Effective Leadership Essay

Leadership is a human activity(Northouse, 2015). Consequently, it is also diverse and robust. Today, there is a rich history as well as various research bodies about leadership. Several reasons can be utilized to justify the strong popularity of the leadership topic in this era where people, groups and organizations are subject to change. Hence, there is need for efficient effort to be utilized as individuals navigate through these changes. Furthermore, from the various interpretations of the leadership models, there seems to be the suggestion that no single leadership style model is adequate for running an organization effectively. However, a combination of styles is effective if utilized appropriately as situation demands(Northouse, 2015). Nevertheless, high performance is the objective of any organization especially in the field of business. The aim of the following paper is to present an interview discussion on effective leadership. 

Effective Leadership Definition

The term leadership has been not only a topic of discussion but also research work for nearly a century. Most of the discussions and research work have tended to focus on issues of leadership qualities, leadership abilities, effectiveness of the leadership and the styles of leadership(Gregoire, and Arendt, 2014). This has made leadership a complex concept. Consequently, it also led to the conceptualization of an array of philosophies, formation of several approaches or theories and the utilization of various models to provide meaning to the terms leadership and effectiveness. Therefore, the different perspectives that have contributed to the definition of Effective leadership include;

According to the Oxford English Dictionary leadership is defined as the ability to/ actionof leading a group of individuals or an organization. However, there are differences between the traditional perspectives and the modern leadership perspectives. Traditional perspectives view the leadership concept to include cooperation, respect and compliance. This means that for a leader to obtain cooperation from his followers, they must exercise their power over their followers. Moreover, the traditional leadership perspectives are constructed from the role of leaders in goal formulation and ensuring that they accomplish them efficiently. Maxwell (1999) formulates a different view when he argues that the leaders’ attention should be on what they put into their followers and not what they can get out of them. This is meant to establish a relationship that promotes as well as increases productivity in a firm(Gregoire, and Arendt, 2014).

Sergiovanni (1999) argues that leadership is a personal thing which comprise of a person’s heart, head and mind. The heart entails a person’s beliefs, values as well as vision. The head on the other hand refer to the experiences that an individual has accumulated over time as well as their present perception in the light of the experiences. Lastly, the hand are the actions as well as decisions that an individual take. Therefore, leadership is the act of leading which reflects the values, vision, personality, experiences and the capacity to utilize experiences of the past to resolve a present situation.

Sashkin and Sashkin’s (2003) and Holy and Miskel’s (2001) definitions define leadership as an art of people and organization transformation with the objective of organization improvement(Gregoire, and Arendt, 2014). Therefore, leaders in this context define the task and provide an explanation as why the job is being done. Moreover, they also oversee the activities of their followers as well as ensure that they have what they require in terms of skills as well as resources to complete the task. Therefore,leaders in this case develop a relationship between themselves and their followers. Consequently, aligning, motivating and inspiring their followers so as to foster productivity.

Warren Bennis argues that leadership is the function of acquiring knowledge about yourself. Secondly, having a vision that can be communicated well. Thirdly, building of trust among colleagues. Lastly, taking action that is effective to realize one’s potential in leadership. Therefore, leadership is a process that encompasses, the setting of a purpose and direction which not only inspires individuals to combine as well as willingly work. Moreover, it also encompasses the means, quality of progress and pace towards the upholding of the unity of the group, aim and effectiveness of a person.

The essentials of leadership

The five leadership rules include; shaping the future whereby this rule is conceptualized from the strategist dimension of a leader. Consequently, it answers the question where are going as well as makes sure that those around the leader understand the direction they are heading to as well. Therefore, leaders will figure out what is needed for the organization to succeed, test the ideas and work with others to figure out how they can move from the present to the desired future. Secondly, making things happen. This is meant to answer the question how will leaders make sure that they get to where they are going. A leader as an executor will translate the strategy into action and put all the systems accordingly so that others will do the same. Furthermore, as an executor a leader will assign accountability, make a change happily as well as know which decisions to take and those to delegate. It is also here that they make sure that all teams work together as well as keep the promises to the stakeholders(Northouse, 2015).

Thirdly, engaging today’s talent. The leader that optimizes talent provides the answer to the question who goes with us on our journey. Therefore, as a talent manager they should possess the capacity to identify, build and engage with the talent so as to get the needed results. For example, the leader must be able to identify the skills that are needed, draw talent to the firm, engage the talent, extensively communicate and ensure that the turnover is from their employees’ best efforts. This is so that they can generate personal, organizational as well as professional loyalty. Fourthly, building the next generation thus answering the question who gets to stay so as to sustain the organization for the next generation. As a human capital developer, the leader must ensure that the company has longer term competencies that are needed for future strategic success. This is to ensure that the organization exists for generations.

Lastly, individual investment. Personal proficiency is at the core of leadership. This is because effective leaders cannot be reduced to what they do or know. Hence, leaders are learners, passionate about their interests and believes. Additionally, they also inspire both loyalty and goodwill because they act with trust and integrity.

Leadership Model; Situational Leadership

A leadership model can be described as a depiction of a theory and describes what should happen or how something happens. Situational leadership is a style of leadership whereby the manager or leader of an organization adjusts their style so as to fit their followers’ development level. In other terms, it is the leader that changes their style and not the follower adopts the style of the leader. Hence, the situational leadership model illustrates a situational leadership theory as well provides an explanation of when to tell, sell, delegate or participate(McCleskey, 2014). Today leadership models have a huge impact on the changing people, groups and organizations themselves which has resulted in a number of challenges. The only option to the solution is the provision of a model that serves the purpose and in most of the business/organizations the situational model is the best applicable leadership model. This is because the leadership style allows changes based on the situation so as to meet the needs of others in the organization. These may include;

Telling and Directing:The organization’s leader in this case makes the decisions. This is followed by him informing others in the organization about the decision. This leadership style is also known as micro-management. This is because the leader is involved as well as closely supervises the people they are working with. The leadership style utilizes the top-down approach and the employees perform as they are told.

Selling and Coaching: This leadership style allows the leader to be involved in the daily affairs of the organization. The decisions still lie with the leader but the employees must provide an input before a decision is implemented. Moreover, there is still supervision of the employees but a coaching manner is utilized. The selling and caching leadership style is effective when working with individuals that are less experienced and require more learning(McCleskey, 2014).

Participating and Providing Support This style of leadership involves a leader passing responsibility to their followers. The leader also provides some direction but decision making lie with the employers or followers(McCleskey, 2014). A leader in this case is there to provide feedback as well as increase the motivation and confidence of the employee or followers for the completed tasks. Therefore, those that are working in this type of leadership have the needed skills but lack the motivation or confidence that is required in achieving the set objectives.

Delegation: Delegation is a style of leadership whereby the leader is involved the least with the employees. Hence, the responsibility of choosing tasks as well as the directions lie with the employees. Therefore, this type of leadership allows an employee to understand their roles as well as perform them with the least of the supervision(McCleskey, 2014).

Development level: in this situational style of leadership the follower is the determinant of the leaders’ style of leadership. The matrix system is employed which allows the utilization of various situational leadership styles. For example, for employees with high needs and less experience, the directing style is employed and where the employees have low needs and high levels of competence then a delegating style is utilized.

How Leaders Enable Teams to Thrive

A leader is responsible for establishing a high organizational performance so as to remain competitive in the business environment. Team leaders are today’s organizations cornerstone and being one not only is it challenging but also has great rewards(Woodcock, 2017) Therefore, for a team to thrive, a leader should; define a clear picture of the future- the teams vision. Defining the future is important as teams need to work with specific targets. Hence, keeping people informed about where they are going and how they are going to get there is crucial for the team to thrive. Secondly, being genuine as being true will enable the team know and work towards achieving the objectives. Thirdly, engaging the employees as employees who are engaged put both their heart and soul thus have the energy and excitement needed to provide more than is needed for the task. Fourthly, encouraging transparency as sharing with the team allows them to have a sense of ownership. Moreover, it is also important that the employees are well trained to understand so as to have insights about their jobs and know how to affect the numbers(Barry, 2015).

Fifthly communicating as communicating allows the team to hear the message, believe it and know what it means. Communication is the transfer of a message from a sender to a recipient who then provides a feedback. The feedback allows the leader to know how the message was interpreted and internalized. Sixthly, connecting to the big picture as people want to be part of a future that is compelling. Therefore, for the target to be meaningful as well as effective in employee motivation they need to be aligned with larger ambitions of the organization. This allows the team members to be more engaged and active so as to be able to stretch out their target objectives. Lastly, establishment of one on one relationships as well as team processes. This involves the leader paying attention to cues to identify if the members are becoming less engaged. Consequently, it also involves the leader spending time with the team members so as to know and understand them especially when it comes to their concerns and motivations(Woodcock, 2017).

Characteristics of an Effective Leader

Leaders are not born they are made. Thus it is important that a leader has the following skills and traits so as to lead an organization or a group of people. The traits that every effective leader should possess include; an effective leader promotes a vision that is compelling. A vision is the starting point of every leadership success story. Hence, a successful leader must know how to develop a clear, compelling and distinctive vision that aligns with the firms’ strategic plans. Moreover, a vision also reduces the uncertainty as well as provides focus. Therefore, an effective leader has the capability of expressing a vision and utilizing it to inspire others(Northouse, 2015).

Secondly, effective leaders treat others the way they want to be treated. The most important thing when it comes to leading people are principles. Skills and experience might give one a leadership position but having inner awareness and the desire to treat others well is a powerful factor. This is because a leader that embraces this has the capability of directing, guiding and inspiring those that are around them.

Thirdly, an effective leader admits their mistakes. Leaders on numerous occasions are expected to always have the right answers and be right. However, even the greatest leaders make mistakes but the most effective ones are those that own up to their mistakes. This is because they understand that mistakes provide an opportunity for them to learn invaluable lessons thus view them as opportunities to learn.

Fourthly, effective leaders are involved in the action. Great leadership is all about taking action, developing others, making good decisions as well as building relationships. It takes an effective leader to lead others into the action that will lead to the desired outcomes as only action produces results. Fifthly, they are great communicators. Great leaders understand that the message and not the messenger are important(Sethuraman, and Suresh, 2014). Moreover, they also know that everything that they communicate is consequential to meeting both the needs as well as expectations of those that surround them. Additionally, a leader should be aware of not only the situation but the context too.

Sixthly, they are great delegators. Effective leaders are wise and effective at delegating as what matters is the quality when it comes to the achievement of an objective. A leader that insists of doing everything on their own is a failed leader as allowing others to do their job allows the leader to do their job. Lastly, effective leaders are prone to making others feel important. Leaders that are effective pay attention to their people. Consequently, they also let them know how important they are and also help them to succeed.

Conclusion

The five leadership essentials include; shaping the future, making things happen, engaging today’s talent, engaging today’s talent and individual investment. A leader must employ a strategy such as situational leadership whereby the manager or leader of an organization adjusts their style so as to fit their followers’ development level. 

In other terms, it is the leader that changes their style and not the follower adopts the style of the leader.Leaders are not born they are made. Thus it is important that a leader has the needed skills and traits so as to lead an organization or a group of people.