Understand The Qualities And Traits Of A Good Leader (Research Paper Sample)

Organizational Behavior
Students Name
University
Organizational Behavior
Summary
The purpose of this report is making people understand the qualities and traits of a good leader. There is a traditional wisdom that states that management and leadership go hand in hand, and that every manager is in fact a good leader. In this report several paradoxes and fallacies in literature will be examined and an unusual literature source will be used to provide information on leadership traits.
Table of Contents
Summary2
Table of Content3
1. Introduction5
2. Influence of Leaders on the Performance5
* Behavior Modeling6
* Employee Recognition6
* Constructive Feedback6
* Informal Meetings7
* Performance Reviews7
3. How Leaders Can Help Others Thrive7
* Restrain the Urge to have all Answers8
* Give Employees a Chance to Understand Each Other's Work8
* Reward Risk-Taking9
4. Leadership Traits that Empower others to Implement the Leader's Vision9
* Understanding9
* Fairness9
* Polite9
5. Models and Frameworks for Effective Leadership in a Professional Environment10
* Personal/Trait Theory Leadership10
* Situational/Team Leadership10
* Power/Political Leadership11
6. Chart Strategies that Lead Company to Lucrative Change Efforts11
7. Conclusion12
8. Reference13
1 Introduction
What does the word leader mean? Is it a title such as Commander, chairman, President etc.? According to the interviews I conducted my understanding was that a leader is more than just a title. The titles are important no objections about that, but they do not have much value when it comes to true leadership. True leadership cannot be awarded, appointed or assigned and that makes it priceless. However, many people do not really understand the meaning of leadership. When looking back to history there have been great leaders who did not hold high ranks (Moyles, 2006). For instance, Martin Luther King, Jr. leadership comes from influence and people have to earn it. Having to lead a mass of people requires more than just the name “manager”. However, in terms of management it is true that most of the individuals who are awarded, assigned or appointed leadership positions have a key role in the society, and if true leadership is not in them, then at least some effort is required to create their leadership skills or else the team they are leading will be doomed (Kets, & Korotov, 2011). However, after conducting several interviews I gathered some information that can be used by leaders in any organization. Below is a report on the qualities and skills managers should consider implementing if they are to be good leaders.
2 Influence of Leaders on the Performance
The most important aspect in a working environment is having an understanding relationship between the manager and the employees. There are various ways in which managers can determine the performance of a company such as behavior modeling, performance reviews, constructive feedback, among other methods which will be further discussed on this report. However, these techniques are bound to fail if the manager does not try to find his employees motivations. Managers who are focused on controlling and commanding their employees are likely to inspire low loyalty and productivity than those who give the employees a certain degree of autonomy.
* Behavior Modeling
Though it may not be intentional managers', end up influencing the people who work under them. However, companies do not change for the better, unless the behaviors are modeled morally upright, trust and inclusion of the workers, an analysis by (Northouse, 2004). The moment these values take hold, workers feel motivated to act when they see them being compromised. Leaders who create this atmosphere influence greater loyalty and trust, and also prove that ego conflicts will not boost performance and morale.
* Employee Recognition
Being recognized for having archived something is important to employees as camaraderie and equity. Through interviewing several qualified managers, it was clear that, smart managers stay accustomed to these feelings and give a point of recognizing an employee's contribution, instead of criticizing them. Employees who feel appreciated have a higher chance of performing better than those who get once in an occasion compliment (Moyles, 2006).
* Constructive Feedback
People do not have the same intellect and therefore they may not all progress at the same rate. As a result I learned that giving them a constructive feedback may help in leveling the field and improving their performance. This process requires evaluating why an employee is not meeting expectation, how they can be helped and working to coming up with a solution (Northouse, 2004). However, when dealing with negative areas, it is advisable to teach improvement suggestions using positive terms.
* Informal Meetings
Without feedbacks from employees from time to time, it is next to impossible to determine the type of performance that one expects. To avoid this uncertainty, the manager should set regular meetings with the employees if possible outside the working area (Moyles, 2006). For example they can organize a meeting over lunch to reduce the tension of manager to employee. However, some topics may be hard to bring up but by doing so the employees will appreciate the effort and therefore strengthening their trust in their leader.
* Performance Reviews
Performance reviews provide ongoing freedom to measure employee's developments within a company. The review can be done twice every year to avoid repetition. The evaluation progress and requirements for improvement should be indicated in clear measurable conditions (Moyles, 2006) so that the workers can know their strengths and weaknesses. The manager is supposed to come up with a report on all the changes they may need the employees to make. This move reduces feelings of preservation, while allowing the manager to identify areas that need to be worked on.
3 How Leaders Can Help Others Thrive
When responding to my question on how leaders can be influence people, Mrs. Margaret Luther, President of Luther companies, said, as a leader one should be in a position to see beyond their greed. Therefore, leaders should be selfless and always ready to make sure that their employees are doing okay in terms of work and any other agenda that may come up. In this report, I will give various ways on which leaders can help their team to thrive in this world of increasing complexity. Below are some of points I gathered through the interview and can be used by leaders to help their team thrive.
* Restrain the Urge to have all Answers
As a leader avoid making your team feel as if it does not matter. Therefore, when asking questions ask them in such a way that the employees will feel as if you care about what they have to say. Additionally, do not ask straight questions instead encourage self-reflection and critical thinking. For example, instead of asking “why do you not try this?” ask: “what method do you think might work best?” this gives the employees confidence when thinking of how a certain problem can be solved. Additionally, it increases self-reliability and minimize dependency.
* Give Employees a Chance to Understand Each Other's Work
This move goes beyond job ranks, functional metrics and mission statements. In a company people need to understand each other's responsibilities, pressure, challenges, goals and other factors. However, this can be hard since it is not easy to monitor all employees at the same time, but still there are a few ways that can be used to archive this act. For example, the manager can pair up employees into to two starting with the people who know nothing about each other's responsibilities. Additionally, introduce team meetings for the paired workers and let them come up with a report of what happens in the meeting.
* Reward Risk-Taking
In any business people are encouraged to take risks and see how it goes. Therefore, managers should encourage their team to take chances and make strong decisions, with reasons. As a leader come up with parameters for your employees that will guide them on taking risks especially the ones they have to take individually. For example, your team leaders may want to organize a group of stakeholders to discuss pressing issues, but they the need the manager's support for the meeting to be a success.
4 Leadership Traits that Empower others to Implement the Leader's Vision
* Understanding: Good bosses lead by example something most bosses do not do. Therefore, before the boss gets the chance to complain that a particular task was not done perfectly, they should at least do it and let their employees follow.
* Fairness: As a leader one should be in a position to see right where there is bad. For instance, if the company is facing a financial crisis the leader should be the one to comfort his team...