Week 5 project leadership

South University

August 24,2020

Time management is an important skill for people planning to leaders or managers of different organizations. Time management enables an individual to allocate activities within a specified period carefully. Organization of activities with time helps managers and leaders to execute tasks smoothly. Effective Time management skills are important to leaders and managers due to various reasons. First, time is limited, and hence the need to utilize it effectively. Leaders and managers understand that time is a scarce resource, and thus the ability to manage it effectively leads to positive results. Also, effective time management enhances decision-making ability. Managers and leaders are bound to make crucial decisions regularly in their tasks. As a result, effective time management skills lead to having an improved decision-making process. Effective time management skills are essential for a smooth flow of activities; despite being a limited resource, it can be used to enhance leadership and management of organizations.

My time management self-assessment results show that I have good time management skills. However, there is room for improvement in some areas. I have good goals setting skills, which facilitates saving time while performing tasks. Goal setting is essential since it allows a person to link a goal with the resources needed to achieve it. Through goal setting, one can understand the scope of the task and the time required to accomplish it. Additionally, I have good prioritization skills when it comes to time management. I know tasks that need to be executed immediately and those that can wait. This allows the completion of projects with a demand basis or importance. However, I need to improve on the management of interruptions during task execution. Good time management skills involve having the ability to allocate time for unexpected occurrences. As a result, it allows tasks to be accomplished within a specified period. Failure to give time for emergences/interruptions may lead to negative consequences of performance.

Over the years, various studies have tried to define leadership and what it takes to become a great leader. Leadership has been described as a method in which one can convince others towards achieving a common goal. Several things should be understood about leadership. First, leadership cannot happen if the leader and followers are not present. This means that a leader can only be called a leader because he/she has at least one or more followers. Again, leadership involves the action of the follows being willing to follow the leader. Leadership styles differ according to the various leadership theories which can be classified as either traditional or contemporary. These theories have evolved, and this has led to continued research on the theories. Leadership has a long history, and various philosophers and researches have devoted themselves to understanding what it contains. To understand the origin of leadership, one must acknowledge that societies and organizations must have some form of hierarchy to prevail (Baker, 2015). Lack of leadership may result in a state of anarchy in organizations or communities.

One of the best leadership theories that describe me is the transformational leadership theory. Transformational leadership theory is a technique that leaders use to manage individuals and teams to identify the required changes and achieve the vision of the organization alongside guiding the changes by various aspects of inspiration and motivation. Several things characterize transformational leadership. One of the components includes consideration of individuals. In Transformational leadership, leaders create an environment where followers can have personalized solutions to their problems. Transformational leaders offer a platform where people feel comfortable in raising their unique issues/challenges. Also, transformational leadership is characterized by intellectual stimulation. In this leadership style, leaders engage with followers to encourage growth and advancement of ideas (Ng, 2017). Additionally, transformational leaders can create strong bonds with their followers through charisma. Transformational leadership enables leaders to have a massive following through the use of emotional connection with followers. Also, transformational leadership is associated with inspiration and motivation. Leaders with this style of leadership motivate their followers and inspire them to achieve great things.

Charisma is crucial in transformational leadership because it helps a leader to hold together his/her followers. Through charisma, a transformational leader can persuade followers to commit their energy to a common goal. Moreover, Transformational leadership is concerned with transforming an organization. Through teamwork, transformational leaders can effectively change an organization (Løvaas et al., 2020). Additionally, transformational leaders need to be charismatic because followers are given the freedom to take risks, which might result in mistakes. Therefore, transformational leaders need to be charismatic to enable followers to be confident and creative in executing their duties. I believe transformational leadership offers an opportunity for people to achieve goals and objectives in the best environment. The use of influence to win the support of followers creates a healthy environment for working. Also, I am entirely comfortable with transformational leadership since it creates healthy relationships through teamwork. Additionally, I like transformational leadership since it promotes creativity and innovation. Organizations that want to grow should value team works and creativity.

. In most cases, people tend to confuse between leadership and management. These two should be distinct because a manager exercises formal authority through position while a leader uses influence to gain followers. In leadership, leaders inspire followers through motivational techniques that result in loyalty. Leaders do not force anyone to follow them; they convince followers through actions. On the other hand, management uses authority to create a following. Managers in an organization use existing rules and policies to make employees follow their vision. Formal authority in an organization tends to be the binding factor between managers and employees. Managers use the authority that comes with their titles to make decisions that best fit their strategies.

Leadership involves followers, while management is associated with subordinates. Leaders have followers who subscribe to their ideas and visions. On the other hand, managers have subordinates who are bound to follow instructions. As a result, leadership allows followers to have a close relationship with the leader. Followers feel free to engage their leaders because they lead through inspiration and motivation. Managers have a formal and restricted relationship with their subordinates. In management, subordinates have formal rules on how to engage their managers. As a result, it tends to create a boundary between the managers and subordinates.

References

Baker, E. L. (2015). Leadership and Management—Guiding Principles, Best Practices, and Core Attributes. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 356–357.

Løvaas, B. J., Jungert, T., Van den Broeck, A., & Haug, H. (2020). Does managers' motivation matter? Exploring the associations between motivation, transformational leadership, and innovation in a religious organization. Nonprofit Management and Leadership.

Ng, T. W. (2017). Transformational leadership and performance outcomes: Analyses of multiple mediation pathways. The Leadership Quarterly, 28(3), 385-417.