Many people mix up the concepts of Leadership and Management with each other. Leadership and Management are not the same things. Leadership comes from within the person; whereas, management does not. Leadership is not just all about managing people, tasks, or resources; it is much more than that. A good leader possesses some good interpersonal and as well as social skills such as Emotional Intelligence. He knows how to motivate, influence, and manage people along with their emotions. To be a leader, (Freeman & Stoner, 1992) it is important to understand what motivates the employees around you. It is necessary to discover the fundamental needs that employees, coworkers, and bosses have. All people need a basic income and necessities.
The leadership style that I would consider to be my own is ‘Supportive Style’, or ‘People-oriented Leadership Style’. As its name implies, the people-oriented leader is friendly and approachable (McShane & Travaglione, 2003). He makes the work more pleasant, treats the employees with equal respect, and shows concern for the status, needs, and wellbeing of employees. This type of leader focuses on building up relationships with his employees and creating mutual trust and common ground between himself and the employees.
Many people think that the Task-oriented leadership style has more benefits than the people-oriented style. But near me, the people-oriented style improves the job satisfaction of employees and builds up their motivation to achieve goals. Moreover, it reduces absenteeism and turnover among subordinates, according to McShane and Travaglione (2003). This style is also called the Relationship-oriented style. It includes (Bolden et al., 2003) listening, facilitating, and supportive behaviors. In relationship behavior, the leader engages in two-way communication by providing socio-emotional support.
As far as the strategies and interventions to motivate people are concerned, I would involve the people or employees in the decision-making or strategy development process so that they get a chance to voice up their opinion and give suggestions. This would not only boost up their motivation and interest but would also build up their commitment to the tasks and goals. Yet another strategy would be to lead them like a ‘Servant Leader’. Servant leaders do not view leadership (McShane & Travaglione, 2003) as a position of power; rather, they are like coaches, stewards, and facilitators. Through this strategy, I would assist the employees or people in their work performance by understanding their needs and requirements. Not only this but to maintain the cohesiveness among the employees and stability in the work pattern, I would adopt the ‘Team Leadership’ approach. According to Bolden et al. (2003), a team leader delegates their role to others, values differences between people, encourages colleague development and is not threatened by people with special abilities.
Moreover, to motivate, influence, and guide people towards the achievement of goals, I would adopt some strategies of a ‘Transformational’ leader. I would talk optimistically about the future, enthusiastically about the targets, express confidence that goals can and will be achieved, and take a stand on controversial issues. Transformational leaders are proactive in many different and unique ways. These leaders attempt to (Bolden et al., 2003) optimize development, not just performance. Development encompasses the maturation of ability, motivation, attitudes, and values. And last but not the least, I would implement a suitable and agreeable system of monetary rewards to keep productivity and goal achievement at a sound level. I would link the rewards to performance so that the employees work efficiently and effectively and achieve the goals; in this way, I could keep them on track and satisfied with their job.
References
- Bolden, R., Gosling, J., Marturano, A. and Dennison, P. 2003. A Review of Leadership Theory And Competency Frameworks. Centre for Leadership Studies, University of Exeter.
- Freeman, R. Edward, & Stoner, James A. (1992). Leadership and Motivation. Management 5th Edition. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall.
- Steven McShane and Tony Travaglione. 2003. Organisational Behaviour on the Pacific Rim. Australia. McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Limited.