Leadership capabilities: An analysis

Leadership:

‘Leader’ a word which makes a normal human being into a famous personality (locally, nationally, internationally). Many authors express their views on leadership like.

‘A leader is one who selects, equips, trains, and influences one or more followers who have diverse gifts, abilities, and skills and focuses the follower to the organization’s mission and objectives causing the follower(s) to willingly and enthusiastically expend spiritual, emotional, and physical energy in a concerted coordinated effort to achieve the organizational mission and objectives’.(Bruce E.winston,2006:7). Here he says that leader, who selects an individual who had diverse abilities, tastes, culture and skills for particular task to be completed in a way that he trains, motivates and influences him with his skills. This type of leadership is seen in many personalities,

An example is Sir Stuart Rose CEO of Marks and Spencer, who follows democratic type of leadership style in his decisions but makes autocratic style of leadership in terms of his short term achievements. He established good relations between employee’s and his other colleagues. ‘Effective leaders aren’t born, they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work. And that the price we’ll have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal’ (Vince Lombardi, American football coach). Sir Stuart Rose was first joined Marks & Spencer in 1972 as a management trainee then he took many stages in profession in many companies and presently CEO of Marks & Spencer. This is how to compare the definition of Vince with Rose career, that if he was born leader then he could have given the high position in any sector but day by day he had developed the company’s fame by the time he was CEO, Marks & Spencer was low in profits and was going private. Increasing profits introducing new thoughts like plan A, for which he became the chairman of business in the community (BIC).

Criterion of Leadership:

Behavioural theory of leadership defines that successful leadership is rooted in definable, learnable behaviour; any one can become leaders or learn leadership qualities by teaching and observation. This behavioural theory is a good tool for many people, basing on this we in our group had discussed few criterions for leadership.

Professional-friendly:

In this criteria a leader should be professional-friendly in terms of task so that follower can achieve the task successfully, so that he can deal a task with them correctly and can give good guidance.

Vision:

Basically a good leader has to understand the culture and value of the organization, then he can work hard to communicate their vision over the organization at all levels. He should have clear-cut idea of understanding that their vision will be successful in any situation.

Motivation:

Every human in this world has different cultures in terms of behaviour, feelings and many more, so that their commitment to particular task is different at this instance motivation is a tool which can boost their activities (performance), and finally this can yield fruitful results in any task.

Individual consideration (Responsibility):

Leader should take the responsibility of particular task at any situation with out depending on his followers. Here is an example which gives an idea of having individual consideration of a lady.

In 1989 Melissa, a fourth-grader in Nashville, Tennessee in USA, she was felt responsible about the pollution in her country and felt that what could be her countries position when she grows old, then she began writing letters to president and local politicians like mayor, congressmen and senators, she had no response from any one, but she was called up the local television channel and did an on-camera commentary. Melissa also started a club called Kids F.A.C.E (kids for a clean environment) which could help then in planting trees, picking up litter. Starting with just six members at her elementary school, kids F.A.C.E. grew to more than more than 5,00,000 members with 22 countries. Feeling responsible even at age 9 and became a leader this shows that age doesn’t matter. Since she took responsibility of a task and led it for huge level at different countries. (James M. Kouzes, Barry Z. Posner, The truth about leadership 2010:2)

Communication:

The most important criteria for a leader, for giving a task to his followers he has to communicate in a proper way so that followers has to get the task which is to be done. It is also a way of ascendancy for his followers.

Flexibility:

When many issues hit at once, handle more than one problem at once, this is a perfect behaviour of a leader. For example Sir Stuart Rose was the chief executive officer of Marks and Spencer he had to deal with many sectors in a limited period of time, he made the organization (Marks and Spencer) better in terms of profits and fame, he made flexible.

Teamwork:

It is leader’s responsibility to understand each and every one is from different culture and have different behaviour, human relationship and functions and bring them in and make a unity and perform teamwork. This is called as unity in diversity.

Respect for others:

Do not belittle (under estimate) the opinions and work of the other people regardless of their status (profession).

Emotional Intelligence:

‘Abilities such as being able to motivate oneself and persist in the face of frustrations; to control impulse and delay gratification; to regulate one’s mood’s and keep distress from swamping the ability to think ; to empathize and to hope.(Mullins 2010:144).

Emotional intelligence is able to think and handle the situations in frustrations. A leader should have this criteria because to lead the team successfully.

Feedback with my strengths and weakness:

Every one has strengths and weakness at his style in any of his own talents. Here is 360 degree feed back from my friends in my style of leadership along with my strengths and weakness to improve my effectiveness of my leadership.

Motivation is a driving tool in achieving goals, I do like motivating people because every human is unique and they do mistakes and don’t get positive result at single attempt( this is not in every one’s talent, I do take in few cases) rather than discouraging is it important to motivate or encourage them.

Responsibility (individual consideration), emotional intelligence. Here is an example for my emotional intelligence and responsibility, in my group professor gave an topic on delegation, so we were discussed and chose a person from my group as leader but the person was unable to speak then I took the responsibility and spoke few points about it( in Allitt Malcolm’s class in S3 batch).

Flexible with group, this factor makes good use of comfort with individuals when performing as group and can communicate as well for different task to be completed.

Respect for other’s, this is an good point for expressing one’s capability,

There is a famous telugu saying that even a grass comes out by bursting the land, so every one has individual thoughts and ideas so that a leader has to respect other’s.

From my feedback it’s a point that I lack team work capabilities at situational times for example, if any professor gives a task to be completed in few minutes then I do my work independently.

They say I am not a good listener, when I am listening my mind wanders for unnecessary thoughts and put me out of the class or any subject which makes me lack of confidence and feel depressed which is also a negative skill given by my friends in my feedback.

Day by day every human learns a bit compared with the past, me comparing with the past days I learnt much in my Master of business administration (MBA). Being involved in group activities, taking responsibility, I am doing my best to improve the skills to be a good leader or at least be a good learner

Conclusion:

Though I have many positive qualities like communication, responsibility, emotional intelligence, motivation and lack in some skills like teamwork, not good listener, feel depressed for which I have to improve. In the leading in changing world every thing is not constant we have to grow as the world tends to modern.