The Importance of Leadership: Lead to Success or Lead to Failure? What is leadership? Northon (2007, p.

3) in Clark (2010) defines leadership as a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. This arises a question: Can anyone become a leader and lead an organisation? Some people said that a good leader is made not born. According to Jago (1982), a good leader is shaped through a never ending process of self-study, education, training and experience. In other words, a person has to work hard to be a good leader. Leading an organisation is never an easy task. However, with a combination of knowledge, personality and vision, leadership is not an impossible mission for anyone who wants to be a successful leader. An effective leader sees the success of an organisation as an ongoing effort between himself and all members of the organisation. Types of leadership styles The styles of leadership can be divided into four types as described by Blake & Mouton (1964), as follows: i. Autocratic leadership An autocratic leader will always be concerned about tasks fulfillment. He led by using complete and unquestioned power. Leaders who adopt this style will always make decision related to the tasks, issue directives and make sure the directives are complied by his employees. The employees would have to work as per the rules set down by him.
ii. Humane leadership

A humane leader showed great interest in his employees. He emphasizes good working atmosphere, which is fostered through networking a warm relationship among all employees. employees. He tries to avoid conflicts by building alliance with his

iii. Democratic leadership

A democratic leader encourages all of his employees to be involved in the organisation. The employees are given the opportunity to provide advice or views before a decision is made. iv. Laissez-faire leadership A laissez-faire leader is not interested in the work that is entrusted on him. He usually does not care about the work or the result. He does not use the powers that are available to him. He would allow his subordinates to make any decisions on his behalf. The Characteristics of A Good Leader A good leader will have the following characteristics as mentioned by White (2005):
i.

A good leader has an exemplary character. It is of utmost importance that a leader is trustworthy to lead others. A leader needs to be trusted and be known to live his life with honesty and integrity. A good leader "walks the talk" and in doing so earns the right to have responsibility for others. True authority is born from respect for the good character and trustworthiness of the person who leads.

ii.

A good leader is enthusiastic about his work and also about his role as a leader. People will respond more openly to a person of passion and dedication. Leaders need to be able to be a source of inspiration, and be a motivator towards the required action or cause. Although the responsibilities and roles of a leader may be different, the leader needs to be seen to be part of the team working towards the goal. This kind of leader will not be afraid to roll up their sleeves and get dirty.

iii.

A good leader is confident. In order to lead and set direction, a leader needs to appear confident as a person and in the leadership role. Such a person inspires confidence in others and draws out the trust and best efforts of the team to complete the task well. A leader who conveys confidence towards the proposed objective inspires the best effort from team members.

iv.

A good leader also needs to function in an orderly and purposeful manner in situations of uncertainty. People look to the leader during times of uncertainty and unfamiliarity and find reassurance and security when the leader portrays confidence and a positive demeanor.

v.

A good leader is tolerant of ambiguity and remains calm, composed and steadfast to the main purpose. Storms, emotions, and crises come and go and a good leader takes these as part of the journey and keeps a cool head.

vi.

A good leader, as well as keeping the main goal in focus, is able to think analytically. Not only does a good leader view a situation as a whole, but is able to break it down into sub parts for closer inspection. While keeping the goal in view, a good leader can break it down into manageable steps and make progress towards it.

vii.

A good leader is committed to excellence. Second best does not lead to success. A good leader not only maintains high standards, but is also proactive in raising the bar in order to achieve excellence in all areas. Besides all the seven characteristics mentioned above, a good leader must also know how to

respect one another. A leader who wants his subordinates to respect him, he must first learn to respect his subordinates. Respect is meant to be earned, not given. For example, a leader should not belittle his subordinates when any of his subordinates commit a mistake. He should instead motivate the subordinate and help him or her to learn from the mistake. To gain respect, a leader must be ethical. An employee does not think about a leaders attributes but rather, he or she observed the leaders act in order to determine whether the leader is worth the respect. The Characteristics of A Bad Leader According to Riggio (2011), a bad leader will have the following characteristics: i. Use of threats and punishment Punishment is simply a bad and generally ineffective leadership tactic. The goal of punishment is to stop undesired behaviors. It does nothing to encourage positive, productive behaviors in employees. People who are punished, or threatened with punishment, feel resentment and want to get back at the source of the punishment. ii. Use of fear tactics Leaders sometimes use fear to try to get followers to toe the line, or as a motivational strategy ("if production doesn't pick up around here, people are going to lose their jobs"). Similar to threats, this strategy can often backfire. Fear can cause stress, and in extremes, reductions in performance and efficiency. iii. Self-serving use of power

We have heard the phrase "power corrupts"? Actually, power only corrupts when it is used for self-serving ends. Often leaders become "intoxicated" by the increased power that their position gives them. Bad leaders let that power go to their heads and do things that are in their own best interests without considering the interests of the collective. iv. Creating fractions: Ingroups vs. outgroups Although there is nothing wrong with creating "A team" of top performers, or favoring any of the best employees, there is a delicate balance between creating healthy internal competition and blatantly playing favourites. Bad leaders, however, reward ingroup members not because they are top performers, but because they show loyalty or "kiss up" to the leader. The Qualities of An Effective Leader An effective leader possesses some essential qualities as follows: i. Empathy It is important for a leader to be able to share the feelings or experiences of his employees by imagining what it would be like to be in their situation. Clausen (2010) stated, an extremely important part of gaining trust [in a leader] is to truly understand how someone feels. This quality will motivate the employees to perform well in their daily tasks. ii. Self-Awareness Musselwhite (2007) defined self-awareness as being conscious of what you are good at while acknowledging what you have yet to learn. This includes admitting when you do not have the answer and owning up to mistakes. A leader should be honest to himself and his employees by admitting his weaknesses rather than acting as if he knows everything. credibility. By doing so, he will be able to gain trust from his employees on his

iii. Self-Confidence According to Dao (2008), there is one particular component of leadership that is so important, so necessary, that without it, leadership cannot exist. That component is

confidence.

A leader must have confidence in his leadership ability, especially in

making decisions. That confidence makes it possible for a leader to analyse and face different situations and adopt a suitable style. Lack of self confidence in his leadership ability will prevent him from adopting participative style. iv. Objectivity A leader must be fair and objective in his dealings with his employees. He should not be carried away by emotions and forget the objective of his leadership. v. Decisiveness Decisiveness is defined as the ability to make prompt decisions while ensuring they are clear and understood (Kirby, 2009). Decision-making is a necessary but difficult task for every leader. A leader often has to take initiative and exercise mature judgment while taking decisions. Besides, he has to have foresight, imagination and creative ideas for effective decision-making. Open mindedness is yet another essential quality for that purpose. Why is Effective Leadership important to the organisation? Leadership is important in determining the progress of an organisation as without it, the organisation is like a ship sailing without a captain and the crews are in darkness, they lose the sense of direction and therefore, they sailed the ship based on the direction of the wind and current. Meyer (2011) states four reasons that indicate the importance of an effective leadership in an organisation: i. Employee Oversight A good leader gives instructions, motivation and encouragement to his staff in completing their daily tasks. He is available to his staff and ensures that his staff has adequate training, resources and tools in carrying out their duties.

ii. Operational Success

A good leader has the big picture in mind while rating details to ensure a smooth operation. He addresses the lack of productivity and performance in a timely and objective manner. iii. Organisational Growth A good leader sets goals and timetables that are reachable yet challenging and worthy. He is not satisfied simply sustaining the status quo, and as a result, he helps his organisation grow and thrive. iv. Team building A leader works alongside his staff in the pursuit of goals and deadlines, builds a sense of team and fosters a feeling of commitment with his subordinates. He shows people how to work together and experience success together. v. Training Know-How A leader who provides ongoing training to his staff builds a team that is prepared to deal with new challenges. An effective leader shares his knowledge and learns from his team.

Leadership is not entirely dependent on the position. The position held is only one of the potential of leadership. The success of a leadership depends on the functions of the two powers: the formal power which is obtained from the position held, and the informal power which is obtained from the acceptance of those subordinates.

References:

Blake, R. & Mouton, J. (1964). The managerial grid: The key to leadership excellence. Houston: Gulf Publishing Co. Clark, D.R. (2010). Concepts of leadership. Retrieved May 21, 2011 from http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadcon.html Clausen, J. (2010). Organisational leadership and integrity: The importance of trust, honesty and empathy as a leadership trait. Retrieved May 23, 2011 from http://www.suite101.com/content/organizational-leadership-and-integrity-a188727 Dao, F. (2008). Without confidence, there is no leadership: Self-confidence is the fundamental basis from which leadership grows. Do you have it?. Retrieved May 23, 2011 from http://www.inc.com/resources/leadership/articles/20080301/dao.html Jago, A. G. (1982). Leadership: Perspectives in theory and research. Management Science, 28(3), 315-336. Kirby, R. B. (2009). The leadership trait decisiveness. Retrieved May 23, 2011 from http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Leadership-Trait-Decisiveness&id=2841085 Meyer, K. (2011). Why is good leadership important in the workplace?. Retrieved May 22, 2011 from http://www.ehow.com/facts_6327669_good-leadership-important-workplace_.html Musselwhite, C. (2007). Self awareness and the effective leader. Retrieved May 23, 2011 from http://www.inc.com/resources/leadership/articles/20071001/musselwhite.html Riggio, R.E. (2011). Cutting-edge leadership. Retrieved May 22, 2011 from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/200905/how-spot-bad-leader White, B. (2005). Seven personal characteristics of a good leader. Retrieved May 21, 2011 from http://ezinearticles.com/?Seven-Personal-Characteristics-Of-A-Good-Leader&id=59305