Motivational Leadership Essay

Effective leadership has a tremendous impact on the success of an organization. Darling & Heller (2011) infers that â€Å"with regard to individuals in leadership roles, their thoughts and feelings, fundamentally based on attitudes, thereby also control the levels of organizational success and every other aspect of an organizational leader’s arena of endeavor† (p. 9). Achieving optimal organizational performance is very much so dependent on the effectiveness of that organization’s leaders. Five topics interrelated to leadership effectiveness will be addressed in this paper. (1) Feedback works for leadership and tell why you think it could be beneficial. (2) Present an overview of the Contingency Theory of Leadership effectiveness to include Situational Leadership II. (3) Share some ways that you as a leader could lead your company in being socially responsible and creating an ethical organization. (4) Provide a brief analysis of empowerment; be certain to include the relationship between delegation and empowerment. (5) Discuss how leaders can foster teamwork within a group. All of these topics and/or concepts are essential aspects to achieving high levels of quality, roductivity and satisfaction within an organization. The concept of 360-degree Feedback is to formally evaluate an organization’s leaders through feedback from individuals that work closely with those leaders (e. g. subordinates, colleagues, direct supervisors, other superiors, suppliers and/or customers). According to Dubrin (2010), 360-degree Feedback is also referred to as multisource or multirater feedback, and is systematically derived from a full sampling of parties who directly interact with the leader (p. 110). One particular method for organizations to easure leadership effectiveness through the 360-degree Feedback concept is to set up a system utilizing the internet or the organization’s intranet. That system should be based on the attributes that organization deems to be the most significant and valuable. The 360-degree Feedback is of great benefit to leaders in providing them insight into the effectiveness of their behaviors and styles. The feedback mainly serves for developmental purposes (behaviors, attitudes, and styles), and not for the purposes of evaluating the leader’s performances. The 360-degree Feedback not only benefits the ndividual leaders, but it also is a vital component to the organization, as a whole. Organizations benefit from 360-degree feedback instrument in the following ways: (a) individual performance improvement, (b) impact on business goals, and (c) impact on organizational culture (Rehbine-Zentis, 2007, p. 160). The Contingency Theory of Leadership is the assumption that a leader’s ability to lead is contingently based on various situational factors, internally and externally. The following are various factors that could greatly influence a leader’s effectiveness within heir organization: the capabilities of the workforce, the culture within the organization, and the competiveness of market. Leaders who are have been highly effective within one organization, may not deliver that same effectiveness within a different organization. An important perspective on implementing contingency leadership is that the leader must be flexible enough to avoid adhering to old ideas that no longer fit the current circumstances or situation (Dubrin, 2010, p. 133). I can definitely see the validity of the theory in reference to my own experiences in previous leadership positions. It is absolutely about he ability to successfully and effectively adapt to different organizational environments. Like the Contingency Theory of Leadership, the Situational Leadership II style is a contingency leadership approach that is solely based on the theory that there is no one particular best style of leadership that fits all situations. This leadership style focuses mainly on the capabilities or behaviors of individuals and/or groups that one leads. Blanchard (1997) asserts, â€Å"Situational Leadership II advocates that the best leaders provide the amount and kind of direction and support which best fits the developmental evel of the employee† (p. 38). As a leader, I can encourage my organization to focus on ethical business practices and social responsibility, beyond profit pursuit, based upon our strategic organizational goals, mission and vision statements. I would initially ensure that the organization’s environment was a positive, engaging culture conducive to intellectual development. Individuals within an organization invest about one-third of their time at work, a pleasant work environment increases the chances that their life will be enriched (Dubrin, 2010, p. 181). There would be a significance placed on competing fairly and onestly, not causing harm to others (internally/externally), and communicating truthfully. I would ensure that my organization is offering goods and services that are valuable and essential to consumers. We would be consistent in providing quality employment to individuals which would benefit them in providing for their families, in the forms of, paying them salaries/wages, offering quality health insurance and/or child care services, matching retirement plan contributions, etc. We would also benefit society in maintaining ethical practices in our financial obligations through paying taxes which elps fund education, support government, build highways, as well as provide funds to enhance our local, state and national public safety/defense systems. According to Forsyth (1997), â€Å"genuine changes to business practices have to be made in order to protect the environment† (p. 272). I would ensure that, as an organization, we were utilizing the most up-to-date technology and economic solutions to reduce or alleviate any environmental issues that we faced. My organization would take every possible precaution to not generate unnecessary waste and pollution through the improper onsumption of resources, as well as from the possible emission of toxic air pollutants caused by our manufacturing processes. The concept of empowerment involves a power transfer from higher levels of employees to lower levels of employees within an organization (Khalid & Sarwar, 2011). Leaders that utilize positive empowering practices with their employees are more likely to increase their organization’s productivity. When employees are given the opportunity to share in the responsibilities of their leaders and/or managers, they feel more powerful and valued. Empowerment is also advantageous to an organization, in respect to owering labor costs through the sharing of those managerial responsibilities with its lower-level employees. According to Dubrin (2010), leaders can promote empowerment within their organization through fostering initiatives and employee responsibility, linking work activities to the organization’s strategic goals, providing ample information to their employees, and by allowing group member or individual employees to choose their preferred method for meeting a goal (p. 205-206). One contributing factor to empowerment is the act of delegation which is more of a formal ssignment of tasks and responsibilities. Delegation, as well as, empowerment can be a very motivational tool which offers individuals the benefit of skill development. The bottom line is that both concepts represent the core principle of accountability. Teamwork is vital to an organization’s success. Being that teams consist of individuals with different backgrounds, beliefs, ideas and points of view, it is imperative that we always be respectful and embrace the rewards that diversity brings within the team. As leaders, we can foster teamwork within a group through providing team embers with clear descriptions of the team’s goals, mission and tasks, commanding performance commitment and excellence, providing direction and feedback, alleviating micromanagement practices, forming virtual teams utilizing e-leadership, and encouraging power sharing which ensures that each team member is being heard, taken seriously and treated respectfully (Dubrin, 2010). More importantly, encouraging teamwork and utilizing teams are essential in increasing an organization’s productivity and achieving cohesiveness throughout the organization. A leader’s ability to build ffective teams committed to organizational goals tops the list of priorities in todays dynamic business landscape (â€Å"Work at fostering teamwork on the job,† 2011). Teams can produce higher-quality solutions, as well as foster creativity and positive energy. Effective teams are capable of being more adept at solving difficult, complex problems than that of the organization’s â€Å"top-performing† individuals. Creating teams can also cause an increase in commitment, lower stress levels, diminish internal-competiveness, and promote flexibility in responding to the organization’s needs, in relation to, â€Å"business† changing.