Leadership and Governance - Essay Example

Leadership and Governance Leadership and Governance Leadership Leadership is defined as the ability by a leader to create or culturean environment which is based on guidance, empowerment and respect to all the people who you influence and affect. Leadership is portrayed by consistently being on the fore front to lead the way and show the direction to other people and showing the mission and targets of maybe an organization that one is leading (Caldwell, Hayes, Karri & Bernal 2008). Leadership is more of a responsibility rather than a duty as seen by many. It requires consistent motivation and ensuring that other people in the organization are able to achieve their goals in the organization. The overall goal of the organization can only be achieved if the leadership is able to motivate the employees and create an environment that is conducive for all of them to work at optimal conditions. If leaders are good they get followers who usually subscribe to their ideologies and follow their way of leadership. This way the charismatic leaders are able to transform the people by their mode of mentoring, coaching and enabling the overall success of the organization (Brumm & Drury, 2013). Governance Governance is the overall actions and processes by which organizations manage their actions and persist (Caldwell et.al. 2008). This ranges from the formal to informal organizations as all organizations need good governance in order to achieve their goals and objectives. The type of governance that will be put into effect in a certain organization is determined by the leaders who are heading the organizations (Brumm & Drury, 2013). If the leaders are good then the governance will also be god and it is likely that the organization will be able to achieve its goals. The development of any given organization relies heavily on how it is governed by the leaders who have been erected to manage it (Brumm & Drury, 2013. Caldwell et.al. 2008)). Management It is not possible to talk of leadership and governance without talking of management. Management refers to the coordination and oversight of the organization which is aimed at ensuring that the desired goals and outcomes are achieved. The managing docket deals with the duty of directing and controlling individuals or groups of people so that they can be able to accomplish their set targets and goals. The management which is made of leaders combines the human resources and the structure of the organization so that the organization can be propelled to achieve the set goals. The managers are responsible for setting the pace in an organization and directing the subordinates on how to handle issues in the organization (Gandz, Crossan, Seijts & Reno 2013). Leadership in an Organization Leadership acts as the core and the spirit that runs the organization and determines whether the set goals and targets will be achieved. The leaders are the ones who set the ideologies that the employees will subscribe to and the ones that will set the external image of the organization to the outside environment. The leaders will be the ones who manage the organizations’ affairs and also deal with the employees on a regular and a one on one basis (Caldwell et.al. 2008). The leaders are entrusted with the delicate task of communicating the organizations’ goals, set visions and general ideas that govern the given organization to the employees. They also implement the organizational rules which have been scripted down on various constitutions which govern the various organizations. The leaders are the ones who have the final say on promotion and they closely monitor the progress of the employees in the company to know the ones who are worth to be promoted and the ones who need to be retrenched or put under probation if their working is questionable (Walumbwa, Morrison, & Christensen, 2012) In short it implies that the leaders are spokespersons of their organizations who work to ensure that the set goals are achieved. To ensure that the organization achieves its goals then the leaders must establish a healthy relationship with the employees as the employees will further take that to the customers to sell the image of the organization. Role of Executives in an Organization Executives often take the higher positions in any organization. The position may include the organization president, the vice president, managing directors, Chief executive officers and similar higher positions in the organization (Caldwell et.al. 2008). The executives ensure that the organizations’ processes are running smoothly. They do this by putting in place the right steps that would ensure that the organizations set goals are achieved and the image of the organization is maintained. It is a tough task ensuring that there is the needed cohesion in the organization that facilitates the communication between the leaders and the employees. The communication in the organization is enhanced by setting the expected duties and responsibilities of all the participants in the organization (Brumm & Drury, 2013). The executives have to handle a huge load of managerial duties in providing strategic guidance to other people in the organization. They oversee those who head the various departments in the organization to ensure that the work is done efficiently and the company is striving to achieve its goals. The executives are in most cases responsible for marketing the organization to the world. They do this by laying the right strategies that work to put the organization in the lime light. The executives represent the organization in official events and often address issues that concern the organization by making the regular briefs. In the small organizations, the executives may handle other small tasks like handling the accounts department or the Human Resource department. Lastly it is the role of the executives to act as a liaison between the organization they are in and the stakeholders. The executives will in this way create opportunities for partnerships with other organizations and hence facilitate the success of the organization. However, in many organizations the executives are in higher ranks in the organization and they only interact with the managers on a one on one basis. They will get the day to day running of the company and activities from the managers who are at a slightly lower level. This does not apply in all organizations and the roles usually overlap between the executives and the managers with none having strictly distinct duties. Role of Managers The role of managers encompasses the roles of managers and also that of supervisors in an organization. The position of the managers is always important in any organization and it can act as the greatest friend or greatest obstacle when the organization wants to progress. Being the closest to the employees, they ensure that they adopt the best processes that ensure that the employees are in the best working conditions as it is only in that way the company can be able to achieve its goals. If the managers fail to achieve this then organization fail to achieve its goals as there maybe no rapport between the employees and the managers which kills the working morale and hence impacting adversely on the working of the company or organization. The manager has a number of important roles in a given organization. He acts as the communicator between the parties involved in the organization. This may include the employees and the other managers who are in the organization. By ensuring that there is healthy communication in the organization, then they shall have made a big step to achieving the organizations goals. This is by having all the parties move in unison to achieve the goals (De Waal & Sivro 2012). The managers are the ones who make the plans that the company will follow so that the set goals are achieved. They lay the right strategies that clearly show how certain goals shall be achieved and what need to be done to move in that direction. They also decide what should happen in the future and set measures that keep the organization safe from collapsing if an adversity occurs. They also control organize and direct the employees in the right direction that is aimed at moving the organization in the desired direction (De Waal & Sivro 2012). In organizing the organization, the managers implement patterns among their group of workers and set them in a way that will ensure there is optimum use of resources and the plans set are carried out in the best way. In the organizational responsibilities the manager will be bestowed with the duty of deploying and manipulating human factors, financial resources natural and technological resources and make all of them work in the desired manner to follow the set plans and consequently achieve the goals set in the organization. The managers follow the progress of the organization and the employees keenly and they are the ones who address the simple issues that arise daily in the organization. They are also responsible for motivating other workers in the organization especially in times when things are not working out very well. How Leaders Affect the Governance Outcomes of an Organization The leaders in any organization have many roles in governance all which are aimed at making it achieve the set goals or move in the desired direction (Owens, Johnson, & Mitchell, 2013). The type of leaders who are given the responsibility of leading the organization will determine the success of the organization or its failure. The following are the ways in which the leaders impact directly on the governance of the organization and what the consequence of their actions would be (Adam, 2013). Organizational Leadership The practice good governance in any organization, the leaders need to establish direction and influence others to follow that direction. This implies that the leader has to make the best choice in the first place by choosing the direction that s/he wants the organization to follow. If an error is made at this time then it could be too late when it is realized and no change could be done. This calls for precision on the side of the leaders to set the path right for other people to follow. Just like governing bodies do, the people in leadership positions in any organizations strategize and come up with the direction that the organization should follow so as to achieve its goals (Owens, Johnson, & Mitchell, 2013). The key mechanism that any leader who wants to govern well should create and enhance stewardship behavior is trust (Hardin, 2002). Trust is defined in management as the willingness to be vulnerable in taking relationships. However the fruits of trust can be far reaching. When the workers in an organization trusts the leaders who are in position they will easily comply to the set rules and this way it will be easier to achieve the goals that have been set by the organization. The leaders and the followers are both very important to any organization. The leaders are there to set the way and show what should be done a wide range of activities. The followers are the people on the ground that in the real sense carry out the actual implementation of the plans that were set by the leaders. This categorically cuts out the responsibilities of each and brings them out as equally important though performing different duties and undertaking different responsibilities. The followers are seen as active parties in any given organization as they are the ones who motivate each other and uphold the image of the organization to the public. The followers also work as leaders themselves and they can take any responsibility that the leaders could have performed in case of the leaders’ absence. This is one of the good characters of a team player who should be hired in an organization. Behind all Good Leadership there is Good Governance The leadership of any organization is made successful if all the parties involved are working in harmony. To ensure that the leadership is in the right course and the set goals and plans are followed, accountability mechanisms are put into place to check how the leader executes his or her plans. A leader will always succeed in ensuring the governance of the organization is good if s/he is receiving the strategic support and also the expert oversight they really need in execution of their duties. The person in the position of leadership should have insight and be able to focus on issues critically to make the right decisions that will lay a strong foundation for the success of the organization. Good governance incorporates all the leaders in the organization and how they are working in unity in achieving the set plans and goals (Clark, Murhy, & Singer, 2014). The leaders should be in the front run to set the pace for the whole organization. It should look for ways which put together all the factors of production and provide a good environment for the workers if it wants the best results. Practices such as dictatorship should be discouraged and the workers or the subordinates and the followers should be given a chance to express their views on the current form of governance (Adam, 2013). Once the followers are completely exempted from the running of any organization what ensues is resistance towards those in leadership and this can greatly affect the progress of the organization adversely. Though the followers should not necessarily be involved in the making of crucial decisions they should be given the chance to participate in the yielding of the decisions that run the organization. Once this is done they feel they are part of the organization and they will own its progress and success. This is an initial step in success. When the followers are in the same line of thought with the leaders then the system of government has succeeded and good results can be guaranteed (Carcello, 2009). Leaders and Effective Followership Leaders in any field tend to create followers who subscribe to their ideologies and follow the leader. Followership in this perspective refers to the role that will be held by this people in an organization. Followers just as leaders play a very important role in the success or failure of an organization. Effective followers should not just follow the leaders blindly, they should be individuals who are intelligent and who can be able to think critically and make well researched decisions on the current state of things. They should also be enthusiastic and self reliant so as to participate actively in the achievement of the organizations’ goals. They should be self managed so that they can be able to think independently and not to be manipulated easily. This way they can be able to work independently and manage the tasks that have been delegated to them by the leaders (Adam, 2013). The followers should be committed to the goals that have been set and work to achieve them. The followers’ ability to be committed to the goals, vision, and cause of the organization plays an important role in achieving the set goals as they shall have owned up the whole process. The followers should be competent and possess the skills required to deliver the expected results in a given task. Lastly the followers should be courageous Walumbwa, Morrison, & Christensen, 2012). They should hold the true beliefs and uphold ethical standards of the organization without fear of intimidation (Adam, 2013). They should not bow to the corrupt activities of their seniors for fear of victimization. They should also work in unity and uphold cohesiveness among them \selves and the leaders for the benefit of the whole organization. The organization cannot be complete and the goals set cannot be achieved if any of the groups mentioned above is not performing their tasks up to the required standards (Schwartz, 2013). This calls for commitment from the leaders and the followers to facilitate the success of the organization. Bibliography Adams, C. A., 2013. The role of leadership and governance in transformational change towards sustainability, Global Responsibility, 9 [Online}. Brumm, C. A., & Drury, S., 2013. Leadership that Empowers: How Strategic Planning Relates to Followership, Engineering Management journal , 25 (4), pp. 17 – 32 [Online cecybrary]. Caldwell, C, Hayes, L. A, Karri, R & Bernal., 2008, Ethical stewardship: implications for leadership and trust, Journal of Business Ethics, 78, pp. 153-164 (online EBSCOHOST). Carcello, J. V. 2009, Governance and the common good, Journal of Business Ethics, 89, pp. 11–18 (online EBSCOHOST). Clark, J. S., Murhy,C., & Singer,S.. 2014. When do leaders? 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Walumbwa, FO, Morrison, EW & Christensen, AL 2012, Ethical leadership and group in-role performance: the mediating roles of group conscientiousness and group voice, Leadership Quarterly, 20, pp. 953–964 (online ScienceDirect). Read More