The Concept of Organizational Leadership - Essay Example

Second, leaders must be able to articulate that vision to other members of the team and to obtain their commitment to that objective. Thirdly, leaders must develop and implement a plan to attain that goal. Good leadership is a result of careful application of the skills. Leadership in the 21st Century requires a special skill set because of the changing pace of business, fluctuating market conditions, increased competition, and changes in the workforce. Successful leaders are vital to successful organizations, so it is imperative that today's leaders are skilled at using techniques that fit our changing world.

Leadership also concerns listening, as well as making a real connect with other people. Leaders create followers. The duty of a leader is to support people to get things done. Leaders and followers are symmetrical because they need each other. They discover ways to make groups of followers, and with that, group they change a lot of things. After examining the evolution of leadership I realized that it demonstrated leadership in today's world requires more than the ability to manipulate data and manage people.

To survive in the 21st century, we're going to need a new generation of leaders--leaders, not managers. These two managerial functions are certainly aspects of the commonly held views of traditional leadership, but to survive in today's world, leaders cannot rely only on managerial skills. To develop strong leadership, leaders need to think about their role in a more holistic sense by shifting away from traditional paradigms of leadership and employing a learning attitude within their leadership role.

Holistic leadership requires using creative and critical thought as an agent of change. In the past 15 years, leadership has undergone tremendous change. The typical decision-making through the top-down corporate hierarchical structure has given way to organizational teams empowered with decision-making capabilities. I believe that creativity and critical thought play a key role in successful leadership. As companies become larger and more diverse, necessity dictates that leadership be a shared activity.

Shifting the locus of control from a single individual to smaller groups of stakeholders ensures that the business will continue to expand and remain competitive. Consider the world of competitive sports as an example of team members working toward a common goal. The coach plays the role of team leader and each player uses his strength for the success of the team. Good leaders know that leadership is dynamic; every new experience provides opportunities for reflection, learning, and change. In athletics, the team works as a whole to practice for improvement.

High performing teams are supportive and encouraging causing the creativity of the work environment to mature at warp speed. Effective leaders develop work teams to facilitate learning which leads to more rapid growth and change. As the paradigm shifts from top down leadership to team leadership, change occurs. Senge's (1990) theory suggests that effective leadership combines five