective leaders. The theory of emergent leadership deduces that leaders may emerge from those who have characteristics and skills that meet the needs of their group, organization, or the general society. Psychodynamic theory avers that effectiveness of leaders is a function of psychodynamic exchange between leaders and group members. Some of the current theories of the nature and exercise of leadership are authentic leadership, new-genre leadership, complexity leadership, shared/collective/distributed leadership, servant leadership, and transformational leadership. The highlight of these leadership theories can be summed up by the growing interest towards transformational leadership.
In team leadership, tasks must be properly delegated and divided according to the team members’ requirements and their competence (Daft, 2011). They must commit to equality and should try to assign tasks accordingly. They must be objective with the needs of the organization especially since competition is really fierce. A leader should be tough. This is a clear point of development for non assertive persons in making leadership decisions (Daft, 2011). They must realize that some strategic thinking and special decisions have to be made. They also have to realize that the organization is run by great competition.
Leadership styles and approaches are very contextual and leaders need to be flexible according to the needs of their organizations. The approaches to leadership are not inherent in people but it is achieved in the careful balance of the situations and how leaders will apply the most appropriate approaches in each situation. The right combination will mean the success of leaders.
Traits and skills approaches to leadership distinguish between the personality and the behaviors of the individuals and his inherent character as a leader (traits) against the things he can accomplish with his capability and strengths (skills) (Northouse, 2007). Leaders must try their best to make things better for those around them. They should provide systems or routines for accomplishing a task or function. Leaders must be at the heart of the decision making (Northouse, 2007). They serve as the “strategic apex” and provide the inspiration and the motivation to the organization through their actions and vision. They influence the direction of the organization, including its culture and the contexts which aid the organization achieve its goals and other organizational capabilities (Northouse, 2007).
It is important to reflect that leadership is a process and it can be attained by diligence and serious work. While it is easy for people to acquire leadership skills and competence, the development of character is the harder challenge. They must have dignity and honor. In these present times, it is very difficult to find. Personality and character are important aspects of leadership training and development.
It is also important to note that the democratic type of leadership works best for highly innovative and dynamic organization, especially if creativity is at the heart of its operations. This is also very helpful when collaboration is required by the company and its outcomes would be crucial for the organization (Northouse, 2007). Efficiency is a by-product of a productive organization and a productive organization is driven by a well motivated workforce. A democratic type of leadership affects a positive work environment where employees are more involved and generally motivated (Northouse, 2007). This is because they feel important and they are convinced that their work and their opinions and suggestion are well considered. They feel part of the company’s endeavors and success. Because of their self importance, they are more committed to the outcomes of the decision making process, where they have input their own stakes. Efficiency is produced as this collaborative environment induces more thought provoking and creative solutions to their company’s problems and challenges.
A very evident contingency in the process of the democratic leadership style is the slow incubation period it requires (Daft, 2011). While it creates an ideal environment for collaborative problem-solving and decision-making, this democratic process has its weaknesses. Collaborative efforts require more time. This also takes into consideration the communication system which might affect the quality and outcomes of collaboration and open dialogue. It generally takes time for the personnel to explain their opinions about so many matters inside the organization. If the decision is urgent, then, it is also most likely that managers will take an upper hand in the process (Daft, 2011).
While traits, styles and approaches are necessary ingredients in leadership success, it is also very significant that a future leader has a conscience (Northouse, 2007). This is because the competitive world in the future will not just be on products and services but in the way that sustainable features are instilled. For example, ecological balance and organizational ethics are impressed nowadays. More special leaders can be developed if they are imbued with moral foundations and environmental consciousness.
Effective leaders must also possess a high degree of emotional intelligence (self-awareness and self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills). Within the leadership contexts, the emotional intelligence is now considered as a major factor in leadership studies. Northouse (2007) emphasizes on the leaders’ personal traits, attributes, tendencies and values along with their knowledge, intellectual competence and technical skills. This resource integrates the leaders' socio-emotional talents and interpersonal competencies. This is differentiated from the traditional concepts of leaders’ ideologies such as authoritarianism, Machiavellianism, and self-aggrandizement. Bass also evaluates self-esteem as a consequence of the leaders' personalities.
Effective leaders develop a level of self-awareness and a capacity to manage their own learning and development since they know that leadership attributes can be identified, learned, applied, improved and taught to others (Daft, 2011). They can transform and be the key factor in a company’s evolution (Daft, 2011). Business owners who have leadership can transform an organization, its members, and the organizational mindset and/or culture. Their leadership styles can improve attitude and productivity within the organization (Daft, 2011).
Other scholars further contend that great leaders excel not just by their skill and talents but also because of their emotional intelligence competencies such as empathy and self-awareness (Daft, 2011). They assert that the best leaders have "resonance" or a strong inclination and ability to channel their emotions in a positive direction in order to get results. These leaders can flexibly interchange among a variety of leadership styles as the situation requires. It gives rise to another important type of leadership which is situational leadership.
Among these traits, the experts emphasize the value of communication as central to successful leadership activities. They say that the ability to effectively communicate is the most important skills which must be cultivated among leaders (Northouse, 2007). Effective communication, as they mention, increases managerial and organizational productivity. They all note that the ability of employees and managers to effectively communicate internally and externally spells success (Northouse, 2007).
These skills are very much required in order for an individual to overcome challenges and further pursue his goals (Daft, 2011). The communication skills still redound to the basic components of listening, writing and reading. In between these skills lie the more sophisticated skills of relating well with others, so to speak. To simplify, in order to listen well, one has to be receptive and must emphatize with the one sending the message. In writing well, one must be articuand must have a good command of the language system. In reading, one needs a more extensive vocabulary and reading skils as well as the visual imagery and language competence (Daft, 2011).
Communication skills are very significant in the field of work, the same way they are of great importance in the other areas of life. In the workplace context, this communication skill set is needed in order for an individual to succeed. For instance, reading and understanding information is crucial in the professional world (Daft, 2011). Listening and writing skills are also very important in communications because it involves empathy and receptiveness (Daft, 2011). The difference between these three distinct and basic communication skills is critical in terms of its level of workplace applications. This involves understanding the content, applying the grammar rules and “meta cognition” (Daft, 2011). It also entails being able to express one’s self most effectively and comprehending others correctly.
In the process of sending and receiving messages, communication plays a significant role in uniting people. Likewise, it is also a powerful tool which divides people and individuals. In the same manner, communication bridges one’s thoughts and ideas so that tasks and functions are accomplished in the professional spheres and work places (Daft, 2011). Aside from communication, one’s style of interacting and his unique sets of skills used in expressing his personal ideas, thoughts and beliefs form individual and group relationships.
In terms of communication efficacy, the competence in language, interpersonal skills, receptiveness are very important (Northouse, 2007). Language competence is a vital part of the communicative competence. It is highly important because it emphasizes how the message is going to be perceived or interpreted according to the messenger’s literal instruments and specific utterance (Northouse, 2007). Interpersonal communication skills consist of various knowledge and skills in communication, including self assessment. Excellent interpersonal communication skills such as self-disclosure, support, etc. are very important in communications nowadays. Receptiveness such conceiving the message through contextual clues, body and tactile messages and signs, among others, are also important (Northouse, 2007). Most importantly, the medium by which these messages are sent are also crucial in these digital times.
In the present context of “sense-making” paradigm, it is possible to draw out a leadership model associated to the context of complexity and change which define twenty first century organizations (Daft, 2011). This model transferred the measure of effectiveness originally from the success of the organization to the impact of the leader on the team and how this impact builds more capability for the organization. Various sources stressed the leaders’ personal traits, attributes, values, and tendencies aside from their knowledge, competence and technical skills. This literature combined the leaders' socio-emotional talents and interpersonal skills. They also stressed that leaders must also develop strong communication skills (Daft, 2011). They showed that effective communication increases a leader’s managerial and organizational productivity (Daft, 2011). Scholars also acknowledged the ability of leaders, including their employees, to effectively communicate within and outside the organization to bring about organizational success.
As pointed out in the lessons, interpersonal communication skills are fundamental skills in leadership. The effective use of these skills brings credibility and more influence on others. The effective use of interpersonal communication skills enhances the effectiveness of the vision, mission, values and goals which the leaders are trying to motivate and engage with his followers (Daft, 2011). A good communicator also promotes harmonious relationships within the team members that will create increased levels of group cohesion. This eventually proved the positive effect on organizational performance (Daft, 2011).
Aside from interpersonal communications skills, a leader should also have great consultation skills. Consultation skills enable a leader to continuously improve and adapt to changes in the market. Leaders with these skills are able to assess the needs and problems of teams and organizations and they modify and improve processes (Northouse, 2007). In turn, these skills result in great performance improvement within teams and organizations.
Leadership qualities often shine when an organization alters its strategy. Leaders take charge in both adopting and implementing a new strategic initiative (Northouse, 2007). Studies showed that the more involved middle level leaders were in formulating organization's strategy, the more the organization's performance improved as an outcome of the newly applied strategy (Northouse, 2007). As communication is now considered as a major foundation for change and development, communications skills would be the founding qualities of a good leader. Similarly, as development is considered as a fabric woven out of the activities of the human populace, communications remain the important thread that binds them together (Northouse, 2007). Meanwhile, communication remains as a deliberate intervention to influence social and economic change that holds the most interesting potentials (Northouse, 2007). A development approach which highlights the strengths and potential of communication actually reflect the people's underlying attitudes and common wisdom. It helps them to adapt their views and to gather new knowledge and skills, and promote new social messages to expanded audiences (Northouse, 2007).
Leadership qualities become more crucial in the present context of streamlined, less hierarchical and flexible organizations. It is sharpened and adopted in today's knowledge driven and network inspired businesses. The new market environment have validated several roles for today’s leaders. They need to combine their leadership qualitie to the dynamic and technology driven business environment. The complexities demand emerging leadership qualities, beliefs and behaviors from the CEO down to the team leader and leaders assigned throughout the organisation. Leaders’ qualities and traits are needed to inspire, empower, enhance, overcome, and change their environment.
References:
Daft, R.L. (2011). A Leadership Experience (5th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western, Cengage Learning.
Northouse, P. (2007). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publicatio
