Why Should Anyone Be Led by You? Leadership Essay Sample

Leadership is one of the intimate topics that have attracted the attention of managers across the world. Leadership enables an organization to fulfil its short-term and long-term goals since the person in the top position successfully manages the human resource of a firm and maintains his or her commitment towards the company goals. Leaders must be intrinsically motivated so that they can have the internal drive and energy to manage the employees and other resources in the workplace (Goffee & Jones, 2000). Developing a strategic direction that an organization will follow ensures that it is within the plan. A leader must also stamp his or her authority at the organization but remain approachable so that employees can confide in him or her. In addition to the authority, inspirational leaders should be selective on the weaknesses they portray to the public and should depend on their intuition and consciousness to access a situation before making a decision. Leadership is a strategic approach to management that outlines the plan an organization should be led and achieve its objectives being led by an individual that has the firm's best interests and can interact with the human resource professionally and compassionately.

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Lessons from the Authors

Goffee & Jones (2000), the authors of Why should anyone be led by you? have distinct lessons they intend readers to understand the concept of leadership in organizations. The act of leadership is simple, yet demanding since leaders are expected to possess specific qualities that set them apart from ordinary followers. Some of the qualities include management of followers in a realistic approach, revealing through actions what differentiates them from other leaders, using their critical and creative thinking skills to access a situation, and then relying on their intuition to know when to act or refrain, and lastly, the leaders are keen to ensure their followers know their weaknesses (Goffee & Jones, 2000). The authors emphasize that when leaders show their weaknesses, they assure the employees that they are human beings as well and are bound to make mistakes. Further, this character of leaders encourages followers to approach their managers with ease, with the hope that they will be given a chance to express themselves. The idea that no perfect leader exists in any leadership position ensures that followers are pardoned if they make mistakes since the leader also understands that employees are human beings as well.

The authors also want the readers to understand that as a leader, one should rely on their instincts. Instincts can be defined as sensors that detect whether something is right or wrong (Goffee & Jones, 2000). It is also the ability to project and understand patterns and changes that may occur in the economy, and coming up with a strategy that protects the organization against negative eventualities. Sensing should be sensible and regulated by a leader who has mastered the art and skill of detecting problems from afar. In addition to the sensing ability, a leader should show compassion to the followers. However, the display should be tough and have boundaries so that employees can maintain the respect they accord their leader.

Leadership Role in Strategic Management

Leaders play a pivotal role in the organization as they enable a firm to achieve its short-term and long-term goals, by developing a strategic plan to follow (Goffee & Jones, 2000). Leaders initiate change in the organization and work with a team of employees that are committed towards the goals of the firm. Leaders communicate with the followers on the strategic goals that an organization needs to attain at the end of each period. The communication responsibility of leadership ensures that every member of the team is aware of what is expected of them and the available resources they can use to perform their duties. Communication triggers action since every team member is aware of the set goals and processes to follow in the workplace to achieve both short-term and long-term goals. Communication from a leader encourages followers that information can either flow downwards and upwards. Upward communication happens when the juniors initiate a conversation with their seniors, while downward communication takes place when management passes information to their employees.

Leaders are responsible for the delegation of duties and monitoring of progress of all projects. After communicating to all employees on the duties they should fulfil so that they can collectively contribute to the goal, a leader has a responsibility of monitoring the progress (Goffee & Jones, 2000). A leader that dares to be different and is actively involved in the performance of duties understands the challenges the employees might face but also encourages them to remain committed. On the other hand, leaders that refrain from taking a participatory approach when employees are performing their duties expects a timely and updated report on the progress that staffs have done on a project. This ensures that a leader is aware of any internal and external limitations that may limit employees from attaining their goals.

Lessons that can be used to Influence Others to follow a Personal Strategic Vision

One of the lessons learned from Goffee & Jones' (2000) article is that for one to successfully influence others as a leader, he or she should understand who they are as a person, by understanding their strengths and weaknesses. One of the strengths can be something unique and outstanding about themselves. The unique trait or strength can then be used to develop a strategy to remain relevant and influential in the workplace (Goffee & Jones, 2000). For instance, a leader can capitalize on his or her mode of dressing or a hairstyle which then becomes a signature and way that he or she is differentiated from others. Consistency and regularity in the dressing or hairstyle become a unique selling point since colleagues and employees can describe a leader with their signature. Once a leader understands what sets them apart from the rest, he or she has a responsibility of communicating that with the followers.

Role of Leadership for a Manager

Leadership plays the role of shaping and molding a manager into an individual that can handle workplace duties, and manage the human resource factor in an organization. A manager has a responsibility of making decisions on behalf of the organization, and as a leader, he or she should be in a position to evaluate the workplace by understanding the strengths and weakness, then using the available resources to develop a strategy. The strategy should outline the transformation a manager will bring to an organization, as well as the improvements that will take place both in the short-term and in the long-term.

Leadership enables a manager to develop a quality thinking process that enables him or her to project and oversee the future, after considering the past patterns. A leader who foresees can speculate when danger is about to happen and makes urgent decisions that prevent loss in an organization. For instance, since leaders are knowledgeable and are expected to develop strategic plans, managers are motivated to be on the lookout for new information that can help them improve their skills and knowledge. Reading different topics enable leaders to understand different approaches that other influential people embrace to provide solutions to challenges. A manager that has mastered the thinking process finds it easy to come up with creative and critical ideas when faced with a challenge. As a leader, managers are aware that they influence their juniors with their character and actions directly and indirectly, and should, therefore, be keen on how they act and communicate with them.

Conclusion

Leadership is a responsibility that requires leaders to possess specific qualities so that they can succeed in their responsibilities. A skilled and inspirational leader identifies his or her weaknesses and strengths as well as the unique selling point and uses them to their advantage. A leader who adopts a tough but empathetic approach when interacting with employees assures them that he or she is a person who understands the challenges that staffs face in the workplace. Nevertheless, leaders should remain firm in their authority so that they can still command respect from their juniors, but be approachable in that followers can confide in them. Leaders that can sense rely on their strong instincts to interpret the external patterns in the world that can affect their organization, and are keen to make changes accordingly and reduce the negative effect.

References

Goffee, R., & Jones, G. (2000). Why should anyone be led by you?. Communication, Relationships and Care, 354.