Effective Leadership - Essay Example

Effective Leadership Name Institution Effective Leadership Introduction Leadership is a concept that has had a lot of studies and programs engaged on over time and remains among those human resource management topics that enjoys an extensive literature base around the world. There are many theories and concepts that have been developed to help better understand how leadership plays out in organizations and ways to optimize leadership skills within different organizations (House, 2010). According to Spillane & Diamond, et al. (2004), one the key approaches that are used is apprenticeship which basically refers to the process of learning by example and observation. In this regard, aspiring leaders learn from other leaders by observing and emulating their skills at work and asking them questions for clarifications in order to build their own leadership skills and prowess (Spillane & Diamond, et al., 2004). This paper provides a review of a similar approach herein referred to as “Leadership shadowing” where I observed a mentor for a period of time working under them and learning from them. Herein is provided a brief summary of the observations made about their leadership style and approach in comparison to what other authorities talk about leadership. For this exercise, the leader I worked with was the Group Products Manager in a pharmaceutical company I once worked with before coming to the US where I was working as a Marketing Secretary. I worked under this leader for over three years learning a lot of things from his leadership style and understanding different attributes of leadership and how they can be influenced by good strategies and proper knowledge. Working under this leader, I learnt that there are different styles with each style being fitting for different situations. This was in support of what is claimed by Spillane & Diamond, et al. (2004) that leadership style is the style that is preferred by a leader in providing direction and implementing plans as mandated in their capacity and positions. The greatest lesson I learnt and observed from the leader taken for this activity was the role of motivation in ensuring success in leadership. Given that there is a very high competition in the pharmaceutical industry, it is usually difficult for employees in such organizations to always meet the objectives set for them especially as the general pay grades for front office assistants is not really commensurate with the kind of work demanded. In this regard, it requires a truly inspirational leader to be able to rally his/her employees to achieve the objectives that are set for them (House, 2010). He was a patient, focused, and inspirational leader. Some of the leadership qualities that he had include commitment, inspiration, and innovative. He knew how to use different styles of leadership in different situations and therefore always managed to handle different situations within the company effectively. These skills are also similar to skills of leadership that are contained in different literatures forming some of the most fundamental theories of leadership. For instance, according to Vroom & Sternberg (2002), inspiration and motivation are key attributes of leadership that require good leaders to be able to impact their teams in order to encourage their staff to be self-driven in their duties and to work with minimal supervision. In the same way, different situations call for different approaches in leadership strategy and style. There are many different styles that can be used in leading teams and a good leader is the one that knows the different styles and uses the right style when the situation requires such a style. For instance, in times when there was an emergency and there was no time to consult, this leader would use autocratic leadership style to make decisions and get things done. In situations where he was among his equals, he usually employed democratic or laissez-faire leadership style as the better option to rely on. It is important to understand these different leadership styles so that one is able to apply the best and most effective approach to different situations. According to Vroom & Sternberg (2002), the style that is adopted for different situations should be the one that achieves the intended objective while at the same time balancing the interests of all stakeholders involved in the decision process or the organization (Vroom & Sternberg, 2002). Some the characteristics of good leaders that I learnt in the course of this activity from the leader I was working under were those that are developed over time rather than inherited. In fact, inasmuch as there are those people that are born leaders, most of the things that good leaders do are borne out of hard work and consistency over time. One of the main characteristics for good leaders is commitment and trust. Good leaders should be able to lead by example by showing those that they lead that they do not merely expected them to do things that they (the leaders) themselves are not able to do. When one shows the rest of the team what is expected by demonstrating, it creates confidence in those that are led and establishes a threshold for them to strive and perform like their leaders (Spillane & Diamond, et al., 2004). In order to achieve this leaders should show outstanding commitment to their work and should be able to earn trust from those that are led. When people trust the leaders that lead them, they are able to trust in his styles and hence ensure success in the leadership interventions that are implemented (Vroom & Sternberg, 2002). Leadership is a concept that has had a lot of studies and programs engaged on over time and remains among those human resource management topics that enjoys an extensive literature base around the world. There are many theories and concepts that have been developed to help better understand how leadership plays out in organizations and ways to optimize leadership skills within different organizations (House, 2010). According to Spillane & Diamond, et al. (2004), one the key approaches that are used is apprenticeship which basically refers to the process of learning by example and observation. In this regard, aspiring leaders learn from other leaders by observing and emulating their skills at work and asking them questions for clarifications in order to build their own leadership skills and prowess (Spillane & Diamond, et al., 2004). For this exercise, the leader I worked with was the Group Products Manager in a pharmaceutical company I once worked with before coming to the US where I was working as a Marketing Secretary. I worked under this leader for over three years learning a lot of things from his leadership style and understanding different attributes of leadership and how they can be influenced by good strategies and proper knowledge. Working under this leader, I learnt that there are different styles with each style being fitting for different situations. This was in support of what is claimed by Spillane & Diamond, et al. (2004) that leadership style is the style that is preferred by a leader in providing direction and implementing plans as mandated in their capacity and positions. The greatest lesson I learnt and observed from the leader taken for this activity was the role of motivation in ensuring success in leadership. Given that there is a very high competition in the pharmaceutical industry, it is usually difficult for employees in such organizations to always meet the objectives set for them especially as the general pay grades for front office assistants is not really commensurate with the kind of work demanded. In this regard, it requires a truly inspirational leader to be able to rally his/her employees to achieve the objectives that are set for them (House, 2010). According to Vroom & Sternberg (2002), inspiration and motivation are key attributes of leadership that require good leaders to be able to impact their teams in order to encourage their staff to be self-driven in their duties and to work with minimal supervision. In the same way, different situations call for different approaches in leadership strategy and style. There are many different styles that can be used in leading teams and a good leader is the one that knows the different styles and uses the right style when the situation requires such a style. For instance, in times when there is an emergency and there is no time to consult and the leader in charge has relevant experience and authority to make unilateral decisions, autocratic leadership style may be preferred. In a homogenous team where the tem members have relatively the same level of expertise and experience, democratic or laissez-faire leadership style may be the better option to rely on (House, 2010). It is important to understand these different leadership styles so that one is able to apply the best and most effective approach to different situations. According to Vroom & Sternberg (2002), the style that is adopted for different situations should be the one that achieves the intended objective while at the same time balancing the interests of all stakeholders involved in the decision process or the organization (Vroom & Sternberg, 2002). Some the characteristics of good leaders that I learnt in the course of this activity were those that are developed over time rather than inherited. In fact, inasmuch as there are those people that are born leaders, most of the things that good leaders do are borne out of hard work and consistency over time. One of the main characteristics for good leaders is commitment and trust. Good leaders should be able to lead by example by showing those that they lead that they do not merely expected them to do things that they (the leaders) themselves are not able to do. When one shows the rest of the team what is expected by demonstrating, it creates confidence in those that are led and establishes a threshold for them to strive and perform like their leaders (Spillane & Diamond, et al., 2004). In order to achieve this leaders should show outstanding commitment to their work and should be able to earn trust from those that are led. When people trust the leaders that lead them, they are able to trust in his styles and hence ensure success in the leadership interventions that are implemented (Vroom & Sternberg, 2002). Conclusion From the foregoing discussion, it has been shown that leadership is something that is built over time requiring hard work and investment in it. It is something that requires one to be widely read and informed about the different leadership styles that exist so as to be able to implement them in different situations in order to optimize operations and enhance effectiveness (Vroom & Sternberg, 2002). The experience of working under an established leader and learning from them is one of the most effective ways of building one’s leadership skills and capacity. They are able to learn by observation and try to apply the knowledge learnt under the guidance and advice of their mentors in the process providing feedback and advice of how to improve. This apprenticeship approach to leadership helps not only the young leader to develop but also gives the mentor an opportunity to impact the experience, knowledge and expertise from one generation to another so that there is continuity in the leadership chain which is most fulfilling than achieving any other objective in life; when one is able to impact a life and create another leader that would transform the world and achieve more than what their predecessors were able to do. Organizational Leadership Amazon and Google are two multinational corporations that set the trend when it comes to human resource capital management with the focus on maximizing human capital and optimizing operations. These two companies achieve these objectives in quite different approaches and employing different strategies each that has been well cultured and nurtured through the company’s respective corporate culture and organizational development (Blackstone, 2015). On the one hand, Google looks to create an enabling environment rooted in what it calls ‘creation of living laboratories’ that enables it to create an platform where its engineers and personnel can reinvigorate their creativity and innovation (Blackstone, 2015). On the other hand, Amazon seeks to push its personnel to the harshest of limits to ensure that it obtains the very best from them with commensurate compensation perks to encourage greater devotion and productivity (Kantor & Streitfeld, 2015). According to Blackstone (2015), Google has transformed its human resource management strategies into a science where it believes that optimal performance can be coerced from an enabling environment that is created for them to co-exist and interact. This has led to the rise of innovative living laboratories such as the ski gondolas in Zurich and pub-like meeting rooms in Dublin giving the staff an opportunity to think freely and engage their creative minds (Blackstone, 2015). On the other hand, Kantor & Streitfeld (2015) indicate that at Amazon, things are different; great focus is given to work ethics, commitment, and pushing the staff to the limits with incredible perks and remunerations to accompany and encourage motivation. It is an extensive human capital workshop with everyone pushing themselves to ‘unrealistic limits’ just to meet the set goals. Of these two human resource management cultures, it would be more enjoyable and adventurous working with Google since I love creating things and engaging my mind rather than my brawn and therefore this would be an ideal platform for me to exploit my strengths and interests. I am a participative leader. This means that I am good at involving people in the decision-making process so that the decisions I arrive at from a leadership point of view would be largely agreeable with my team members. In this way, I find myself more inclined towards being interested in the ideas and insights that those under my leadership have and this makes it very safe as an approach for managing teams. It creates a level of assurance that the decisions made are in line with the reality on the ground making minimal the chances of dissent and revolt against the direction I decide to take my team as the leader. In this situation, I would allow my colleague to make his presentation and finish and consult with him privately after the meeting. The purpose of my consultation with him privately is to double check with him about the figures and projections that he is giving as a way of understanding his rational better. In taking this cautious approach, I will be giving him an opportunity to come out clean and rectify the figures that is providing so that I do not end up condemning him before hearing him out just in case there be something genuine in the estimates that he makes. In the unlikely event that he is adamant with correcting his mistakes, I will explain to him the impact that such erroneous projections could have on the whole company’s projections, reputation, and performance in addition to placing his own job at risk should it be realized that he was giving wrong information to the board deliberately. If he does not appreciate my advice, then as responsible executive, I will have no option by report his conduct to the board for further disciplinary action as his actions will be in breach of his professional code of conduct. Conclusion From the foregoing discussion, it has been shown that leadership is something that is built over time requiring hard work and investment in it. It is something that requires one to be widely read and informed about the different leadership styles that exist so as to be able to implement them in different situations in order to optimize operations and enhance effectiveness (Vroom & Sternberg, 2002). The experience of working under an established leader and learning from them is one of the most effective ways of building one’s leadership skills and capacity. They are able to learn by observation and try to apply the knowledge learnt under the guidance and advice of their mentors in the process providing feedback and advice of how to improve. This apprenticeship approach to leadership helps not only the young leader to develop but also gives the mentor an opportunity to impact the experience, knowledge and expertise from one generation to another so that there is continuity in the leadership chain which is most fulfilling than achieving any other objective in life; when one is able to impact a life and create another leader that would transform the world and achieve more than what their predecessors were able to do. References House, R. (2010). "A path-goal theory of leader effectiveness". Administrative Science Quarterly (Johnson Graduate School of Management, Cornell University,) 16 (3): 321–339 Spillane, J. & Diamond, J. et al. (2004). "Towards a theory of leadership practice". Journal of Curriculum Studies, 36 (1): 3–34 Vroom, V. & Sternberg, R. (2002). "Theoretical Letters: The person versus the situation in Leadership". The Leadership Quarterly, 13 (3): 301–323. Blackstone, J. (2015). ‘Inside Google workplaces, from perks to nap pods’. CBS News. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/news/inside-google-workplaces-from-perks-to- nap-pods/. Kantor, J. & Streitfeld, D. (2015). ‘Inside Amazon: Wrestling Big Ideas in a Bruising Workplace’. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/technology/inside-amazon-wrestling-big-ideas-in-a- bruising-workplace.html?_r=1. Read More