Task 1
Strategic management and leadership may seem closely related to each other, they have almost a similar aim, but they have their differences. Strategic management is, therefore, involves the control of the resources that belong to the organization. In strategic management, certain activities take place, for example, setting goals and objectives in the organization, analyzing the internal and the external environment of the organization and creating lasting strategies to keep the organization running (Pearce, Robinson and Subramanian, 2000). Strategic management does both inward and outward looking of the environment wherein the organization is operating with the aim of keeping it competitive and alive. Strategic management is how the strategies of the organization are created and how they are implemented to achieve the goals and objectives of the organization. On the other hand leadership share, almost a similar role like that of the strategic management but its scope is limited depending on its level (David, 2011).
Unlike strategic management, leadership is the ability of the management of the organization to set up a vision, craft strategies of achieving that vision and inspiring a following of others to achieve the same vision and goals. Leadership is the process of sharing that vision a manager or the management has and gaining the right influence to attaining the same vision. Leaders set goals, aid their followers in achieving those goals through good leadership and motivation (Bolman and Deal, 2017). The thin line between leadership and management in the organization is that leadership utilizes influence to get things done in the organization. However, for the case of management, there is the use of power to effect the strategies and decisions on the organization. Leaders could be managers in different levels of management trying to push the agenda of the organization forward (Schein, 2006). Management has authority, and with that authority they make rules, decisions and everyone else in the organization fall inline. On the other hand, leadership has got influence as the only tool and currency to get work done, lead people and achieve the goal and purpose that is assigned to an individual.
Management makes the strategies, comes up with decisions and goals to achieve, however, it is the leadership that gets all those running. Leadership is the means through which the management achieves their goals and objectives, and it acts as the bridge between strategies, goals and objectives and delivering the same (Srivastava, Bartol and Locke, 2006). Management takes care of the resources including the human aspect of it while the leadership directs, plans and controls them to achieve the goals and objectives set. Leadership and management are inseparable, and they must work together and communicate for the organization to have order and achieve its goals. When good management is missing in the organization, leadership will suffer a blow and vice versa.
Task 2
Leadership styles and management have a significant impact on the strategic decisions of the organization. I have worked for Emirates Airlines for a long time now, and their leadership styles and management has a significant impact on the quality of their strategic decisions. I work in the sales department, and I have a leader above me who is the terminal manager of sales. There are 30 employees with five supervisors who ensure that tickets are sold, advertisement platforms are available for purchase and the products the company sales are moving. The manager who is like the strategic management is in charge of setting goals and strategies of achieving those goals (Goetsch and Davis, 2014). He is assisted with the supervisors in setting the targets and ways of achieving them and the time. Often he delegates all the responsibility towards the supervisors who take over the leadership role and ensure that the goals are met, concerns of the team are heard, and the reports of progress are taken to the manager. The manager leaves the leadership role top the supervisors and invigilates while at a distance to allow them to be innovative, influence their followers and deliver results (Voon et al., 2011). That kind of relationship has seen three supervisors being promoted to assistant managers in other wings of the airport for good leadership. They were promoted because the manager was mentoring them and allowing them to implement strategies effectively.
The relationship between the manager and the supervisors is the best example of how management and leadership work. They both have the same goal, but they arrive at it using different paths, management used authority while leadership influence. Strategic leadership of the supervisors has always seen the team working towards achieving the set goals because they are motivated by the leadership style, servant leadership (Boerner, Eisenbeiss and Griesser, 2007). They strive to meet the needs of their team members which makes them motivated to go the extra mile for their leader. On the other hand, since the manager trusts his supervisors, they have the freedom to try leadership styles that are fruitful and have yielded better results in the department.
Emirates airlines have seen leaders change the working atmosphere to the best. Leaders have always led by example, and for example, my manager has led the five supervisors by example (Voon et al., 2011). They allow us to work freely and deliver on the goals they have set. There is the leading by being on the forefront, and the supervisors are always helping us to accomplish the strategies handed down to him by the manager. He allows us to think and brainstorm ideas and later on work together with us to ensure that the plans are successful. The leaders are sociable and friendly, and it is easy to approach them with any concern because they often listen. They never take sides because everyone is important to them and their leadership. They assign tasks and responsibility according to the ability of the worker. Leadership style must correspond with the character of the leader. If the leader is honest, generous, have excellent interpersonal skills and values the success and opinion of others, then it’s easy to lead.
Task 3
The success and productivity of the organization are dependent on the leadership style and management theories that are chosen. A good leader with the right leadership style will choose the correct management theory to follow and will keep the company successful, and productive in a competitive world. A leader influences, he motivates and guides his team to achieve the desired goals. He will utilize various management theories and leadership skills and styles to bring the team to a place of success. The organizations have been evolving for many years now, and leadership too is developing. Leaders have to identify the right style of leadership depending on the type of employees and workers who are under their control (Van Buren, 2008). A leader will choose a theory of management and leadership style that is complemented by his character and skills. Of the many theories of leadership, two distinct theories have been found to be effective in many situations.
Transformational leadership is all about people following a leader they feel inspires them to achieve not only the goals of the organization but also their personal goals in life. Working under such leadership, the employee benefits from gaining experience and achieving targets they could have never achieved without such influence. The leader does not lead the team through giving orders and threats, he inspires them to follow his lead and teaches them on how to achieve the goals and objectives that are set. Such a leader has a vision for his followers, and he sees his followers succeeding and goes ahead to place supporting structures in play to enable them to achieve that dream. In the Emirates, the leadership has created a culture that allows the teams under each leader to be responsible for their actions and allows for accountability. Each leader ensures that his team is mentored not just for the job but also to lead change or the team whenever the chance presents itself.
Similarly, the situational leadership is effective in the organizations in the world today. Businesses are becoming global, and leadership is no longer the preserve of those of one region. Many leaders are crossing borders and leading employees from different backgrounds. Leading a cross-cultural team will require a leader who is a situational leader, who can rise to the occasion and adopt a leadership style that can fit the situation and still inspire the followers and lead them to fruitfulness (Rosenberg Hansen and Ferlie, 2016). The leader must be able to assess the situation and know the right action to take. When the employees are new, and they do not know who to trust, and they are still low on productivity and performance, they will need the leader to step up and be a motivational leader. To motivate them and inspire them to rise to the occasion and break free from fear and barrenness. Equally, when the leader notices that the workers or those under him are competing and no one is willing to listen to the other, and that is affecting the work, he can become the servant leader (Ghoshal, 2005). He can come to the level where he shows his subordinates that leading is more of being a servant and serving others.
There are theories of management that must be incorporated in the management and leadership for the organization to function properly. There is the systems theory where the manager is expected to know how the various systems of the organization affect the productivity and the effectiveness of the workers (Rummler and Brache, 2012). Every system has parts that must work together to achieve a goal. A good manager will understand the components of the system and how they affect the productivity of the employees. There are the department, workgroups and teams/units and then the individual employees. The management should ensure that all the parts of the system are interdependent and working together in harmony. He must be on the forefront to initiate and ensure that communication in the system is up to standard and there is the flow of information. The best system for any manager is the open system which allows for the coordination and interaction between the units and parts of the organization/system (Catteeuw, Flynn and Vonderhorst, 2007). When the flow of information and feedback is successful, the systems are effective.
Leadership has to engage the workers, influence them and encourage them to perform better. Therefore five strategies can be adopted by any organization that wants to improve productivity and performance. The leadership must strive to define what the vision is and communicate it in a way others can understand. The leader is that man/woman who paints the picture that is in his/her mind for the others to see and follow. Without a vision, no one can follow any leader. The vision will always tell the workers where you are going and how to get there. Secondly, when there is a good performance, the leader should encourage and make the good work to be seen and celebrated (Cameron, 2012). When employees are appreciated and rewarded for good work, they get motivated and psyched up for the best. The leader must show honesty and always speak to the employees from a place of love. He must show passion towards his team and ensure that they can realize that he is passionate about them and their efforts.
Additionally, a good leader will always delegate work to the employees and other leaders who are under him and also empower them to achieve those goals. When people are given responsibility, they get motivated and are assured of the trust and confidence of the leader. Such motivation was visible in the Emirates Airlines employees who have always been allowed to take responsibility and perform the assigned tasks (Dyer and Dyer, 2013). The first week of my second year in the company began on a high note when the supervisor asked me to be in charge of leading sales in my team. Such level of trust was not overwhelming, and it allowed me to know what it takes to be a leader and some of the pressure one faces.
Leadership has many requirements, and even as the organizations grow and become international, the need to upgrade and gather more skills is inevitable. Leaders carry the vision not only in their hearts but also in their mind. They continually think through the vision and make adjustments accordingly as they see fit (Mumford, Campion and Morgeson, 2007). It is imperative that every leader who wishes to make a significant change and impact in the world should be ready to transform from the mediocre to someone who will influence many people. Bearing in mind leadership involves leading people who are smarter than you are, it is essential to have the values and qualities that enable you to accommodate such people and stiff function effectively. In the past, there have been phenomenon leaders, and people were tempted to think and believe that such people we born and inherited those traits (Bolden and Gosling, 2006). That theory has been proven wrong several times, however, to some degree, it has some assumptions that seem to be true. Leaders can be born and possess the qualities that are required for leading and directing the rest of the people. However, it is also true that leaders are made, there are specific requirements that people acquire in school, through training and development, mentorship among others (Rainey, 2010). With the present leadership challenges in organizations today some requirements can never be overlooked when choosing leaders.
The future is here with us and technology will require that leaders can lead a virtual team one that is not located in one physical place. Most companies are going global, and the issue of having physical premises is losing its importance with the growing developments in technology. There is the need for leaders who can lead virtual teams and deliver excellent results. The virtual leaders, in this case, are said to gain experience and learn from others. For a leader to be successful in that order, he needs to be good with communication. He needs to master the art of listening, understanding what is being said and then draw a plan that will work according to what he has heard and understood (Goetsch and Davis, 2014). Among the organizations that have that kind of leadership are Google and Yahoo. There are some of the skills and qualifications that leaders require to have in this changing world. Interpersonal skills, skills to make sound decisions, forecast, managing time, effective communication among others.
Effective communication is essential for every leader today, communication is part and parcel of the organizations, and the leader must be excellent. He must be able to communicate well with his employees. He must be a good listener, able to empathize with the employees, send information and receive feedback. Effective communication leads to stronger teams and understanding in the organization which helps in achieving the goals and objectives. Besides that, the leader needs to have interpersonal skills which are useful when relating and associating with the employees (Hannah, Avolio, Luthans and Harms, 2008). There was a case at my place of work in my first year when the regional manager came and found one steward resting in the visitor’s lounge, he shouted at him and asked him if he wanted to get fired for relaxing on a working day. That was poor leadership, and he did not take time to understand the reason why the steward was in the resting room. Interpersonal skills make a leader know how to talk to people, and it breaks that barrier between the leader and the subordinate. Interpersonal skills are not just for the leader and the subordinates, and it’s also for the leader and his fellow leaders. When leaders can relate well, they send the same message to the staff which translates to a culture of getting along with each other.
We are living in a world where businesses cross borders and leaders are going to work with cross-cultural employees. Such cases need a leader who can make sound decisions and has good judgment. The leader will be required to know the decisions to make on ethical dilemmas, when there are conflicts or when issues that require decisions arise. Sound decision-making ability will earn the leader the respect and trust he deserves among the employees and other fellow leaders (Mathieu, Maynard, Rapp, and Gilson, 2008). When I was growing up, I grew up in the secular community, and there were no religious issues that would arouse people’s attention. On one occasion a new student came to school wearing religious attire, it drew attention in the whole school, and to some people it was offensive; however, the principle was a wise man. He called the student and enquired the reason for breaking the school rules, and the student gave the reason, and the matter was solved. A leader in this generation must be one that depends on his intuition and not the voices of the masses (Hannah et al., 2008). A leader who does what people want for him to win their approval will always end up in ruins.
The future of leadership is bright, and there is a plan that can help in developing future leadership requirements. One of the critical future requirements of leadership is forecast (Mathieu et al., 2008). With forecast then comes planning for what has been foreseen. The leaders of the future will be supposed to be forward-looking. They must be able to use the information available to them to know what to expect in the future (Goetsch and Davis, 2014). For example, my manager at work uses the sales information to predict the sales for five months. 95% of his predictions have been correct, and for that reason, the supervisors also have been drawn into the habit of studying the trends to predict the future demand. Leaders must understand what their counterparts are thinking and devise ways of remaining on top of their game before they get left behind (Rainey, 2010). Additionally, leaders of the future need to be relational. They must have the ability to relate to other people at the place of work not for work alone but to create relationships.
References
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