Understanding Leadership: Challenges, Components, And Practices

Overview of Leadership

The assignment helps in analysing the aspect of leadership along with understanding the different components and the traits which are essential in attaining the leadership skills. The key challenges faced in leadership is required to be identified which will be inclusive of macro and micro problems which are based on organizational or market level and individual or team level as well. There will be the inclusion of the different leadership theories which will be beneficial for analysing the situation in which the various theories of leadership will be appropriate.

Aarons et al. (2014), have commented that leadership is the influence process which enables the managers to get the employees to perform the different tasks accurately. This is the process which influences the various activities of the organized group towards the achievement of the goals in an accurate manner. This is the interpersonal experience which is exercised in a situation through the process of communication as this will be helpful in attaining the goals. Anderson et al. (2017) have commented that leadership is essential to the function of management which helps in maximising the efficiency along with achieving the organizational goals appropriately.

Furthermore, Banks et al. (2016), have opined that only the inborn personality traits of the different employees are not necessary, the styles and the behaviors of the various individuals play a significant role in becoming a successful leader. Engelen et al. (2015), have commented that the significant situational factor which is being considered in the leadership aspect is the cultural values of the different followers. There are different individuals in the organization from various cultural backgrounds; they will require the various styles of leadership. For instance- In a highly collective society such as Japan along with the Philippines wherein the social bond among the different individuals is strong and the useful kind of leadership is essential to handle such situation effectively.  

 There are different kinds of attributes of the leaders who are working in the organization that will help in appropriately improving the organizational culture. The most common traits of the leaders which are required to be adopted by the leaders are as follows:

• Empathy and Consistency are the first aspects which are required as the consistent leaders will gain respect along with credibility. The empathetic nature is essential and helpful which will create a legitimate rapport with the staff, and they are empathetic about the concerns of the individuals.
• Communication and Flexibility are the primary two approaches wherein effective communication helps in involving the teamwork with the right attitude. There will be involvement of the flexibility to the new ideas along with open-minded approach which will be beneficial for increasing the likelihood for the different aspects in an appropriate manner.
• Conviction is the other aspect wherein strong vision along with the will which will be appropriate for accomplishing the different missions and achieve the various goals appropriately.

On the other hand, Engelen et al. (2015), have commented that there are different kinds of components which are required to be considered in leadership that will enhance the overall efficiency of the organization in a positive manner. The honesty and integrity are the first components wherein great leaders create an organizational culture, and they will be accountable for the different kinds of activities performed by the employees. Furthermore, Donohoe and Kelloway (2016), have commented that the outstanding self-awareness is the other approach which is mandatory to be known by the different higher officials working in the organization which will be helpful for them in understanding the own strengths and weaknesses. Hackett et al. (2018), have opined that leadership is the process of influence as this is the function of stimulating the followers to strive willingly to attain the organizational objectives appropriately.

Anderson et al. (2015), have commented that there are various practices which are required to be considered in leadership that is inclusive of the development of strong executive management wherein this will be involving the engagement of top leaders and managers in an efficient manner. Aarons et al. (2016), have hypothesised that the senior management needs to meet with the different participants to coach along with mentor them which will allow them to monitor the progress on action learning throughout the year.

Characteristics and Components of Leadership

 Additionally, there should be the proper application of comprehensive learning approach wherein there should be the inclusion of developmental programs such as 360-degree assessments, meeting with the different counterparts along with adoption of e-learning activities which will be providing the leaders with complete experience. The leadership is all about the experiential learning which will be beneficial for the overall success of the firm in a positive manner. Moreover, Aarons et al. (2016), have opined that integration with talent management is the other positive approach to build sustainable leadership pipeline which will assess the potentiality of the leadership appropriately.  

For instance- In Apple, this has been analysed that the CEO Tim Cook follows the autocratic leadership style. However, there is talent management which helps the company in building talent management activities appropriately as well (Fortune 2018).

 There should be the inclusion of proper leadership development strategies which will be able to ensure that the leadership pipelines will be helpful in executing the business strategies which are critical for long-term success. The succession planning along with performance management are the two approaches that will be appropriate for appropriately handling the different operations. Gorman and Messal (2017), have commented that the linkage between management and workers are essential which will prove to be appropriate for the achievement of the desired goals in an effective manner.

 There are various types of problems in the leadership approach which are required to be considered while leading a team that is discussed as follows:

Gorton, Alston, and Snowden (2018), have commented that developing the managerial effectiveness is the first challenge such as time management or the strategic thinking are the crucial elements which play a significant role in becoming more effective at work. The leaders must become more active which will be requiring these qualities to manage the different group of individuals. Furthermore, Hackett et al. (2018), have commented that inspiring the employees is the other challenge as motivating the other individuals is not useful that will require proper mentoring and coaching.

On the other hand, Kelloway and Gilbert (2018), have hypothesised that not providing much guidance is the other aspect which is the challenge wherein there is lack of problem solving and negotiation skills among the leaders in managing the group of individuals in the company. McCleskey (2014), has opined that different leaders are autocratic and they lack the overall ability to delegate the different activities positively. The strong autocratic type of leaders set their goals themselves without even considering the opinion of the different followers. There is a command which is required to be followed by followers.  

Neves and Schyns (2018), have opined that in the macro level leadership aspects, the role of the leaders is strategic as this focuses on the entire organization or the market level. The different leaders try to think from the different broader perspective by scanning the overall business environment along with suitably adapting the organization to the dynamics of the external environment.

 Moreover, such leaders try to make different plans along with expanding the business by looking at and analysing the different kinds of threats and opportunities for the investment (Newman et al. 2017). Furthermore, with the approach of depending on the needs, the leaders try to modify the vision, mission along with the objectives of the organization from time to time. All the actions which are being taken by the leaders are oriented towards achieving the overall sustainability of the organization.

Practices Involved in Leadership Activities

Therefore, at the macro leadership level, the leaders play the role of a transformational leadership role which will be appropriate for handling the different grievances of the employees appropriately and providing them with the chance to showcase their different viewpoints appropriately. In the transformational approach, the followers or the different employees have similar kind of space in presenting their views, and their perspectives are considered at the time of decision-making in the organization as well.

In macro leadership approach:

Character- The character of the leadership in the macro approach is related to guiding the entire team along with achieving the goals appropriately

Ethical Approach- There should be an ethical approach which is required to be followed by the leaders in managing the organization as a whole. There should be the inclusion of trust factor among the employees which will be beneficial for the handling of the team in an appropriate manner.

Values- The values which are required to be adopted by the leaders to manage the overall team is through proper respect wherein the cultural differences will be maintained appropriately.

Beliefs- There are various beliefs which are required to be managed by the leaders in which they need to deliver inspiration to the employees and to exhibit the confidence in an appropriate manner.

For example- In Amazon, the CEO of the organization tries to apply the trait theory which helps the manager in understanding the different human personalities who are being dealt with in the organization. In Amazon, there is an approach which comprises of followers as the leaders and the leaders will be provided with the different decisions and such decisions are required to be accepted by the employees as well. The followers are supplied with the right to execute their decisions, and they are helpful in the decision-making approach (Business Insider. 2018).

On the other hand, micro leadership is the other approach wherein at this level of administration, the leaders in the organization try to build the different capabilities and capacities of the company regarding the human resources along with finances which are required to be adaptable in the team level as well. The various leaders help in developing the relationships with the employee teams along with laying out the plan to complete the tasks which will be providing the necessary motivation along with support (Donohoe and Kelloway 2016).

In micro leadership approach:

Character- The leaders need to understand the different grievances of the employees personally which will encourage them to be motivated. Furthermore, the opinions of the employees are required to be supported which will be beneficial for the overall effectiveness of the firm

Ethical Approach- The leaders need to understand and follow ethics in such a manner which will provide the employees with proper courage to handle the different issues appropriately.

Values- There should be proper wisdom and integrity which is mandatory in managing the different kinds of activities, and the performance of the team will be achieved as well.

Beliefs- There should be proper involvement of the delivering inspiration in which this will help in taking risks and achieving the different goals and objectives in the organization as well.

Challenges of Leadership

In the micro leadership approach, the different leaders try to bring in clarity between the various departments along with functions by assigning them the roles along with responsibilities inappropriately accomplishing the multiple tasks. Moreover, the leaders display the necessary type of attitude by encouraging the different employees to put in their efforts to reach and achieve the goals for completing the various tasks.

Moreover, the leaders try to provide the utmost support which is necessary for appropriately achieving the tasks and goals. From the overall analysis, this can be identified that both macro and micro leadership qualities are essential in managing the organization along with employees appropriately. The micro leadership approach is known as the transactional and situational leadership approach wherein this will help in improving the situation in an appropriate manner.

Zhu, Avolio and Walumbwa (2016), have commented that there are different kinds of macro leadership challenges which is in respect to the organizational context. The major macro problem faced by the leaders is building the team in an effective manner which will be difficult for them in managing the team members positively. As a team leader, this becomes difficult in leading the team when there is resistance.

For instance- In Apple, there was huge resistance to change among the employees as there was no such motivation and appreciation provided to them. The leadership which has been followed in Apple is autocratic leadership which demotivated the employees as they were not getting any chance to showcase their views and this led to resistance to change (Fortune 2018).

Secondly, listening to the goal of learning is the other issue wherein the leaders can face the problem of managing the team efficiently. There can be different kinds of team members from various backgrounds and cultures that can be difficult to handle by the leader. There can be the situation when the leaders do not have their power and the training and development approach is not appropriate. In such cases, this the massive challenge for the leaders as the feedbacks from the different members who will be affecting the overall efficiency of the firm (Tepper et al. 2018).

For instance- Such a situation is being faced by PwC Company wherein the employees were provided with the scope of sharing their views effectively. This has been noticed that the viewpoints of the employees are considered. However, the leaders could not afford the learning and development sessions to the employees which affect the overall efficiency of the firm (PwC 2018).

Leading and guiding the team are the other challenge which is faced by the leaders while appropriately managing the team. The team building can be of the enormous problem wherein there can be a lack of support or communication between the team members and the team leader which will be affecting the overall effectiveness of the team leader negatively. When there is lack of support from the different members, this can lead to demotivation among the members which will be difficult for the team leader to handle such issues in a positive manner (Qu, Janssen and Shi 2015).

Overview of Macro and Micro Leadership Challenges

Furthermore, guiding the team is the other issue wherein the main challenge which is being faced by the leaders is related to the overcoming of resistance to change among the employees. The leaders in the organization met various issues that are related to the dealing with the different concerns of the employees as many leaders do not have the quality of handling the different operations successfully which will reduce the overall efficiency of the team in a negative manner (Sweeney, Clarke and Higgs 2018).

For instance- In Kingfisher Airlines, this has been noticed that the leader was not at all efficient in handling the different operations successfully. This was being seen that there was the downfall in the revenues and profitability of the organization that led to the various consequences which are negative. The employees were not provided with proper guidance which was required to handle the different team operations successfully (Rothaermel 2015).

On the other hand, there are different macro challenges which can lead to different kinds of problems which will affect the overall efficiency of the firm in a negative manner. Firstly, handling the negativity is the first issues which can be faced by the leaders working in the organization as the situation can be different to handle the employees of different values and cultures. The putting of the plan into action is difficult as the leaders can lack knowledge on managing the individuals in a negative manner (Roueche 2014).

Secondly, the other issue is related to the setting of the balance right is the other challenge which affects the overall efficiency of the organization negatively. There is a lack of soft management practices which will be required to handle the different operations of the organizations negatively. There can be leaders in the organization who lacks the approach of managing the different individuals appropriately, and this can lead to negativity in the performance in an inappropriate manner (Rowold 2014).

Lastly, confidence during the setbacks faced by the organization can be lacking among the team leaders of the organization. The primary quality of the different leaders is to be confident while handling the different negative consequences which will be inappropriate in managing the various activities. However, some leaders lack such confidence in themselves wherein this can be noticed that they do not have the quality of handling different operations and when the entire company is facing various setbacks, this affects their morale in managing them as well (Shanafelt and Noseworthy 2017).

For instance- In Kingfisher Company, this was being seen that the team leader was not at all confident in the operations performed by the employees. He was a democratic and situational kind of leader who allowed the different team members to take the various decisions of the organization appropriately as well. However, when there was a downfall of the organization, the team leader did not receive any charge of such mishap, and this led to the liquidation of the company as well.

The transactional theory of leadership has created a significant impact on the critical management theory wherein this has been mentioned that transactional leadership mainly focuses on managerialism along with mechanic tasks and the main focus is on functions, systems, leaders along with followers. In the critical management aspect, this has been seen that transactional leadership is being followed in which the viewpoints of the employees are considered. However, the final decisions are being taken by the higher officials working in the organization. In the transactional leadership approach, the followers are motivated for short-term activities, and the leaders try to promote compliance by the different followers (Shanafelt et al. 2015).

Conclusion 

Therefore, this can be concluded that leadership is one of the major aspects which is required to be analysed which helped in understanding the different characteristics and the other components of the leadership approaches which is essential. With the help of the different examples from the various backgrounds and companies, the application of the different leadership traits can be considered which helped in managing the overall managerial activities appropriately.

References 

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