NEED AND IMPORTANCE OF LEADERSHIP

NEED AND IMPORTANCE OF LEADERSHIP

                A successful business is not only composed of business strategies but also exceptional leadership. A great leader acts as the catalyst that makes all the other things work together. A business that has all the fundamental things which are needed to operate a business but lacks a good leader will not be able to retain its positioning the market. A leaderless organization is an army without general, a school without teacher and a family without parents. There are following nitty-gritty reasons why good leadership is needed by the business.

         Waldo Emerson has said “An institution is really only the lengthening shadow of one man.”

Robert Fulmer says, “A manager without the skills of leadership is like a lifeguard who is afraid of water.”

In the words of Robert P. Watson, “Leadership is the electric current that powers the motors, the ingredient that energizes the battery, the force that transforms chaos into order, the insight that converts despair into hope and changes half-hearted endeavor into superior performance.”

1. Best Use of Human Resource: Leadership can stimulate involvement and teamwork and promote sound use of human resource. According to Basil States, “It is the job of leader in industry as elsewhere, to get the best- the very best-out of everybody.” Helen Hurd adds, “The true function of the leader is to take the average individual and broaden his potential capacities.”

2. Providing guidance- A leader has to not only supervise but also play a guiding role for the subordinates. Guidance here means instructing the subordinates the way they have to perform their work effectively and efficiently.

3. Builds teamwork environment- Management is getting things done from people. An efficient work environment helps in sound and stable growth. Therefore, human relations should be kept into mind by a leader. He should have personal contacts with employees and should listen to their problems and solve them. He should treat employees on humanitarian terms.

4. Building morale of The Employee: Morale denotes willing co-operation of the employees towards their work and getting them into confidence and winning their trust. A leader can be a morale booster by achieving full co-operation so that they perform with best of their abilities as they work to achieve goals.

5. Give Motivation: Leadership is a motivating force. Leaders stir emotions and breath life into the organisation. A leader leads, but does not push. He makes people eager to work towards the goals. He inspire followers with terrific drives from within to work hard. Terry says, “A leader has an ability to awaken emotional as well as rational power of the follower.”

6. Leadership and vision: Leadership provides the sense of purpose to the business. A leader looks forward and sees where the business is headed. It helps us to avert from the catastrophe before it happens. It is essential to realize the need for the business and guide them during the rocky times. It provides the employee with the strategic direction ensuring that all the company employees and department are headed in the same direction. If the company has good leadership the obstacles will seem insignificant. A good leader preserves vision. It taps the vision into the sentiments of the employees.

7. Leadership and values: A good leader creates value for the organization in the employees. It focuses employee attention on the values of the organization; it syncs the values within the team so that they are being implemented. The attitude of the leader to the values is modelled by the team. These values create a better workplace for the employees. A great leader starts to live with the values and get employees to follow and believe in the values you do. This helps employees to feel connected to the organization.

8. Survival and Success of business: Most of the failure have been attributed to poor leadership. No organisation can survive or function effectively without leadership. McFarland has very aptly said, “The members of an organisation cannot respond effectively to dull, lifeless, an unimaginative leadership-their full powers will remain untapped their abilities will lie idle, their ideas will go untried. The organisation will drift.”

9. Leadership and organization culture: There are companies that have amazing branding and goodwill in the market but their internal structure depicts a completely opposite picture. The internal structure is the culture of the organization.  The culture of the organization is what increases the employee retention rate. The key players in forming a great organizational culture are the upper management people because they have the authority to create a culture. A culture that appreciates, supports and motivates employee participation increases employee retention rate.

10. Facing Challenges: A non-leader manager cannot work effectively in today’s dynamic environment. Robert Gordon observes, “In a world of change uncertainty, the business leader becomes a vital element in the very process of changes itself.” Stoner and Gilbert also state, “Given the challenges dynamic engagement in today’s organisational world, many organisations are putting a premium on manager who also possess leadership skills.”