Leadership

Leadership

"Someone or something, consciously or subconsciously, triggers a line of thinking which influences and stimulates a receiver into a process of analyzing a current or a developing situation and its potential implications. The perceptive individual is seized with a conviction that positive action is necessary and proceeds to plan what could or should be done. A leader is emerging" (Rabey, 2005).

The above statement is powerful and one that I believe sums up what has been taught in this class. The purpose of this paper is to establish an understanding of the concepts presented in the class and how they align with the educational outcomes of the university. The class is on Leadership in Organizations, so I will begin with who makes a good leader.

Who Makes a Good Leader?

To inspire workers into higher levels of teamwork, there are certain things a leader must be, know, and, do. These do not come naturally, but are acquired through continual work and study. Good leaders are continually working and studying to improve their leadership skills; they are NOT resting on their laurels.

The traits required by a good leader include a certain amount of drive, which includes the leader's inner motivation to pursue goals. The leader has to have strong motivational powers so that he or she is able to accomplish team or organizational goals. A good leader should have the self-confidence in his or her own leadership capabilities and be truthful to him or her self and his or her deeds. Some amount of intelligence and a through knowledge of the business are really important to take important and intuitive decisions. Trust is also an important key factor in organizational success and human resource practice.

Transformational leaders tend to have employees who want to work harder for them because they are inspirational and empathetic leaders who give their employees room to grow and work on new ideas and methods for achieving a set vision. These leaders use the fundamentals of communication, respect, trust, honesty, and personalization to make their employees feel valued and stimulate them to work harder and more efficiently.

Transactional leaders are almost completely opposite in the fact that they are like cats waiting to pounce on mice. They bribe employees to do good work by handing out rewards for work that should already be done well by the employee in the first place. They also sit back and wait for mistakes to happen so that they can punish the employees and use their authority to make themselves feel better.

A leader may also be someone with the depth of institutional knowledge and experience to do all of these things with ease and professionalism. However, it just may be that a leader is actually these things combined, with one essential additional quality - the ability to instill these "leadership" qualities in his or her colleagues for the future health of an organization (Lostrom, 2006).

This is where my current supervisor is defined. His ability to help us to achieve the goals we have set both personally as well as in our group is always a priority. Since joining his department two years ago, my development both professionally and personally have increased tremendously.

Let's add in power and influence and see how this changes a leader.

The Affects of Power and Influence on Leadership

The affects of power and influence on leadership truly do depend on the individual leader. Yulk (2006) acknowledges that leaders need some power to be effective, but that more power is not always better.

Good leaders have a strong interest in the personal and professional development of their people. They encourage their staff to push beyond their limitations and give their personal best. A good leader not only develops his or her people as individuals but also knows how to get the best out of people when they work on teams. Being able to handle the subtle dynamics of whole group of people is not equivalent to dealing with the sum of its parts.

Most good leaders have had their fair share of hard knocks that awakened them to the greater potential within their scope of influence. Effective leaders are excellent communicators, able to speak the many languages of the individuals within the groups they lead. Oftentimes the individual perspectives may appear different simply from the type of language they use. A good leader pays attention to the facts and then makes decisions based on objective analysis of those facts.

Effective leaders naturally motivate people from their actions, which include showing respect, listening, reflecting, and negotiating through conflict. Leaders encourage and empower people to achieve success rather than place blame. Leaders have solid vision and unshakeable persistence in achieving a goal. Their efforts are empowered by their ability to manage and organize both activities and time in their busy schedules.

Again, this is where my current supervisor becomes defined. He is at times a little demanding but only when being faced with indecision by the group as a whole. In order for him to be effective his employees must be effective and he is truly dedicated to helping us develop.

Initiating and Managing Change

According to McKinnon (2006), "It is a powerful change mechanism-to stand in front of your team and discuss what you expect them to do differently, and then have them tell you what you need to do to improve."

Developing, influencing, encouraging, and empowering are all ways for a leader to get honest support. The best method to accomplish all these characteristics is to be a role model of an intelligent, caring person who truly listens. Equally important is the ability to analyze each business