Annotation
Leadership has been associated with influence in regard to shaping a team’s attitude and behavior, mainly with the aim of attaining goals. When an individual has influence as a trait, others view him as a leader. Agezo (n.d, p.261) emphasizes that leadership can only be present if there are people to be led. In addition, leaders are differentiated from managers due to the fact that leaders are able to influence and persuade their followers.
Effective leaders should have wisdom that enables them to provide the right direction for others. For instant, in a school setting, effective leadership plays a vital role in influencing students in the achievement of their goals via conditions created in the school. The principle of credibility acts as the foundation for successful influence, since effective or ineffective influence strategy is determined by the credibility of a leader. People normally look up to their leaders as a sign of hope, trust and confidence such leaders have toward them. Therefore credibility is essential in leadership as deceit would destroy a leader’s reputation.
Credibility is associated with competence, dynamism, and trust; whereby, competence signifies knowledge and expertise; therefore, a leader must be in a position to provide the needed skills when required. Trust is essential in the relationship between a leader and his followers, as it portrays the amount of confidence that people have on their leaders. Dynamic leaders inspire and encourage their followers to work extra hard in order to achieve certain goals.
Principle of reciprocity emphasizes on co-operation with one another, whereby, people reciprocate a good deed to the person who provided them with a favour. For instance, when a leader assists a teacher or a parent in solving a problem, the leader can automatically depend on them when a situation arises. When an organization assists its members, those that benefit from it may feel indebted and will not hesitate when called upon (Agezo, n.d, p.264). The principle of attraction illustrates that one may be attracted to someone who dresses like hi/her, or has similar political views.
Leaders can have an impact on their follower’s lives in the way they communicate and inspire others. When a leader has the best interest of people at heart, he will respect and treat them with dignity; such actions contribute towards attraction, which results to a leader’s influence. The principle of colleagueship involves listening and following of the leaders, as they respected and trusted icons. Distributed leadership falls here, and it entails the contributions of others in decision-making (Agezo, n.d p267).
In the principle of and consistency, a leader aims at influencing people’s behavior in order for them to be in commitment consistent with a leader’s mission, goals, and vision as a sign of commitment. High level of commitment in leaders yields to high performance. The principle of expertise involves quality skills that are applicable when needed, an important trait that a leader should posses by being creative and innovative. These skills may include the ability to solve problems fast and effectively.
The principle of fairness expects leaders to be accountable for their member’s actions; however, people are less motivated when they are not treated right. Therefore, a leader should ensure that fairness and justice prevails in the organization as a means of ensuring members feel safe and are recognized (Agezo, n.d, p270). The principle of optimism holds positivity in it as a factor that enhances success. An effective leader is always positive about life and believes that things can change and goals can be achieved, therefore playing a vital role in uplifting his team’s spirit, as they take the steps towards achieving their goals.
Self efficacy principle is related to self confidence as a requirement in attaining specific goals. A leader should guide his followers in believing that they can handle events, people, and situations in order to attain self-efficacy. Principle of scarcity indicates that items become more desirable when they are less accessible, due to limited supply. A leader should approach this issue amicably by utilizing the limited resources wisely, and fast to the areas that are a priority (Agezo, n.d p273).
Personal Reflection
In Agezo’s article on influence principles, I learn an important lesson that leadership cannot be complete without influence, which falls under expertise, self-efficacy, optimism, commitment, colleagueship, attraction, reciprocity, and credibility. Credibility is essential in leadership, as people want to believe and trust their leaders. However, I agree with the author that a little lie can tarnish the image of a leader, as his followers view him as deceitful. It is true that effective leaders motivate their team members by portraying the optimism spirit, which states that anything is possible and any goal can be achieved.
The principle of fairness is well elaborated, as it contributes towards justice in dealing with matters concerning employees. Therefore, as the article indicates, when fairness is practiced, performance is enhanced, and employees feel safe and secure in the workplace. I agree that leaders should be optimistic, as they are capable of grabbing opportunities in hope that they will lead to success in the future. When leaders are optimistic, failure is only treated temporary and such a leader does not blame anyone for failures. However, they find ways of solving such problems.
A lesson well learnt in this article is that, optimism somehow contributes to success. Agezo’s view on leadership is amazing and effective, as throughout his article, he emphasizes on effective leadership. It is agreeable that effective leaders should be capable of using different strategies for different conditions. However, inappropriate use of these strategies could lead to a pitfall for leaders. I support the article’s view on consistency, whereby, it gives no room for dissonance (Agezo, n.d, p267).
Commitment is also a powerful tool in motivating employees. However, I tend to disagree with the principle of attraction on how people tend to be swayed away by only the positive behavior of a leader (Agezo, n.d p265).
Nevertheless, some people tend to mimic negative images that are portrayed by their leaders. I agree with the author that leadership is a process that is associated with an individual’s influences on his team, therefore making influence an important factor in successful leadership. The acquired information from Agezo’s article has been of significance to me, as it has enlightened me on what it takes to be an effective leader, therefore proving vital in my place of work, especially when I am required to lead my colleagues in a project or any other mission. Lastly, I have embraced what it takes to be an effective leader in the eyes of the others.
References
Agezo, C. (N.d). Influence: an important tool for successful Leadership. Florida a & m university. (Attached document).