LEADERSHIP
By Adrian Fulgencio, Tori Deacon, Sabrina Shaikh, Ian Stevens, Angelina Ragano (Team Tasia)
Leadership is a crucial function of management which helps managers effectively guide employees and other personnel of an organization. To ensure tasks are being performed consistently and are helping to reach the desired end goal, a manager must create a plan of action. This plan of action must be implemented within the company and communicated to all necessary employees. There are many different ways that a manager might choose to implement strategies for success within an organization. According to The Eight Steps to Implement Organizational Change, if things are done the same way all the time, the results will always be the same. Therefore, different approaches to implementation are very important to ensure different and more positive results.
The following are different ways to approach implementation:
Employee Involvement: When creating effective strategies for change or success within an organization, implementing this change can be done through utilizing employees. Employees opinions can be taken into consideration and respected. Also, employees can be given responsibilities and specific instructions on how their efforts will help in regards to implementation.
Effective Communication: In certain situations, managers choose to implement or lead through sending out a mass email or a memo which all employees are required to read. Though this form of communication will get the message across, it is not always the most effective. Managers may choose to communicate any new ideas or necessary information to all personnel within a company through face to face interactions, seminars, or interactive workshops. These forms of implementation help employees better understand what is expected of them as well as what the purpose for the new ideas or change within the organization.
Follow-Up: After a change or a new leadership style is implemented within an organization, it is important for managers to make sure that all employees are on board and everything is running smoothly. By following up through the organization regarding any change that took place, managers are ensuring that all personnel understand all new ideas and are effectively working towards performing their jobs successfully on a daily basis. (Lotich, 2017)
Effective Leaders written by Zahra Campbell-Avenell lists some spot on best practices that anyone in a leadership role should consider following (Campbell-Avenell, 2018).
Select the Right People-This will help build a highly favorable team and align your team to be laser focused on the organizational goals, mission, and culture.
Show Empathy- The ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Being able to listen to people and relate to their emotional experiences shows empathy. Managers with high emotional intelligence helps build a rapport with and between the people on the team. Empathy will lead to mutual trust and clarity.
Communicate Clearly- Building relationships on openness, trust, and integrity creates an environment that promotes effective communication.
Lead By Example-In the simplest form, leading your team by being an example of what you want your best employee to look like is extremely important. Showing your team through body language, gestures, communication style, attitude, and actions are just a few of the ways that leading by example can be seen and replicated by your team.
Delegate-There are only so many hours in a day, which means you may have more to do than you have time for. Delegate the work to your team and help them build their skills and afford them the opportunity to reach their potential. Delegating will help your team members take ownership in their work. Communicate with them clearly on what you want accomplished and check in on them regularly, but do not micromanage them. You will be less stressed and improve the behaviors and ownership of your team members.
Be Positive and Constructive-When delivering feedback make sure it is positive, constructive and timely. Figuring out the best method in regard to individual feedback and customizing it to the recipient is just as important.
Thank and Reward People-Making sure that your team is appreciated for a job well done is as simple as a thank you note or recognition in front of the entire team. This simple gesture will make all the difference to the team and feel as if they are a valued member.
Develop Your People-Coaching and retraining is part of a good leader’s responsibility. Making sure that you are continuously coaching and focusing on the development of each team member is imperative for team cohesiveness and success.
Encourage Innovation-Thinking outside the box and taking risks seems scary, but most great ideas come from outside the box and taking a risk, remember how successful Jeff Besos is from using this best practice. Letting individuals think through problems and solutions usually allows for creativity, resourcefulness and innovation. Letting your team be themselves will help promote their creative side.
Be Flexible-Every member of your team is not the same. Work with their strengths, time and individual style. Flexible workplace practices are emerging daily such as virtual meetings and telecommuting. What works best for one is not necessarily the best for another. Be flexible with your team and watch your organization grow. (Campbell-Avenell, 2018)
A MANAGER WHO USES LEADERSHIP SKILL FOR SUCCESS
CEO Jeff Bezos is a prime example (no pun intended) of how his use of the best leadership practices positively impact his organization. Jeff has a strong desire to please his customers through his leadership style. He motivates his employees to become more independent and take control over their scope of work. In other words, he has been known to follow a delegate leadership style as opposed to an authoritarian leadership style. Jeff takes this risk because he wants his employees to feel empowered, proud and confident in doing their work. He does not believe in holding one's hand through the process but rather allow them to develop. Through this delegation, comes innovation in every aspect of the company. Jeff believes in giving his employees room, “...to think, innovate and come up with ideas that help Amazon grow” (Rafi 2018). Jeff communicates a clear vision with his employees and pretty much anyone else who knows Amazon, “ ‘Our vision is to be the world’s most consumer-centric company, where customers can come to find anything they want to buy online’ ” (Rafi (2018). He insists that the customer comes first and everything else is second. When Jeff instills this mindset from the top down, he is using his leadership efforts to ensure an effective vision of the organization is being met. All of this could not be possible without the right team pushing through the obstacles
HOW MANAGERS SHOULD THINK IN LEADERSHIP
Managers should think about how their leadership/implementation within an organization should be done in order to guarantee the best results. Any and all situations regarding the satisfaction and happiness of the employees should be thought about. Employees understanding and feeling important in regards to implementing a form of change for example is crucial because the small tasks that each individual employee does helps to contribute to the larger end goal. Without these tasks, the end goal cannot be met and therefore employees must be treated fairly and feel respected so that they are motivated to do their work on the highest level. Managers should also ask questions regarding the success of the organization in the long run. Any leadership/implementation changes should help the organization in the long run rather than only in the short run. Therefore, when it comes to implementation within an organization, they way that something is implemented and the reason for the implementation should be thought about. (Lotich, 2017)
References
Campbell-Avenell, Z. (2018, December 20). Top 10 Management Practices Of Effective Leaders. Retrieved August 3, 2019, from https://www.careerfaqs.com.au/news/news-and-views/top-10-management-practices-of-effective-leaders
Lotich, P. (2017). 8 Steps to Implementing Successful Organizational Change – The Thriving Small
Business. Retrieved 2 August 2019, from
Rafi, Y. (2018). 10 Leadership Lessons From The Dotcom Mongul Himself: Jeff Bezos.
Retrieved on August 3, 2019 from https://blog.taskque.com/10-jeff-bezos-leadership-style/
