Change & The Impact
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the_best_leader.docx1
The Best Leader
In the modern times, leaders are identified and recognized based on what they do and deliver. Leaders are categorized in different theories that try to explain who they are, their characteristics, skills, abilities, personalities, roles or responsibilities and limitations.
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Leadership Theories |
Definition and Characteristics |
Advantages |
Disadvantages |
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Path-Goal Theory |
It explains a leader’s influence through his behavior to the individual’s performance, especially in an organization. |
It is goal oriented. The leader guides the people. It encourages participative, supportive, and directive leadership. |
It may frustrate employees, and it may be difficult for them to follow the leadership behaviors styles thus poor performance. |
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Situational Leadership Theory |
It explains that different situations in a company may use different styles of leadership. The behavior involved are telling, selling, participating and delegating. |
Easy to apply. Focus is on maturity. Availability of competent leaders. Allows testing of a leadership style. |
It does not apply to managers but to leaders. It is time-consuming when waiting for future predictions of the situations.
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Leadership Substitutes Theory |
Just like the name of the theory, it explains the conditions in an organization that a leader may not be needed or necessary or prevented from leading. |
Provides a substitute or a neutralizer to act on behalf of the leader. |
The leader’s actions, decisions or ideas may be prevented thus ineffective.
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Multiple Linkage Model |
According to developer Gary Yukl, this model explains a leader’s behavior impact on the effectiveness of a group in an organization. |
Encourages managerial skills. It also promotes conflict resolution strategies and handling work situations that may arise. |
It require a competent and intellectual leader. The decision-making process may be long.
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Transactional Leadership
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It concentrates on the leader and followers and maintaining a healthy relationship between the two hence loyalty and realization of advantages. |
Encourages follower’s loyalty. Promotes commitment. Promotes good relations. Rewards good work. |
Abuse of follower’s loyalty may occur. Its focus is majorly on short term goals. |
Transformational Leadership |
This theory focuses on the leadership and follower’s exchange of visions, beliefs, and values |
It promotes the exchange of ideas through communication. The visions set give directions. There is employee recognition. |
The leaders have high expectations and standards. Decision-making process may be time-consuming
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Charismatic Leadership
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The leaders have a high sense of self-confidence, esteem, and purpose and can easily influence people through their personal behaviors and traits. |
Highly influential, visionary, self-confident, social and energetic leaders. The leaders are also self-motivated and focused. |
The leader may be self-centered giving their visions and ideas for personal gains of power and influence. The leader may have a negative response to critics. |
Pioneering behaviorists and psychologists have in many ways tried to explain leadership in many theories from the past to the present day. Path-goal theory tries to show how a leader’s behavior is crucial in influencing the performance and focus of the individuals in the organization. This theory indicates that employees require an external force or role model who has a vision and focuses on the achieving the goals of the organization (Eagly, 2001). The primary concern is the employee’s performance results and if it is in line with the company’s objectives.
In the case of testing the maturity and intellectual capacity of the employees and the leaders in an organization, the situational leadership theory is used. The model shows how different situations that may arise in the organization may be handled and controlled by various but suitable methods or leadership styles. However, this theory only applies to those in leadership ranks or positions in the organization and not necessary the management (Eagly, 2001).
A leader is important in an organization and all sectors of life. The leadership substitute’s theory, on the other hand, describes how a leader’s actions could be eliminated which will in turn cause inactiveness and inefficiency in the present leaders. In this model, leaders are substituted by other more efficient strategies employed by the organization’s management. The another way is by suppressing the situation that may occur in the body.
In every organization, there exist groups that may have been formed in a formal or informal setting. The Multiple Linkage Model shows the impacts of a leader’s actions when leading a particular group. The director will determine the course in which the members will take hence he or she needs to be effective to ensure completion and success in the task assigned (Eagly, 2003). A good relationship between the management and the employees is critical in solving work-related problems. Transactional Leadership brings this aspect which may, if not carefully monitored lead to abuse of power.
Transformational Leadership concentrates on the benefits of diversity in ideas that brings a pool of solutions and new strategies that may work in the interests of the organization. However, it may cause conflicts among members and breed personal interests which are unethical. (Epitropaki, 2005).
Charismatic leadership style is also used in political settings. The leader is very friendly, and each action and the word are convincing, attractive and persuasive to the people being addressed. The leader may be unethical by putting their self-interests before the organization and members. In my opinion, the best leader is the transactional leader. This is because I believe that one of the primary focus in an organization should be maintaining a good relationship not only with the customers or the society but also with its employees.
The employees make up the internal environment of the business, and once they are not treated well, motivated or recognized, they may result in poor performances that will, in the end, affect the final sale. Employees are like the organization’s agents or marketers, and they will respond either negatively or positively according to the way the management and leadership handle them.
The typical leadership behaviors are exhibited in encouraging better communication in the organization, the rewarding and recognizing the employees, assigning duties and responsibilities to the leaders and workers ensures the organization is smoothly running (House 2002).
The setting of standards which are to be met by all the members of the organization ensures that all efforts are directed to the vision and objectives of the enterprise.
In my view, the transactional leadership model is the best approach in an organization. The model can be used to ensure the stability and progress of the business, and it further promotes loyalty from both the customers and the members of staff. Also, this leadership style appreciates diversity, promotes interactions, and communication skills among the members hence controlling organizational disputes or conflicts.
References.
1. Epitropaki, O., & Martin, R. (2005). From ideal to real: a longitudinal study of the role of implicit leadership theories on leader-member exchanges and employee outcomes. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(4), 659.
2. Eagly, A. H., & Johannesen‐Schmidt, M. C. (2001). The leadership styles of women and men. Journal of social issues, 57(4), 781-797.
3. Eagly, A. H., Johannesen-Schmidt, M. C., & Van Engen, M. L. (2003). Transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles: a meta-analysis comparing women and men. Psychological bulletin, 129(4), 569.
4. House, R., Javidan, M., Hanges, P., & Dorfman, P. (2002). Understanding cultures and implicit leadership theories across the globe: an introduction to project GLOBE. Journal of world business, 37(1), 3-10.
