Leadership plays a crucial role in the culture of an organization and makes any business achieve or fail to meet its goals. The different styles used to lead people to depend on several factors, including the setting and cultural diversity of the subjects. One of the main observations in the business is that management structures are often used to give powers to individuals to enable them to work with their subjects. However, leaders and managers differ in terms of their roles and responsibilities. Leadership is equated to having the ability to give followers a certain direction that eventually results in a collective outcome (Chaleff, 2001). On the other hand, a manager mainly works by following traditional management procedures even if they do not yield results.
Since managers are mainly following specific requirements, they mostly fail to address the needs of their followers. Such needs include emotional, safety, social, appreciation, and self-actualization as described in Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of motivation (Chaleff, 2001). Every employee desires to work where they can have food for themselves and their families, and also have access to clean water and fresh air. Additionally, they also want to work in environments that help them create and support friendships, romantic attachments, family relationships, and community groups. Such social provisions reduce mental issues such as depression and anxiety, which make the employees more focused on their work. The esteem needs are mainly associated with respect and appreciation. Every employee wants to feel their presence in the company creates value, thus expecting to be treated with utmost respect irrespective of their positions in the company. Moreover, self-actualization is critical as it enables followers to grow and fulfill their potential across different life areas. Consequently, a leader understands these needs and is ready to give opportunities to ensure all subjects are satisfied with their working environments.
Meeting the above needs is mainly challenging for managers without leadership skills because they focus on production to the detriment of the employees’ welfare. Contrarily, leaders support and coach their followers to reach their objectives and career goals. Such leaders do this by helping their followers meet their needs and listening to their followers’ feedback. Coaching usually allows such leaders to give direction while considering the ideas, suggestions, and feelings of the followers. By hearing from the subjects, leaders can get concepts that can drive their companies’ innovation, thereby making them more competitive in their specific industries. However, most traditional managers feel less confident following suggestions provided by their subjects, who may be fired for their change inputs (Chaleff, 2001). Consequently, leaders with management roles should understand how to create functional relationships with their teams to ensure honest and straightforward discussions that optimize the companies for future growth.
In conclusion, the managers of a given company need to understand how their skills and attributes enable them to attain the leadership positions they hold. A manager should learn to be a leader and create the desired change by increasingly developing leadership characteristics that improve the working environment for all stakeholders. If a manager has not attained some skills, it is also crucial for them to assess ways to modify their leadership styles to utilize their skills and attributes to accomplish their companies’ missions, visions, and objectives. Most importantly, having a working relationship with followers is critical for leaders to achieve their objectives, particularly if they get appropriate support from those they lead.
Reference
Chaleff, I. (2001). Courageous followers, courageous leaders: New relationships for learning and performance—Ideas for leaders [PDF document]. Web.