Category: Leadership

Why don’t people think of organizational leaders when they are asked a question “What is your image of a good leader?”

Why don’t people think of organizational leaders when they are asked a question “What is your image of a good leader?”

This assignment is based on the following video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZni2_j15PY&feature=fvwrel

Please answer the following questions and post your Word document here. Your answers should take no more than 3 double-spaced pages, 12-point New Roman Font, 1-inch margins throughout. NO REFERENCES ARE NEEDED.
Why don’t people think of organizational leaders when they are asked a question “What is your image of a good leader?”
What is your image of a good leader?
What is your mission in life?
What are your personal values?

Sample Answer

The most common reason as to why people do not think of organizational leaders when asked a question is that they do not consider their leaders as strategic. Strategic thinking is very important in the day to day operations of any organization. Strategic thinking should be clear, concise and insightful. Also, people do not think of organizational leaders when asked questions because they do not agree with their leadership point of view or beliefs. It is therefore very important for leaders to have a very clear point of view and to impart their point of views to other people. Moreover, when asked questions people often think about people who influence their life in one way or the other. Conversely, some organizational leaders only view leadership in the context of having a leadership role in an organization. They do not manifest good leadership skills in their leadership hence cannot influence others. Thus, a leader should motivate, lead and have a positive influence on people’s life.

To be a good leader, a person should possess certain qualities that enable them influence other people. A good leader should possess qualities such as integrity, empathy, humility, resilience, influence, vision, accountability and positivity. Leadership is about inspiring people through experiences, actions, insights and points of view. Excellent communication skills are one of the most important attributes of a good leader. A good leader uses language and non-verbal cues to effectively communicate with their team. Leaders should also express themselves openly to build empathy with other people. Good communication skills require active listening where a leader shows interest in people’s concerns and needs. Additionally, a leader should be able to delegate duties to the team in order to shape their thoughts and ideas regarding the organization’s goals and objectives. When leaders delegate duties, they give their teams the freedom and resources to be successful in their tasks. A good leader should also be confident and committed. A confident leader maintains the team’s morale and motivates them to work harder and smarter. Commitment ensures that a leader earns the respect of their subordinates since the leader sets an example. Good leaders are focused and driven. They think rationally and find solutions to problems. They are also self-driven in working hard to achieve the goals and objectives of an organization.

My greatest mission in life is to bring a smile on people’s faces through motivation, inspiration and encouraging others to be positive. In the context of leadership, my mission is to serve as a great leader by making a difference in people’s lives through applying ethical principles and using my gifts of charisma, and serial optimism. I also want to be happy and make other people happy through helping them, being empathetic and friendly to people. My personal values are very important to me since they motivate and guide my life decisions. Every day I make sure that I adhere to my personal values since they make me fulfilled and happy. My personal values are empathy, adventure and freedom. I feel happy when I am free to do things my own way. I am a free-spirit and open-minded and I feel stifled when forced to follow stringent rules of doing things. I love adventure and I mostly feel claustrophobic working in enclosed spaces. I prefer careers involving travelling and adventure. Lastly I care about people’s needs and concerns and I feel like the world would have been a better place if people were more empathetic towards each other.

Explain the key factors of individual differences relevant in a leader

Explain the key factors of individual difference relevant in leader

Explain the key factors of individual difference relevant in leadership and management development. Critically evaluate the extent to which organizational practices can minimize or increase difference.

Key Factors of Individual Differences Relevant in a Leader

Leadership can be described as the ability to influence people to willingly, efficiently and effectively perform assigned tasks. Individual differences refer to the various ways in which people differ from each other in behavior. Individual differences can either be personality differences or capacity differences (Antonakis & Robert, 2013). Personality differences influence the thinking, feeling and behaviors of individuals while capacities describe the level of performance in the workplace. Capacities can either be cognitive or physical. Cognitive capacities are mostly referred to as natural intelligence (Antonakis & Robert, 2013). Physical capacities are measured through the performance of work-related physical activities.

Some of the factors relevant in individual differences are cultural, social, situational and personal factors. First, cultural factors are relevant in shaping the perceptions of people towards leadership. Leadership is perceived differently from one culture to the other hence, it is important for organizations and executives to understand the subtle nuances of leadership exercised in different cultures (Antonakis & Robert, 2013). Cultural differences are important indicators in determining the effectiveness of a leader or manager. Culture is important in developing effective and efficient leaders as it expresses goals through beliefs and values and also guides a leader’s activities through shared assumptions. Secondly, personal factors involve the leadership styles used by different leaders and managers to influence people to perform assigned tasks. These leadership style include autocratic, authoritative, democratic, pacesetting, affiliate, dictatorial and Laissez-Faire styles (Antonakis & Robert, 2013). The different types of leadership styles are instrumental in determining a leader’s or manager’s values, tolerance, culture and strategies. These leadership styles also influence decision making speed, problem solving and analysis.

Situational factors affect motivation and competency levels. These situational factors include organizational size, patterns of employment, organizational culture, social and psychological climate and leader follower interaction and compatibility. These factors are important for leaders and managers as they influence the effectiveness and efficiency of the followers/ employees. Social factors include the communication styles by organizational executives. Leaders and managers use different methods and styles of communication to relay messages and information to the intended recipient/s. Communication is instrumental in strengthening human relations. Hence, social factors such as communication are important in creating efficiency and balance in management development and leadership. Also, communication enables leaders and managers articulate their ideas and perspective hence creating a common vision and goal with their subordinates.

Organizational practices such as teamwork, project management and active engagement may decrease individual differences (Zaccaro et al., 2018). However, decreasing individual differences has several advantages and disadvantages. A less diverse workplace creates a peaceful and harmonious work environment where there are fewer conflicts since individuals share the same values, perspectives and values. However, decreasing individual differences leads to a monotonous and stagnant workplace since there are fewer ideas and less creativity. On the flip side, organizational practices such as employee appraisals and delegation of duties increase individual differences (Zaccaro et al., 2018). Some of the advantages of increasing individual differences include: First, diversity enables organizational leaders and managers identify and understand target demographics. Also, a diverse workplace helps align the organization’s culture with a particular demographic. Diversity also increases a company’s performance through boosting creativity. For instance according to research, 48% of American companies with increased levels of individual differences (diversity) in their management team had an improved market share (Zaccaro et al., 2018). Through a diverse workplace, people are able to come up with different ideas, perspectives and methods of solving problems and forming new operational strategies. Hence, by increasing the level of cultural diversity in the workplace, organizations are able to expand its perspectives, approach and strategic tactics. Conversely, the disadvantages of a diverse workplace include miscommunication, dysfunctional adaptation and interpersonal conflicts. Increasing the level of individual differences increases the tendency of interpersonal conflicts since people have different beliefs thoughts, beliefs, norms, values, trends and traditions.

References
Antonakis, J., & Robert, J. (2013). House (2013).’The Full-Range Leadership Theory: The Way Forward’, Transformational and Charismatic Leadership: The Road Ahead 10th Anniversary Edition (Monographs in Leadership and Management, Volume 5) (pp. 3-33). Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Zaccaro, S. J., Green, J. P., Dubrow, S., & Kolze, M. (2018). Leader individual differences, situational parameters, and leadership outcomes: A comprehensive review and integration. The Leadership Quarterly, 29(1), 2-43.