Leadership Management Profile
Introduction
Management skills refer to abilities and attributes that the executives of certain organizations need to possess to fulfill particular tasks within an organization efficiently and effectively. Such skills include the executives’ capacity to perform various duties with minimal crisis and offer solutions to problems whenever they arise. The skills can be acquired through practical experience or training in formal institutions.
Functions and skills required of management within an organization
Henry Fayol, a French industrialist, proposed several management activities that all managers should put into account in any given organization. They include organizing, planning, coordinating, commanding, and controlling (Robbins, Coulter, & Cenzo, 2016, p.9).
Planning
Every organization has some predetermined goals and objectives to be achieved within a particular duration. Thus, it requires someone with the mandate to define the purpose and predict possible occurrences or trends which can be embraced to achieve it. As a planner, the manager is mandated to set the goals to be achieved as well as define the process that can be used to effectively meet them (Robbins et al.,2016, p.9)
Organizing.
This refers to the process in which the organizational plans are drawn closer to realization. After establishing a plan, the manager needs to organize resources such as human resources identified by the plan as vital in achieving the goal (Robbins et al.,2016, p.9). This part of managerial activities is concerned with setting up an intentional structure of roles to be undertaken by different individuals within the organization.
Leading.
This is the managerial function that is considered to be the most challenging and essential. It is the process of manipulating all members of an organization to work in harmony towards achieving the organization’s objectives (Robbins et al.,2016, p.9).
Controlling.
This is the final function of management, which deals with comparing, measuring, looking for deviations, and correcting various activities to achieve the objectives or goals (Robbins et al.,2016, p.9).
Management skills
According to management researchers, there are four management skills that organizational managers should possess to ensure effectiveness. They include conceptual, political, interpersonal, and technical skills. Technical skills are those skills that enable the manager to utilize different techniques to achieve the predetermined objectives. The conceptual skills are based on the ability and knowledge to formulate ideas and abstract thinking. Interpersonal skills include the ability of the manager to interact with people in and out of the organization effectively. Given that organizations are political grounds in which competition for resources is inevitable, managers with political skills are capable of acquiring more resources for their departments or parties (Robbins et al.,2016, p.11).
Leadership approaches
Trait leadership theory.
The theory points out particular personality traits that distinguish non-leaders from leaders. It rests on the premise that leaders are “born, not made.” According to this theory, the following personal leadership traits have been identified (Robbins et al., 2016, p.300).
Autocratic behavior
These traits enable leaders “to centralize authority, dictate work methods, make unilateral decisions, and limit employee participation.” (Robbins et al., 2016, p.302) Under this leadership style, the leaders are the sole decision-maker. This style doesn’t suit my traits in that I like considering the perspectives of others before making any organizational decision.
Democratic style
Leaders with democratic behavior tend to involve ideas of others in decision-making, decentralize authority, encourage others to make contributions in designing the best methods for achieving organizational goals, and utilize employees’ feedback to coach them(Robbins et al., 2016, p.302). I am convinced that I possess these leadership traits and consider the style the best approach to effective leadership. I often consult my colleges when making any decision that will demand their involvement.
Laissez-faire behaviors
Leaders with these traits tend to give their followers absolute freedom to make their own decisions and use methods of their choice to complete the assigned tasks. Leaders only provide the necessary resources or material required to accomplish the tasks and leave everything else upon the followers (Robbins et al., 2016, p.302). I consider this approach less effective to new and inexperienced employees, who are likely to make faulty decisions that can lead to infectiveness.
Apart from the leadership traits identified by the trait theory, I possess charismatic behavior, which is a vital personality required by leaders. Although sometimes things get harder, I am found of maintaining my lane and maintain the spirit of positivity. I believe that no matter the difficulties, the brighter days are still promised and will come to pass. As a leader, I am always concerned with changing the behavior of others through persuasion and active communication.
According to the personal leadership traits identified by the trait theory, I believe that I can make a very effective leader, in the sense that I possess most of the leadership skills documented in this theory. I am self-driven and often willing to work under minimum supervision. I can recognize and manage my emotions and that of others to ensure intimate relationships within the organization. I am flexible enough and capable of manipulating the activities of my followers’ towards the predetermined objectives.
Transformational leadership approach
This is a relatively new approach that dictates how leaders can impart positive and valuable changes to the individuals under their wings. The transformational ones focus on mobilizing their followers to support each other in every situation and organization at large (Robbins et al., 2016, p.311). Leaders are concerned with creating admiration, feeling trust, loyalty, and the motivation to work harder and smarter than expected.
Situational leadership
This is a type of leadership in which the leaders don’t follow any specific leadership skills but adapt to the prevailing work environment. They keep on shifting from one leadership style to another depending on situations(Robbins et al., 2016, p.306). Thus, under this style, leaders have the insight to determine the changing point from one leadership style to another, which can fit the new paradigm.
Servant leadership.
Servant leadership is a type of leadership in which leaders are concerned with serving the needs of others before their own. Leaders involve others in decision making where necessary, which promotes high engagement, the establishment of strong relationships, and the growth of trust from their team members and organizational stakeholders (Blanchard, & Broadwell, 2018). Due to frequent consultations, this type of leadership can lead to more innovations
Of the three approaches, I find servant leaders as the most effective, in the sense that it incorporates different ideas in the decision-making process. This approach increases the confidence of workers and make them feel respected since their leaders recognize their presence. It also allows the professional growth of employees as it allows them to contribute to issues touching their fields of expertise. Additionally, it can lead to innovation due to the freedom of expression given to each team member.
During my junior secondary education, I ever experienced the transformational leadership in which the head of the institution encouraged teamwork, loyalty, and trust among team members. This leadership style motivated educators to focus on goal achievement even with little supervision. They used to work harder than expected and were willing to do what it takes to ensure the success of each member and institution at large.
Identity of Leaders.
The CEO of Intel, Brian Krzanich, is one of the best leaders of 2015, who have positively utilized their powers and influence. He enjoyed referent power to attract and cultivate loyalty among his followers. For example, he offered stock options and comprehensive health care to motivate hourly and low-wage workers (Cheek, 2015).
In 2015, GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump was listed as a leader who negatively used his power and influence. He used his legitimate power to showcase a lack of empathy, ethics, and integrity. He constantly used harsh words, violent imagery, and divisive phrases, which were rarely used by the American Presidents (Cheek, 2015).
Leadership scenarios
- Using the Hershey Blanchard model, the most appropriate scenario presented is situational leadership. Leadership is based on the nature of the employees at a particular time.
- The most suitable style in the second scenario is the directive path-goal clarifying leadership, in which the leader should allow the employees to understand what they are expected to do and guide them on how to go about their assigned tasks (Robbins et al., 2016, p.308).
- Under this scenario, the leader should be emotionally intelligent so as to manage his emotions and those of others
- Achievement-oriented leadership is the most appropriate style in this scenario. Leaders need to set challenging goals and allow employees to demonstrate their confidence in accomplishing the assigned tasks (Robbins et al., 2016, p.308).
- Participative leadership is best suited to the 5th scenario. Leaders should consult employees before assigning tasks to determine their preferred fields(Robbins et al., 2016, p.308).
Personal leadership profile
Based on my newfound insights and knowledge of management and leadership, I understood myself more than before. According to my leadership traits and admiration, I am convinced that I am well suited to becoming an effective democratic leader. When making any decision that will demand support from my colleagues, I often consider their points of view and engage them in designing the best approach that can be used to obtain particular goals. In the course of carrying out any project, I am not harsh whenever my colleges do make mistakes, nor do I demand too much from my followers. My resilience enables me to remain focused in pursuit for the predetermined organizational objectives. I am capable of coordinating my followers’ activities effectively towards a unified goal by creating an intimate relationship with every department within an organization. Whenever unforeseen challenges occur, I am interested in finding solutions, rather than continually identifying numerous problems but leave them unattended. Whenever some of my followers commit deliberate mistakes, I tend to become a bit irritated. Whenever this happens, I quickly change my leadership style to authoritative. I also adopt an authoritative style whenever my followers tend to perform their assigned tasks ineffectively or inefficiently. The shift of style will enable me to instill fear to the employees to get tasks completed effectively within a short duration. Similar to every other leader, I am strong in some areas but weak in others. I am much more robust in fields that allow me to work alone without involving others. These values are possible due to my traits such as persistent, dependable, confident, self-driven, determined, energetic, conscientious, and the ability to work under minimum supervision. From the trait theory, I have learned the importance of possessing personal traits such as emotional intelligence, confidence, and being self-driven. Every great leader needs to have these traits to ensure managerial effectiveness. In the future, I will be looking forward to improving my confidence to express my ideas even in situations where everybody else is afraid to.
References
Blanchard, K., & Broadwell, R. (2018). Servant leadership in action: How you can achieve great relationships and results. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Robbins, S., Coulter, M., & Cenzo, D. A. (2016). Fundamentals of management: Essential concepts and applications. Pearson.
Julia Cheek, (2015).retrieved from https://www.fastcompany.com/3054777/the-10-best-and-worst-leaders-of-2015
