Five Important Leadership Skills, Competencies or Attributes - Research Paper Example

PART TWO five most important leadership skills, competencies or attributes Every leader has some skills, competencies and attributes that make him or her different from others and that allows him or her to attract followers. This part of the report discusses the five most important leadership skills, competencies and attributes that help leaders in making them successful. Five skills and attributes are as follows: 1. Communication Skills 2. The psychological side of motivation 3. Being a visionary 4. Self awareness 5. Creativity Each of the abovementioned attributes will now be discussed one by one. 1. Communication skills Communication is considered as the lifeblood of the organizations (Forster, 2012) and without proper communication organization would not be able to complete its tasks effectively. Organizations perform their tasks by communicating with employees; different systems and activities are performed by communicating and coordinating with other members within the organization. Communication skills of leaders are very important as they have ti direct, supervise, motivate, coordinate, lead and make sure that the goals are accomplished and in order to do all these things, communication plays an important role. The better a leader is able to communicate with his or her followers, the better leader he can become. Leaders that are not confident, nervous about their leadership skills are not able to communicate effectively with their team and thus it discourages the morale of the employees and ultimately, goals of the leaders or organizations are not achieved. Therefore the role of communication is very important in the organizations as organizations that are better able to communicate and coordinate are the ones that are able to complete their tasks in a better way (Forster, 2012). So, it can also be said that the success and failure of the organizations is also dependent on how they communicate. This highlights and signifies the importance of communication in an organization and if the leader possesses communication skill then he or she would be able to communicate and help his or her followers in ensuring that tasks are completed accordingly. Leadership is about communication as said by Barry Posner in the World Management and Leadership Conference (1997). Therefore this statement reflects how important communication is and the role of a leader is incomplete if he or she does not possess communication skills (Forster, 2012). Moreover, Churchill (1941) has said that the real difference between the management and effective leadership is communication (Forster, 2012). According to a research it has been found that most of the employees would like their managers and leaders to have good communication skills and they want to communicate with them regularly (Forster, 2012). In a study conducted that involved 80 Australian companies and employees from these companies were asked about what they would like to improve in their organization. The top two answers were more effective leadership and good communication with the management (Forster, 2012). Therefore this reflects how important it is for the leader to have good communication skills as good communication skills make the leader more effective. There are different skills that a leader should possess. Communication is not just about speaking and talking with others, but communication is a two way process. It is also important for the leaders to be good listeners. Listening quality is important for a leader because it allows the leader to understand what employees or followers want. Moreover, it increases the morale of the followers that their leader is listening to what they are saying and therefore it increases their motivation level (Forster, 2012). There has been an increasing trend of cultural diversity in organizations and management faces different issues related to managing people belonging from different culture (Carr-Ruffino, 1999). Leaders also have to manage a team having people from different backgrounds and culture (Cox, 1993). Therefore it is important for the leaders to understand the differences in the culture of the people (Forster, 2012). Culture influence the behavior, perception, values, morale and attitude of the people and therefore it is important for leaders to understand and manage these differences. A leader needs to have excellent communication skills in order to become an effective leader. No matter if a leader is leading a tribe, a country, a group, or a team he or she needs to have command over communication in order to effectively explain what he wants from his or her co worker or teams. Communication in leadership is the backbone and therefore its importance cannot be ignored. Communication skills are required in every field and in every industry. As one leader has to lead and manage hundreds of health specialist workers in organization so communication is critical in the success of how effectively the leader leads his or her team. Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart, during 1950s and 1960s used to wander unannounced into the stores of the company to discuss the quality of services, problems faced by employees and customers and other issues. This quality of the leader of Wal-Mart helped the company to become the giant retailer of the world. 2. Motivation Motivation level of employees has an important role in the success of the organization. Motivated employees are able to accomplish tasks in a better and in much productive way than the employees that are demoralized (Forster, 2012). Although motivating employees is a complex task, managers and leaders look for motivated employees and they make efforts to increase the motivation level of employees as this increases the productivity and performance of the employees. With the increasing competition, businesses are looking to be more productive and therefore motivating employees is important (Forster, 2012). There are different ways through which organizations motivate employees and it can be broadly divided into two types; monetary terms and non-monetary terms. Carlopio et al, (2001) say that an organization having motivated employees is alive, energetic, co-operative and fun to work with however an organization that has de-motivated employees would be full of conflicts, would have lower productivity and higher absenteeism and even higher turnover of employees (Forster, 2012). Leaders need to understand how to motivate employees and followers and they need to possess the skills to motivate employees as this would lead to higher performances and higher productivity. There have been different theories presented by different scholars over the years. Maslow, Alderfer and Herzberg and even other scholars state that the work environment could influence the motivation of the employees. According to a research conducted, one fourth of the employees are found to be unhappy with the work environment (Forster, 2012). Employees are also motivated by observing their leaders and how their leaders act and respond to different things. Leaders are seen as a role model and if the leader leads from the front then it inspires employees that, in turn helps in increasing their motivation level (Sawhill, and Williamson, 2001). Coaching and mentoring employees also help in increasing the performance and motivation level of the employees in every field including the healthcare sector. Employees want to learn and coaching can be helpful in this regard. Motivation is not only achieved from financial rewards or incentives but psychologically employees can also be motivated as well. There are different ways of motivating employees and one of the ways is to empower employees. Empowerment basically refers to giving freedom to the employees so that they can make decisions in the best interest of the organization. Empowered employees are more motivated than employees that are being dictated as empowered employees know that they have been given the authority to make decision on behalf of the organization and this encourages them to perform better (Hartel, and Fujimoto, 2010). Involving employees in the decision making is another way to improve motivation level. Involving employees in the decision making process encourages them and they feel that their opinions are valued by the organization and they are an integral part of the organization (Forster, 2012). Therefore this motivates them to perform better and thus it helps their productivity level. The same is the case with any sector that empowerment and involving of employees in the decision making processes increases their motivation level whether they are at the lower level or at the middle management. Involving them in the decision making gives a feeling that they are valued by the organization and thus they strive hard to achieve more for the organization (Alexander, 2000). Incentives other than financial rewards are important and they play an important in the success of the organization. Gavin McCleod Concrete Pumping Company, won one of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Work and Family Awards in 2001 and the company has built their family friendly policies and have given work flexibility to the employees. These policies have helped the company in making loyal employees and in return, loyal employees are more satisfied and they try their best to achieve the goals (Forster, 2012). 3. Being A Visionary Another important characteristic of a leader is that he or she needs to be visionary. A leader needs to be a visionary and he needs to look beyond the current situation. Visionary is about seeing things in future and they plan what they need to achieve. They eye things at present and then plan things accordingly to achieve what they have planned. An effective leader is a visionary and they must know what has to be achieved and how can be achieved (Kaiser, Hogan, & Craig, 2008). It is important for an organization to be successful that the leader possesses and knows what has to be achieved (Forster, 2012). Visionary leader knows what has to be achieved and he or she takes the organization accordingly. If the leader does not have a clear vision, then he or she would not have a clear sense of direction about what has to be achieved and how it has to be achieved. Moreover, the ability of vision has been considered as the characteristics of a great leader and vision differentiates true leaders from crowd (Forster, 2012). Even it has been said that the ability of a leader to have a clear vision is described as the sixth sense of a leader and only a limited number of people can visualize what has to be achieved and how it has to be achieved. Vision is defined as a way through which leaders are able to analyze and understand the current situation of the organization and then come up with future possibilities to take the organization to the next level where it is expected. For instance, the vision of Microsoft in mid 1970s was that every home, office and factory on the earth should have access to personal computers and after years of success, the organization has been successful in doing so and now every home, office and factory has access to computers (Forster, 2012). Bill Gates and his team had a vision in their mind and such a quality of a leader makes the organization successful. It has been said that the articulating the vision for future of the organization is not an easy task as there are several complications involved in it. Because it is difficult to predict what would happen in future, however leaders need to have the skills and ability to analyze and identify the future outcomes and then make sure that they are able to take their organization to that point where they have dreamed for (Forster, 2012). A clear vision of the leader would give the directions, goals, and objectives to the organization so that everyone could work accordingly to achieve the vision of the leader. However if there is no vision, then the organization would not know what to do and what needs to be achieved. Same is the case with the any businesses one can image as businesses need to know what they have to do in future and what they have to achieve and how they have to achieve. Leadership is important for businesses as they help in realizing what has to be achieved so that everyone in the organization can work accordingly to achieve the vision of the organization. 4. Self Awareness Leaders have different skills and abilities that help them in becoming the leader and in leading the team or a group of people or followers. Leaders are able to differentiate themselves from others with their qualities and skills. Over the years, it has been a debatable topic whether leaders are born or leaders learn the art and science of leadership (Bassett, 2004). Different research studies have shown different kinds of results, however it has been found that leaders are born as well as leaders learn things with the passage of time and with their experience and this helps them in becoming better leaders. It has been said that heredity plays some kind of role in the success of the leaders. However, it is important to groom and develop the talent of these leaders so that they are able to become successful leaders (Bassett, 2004). The abilities, qualities, characteristics and skills that an individual has differ from others. Some people are able to think and analyze situations in a better way than others, some are able to inspire other people through their acts and their words, some are able to find solutions for different complex issues and problems and these are the qualities that make a leader (Bassett, 2004). However, one of the most important things that leaders need to know is what their skills are and what they need to improve on to become successful leaders. There are several talents and skills that leaders learn and they do not get each and every ability through inheritance. The more the leader learns, the better his skills are and thus, the better and more successful leader he or she becomes (Bassett, 2004). It has been said that the base of effective leadership is the self-awareness. Moreover, it has been said that feedback can be helpful in improving and developing the skills of the leader. Although several people prefer 360 degree feedback however psychological testing is another important technique that can be used to improve the self-awareness of the leader. These techniques can be helpful in improving and developing a better leader, and thus it can be helpful for the organization as well (Bassett, 2004). For instance, the feedback about a top manager of a health care business can be taken from everyone that he or she meets on a routinely basis and different points can be identified and highlighted that can be helpful in improving the quality of the leader and thus will be helpful in making a better leader and a better organization. 5. Creativity Creativity is another important characteristic of a leader that makes them different from others. One of the characteristics of an effective leader is that they are creativity in their approach. Creativity is defined as originating or inventing something. Originating or inventing something does not only refers to producing a new innovative product or coming up with a new service, but coming up with a new technique or a new idea to accomplish a task or a new way to do something. Leaders need to be innovative as it helps and inspires the followers as they see the leader as the role model and thus it encourages them to be innovative as well (Forster, 2012). A creative leader will help followers to think more and become creative as well. A creative leader therefore passes his creative skills to others as well and thus it would be helpful in creating an environment where people will learn on how to think differently and how to think out of the box . Therefore, such an environment would lead to more innovative and creative products, services or even solutions (Forster, 2012). Such a leader can be beneficial for a healthcare business as well as it will encourage everyone including doctors, physicians, nurses and others to think differently and come up with some better ways to solve the problem. This could result in increasing the productivity of the employees as well as improving the performance. Leaders with creative skills are also able to use the resources on hand with the best possible ways. Moreover, by coming up with different techniques and finding new ways, leaders would be able to make the most of the resources and still able to achieve the objectives. Thus, they would be able to maximize what they have. It is the qualities of the leaders that make their organization successful. Different organizations like Microsoft, Apple, 3M, GE, Sony and many others have great leaders that think creatively. This creativity of the leaders of the organizations makes their organization successful. This has been therefore one of the most important characteristics of the leaders that make their organization stand out from the rest. Leaders help organizations to come up with new ways to do things. Therefore it helps organizations in identifying new ways of doing things and thus, it can be helpful in identifying better ways of doing things. Better ways can improve productivity and thus, it can help in gaining competitive advantage (Forster, 2012). Also it can be helpful in reducing the costs and thus increasing the profits. So, leaders with their innovative and creative skills can help organizations not only in gaining competitive advantage but in also reducing costs and resources used by the organization and thus helping the organization by increasing the profitability. Same can be applied with a health care business, as leaders can identify new techniques and it can lead to better ways to treat people and thus gain competitive advantage. PART THREE This part of the report will discuss and highlight in detail two skills and characteristics that are important for me to be successful in my career and profession. The two characteristics and skills that have been selected are: 1. Communication Skills 2. Motivational Skills 1. Communication Skills Communication as discussed in the previous part of the report that is one of the most important characteristics that leaders should have in order to be successful in their life. Communication has been regarded as the lubricating oil and as lifeblood of organizations by different authors. Therefore this reflects the importance of communication in organizations today. Without communicating with each other an organization cannot prosper and accomplish its tasks properly. Effective communication is essential for an organization to be successful. Froster (2012) defines that an organization that does not communicate properly and has problems in communication then such an organization cannot operate effectively in the long run. He further says that in the today’s fast changing and complex international business environment, it has become vital for organizations to communicate with each other so that they can manage the complexities and ensure success. Communication is critical for a manager and a leader and I have been trying hard to improve my communication skills. I realize how important it is for a successful leader to be an effective communicator. I have learnt from different cases that have highlighted the importance of a leader to be an effective communicator. Like, NASA faced problems in the past because of improper communication within the organization. The Space Shuttle Challenger in the year 1987 is an important example of how ineffective communication can lead to mishaps. Moreover, NASA again recorded another case of ‘Columbia’ in 2003 and with communication problems among the Shuttle Program managers and engineers and technological experts, and the situation lead to a major accident (Froster, 2012). Therefore, it has become important for organizations to communicate two way and leaders have to play an important role in the success of the organization. Moreover, today it has become significant for leaders to understand what customers and other important stakeholders are looking for as organizations today are focusing not only on the customers but on other stakeholders as well. So, it is significant for a leader to communicate with every party that is involved with the business and make sure that stakeholders of the company are satisfied. So as a leader I should have effective communication skills so that I am able to communicate and deal with different stakeholders and understand what they want and then make sure that they are satisfied with the company’s progress. Without proper communication skills, I cannot become an effective leader and cannot accomplish my tasks or the tasks of my team effectively. I have made several efforts to become a better speaker as well as a better listener. I realize that if I want to be successful in my life, then I not only have to be a good speaker but have to understand how to become a good listener as well. In next few years, as I will be leading and managing different people therefore it is important for me to have good listening and communication skills so that my subordinates and my followers are able to come up to me and discuss what issues they are facing. This would allow me to help them in solving their issues. However if I am not a good listener and do not give attention in listening to what they have to say, then my subordinates will be hesitant and reluctant in coming up to me and sharing their problems with me. Therefore it would be a difficult situation for me as I might not be able to identify the issues that employees are facing and it would lead to lower productivity of the overall department and thus organization. Therefore I need to understand and realize the importance of being a good listener and I have been trying hard to improve my skills to make others feel at ease when they are speaking to me so that they are able to share their issues with me. In addition to this, it is important for a leader to have control over his or her emotions. Although, a leader faces different situations in his or her work life but as a leader, one has to keep control over his or her emotions and do not express them. It is important for a leader to know what to speak and when to speak and similarly it is also important for a leader to know how to control emotions and body language. At times, I am not able to keep control on my emotions and therefore this is one of the aspects of communication that I need to further work on in order to be successful in my profession because when I will be leading a team of several health care staff then I would have to keep control over my emotions to make sure that tasks are completed effectively and on time and my body language and expression do not influence the performance of my team. So, in short effective communication skills are integral part of a quality leader and if I want to become an effective and a successful leader in my life, then I need to further enhance my communication skills which include how to deal and communicate with different people, how to understand their needs, how to become a good listener and how to keep control on my emotions. Although, I have been working on these skills but I still need to further improve these skills to succeed in my life. 2. Motivational Skills Motivation is another important quality that leaders possess. Different scholars and researchers have given different theories related to motivation and the empirical evidences of these theories have found different results. However all these theories have been important for managers and leaders as they give insight information about how to motivate employees and subordinates (Froster, 2012). There are different techniques that leaders and managers use to motivate people and these techniques can be broadly divided into two types; motivating through financial incentives and motivating through non-financial incentives. Financial rewards is considered as a strong motivating factor, however psychological rewards are also important in motivating people. Different psychological factors such as challenging work, training, learning, coaching, career growth, new skill development, empowerment, commitment, involvement in the decision making, etc are important in motivating employees (Barrick, Stewart, & Piotrowski, 2002). A leader needs to understand how to motivate people. Although, leaders need to understand that involvement of employees in decision making and empowering them can be helpful in increasing their motivation level. By involving employees in decision making, it encourages their morale and they work harder to perform better and thus it helps in increasing their motivation level. Moreover, employees feel that they are being valued and an integral part of the organization and therefore they are being involved in important decisions of the organizations. Most of people are keen on learning new things and they get motivated by learning. Also when people see career growth then also they get motivated and work harder as they see an opportunity to achieve growth in their career (Motowidlo, Van Scotter, 1994). So, they work harder to achieve more and more. This increases their commitment level as well and thus they are able to show better productivity. Also some people are motivated by challenging work, the more the challenging work they have, the higher the motivation level (Barrick, Mount, & Strauss, 1993). If I want to be a successful leader in my career, then it is important for me to understand how different people are motivated through different techniques. I need to realize and understand what different people are looking for and then motivate them accordingly. For instance, a young individual who has just started his or her career would like to learn and get trained and he or she would like to see a growing career and such things would motivate him or her. For such an individual, financial rewards might not be so worthy than these psychological rewards (Hurtz, & Donovan, 2000). Therefore it is important for a leader to understand different needs of different people and try to motivate them accordingly. If a leader is not able to understand what his subordinates or followers need then it would be difficult for him or her to motivate them therefore understanding their needs is important in order to be a successful leader. So, I need to learn different techniques particularly psychological techniques and then need to understand how to use different techniques to motivate people to get the most effective results. References Alexander, J. (2000). Adaptive strategies of nonprofit human service organizations in an era of devolution and new public management. Nonprofit Management & Leadership, 10(3): 287-302. Barrick, M. R., Mount, M. K. & Strauss, J. P. 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