Effective Leadership
Effective Leadership in your organizational structure is what it takes to keep things moving in the right direction
The seeds of effective leadership start from the early childhood. We all want to develop leadership qualities in our children but only few get the environment to nurture their leadership skills. Being a leader is an amazing quality, be it at home, among friends, at school, or at work but leaders often become rigid in their ideologies. Therefore, a leader should be an open-minded and a visionary person.
The definition of leadership is expressed as the act of directing and managing a project, group of people, or an organization.
Moreover, in other words, “leadership is not solely the responsibility of those who reside at the higher levels of the hierarchy. Instead, it’s an activity in which anyone who’s interested in the success of an organization can take part”.
Promoting employee’s involvement in leadership is an effective way to help build up a company’s success and morale.
There are two major kinds of effective leadership
Operational Leadership
Ensuring that organizational processes are effectively carried out on a day-to-day basis
• Monitoring performance and growth of the organization
• Addressing constraints and challenges
• Making sure that employees understand what is to be done and are provided with the authority, knowledge, and skills to do it
Strategic Leadership
• Define the overall vision and mission of an organization
• Develop strategies, systems, and structures to achieve the vision and mission
• Create both technical and social systems that are effectively integrated, and which address the needs of both customers and employees
People often misperceive the notions of leadership and management at work place
The concept of leadership quite often overlaps with the concept of management. There is a huge difference between the two concepts and their role in implementation in the organization which needs to be understood.
People often mistake leadership and management as the same thing but in essence, they are very different. The main difference between the two is that leaders have people that follow them, while managers have people who simply work for them.
Particularly in small businesses, for a small business owner to be successful their persona should be an amalgamation of both a leader and a manager. Effective leadership is about getting people to comprehend and believe in the vision you set for the company and to work with you on achieving your goals, while management is more about administering and making sure the day-to-day activities are happening as they should.
Difference between Management and Leadership
‘Managing’ and ‘leading’ are dual activities required to run an organization and both are valuable and essential, but they differ significantly.
The role of managers in a successful company
Managers make sure the work gets done whereas leaders make sure the work gets done differently and in a better way. Managers work within an existing paradigm or an ideology.
On the other hand, leaders help a group of people move from one paradigm to another. Managers focus on doing things right; leaders focus on doing the right things. Managers work hard to maintain improvements; leaders work hard to create improvements. Managers manage processes; leaders lead and develop people.
Successful organization needs exceptional managers and leaders
Organizations need excellent managers but exceptional leaders. Improvements that are not sustained become insignificant, and excellent processes that never advance become ordinary over time.
Therefore, most organizations need people who can both manage and lead. John Kotter, Professor of Leadership at Harvard University fears that too often, employers use the terms synonymously. If an organization is run effectively, leadership and management will exist in tandem.
Effective Leadership is about inspiring people
Leaders have a propensity to praise success and drive people. Usually managers work to find faults. They paint a picture of what they see as possible for the company and work to inspire and engage their people in turning that vision into reality. Rather than seeing individuals as just a particular set of skills, they think beyond what they do and activate them to be part of something much bigger. They’re well aware of how high-functioning teams can accomplish a lot more when working together than individuals working autonomously are ever able to achieve.
For both sides to understand what they have to do, and to achieve excellence in doing it, they need to comprehend the spirit of the difference between them.
Managers, on the other hand, will focus on setting, measuring and achieving goals by monitoring situations to reach their objectives and goals.
You must think of one without the other to truly see the differences that exist between them. Management without effective leadership may retard the overall productivity.
Different leadership and management styles exist
There are many different types of leadership and management styles where different situations, groups, or cultures, may require the use of different styles in order to set a direction or ensure that it is followed.
But at the same time, it is important to understand the true difference between an effective management and an effective leadership. In order to make the organization thrive, it should have both in place.