Leadership by definition is the ability to inspire others to be the best that they can be. For some, this trait comes naturally while for most, it is a daily learning technique (Barber, 2003). Effective leadership is dependent on the decisions one makes and the solutions one provides when a problem arises. Leadership involves but is not limited to management. While a leader is expected to manage resources in his/her company, he/she must also provide motivation and inspiration to fellow colleagues so as to work in achieving the same goal.
Arnold (2013) suggests that leadership is a combination of multiple characteristics of an individual and that individual’s ability to act and think like a leader. Even though leadership is different and unique to everyone, there are key characteristics that an effective leader must possess. They include: ability to make decisions, accountability, undivided focus, empathy, self-confidence, overall awareness, humility, being optimistic, and above all have the ability to work with others and build trust in collaborative teams.
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Consequences of distrust in an organization
Trust is a vital element in an organization and every leader must strive to earn that trust from his/her team. When the team learns to trust you to make the right decisions as their leader on their behalf, they get motivated which in turn increases their work performance. Also trust between employees and management provides a conducive environment for the employees to work in. Building trust within a team in an organization may prove challenging as it is not easy but it is worthwhile. Some of the benefits of building trust include; increased work performance and productivity, willingness by the employees to endorse the organization, willingness by the employees to stay in the organization. When employees lack trust in top leadership, they lack motivation to work and innovate new ideas which can be detrimental to the organization. The employees do not give their all-in terms of service delivery to customers which in turn destroys the organizational reputation.
Strategies to build trust
Leadership is primarily based on trust and for a leader to effectively run things in an organization, he/she must come up with strategies of building trust within the team. One strategy is upholding honesty and being supportive to fellow employees (Becker, 2002). A leader should always commit to being crystal clear about the actions he/she wants to make or is making in an organization. When things are bad, communicate this to the employees remaining considerate to their feelings and when things are perfect acknowledge their efforts. This will go a long way in building trust. Another strategy is creating time for everyone to bond in a team building initiative by engaging in activities that everyone can participate in. This helps to ease any tension that could be present between employees and top leadership. In addition, being consistent helps build trust in the work place. When leaders say something and do it consistently, employees learn to trust them and view them as people who can keep their word.
Principles of effective interprofessional team leadership
An effective leader is one who listens. Listening helps one as a leader understand the feelings and expectations of employees for the organization. Listening also helps one learn other perspectives of how to achieve from other employees. Another principle is clarity. A leader should be clear when communicating information to employees. Avoid being vague. Communicate clearly what you want and expect from your employees so that they can know what is expected of them.
References
Arnold, M. (2011). Effective and authentic leadership. Leading effectively , 44 (1), 92-94.
Barber, K. (2003). Trust in leadership. How to build trust at work, 33(3), 6-25.
Becker, C. (2002). A conversation with Chris Martin. Professional Journal , 61 (2), 8-27.
