Future of Leadership (Research Paper Sample)

What is the Future of Leadership? Name of the student Institution affiliation What is the Future of Leadership? The art of leadership has evolved over the years, making the institution more competitive than ever before. In retrospect, many challenges have come with this revolution, many leaders having the responsibility to determine courses of action at critical moments. Amidst the challenges, there has been an increasing need to assess leadership in the context of sustainability in order to determine how present models, values and principles may contribute to the leadership in the future. Owing to the fact that good leadership liberates the society from many challenges and introduces paths of success, it would be important to determine how leadership will be shaped for the future. Requisite values in leadership relevant in the future Marching into the future of leadership requires an understanding of the critical values that are expected from the modern leaders. As vital pace setters and the vision holders of the society, the leadership is supposed to have key qualities that shape the institution of leadership in the modern day. Besides being approachable, leaders are expected to exhibit traits of fairness and the ability to listen and discern between various opposing perspectives (Morrison & McMullan, 2013, p. 3). They tend to show traits of honesty and impartiality as the route to making rational decisions and those that are in touch with their subjects. Conversely, leaders are expected to portray good understanding of the professional codes and competence of the work that they are involved. They should portray a good mastery of skills as well as listening capabilities that are required to be able to source information on issues facing the people or the employees (Morrison & McMullan, 2013, p. 3). Good leaders spread positive influence in their places of work and take care of issues that affect the people or teams in the workplace. In addition, good leaders are advocates of the people or their professions. They are able to encourage the people towards the achievement of a certain goal and are able to communicate with the people in order to put across the vision. As we forge into the future, leaders are required to exhibit clear purposes as the routes towards influence on the teams and acceptance of the policies they formulate (Morrison & McMullan, 2013, p. 4). Lastly, leaders of the future require having a vision for teams and the courage to pursue them without relenting or getting subdued by challenges (Bennis, & Spreitzer, 2001, p. 83). Depending on the way that the leader influences the people, it would be plausible to state that he drives their motivation, direction as well as adherence to the vision and goals of the organization. Emerging trends that shape future leaders Identity formation The common ideas that focus on the supremacy of the leaders or the powers bestowed on them are increasingly changing. In this respect, the leadership is analyzed in the context of identities, with the basic dictum that the trend of leadership shapes organizations or teams into a form of identity (Karp & Helgo, 2008, p. 32). In perspective, actions take place in a group depending on the shaping of their behavior, which narrows to the identity that has been cultured over time. Leaders have the capability to control the trends of communication that leads to the formation of relationships (Bennis, & Spreitzer, 2001, p. 91). It would be interesting to note that the trends of communication define a relationship structure that slowly defines the identity of the group. In this new identity, the contributions of the leader are enormous and it would be plausible to assume that the leader shapes and is shaped by the team that he leads (Karp & Helgo, 2008, p. 33). The role of the leader is great and this complex trend will continue to define the trend of communications and identity in the future. Dynamicity of leadership and identity formation It would be easy to understand that the discipline of leadership is not static, rather; it evolves depending on the changing needs and demands of the society (Riggio, 2003, p. 68). In the future, this discipline will be viewed from the context of a changing society; one driven by demands of better identities and performance. In this respect, the modern views of an institution of static traits called leadership are bound to change, and depart from the tendencies that seek to embody the qualities of leadership in individual persons (Karp & Helgo, 2008, p. 33). It then emerges that the role of leadership will be formulating courses of action, and pursuing those that show where the organization should face at a given time in accordance with the needs of the society at the designated instant. The changing views on the origins of leadership capability Most literature has continued debates on the emergence of leadership qualities and mainly the main foundations on which leadership thrives. It would be important to note that the future of leadership will be focused on the identities that are witnessed in the cumulative experiences of a leader, as opposed to the characteristics that a leader portrays (Karp & Helgo, 2008, p. 34). This subject is mainly analyzed in the context of whether leaders are born with their characters or are formed by the experiences they face and the skills they face as they tackle the challenges that face modern organizations. In this context, the future leadership will tend to rely more on dynamic tendencies that are the results of the identity of the organizations or leader, as opposed to static traits that have been inculcated into the individual by nature (Riggio, 2003, p. 49). The concept of relationships in future leadership It is important to note that the future leadership will thrive on the formation of relationships, a two-way process that involves the interlink between the leaders and their followers (Earley, Weibling, Bubb, & Glenn, 2009, p. 305). This dictum lies within the rubric that human beings form and develop certain patterns of behavior when they are together or in the same environment (Karp & Helgo, 2008, p. 34). The human brain in hence analyzed in the context of a social organ, developing into patterns that are shaped by the course of the society. The concept of relationships is analyzed mainly in the contexts of cognitive, dynamic and social perspectives, being the results of research and studies that have been developed into the concept of leadership and external influence. As a key to developing the best trends in future leadership, there is a need for emotional intelligence, a trait that would dictate the success of both personal and professional success (Riggio, 2003, p. 45). In this perspective, having the ability to influence positive relationships will be critical to the future of leadership, majorly prescribing the routes that organizations will take and their performance. Future leadership in the psychological perspective The leader in the future should handle to handle the trends and of the psychological processes of workers and be able to manipulate the different tools that enhance positive coordination, participation and reasoning in the workplace. Such tools are given in the context of motivation, having the ability to communicate, building teams as well as the interlink of cultures in the workplace (Karp & Helgo, 2008, p. 34). It would be important to note that the trends of behavior emerge within teams of employees as a result of proper modes of communication and their motivation. Using the tools of psychological influence that guide the feelings, reactions and emotions of teams, the future leaders will be in a better position to determine the responses of people, and formulate initiatives that determine the courses of action to be taken. The extent of the relevance and use of the tools will determine the influence of the leader of the team or group of people. Leadership by action The modern leadership has often employed technical means to define the courses of action as well as complex systems as the courses of action. Although the creation of courses of action in a sophisticated manner may not be criticized based on performance, it would be important for analyses future leadership in the true context of leadership. By virtue of being the leader, contemporary reasoning would argue that the leader should set the pace, be exemplary and active in the affairs of the organization. Experience proves that effective leadership is one that is exemplary, directing teams through paths that are dictated by the leader (Karp & Helgo, 2008, p. 35). This entails a leadership model that is flexible to analyze the concept of one’s own self and replicating actions in a way that influences course of action in the team. However, this type of leadership places the bar at a very high point, limiting the eligibility of most people for future leadership (Bennis, & Spreitzer, 2001, p. 103). In this perspective, therefore, leaders aspiring for relevance in the future must therefore frame their practices in a way that allows their followers to see them as active participants of the organization, and not just passive onlookers that demand work to be done. In this scenario, the demands of the leader will be more and their experiences in the workplace will be a determining factor for their continued success in the workplace. Leadership models and the future expectations Authentic leadership This is one of the most interesting forms of modern leadership, arising from the need to transform groups of people into teams that can be harnessed to produce a given result. This model is built on the foundations of a leader who portrays transparency in leadership, an aspect that facilitates a culture of openness and leads to positive behavior in the organization (Avolio, Walumbwa, & Weber, 2009, p. 423). This type draws major insights f...