Self-awareness of Leadership
An ability of an individual or a group of individuals which can be used for stimulating and guiding the followers and workforce within a business corporation can be termed as the process of leadership (Goleman, Boyatzis and McKee, 2013). Making sound and complex decisions, developing and articulating clear visions and also establishing attainable goals are some of the prime objectives of a leader. And this can be done by offering the individuals with appropriate set of knowledge and tools. Leadership is considered as one of an empirical management operation which aids in enhancing and advancing the efficiency which leads to the attainment of the desired organizational goals. Leadership is the ability of a manager for inducing the subordinates to work with zeal and confidence (Hackman and Johnson, 2013). This ability is the potential which influences behavior of others and tends them to work and accomplish the expected task. The below mentioned are the significance of leadership:
- Motivation:A leader plays an integral role in motivating the individuals for the team and is also concerned for the attainments of the desired and expected goals (Hemlin et al., 2014). He motivates the teammates by monetary and non-monetary rewards and thereby getting the work done by them.
- Providing guidance:Supervising is not the only concern of the leader but also guiding and providing appropriate knowledge and equipments for pursuing the tasks successfully and thus ensuring positive outcomes (Managementstudyguide 2018).
- Creating confidence and building morale:Confidence considered plays an integral role in successful completion of a task and the managers or the leader can develop confidence by expressing the work efforts of the teammates, making them feel the important part of the team and guiding them for the attainment of goals (Komives and Wagner, 2016). This will also bring a hike in the level of morale of the individuals.
- Builds work environment: Managementis the process which is concerned with getting the work done by the individuals and an efficient work will enable the employees to serve better results.
Pareto principle
On the basis of the observations made by French-Italian Economist and Sociologist Vilfredo Pareto’s, it is noted that the 80% of the wealth of the nineteenth century England by 20% of the population had an overwhelmingly profound effect on present-day society. This rule can be applied to the concept of leadership as it is all about focusing on that which is most important (Michael Edwards 2015). Pareto’s principle can be considered as an effective tool for leading in a more better and efficient manner and the same has been elaborated as follows:
- Decision making:- According to this principle, the leader should gather 80% of the required information or data and decisions should be taken in 20% of the time allotted (Northouse, 2017). The decisions should be made quickly as time should not be wasted in analyzing the collected data.
- Ideation: The contribution of ideas should be more from the teammates. According to Pareto’s principle, the 80% contribution of ideas should be of teammates and 20% should be the leader (Jackson and Parry, 2011). This will save the time of leader and will enable them to invest in other operations such as problem-solving etc.
Seven habits of effective people
According to the theory of Stephen R Covey, it has been described that there are 7 habits which are required to be possessed by a leader for pursuing effective leadership (Chhokar, Brodbeck and House, 2013). The below mentioned are the 7 habits which are considered as the main components of this theory:
Habit 1: Be proactive – The concept is all about taking responsibility for your life, proactive people are “response-able” and they don’t blame genetics, circumstances, conditions, or conditioning for their behavior. Whereas reactive people are often affected by their physical environment and they blame external sources.
Habit 2: Begin with the end in the mind – This habit is based on imagination. It is based on the principle that all the things are created twice (Selznick, 2011). In this habit mental creation is considered at first place and physical creation at second place.
Pareto Principle
Habit 3: Put first things first – This habit is about managing the life as well the purpose, values, roles, and priorities.
Habit 4: Think Win-win – The concept is generally referred to character-based code for human interaction and collaboration (Ang and Van Dyne, 2015). This concept sees life as the cooperative arena, not a competitive one.
Habit 5: Seek first to understand and then to be understood – This habit explains that the individuals should have a habit to listen and understand what others are saying.
Habit: 6 Synergize – This is the habit of creative cooperation. It involves the team-work open-mindedness, and the adventure of finding new solutions to the issues (Northouse, 2012).
Habit: 7 Sharpen the saw – This means preserving and advancing the greatest assets and having a balanced program for self-renewal.
Been empathic, understanding and good communication skills help leaders
A team and its performance depend upon a number of factors. A leader plays an empirical role in managing these factors. Been empathic means understanding the concern of the teammates and communicating in an effective manner is considered as one of the elements which are required to be attained by the leader (Spears, 2010). The leader is required to be kind and polite by nature and should have an ability to understand the emotions of the other teammates (Kouzes and Posner, 2011). This will develop a strong bond between the team member and mates and which lead to positive and improved outcomes. Good communication skills are another element which is required to be possessed by a leader so as to enable a clear transfer of ideas and thoughts. This will lead to development of an understanding level and which will tend the teammates to work with greater level of confidence
“Begin with an end in mind” aid in making better use of resources
“Begin with an end in mind” is the Habit 2 from the 7 effective habits of leaders of Stephen R Covey. The concept is based on imagination (Nahavandi, 2016). A mission statement is developed for incorporating this habit in an individual’s life. Development of mission statement will provide a framework for the tasks to be accomplished and the ways to attain them. And this will tend the leaders to make an allocation of required resources and capabilities at the right place and which will offer better and improved outcomes.
Critical reflection on the impact leadership qualities
Seven Habits of Effective People
Strength or weakness of been empathic person
Strength: On the basis of the research it has been observed that the ability to empathize or relating to the emotions of the individual within the team has been considered as one of the integral components in the interpersonal skill (Martin 2016). Empathy has been considered as an empirical workplace tool and should be used in balance so as not detract from productivity and business objectives. Empathizing with clients and consumers will enable the leaders and managers to develops strong bonds in a personal way and which will aid them in feeling valued and understood (Schein, 2010).
Qualities of good chairing person
- The chairperson should speak clearly and succinctly
- Impartiality and should be objective oriented
- Start and finish on time (ksl-training 2018)
- Strong delegation power
- Be a strong networker
Belbin team roles
An identification of nine different clusters of behavior which are displayed in the workplace and which are known as nine team roles of Belbin (Belbin 2018). The below mentioned are the nine roles:
- Resource investigator
- Team worker
- Coordinator
- Plant
- Monitor evaluator
- Specialist
- Shaper
- Implementer
- Completer Finisher
Team role of a shaper
On the basis of the research executed by Batenburg, van Walbeek and in der Maur, (2013) it has been concluded that shaper is one who is task focused and pursues objectives with vigor and is also driven by tremendous energy and have a need to attain the desired goals. The shaper will provide a drive to the team for keeping them move and ensure successfully and completion of a task (Chemers, 2014).
Leadership in practice-based change and service development
Critique of practice based on Kotter’s leading change
The below mentioned are the downside and principal drawbacks of Kotter’s model:
- This theory is the bit more mechanistic. Organizations are not machines they are communities of individuals or groups (Thehubevents 2018). As a checklist, the model is great as a step by step prescription.
- It has also been observed that the approach is strong in initiating the change but its bit weak at sustaining the same. No specific guidance is provided for sustaining change is provided in the model (Ciulla, 2014).
Critiques of practice based on kaizen model of change
- The author critically describes that this model emphasizes the rapid improvements but not a very little time is given to training people in Kaizen (Wilhite 2017).
- No broad and deep changes are observed for improving the organization in long-term.
Personal development plan
Objectives |
Success criteria |
Actions |
Development of advanced communication skills |
Training sessions |
Indulging and increasing involvement with the employees and organizing training sessions |
Increase in concept knowledge |
Training sessions |
More into listening, reading and research on various topics |
Conclusion
In the limelight of the above-executed analysis, it has been concluded a leader is an individual who is held responsible for guiding and leading the teammates and other employees for an organizational purpose. The main purpose of a leader is the attainment of the desired targets and organizational goals.
References
Batenburg, R., van Walbeek, W. and in der Maur, W., 2013. Belbin role diversity and team performance: is there a relationship?. Journal of Management Development, 32(8), pp.901-913.
Belbin, 2018, The nine Belbin team roles, Assessed on 6th January 2018, https://www.belbin.com/about/belbin-team-roles/.
Chemers, M., 2014. An integrative theory of leadership. Psychology Press.
Chhokar, J.S., Brodbeck, F.C. and House, R.J. eds., 2013. Culture and leadership across the world: The GLOBE book of in-depth studies of 25 societies. Routledge.
Ciulla, J.B. ed., 2014. Ethics, the heart of leadership. ABC-CLIO.
Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R.E. and McKee, A., 2013. Primal leadership: Unleashing the power of emotional intelligence. Harvard Business Press.
Hackman, M.Z. and Johnson, C.E., 2013. Leadership: A communication perspective. Waveland Press.
Hemlin, S., Allwood, C.M., Martin, B. and Mumford, M.D. eds., 2014. Creativity and leadership in science, technology, and innovation. Routledge.
Jackson, B. and Parry, K., 2011. A very short fairly interesting and reasonably cheap book about studying leadership. Sage.
Komives, S.R. and Wagner, W.E., 2016. Leadership for a better world: Understanding the social change model of leadership development. John Wiley & Sons.
Kouzes, J.M. and Posner, B.Z., 2011. Credibility: How leaders gain and lose it, why people demand it (Vol. 244). John Wiley & Sons.
ksl-training, 2018, Tips for chairing meeting, Assessed on 6th January 2018, https://www.ksl-training.co.uk/free-resources/chairing-meetings/tips-for-chairing-meetings/
Managementstudyguide, 2018, Importance of leadership, Assessed on 6th January 2018, https://managementstudyguide.com/importance_of_leadership.htm.
Martin, J, 2016, Can empathy be a strength in the workplace, Assessed on 6th December 2018, https://woman.thenest.com/can-empathy-strength-workplace-10418.html.
Michael Edwards , 2015, Using the 80:20 rule to be a better leader, Assessed on 6th January 2018, https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/using-8020-rule-better-leader-michael-edwards.
Nahavandi, A., 2016. The Art and Science of Leadership -Global Edition. Pearson.
Northouse, P.G., 2012. Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage.
Northouse, P.G., 2017. Introduction to leadership: Concepts and practice. Sage Publications.
Schein, E.H., 2010. Organizational culture and leadership (Vol. 2). John Wiley & Sons.
Selznick, P., 2011. Leadership in administration: A sociological interpretation. Quid Pro Books.
Spears, L.C., 2010. Character and servant leadership: Ten characteristics of effective, caring leaders. The Journal of Virtues & Leadership, 1(1), pp.25-30.
Thehubevents, 2018, Leading change: John Kotter’s 8 step model, Assessed on 6th January 2018, https://www.thehubevents.com/resources/leading-change-john-kotter-039-s-8-step-model-18/.
Wilhite, T, 2017, What are the advantages and disadvantages of kaizen, Assessed on 6th January 2018, https://hubpages.com/business/What-are-the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-kaizen.
Ang, S. and Van Dyne, L., 2015. Handbook of cultural intelligence. Routledge.