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mployees of any institution who may have started their career from entry level albeit immature would gradually grow into maturity level and often time given opportunity to supervise teams and thus serve as leaders. Prior to becoming leaders they beccame managers before graduating to leaders. We shall discuss managers subsequently but now we would review leadership.
Leadership means different things to different people, and there are different schools of thought on the subject. Simply put, Leadership is defined as a process by which a person directs, guides and influences the behaviour and work of others towards the achievement of (a) pre-set goal(s).
Organisations do put several factors into consideration when training and developing staff for possible leadership responsibility. There are generally accepted qualities of a good leader which more often than not are considered by management of organisations in developing leaders. Some of these qualities are:
Identification / development of talent and delegation: A leader must know each team members strengths and weaknesses, as this will enable him/her put “square pegs in square holes,” and thus get the best out of the team on any project.
Ability to provide direction: As a leader, team members will look up to the lead for direction on pre-set goals. One has to be able to provide the how, timelines and guides along the way to team members.
Clear Communication: Leaders must communicate effectively with their followers and ensure that they understand what is required of them. Conversely, one must also have a listening ear or disposition, so as to understand the teams’ challenges.
Solutions driven: Leaders must possess a solutions driven approach, rather than focus on issues, as these will always exist. In achieving this, he must be very analytical, and together with his team, come up with a win-win solution.
Responsible and Motivate: A Leader must take responsibility for the team’s output. He/She must be able to inspire the team to deliver their best, despite any work or personal challenges they may have. A leader must reward or recognise deserving team members and encourage others to pull their weight for the overall success of the team. When and where necessary corrective measures must be applied on logging team members.
Although the best organisation to work for is a merit driven organisation, certain organisations have cultures that may not be appropriate to some staff. In addition, leaders usually have different styles of leadership. A look at leadership styles may be necessary.
Leadership Styles
There are a lot of leadership styles at the workplace, and a leader may find that he/she has to adopt different styles or a combination of styles for different projects. Some of the more popular leadership styles includes but not limited to the following:
Servant Leadership: this type of leader believes that a happy team member will deliver exceptionally well on the job. Thus, employee satisfaction and morale are key considerations for him. In return, the employees generally perform well, as they are happy doing their work and are comfortable with the work environment.
Authoritarian Leadership: this type of leader is autocratic in nature, and generally orders the employees around, to achieve results. As a result, the work environment is usually not conducive, staff morale is very low, and the work place is plagued usually by high staff turnover. These will affect work adversely; as such this style is not encouraged.
Laissez – faire Leadership: this leadership style is best suited for highly experienced teams, where members need little or no supervision, and everyone knows and does what is expected of them. In general this is not encouraged.
Democratic Leadership: this is a participatory style of leadership, where everyone is involved in decision-making. Typically, the manager or leader will ask for feedback or contribution from team members, before arriving at a decision. This leadership style also supports employee productivity, which contributes to company profitability. Decisions are usually delayed in the process of consensus building.
Transactional Leadership: this leader rewards performance and sanctions failure. In addition, this leader supports the team with resources required for performance achievement, such as training. However, if there’s an economic downturn, performance against set targets, will likely be low. In general efforts are seldom rewarded at best may attract commendations, results are rewarded.
Harnessing Your Leadership Qualities
As discussed previous in our article on career progression, staff usually move gradually on the organisational ladder from one position to another one starts from being a ‘floor’ member of a team learning the job, acquiring skills and competencies via observations, training etc and gradually move supervisory level with one or more staff being made to report to you. Gradually one aspires to lead like any of his/her superiors adopting their styles, and also adopting self development such as reading up on articles, for guidance. Below are some of the ways to “jumpstart” the leader in you:
Be a role model: a leader should lead by example, obeying the rules and policies of the organization. In addition, the employee needs to understand his/her job requirements and those of other team members. He needs to be able to function effectively in all the roles, and within a scheduled time frame.
Knowledge of self: a leader needs to know his/her strengths and weaknesses. Armed with this information, one is to continuously work on both, we never stop learning. There’s always room for improvement. Further, as a leader, one needs to always be ahead of the team, as they will always look up to the leader for direction and guidance. Learning enhances wisdom and reduce mistakes.
Knowledge of team: similarly, a leader needs to know team members well, to enable him/her delegate effectively and efficiently. As a leader, one is to recommend and, or provide training / counselling as applicable the to team. A leader’s success largely depends on the success of the team, so one need to do all he/she can, within reasonable limits, to ensure team members understand their deliverables, perform well, and are happy at work. Ultimately, a leader needs to be a counsellor, boss and friend, with clearly marked boundaries. Such is the recipe for success at all levels of leadership.
In conclusion, it is recommended the leader attends various leadership trainings, locally or internationally, along his career journey, as they boost your career.
“Recite: In the name of thy Lord who created man from a clot. Recite: And thy Lord is the Most Generous Who taught by the pen, taught man that which he knew not.”
Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?”
