As a leader, it would be significant to consider the organization’s culture as the values, beliefs, and norms entrenched in culture affect the leadership behavior and strategies. Cultural norms within an organization can be fascinating and lead to good and bad consequences. For instance, individuals within the company observing negative behaviors may justify such negative actions and practices (Northouse, 1999). These negative behaviors may spread and worsen, leading to wrangles in the organization as a leader’s culture is one of the external variations which must be considered. This area would need personal reflection related to cultural heritage and influences. Thus, as a leader, it would be necessary to incorporate culture into the leadership strategy as leadership involves leaders self -acceptance.
Leadership has been undergoing various transformational changes meant to improve leadership styles. In most instances, the leadership has two major leadership styles: transformational and transactional. The transformational leadership style focuses on the leaders encouraging, motivating, and instigating employees to be innovative and create change that will help grow and shape the organization’s future success. This style needs the leader to be a role model to employees to encourage them to work hard (Bass & Riggio, 2006). The style finds a solution to old problems and is future-oriented. This style provides mentoring and coaching, focuses on authentic communication, and fosters motivation.
On the other hand, in a transactional leader type of leadership, the followers intend to exchange one thing for another, for instance, jobs for votes or subsidies. These transactions involve the bulk of the relationship among relationships, are concerned with the give and take economic model concerned with the development of the individual, and identify and glances for potential motives in followers, seeking to satisfy higher needs and engages the individuals. Transactional leadership majors on the role of management, organization, and team performance. Leaders who use this style of leadership focus on various projects and take and use rewards and punishments to motivate the followers. With punishments and gifts, the followers can be motivated quickly. This type of leadership style is used during crises and emergencies, and projects that need to be carried out in a certain way. This leadership creates an efficient and constructive relationship between leaders and followers. Therefore as a leader, transformational leadership for long-term achievements should be adopted to be a role model and coach mentor, and transform other employees into becoming better in the organization for success.
Additionally, as a leadership philosophy, all employees should be provided with an equal opportunity in promotion based on their academic qualification, achievement in the organization, and motivation. Biasness in the leadership based on ethnicity, gender, age, and race should not be the basis of promotion or receiving wards or punishment (Northouse, 1999). Biased leadership leads to battles and fights within the organization as most deserving people are denied opportunities in a particular position. For instance, most female employees are denied the right to reach certain levels of leadership as they are claimed to have reached the ceiling. Depending on their skills, education, and contribution to the organization, a steward leader needs to involve all the employees in the promotion, rewards, and punishment without bias.
Moreover, leadership should entail involving the employees in decision-making. The employees should be involved in decision-making to assist and be aware of their roles in achieving the organizational goals. The involvement of employees in decision-making fosters their engagement as they develop trust and feel valued by the company. This would promote handwork among the employees, which can lead to the organization’s success. Engaging the employees helps the employees be more responsible about their work and push themselves to find better results. It would also help enhance innovation and invention of new ideas to help tackles problems in the workplace. It would be necessary for a leader to be democratic to capitalize on their talents and strengths while benefiting the company. In involving the employees, it would be easy to understand the strength and weaknesses of each employee; this would help identify the best area for the employees to work on. Working on areas where they are best talented and have strength would improve their performance, which would have a significant impact on the organization, leading to more growth and development.
Adapting a democratic leadership style would promote teamwork through engagement and participation. In this style, the performances of each worker are rewarded and honored, which promotes (Bhatti et al., 2012). Through teamwork, it is significant because it allows the employees to share ideas and responsibilities, which helps to reduce stress to individual employees. This makes the employees more thorough and conscientious when completing their tasks. This would help them to achieve their individualistic goals. Moreover, democratic leadership, which fosters teamwork, increases the accountability of every member of the team as the employees feel they should be accountable to each other and tend to be highly honest due to observation. Teamwork promotes learning among the employees; the employees will learn new skills from their colleagues and use them towards the company’s development.
Also, as a leader, it would be significant to conduct regular communication with the employees as this would boost unity and remind them of their responsibilities and roles in the organization. The communication with the employees should be formal and specific; this would ensure the proper flow of information in the workplace. As a leader, it would be significant to inform the workers to be aligned with the business goals and objectives. This fosters production among the workers and promotes handwork as workers will be reminded of their roles in the organization, which should be aligned with the organization (Covelli & Mason, 2017). As a leader, communicating regularly with the employees would be of great significance since it will help address any issues arising from work. Through communication, either written or oral, a leader can delegate duties. The duties should be assigned by the employee’s talents, strengths, and skills. Entrusting employees in various sectors require high skills in evaluating the learners’ skills and competency; as a leader, it would be significant to understand each employee’s strengths and weaknesses to delegate duties effectively.
Additionally, influence in leadership is paramount; this entails the motivation and the inspiration a leader provides to the other employees. A leader should be a good role model and ensure that his actions and work are within the organizational culture and structure. When leaders act as per the organizational constitution, they promote the same culture among the other junior workers. Thus, a leader should be work-oriented, work hard, and be a team player. These attributes should be imitated by the other junior workers, which would help achieve the organization’s mission.
Finally, decision-making skills should be practical and according to the organization’s constitutions and vision as a leader. It would be significant to assess a situation and determine how the organization should proceed as a leader. Thus, as a leader, it would first be essential to identify critical factors that would affect a decision (Waldman et al., 2019). Also, it would be significant to evaluate the available options and establish the organization’s priorities. Thirdly, it would be significant to anticipate outcomes, see rational consequences, and effectively navigate risk and uncertainty. Finally, it would be effective to reason well in a context requiring quantitative analyses before arriving at a decision.
References
Bass, B. M., & Riggio, R. E. (2006). Transformational leadership. Psychology Press.
Bhatti, N., Maitlo, G. M., Shaikh, N., Hashmi, M. A., & Shaikh, F. M. (2012). The impact of autocratic and democratic leadership style on job satisfaction. International business research, 5(2), 192.
Covelli, B. J., & Mason, I. (2017). Linking theory to practice: Authentic leadership. Academy of Strategic Management Journal, 16(3), 1-10.
Northouse, P. G. (1999). Leadership: Theory and practice (p. xxiii). E-Content Generic Vendor.
Waldman, D. A., Putnam, L. L., Miron-Spektor, E., & Siegel, D. (2019). The role of paradox theory in decision making and management research. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 155, 1-6.
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