Leadership is the ability of an individual to lead or guide other individuals, groups or the organization as a whole to achieve a common goal. Leadership involves establishing a clear vision, sharing that vision with others, providing knowledge and methods to realize the vision and coordinating and balancing the conflicting interests of the team members. The five practices of exemplary leadership as suggested by research are:
Model the way: A leader should be able to find the voice by clarifying personal values and set examples by aligning action with the shared values. Modelling the way simply means leading by examples and matching behavior to words. In the words of Albert Schweitzer, “Example is not the main thing in influencing others, it is the only thing.” Leaders should be the change they want to create. It is the actions, not the title that makes someone a leader. Leaders need to demonstrate the attitude and competencies they want others to adopt. For example, if a leader in an organization wants his team members to accept their mistakes and rectify them, at first he should be able to admit his own mistake among the team members and discuss with them regarding the rectification. Likewise, if a leader wants everyone in the team to check in by 9 in the morning, he should also be there at 9.
Inspire a shared vision : Leader should be capable of envisioning the future by imagining future possibilities and enlisting others in a common vision by appealing to the shared aspirations. A leader should believe in the ability of team members to make a difference and create picture of the future that people want to be a part of. They can draw the vision out of the people they lead but they are responsible for identifying, clarifying and communicating that vision to everyone in the team. Leaders cannot simply command commitment from the people, they can only inspire. When there is genuine vision, people excel and learn not because they are told to do but they want to. For example I chose to be a part of Teach for Nepal because like others in the movement, I also want to contribute to its vision of “One day all children in Nepal will attain an excellent education.
Challenge the process : Leaders are the supporters and adopters of innovation. They search for opportunities by seeking innovative ways to change, grow and improve. Leaders always challenge the conventional thoughts, best practices and dominant logic because they believe anything can be improved, everything can be reimagined and many things can be eliminated. Leaders love challenges that gives them the opportunities to test their own skills and knowledge and also bring challenges to people (Garity, 2011). Leaders need to challenge the foundation, destination, promise, model, information, organization, culture, talent, complex and themselves depending on the time and situation (Myatt, 2013). They feel safe to experiment, take healthy risks and see mistakes and challenges as a way to learn. For example, medical care was limited only to the hospitals and clinics. Few years back, no one has thought that they could get the similar medical facilities as in hospital at their own home. These days a lot of people are into home care business because they are challenging the process of traditional health care.
Enable others to act : Good leaders always support the decisions made by the people and give freedom to work on their own (Garity, 2011). Instead of making themselves as the power center, exemplary leaders strengthen others by sharing power. They foster collaboration and cooperation. The leaders believe that teamwork, trust and empowerment make people strong and capable that will eventually lead to better performance. To be exemplary, leaders need to acquire the understanding, skills and experience to increase self-determination and develop competence of the team members. The team members will be more focused and in charge of the work if given autonomy. In the organization I am currently working in, everyone knows what is expected out of them but they are never told how they are supposed to act. Each one of us has the freedom to work in the way we think is the best to achieve the targets set for us.
Encourage the heart : This is the soft side of leadership. In order to lead people, we have to care about them. To be a good leader, one should recognize contributions by showing appreciation for individual excellence and celebrate the values and victories by creating a spirit of community. The practices for encouraging the heart includes: setting clear standards, expecting the best, paying attention, personalizing recognition, telling the story, celebrating together and setting the examples (Kouzes & Posner, 1999). Encouraging the heart helps to sustain the team spirit. For example, a simple gesture of appreciating an employee who have performed exceptionally well during certain time period in front of every employees will motivate him to work even better in days to come. Promoting the high performing staff also comes under encouraging the heart. Sometimes the simple words like well done, we are proud of you can do wonders and enhance the performance of the team members.
Leadership is Relationship
Leadership is relationship as it involves dealing with people. It is the relationship between those who aspire to lead and those who choose to follow. It can be one to one or one to many.
There is no leader without followers. The trust and confidence between the leaders and followers is the lifeline of team. Building and maintaining relationship with everyone in the organization at every level is the essence of leadership. A good leader will spend time with his followers and try to build meaningful connections with them so that he can lead the team towards the shared vision. The kind of bond shared between leader and followers affect the performance to a great extent.
References
Garity, T. C. (2011). Correlation Between Leadership Practices of Transformational Teachers and Administrators of a Large Suburban Newly Established High School. Lincoln Memorial University.
Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. (1999). Encouraging the Heart.
Myatt, M. (2013, March 7). 10 Things Every Leader Should Challenge .
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Leadership is the ability of an individual to lead or guide other individuals, groups or the organization as a whole to achieve a common goal. Leadership involves establishing a clear vision, sharing that vision with others, providing knowledge and methods to realize the vision and coordinating and balancing the conflicting interests of the team members. The five practices of exemplary leadership as suggested by research are:
Model the way: A leader should be able to find the voice by clarifying personal values and set examples by aligning action with the shared values. Modelling the way simply means leading by examples and matching behavior to words. In the words of Albert Schweitzer, “Example is not the main thing in influencing others, it is the only thing.” Leaders should be the change they want to create. It is the actions, not the title that makes someone a leader. Leaders need to demonstrate the attitude and competencies they want others to adopt. For example, if a leader in an organization wants his team members to accept their mistakes and rectify them, at first he should be able to admit his own mistake among the team members and discuss with them regarding the rectification. Likewise, if a leader wants everyone in the team to check in by 9 in the morning, he should also be there at 9.
Inspire a shared vision : Leader should be capable of envisioning the future by imagining future possibilities and enlisting others in a common vision by appealing to the shared aspirations. A leader should believe in the ability of team members to make a difference and create picture of the future that people want to be a part of. They can draw the vision out of the people they lead but they are responsible for identifying, clarifying and communicating that vision to everyone in the team. Leaders cannot simply command commitment from the people, they can only inspire. When there is genuine vision, people excel and learn not because they are told to do but they want to. For example I chose to be a part of Teach for Nepal because like others in the movement, I also want to contribute to its vision of “One day all children in Nepal will attain an excellent education.
Challenge the process : Leaders are the supporters and adopters of innovation. They search for opportunities by seeking innovative ways to change, grow and improve. Leaders always challenge the conventional thoughts, best practices and dominant logic because they believe anything can be improved, everything can be reimagined and many things can be eliminated. Leaders love challenges that gives them the opportunities to test their own skills and knowledge and also bring challenges to people (Garity, 2011). Leaders need to challenge the foundation, destination, promise, model, information, organization, culture, talent, complex and themselves depending on the time and situation (Myatt, 2013). They feel safe to experiment, take healthy risks and see mistakes and challenges as a way to learn. For example, medical care was limited only to the hospitals and clinics. Few years back, no one has thought that they could get the similar medical facilities as in hospital at their own home. These days a lot of people are into home care business because they are challenging the process of traditional health care.
Enable others to act : Good leaders always support the decisions made by the people and give freedom to work on their own (Garity, 2011). Instead of making themselves as the power center, exemplary leaders strengthen others by sharing power. They foster collaboration and cooperation. The leaders believe that teamwork, trust and empowerment make people strong and capable that will eventually lead to better performance. To be exemplary, leaders need to acquire the understanding, skills and experience to increase self-determination and develop competence of the team members. The team members will be more focused and in charge of the work if given autonomy. In the organization I am currently working in, everyone knows what is expected out of them but they are never told how they are supposed to act. Each one of us has the freedom to work in the way we think is the best to achieve the targets set for us.
Encourage the heart : This is the soft side of leadership. In order to lead people, we have to care about them. To be a good leader, one should recognize contributions by showing appreciation for individual excellence and celebrate the values and victories by creating a spirit of community. The practices for encouraging the heart includes: setting clear standards, expecting the best, paying attention, personalizing recognition, telling the story, celebrating together and setting the examples (Kouzes & Posner, 1999). Encouraging the heart helps to sustain the team spirit. For example, a simple gesture of appreciating an employee who have performed exceptionally well during certain time period in front of every employees will motivate him to work even better in days to come. Promoting the high performing staff also comes under encouraging the heart. Sometimes the simple words like well done, we are proud of you can do wonders and enhance the performance of the team members.
Leadership is Relationship
Leadership is relationship as it involves dealing with people. It is the relationship between those who aspire to lead and those who choose to follow. It can be one to one or one to many.
There is no leader without followers. The trust and confidence between the leaders and followers is the lifeline of team. Building and maintaining relationship with everyone in the organization at every level is the essence of leadership. A good leader will spend time with his followers and try to build meaningful connections with them so that he can lead the team towards the shared vision. The kind of bond shared between leader and followers affect the performance to a great extent.
References
Garity, T. C. (2011). Correlation Between Leadership Practices of Transformational Teachers and Administrators of a Large Suburban Newly Established High School. Lincoln Memorial University.
Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. (1999). Encouraging the Heart.
Myatt, M. (2013, March 7). 10 Things Every Leader Should Challenge .