Introduction
It is not only the circle of academics who are interested in the role of leadership and how the ways in which it can influence employees and organizations. Leadership is an integral part of any business, and without it, any business model would succumb to challenges or be highly ineffective due to low engagement or motivation of the team. Therefore, after learning aspects of leadership during this course, I believe that leadership is the foundation of any company, and it is the responsibility of a leader to maintain the performance of the team and prioritize the needs of employees.
Definition of Leadership
Throughout the course, my definition of leadership has undergone changes. The first moment that was important for me was when I realized that in order to prevent work from being disrupted when the team is unable to decide, a leader must make a decision on behalf of the group. In order to make an objective decision that is advantageous to the initiative and the team, they achieve this by having a healthy mix of emotional and logical thinking. In the meantime, they accept accountability for their actions, and when a problem occurs, they do not pass the responsibility to their teammates but instead try to find a solution. Another moment that contributed to my redefining of leadership is understanding that leaders must be role models, and this does not necessarily mean that they have to be in executive positions. A leader may be found at many levels of an organization, and their duty is to maintain balance either in a department or the entire company.
However, I would like to mention that while my definition of leadership has deepened, the overall image of an effective leader did not change. From my perspective, a good leader is not an authoritative individual who coerces people to work but someone who understands the needs of a person. As a result, when I discovered the style of leadership, such as the servant one, I understood that this is the most efficient one. It is acknowledged that the managerial style of servant leadership addresses ethical issues (Canavesi & Minelli, 2022). In this case, the leader’s position can be seen as one of a servant, prioritizing the needs of the team to subsequently generate beneficial organizational results (Canavesi & Minelli, 2022). Servant leadership offers moral protections in addition to being inspirational. This contradictory leadership role and serving mindset offer vital workplace safeguards for an organization’s corporate ethics while simultaneously encouraging performance (Saleem et al., 2020). As a result, it is impossible to ignore the needs of stakeholders and expect success and impressive results.
Impact of Theoretical Material
As for the impact of theoretical material on my view of leadership in my organization, I started emphasizing the role of leadership in conflict and burnout management. To promote a productive workplace, leaders have to be able to use conflict management techniques as necessary (Smiley, 2018). A leader’s incapacity to manage conflict will not only result in undesirable corporate consequences but might damage the team’s cooperation. In contrast, if a leader can create a culture of collaboration and promote teamwork while making it apparent that this is his or her moral code, there is a chance that the entire company will embrace this value system (Smiley, 2018). As a result, as a person who strives to be in a leadership position, I strive to minimize the adverse effects of conflict while maximizing the beneficial results when necessary. Consequently, conflicts that my team tries to handle lead to a resolution that benefits the team and business as a whole and increases productivity.
Regarding burnout management, I learned that by improving independence and control, empowering people, and increasing the working environment, strong leadership styles can reduce many burnout factors. Affiliation, optimism, positivity, enthusiasm, and trust are the major psychological mechanisms by which authentic leadership affects the attitudes and actions of staff members (Chen et al., 2022). Additionally, leaders put an emphasis on workers’ well-being, which raises intrinsic motivation levels and subsequently buffers resilience, and lowers employee burnout (Chen et al., 2022). Because of this, having an effective leader in my organization tends to increase workers’ intrinsic motivation levels.
As a result, after reviewing the theoretical material, I was able to not only apply the learned pieces of information in practice but also compare my organization with the leadership explained in scholarly sources. Servant leaders see themselves as guardians of the companies, working to maximize the financial and non-financial resources that have been given to them (Eva et al., 2019). Having an employer who uses a servant leadership style, I see that, despite their attention being directed toward their followers’ personal growth, they do not disregard performance standards. In contrast to performance-oriented leadership styles, which frequently sacrifice individuals in order to obtain profit and expansion, servant leaders place a long-term emphasis on sustainable success.
Recommendations to Leaders
Finally, throughout the course, I learned the principles of leadership and how it can help new and experienced leaders become good and effective managers. The first recommendation would be to connect principles with the goals and vision of the company. Even if there are differences, a true leader must find aspects where it is possible to make concessions (Holland, 2022). Moreover, from my personal perspective, it is necessary for both the company and a leader to treat everyone with respect and set it as corporate values and strive to communicate their meaning to the team. Therefore, one does not need to have a perfect job, but it is important to identify aspects of such positions that enable leaders to perform work that makes them feel proud.
The second recommendation for leaders is always to think systematically. The leader must recognize the effects of their choices on the business, sector, neighborhood, and overall environment (Holland, 2022). For executives who have been praised in the past for concentrating on a narrow field of expertise, systemic thinking might seem paradoxical (Holland, 2022). Recognizing new technology, finding funds to buy new equipment, and managing a team of treatment specialists who are all focused on the same objective are a few of these aspects.
The last recommendation that is worthy of consideration for leaders is to evaluate one’s own abilities. The foundation of a leader’s mindset is their readiness to lead and serve others (Holland, 2022). A successful leader looks forward to having the chance to take charge of both his or her own activities and the actions of others they are leading. This leadership style results from a deliberate decision; it is a purposeful choice to accept the position with all of its rights and obligations. Effective leaders may show a clear goal in the midst of human relationships and natural turmoil (Holland, 2022). Such a leader is committed to making sure that the organization accomplishes its goals and completes its purpose, as well as ensuring that individual goals are met (Holland, 2022). Those who want to take the reins of leadership must be pressured to do so at all costs.
Conclusion
Hence, my understanding of leadership has expanded, but the general profile of an effective leader has remained the same. A good leader is someone who knows the requirements of a person rather than someone who is domineering and forces others to work. Regarding the effects of academic content, I began highlighting the need of leadership in managing conflict and burnout. I would advise leaders to constantly think strategically, make sure that their own vision and values align with those of the organization, and evaluate their own capabilities.
References
Canavesi, A., & Minelli, E. (2022). Servant leadership: A systematic literature review and network analysis. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 34(3), 267–289. Web.
Chen, J., Ghardallou, W., Comite, U., Ahmad, N., Ryu, H. B., Ariza-Montes, A., & Han, H. (2022). Managing hospital employees’ burnout through transformational leadership: The role of resilience, role clarity, and intrinsic motivation. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(17), 10941. Web.
Eva, N., Robin, M., Sendjaya, S., Van Dierendonck, D., & Liden, R. C. (2019). Servant leadership: A systematic review and call for future research. The Leadership Quarterly, 30(1), 111-132. Web.
Holland, T. (2022). Establishing a leadership mindset: A guide to using the power of the human brain to motivate learning. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Saleem, F., Zhang, Y. Z., Gopinath, C., & Adeel, A. (2020). Impact of servant leadership on performance: The mediating role of affective and cognitive trust. Sage Open, 10(1). Web.
Smiley, F. (2018). Leadership guide to conflict and conflict management. In Leadership in healthcare and public health (pp.123-133). The Ohio State University. Web.