Leadership and Management - Case Study Example

Leadership Leadership refers to the ability to influence, inspire and unite people towards the achievement of a common goal. A leader guides or directs others in executing their duties. In order to qualify for leadership, one must have exceptional skills to deal with others and the ability to make informed decisions. In work settings, leaders are highly desirable for their ability to rally employees behind a goal. In fact, leaders create a vision of what needs to be achieved and then communicate the vision to others. Leaders are charged with the responsibility of developing plans to achieve the projected vision through such means as motivating employees and mobilising the available resources (Bass 30). It is quite apparent that a great percentage of people do not comprehend the distinction between leadership and management and therefore use the two terms interchangeably. However, the two terms are different since leadership involves motivating and inspiring while management involves administration and control (Northouse 13). Apparently, Leadership is more desirable than management for various reasons. Research has shown that organisations are better off having a few effective leaders and many brilliant managers than the other way around. Leadership and management Many scholars argue that the world needs more leaders than managers. Leadership is more of a trait than an acquired ability. Management can be taught; that is, anybody can be a manager but not everybody can qualify to be a leader. While a manager focuses on attaining results through the application of managerial skills, a leader focuses on improving the quality of performance rather than results. Leadership and management are, however, similar in the sense that they share complimentary attributes. For instance, a good leader should possess good managerial skills and vice-versa. Personal Development Needs My biggest strength is the ability to think critically and creatively. Critical and creative thinking forms the basis for effective leadership. The ability to analyse situations and develop effective solutions to common problems develops good leadership skills (Hurley and Brown 2). The objective of applying critical and creative thinking is to approach challenges with an open, holistic perspective. For example, if one is performing poorly financially, he /she should trace the root cause of the problem in order to provide a rational solution, free from any biases. Using inductive and deductive reasoning, which are essential to critical thinking, it is possible to create a systematic approach to the problem. The basic thing is to think about the underlying issues in order to get a gist of the entire cause of the problem. Other addition strengths of critical thinking include pragmatism and realism. Problem solving When faced with challenges, the basic objective should be to find the best remedy as soon as possible. People usually use the phrase “Thinking outside the box” but, unfortunately, only a small percentage understands its meaning. It is part of the pragmatic aspect of leadership. Using a pragmatic approach, it is possible to analyse and come up with a genuine conclusion regarding one’s understanding about the reasons for poor performance. For instance, one should ask questions such as; is there an attitude problem? How can it be solved? Is the problem emotional or financial? How can it be solved? An impractical and unrealistic approach might involve focusing on strong subjects and forgetting the weak ones. Morality is among the major strengths attributed to good leadership. When applied appropriately, morality and ethics can be indicators of good leadership. According to Mihelič, Lipičnik and Tekavčič (33) no matter how practical or critically one might think, lack of ethical and moral principles negates all other strengths. Self-deception in leadership A common weakness in me is self-deception. Self-deception inspires delusion feelings of grandeur. The result is that one remains in a bubble that separates him/her from reality, and obstructs critical and creative thinking. According to Carroll (32) self-deception make people think that they are good in a certain area even when it is not the case, thereby resulting in poor leadership. Poor decision making is another of my major weaknesses relating to leadership. Decision making is a comprehensive process that requires systematic and practical approaches. One bad “mistake” can have serious negative consequences on the outcomes of leadership processes. Poor decision making is closely associated with misinformation, so one must always stay informed. The fear of change is yet another weakness to effective leadership. New systems, processes and mechanisms can instil fear to any leader. In most cases, fear to change is caused by the feeling of insecurity regarding job prospects and financial benefits. One might be willing to implement a new working regime but remain hesitant due to the fear of compromising other people’s comfort. Proposed Solutions Critical and inventive thinking can be improved through learning since it is not inherent or exclusive to anyone. Vogelsang (31) states that there are numerous learning avenues that one can use to develop or improve critical and creative thinking. For instance, engaging in intellectual discourses with like-minded individuals can significantly improve critical and creative thinking skills. To be good leaders, people must acquaint themselves with influential leaders and real-life situations that would facilitate informed decision making and decisive action. For example, if an organisation portrays poor performance in ethical standards, the leader should put him/herself in the organisations’ shoes and imagine being faced with the challenge on a personal level. This strategy eliminates misinformed, escapist attitudes that are geared towards glossing over problems. Leaders should always picture themselves in other people’s situations instead of looking for “bail out” situations. Another solution is to stay informed at all times; information is a very powerful tool. One might have all the right leadership attributes but misinformation or a lack of information creates a situation where two inexperienced parties lead each other, and can have negative implications on leadership processes. In this regard, one must embrace change because it is a constant feature in human development. In fact, it is better to adapt to change, especially in an increasingly competitive business environment, in order to succeed in achieving the organisational goal. Basically, organisations seem to favour employees who are flexible and can adapt to change in the shortest period possible time. Other factors held constant, the best solution to leadership problems is to train more people on how to lead. Evaluating Proposed Solutions A recent survey by a group of scholars showed that leaders who work to improve their critical and creative thinking skills produce better results in their fields of specialisation than those who ignore the importance of developing effecting critical and creative thinking skills (Vogelsang 17). The survey further revealed that leaders who remain committed to enhancing their critical and creative thinking are more effective compared to the ones who believed that they are critical and creative thinkers by nature. The survey aided to prove that when success in leadership is brought about by actions and not just words. Actually, believing that one is a good leader is one thing, but applying those beliefs in real-life situations creates experiences which define, at the end of the day, if one will or will not succeed in leadership. The survey also showed that organisations that indoctrinate their employees on diverse leadership performs are much better overall compared to those who do not advocate for such a strategy. In the initial stages, regular leadership training equips employees with the fundamental skills required to lead effectively. With time, however, they develop more advanced leadership skills and become expert critical and creative thinkers. However, there is a call for extensive research on the applicability of leadership traits such as critical and creative thinking, pragmatism and the flexibility. Current and ancient researches have focused on the hypothesis that practicality in any leadership is more valuable than theoretical knowledge and perspectives. However, the hypothesis has not been fully tested in the last couple of years. Most scholars have identified the need to shift focus away from organisational leadership because leaders do not exist in organisations only. There are leaders amongst us in our families, in social settings, in extracurricular activities such as sports, and in other dimensions of life. Plan of Action The proposed solution in this scenario is to develop a blueprint for eliminating my weaknesses and improving on my strengths. The action plan is anticipated to be implemented in three years to increase the chances of achieving the set objectives. Below is an example of a 3-year leadership action plan that I will implement to hone my leadership skills: Year 1 Objective Action Challenges Timeline Develop my communication skills Actively engaging in activities that will improve my interpersonal and communication skills Busy schedule Lack of motivation Lack of moral support January 2015 – April 2015 Enhancing my critical and creative thinking skills Actively engaging in critical and creative thinking activities Lack of time Lack of moral support Lack of motivation Unsuitable environment May 2015 – August 2015 Reading leadership materials Borrowing and buying leadership materials that will inspire me to become a better leader. September 2015 – December 2015 Year 2 Objective Action Challenges Timeline Eliminating self-deception as a weakness Believing in myself Self-actualization Engaging in activities that eliminate self-deception Lack of moral support Lack of motivation Lack of pragmatism January 2016 – April 2016 Attending leadership seminars and implementing learned aspects Actively seeking and participating in leadership opportunities, forums and seminars Inadequate finances Lack of motivation Lack of moral support Busy schedule May 2016 – August 2016 Interacting with leadership-oriented individuals to acquire leadership perspectives Sharing opinions with leaders various capacities, as well as my colleagues Busy schedule Lack of moral support Unwillingness – from other parties – to interact with me Lack of motivation September 2016 – December 2016 Year 3 Objective Action Challenges Timeline Attending leadership courses and acquiring professional leadership certifications Registering and studying for professional leadership certification courses Inadequate finances Lack of time Lack of motivation Lack of moral support January 2017 – February 2017 Conquering my fear of change Reading books and other materials on how to overcome the fear of change Engaging in activities that help me conquer this fear Inadequate finances Busy schedule Lack of moral support Lack of motivation March 2017 – May 2017 Overcoming poor decision making as a weakness Reading books and other materials on how to improve decision making Taking up decision-making roles to test myself Applying lessons learned to improve my decision making Inadequate finances Busy schedule Lack of motivation Lack of opportunities to test myself June 2017 – July 2017 Actively vying for or accepting leadership roles Running for elective posts in school and other settings, and taking up leadership positions whether assigned or motivated to do so Inadequate finances Lack of moral support Poor networking August 2017 – October 2017 Using my leadership roles to inspire others into leadership Actively interacting with various people to encourage them to take up leadership roles People’s fear of change People’s lack of awareness of leadership roles November 2017 – December 2017 Works Cited: Bass, Bernard. “The Future of Leadership in Learning Organisations.” The Journal of              Leadership Studies. 7.3 (2000):19-38.print. Carroll, Michael. The Mindful Leader: Ten Principles for Bringing Out the Best in Ourselves and          Others. Boston: Trumpeter, 2007. Print. Hurley, Thomas and Brown, Juanita. “Conversational Leadeship: Thinking Together for a           Change.”Oxford Leadership Journal. 1.2 (2010): 1-30. Print. Mihelič, Katarina ; Lipičnik, Bogdan and Tekavčič, Metka. "Ethical Leadership."International            Journal of Management & Information Systems. 14.5 (2010): 31-41. Print. Northouse, Peter G. Leadership: Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 2010.             Print. Vogelsang, John. “Effective Approaches to Leadership Development.” Journal for Nonprofit       Management. 12.1 (2008): 3-49. Print. Read More