Leadership in the Workplace - Coursework Example

Workplace Leadership [Name of the Writer] [Name of the Institution] Workplace Leadership Historically, strong dynamic leadership has been a good predictor of successes to come, and to a large degree it hardly matters which yardstick is used to measure success: inspiring leadership tends to lead to community longevity, membership growth, financial vigor, etc. Theoretically leadership can be centralized or shared, however we yet to witness a thriving decentralized, shared-power group that relies on more than a handful of its most responsible and assertive members to provide ongoing vision and inspiration. Responsibility, accountability, and initiative are commonly shared roles, but charisma-a leader's ability to promote a vision and to evoke enthusiastic participation from those involved-is a rare (and potentially dangerous) quality (Cober, 2007; 479-494). Charisma usually attracts respect, admiration, and loyalty-feedback that tend to result in ego gratification for the leader that can become addictive and an end in itself. But that's another story, material for a future column. For the sake of exploring what's possible, consider the "leaderful" group, a model for shared responsibility and participation. This is a term often used by organizations with democratic values when they're envisioning how they want things to be, with many members encouraged and empowered to take on leadership roles. Typically, attempts to implement this model result in many folks assuming responsibility for general management roles: organizing the work, creating and administering budgets, assigning tasks, checking in with team members and offering encouragement, brainstorming logistics, monitoring progress, and making reports (Cober, 2007; 479-494). However it's rare for the charismatic role to be widely shared, and it commonly shows up at the organizational level rather than at the project level-which is likely a workable arrangement, since the camaraderie that frequently results from working closely with others can energize the decentralized project teams, especially if team members are able to tap into the inspiration and motivation generated in the larger group setting. In that light, a critically important strategy for building effective communities and social change organizations is to clarify and better articulate our overarching visions, and to find ways to translate that idealism into enthusiasm for doing the work. Some people come by that skill naturally, and we should encourage them to use it and to teach it-to a large degree it's a learnable skill that we can cultivate and nurture (Kark, 245-255, 2003). Once we learn to spread around the charisma, we can look forward to greater success in accomplishing our common goals, and the profound satisfaction that comes from participating with enthusiasm. Organizational life depicts the barometers leaders' moods. An angry reply, a wrinkled brow, or a cutting edge comment from the boss, and making the utterance is out-a storm. Everyone is warned with the boss's clouded expressions to cover up. Potentially innovative ideas are banished to the cellar. Windows overlooking the competitive environment are shuttered, and people with better ideas put their heads down and retreat to the safety of their cubicles. Sunny dispositions, particularly when consistent, encourage the opposite reactions (Malone, 2000, 162). The leader's mood is the single most powerful emotional influence on the work environment. After you've faced your feelings and realized that your unpleasant feelings will spread quickly in the work environment, you must find ways to change them. Feelings are not mysterious forces outside your control. Feelings come from what you believe and perceive. If you believe you're powerless, then you will feel helpless. If you perceive that others are intentionally hurting you, then you'll feel suspicious. If you believe you can make a difference or manage a difficult situation competently, then you'll begin to feel hopeful. When you start to behave like a leader who feels hopeful, you'll actually start to feel hopeful. And a feeling of hope will compel you to act more confidently. Your perceptions, your feelings, and your behaviors are closely linked. Modify one or more of them, and the others move in tandem. The realization that you can control your perceptions, feelings, and behaviors and the impact these powerful forces exert on others is a critical insight that many leaders never acquire (Pernick, 2001, 429). Even the most disciplined leaders will occasionally be unable to shake some underlying preoccupation. As a result, they'll appear distracted. Preoccupied leaders fail to listen intently, concentrate poorly, respond curtly, and decide impulsively. Because people, particularly subordinates, are exquisitely sensitive to the leader's moods, they're puzzled and often troubled by the change. Recognize your preoccupation and announce it to key colleagues (May, 11-37, 2004). Make it clear that it has nothing to do with them-unless it does. Give a general explanation, but don't burden them with the details. If you're troubled by some issue that involves them, don't deny it. Reassure them that you'll discuss your concerns openly as soon as you've thought your position through (Salanova, 1223-1227, 2005). Ask them to cut you some extra slack until you've resolved your issues and thank them for their patience and understanding. By taking this approach, you will have relieved some painful uncertainty in the workplace, and you will have modeled a constructive behavioral style they will now be more likely to adopt themselves. Unnecessary secrecy is a destructive influence in the work environment. Of course, personal issues should not be discussed openly, but most other demands for confidentiality are quests for personal leverage. Longing for the power they believe secret information confers, conspirator’s horde secrets, hoping just to get ahead. These people particularly covet a special relationship with the boss that's based on shared secrets. Often outsiders are hesitated to share the workplace secrets, they believe sharing secrets might give them loss, for that they alienate themselves. Suspicious pomposity does not develop an optimistic working environment. One-on-one meetings must be decreased. Lobbyists chosen by the team should choose from the rising issues and the team members can inform each other about the decision or the leader can inform. When individuals bring in complaints about their colleagues, interrupt them to ask whether they've discussed their concerns with their colleagues already (Salanova, 1223-1227, 2005). If not, insist that they do so. The entire team should be aware of the fact that back biting is not acceptable. Everyone will settle down during this time, it will stop behind-the-scenes game-playing, and the enriching anticipations of sincerity will create to compensate quantifiable bonuses. Leaders who favor certain colleagues create a loss-loss situation for themselves and everyone else. Those perceived to be out of favor will meander about the organization, sullenly resentful that nothing they do will ever please the boss (Bass, 26-30, 1985). Those currently in favor will feel betrayed and turn vindictive when their special status is lost. All of those struggling in a work environment tainted by favoritism have lost the opportunity to receive the support and encouragement they deserve based on their accomplishments. Favoritism is a crime against nurture (Purvanova 1-22, 2006). Focus on two goals in this regard-avoiding favoritism and the perception that you're showing favoritism. Identify your stars. Don't grant them any special favors. This will be easy. They won't expect any. Avoiding the appearance of favoritism is more difficult. Pay attention to the suck-ups who spend time in your office. You might dread to see them coming, but everyone else assumes they're in there cutting special deals (Bass, 26-30, 1985). Be aware that when you see colleagues socially outside the work environment, a special relationship is widely taken for granted-both by the participants and spectators. While the most insecure people on your team are the most likely to suspect favoritism and to misinterpret your actions in that light, the truth is that favoritism is often a negative reality in the workplace. The paradigm move is vital for the execution of an efficient management procedure, usually hard for a subordinate to apply. An organisation must discard the frequently conventional performance of coming up unless somebody divides from the organisation earlier than satisfying an administrative or leadership position. Practical plans ought to put into practice to draw and keep feasible leaders right from the beginning and go on to develop and expand abilities right through their professions. This will permit the leadership from one urban leader to a new one to take place with no audible defeat of leadership to the organisation. Basically, leadership preparation is broadly a leadership building method. (Ostroff, 2000, 211-266). Leaders must tactically poise near-term leadership anxieties with long-standing tactical priority. A good workplace strategy assists planning out leadership plans and possessions obligatory to attain its objectives. When leaders apply their leadership arrangement tactically they often watch and study from inner results and outer statistics on contestants and the workplace environment to watch if the strategy is succeeding. By last leaders select the defective element of diagram which is unsuccessful and reconsider the innovative one. Evaluating the activity-based statements with firm’s existing workplace plan demonstrates ups and downs of the workplace and provincial position which each workplace should take when outline a leadership strategy (Ostroff, 2000, 211-266). Get the chances to use subordinates abilities, and support new team members to entitle on their co-workers for assistance as a substitute to make them do everything on their own. Dismiss complaints that colleagues are not well rounded with the explanation that "That's what teams are for." Promote specialization (Allan, 103, 2002). A high-functioning team of specialists will outperform a bunch of generalists every day of the week. We all say we want to work in a positive environment, and we all agree that negative work environments are altogether too common. Why is that? It's the leaders. Leaders set the tone. If the work environment is miserable, the organization's leaders are to blame. These leaders are not necessarily bad people. They may presently be mistaken, inexpert, nervous, or unaware. Sometimes, a few leaders are awful controlling, unfair, humiliating, and lying. However the leaders of a negative workplace arc useless or wicked the unhelpful surrounding is of course their blunder (Joinson, 2008 82). The excellent information is that strong-minded leaders can do amazing work for negative workplaces. Revolution starts with purpose and is continued from side to side perseverance and individual obligations. Honesty and openness must become the order of the day. Positive workplace always takes efforts. Positive leaders construct them, encourage them, and maintain their workplaces all the time (Allan, 103, 2002). Leaders must tactically poise short-term leadership anxieties with long-term tactical priority. A suitable deliberate preparation helps crafting out leadership tactics and possessions necessary to attain its objectives. (Joinson, 2008 82). Culture systems are both ineffective and inefficient. These performance cultures are unsuccessful for they do not calculate performance, mainly due to the failure of system factors which report leading changes within an organization. The cultural inefficiency grinds down interpersonal relationships, collaboration, inspiration and enthusiasm. organizations which undertake performance cultures fail to recognize that motivation comes within the individual - it is not externally implanted. Leaders can promote internal inspiration and a favorable environment. This type of workplace is described by constant; unfasten mutual communication between leaders and subordinates which lights on upcoming accomplishments instead of past collapse. Employees want to distinguish themselves that they are believed, that their efforts are significant for their company, and that suggestion is noticed. With this in mind, it becomes clear that there is no room for performance cultures in today's modern, internal control oriented organization. Manager should recognise the organisational problems either internal or external. A value centered strategy is to bring changes in thoughts and feelings of organisation’s workers. Practice of this approach in firms should be included. Change in technological terms is also very important for a successful change policy. Coordination and control change should also be brought for firm’s growth. References Allan, Peter. "The contingent workforce: Challenges and new directions." American Business Review 2(2002):103 Barney, J. (1995) ‘Resource Based Theory’. In Nicholson, N. (ed.) Encyclopedic Dictionary of Organisational Behaviour. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishers, pp. 485–6. Bass, B. M. 1985. Leadership: Good, better, best. Organizational Dynamics 13 (3): 26-30. Becker, B.E. and Huselid, M.A. (1998) ‘High Performance Work Systems and Firm Performance: A Synthesis of Research and Managerial Implications’. In Ferris, G.R. (ed.) 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Klein & S. W. Kozlowski (Eds.), Multilevel theory, research and methods in organizations (pp. 211-266). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Pernick, Robert. "Creating a leadership development program: Nine essential tasks." Public Personnel Management 4(2001):429 Purvanova, R. K., Bono, J. E., & Dzieweczynski, J. (2006). Transformational leadership, job characteristics, and organizational citizenship performance. Human Performance, 19, 1-22. Salanova, M., Agut, S., & Peiro, M. (2005). Linking organizational resources and work engagement to employee performance and customer loyalty: The mediation of service climate. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90, 1217-1227. Wright, C & Australian Centre for Industrial Relations Research and Teaching (2004). Incentive Payment Systems in Australia, Department of Industrial Relations. Industrial Relations Research Series, 9, April. 6254.0. Canberra Australia Read More