Contemporary Leadership in Human Services - Essay Example

Contemporary Leadership in Human Services Leadership is a practice of getting things done through other people. The term leadership has several meanings to different people in the universe in different circumstances. Barnard Chester defined leadership as the ability to inspire the behaviors of junior staff and convince them to take a particular direction (IAAP 2009, p.4). Leadership is also about mapping a blueprint, which acts as a guide showing you your destination, and how to get there. People often mistake management for leadership, but the two are not the same. Leadership entails doing right things while management involves doing things right. However, leadership and management are difficult to distinguish as roles in both often overlap and both leaders and managers usually need both personalities (Northouse, 2012). Ideally, leaders ought to help themselves and other people to do the things well correctly (Manktelow & Carlson, 2014). The opportunity to succeed lies in the hands of every manager. Leadership according to this managerial argument focuses on motivation and change, management efficiency and regulations. Lawler further stated that management provides the guidelines and directives that contradict the set working practices. Although specialists might possess working skills and know what they should do, how to do it and the leadership style remain debatable (Lawler, 2007). A good leader ought to have some basic characteristics such as honesty, competence and optimistic to disciple followers. Consolidating these traits leads to a law of leadership that states that one cannot believe a message yet disbelieve the messenger. According to Kouzes, the most important leadership trait is credibility. A leader who lacks credulity will fail not only to motivate his followers, but also to lead them. The second law of leadership according to Kouzes is performing what one says he will perform. Thus, an effective leader must walk the talk and not make empty and vain promises to his/her people (Kouzes, Posner 2007). Clarity of values is good practice for effective leadership. Clarifying values involves finding your own voice and communicating it with the rest of the world. Failure to identify ones voice will cause a leader to imitate someone else thus lose the integrity to lead others. Value sharing amongst people promotes teamwork and creates a sense of belonging. Leaders should weigh their words carefully and ensure that their words are in line with their actions (Kouzes & Posner, 2007). A successful leader explores opportunities, takes experiments as well as risks. To search for opportunities, a leader must quickly seize opportunities as and when they arise. The leader must promote free flow of communication between the team and the outside world. Communication breakdown impedes formulation of new ideas. Creation of a friendly environment is an important leadership strategy. The environment should encourage people to conduct experiments and take risks. Leaders must be careful to note that failure is an important part of success. He/she must assess the group’s strengths and weaknesses in order to progress in the future (Kouzes & Posner 2007). Leadership Theories Scholars have come up with numerous leadership theories. The theories include trait, behavioral participative and transformational leadership theories. Trait theory of leadership suggests that a leader is an extra-ordinary man who possesses exceptional skills different from the ordinary man. According to this theory, a leader’s personalities such as intelligence, ambition and perseverance are superior to that of the average person (IAAP 2009, p.11). A leadership study on trait theory has its basis on establishing the traits of prominent and successful leaders. The underlying principle in this research is to identify characteristics of leaders, and if these qualities are in another person then they are prospective leaders. People who possess characteristics such as a strong desire to influence others, highly ambitious, decisive and sensitive to changes in the environment are leaders. The main setback of this theory is that one could not become a leader even if he/she undergoes training if they were not born with leadership characteristics (IAAP 2009, p.12). Another drawback of trait theory is that the theory raises questions on what effective leadership is all about. The list of traits possessed by leaders is endless and at times contradicts itself on what traits are the most important. Studies conducted for over a century have revealed that these features are unambiguous and uncertain at times. Further, this traits theory ignores situational factors in that impact leadership. Behavioral theory of leadership argues that leaders are not born but made. A successful leader in this case is one who has well defined character and is quick to learn. This theory does not seek to determine inborn traits rather it focuses on what people do to become leaders. Success is thus measurable by an individual’s deeds. Leadership is a skill like any other, which can be cultivated and nurtured according to this theory. Anyone can become a leader given that one receives formal training and acquires skills to effectively influence and motivate others (IAAP 2009, p.14). Transformational theory postulates that a leader will evaluate for the needs of the people and encourage them to reach for higher heights. It assumes a leader to be one who inspires people, gives visionary ideas, and is zealous injecting energy in his followers. Transformational leadership is a process. The genesis of this leadership style is the development of a vision either by an individual or by a panel. The leader must be fully convinced beyond reasonable doubt about the vision before selling the idea to people. A leader must sell this vision in season and out of season. He/she must instill trust in the people for them to buy the vision. Personal integrity of the leader will play a major role in either the failure or success of this vision (IAAP 2009, p.36) Transformational leadership theory demands that a leader must define a clear path upon which people ought to follow. This, however, does not mean that a leader will always be sure; sometimes the direction will be unknown to the leader. In such cases, the leader will help others explore the path to their destination. However, a transformational leader will fail at times but at all times will strive to fulfill the desires of his/her people (IAAP 2009, p.35). Transformational leaders ought to possess certain skills to win the hearts of the people. The leader must standup bravely in times of difficulty and lead the way rather than hide behind the scenes. They should also ceaselessly listen to people’s complaints, encourage, inspire, mobilize, and re-energize the crowds. The leader must also demonstrate particularly in challenging times his/her unswerving commitment to the people. Rituals and ceremonies play a major role in sustaining energy and motivation among the people. A good leader in this context will seek to maintain a balance between actions and the psychological state of the followers (IAAP 2009, p.37). There are three pillars of social work, respect, professional integrity and social justice. Social work functions at the heart of people, their culture and environment. Human needs are viewed in light of socio-political and environmental factors. Despite social work being diverse in different locations, leadership, education, work with individuals, families and groups are the main aspects of this practice. Social workers, therefore, should work closely with the community to empower them and ultimately enhance their well-being and development. Leadership is thus central to social work. The different stakeholders in this social activity must be pulled together to achieve the programs targets. Leadership provides an interface through which all the concerned parties will become involved (AASW 2013, p.7). Transformational leadership fits appropriately in social work. Standards of social work require that the workers be constantly conversant with the community’s culture and beliefs. The workers should also research how such beliefs affect the association between the workers and the people. This standard is in line with transformational leadership in that the workers study ways in which they can be readily acceptable to the community. The main underlying principle in transformational leadership theory is that it is an education process where one acquires skills to influence and motivate people (AASW 2013, p.11) Understanding the nature of leadership is a crucial aspect of an effective leader. Some scholars argue that leadership may be the determining factor whether a business will succeed or not. Team leadership approach is a new dimension into leadership that focuses on leadership of a leader shared by its team members (Leadership 2011, p.11). Leadership training of social health workers has been poor. Research shows that leadership has been a missing ingredient in social work and that the concept of leadership exists merely in social business publications. As a profession, social work focuses its leadership on the elderly rather than developing young professionals with zeal and energy. Social work companies ought to embrace leadership seriously because lack of proper leadership training will eventually cause other professionals to manage social workers (Rank Michael 2000). Leadership is visionary; it entails viewing and understanding of the bigger picture in difficult circumstances. It is also practically applicable in the sense that it helps make things happen. Therefore, leaders and managers must work hand in hand. In some cases, the manager and leader is the same person but with overlapping roles and duties. If the leadership provides and sustains the vision, then management actualizes this vision through operations, processes and the necessary deployment of human resource. Leaders need managers to achieve their targets while managers need leaders to clarify goals and the path to success (McIntosh). Organizational failures mainly emanate from lack of proper synergy between management and leadership. One company may have qualified, and competent management, but an ineffective leadership team, and the result is failure to accommodate and respond to changes. Conversely, another organization may overemphasize on transformational leadership approach and fail to give due attention to management. Leadership and management are both necessary and inevitable to all businesses. These two, management and leadership, should be balanced in the right measure to ensure fruitful results (Allen Ruth, Gilbert Peter 2009, p.32). Leadership in mental health care needs to revolutionize. It should solely be based on working creatively with relationships. Several approaches have been designed in view of leadership in mental health organizations. Professional imbalance is a major problem in various professions .Proper measures should be taken to safeguard organizations from discrimination and exploitation (Tsui, & Cheung, 2004). Leadership by public ethics is about personalization ethics and concentrating on self-will rather than leadership control. It enables one to deliver goods and services ethically to the community. Leadership in this context ought to embody social principles. Mental health organizations need leaders who cultivate hope in other people. Leaders should learn the art of weaving stories in their daily lives with the sole purpose of demonstrating their humanity and their concerns in mental health. This art of sharing true-life stories will serve to help individuals to open up (Allen Ruth, Gilbert Peter 2009, p.35). Conclusion Team leadership is the most effective leadership strategy in social work and human services. This is because most mental health work and social services is conducted in teams. In this approach, leadership demands behavioral flexibility, analytical problem solving skills and using judgment to determine whether leader intervention is needed (Northouse, P. G. 2013). Experts in mental health and social work should aim to develop skills that will enable them to deal with tough situations and prevent conflict of interest between parties (Fook, Ryan, and M. & Hawkins, 2000). Team leadership must be harmonious with skills, knowledge and mental health values. Managers and leaders have a duty of sharpening their leadership and management skills in order to lead the company. Social work agencies will plan which client will be served at a certain time at what cost and by whom (Bland Rneouf, & Tullgren, A. 2009, p.376). It is a good practice for social workers to engage in team leadership. The role of managers in this leadership model is to provide the essential resources for social work and to oversee proper service delivery to the community. Leaders and managers will give instructions to the members of the team and will step in only when the team gets stuck in the course of the assignment. Team leadership will serve to ensure that all team members are actively involved in social and human services thus creating a sense of belonging. Leaders in collaboration with managers ought to evaluate periodically internal and external challenges facing social workers and find solutions (Healy, K 2004). It will also challenge the participants to be creative and innovative and, as a result give better service delivery to the community. Social service agents shall be required to draft standards of practice that each team member shall abide with. The standards will define rules and regulations in social and human services and ethical conduct to be upheld in the course of business.   References List Northouse, P. 2013, chapter 13 “Culture and Leadership”, In Leadership: Theory and Practice AASW 2013 practice standards, Canberra, Australia Bland, R., Rneouf, N., & Tullgren, A. 2009, chapter 11, pp. 226-243, “Social work Leadership in mental health organizations” . In Social Work Practice in Mental Health: An Introduction, Allen & Unwin, NSW. Northouse, P.G. 2012, Introduction to Leadership: Concepts and Practice, SAGE Publications, London, pp. 1-14. Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and practice (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Allen Ruth, Gilbert Peter, O.S., 2009. Leadership for personalisation and social inclusion in mental health, Leicester. IAAP, 2009. Leadership Theories and Styles, Kouzes, J. M. Posner, B.., 2007. The Leadership Challenge. In Introduction to Leadership:Concepts and Practice. San Francisco: SAGE, pp. 3–41. Lawler, J., 2007. Leadership in Social Work: A Case of Caveat Emptor? British Journal of Social Work, 37(1), pp.123–141. Available at: http://bjsw.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/doi/10.1093/bjsw/bch404. Manktelow, J. & Carlson, A., 2014. What is Leadership? Mind Tools. Rank Michael, H.W., 2000. An Analysis Of Leadership Within The Social Work Profession. , 36(3), pp.487–502. Professional expertise: practice, theory and education for working in uncertainty. Fook, J., Ryan, M. & Hawkins, L., pp. 237-246, Whiting & Birch, 2000. Tsui, M. & Cheung, F. 2004, ‘Gone with the wind: The Impacts of Managerialism on Human services’, British Journal of Social Work, vol. 324 Healy, K 2004, “Social Workers in the New Human Services Marketplace: Trends, Challenges, Responses”, Australian Social Work, June Vol. 57, No. 2, pp103-114. Read More