Can Anyone Be an Effective Leader - Assignment Example

? Management and Leadership: Can anyone be an effective leader? Can anyone be an effective leader? ‘Leadership’ is a broad and complex term which is difficult to define in few words. In simple terms, Leadership can be defined as the effort of an individual to direct and control a group of people towards a goal. For example, Mahatma Gandhi was a leader since he guided India towards independence with the help of people. Anybody can become a leader; but only few can become an effective leader. There are plenty of leaders in this world, who got leadership because of heredity. For example, many of the leaders in the Arab world are ruling their country only because of their heredity. It is not necessary that these leaders are as effective as other leaders. Some people label leadership as an art whereas others label it as science. In fact, it is a mixture of these two. Both scientific and artistic skills are necessary for a leader to become an effective leader. It requires skills such as intelligence, emotional control, communication abilities, temperament, patience, authority, power, decision-making abilities etc. Since these skills are not available to many, it is impossible for all the people to become effective leaders. This paper analyses the question can anyone can be an effective leader. Skills necessary for an effective leader According to Daniel Goleman, “that the most effective leaders are alike in one crucial way: They all have a high degree of what has come to be known as emotional Intelligence. In his research he found that emotional intelligence is the sine qua non of leadership (Goleman, 2009, p.82). Emotional intelligence or EQ is different from intelligence quotient or IQ. Emotional intelligence is the ability to know other people and their needs. It is the ability to adapt with the surroundings and the people. On the other hand, IQ is the abilities of a person with respect to intelligence. It is not necessary that a person with high IQ score may have high EQ score also. Same way, it is not necessary that a person with high EQ may have high IQ. In short, both EQ and IQ are entirely different concepts. To become an effective leader, high EQ is necessary. It is not necessary that a leader with high IQ may become an effective leader if he has low EQ. There are plenty of situations in which control of emotions are necessary to manage a complicated situation well. For example, Iran is currently threatening America and other westerners because of their ambitions to become a nuclear power. Iran’s current president is trying to provoke America and Israel in many ways. Obama is neglecting the allegations of Iran since he has higher abilities in emotional controls. Another American president would have responded differently to Iran’s threat and the problems could have been worse. In short, an effective leader definitely needs strong controls over his emotions and he should never approach situations based on emotions. Wisdom should prevail over emotions for a leader to become effective. Since emotional controls are less for many leaders, it is difficult for them to become effective leaders. Saddam, Gaddafi and Mubarak were some of the leaders of the present century who failed to lead their people effectively because of their lack of EQ. Nobody can argue that these people have less IQ. In fact, all of them had high scores of IQ. However, they cannot be labelled as effective leaders since they failed to lead the people based on their needs. Emotional intelligence helps a leader to take sound decisions in difficult situations. For example, there are plenty of organizations, which struggled to overcome difficult situation created by recent recession. However, there are many other organisations, which come out with success even in the difficult business climate. This is because of the effectiveness of the leaders in those organizations. For example, Apple is one American company which excelled even during the recession period. They are the most valuable technological company in the world at present. Moreover, they are the second largest company in the world in terms of market capitalization. A major share of all these achievements of Apple is indebted to their charismatic leader Steve Jobs. Steven lead Apple effectively even though he was fighting against a chronic disease. He never allowed his disease to take control of his personal or professional life. As a result of that Apple never faced any leadership challenges during his reign in Apple. On the other hand, GM like American companies is fighting for survival now. This is because of ineffective leadership. Persons who are vulnerable in facing stiff challenges and taking quick decisions might not be effective leaders. According to Peter Drucker (2005), what made leaders effective is the following eight practices: They asked, "What needs to be done?" They asked, "What is right for the enterprise?" They developed action plans. They took responsibility for decisions. They took responsibility for communicating. They were focused on opportunities rather than problems. They ran productive meetings. They thought and said "we" rather than "I."(p.59) Effective leaders always ask the question; "What needs to be done?" when they face difficult situations. In the 80’s and 90’s Apple company faced stiff challenges from Microsoft. In fact, the company was on the verge of closing down. At that time, Steven Jobs asked this question. He not only asked the question, but also found the answer. The answer was the introduction of a series of innovative products such as iPhone, iMac, iPad, iPod, iTune etc. All these products succeeded in the market and Apple bounced back strongly. Steve jobs asked the second question also; "What is right for the enterprise?". He has realised that with the introduction of consumer electronics products Apple is no more a computer company. So, he changed the name of Apple Company from Apple computers to Apple inc. Moreover, he changed the multicolour rainbow logo to a single colour logo to give new face to Apple Company. Steve Jobs developed several actions plans and implemented all of them successfully. He has created many commercials to ridicule the products of Microsoft and silenced Microsoft in many ways. He has taken all the decisions independently and never blamed others for his failures. He gave more importance to opportunities rather than problems that is why products such as touchscreen phones and tablets were introduced in the market by Apple. Apple never tried to rectify the problems in selling computers; instead, they created innovative products to grab the market opportunities. In short, Jobs had all the necessary qualities to become and effective leader which is evident from the phenomenal growth of Apple company in recent times. John P. Kotter (2001) pointed out that “Management is about coping with complexity. Leadership, by contrast, is about coping with change”(p.86). Change is inevitable in all segments of human life and leadership is not an exception. The effective leadership strategies in the past might not be effective at present. Leaders should make periodical changes in their strategies to lead the group effectively. Science and technology is advancing rapidly and knowledge is bursting from all corners virtually in every segment of human life. Conservative leaders may not be able to implement changes needed for them to become effective leaders. Modern organizations are promoting younger candidates as managers over old employees. This is because of the fact that younger generation is flexible enough to accommodate changes. In short, an effective leader should not be resistive to change. He should always look for options to implement necessary changes in the strategies. Robert Coffee and Gareth Jones (2000) mentioned four qualities necessary for effective leaders; • They selectively show their weaknesses. By exposing some vulnerability, they reveal their approachability and humanity. • They rely heavily on intuition to gauge the appropriate timing and course of their actions. Their ability to collect and interpret soft data helps them know just when and how to act. • They manage employees with something we call tough empathy. Inspirational leaders empathize passionately-and realistically-with people, and they care intensely about the work employees do. • They reveal their differences. They capitalize on what's unique about themselves (p.64). Effective leaders never hide their demerits. They are ready to accept their weaknesses while disclosing their strong points. When difficult situations arise, effective leaders often rely on instincts to find solutions. Logics may not help the leaders to solve certain problems. In such circumstances, they often use their instincts and most of the times their instincts will save them. Empathy is another quality shown towards the people by effective leaders. In other words, effective leaders always approach the people with sense of empathy rather than power. Even though power is an essential element of leadership, effective leaders use it sparingly. Conclusion It is impossible for anyone to become an effective leader. Effective leadership requires certain skills such as high emotional intelligence, quick decision-making abilities, empathy towards the group of people they lead, ability to transform problems into opportunities, open mind towards change, etc. it is impossible for all the people to develop these skills and hence it is impossible for all the people to become effective leaders. References Coffee R and Jones G. (2000). Why Should Anyone Be Led by You. Harvard Business Review. September-October 2000 Drucker, P.Rz. (2005), What Makes an Effective Executive. Harvard Business Review June 2004 Goleman, D. (2009) What Makes a Leader? Harvard Business Review May 2009 Kotter, J.P. (2001). What Leaders Really Do. Harvard Business Review Breakthrough Leadership. December 2001 Read More