A change, like a rest, stands out as one among the many inevitable things based on how it manifests itself in the field f leadership especially for those who target at becoming reliable leaders. Yes, they must make significant personal adjustments to ensure that they remain in hand towards leading that formidable unit, whose effectiveness burns down to whoever stands in the helm. There exist several reasons as to why such changes in most cases prove inevitable.
Effective leaders lead by example thus becoming the first people to set the tunes of the things they want their people to do or rather portray. For instance, if one expects his/her team to follow a specific dress code of which he/she does not adhere to, there stands a very high probability of the people he/she leads not grasping the importance of such a code.
Striking a perfect balance between compassionate and firm leadership proves inevitable for effective leaders. Effective leaders show humane concern to their teams’ problems yet remain careful not to compromise productivity.
Being approachable and accommodative are other traits common in an effective team leader (Daft, 2010, p.23). As the head, one must make sure that he/she has the ability to accommodate the different ways of doing things. For instance, some people will take longer to learn or do what others will do in a flash. It proves not the leader’s place therefore to criticize an individual’s pace or mode of learning. Instead, he/she needs a good deal of practice concerning how he/she ought to appreciate people’s discrepancies.
People expect magnanimity of everyone joining the ranks of team leadership (Mann, 1959, p.247). They will always require him/her to give credit where it stands due rewarding efforts made by individuals in his/her team. Effective leaders cultivate for and earn loyalty from their team.
He/she therefore has to modify his character to fit into the shoes of the people he/she leads in order to achieve this loyalty. Remember, the team will only stand by its leader if he/she too stands by it. Thus, the easier it is for the person to gain that dedication, trust and loyalty positively, the higher the chances of him/her becoming an effective leader.
As a result, actual changes will come in handy in the journey towards achieving the aforementioned effective leadership. For instance, a leader needs to adjust his/her actions and behaviors to conform to what he/she expects from the team. “The manager leads the group and the group agree to follow his lead to accomplish a predetermined goal” (Burns, 1978, p.13).
Rules are supposed to transcend above individuals for them to function fully. A leader ought to manifest a change concerning his/her style of dealing with people. Therefore, he/she needs to establish himself/herself, not necessarily as a leader, but as a member of the team with which he/she leads.
When conducting a team meeting, he/she should make it all-inclusive asking the team members for opinions and suggestions. “First, listen then offer solutions but when you ask for their opinions let it not just be a formality, instead dedicate yourself to working the issues out” (Stogdill, 1948, p.40).
An effective leader ought to change his/her perceptions towards giving or rewarding. He/she should view it not as a loss but an added advantage that boosts the performance as well as corporation in the team. A reliable leader should prove more approachable.
People will always come for solutions at their convenience without considering the flipside of the situation. He/she foster calmness and professionalism avoiding lashing out in frustration at his/her team members. Leadership is no doubt an art and like all arts, it requires perfection. Either way adjustments have to be made for efficiency to be achieved.
Reference List
Burns, M. (1978). Leadership. New York: Harper and Row Publishers Inc.
Daft, R. (2010). The Leadership Experience. Britain: Southwestern Educational Publishing.
Mann, R. (1959). A Review of the Relationship between Personality and Performance in Small Groups. Psychological Bulletin, 56, 241-270.
Stogdill, R. (1948). Personal Factors Associated with Leadership: A Survey of the Literature. Journal of Psychology, 25, 35-71.