The Role of Leadership in the Political Game - Essay Example

?The work environment of today requires companies to have leaders that can inspire its employees to achieve a higher level of performance. The human capital of a firm is its most valuable asset. Leadership has become a critical success factor. The word leadership can be defined as special case of interpersonal influence that gets an individual or group to do what the leader wants done (Schermerhorn, Hunt, Osborn, 2003). A job profession that requires a person to have leadership skills is management, but leadership is not limited to managerial positions. Any person can become a leader. Formal leadership is exerted due to the job position of the individual, while informal leadership is exerted by persons who become influential because they have special skills that meet the resource need of others (Schermerhorn, et al. 2003). The purpose of this paper is to describe the topic of leadership through applications and theory. Leadership plays an important role in the political game. Barack Obama won the presidency of the United States due to the fact that he was a transformational leader. “Transformational leaders are generally energetic, enthusiastic, and passionate” (Cherry, 2013). A transformational leader cares about the needs of his followers. The four key components of transformational leadership are intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration, idealized influence, and inspirational motivation (Cherry, 2013). A firm led by a transformational leader has greater chance to succeed due to the ability of this person to motivate and inspire others. Two important leader styles are charismatic leadership and transactional leadership. A transactional leader does the necessary tasks to ensure his subordinates perform their job to a satisfactory level. Charismatic leader involves creating an inspirational self image that makes people drawn to you (Changingminds, 2013). An example of a charismatic leader is Steve Jobs. The managerial profession requires leadership skills to successfully perform the job. Managers are responsible for their actions and for the actions of their subordinates. An important skill that a leader must possess to be effective is excellent verbal and written communication skills. A person that does not possess superb communication skills cannot be a leader. Communication skills can be developed through education initiatives and training and development. Another important factor that can improve a person’s communication skills is active listening. “Active listening skills are conversational techniques that enable better understanding and more productive communication” (Palkoner, 2013). Listening well to what others have to say can help a leader recognize the needs and concerns of the work staff. Employees that are heard built a greater bond of trust with the managerial staff. The ultimate goal for a leader is to achieve synergy. Synergy occurs when the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The performance of a company is enhanced if it has a good leader in charge of the firm. Bill Gates is an example of a leader that started out small, but due to his superb decision making and leadership skills he turn Microsoft into the market leader in the software industry. A good leader recognizes that teamwork and cooperation are keys to success. The greatest ideas are often hidden in the minds of the floor workers because they are constantly exposed to the manufacturing operations of the firm. Exceptional leaders obtain input from the workers to then use that input in the decision making process. Input can be obtained directly or anonymously. Direct input is gathered by talking to specific employees in private or openly during employee meetings. A way to collect indirect input is by placing a feedback box in the premises of the company. A feedback box is useful only if management seriously considers implementing the ideas of the workers. People are not born leaders instead they acquire leadership skills through experience and education. Unique work experiences such as serving in one of the four branches of the military can help develop leadership skills. Students can improve their leadership skills by getting involved in extracurricular activities and student organizations. Taking courses in organizational behavior can help enhance leadership skills. Volunteering your time to non-profit organizations in the community is a great way to build character and leadership. A good leader possesses empathy. Empathy refers to the ability to mutually experience the thoughts, emotions, and direct experience of others (Diffen). Effectively leaders take into consideration how the different stakeholder groups are affected by the actions of the firm. Some of the most important stakeholder groups are the employees, lenders, suppliers, investors, environment, and the community. Leaders value the importance of human relations. Motivational skills are imperative for a leader to perform his job well. Motivated employees have greater job satisfactions and superior productivity. An effective strategy leaders utilize to promote cooperation and teamwork are team activities. The leader is responsible for assigning tasks to his workers. It is not a wise idea for a leader to feel he is superior to others. A leader recognizes the importance of fostering good relationships with others. A lack of comprehension for the need of others can lead to disastrous results. A few years ago I worked at a start-up company as a quality control operator. The firm recruited a lot of people fast by offering a $7 hourly performance bonus hourly plus minimum wage. The operators could earn between $7.25 and $14.25 an hour. During the first month everybody was happy with their wages as the wages were paid accurately and on time. During the second month there were discrepancies in the bonuses. The firm was paying less than the bonus achieve. The employees were mad. The next month salary was paid late and a lot of employees were cheated out of their bonuses despite exceeding production quotas. Finally the company decided to arbitrarily officially cancel the bonus incentive. The managers of this company displayed poor leadership because they lied to the employees by robbing them out of a portion of their earned compensation. Deception is an undesirable business behavior that shows a lack of leadership and ethical conduct. Proper ethical conduct is expected from a leader. The use of training and development can prepare people to become better leaders. Identifying weakness is a factor that must be consider prior to developing a new training program. The use of online training has gained popularity in the work environment of the 21st century. A way to build trust with employees is by using empowerment. Empowerment is the process in which managers help others to acquire and use the power needed to make decisions affecting themselves and their work (Shermerhorn, et al. 2003). Empowered employees are given greater responsibility. A person’s leadership can develop by being empowered. The use of leadership in the workplace has become a critical success factor. Managers must possess leadership skills, but leadership can manifest itself from any employees in the firm. Three types of leadership styles are charismatic, transformational, and transactional leader. Former President Bill Clinton is an example of a charismatic leader. Good communication skills are important to become a good leader. Multinational corporations have to have many leaders located across a global network. Fostering a good business culture can help its leader keep the lines of communication open at all times. Communication is necessary for a leader to guide its followers. Due to the value of human capital companies must invest in training and development as well as other educational methods to enhance important skills such as leadership. A way to motivate the staff is by offering intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. Financial incentives such as bonuses are an example of an extrinsic reward. The long term success of a firm is highly dependent on the ability of its leader to provide guidance, inspiration, and leadership to its workers. References Changingminds.org (2013). Charismatic Leadership. Retrieved December 12, 2013 from http://changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/styles/charismatic_leadership.htm Cherry, K. (2013). What Is Transformational Leadership? Retrieved December 12, 2013 from http://search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A0oG7me8QapScDMAE_xXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEzdDF1MjYzBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMgRjb2xvA2FjMgR2dGlkA1ZJUDM1OV8x/SIG=12ksol907/EXP=1386918460/**http%3a//psychology.about.com/od/leadership/a/transformational.htm Diffen.org. Empathy vs. Sympathy. Retrieved December 12, 2013 from http://www.diffen.com/difference/Empathy_vs_Sympathy Palkoner, B. (2013). What Are Active Listening Skills? Retrieved December 12, 2013 from http://www.ehow.com/info_8368846_active-listening-skills.html Schermernhorn, J., Hunt, J., Osborn, R. (2003). Organizational Behavior (8th ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons. / Read More