Leadership is an art that needs the right combination of skills
Leadership is an art that needs the right combination of skills for it to be effective. The success of a leader is defined if they can influence those under them to achieve their targets. Leadership in an organization needs to be strong enough for effectiveness to be achieved in the process of work. A leader must recognize that lead an organization; one must have the skills to deal with human psychology in the best way possible. Organizational leadership means having the potential to face hard times and still manage to grow the organization in the process.
Various theories have been put forward to explore the essence of leadership. Through a personal reflection of leadership, coupled with Fielder’s contingency theory, path-goal theory, and the decision-making model, the tenets of efficient organizational leadership will be explored fully.
Resistance is one of the significant challenges that leaders have to deal with an organization. Workers are likely to resist change or very high targets. This is relatable to an event that I once encounter when I worked as a supervisor in a store. Being the eldest and the most qualified interns of academics, I had managed to rise to the position of the supervisor through my hardworking and dedication. My role was to supervise three junior workers. It is to be noted that the junior works were a couple of years older than. It is likely that having workers in this store for a longer time than me; they felt entitled to the position I currently the head. For the first six months, I had managed to work with them smoothly. However, I started noticing that their productivity had begun to drop. So I took it upon me to call my team and talk out the issue with them. While two of them were responsive, one of them looked indifferent to my concerns. I dismissed the meeting, hoping the situation. I would improve only to learn later after two weeks that the worker who had seemed indifferent had managed to influence the rest, and the performance in my department was significantly dropping.
Effective leadership doe not only depend on styled but also on the control that a leader has over a situation. According to Fielder’s theory, if leadership, there needs to exist a good relationship between the leader and the members (Fielder’s Contingency Theory, 2016). Poor leader-member relations will lead to absolute failure. In the wake of despair and at the point of quitting my role as a supervisor, I recognized there was still a chance to salvage the situation. I decided that I would apply some of the assumptions of the Fielder and thus took it upon myself to construct a good relationship with the workers. I decided to call the workers one by one, and we set each of the worker’s targets together, hoping that it would improve the situation.
Goal setting needs to be done strategically. Martin (2012) acknowledges that goal setting can only be practical if leaders help their subordinates achieve their goals. As such, I took it as my responsibility to work with each of the workers to achieve their goals. I made sure to provide any information that they needed to help them perform their duties in a more efficient way. For example, I made sure to hold a regular conversation with the workers. In the discussion, the workers were freer to tell me any problems they encountered, and we could figure a way to deal with it together. I also made sure to remind the worker frequently of what was expected of them. Frequent communication of why I expected ensured that the workers were clear on what they needed to deliver. I also pointed out that their attitude towards work was a critical factor that would influence their performance in the end. The path-goal theory further clarifies that leaders need to define the paths necessary to be taken for the subordinates to achieve their goals. In response to the path-goal affirmation, I made sure to remind nay workplace obstacles that may be impeding the workers’ ability to achieve their goals. For example, poor motivation was one factor that the workers cited as an obstacle to their productivity. I undertook to motivate the leaders on the bassist of merit. For example, a worker who showcased any improvement in the products would be given an off day every fortnight.
Decision making is also another aspect of leadership that needs to be done effectively. A leader needs to be in a position to decide wisely in the face of hard situations. Further, a leader must ensure to stand firm in the decisions. The decision-making model of leadership affirms that it is through the process of decision making that a leader can emerge and make progress. Vroom (2013) recognizes that the various leadership style will have an impact on the leader’s decision-making process. For example, the authoritarian style gives all the power to the leader, ignoring the sentiments of the subordinate. However, having assumed the transformational leadership style, I decided that the aides are an essential component of my success as a leader. As such, I undertook to involve my three worked in the process of making a decision. The workers responded positively, noting that they felt considered and that their opinions mattered. Involving the worker further worked to strengthen our relationship. The process of decision making also emerged as necessary in conflict resolution as postulated by vroom(2013). For example, if a leader faces a conflict of interests with the worker over a decision, the decision-making process can always be backtracked. If the workers were involved in the process, then it becomes easy to convince them that the decision was not the leaders alone. Still, they were also significant stakeholders in making the decision. Involving workers in decision making helps them feel that they belong to the organization resulting in an overall improvement in resolution.
The importance of effective leadership cannot be estimated. Quality leadership holds the key to the success and growth of an organization. Fielder’s theory in leadership affirms that every leader needs to recognize that they must have control over a situation if they are to emerge successfully. Having a food leadership style is not an effect on its own. Fiedler’s assumptions are strengthened by the Vroom model, who reiterated the need to have a well-structured decision-making process. Improving the prices of goal setting and supporting workers to achieve the goals also comes in handy. I believe the theories offer Knowledge that can help a leader to sharpen their skills translating into the more productive workplace for the employees