Business - Leadership and Change - Essay Example

Hence, a viable leadership in a contemporary scenario comprises of a talent for fluidity and adaptability aimed at recognising the need for change and then the potential to lead change (Mullins 2004). Therefore, the capability to create, manage and lead change is of immense importance in the contemporary leaders. Such a versatile mode of leadership rests on a plethora of apt abilities like a viable vision, the power to inspire, effective communication, emotional intelligence and appropriate conflict resolution skills (Kotter et al. 2006). Effective leadership most of the times rests on a sound and solid vision (Zaccaro 2001, p. 106). However, the term ‘vision’ here does not mean a chunk of imaginary green cheese, which is conceptualised by a leader, sans any concern for the aspirations and opinions of one’s followers.

In contrast, ‘vision’ comprises of a set of reasons, which could lead to a better future in an individual and organisational context and which could be easily grasped and adhered to by personnel placed at all levels within a set up (Zaccaro 2001, p. 106). The hall mark of an effective leader is that one is capable of coming out with a vision with which each and every follower could identify with and commit to. It is only when individual followers see a personal stake in the collective vision that they go beyond their capabilities and stamina to make it a reality (Zaccaro 2001, p. 106). For instance, John F Kennedy came out with a vision to place a man on the moon (Barnes 2005, p. 154). The eventual success of this vision could be attributed to the fact that it extended something to aspire for and be proud about to every individual American (Barnes 2005, p. 154). Inspiration lies at the foundation of an effective leadership approach (Adair 2002, p. 110). Great leaders do always have the ability to inspire others to follow them.

Yet, the biggest asset of an inspiring leader is that one is always willing to live the change that one intends to bring about (Adair 2002, p. 110). It is one’s passion to engage oneself in all the aspects of a change that one desires to bring about that makes the other followers reach the heights of performance (Storey 2004, p. 113). The leadership style of Gandhi was best known for his ability to inspire others through personal example (Adair 2002, p. 322). The one big thing about Gandhi was that he was always the first to adopt the change that he aspired to bring about in the society (Gandhi 2006).

Such an approach most of the times succeeded in inspiring his followers to engage with his vision of change in a sincere and selfless manner (Gandhi 2006). A successful leader by necessity needs to be really good at communicating his vision (Kirkpatrick 2001, p. 47). However, as usually understood, communication is not merely about a drab exchange of prosaic ideas and information between a sender and the recipient. Communication is something much more than that. It is about the ability to exchange ideas and information with all the essential passion and emotions hovering around those ideas (Kirkpatrick 2001, p. 48). In leadership, communication is not merely about informing but also about moving, inspiring, motivating, energising, pacifying, and a range of other abilities, as and when required by a particular situation or challenge.

Communication is about bringing in that essential human element in the exchange of information and ideas, which has the ability to wrest