Free Essay

What Are the Essential Characteristic of an Effective Leader? Explain.

In:

Submitted By blame10
Words 651
Pages 3
As Tom Landry (a football player and coach) once said “Leadership is getting someone to do what they don't want to do, to achieve what they want to achieve.” This quote goes for people that tend to dream big, but they also know it’s not easy to get to where they want to be. Like getting a college degree doesn’t happen automatically or overnight, you will have to work hard to obtain the skills required to perform at such level in today’s competitive society. If you want to get in a professional field, you must show the ambition to keep moving forward or else you will fall behind. The characteristics one must have to be an effective leader in today’s society include the ability to communicate properly, ability to manage time, and to respect others. First of all, the foremost important characteristic is the ability to communicate properly with others. Without communication, the leader will not be able to exchange ideas and be able to communicate with his followers, which in return doesn’t make that leader effective after all. An effective leader must also be a great listener, but that comes hand in hand with communicating properly. The Civil Rights movement would never be effective if communication didn’t take place. Leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X, Frederick Douglass, Rosa Parks, and etc would never have spread their words about African American Rights. Without communication; it is almost impossible to be an effective leader. A second characteristic an effective leader must have is good time management. Time management is an ability that many of us appear to learn through necessity. Nobody likes a person who lacks the ability to manage time correctly. An effective leader has to plan his day effectively so he can progress and be more productive. When time is not managed correctly; you will focus more on urgent things rather than important things. It will cause others to slow down because of your inadequacies. You will make unnecessary careless errors due to the amount of time left for you to get that certain task done. It will thus make you an unorganized person. Time management is a crucial skill to have in today’s society or else you will in evidently be left behind. A third characteristic an effective leader possesses is the act of being respectful to others. If you are not given respect, you will not be given a chance to be an effective leader. If you are in charge of a big company, respect will be necessary or else the workers will not do a great job contributing to the betterment of the company. In the long run, a company hated will attract less people to get a job at that company, which will result in a decline in the company’s performance. The correct way a leader handles this is that an effective leader appreciates great work. The workers should feel valued if they are hard workers. This will help boost their motivation to move forward. If the company or the head doesn’t follow this, he/she will lose valuable workers who had the potential to boost the company. Being respectful is a huge part of being an effective leader. In conclusion, an effective leader is the one who has the ability to communicate properly, manage time, and to respect others. Without these three characteristic becoming an effective leader is impossible. Communication is a skill that helps us exchange ideas and makes us great listeners. Time management helps us stay on task and get work done on time. It makes us more organized and productive. Respect is one of the characteristics one should have to progress. Respect makes others follow you and appreciate you, which in return will help you become an effective leader. Being a leader requires you to work hard and understand others; it is not just about worrying about yourself.

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Presentation Outline: Leadership and Organizational Theory: the Heart of the Matter

...heart, than a set of things to do. The visible signs of artful leadership are expressed, ultimately in its practice.” This statement mirrors our study of emotional intelligence. * The article identifies essential leadership theories and their impact on organizational dynamics. * Introduction of Leadership Theory Impact of Leader-Follower Relationships * Leadership theory and application revolve around two major ingredients: leadership and followership. Together, they encompass strategies for solving social coordination in effective problem solving, conflict resolution and cohesion among groups who work together. * Major Point #1: Impact of Leader-Follower Relationships * There are multiple leadership styles, but no one style is recognized as the ‘all in all’ of leadership. Many leaders employ a variety of styles to adapt to situations, which the author refers to as situational leadership. Other leaders apply specific leadership styles based on who they are and how they lead. * Major Point #2: Leadership influence on Organization Culture * The key is to develop a leadership style that gets to the heart of the matter of the follower while mentoring and shaping them to become effective leaders. A good leader [mentor] will guide, direct or advise others on how to become who they wish to become, often coaching the individual to develop strengths, knowledge and talents they strive toward. As a result, the follower feels...

Words: 690 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Communication

...  Chapter 2: Understanding Supervisory Challenges in the New Millennium      Chapter 3: Establishing Goals      Chapter 4: Organizing an Effective Department      Chapter 5: Acquiring the Right People      Chapter 6: Designing and Implementing Controls      Chapter 7: Solving Problems and Making Decisions      Chapter 8: Motivating Your Employees      Chapter 9: Providing Effective Leadership      Chapter 10: Communicating Effectively      Chapter 11: Supervising Groups and Work Teams      Chapter 12: Appraising Employee Performance      Chapter 13: Ensuring a Safe and Healthy Work Environment      Chapter 14: Handling Conflict, Politics, Employee Discipline, and Negotiations      Chapter 15: Dealing with Change and Innovation      Chapter 16: The Supervisor's Role in Labor Relations    Chapter 1 Outcomes After reading this chapter, you will be able to: 1. Explain the difference between supervisors, middle managers, and top management. 2. Define supervisor. 3. Identify the four functions in the management process. 4. Explain why the supervisor’s role is considered ambiguous. 5. Describe the four essential supervisory competencies. 6. Identify the elements that are necessary to be successful as a supervisor. Chapter 2 Outcomes After reading this chapter, you will be able to: 1. Explain how globalization affects supervisors. 2. Describe how technology is changing the supervisor’s job. 3. Differentiate between an...

Words: 1450 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Leadeship

...different things to different people everywhere in the world but Yukl.G (2013) explains that leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to act towards achieving a common goal. In line with this definition Kotter.J (1999) mentioned that leadership is a progression of social inspiration in which a person can procure the aid and support of others in the achievement of a common task. Drawing from the above definitions Northhouse.P (2013) highlights that both definitions on leadership lay emphasize on the importance of inspiration and preparation, although effective leadership is centered on ideas which would not materialize except this ides can be communicated to others effectively in a way that involves them. Gill.R (2006) explains that when leadership or the people in control do not have the appropriate leadership skills there is a drop down effect through the rest of the organization, which can negatively impact the general contentment, success, competence, and productivity of firm, group or team. For example the movie Remember the Titans (2000), were Julius claims that his altitude it’s a reflection on his captain Bertie. As the movie advances, Bertier changes his attitude and leads by example. This simple behavioral change unites an entire team, and changes the ways and attitudes on every level. Although this was a movie, I learnt that it is important for us to understand that as a leader devising an optimistic and high held altitude can help your organization, firm...

Words: 4487 - Pages: 18

Premium Essay

Organization

...Constance Lee Ashford University 625 June 29, 2013 Learning theories Effective leadership is one of the essential features of any organization. If the right leadership is not present, then the organization will suffer much. This is a true statement because in order for any organization to be successful and effectively compete against their competitors, the employees have to know what direction to go and what to do which is exactly what leadership is. According to Kendrick (2011), “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” Any individual within a group or an organization who wields the most influence over others, a leader is a person who sways a group of people towards the achievement of a goal. It has been said that a leadership is effective when the individuals and the employees of the company trust their leader and thus are eager to achieve the predetermined goals and objectives. Leadership is a complex process but a good leader can influences others to accomplish a mission, task, or objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent. There are many characteristics of good leaderships and here are a few: Ambition and energy, the desire to lead, honesty and integrity, self-confidence intelligence, and knowledge of the job. Trait Theory, which focuses on the quantifiable measurement of personality traits, or distinguishable characteristics that define a person. Trait theory assumes that people inherit certain...

Words: 453 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Leadership in Sport P-1

...Assignment Title: Effective Sports Leaders | Handout date: W/C 24/9/2012 | Submission date: W/C 8/10/2012 | Leadership in Sport Outcomes Covered | Outcome | P1 | M1 | D1 | | | Achieved | | | | | | Learner declaration: The work submitted is entirely my own work. Any help or information from other sources has been acknowledged in the text. Name: Dylan Yarborough Signed: Date: 11/05/2012 Assessor comments: Resubmission Date: | Assessor signature: Date: | Learner comments: (when resubmitting, use this space to direct the tutor to where the alterations/additions can be found) | Internally verified? YES / NO | Grades agreed? YES / NO | Name: | Signed: | Date: | Assessor seen and agreed | Signed: | Date: | Assignment Scenario | You are training to become a physical education teacher and have been asked to produce some information to help new aspiring sports leaders/coaches. So know it’s over to YOU..!Task 1a: You need to describe and explain four qualities, four characteristics and four roles of an effective sports leader (P1 & M1) (page 3).Task 1b: You need to analyse each of your four qualities, four characteristics and four roles of an effective sports leader...

Words: 4789 - Pages: 20

Premium Essay

Leadership Analysis

...Leading By Example: Analyzing the Leadership of Cayla and Steve Written by: Cristina da Silva For decades scholars who study leadership have struggled to answer a basic question: What is leadership? This is because everyone defines leadership differently based on varying concepts and experiences. In the book Introduction to Leadership, author Peter Northouse defines leadership as a trait, ability, behavior, relationship, and an influence process (p.3-8). Throughout the book, Northouse identifies various concepts, theories and ideas that are evident in the book Self Leadership and The One Minute Manager. The bestselling author of this book, Ken Blanchard, tells a parable of a rising ad executive by the name of Steve, who becomes overwhelmed by his new responsibilities. Steve meets Cayla in a café as he prepares his resignation letter. Cayla, who is the essence of situational self-leadership, teaches Steve the three tricks of self-leadership that allows Steve to take charge of his career. First of all, as Northouse explains, effective leaders exhibit certain traits and characteristics (p.17). Some of the most recognized leaders of all time such as: Winston Churchill, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Oprah Winfrey posses a variation of these traits. While there is no clear cut answer on which specific traits are needed, research points to six key traits: intelligence, confidence, charisma, determination, sociability and integrity. Cayla displays several of these key traits...

Words: 1966 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Entrepreneurial Leadership

...entrepreneurship are essential to get the economy back on track. He states that entrepreneurship is essential for the countries’ underline economic future (Case, 2010). He mentions that a successful entrepreneur has three main characteristics: People, Passion, and Perseverance. Case believes that the right people need to be aligned to the right priorities and that the underlying passion cannot survive with only the founder and CEO (Case, 2010), “Therefore, when times get tough, as they sometimes do, they will have the courage to see it through it” (Case, 2010). Case used real life examples to show how lack of innovation can be harmful to a company. One example he gave was the merging of AOL and Time Warner. He mentioned that the merger happened at the peak of the Internet frenzy and the failure of the economy. He used the three P’s to explain why the merger was a failure: People- people began to focus on their own issues rather than innovation; Passion-that AOL lost its original drive and that the innovating, pioneering people started to become more corporate; and Perseverance- they assumed that the Internet was a fleeting phenomenon and preceded to back away from it. Case then concludes with a quote by Thomas Edison, although the P’s are necessary that “vision without execution is hallucination” (Case, 2010). James Kouzes’ theory consisted of five characteristics of an effective leader and how to achieve exemplary leadership. Like Case, Kouzes had specific characteristics to explain what...

Words: 1305 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Leadership

...beliefs that embrace what we have defined as right behavior. Example: tom is the director of an organization that provides services to people who are homeless. One day several boxes of stylish new sweaters are donated to the organization from a popular clothing store. The staff is very excited and starts sorting through the clothes and trying on different sweaters. An unethical leader will allow her and the staff to select what they want from the boxes before making them available to clients. An ethical leader reminds everyone, including her, that the donations were intended for clients and makes the sweaters immediately available to the people they serve. 2. Leadership training program Training programs are widely used to improve leadership in organizations. Mostly large organizations have their own management training programs to trained managers. The training is usually designed for middle level managers for top management, and there is usually more emphasis on skills needed by managers in their current position than on skills needed to prepare for promotion to higher promotion. Training programs depends on how well they are designed some learning objectives such as behavior, skills, or knowledge. The trainer should identify clear learning objectives and explain why trading will help people improve their leadership. Benefits A personalized approach that develops the person in the position. The result is a more confident, resilient and adaptable leader who can better meet...

Words: 557 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Management

...and organizations including financial performance. Managerial leadership is crucial to creating effective organizations with employees who push their limits. 2. What are the five key elements in our leadership definition? How do the elements interrelate to form this definition? The five key elements of leadership are influence, leader-followers, organizational objectives, people, and change. When it comes to the leader-follower element, leaders and followers influence each other. This relationship leads to the next element that is influence where the leader uses power, politics, and negotiating to sway followers on their opinions. In order for a manager to be effective, they need to influence their employees by communicating ideas to gain acceptance. Then motivate their employees to support and implement the idea at hand through change. in order for a company to stay relevant in the ever changing economy, they need to continuously change with technology, theories, and such. And in doing so, a company’s organizational objectives are met through the same vision shared by employees. Effective leaders motivate employees to think outside the box and push their limits all while keeping in mind what is best for the company. 3. Are leaders born or made, and can leadership skills be developed. The definition of leadership is very complex with many different characteristics, some are developed and some are part of the personality a person is born with. Everyone has the...

Words: 2499 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Cross-Cultural Management

...Developing an international manager Written and researched by Milan Manasievski Class: Concepts and principles of international management Lecturer: Bruce Gahir Introduction: In the paper that you are about to read I will describe in depth the differences between the eastern and the western style of management and processes that take place when adopting and using different management styles. In order to narrow it down and to make it a bit easier and more understanding for the reader I specifically chose two different countries to compare. The countries are different in almost every way regardless how you look at it. Different cultures, different values, different politics, people etc. The countries that I have chosen are China and USA. In this paper I will use a case study where a Chinese manager is sent to USA to manage a cross cultural team or professionals in order to meet the project requirements and deliver the work on time and 100% completed. Country profile: China Many of us were witnessing the economic growth and development of China and few other countries in Asia in the last few decades and this is one of the most important events in the history. This growth continues today and there is no actual reason why it shouldn’t continue indefinitely unless the highly unlikely event of international conflicts and war. China at present is the world’s leading economy. It has attracted about $450 billion of direct foreign investments from which 90% percent...

Words: 4171 - Pages: 17

Premium Essay

Management

...Study Material For M.B.A. Based on Latest Syllabus of MBA prescribed By Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak (DDE) 1st Semester (Part-1) By : Expert Faculties Publications SCF-181, HUDA Complex, Near New Telephone Exchange, Rohtak (Haryana) footer Publications SCF-181, HUDA Complex, Near New Telephone Exchange, Rohtak (Haryana) © Reserved No Part of this book can be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system or transmitted in any form, or by any means (Electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher of this book. All possible efforts have been made in the prepration of this book yet for any kind of errors and omissions, the publisher is responsible. In case of any dispute it will be subjected to Rohtak Jurisdiction Only. Price : Rs. 400.00 Published By : ZAD Publications, Rohtak footer “The Zad stars & their family are shining stars on the earth, being blessed by the stars in the sky to celebrate the spirit of success” as I am writing this success story, there is no substitute of hard-work, punctuality and disciplined efforts. It is relatively easy to achieve success, but difficult to maintain it. The best way to achieve the success is to do the ordinary things with extra ordinary enthusiasm. Because of our quality work and the sense of commitment to do something different, the institute is enhancing its number of branches...

Words: 27014 - Pages: 109

Premium Essay

Business

...entrepreneurial leadership presented in Understanding Entrepreneurial Leadership in today’s Dynamic Markets. Case, Kouzes and Drucker each have good theories and philosophies on entrepreneurship and leadership. Each had different ways of stating what they thought made a good entrepreneur but for the most part focus on some of the same things and agreed that with the right balance of these characteristics then succeeding, as an entrepreneur would be possible. One of the common elements that each focused on was people. Interaction with people is important when it comes to entrepreneurship and leadership skills according to Case, Kouzes, and Drucker. Each inferred that if a person does not have people skills, then the person would not succeed as an entrepreneur or a leader. People skills would be the ability to motivate others and interact. A leader cannot lead without being able to interact with people. Starting a business requires interaction with people on some level. Another common element that they all thought were important was not being afraid to take risk. Taking a risk in order to monopolize an industry to succeed is important. The definition of entrepreneurial leadership is one of an enterprising, transformational leader who operates in a dynamic market that offers lucrative opportunities. Case, Kouzes, and Druckers strategies relate to this new definition of entrepreneurial leadership because of the focus on constant improvement. Kouzes theorized that change...

Words: 1383 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Organizational Behavior

...and activities of different management levels including their interface with organisational behaviour. (p5) 1.2 Concepts of organisation and behaviour and the characteristics of organisational culture (p7) 2.1 Individual contribution and assessing alternative approaches to personality and its measurement. (p9) 2.2 Process of perception and any distortions that may arise. (p10) 2.3 The concept of attitudes and the problems of attitude change including solutions like the learning process and its key theories. (p11) Part 2: 3.1 Comparing and contrasting need theories, behavioural models and process approaches. (p12) 3.2 Problems of motivation and the implications for management of the different theories. (p12) 3.3 The main approaches and recent developments in improving job design.(p15) 4.1 The concepts of morale and job satisfaction and their relationship to performance. (p16) 4.2 The sources of and reactions to frustration and alienation at work. (p17) 4.3 Analysing stress, appreciate its links to personality and recognise how best to handle stressful situations. (p18) Part 3: 5.1 Distinguishing formal and informal groups and their effects on behaviour. (p20) 5.2 Key characteristics and functions of effective workgroups and the process of group development.(p21) 5.3 Roles or skills associated with effective teams and explore the nature of team spirit.(p23) 6.1 Distinguishing leadership from management and the exercise of power as distinct from authority. (p24) ...

Words: 6622 - Pages: 27

Premium Essay

Thought Leadership vs Emotional Intelligence

...ever- changing business world there are many styles of leadership that can be found within an organization. Finding a leader that creates innovation and success is a challenge for any business. A leader can be defined as someone who takes charge, leads, commands others, holds a position of power, or guides people within an organization to reach a desired outcome (McCrimmon, 2005). In their articles McCrimmon (2005) and Goleman (1998) provide an in depth look into how leaders emerge, and what characteristics are essential to successful leadership. McCrimmon details the emergence of thought leaders within a group in contrast to traditional hierarchical leadership roles of the past. In his article, Goleman reviews the five dimensions of emotional intelligence and how possessing these traits can positively impact business culture. Thought Leadership In McCrimmon’s (2005) article Thought leadership: a radical departure from traditional, positional leadership, he states that leaders emerge rather than being selected by the organization. For example when an idea is presented to an organization and the idea becomes widely accepted or adopted, thought leadership has taken place. Thought leadership differs from traditional and informal leadership models. He explains that informal leadership refers to a situation where one member of the group takes on the role of leader for a special project or group, but in fact has no formal authority over any individuals or the group. He describes...

Words: 1607 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Leadership

...AN EVALUATION OF CONCEPTUAL WEAKNESSES IN TRANSFORMATIONAL AND CHARISMATIC LEADERSHIP THEORIES Gary Yukl* State University of New York at Albany Theories of transformational and charismatic leadership provide important insights about the nature of effective leadership. However, most of the theories have conceptual weaknesses that reduce their capacity to explain effective leadership. The conceptual weaknesses are identified here and refinements are suggested. The issue of compatibility between transformational and charismatic leadership is also discussed. Finally, some methodological problems involving construct validation and theory testing are identified, and suggestions for future research are provided. INTRODUCTION In the 1970s, behavioral theories of leadership effectiveness were dominant. Examples include path-goal theory (House & Mitchell, 1974), LMX theory (Graen & Cashman, 1975), and normative decision theory (Vroom & Yetton, 1973). Since the late 1980s, theories of transformational and charismatic leadership have been ascendant. Versions of transformational leadership have been proposed by several theorists, including Bass (1985, 1996); Bennis and Nanus (1985), Burns (1978), Sashkin (1988), and Tichy and Devanna (1986, 1990). Building on the ideas of Weber (1947), refined versions of charismatic leadership have been proposed by several theorists, including Conger (1989), Conger and Kanungo (1987, 1998), House (1977), and Shamir, House, and Arthur (1993). Unlike...

Words: 9931 - Pages: 40