Rules Required in Leadership and Management - Term Paper Example

Rules Required in Leadership and Management Introduction A leader has an obligation of steering a team to exhibit sustainable performance. They are required to deal with the people and the systems in an organization appropriately in order to enhance productivity. When handling a leadership role, some rules apply in order to be effective. These rules relates to the behavior of a leader and their response to situations within the organization. Aspects such as being empathetic, ethical, and promoting teamwork are some of the qualities that a leader should have. Likewise, a manager of an organization or group should abide by some rules in order for them to be able to manage the people and resources within the organization effectively. Rules for Leadership and Management As a leader/manager, the following rules should apply; 1. There should be a proper communication channel for efficient selling of the Vision A leader ought to be visionary since others follow him. The subjects rely on the leader for direction and guidance. Therefore, a leader should be able to effectively communicate his/her strategies to their team. In addition, they have the obligation of ensuring they enact policies and develop decisions that steer their organizations to greatness. When there is proper communication, the strategies developed by a leader are enacted according to the laid down procedures. A leader should ensure that the structures are effective to allow communication within the organization by ensuring that information is passed to the staff through efficient channels; which would include intranet, emails, or newspapers. In addition, it is paramount that the communication channel used should be able to reach all the intended parties and within a specified period. 2. There should be Teamwork for efficient accomplishment of goals Teamwork is very necessary in an organization in order to ensure that a team exhibits productivity. According to Duvall (2011), a leader should be able to provide all the necessary conditions to ensure that teamwork facilitates the realization of set goals. Teamwork brings forth creativity and innovativeness courtesy of the diverse thoughts from the members of various teams. A leader has an obligation of ensuring teamwork is promoted. Sometimes it can mean sacrificing personal commitments for the sake of the team. A leader should ensure that their team remains cohesive while engaging in productive activities. An effective team will require effective communication channels that have to be developed by the leader and the followers are given an opportunity to emulate. The team should be guided by set goals in order to ensure it remains objective and within the confines of its mandate. 3. A leader should embrace good ethics when engaging in the company issues Abiding by good ethics is the discretion of the leader to impose to the followers. A leader should be stringent in ensuring that each of the followers abides by the set code of ethics. If such has to happen, the leader should lead by example by embracing good ethics throughout the company’s operations. In addition, a leader should be ethical in their dealings not only within the confines of the organization but also outside. Ethics influence the reputation that the followers develop against their leader; an unethical leader will be perceived in a bad light. Whatever a leader does should not compromise values held. This call for a high level of professionalism, which is able to differentiate successful managers from those, that fail to succeed in their duties (King, 2002). Good ethics creates a positive perception of the organization, hence making it respectable while ensuring that the professionalism becomes highly regarded. 4. Communication is Vital for a Leader Communication entails the exchange of knowledge and information in a systematic way between individuals. A leader should learn to convey messages that can be decoded and should have a feedback. One-way communication is detrimental to an organization; it can curtail the transfer of information, and creates a scenario where suspicion prevails. For proper management of communication within an organization, a leader is required to develop proper plans, the strategy of executing the plans, evaluation, monitoring, and the revision of the channels used in communication. Decision-making is a part of a management of an organization as well as a personal endeavor (Bachiochi, Rogelberg, OConnor & Elder, 2000; Merrell, 2012). It is therefore paramount that the manager is able to devise proper communication strategies that will facilitate the realization of proper decision-making. This is because through communication, the manager is able to consult from all the relevant stakeholders. In essence, the people that are tasked with the obligation of discharging a particular role feel confident that they were involved in the development of the ideas under implementation. 5. A leader should be capable of promoting self-education A leader should be at a position of learning in own capacity, without engaging in the teacher-student form of learning. In addition, it is also important for the leader to ensure that his/her team develops the capacity to learn on their capacity. This ensures that there is continuous improvement in the organization since new ideas keeps on emerging based on the theories and practical aspects learnt in personal capacity. In order to manage to study on a personal capacity, a leader ought to abide by some basic rules. These rules include; A leader should be highly motivated and charged towards learning new concepts. It is paramount for a leader to develop, adopt, and practice good study habits. Practicing good study habits ensures that a leader is able to master the art of studying hence making self-education to be very efficient. It is proper for a leader to have experienced people that can judge and question their study habits and other aspects of self-education. There is the temptation of a manager feeling competent and comfortable with little progress. However, when there is a person to challenge them, more progress is seen. 6. A Manager should ensure that there is proficiency in assessment of the organization In assessing the wellbeing of the organization, a leader should abide by the following rules. First, they should ensure that the values of the organization are protected. An effective assessment manager should be at a position of abiding by their values while ensuring that they are not swayed off by the influence of other individuals. Secondly, a leader will be proficient in assessing the organization when they handle others with respect and courtesy. Respect promotes teamwork and ensures that there is harmony between the employees and the manager. Good mannerisms are very important in the organizational setup irrespective of the position held. While assessing others it is important that the manager deal with them with dignity and respect. Thirdly, a leader should be responsible. This means that a leader should identify with the work and discharge their roles effectively. It is also important that a leader should be responsible for their actions instead of pointing a finger on their employees. If the employees fail, the leader is also a failure. Therefore, it is important that a leader should discharge the role of conducting regular assessments to ensure that the organization is on the right track. 7. Leaders are Learners In order to manage an organization effectively and proficiently, a leader should abide by the following rules on learning; firstly, they ought to gather knowledge for effective management. Learning is a continuous process that never ends at any stage; a leader should be in tune with the process at all times. Effective leaders are holistic learners; they focus both on the practical as well as theoretical aspects of learning which equips them to handle tasks effectively. Focusing on only one aspect limits the scope of understanding of the manager (Bramley, 1999). Secondly, a leader ought to invest quality time in the learning process. A manager should be able to strike a balance between work and study in terms of the time allocated. A manager should be swift to learn while ensuring that they plan well for the time meant for study. Thirdly, for effectiveness in learning, the manager should establish a learning organization that will facilitate the process of learning. A manager ought to take stock of the concepts learnt in readiness for progress in order to prevent repetitiveness and waste of time. 8. A Manager Should be Empathetic towards the Followers It is important that a manager should be humane towards the people that he/she deals with. Employees feel motivated when they perceive that the manager understands their feelings. Empathy is a very important aspect that the manager should cultivate within the organization. Empathy creates a sense of belonging where an employee is able to feel as being part of the community. In addition, it encourages individuals to be open to the manager because they are certain that he/she will empathize with their plights. An empathetic manager indirectly encourages other team members to be concerned about the welfare of others and relate to their feelings. This creates a friendly working environment. 9. The Manager is required to Ensure employee Hiring and Training is done efficiently and Effectively In order to have a productive team, the hiring process should be done in a free, fair, and professional manner. It is the role of the manager to ensure that they hire employees with the capacity to steer the vision of the organization. In addition, the manager should be at a position of ensuring that training is done for the workforce from time to time in order to ensure that they are compliant with advancements in the industry (DuBrin, 2012). In so doing, the manager should lead by example; he should be the number one learner. Trainings should be made in such a way that they encourage the employees to be more proactive in their engagements while at the same time stirring up the curiosity for knowledge, which promotes self-learning. It is also paramount that the manager puts on board suitable mechanisms that would ensure that the employees are suitably reviewed from time to time. This ensures that the employees continually grow and are likely to improve on the quality of their work as well as the overall productivity. 10. The Manager ought to establish Strategic Management-by-Operation A manager should be conversant with the objectives of the organization. Using these objectives, there is the need to devise strategies that will ensure that the operations that lead to the realization of these objectives are developed and implemented. The role of each of the individuals in the organization should be clearly cut out with an objective of realizing the goals of the organization. Across the strata, the employees get to have their defined roles to which they protect and ensure they execute effectively. Strategic management is vital for a leader because it helps them to define the way forward for an organization. A leader is able to realize where the organization is headed and the mechanisms that will facilitate the organization in reaching at that particular goal. Annotated Bibliography Bachiochi, P. D., Rogelberg, S. G., OConnor, M.,S., & Elder, A. E. (2000). The qualities of an effective team leader. Organization Development Journal, 18(1), 11-27. Published in the Organization Development Journal, this article addresses the qualities that ought to be possessed by team leaders. It follows a research on 10 focus groups drawn from five organizations. The findings were compared with previous findings, which indicated that a team leader has a myriad of purposes for a team, some of which should encourage productivity while other promoting the interpersonal wellbeing of the workforce. Bramley, P. (1999). Evaluating effective management learning. Journal of European Industrial Training, 23(3), 145-153.  In this journal research article, Bramley addresses the importance of manager’s development and their underlying role in ensuring that the employees also develop. Using the “Business Excellence” framework as proposed by the European Foundation for Quality Management, Bramley evaluates the strategies that can be adopted by managers for effective management of their organizations. DuBrin, A. J. (2012). Essentials of Management. Mason, Ohio: South-Western/Thomson Learning. In this book, DuBrin provides very important principles of management that should guide a manager in the execution of their responsibilities. The book blends research, experiences and theories to bring forth the needs for a manager while addressing emerging issues in the management of organizations today. The book addresses aspects such as employee motivation, teamwork, productivity, decision-making, diversity in the workplace, ethics, and information technology. The author has applied the use of various examples to demonstrate how a manager ought to act in order to develop a vibrant organization. Duvall, D. (2011). The Leader’s Guide to Follower: What Your People Want You to Know about Leading Them Well. New York: Dog Ear Publishing. The Leader’s Guide to Follower: What Your People Want You to Know about Leading Them Well is a spectacular book by Dean Duvall, which provides a perspective of followers on how leaders ought to provide the best leadership. In particular, the book focusses on the importance of the character of a leader in the effective management of an organization. Highly emphasized in the book is the ability to uphold loyalty and to energize the followers so that they are able to be highly productive. King, S. W. (2002). Effective leadership for quality achievement and organizational learning. (Order No. 3058143, Portland State University). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, , 425-425 p. Retrieved on June 23, 2014 from http://search.proquest.com/docview/276374044?accountid=45049 In this research study, King elucidates the importance of an effective management in ensuring that there is learning in the organization while at the same time exemplifying productivity. The research ties leadership behaviors to the learning process by addressing the disciplines that ought to be prevalent in a learning organization. The findings of the research indicated that a transformational leadership played a critical role in the development of organizational team spirit, commitment to improvement, customer care and having shared vision among the workforce. Merrell, P. (2012). Effective change management: The simple truth. Management Services, 56(2), 20-23. Marrell Phil underscores the practices that influence the management of change in an organization. In the management of change, there are pertinent issues that require to be set clear by the manager. Such include leading, involving, sustaining, learning, measuring and communicating. Read More