Why Is It Important to Have an Efficient and Effective Leader - Essay Example

Generally, over time, many people have had different viewpoints on the concept of leadership. For instance, Daft views leadership as a vital organizational component which involves influence on people, and “occurs among people who intentionally desire significant changes” (2008). Similarly, Yukl views leadership as a process used by managers to influence employees to get an understanding of what ought to be done and how it should be done in order to achieve organizational targets (2006, p. 8). As such, the concept of management and leadership does not merely entail setting up plans and following the set procedures, but it instead requires the managers to effectively direct the diverse set of employees towards achieving the organizational objectives.

However, it is worth noting that unlike the “Great Man’s Theory” which suggests that leadership is inborn rather than natured, Daft’s and Yukl’s viewpoint implies that leadership is a process that requires teamwork, influence, and practice in order to achieve organizational goals. Equally important, with increased competition as well as numerous emerging new markets, today’s organizations have become more complex. This has hence led to a high inter-organizational and intra-organizational competition, a factor that has brought up an urgent need for effective and efficient leadership in organizations.

Primarily, leadership competency encompasses the various practices, functions, and responsibilities which the management are required to take. Thus, the competencies point out the various functional skills that leaders must develop in order to be able to take up responsibility effectively. To illustrate, leadership competencies are used in the development of the leadership prerequisites at both individual and organizational levels thus increasing organizational performance.