How Leaders Are Leading In The 21st Century - Essay Example

How Leaders are leading in the 21st Century al Affiliation How Leaders are leading in the 21st Century Leadership in the contemporary arena has evolved dynamically undergoing through various phases influenced by the prevailing contexts, history and existing literature. Accordingly, leadership in the form of the CEO position has become less about individual needs and more on issues and needs affecting the prevailing workforce and the organization at large. The CEO as the most senior officer in corporate administration of organizational entities is charged with the effective management of the firm-entity. Firms may be either for-profits or non-profit organizations with individual administrative responsibility being a critical administrative role-play of the CEO. The CEO as the most senior administrative official in a given organizational entity, it is critical for him/her to display the most optimal leadership styles; dependent on the prevailing situational contexts. Thus, leadership styles adapted into the working organizational environment ought to align with the prevailing demands of a given situational context (Zhu, Irene & William, 2005). This is especially concerning the pertinent requirements of all organizational stakeholders with special focus being placed on challenges/ issues facing a given organization. As Howell and Hall-Merenda (1999) portray, a variety of leadership styles do exist with each being is uniquely placed to address issues of an organizational nature within given situational contexts. Accordingly, he places emphasis on six uniquely different leadership styles through which effective leaders can move across adapting adequately towards meeting the prevailing needs of the moment. The six different leadership styles can became part of a leader’s routine inventory. These six styles include visionary, coaching, affiliative, democratic, pace-setting and command styles (Howell & Hall-Merenda, 1999). The effective leader dependent on the situational contexts at hand appropriately applies each of these. In terms of commanding style, the leadership present can effectively utilize it in crises especially when a turnaround is urgently needed. Otherwise, it should be rarely utilized as it greatly undercuts existing job satisfaction and staff morale. Pace setting as a style enables the leadership set the trend/ pace on which the staff can emulate. However, it should be used sparingly as it often leads to loss of morale and the ‘poisoning’ of the working climate. Democratic leadership style draws upon the prevailing workforce skill-sets, knowledge and expertise thus creating both individual and group commitment to set goals. It is most optimal in situational contexts where the organizational direction envisaged is unclear necessitating collective input. However, it is disastrous during periods of crisis that require urgent decision-making (Martindale, 2011). In affiliative style, emphasis is placed upon teamwork thereby creating group harmony. It is essential in improving communication, teamwork, morale, harmony and trust. This style is best used in a complementary manner with either of the other five. Coaching as a style focuses on the development of through one-on-one relationships. Through improvement of individual performance, optimal conditions for teamwork are achieved eventually helping connect individual goals to those of the organization as a whole. Care should be taken to strive in highlighting restraint, as this may be negatively perceived as equating to the micro-management of employees (Zhu, Irene & William, 2005). This may eventually undermine their self-confidence thereby negatively affecting their morale and overall output. Visionary style is the most optimal of leadership styles followed by the aforementioned in their reverse order from affiliative style to command style. A primary goal is the goal-setting process where visionary leadership is able to effectively articulate the general direction of the organization. This should be in line with the prevailing organizational culture that is crucial towards achieving the aims, goals and mission of the entity. Personal and organizational values that the CEO ought to possess should be aligned towards enhancing the existing staff members towards achieving the set organizational goals (Bass & Avolio, 1994). This is in terms of employee morale boosting, individual and group advancement/ development, provision of some form of employee autonomy, equal opportunity to success and freedom as well as firmness that is based on fair practice. Individually, the leader ought to possess virtues in addition to skill-sets, mind-set and faith that are rooted in the leadership’s reaffirmation of standing in the right. The CEO as a leader further needs to provide mentorship to those who work in the organization through provision of both coaching and resources. This is best achieved by way of employee encouragement, coaching, teaching, and pace setting through providing requisite examples. While the CEO ought to lead by example, there is need also for firmness, the upholding of ethics and ethical behavior, efficiency and effectiveness, time keeping and sternness when the situational contexts demand so. In addition to the above, there are organizational and personal values are influential on the organization’s ethical behavior in a number of ways. First is the fact that the CEO is viewed as the leader of the organization; hence, the pacesetter and role model (McShane & Von Glinow, 2000). Accordingly, portrayal of positive behavior and character augmented by good ethics, hard work, positivity and uprightness, the CEO can and is able to positively impact upon the rest of the human resource available within the firm-entity. Administrative skills, education, experience and expert knowledge input are other positive assets and through that, the CEO may enhance overall firm output. It is on these that the most optimal leadership style is founded on determined by the existing internal culture as well as the organization’s external environment. I am of the opinion that the three greatest strengths a CEO ought to possess are ethical and moral standing/ integrity good communication and listening skills and a motivator/ mentor. On the contrary, I am of the opinion that the three greatest weaknesses a CEO may possess are: lack of listening/ communication skills, manipulation and ‘snap’ decision-making. The three aforementioned weaknesses are essential variables to the lack of optimal organizational output/ performance (Towers, 1994). Each goes against set principles that are influential in enabling greater harmonization of teamwork, output, organizational performance, competitiveness. From the information provided, I am therefore of the opinion that the most vital of qualities crucial to enhancing a leader’s success is ethical and moral standing. When one is grounded ethically and morally, the individual is unshaken in his/ her stand or principles. Accordingly, various issues that may arise in any given organizational contexts are better solved through principled action that is wholesome and considerate of the existing employee force. Founded on this, the CEO is able to align the existing organizational culture to these set principles thereby boosting overall performance output. As mentioned, good communication is essential in portraying the firm-entity’s overall mission, vision and goals to the workforce present with the aim of enhancing overall performance. These should be properly communicated to the prevailing workforce with the aim of aligning their output to the organization’s charted course (Bass & Avolio, 1994). Johnson & Hackman (2003) do aver that collaboration often interpreted in terms of teamwork is vital to the organization’s positive output; given the core importance of each facet of the organization to its overall performance. The leadership styles utilized according to the prevailing situational contexts should be focused on positive tackling of both existing and potential external issues. In this regard, both politics and power are more often influential on not only individual but also group/ team performance. The prevailing politics of the nation, region and international arena do profoundly affect how various business enterprises operate. As such, there is need for leadership to trend carefully concerning tackling issues pertaining to political inclusivity. Power corrupts absolutely as is known thus the need to weld it in restrain giving the workforce present greater autonomy in terms of input, role-play and time management (Johnson & Hackman, 2003). Through this, the CEO is able to focus attention more on the macro-level aspect of the organization, having solidified the firm-entity’s internal structure. References Bass, B.M., & Avolio, B.J. (1994). Improving organizational effectiveness through transformational leadership. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Howell, J.M., & Hall-Merenda, K.E. (1999). The ties that bind: The impact of leader–member exchange, transformational and transactional leadership, and distance on predicting follower performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 84(5), 680–694. Johnson, C.E. & Hackman, M.Z. (2003). Leadership, a communication perspective (4 Ed.). Waveland Press. Martindale, N. (2011). Leadership Styles: How to handle the different personas. Strategic Communication Management, 15 (8): 32–35. McShane, S.L., & Von Glinow, M.A. (2000). Organizational behavior. Boston, MA: Irwin/McGraw-Hill. Towers, T. (1994). The handbook of human resource management. Oxford: Blackwell. Zhu, W., Irene, K.H.C & William, D.S. (2005). CEO transformational leadership and organizational outcomes: The mediating role of human-capital enhancing human resource management. The Leadership Quarterly, 16: 39-52. Read More