Leaders and Leadership Theories

Question: Discuss about the Leaders and Leadership Theories. Answer: Introduction This research presents an evaluation and analysis on the leadership theories that are very much required in an organization. The study of leadership theory and approaches help in evaluation of the theories and traits of the leaders in an organization (Gardner, Cogliser, Davis, Dickens, 2011). With the time, gradually there are various types of changes take place in the development and growth of the leadership. The report identifies the traits and qualities of the leaders that are necessary to motivate and to manage the organization. There are various types of theories like contingency theory, situational theory, behavioral theory, exchange theory, path-goal theory, new leadership models, etc. these all theories and there summarize version will provide an in-depth understanding to the learners (Cummings et al, 2010). Leadership and Roles of individual as leaders in implementation of the leadership activities in various contexts within the organizations There are various types of activities performed by the leaders. The major activities performed by the leaders are- Team building activities Employee engagement activities Leadership insights Performance management Productivity of the employees Effective meetings Maintenance of good relations with the employees In-house coaching Training and development of the employees Motivation and morale of the employees Facilitation Control and observation on the performance Focusing a team Self-development Team leading challenge Inventory management Preparation and successful execution To overcome with the problems of the leaders and to execute the leadership theories the organizations have to apply effective approaches so that the performance of the organization can become better and they will be able to achieve competitive advantage. A leader must have clear mission and vision for all the problems present in the company so that they can establish strategic planning on them and bring improvement. The problem can be resolved by the implication of the transparent communication between the employees and employers of the company. It establishes good relation between them. There is a need of break down silo and also to enables an organization that has less boundaries. An essay on individual reflection Challenges faced by the leaders In this individual reflection, I would like to say that there are various types of emerging challenges faced by the leaders. Being a leader, its not easy to work peacefully as they have to face different types of issues and problems. The work done by the leaders is rewarding as they experience various phases and identified their hidden potential to manage the situation in the best way they can do it (Kellerman, 2012). These are some points that will let us know about the challenges faced by the leaders- Isolation- It is the real situation of leaders as they have to make tough decision by their own. The leaders are required to be their own boss. The leaders have to maintain the privacy of the individual to himself only as they cannot expose each and every problem to the top level of the management (Gardner et al, 2010). This isolation may leads in loneliness, conflicts, frustration but still the leaders have to prepare them and make effective decisions Lack of honest feedback- The leaders are unable to provide honest feed back to the employees as they wait for the right time. Lack of emotional intelligence- Emotional intelligence plays a vital role to be self-aware, self-regulate, social awareness, and social regulation (Leppan, Metcalf, Benn, 2010). Lack of the skills and talent to lead from a place of influence- Sometimes there is a lack of the skills and talent to lead from a place of influence rather than authority so that the leaders can establish good relation with the employees (Klenke, 2016). Management and leading the changes effectively- It is a global challenge faced by the leaders to manage and implement changes in the organization. Thinking big picture and systematically- The work of the leaders is to pull the individuals form the daily routine and to make them ready for the big picture. The big picture here depicts the organizational goal (Day, Fleenor, Atwater, Sturm, McKee, 2014). Challenges faced by team/ group Being a part of a team, I noticed that there are lots of challenges and issues faced by the team members and group like there is absences of the identity to the team members, difficulty in the decision making, poor communication the team members are unable to resolve the conflicts by their own, lack of participation, lack of creativity, personal thinking, the in effectiveness in the leadership, etc. External and internal roles of the leaders Internal factors According to my point of view, the internal factors that are crucial in nature are motivation, hard work, potential of the employees, etc. the leaders have to manage the effectiveness and efficiency of the company and the leaders (Avey, Palanski, Walumbwa, 2011). External factors The most crucial external factors for the leaders are change management and competition. There are lots of competitors present in the external environment of the business that has to be managed by the leaders of the company (Auerbach, 2012). In order to have competitive advantage, the leaders have to take effective steps for the company. Other factors can be socio-economic, cultural, technological, legal, ethical, legal, etc. (Bolden, 2011) Importance of leaders with the leadership traits I have studied that the traits of the leaders plays a vital role as they help the leaders as well as company to provide surety that this particular leaders would be able to manage the business organization properly. There are is big debate on the statement that the leaders are made not born. The true leaders generally ignore such arguments and they only concentrate on their work (Dinh et al, 2014). There are various types of qualities that are found in an effective leader if a leader is able to display these qualities which he actually posses then he can be a good leader. The qualities and traits are: Honesty Forward-looking Competent Inspiring Intelligent (Cummings et al, 2010) The positive factors for the successful workforce culture and team engagement My point of view on the factors to be a successful leader is the contribution of the leaders in the successful workforce culture and team engagement of the business organization. It can be done by application of prominent leadership theories and management of the team. (Northouse, 2012). The major factors that contributes in the employee and team engagement at the workplace are- Career development opportunity- A career development opportunity the employee is very important as it help the employees and team to realize them that they are equally important. There is a need to provide them informal learning program. Flexibility - Flexibility is the other factor that contributes in the engagement of the team and employees. It provides employees flexibility according to which they show their creativity. Fair pay structure - Fair pay structure is a fair and sensitive issue that lays a vital role in the engagement. It motivated the employees and it results in better performance of the employees. A learning culture - The Company must adopt a learning culture in their company. It helps the in the employee engagement and ultimately it help in the achievement of the companys goal. Recommendations for the issues of leadership and problems As per my views, there are various types of problems faced by the leaders of an organization as they have to manage the entire organization using their skills and knowledge. The problems are the part of each and every organization. It is the essence of the leadership. But this could not affect the goal achievement of the company (Quera, Beltran, Dolado, 2010). There are various ways by which leaders can manage the issues and problems and turn them as an opportunity. It can be done through self-promotion, power-plays, management of resources, work-life-management, etc. the competitors are the biggest external theory for the leaders. To overcome with these problems, the leaders have to apply effective theories so that the performance of the organization can become better and they will be able to achieve competitive advantage. A leader must have clear mission and vision for all the problems present in the company so that they can establish strategic planning on them and bring improvement. The problem can be resolved by the implication of the transparent communication between the employees and employers of the company. It establishes good relation between them. There is a need of break down silo and also to enables an organization that has less boundaries. It helps in better communication and relations. The employees and employers working in an organization must have open mind and broad senses. It is one of the factors that help in better management of the company ad human asset. The leaders also have to concentrate to establish a solid foundation strategy within the company as it helps in strong background and base of the employees. Conclusion The conclusion of the study states that leadership plays a vital role in the management and motivation of the employees and workforce working in an organization. The structure of the report is that in the beginning there was discussion on the role and responsibilities of the leaders and implementation of the theories of the leadership in an organization which is very important but the implementation must be effective and successful. There are various types of challenges faced by the leaders in management of group and teams but theories can help the company. The fact is that the Leaders perform internal and external roles that tell about the effectiveness of leadership in an organization. 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