Leadership refers to the capacity of an individual to direct and influence the workers to work towards accomplishing the goals and the objectives of an organization. It can also be defined as a position of control that is held by a particular individual which gives him or her a chance to exercise personal influence on the team members for directing and mobilizing their efforts towards achieving a certain goal. The leader is usually at the center of the power structure of the group, and it’s his or her role to keep the individuals together so that they work towards achieving the objectives of an organization. A leader usually has unique traits that are different from the other members of the group. Leadership is an influential process, and the leader is supposed to regulate, change, shape, and control the behavior and the attitude of the team members. The team members are expected to comply with the directives and the desires of a leader. The society depends on these leaders and how well they perform their jobs. Many people look to the leaders for guidance, direction, and inspiration. Different managers have different leadership styles, and a leader should ensure that he or she uses the best leadership style to lead others. It is recommendable for an administrator to use various leadership styles but not one. This essay will address the role of a leader, what an effective leader must take on, skills, techniques and strategies posed by an active leader. It will also look at the role of communication in an effective leader, how professional growth impacts the function of a leader, role of culture in the character development of a leader, and the discussion of an influential leader who influenced my life. Further, an analysis of my leadership style will also be discussed.
The Role of the Leader
I have seen many people lead others in different organizations. Therefore, there are various roles that an effective leader must take on. An effective leader is a person who solicits support. A leader is also a manager and is the person who invites the cooperation of the workers (Hoyle & Wallace, 2005). A leader does this by use of his experience and intelligence which in turn gives a positive result. Personally, I worked in individual organization whereby our manager invited suggestions from the employees and used them to implement into the team’s plans. Through this way, he solicited support from the workers, and this made the employees willing to work. Only effective leaders can perform that role.
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An effective leader also reconciles and integrates personal goals with the aims of an organization. A leader uses his leadership traits to assimilate the personal goals of the workers with the purposes of the organization. He thus tries to coordinate the efforts of various individuals towards a collective purpose which in turn leads to the achievement of the goals and the objectives of an organization. A leader is a person who influences others. This trait lacks in individuals who are not leaders. Leading other people can only be achieved if the leader can influence others and urge them to work towards accomplishing the set objectives.
An effective leader should play the role of a philosopher, a friend, and a guide (Hoyle & Wallace, 2005). When I was working in an educational institution, the manager of the organization possessed the three traits. He was a friend because he shared the opinions, feelings, and desires with the workers. By being a philosopher, he utilized his experience to guide the staff. By playing the role of a guide, he supervised and communicated with the employees about the plans of the organization hence ensuring that there was cooperation so as to achieve the organizational goals. Through this, I got a clear understanding of the role of an effective leader.
Specific Skills, Techniques, and Strategies that an Effective Leader Must Possess
An effective leader should have various leadership strategies and techniques. For instance, he should be a person who motivates people and does not dominate them. This is usually a problem with the new leaders who find it challenging to exert power without being dominating. Domination does not work when leading people. Instead of a leader being controlling, he or she can focus on motivating the workers. This can be done by giving the individuals incentives for the work that is well done. Additionally, a leader should always learn how to listen rather than being authoritative. Listening to the employees helps them to build trust in the leader. A leader can know the problems that the employees face and how to solve them.
A leader should learn how to hold people accountable (Hoyle & Wallace, 2005). As a leader one usually has certain expectations of the team members. If a certain employee does not adhere to the expectation, there should be some consequences that should be put into place. The consequences should for instance be a verbal warning or a written one depending on the rules and the regulations of a company.
Leaders should also be human. They should not be robotic so as to gain respect from the workers. If one acts like him or herself, the team members will comply with the leader. Further, the leaders should consider failures as learning opportunities. No person wishes to make a mistake, but when one commits one, he or she should learn from it. Second chances always reassure better work. When the team sees a leader applying the lessons that were learned from mistakes, they usually feel comfortable when working with such a person.
The leader should also show the employees that they are the most talented individuals in the organization. It is usually bad to cooperate with a person who feels that people are not important. A leader should never forget that each and every worker brings a talent, or a contribution to the organization thus, they should be seen as the most influential people in any firm (Hoyle & Wallace, 2005).
Apart from the above techniques and strategies possessed by an effective leader, a leader should also possess various skills so as to succeed. An effective leader is a person who displays honesty and integrity. They should always be transparent when leading others. They should also have excellent communication, and this helps them build healthy relationships with the workers. An effective leader should also possess the skill of being innovative. He or she should come up with new ideas that will transform the organization. Innovation is a skill that should be possessed by every effective leader. Effective leaders should also possess the power of building and maintain relationships which are very critical for a business to succeed. Good and lasting relationships hold the functioning of various teams together. Strong relationships are the key to the success of business.
How I have been informed of the “Definition” of an Effective Leader
The above skills, strategies, and techniques have made me understand the definition of an effective leader. I have learned that a powerful leader is a person who uses the above strategies, skills, and techniques to lead the subordinates. For instance, he is a character who motivates others, holds other people accountable, an individual who is human and also one that shows the employees that they matter a lot in the organization. He is also a person who is honest, transparent, innovative, one who builds and maintains relationships and one who has good communication skills (Northouse, 2015).
The Role of Communication in the Skill Sets of a Leader
Communication plays a principal role in any leader. It determines whether an organization will succeed or fail. An organization cannot expand or grow if it is led by a leader who has poor communication skills (Hoyle & Wallace, 2005). Effective leaders always know how to communicate with all the people in the organization such as other managers, other workers, investors, and customers. Each of these parties requires different leadership and communication style. Effective leaders must be in a position to adapt based on the kind of a group which they are communicating with. Good communication skills are very critical to the leaders’ expertise and experiences. Listening is one of the key aspects of any communication. Leaders should always listen actively. They should focus on both verbal and non-verbal skills in communication. A leader who can communicate effectively can influence the followers to get things done which is the most important role of a leader.
How Professional Growth Impact the Role of the leader
Professional growth refers to the skills and the expertise that are needed to succeed in a particular profession. The fruitful and productive leaders recognize the need of developing their mentoring and leadership skills in their professional realm. Professional growth can considerably impact the role of a leader. If a manager invests in his or her professional growth, it can help the employees to succeed by active mentoring. It also ensures better decision making and also flexibility to mistakes.
Role of Culture in the Character Development of a Leader
Culture indicates to the ways of life of a particular group. Different organizations have different cultures. Culture can significantly impact the character development of a leader. The success of a leader depends on the culture of where he or she works. It does not matter whether a certain person can lead others or has the traits that make a good leader. What matters a lot is the culture of where an individual is working. If a culture has the right values, practices, and norms, it can enhance the character development of a leader whereas a culture that does not have the right values and practices inhibits the character development of a leader (Hoyle & Wallace, 2005).
An Influential Leader that has most impacted me
Bill Gates is one of the prominent leaders who has impacted me. I usually admire his leadership style and skills. It is the skills that he possesses that make me admire him. To begin with, he has excellent communication skills. Gates is also a man with a vision. I have learned from him that for an individual to be a leader, he or she must have a vision. For instance, it was his vision that made Gates pursue the graphical interface that later became the Microsoft software. His vision has led to the success of the Microsoft Company. Bill Gates also cares about people. He believes that people should treat others equally and equitably. He believes that it is empathy that makes individuals stand behind their leaders. All successful leaders often care about others.
Analysis of my Leadership Style
How I Frequently Utilize my Leadership Skills
Every person who is given the role of leading other people must be very competent in his or her role. Utilization of leadership skills is essential for anyone who is a leader. I utilize my leadership skills on a daily basis. This is because some skills are used on a daily basis. For instance, communication is a skill that is used on a daily basis. Leaders always communicate with their subordinates frequently and thus, this is a skill which I utilize on a daily basis as a leader.
How I have used Voice when Leading Others
Leaders use different voices when leading other (Lussier & Achua, 2015). I have previously worked in an institution where I used a commanding voice. There are instances when a leader needs to be authoritative, and this is the time when a commanding voice is required. For example, the employees I was leading were resistant to change, and this made me become authoritative and apply a commanding voice.
External and Internal Elements that Influence how I lead others
External Factors
Organizational Resources
In every organization, leaders depend on the resources of the organization like technology, staff, finances and other physical resources so as to achieve the goals of the organization. The success of my leadership will depend on how well I use these resources.
The Roles of the Employees
When the workers take on a role in any firm, their position is always defined by the responsibilities and the roles which they must perform when relating with others. The employees’ usually have different maturity levels when approaching various tasks, and this often impacts the leadership style that is required to lead them. Therefore, this will impact the way I lead them because I have to apply the leadership style that will suit each and every employee.
Sociological Factors
In any organization, the employees have different cultures. Therefore, the leaders should understand the cultures of the employees and the clients they are working with (Yukl, 2002). For instance, an employee may be coming from a culture that is not good with communication skills. Another one may be from a culture that does not value innovation. Therefore, a leader has to change his leadership style to ensure that it caters for the employees differences. These factors will influence the way I lead the employees because each employee comes from a different culture and it is the role of the leader to ensure that he or she uses a leadership style that favors all the workers.
Organizational Environment
Each organization has its values (Northouse, 2015). The values determine how an organization will be managed. Therefore, this environment will affect the way I lead others because I have to align my leadership with the values of leadership. For instance, if an organization values integrity, a leader should ensure that the value is incorporated in his or her leadership style. Besides, if my leadership style is transformational one and an organization values democratic leadership, this may change the way I lead others because I have to adapt to the leadership style that is appreciated by the organization.
Internal Elements
Organizational Direction
The role of the authority of a particular company is a critical internal factor in any leadership. The leadership style of an individual affects the organizational culture. The value of the workers, the effectiveness of communication, and the positive or the negative nature in an organization results from the leadership approaches. Companies usually have a formal structure that vision and the mission statements. This will affect the way I lead others because as I lead them, I have to ensure that my leadership goes hand in hand with the mission and the vision statements
The strength of the Employees
The power of the workers is another important factor when leading others. Research has shown that the motivated employees give better results as compared to the ones who are not motivated (Yukl, 2002). Motivation may influence how I lead others. For instance, working in an organization that values employee motivation calls for any leader who will work in such organization TO change his or her leadership style and adapt to the culture of the organization.
Role That Communication Skills Interpersonal Expertise and Competency Play in My Leadership Styles
Communication skills play a vital role in my leadership style. I use democratic leadership while leading my subordinates. This leadership style calls for opinions from various employees as opposed to authoritative leadership style whereby the leader is the one who makes the decisions of the organization even without engaging the employees (Yukl, 2002). Democratic leadership requires a leader who can utilize communication skills because the success of an organization will depend on how a leader communicates with the subordinates. For example, when a manager does not know the best communication channel to pass certain information to the workers, it will result in poor performance, and this may have a detrimental impact on the organization since there will be some objectives that will be achieved.
Interpersonal skills are also important in any leadership style. Any leadership style requires utilization of various leadership skills. For instance, a Democratic leader requires the skill of active listening which often lacks in the authoritative leaders. Democratic leadership cannot be achieved if a leader lacks this ability. Additionally, other skills that are needed in democratic leadership include communication skills, negotiation skills, problem-solving skills, and assertiveness, among others. All these interpersonal abilities affect leadership style because each skill requires a particular leadership style.
Cultural competency also plays a significant role in my leadership style. I manage employees who are from different diverse backgrounds. Therefore, to effectively communicate with such employees, cultural competency is a vital element. My leadership style has to be one that ensures that there is the acknowledgment of cultural competency. For instance, people from various backgrounds have often are involved in conflicts because they usually have different ideas regarding various topics. Therefore, when resolving the conflicts, I have to apply a leadership style that ensures that there is no bias when solving the conflicts. For example, I can use democratic leadership whereby I can allow the employees give their opinion on the issue that brought the conflict and I can also engage them in coming up with a conclusion.
Specific Actions that I Facilitated
An action that I facilitated is building trust. I did this by being a role model to the employees. With trust, sharing of knowledge becomes easy. I also demonstrated the courage to show my charismatic leadership style. There are instances when a leader is required to make tough choices, and this requires a person who is courageous. For example, when the employees are not working in the right manner, it is the role of a leader to have courage and communicate that to the workers without fear.
My Philosophy and/or Definition of Leadership
Basing my argument on values, perceptions, and beliefs of an effective leader, I can define leadership as the action whereby a particular individual who has unique traits that are different from that of other people is given the power to lead others in an organization (Yukl, 2002). Therefore, to be able to lead others, a leader should have a clear vision and share it with his or her followers and also provide them with knowledge and information that will help them realize the vision.
Conclusion
In conclusion, a leader is supposed to play various roles such as soliciting support from others, holding other people accountable, integrating personal goals with the goals of an organization, and one that plays the role of a guide and a friend. When the leader plays all these roles, he or she can be regarded as an effective one. An effective leader should also possess the various skills, techniques, and strategies that will distinguish him or her from ineffective leaders such as being honest, transparent, have the ability to motivate the employees, among others. Effective leaders need to be aware of how their professional growth affects their role as a leader and also how culture impacts their character development.
References
Hoyle, E., & Wallace, M, (2005) Educational Leadership: Ambiguity, Professionals, and managerialism Sage.
Lussier, R., & Achua, C, (2015) Leadership: Theory, Application, & Skill development Nelson Education.
Northouse, P. G. (2015). Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage publications
Yukl, G. A. (2002) Leadership in organizations.
