Analysing and applying theories of leadership.

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Leadership and Management

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PART I ADDRESSES THE FOLLOWING COURSE OUTCOMES:

Apply past and present leadership principles related to empowerment, emotional intelligence, and the roles of power and influence for leading others within organizations

When employees feel like they have a voice in corporate decisions, they are more devoted to the firm and feel more interested in its success. This is done through a process called empowerment. It also demonstrates that you are a good listener and appreciate your coworkers' ideas when you empower your team members. Consequently, your mission will be more effective if you empower your team and urge them to "grow together." When you empower your staff, you offer them Confidence in their capacity to carry out your common purpose and goals, you develop vital to trust in a firm, and you provide the secondary leadership level necessary when you are not there for key selections.

Although the idea of empowering employees sounds fantastic, leadership is fundamentally a human endeavor, and as a result, nothing is ever straightforward. Some leaders may have difficulty accepting empowerment as it goes against their nature. It's easy to think that once you're in control of a team or an organization, your presence and decisions are all that matter. You've put in a lot of time and work to get to this point (Nauman, Khan, & Ehsan, 2010).). You may believe that your decisions up to this point have made all the difference in your company's success. Over many years, you may have set lofty personal objectives for yourself, such as putting together extensive and thought-provoking presentations, developing a complete strategic plan for your company's future, or drastically improving earnings.

Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize, regulate, and develop one's feelings while also recognizing, regulating, and developing the feelings of those around one. Emotional quotient, emotional intelligence, and similar terms all refer to the same concept. Emotional intelligence is concerned with how your emotions affect others and how you can use this information to achieve positive outcomes. It extends beyond the administrative aspects of being a successful leader and focuses on interacting with others (Chopra & Kanji, 2010). It is not necessary to jump as high as "I say, how high?" when using emotional intelligence as a method of leadership, as is commonly believed. To be a successful leader, you must command the respect of your employees. However, this authority must be accompanied by a relentless commitment to their well-being. Employees who receive positive feedback from their supervisors are happier and more productive, and managers who receive positive feedback from their subordinates perform better.

Influence arises when a person's feelings, attitudes, or behaviors are affected by others. It is a critical component of a leader's skill to deploy power and respect an organization. Influence is visible in peer pressure, socialization, compliance, obedience, and persuasion. The skill to influence is a critical advantage for leaders, and it is also a significant aptitude for those in sales, marketing, politics, and law (Kotter, 2010). A leader may apply these three forms of influence to inspire staff and achieve objectives in a corporation. For example, compliance is a technique of preserving order in the workplace, such as when employees are expected to respect the restrictions established by their management.

Similarly, identification arises when people seek to emulate and follow the actions of others they look up to and respect, for example, a more experienced coworker or trustworthy employer. Internalization arises when individuals accept the vision and values and develop a commitment to realize them (Kotter, 2010).  Leaders deploy many forms of influence to drive the behaviors and actions needed to perform tasks and achieve goals. Individuals differ in how susceptible they are to each form of influence. Some workers may care a great amount about what others think of them and thus be more susceptible to detecting the indicators for how to respond. Other persons may seek to believe fully in what they do and internalize a set of values to guide them. In organizations and other spheres of life, sources of influence are all around us. As a result, our behavior may affect how others engage with us and regard us.

 · Analyze leadership theories at the individual, group, and organizational levels that inform effective organizational leadership

Leadership theories are presented to explain how and why certain people climb to the top of their fields of expertise. The theories stress the qualities and actions that individuals might embrace to become more effective become a better leader.

  1. Great Man Theory

According to the Great Man Theory (which should be renamed the Great Person Theory), leaders are born with the required qualities and talents for leadership - charisma, intellect, Confidence, communication skills, and social skills. The notion asserts that the talent to lead is natural - that the finest leaders are born, not produced (Oko-Otu & Chidume,2021).). It characterizes leaders as courageous, legendary, and destined to ascend to leadership when the moment comes. The title "Great Man" was developed since leadership was designated for males, notably military leadership.

  1. Trait Theory

The Great Man Theory and the Trait Theory focus on an individual's traits. Based on the characteristics of both successful and unsuccessful leaders, the model is built. This concept is used to predict who will be a successful leader in a given situation. When assessing a candidate's leadership potential, these traits are typically compared to other candidates. Academics are relying on the trait hypothesis in their search for leadership traits (Novikova, 2013). Psychological characteristics such as self-confidence in one's abilities are also considered when evaluating a candidate's suitability for the position.

3. Contingency Theory

According to the Contingency Theory, contextual considerations are crucial for determining the most appropriate leadership style for a given situation. The truth is that there isn't a single leadership style that is effective in every situation. They believe that the optimum leadership style strikes the best possible balance between behaviors, needs, and the context they operate. Hodgson and White have developed a model of the optimal leadership style (Donaldson, 2006). Good leaders are also capable of recognizing both the present and future demands of their followers and the needs of their immediate environment and surroundings. According to contingency theory, an effective leadership strategy requires a mix of several different factors.

4. Situational Theory

Like the Contingency Theory, it holds that no one leadership style is superior to the others in a given situation. According to the Theory's moniker, leadership is influenced by the context in which it is applied. Before adopting their leadership style, leaders need to analyze several elements, such as work type, kind of follower, and more. As put out by U.S. academic Paul Hersey and leadership expert Ken Blanchard, the situational Theory combines the leadership style with the maturity level of the followers. Hersey and Blanchard defined four levels of maturity (Kim, Shen & Morgan, 2011)

M1 - There is a lack of drive and tactical skills among the team members.

Those in the M2 team have a strong will to succeed, but they lack the requisite skills.

M3-Team members can do tasks but are unwilling to accept responsibility for their actions.

M4 - The team members have a strong work ethic and a desire to see initiatives through to completion.

5. Behavioural Theory

Instead of focusing on the general characteristics of leaders, behavioural Theory emphasizes the individual acts and behaviors they exhibit. According to this view, to lead effectively, numerous abilities must be acquired. To be a good leader, one must possess three key skills: technical, personal, and intellectual (Rudin-Brown& Jamson, 2013). A leader needs to have technical and human skills and conceptual talents, which allow them to come up with new ideas for operating a business or society successfully.

· Assess exemplar and anti-exemplar leadership examples for effectively leading present-day organizations

leaders use the following techniques to inspire and lead by example (Porrovecchio, M. J. (2006)

1 Focus on your teammates.

Some leaders are so focused on giving orders and leading their team that they lose sight of other leaders' and even their own followers' perspectives. Even the most junior members of a company's workforce may teach a good leader something new. If you're a manager, you must learn to interact and listen to all of your employees, regardless of their position in the organization. There may be times when management needs the help of an accountant or marketer, for example, if the manager is an expert in the field of investment.

2 Keep in mind the hierarchy of command.

A company's organizational structure helps everyone know whom they should go to if they have an issue in one of its departments. By not following these rules, the firm will become chaotic, and its employees will get discouraged. Dissatisfaction among the workforce is another repercussion of a supervisor that doesn't respect the chain of command since employees will find it difficult to speak with their superiors.

3. Get your hands a bit splatter-inducing.

If you want to be a leader, you need to know what you're doing and be actively involved in your work. You may lead by example if you take the initiative to join the marketing team on a field trip to promote the company's products, for instance. The company's overall morale will be boosted if the CEO pitches clients the same way as the marketing staff. Additionally, they will be able to develop new skills and knowledge and acquire the trust of their coworkers. Participation in the actual trade gives a leader a personal look at the challenges faced by marketing, which helps them come up with ideas to make their tasks easier.

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4 Make good on the promises you've made.

To be effective, leaders must be able to deliver on their promises rather than merely repeating them over and over again. In the future, they need to focus more on obtaining actual results and less on past successes that they haven't been able to repeat thus far. This may be accomplished by mastering the art of delegation, which enables leaders to break down large work into smaller, more manageable tasks assigned to one or more employees. They might undertake a follow-up investigation to verify that the job was performed in line with ...

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