Part I:Introduction
My topic is leadership. No matter to a country or to a company, leadership is always significantly important. If a company has good leadership, it would be smooth going and it would make more profit. And the same truth, if a country has good leadership, it would be strong and powerful. So what is leadership ? In dictionary, there are two main definitions of the word “leadership”, one definition is that “the body of people who lead a group “,its synonym is leaders, another definition of “leadership” is “the ability to lead others”. After explain it , another question is why leadership is so important ? Leadership is just like the president and the ability of the president to lead a country. This essay will be extended with these two definitions.
The first definition “leaders” will be discussed at first, it will connect with management, the specific meaning of leader will be explained, the types of leaders and the differences between leaders and management will also be introduced, and in Part II ,the second definition “the ability” will be described and discussed, the ability to lead a group is also very important, some examples will support this view.
Part II: Leaders
Leaders will be discussed at first. Leadership is the short for the leader and the activities of leaders. The leader is the most influential people in the organisation, they can be the one who has a legitimate position or have the power to make decisions in the organisation , they also can be the one who does not have a position but some authority. The activities of leaders is that leaders use power or authority to guide or influence the members of the organisation to achieve the goals. Leaders is the fundamental function of management, which runs through the whole process of management activities.
1. Types of leaders
Using the process of historical as standard can divide 5 types of leaders : natural-style leader , authoritarian leader , democratic leader, expert-style leader and specialist group leader.
Using the objects as standard leaders can be divided into four basic types : political leader, administrative leader , business leader and academic leader. Using relationship as the standard leaders can be divided into five main types: hierarchical leaders, single line leaders , star-style leaders ,wheeled- style leaders and network-style leaders.
2.The attributes of leaders
The attributes of leaders includes two aspects: the natural attribute and the social attribute.
The natural attributes of leaders result from the natural needs of the society, it is determined by the objective law of people’s activities. The general sign is that a unified will and a certain power, it is the necessary common sign which leaders must have in any society and any times. Power is the important symbol of leaders, authority and obedience are the eternal attributes of leaders relationship.
Leaders not only have the natural attributes, but also have the social attributes. The political relations and economic relations between people and people permeate the entire process in the activities of leaders, and it provides their social nature, the social attributes of leaders.
The dual attributes of leaders refers the two sides in the activities of the same leader, in the world there does not exist a leader who has the single attribute. In the dual attributes of leaders, the social attribute is more important, it even can decide the natural attribute and make it change.
3.The functions of leaders
The function of leader is that leaders must play a role in the leading process, it also can say that leaders must guide and inspire subordinates to achieve the goals in he process, leaders must be positive.
Organizational functions
Organizational function is that for achieving the goals, leaders allocate the people, capital and material reasonably, and make the three elements form a whole function. Organizational is the primary function of leaders, without the organizational process of leaders, people , capital and the material probably be independent element and they can form an effective productivity . Only through the organizational activities by leaders between people, capital and materials , can achieve the goals.
Excitation functions
Excitation function means that the function leaders use the excitation ways to inspire the positivity of staff in the leading process. Achieving goals of organization is the leaders’ fundamental task, but leaders can not complete the task alone, so leaders should arise the enthusiasm of all employees on the basis of the organization.
The function of control
Control function is the function that in leading process, leaders control the staff and workers. In the process of achieving goals, deviation is inevitable, this deviation may come from external factors, may also be unreasonable form the internal organizational structure and regulations. Leaders’ function is to eliminate this deviation.
4.The differences and connection between leaders and management
The main connection between leaders and management is that leader is split off from management. In point of the development of leaders’ activities, the separation between decision making and implementation is the important revolution in the process of scientific development, this revolution also prove that leaders is split off
from the management.
No matter in social activities or in social science theory, both leader and management all have a strong compatibility and cross-cutting.
The main difference between leaders and management is that leaders have strategic attribute , leaders focus on the major policy decisions and people. Emphasizing communication with subordinates to achieve the goals. Management focus on policy implementation, emphasizing obedience and the control of organization to achieve the goals. Leaders pursue the whole effectiveness of organization and society . Management focus on some specific benefit.
Leaders have unwoeldliness attribute. Leaders focus on decision-making, management focus on implementation. Focuses are different, leaders do not need to deal with some specific matters. Management must be engaged in people , capital , material and information these specific issues .
In Part I, the functions and the attributes and some necessary duties of leaders are explained in detail. In Part II, the another definition “the ability to lead a group” will be also explained in detail. As the importance of leaders , the ability to lead a group is also significant. In Part II ,all occurrences of “leadership” is the mean of “the ability to
lead a group”, in a company , it is also called “leadership challenge”
Part III : the ability to lead a group
1.The definition of leadership ability
Leaders is the key of a group ,ability is the core of a leader , so ability is the core of the key. It can be seen that how important the ability is .
Warren Bennis used to say” Leadership is just like beauty, it is difficult to define ,but when you see , you will know “.
Leadership is a duty to grasp the organization, and it is also the ability to mobilize people around to struggle for this duty, the basic principles are : Leadership is the art of how to behave , not how to talk , the final factor of a leader’s ability is personal quality and personality. Leaderships’ achievements are depended on the efforts of the staff. So the basic task of a leadership is to create a highly conscious and high-yield team. Leaders establish a communication bridge is also one of the ability to lead.
Leadership influence others and influenced by others
About the ability of a leader to lead a group , it is always an argument. Somebody thinks the leadership is a natural ability of a person, it can guide others to complete tasks. Someone thinks that leadership is connected with the relationships between the leaders and leaders’ subordinates, leaders have power and use the power to control others. There is another definition, leadership is a tool to achieve some goals ,and it is a tool to help group members to achieve their goals. Although the definitions are varied, but there always have core concepts: leadership is a process, leadership involves influence others and influenced by others, leadership occurs in the organization.
The so-called leadership ,that is a special kind of interpersonal influence , every one in the organization will influence other people in the organization, and at the same time , everyone in the organization will be influenced by other people in the organization , so each employee has the potential and leadership. In the organization, leaders and team members promote the team toward to the established goals together, and constitute an organic system, within the system has the following elements: the characteristics of leaders’ personality and the art of leadership ,the initiative of employees, the positive interaction between leaders and employees, the process of setting a goal and achieve a goal.
System is normal or not depends on whether the various elements can coordinate with each other or not. And the key of the coordinated development is that the interaction between leaders and other members in the organization, emotional and behavior activity is the necessary conditions for the right leadership.
Be the people to lead others
Leadership can be divided into two aspects: first is the organizational leadership , it means that the organization as a whole has the influence to the other organizations and individuals. Leadership in this level refers the culture of the organization ,strategy and execution ability. The second is that individual leadership , to the enterprise, it is business managers and leaders at all levels of leadership.
Organizational leadership is based on individual leadership, how to make
breakthrough and enhance leadership, how to improve from one who lead himself to the people leading other people and then become a great leader , is a very serious problem which must be solved.
Leadership is bring vision to the organization and make it happen.
2.Analysis of leadership
A relaxed and pleasant working environment can inspire employees. In such an
environment , the staff will be fully motivated , their work will be more efficient and their performance will be better. With the help of leaders in the enterprise , employees can be self-management .
Leadership is in the core position with the survival and the development of an enterprise, sometimes leadership even can be the decisive factor. Whether the management decision-making right or not has a direct impact on the survival and development of an enterprise. The decision-making rights are in the hands of leaders, so the ability of leaders can directly impact each decision. The outstanding leaders generally has a wide range of leadership skills.
Ability is a comprehensive reflection of the knowledge and wisdom. Leadership is a comprehensive practical activities, the requirement of quality is relatively high. Leadership is the necessary ability with leaders when they deal with problems. If leaders can be smooth when they in response to the competitions and challenges , leaders must have the determination , innovation ,coordination ,influence ,crisis management and other capabilities which are the elements of leadership. Therefore ,leadership is the integrated use of all abilities.
From the meaning of the word “leadership”, it is often beyond the scope of ordinary life. Leadership is a process of persuasion or demonstrate. One person can take this process, causing the whole companies to pursue which the leadership insists. Leadership and status can not be mixed up. Even in enterprises or government institutions, the person in top position may be only a top bureaucrat. Meanwhile, leadership and power also can not be mixed up. Although leaders often have some power to convince the public, but many of them do not have the leadership. The power of those who are in power maybe come from the money ,or come from the ability to harm others. Therefore, it is necessary to analysis deeply.
Chairman Franks is the CEO of a big company, his company is always be reported on various Business magazines, and the price of company’s stock is increasing steadily, and he is the authoritative in the financial community of United States. But at the moment , his confidence has already gone. Franks is facing a crisis. This company, although it is praised by others, but also getting worse gradually. No matter what kind of transaction, they have already lost the market share ,while the new products are far behind opponents. Their original source of wealth has lost. Although the company has a dominant position in the market ,but it is in the precarious being. Franks has already known that it they do not completely change , the potential danger will appear in any time. In his observations, many unexpected things will happen one after another, but he could do nothing – do not have past experiences or training can let him deal with such difficulties.
Franks , as a chairman , problems is common to him, although he is the CEO of a company and he is very clear what need t change, but he can not complete, he is familiar with the management ways : teamwork, the pursuit of quality, improve services and quickly enter the market, but he can not do any one of these.
In fact , he used to carry out some effective changes. Over past few years, he has designed some programs aimed to the improve quality, customer service and team work, and he was not only adjust the entire organization, but also re-organized the team. But so far, he continue to lose market share, while the competitors are still pre-empt the market, the price has dropped to half of the original, but he still can not make his staff to take action to do what he believes must to do.
Franks’s courage gradually lose, he knows that it is simple to say how to change, but in fact the problem is how to take action, he has no way like many other chairman. All leaders are faced with the challenge of leadership, all the old methods and models have already been lapsed. To leaders , how to develop or practice a new model will be a decisive success factor whether now or in the future.
i:.Analysis “A leader in the wild cattle”
For a long time, people always believe the old model , it lets you know that work needs to plan ,organize ,command ,coordination and control, so you can let a group operate like a buffalo. Animal like buffalo, they are absolute loyal to their only leader,
Whatever the leader buffalo want the other buffalos to do or wherever the leader buffalo want the other buffalos to go, they are following. In many companies, the role of the president is like the leader buffalo.
Every people likes making decision at a top position and let others to do, most leaders want people to complete the task all according to the ways he told them, they want their employees be loyal.
But in fact , the company is not like the one as you expect, because wild cattle are only loyal to a leader, they will be around with the leader , waiting for him to give orders , if the leader buffalo leave, other buffalos will wait until the leader buffalo appear again, this is why in the early people can easily kill a large number of wild cattle, they only need to kill the leader buffalo, other buffalos which are waiting for the leader buffalo will also be killed.
In many organizations just like the wild cattle, there are many staffs only waiting for the change, they will do nothing but the leaders told them to do. They always waiting for the next instruction.
Indeed , it is a hard work as a leader. As a leader, he must make all the orders, everyday he must take 12 to 14 hours to charge the important work. During this time, if the leader can not be respond for some emergency, this will cause all the company get into trouble. All leaders must take all these responsibilities by themselves, but also will be tried even be prematurely senile.
ii.Analysis “Learn fly from wild geese ”
In fact, people really want to see in the organization is a group of employees which all have responsibilities and can rely on each other. Just like the wild geese flying in V-shaped formation, the leadership of them always be replaced by different goose, no matter what the direction of their companies , each geese can be responsible for a part
of the operation, and change the role according to the condition. When the task changes, wild geese can immediately adjust to adapt to the new condition such as the flying with the V-shaped formation and landing with a wave-type. Each goose has the ability to be the leader in the team.
After that it is clear that the biggest obstacle is the leaders like the wild cattle. People must change their images and become a totally new leader.
Leaders must give up the old “wild cattle leadership” model,and develop a new “wild geese leadership”. The new model developed by a very tight synchronization leadership experiences is built on the principles of leadership among following:
a.Leaders must transfer the ownership of work responsibilities to those actual executors.
b. Leaders should create a suitable a work environment which every people can do their job well.
c.Leaders should guide people to develop individual skills.
d.Leaders should force themselves to step up their study and encourage others to make process together.
Part IV: innovation of leadership
To break balance and be outstanding
Not too long ago, people in the western United States widely use two ways to tame bronco- set rope method or captivity law. When use the set of rope , one cowboy seize the horse’s ear, and another cowboy jump onto the horse and set the rope on its neck ,the result is that when the cowboy leave his hand on horse’s ear, the horse immediately jump and cause the knight fall on the ground. The whole process is less than 15 minutes and ends up with an unruly horse .
The opposite way is the captive law , which requires a few days , because it will make much effort to tame the horse slowly before people can ride it . First step is driving horses into the horse corral, and then fasten the horse ,put the saddle ,until the horse be tamed. Before the horse tamed , cowboy can not ride it. Both of the upper methods are effective , but the horses tamed by captive way usually be obedient and easily trained, and they are useful. People grow in the Big Horn Mountain cab both use any of these two ways , they become professional wrangler.
In recent years there has been a mixture method to tame horses, an experienced trainer only spend one or two can tame a horse successfully, do not need to pull the ear of horse. To the large-scale ranch , it is clearly the best way , but the traditional trainer do not use this way. The result is that traditional trainers replaced by the new trainer , so in recent years a large number of traditional trainers lost their jobs. Even though some traditional trainers learn the new methods , but their basic habits and mentality make them hesitant.
This status seems very similar to many middle managers’ situation. Although the management methods are absolutely more than two, but most middle managers are caught in one of two methods ,they are “budget cuts experts” type and “participatory charge” type. Budget cuts experts like in charge of commanding and controlling, they always ignore the circumstances and they always set the strict annual budget. Over time , these managers have some problems , including unable to retain talent, can not stimulate employees’ initiative. These managers’ effort is only cutting costs. Participation in charge is another type of extreme , their problem is not tough enough, employees like them, and feel comfortable in this environment , but always need a long time to improve. In fact, sometimes the performance of enterprises decline , simply because these managers lack of the ability to catch efforts. These managers seems also have no ability to make personnel decisions , they always want to take care of the emotions and interests of employee, but expense the interests of customers and shareholders. So some leadership must be changed , they must be positive, strong desire, honest and confident.
Part V:Conclusion
The whole essay entirely explain “leadership” from the two definitions of it and from many other aspects . The whole article expound the specific meaning of “leadership”. In part I , the styles of leaders , the attribute of leaders ,the functions of leaders and the differences between leaders and management all be discussed. In part II, mainly talk about the leadership ability , part II mainly analysis leadership ability , and analysis two examples : “a leader in the wild cattle ” and “learn fly from geese”. And in part III refers innovation of leadership and give one example. From the whole article , it can be seen that leaders and leadership ability are both significantly important. Understanding the meaning of them is very helpful to the management and the operation of a company.
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