Leadership is that aspect of the personality of individuals which enables them to lead and manage teams and groups of people. Leadership traits are visible even in childhood when children play and interact with their friends and display the ability to lead and enable their teams to perform and win. Leadership is an important personality trait and ensures that all members of the team perform and deliver to the best of their abilities and work towards a common goal.
Leadership has been described as a process which entails interactions between leaders and members of the team, so that they function effectively and influence their teams to obtain the aims and goals of the organization which they serve (Kramer, 2008). Good leaders and effective leadership have been an area of focus since times immemorial due to their impact on the positive results on organizations or even nations. Leadership can then be stated to be a vital aspect of personality which is necessary to guide and lead teams to success and accomplishment. It is therefore vital for prospective leaders and managers to understand the essentials of efficient leadership.
According to Vince Lombardi (2003) leaders aren’t born, they are made, which makes it crucial for managers to understand the importance of communication in leadership. Effective communication with members of the team enables individuals to evolve as leaders simply due to their ability to motivate their teams to deliver optimal results. Leaders may have distinct styles and the world has had leaders of many kinds. We have seen leaders like Hitler, who was a dictator to Mother Teresa who led the world with her kindness and mercy.
Current leader Obama, President of the United States, proved to the world that charismatic style and communication yields great power on people. Other world renowned leaders include the likes of Mahatma Gandhi who led his country to liberty and freedom with the unique approach and philosophy of ‘ahimsa’ or non-violence. While it is an accepted fact that efficient leaders motivate their teams to deliver results, it is also extremely essential to understand different communication styles of leadership and the situations in which they can be effectively applied.
Communication is the key to leadership since teams and groups should be able to identify the common goals and should be motivated to perform optimally in order to achieve that goal. Teams and groups of people give their best performance when they trust their leader. There are two common types of leadership, transactional leadership and transformational leadership. Transactional leadership enables team and group members to empower and allow followers to work independently, while transformational leadership is one in which the leader plays an active role in the functioning of the team (Burns, 1978). As is apparent, the latter form of leadership is more acceptable and preferred due to the presence and attention of the leader. When leaders function as a part of the team and motivate them to work for a common purpose or goal, team members are more likely to remain united and function effectively. The key here is to have leadership traits which enable followers or group members to have a firm belief and trust for their leaders so that they follow the leader’s vision and work collectively to achieve the vision, articulated by the leader. It is apparent that leadership is an important aspect for teams and groups to achieve success.
References
Burns, J. M. (1978). Leadership. New York: Harper & Row.
Kramer, Robert J. (2008). Have We Learned Anything about Leadership Development? The Conference Board Review, pp. 26-30.
Lombardi Vince (2003). What It Takes To Be Number #1: Vince Lombardi on Leadership. McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing.