Strategies in Leadership - Research Paper Example

Leadership Strategies Introduction Leadership strategies are the main provision of the vision for any company’s growth and success. If an organization to realize its goals, the leaders must apply several strategies, which will positively influence the performance of the organization. Strategic leadership involves critical thoughts, influence, and acting process. However, the strategies alone are not enough and effective if their implementation is poor. However, the definition of strategies in leadership is the potentiality of a leader to influence the subordinates positively in setting and achieving objectives of the organization. Success organizations depend on all formal and informal leaders’ ability to gang up and support the goals of an organization. The realization of organizational goals depends on the strategies of leadership involved and proper implementations of the strategies by a leader or by a team (Rush, 2011). When in school, I realized there are so many challenges that students face while in school. They face very many difficulties when meeting their day-to-day needs. The main cause of these difficulties is financial strain. Some students pay their fees and have no one to assist and support them. I decided to start a group made of university students in school. By that time, the students were at home for a long vacation. At this period, they were able to search for jobs. I mobilized fifteen students and we formed a group. The main objective was to start a project that would earn each student income at the end of every month. However, this project needed a capital whereby each member had to contribute equally an amount that would equal the capital needed. For good cooperation, each member of the group had a responsibility in the group. This delegation of work ensured that everyone had a role to play successfully. The members elected four officials but the officials’ role was to provide support in official matters. The members elected me as the chairperson of the group. As the chairperson, I made sure that the officials did not have any special treatment. In case of any expenses they incurred on official duties, the group financed and accounted. This was to ensure that the officials did not exploit the groups finance by spending more than required. Equality was the main strategy in running of the group. Each member participated in decision making of the group. No member had the right to make any decision in the absence of all the members. For decision-making, all the members or two thirds of the members agreed. Participation of the members in decision-making improved the relationship between the officials and members. It improved the performance of every member’s role in the group. The project agreed upon was a bank agent business and preparation of primary and secondary schools examination. Since all members have high intellectual level in different fields depending on the courses they are pursuing, I delegated work depending on what one could do best. I gave each member a chance to confess what subject one felt could do best. This made everyone feel satisfied of the task allocated. To ensure that equality remained, all members including the officials had a task. Therefore, all members had an exam creation task to perform in the best subject one could do best. I ensured that each member had a chance to utilize individual ideas in achieving the task allocated to reach the goal of the group. Another task was to search for a trustworthy typist who was to run the business. The principle applied was that, the typist was not supposed to be a relative or a comrade of any member belonging to the group. This was to reduce cases of fraud and theft. The typist had to be well skilled and qualified in typing and have good relating skills with customers and other interested parties. The employee did not have any right to know any information concerning the group. For the banking agent department, another employee was required to ensure there was smooth running of the job. Since all students were conversant with accounting, one of them at a high level in accounting was to account for the group after every month with the help of all members and the two employees. In exams creation, each member was to make a quality paper with all the standards required in the curriculum. Sharing of profits depended on if one made a quality paper. The rules governing this department were that each person had the obligation to create an original, high standard and quality paper on time. Members agreed on the dates of submission of the papers to the typist. After delivering the paper, one was to inform the secretary of the group whose work was to confirm from the typist and record somewhere for reference. Income sharing depended on whether one performed the tasks and duties assigned. This ensured that all members performed their duties as required. One had the right to confirm and consult from others. Co-operation was another strategy I applied in that all members were to create a good relationship with the two employees running the business. No member had the right to idle in the business place. The two employees’ duty was to respect all the members and all members were to show respect to the employees. Through networking with school heads, every member had a duty to market the business. This helped in acquiring more customers from different schools. The typist had the duty to ensure that the customers got their work on time and in a good quality. The group agreed to have one genuine and trustworthy person who was to deliver the exams to the customers. The person was to collaborate with the typist in order to make deliveries on time. Timely delivery was crucial in order to attract more customers in the business. This strategy ensured that the Group’s business was responsible to the community at large because the schools would get their exams on time. This was to make sure that the business did not tamper with the program of the schools and that of the students. This created competitive strength for the business as compared to other similar businesses, which did not deliver on time. This determined the direction of the major strategy and influenced the development of the human resource capital (Hughes & Beatty, 2005). The rules and regulations in the group’s constitution helped in maximizing the groups output. Each member’s output was of very high standards. All members were supposed to be of good character and influential to students in primary and secondary schools. During leisure time, the group visited schools and encouraged students to read and work hard. This was quite influential to the community’s level of education. The group conducted this activity free of charge to different schools. This made a good marketing strategy for the business. After the motivational talk, the group would highlight on its business. As the chairperson, I ensured that the members groomed well and they looked presentable to the teachers and students. This gave a good expression that impressed every one in the community. I had to ensure that every one had the focus towards the achievement of the main goal. All members had the knowledge concerning the dos and the don’ts. Everything was clear and well defined. No matter how the tasks seemed hard, I always ensured that they seemed simple by making sure that there was no discrimination of what seemed difficult. I encouraged the members that determination would lead us to our set goals (Hughes & Beatty, 2005). I observed what successful business did and employed some of the strategies in the business. In case of changes in the curriculum, the members had to research broadly and ensure that the papers fitted well in the curriculum of the schools. The members had to adjust to changes in the market in order to produce quality and standard exams (Speculand, 2009). Despite any changes, the group remained focused towards the goal of the group. The group did well after the first month and the profit realized was enough to cater for the needs of each member in the next month. This was a good start and after several marketing strategies in marketing, the profits continued increasing now and then. Now and then, the group used different strategies to ensure that implementation was good. After every month, I used the profits to analyze if the group was doing good and incase its performance went down, I had to find what factors led to the dropped performance (Adair, 2010). My main aim was to ensure that the business achieved the very best results. Discipline amongst the employees and the shareholders of the group members, was to remain intact and of high degree. Any indiscipline case led to a severe penalty. After some time, I encouraged the members to identify other businesses to start. With time, the group started other businesses. Before starting any business, the members had to perform a research on the business and find out if it was worth starting. All members were encouraged to utilize their talents in different fields and this helped in coming up with new ideas concerning start of a new business. Through this, the business continued expanding. The best thing about this group was that everyone had the ability to perform and give the best results. After every success in terms of profits made, the group gave back to the community by supporting those two pupils: a girl and a boy who performed best in their final examinations. For the best two in secondary schools, the group gave a prize of a certain amount of money to support them and allowed them to join the group at a lower contribution of the capital. This helped the group to expand. As a result, the students worked extra hard and the performance of the region went very high. Many teachers appreciated the groups work. Many non-governmental organizations approached the group to assist in launching several educational programs in different places. This helped the group members have loopholes to other opportunities. At one time the group won a prize of one five million of the best influential and motivational group. Many other groups envied the group because it was the most successful in the region. Despite all the achievements, the group members remained down to earth people because the higher the achievements, the higher the higher the responsibilities. The group became an NGO too and helped in encouraging girl child education in those areas where the issue’s address was poor. Using social media and other collaborations, the group got assistance from individuals. The group expanded its sponsorship program to remote areas where bright children did not get funds to enroll in secondary schools. As the leader of the group, I ensured that all the other members had the passion for the group. During good times, the group held a party and invited the children sponsored for the party. During the party, other guests from other areas attended the party to give a motivational talk. There was always sufficient entertainment and fun. Many people always enquired about the leader of the group. They said that the leader of the group must be intelligent and strategically powerful. As the leader of the group, I did not have any selfish motives in the group. My desire was to see the group achieve its goals and move to another higher level. Being a strategic leader may seem complex and difficult but according to my experience, I did not encounter any challenges because I understood my fellows and they did according to the agreement of doing things. Each individual in the group was of great importance in building the success of the group. Each idea meant a lot and was worth to discuss as a group. Unity and co-operation was the main ingredient to the success of the group. However, the satisfaction that each member felt while in the group ensured that the members remained focused to achieve and deliver the very best results. As a strategic leader, I ensured that the main objective of leading the group was to assist and influence members utilize their skills, mind, and talents to achieve the goal of the group (Forgang, 2001). From the group, I learnt that leadership is different from strategic leadership. Other groups had good leaders but failure to lead strategically made the groups fail to achieve their goals. As a strategic leader, one should not have any selfish motive towards those one is leading. I came to learn that for one to be recognized as a strategic leader, one must be conscious about the vision of the organization. This helps in transformation and translation of the vision of the organization to a reality. Therefore, a leader must be mindful towards the vision of a group and always communicate it to the subordinates. A strategic leader is one who values other people. This is through respecting them and taking good care of the subordinates. This helps in building trust for the leader. Another strategy of leadership is cooperation and coming up with a strong team. This helps in maximum utilization of ideas in an organization. This increases the level of effectiveness of the leadership and maximizes the success of a group or an organization (Morrill, 2010). Listening to other peoples ideas is an important aspect of a strategic leader. However, the leader should not only listen but also do it effectively. This helps in showing the subordinates that the leader cares about them. Effective communication about the goals, vision, the mission, and strategies to implement in an organization is very important in a leader. The subordinates feel motivated, positively influenced and inspired to perform their tasks effectively. They also feel safe when expressing opinions and suggesting on an issue. A strategic leader is one who influences positive changes at the right time. A strategic leader should be ready to deal with hard and difficult decisions and motivate subordinates to achieve their main objective. A strategic leader develops the leadership and improves it to a high level by development of the character. One should be ready to learn from other successful leaders and from other materials and attending conferences (Pisapua, 2009). Conclusion An organization cannot succeed if it has a good leader, what matters most for the organization to convert its vision to a reality is the presence of a strategic leader with the capability to lead the organization to realize the very best. Strategic leadership is not complicated; it involves commitment towards the main vision. However, this leadership is hard to achieve for those who have self-interests in an organization. It calls for a real leader to be a strategic leader. Determination of a leader to develop the leadership level to a strategic type of leadership is another factor that can lead to achieving a strategic leadership. An organization led by a strategic leader achieves its vision and goals to a higher level. The success and growth of any organization depends on the strategies of leadership involved and proper implementations of the strategies by a leader or by a team. References Adair, J. (2010). Strategic Leadership: How to Think and Plan Strategically and Provide Direction. London: Kogan Page Limited. Forgang, G. William. (2001). Competitive Strategy and Leadership: A Guide to Superior Performance. Maryland: Rowan & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Hughes, L. Richard & Beatty, M. Katherine. (2005). Becoming a Strategic Leader: Your Role in Your Organization’s Enduring Success. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Morrill, L. Richard. (2010). Strategic Leadership: Integrating Strategy and Leadership in Colleges and Universities. Plymouth: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Pisapua, J. (2009). The Strategic Leader: New Tactics for a Globalizing World. New York: Information Age Publishing, Inc. Rush, S. (2011). The Leadership in Action Series: On Strategic Leadership. New York: CCL Press. Speculand, R. (2009). Beyond Strategy: The Leaders’ Role in successful implementation. Singapore: John Wiley & Sons (Asia) Ptc. Ltd. Read More