Leadership In 21St Century Essay, Research Paper

Managerial Leadership for the 21st Century

A leader is someone who has the vision and skills to create environments that people want to work in. Leaders cannot operate alone; they need support to carry their ideas through. It is definitely not an easy task to master the art of leadership and it is an on going learning module included in attaining the skill. In any event, after the weekend that I sat and listened to Ken Blanchard teach his leadership seminar, I know that I am now on my way to becoming a more effective leader if I utilize the tools taught to me.

My leadership point of view impacts the interactions that I have with people and the ways in which I motivate people. These interactions are based on the current level of comfort and knowledge based of those being managed or sharing in the communication. In order to attain this support it is imperative that a good leader learns, recognizes, and understands the type of people he or she is dealing with. If done effectively, it will be easy to match the appropriate leadership style with the development level that I will be dealing with. Finding ways to motivate and keep people excited is key to keeping them as employees, especially in working with labor unions. When fighting for the rights of the labor force, there must always be a united front in order to attain the goals sought. In order to master the art of situational leadership it has to be recognized that the best way to manage people is to meet them at their level of understanding and guide them accordingly. There are two major types of behavior a leader must demonstrate to effectively manage people, support and direction. Using these characteristics in the right balance will help develop the employee s potential and maximize their performance, as mentioned earlier.

Directive behavior encompasses the level of involvement needed in the employee s day-to-day processes. When an employee is new to the job and still learning the way s of the company, strong directive behavior is needed in order to lead this employee effectively. After the employee is acclimated to the specified duties and expectations of the firm a manager can be less directional in their management of the employee. If a high directive style of leadership is not used, an employee will not know what is needed to complete a task that satisfies the specifications of the manager. Starting with a great intensity in terms of direction is always the best decision if the manager or employee is new.

Supportive behavior is behavior that all employees need to have shown towards them, it is a nurturing characteristic that re-affirms their accomplishments. Don t wait until people do things exactly right before you praise them. (p.8, Blanchard) Simple acknowledgement sometimes is all that is needed to convey to the employee that an employer does see their efforts and they are appreciated. Sometimes this factor is just as important as compensation and benefits in which an employee will be more motivated and be more productive if they feel like they are needed and appreciated.

Ways to Motivate

S.C.O.R.E.

Sets goals and make them explicit to your employees so that a target is clear, and there is something they will know they reached when it is hit. S , stands for Shared Power, allowing them to make some decisions about how they will handle the situation and stand behind them. C , a compelling vision, and clarity of what the bigger picture is and how they fit into it. O , ongoing learning, their job is a learning process in which they are to act accordingly. Repetition and constant instruction is sometimes needed to lead effectively. R , relentless focus on customer relations, explains to the employee that they make difference to the customer that customers are key top any organization. E , effective structure and systems, this will show an employee the way to accomplish a task and the process to get to that point. If the SCORE method is followed good results are sure to follow and you will be regarded as a good leader.