Leadership
The modern world is experiencing drastic changes in all spheres of activity. Numerous aspects are triggering these alterations, such as the emergence and rapid development of technologies, their growing importance, increasing demands for diversity and effectiveness, and a tendency towards further sophistication of various processes. All these factors are also affecting the sphere of leadership, which is one of the most important features of any collective or organization.
As a consequence, leaders must have the capacity to evolve and adapt to a new environment. In general, the ability of leaders to meet new challenges and find solutions effectively is a key aspect that demands attention at all times, but this factor especially applies to the complexities of the present day.
The selected piece of media also delves into the problem outlined above. The speaker, Roselinde Torres, reveals some problematic areas of this domain, stating that new demands have arisen for leaders, who must in turn be ready to adapt and acquire new competencies to remain effective and contribute to the development of organizations (“What it Takes to Be a Great Leader”).
Unfortunately, despite the existence of multiple courses aimed at forming and growing effective leaders, significant gaps in knowledge related to the issue remain. This idea is in agreement with numerous readings emphasizing the necessity to apply new approaches that will help to eliminate outdated practices and contribute to the further development of organizations.
One thought presented in the video is that leaders should be able to look around themselves to find all possible solutions and approaches that can help to solve a problem. Goleman similarly expresses the assumption that leadership aiming to get results should rely on effective styles and should affect all the stakeholders involved in a particular project (3). The choice of approach depends on the people who are on a team as well as on the outlined goals that are intended to be achieved. However, the ability of a leader to have an impact on results and create an appropriate climate is fundamental to beneficial outcomes and improved cooperation between members of the collective.
The second idea that can be found both in the video and in the course readings is that a diverse network is an endless source of effective solutions and approaches that can be used in practice. Chatman and Cha support this opinion, stating that the existence of various perspectives on the same problem is a main feature of a developing and beneficial organizational climate that should be given top priority and considered by all leaders (25).
Cultivation of diversity can also help to achieve a high level of agreement among employees and increase the effectiveness of their collaboration (Chatman and Cha 25). For these reasons, any modern leader should possess the competencies needed to create an environment that will guarantee the inclusion of all workers along with their contribution to the final result.
Altogether, leadership remains a fundamental of modern society. However, it is important to realize that the demands on leaders have changed because of the emergence of new approaches and strategies guaranteeing better results. Thus, to remain effective, it is critical to fill any gaps in knowledge related to the role these specialists should play in organizations and ensure that they correctly understand their tasks. Only under these conditions will leaders contribute to the development of organizations by cultivating a diverse culture and creating new solutions together with team members.
Works Cited
Chatman, Jennifer and Sandra Eunyoung Cha. “California Management Review, vol. 45, no. 4, 2003, pp. 20-34.
Goleman, David. “Leadership That Gets Results.” Harvard Business Review, 2000, pp. 1-15.
“What it Takes to Be a Great Leader.” TED, uploaded by TED@BBC. 2016. Web.