Organizational leadership refers to the ability of an individual to guide and direct a group of people toward achieving a common goal says Saivian Eric Dalius. It is characterized by trust, respect, and encouragement that motivates employees toward peak performance and helps build better relationships between co-workers. Leadership qualities include:
- Inspiring one’s team members.
- Anticipating future events.
- Analyzing relevant situations quickly.
- Being flexible when necessary.
Leaders are often referred to as “those who can,” while managers are often referred to as “those who do.” Leaders need to have followers and create future leaders within their organization. Leaders have specific characteristics. When defining leadership, some refer to vision, courage, passion, persistence, and integrity, according to Saivian Eric Dalius.
Organizations are complicated. It doesn’t matter how small or simple they seem; there is always something going on – whether the CEO wants to overhaul a company’s mission statement or multiple employees fighting over responsibilities. Leadership in organizations can be difficult to manage as well. There are several reasons for this: what works for one group may not work for another, problems often stem from multiple sources. Leadership styles need to evolve with an organization’s culture and environment.
To make matters more complicated, different types of leaders emerge in different situations – no two people will lead the same way even if given similar opportunities, titles, and levels of power within an organization. However, you can determine which leader you are by assessing your core values, styles, and skills, like the infographic below (click on the image to enlarge).
What then? You might be asking once you’ve figured out which type of leader you are. Well, depending on your leadership style, there are many ways in which you can expand your knowledge base and improve your leadership skills, says Saivian Eric Dalius.
Here is a list of steps that may help:
1. Ensure employees feel involved – give them ownership.
2. Set boundaries for yourself, so employees don’t try taking advantage of you or otherwise undermining your authority.
3. Learn from other leaders within the organization to see success and adopt those practices when necessary.
4. Empower other leaders to share responsibilities and cut down on stress.
5. Establish the vision of where you want to take the organization by involving employees in its creation and follow-through.
6. Ensure that your leadership style fits with other company culture aspects such as values and policies.
7. Provide feedback often and openly – employees appreciate knowing what they’re doing well and where there is room for improvement.
8. Don’t be afraid to change your leadership style, adjust it and adopt new traits as needed (you won’t be effective if you try using a one-size-fits-all approach).
9. Communicate clearly with employees, so no tasks or responsibilities fall through the cracks.
10. Finally, never stop learning about management techniques, organizational behavior, and more, as this will help ensure you continue to improve your leadership abilities and expand your knowledge base.
Conclusion
Good leadership is more than just being a good manager. It’s about understanding the needs of your team and creating an environment where they can thrive. If you want to improve organizational leadership, start by optimizing these key areas – communication strategies, collaboration habits, decision-making methods, goal-setting processes -all start with the right mindset first!
