Characteristics of leadership

Characteristics of t cardinal downershipIntroductionThe characteristics of lead are examined in the circumstance of rail line management. leadShackleton (1995) defined leading as the process in which an individual inclines other sort members towards the attainment of group or brass instrumental goals. tally to Torrington et al (2008) the attracter may or may non be the nominal head of a group, implying that jitneys may or may non be drawing cards, and leaders may or may not be autobuss. Hollington (2006) argues that any individual may act as a manager at one stage and a leader at another(prenominal) time, depending on the situation. It should not be assumed that leadership is ever a downward process, as in that location are times when employees or managers lead upwards. There is a degree of confusion between management and leadership, which is beautiful by Northouse and Northouse (2009) who state that mend management is c erstrned with the provision or order and co nsistency within organisations, the prime function of leadership is to turn on change and development. counsel seeks order and st major power, whereas leadership aims to adapt behaviour and stir beneficial change.Qualities of leadershipThe understanding of leadership involves a blend of approaches fit in to Adair (2003). The combination of personal qualities (what you are), situational (what you know) and functional (what you do) all form a captious combination which distinguishes a leader. The attri exactlyes of a good leader are that they should let most of the characteristics of the field they operate in. As an example, the leader of a faithfulness firm should typically sop up the characteristics of a good lawyer. More generic qualities are associated with leadership, such as enthusiasm, integrity, moral courage, warmth, and a combination of mood and fairness. Both generic and typical qualities are necessary for recognition as a leader, supplemented with the natural auth ority which polariates leadership from others.The increasing global opposition in business has led to a focus on developing high-powered organisations which can differentiate themselves from the competition by the performance of their employees. accord to Swart et al (2005) leadership had been identified as a name to the high-performance organisation. Leadership is seen as power to inspire, motivate and fill employees with the inclination to change the organisation and to be the best. Leaders can act as change role models within the organisation.Building commitment to a third estate organisational purpose is essential to gaining competitive advantage and learning and development of employees plays a major part in delivering this. Dave Ulrich, whose work has had a profound influence on thinking within the human existences resources profession, has actual a modelling for guidance of human resource professionals in developing commitment and frame upting surface core values to organisations (Ulrich and Smallwood 2003). According to Harrison (2005) a key capability proposed in Ulrichs framework is leadership. Harrison relates that the latest human resource research findings show that there is an everyplacewhelming need for effective leaders in the face of the ultra change agenda facing the public and not-for-profit heavenss of the economy or at the highly competitive environment in which all private sector organisations now operate. Leaders at corporate level are accountable for the results of the organisation and their brand has a major influence on stockholder confidence. At the line manager level leaders play a key role in communicating and enacting the organisations vision and in implementing the human resource strategies to raise employees commitment to it.Whether leadership characteristics can be developed within a person is the subject of debate. Price (2007) offers the fol low-downing bring up from Bennis (1990) I would argue that more lead ers absorb been make by accident, circumstances, sheer grit, or will than by all the leadership courses put to poseher. Price argues that whereas good leaders are comparatively easy to cognise when they are in positions of authority, developing mess to achieve the necessary qualities is not so easy. Just as the record of leadership is not in full understood, the appropriate methods of training and leadership are a matter of controversy. It is arguable that many supposed leadership training courses are actually belief management skills quite a than those of leadership. Training courses have concentrated on identifying the nature of leadership and the form in which the individual trainee wishes to adopt, which incorporates a range of options from macrocosm able to give orders to a more specialised form. Self0awareness is frequently an ex gratia training requirement for those who feel they lack identified leadership skills, by delivering a general boost in self-confidence. I n each aspect the training depends of factors such as the participants level of seniority, or the organisational culture in which the individual operates. Clearly it would be inappropriate for a junior manager to adopt the manner of a managing director, or apply authoritarian forms of leadership in a business whole culture encourages wide interest in decision-making.Organisational dodge may be clearly stated and communicated, but the primary key to lucky strategy implementation is leadership. Daft (2006) states that leadership is the ability to influence people to adopt the new behaviour postulate for strategy implementation. An valuable part of implementing strategy is building consensus. People end-to-end the organisation must believe in the new strategy and have a strong commitment to achieving the vision and goals. Leadership means using persuasion, motivating employees, and shaping culture and values to support the new strategy. As an example Daft relates that CEO Sam P alasino of IBM used leadership to get people throughout the organisation aligned with the new e-business strategy. His actions included tear down the executive committee that previously presided over strategic initiatives and replace it with committees made up of people from all over the company who now have a voice in strategy formulation and implementation. He invested sizeable money in teaching managers at all levels how to lead rather than control their staff. He is also communicating with people all over the company, appealing to their sense of pride and motivating them to make IBM great once more by uniting behind the strategic vision, and facilitating the implementation of the strategy by making people feel they are participating, understand the strategy and therefore have more commitment to achieving it.Leadership in achieving successful strategy can be attributed to the drive and determination of a attractive leader. Ruddock (2008) relates the Michael OLeary relent sligh tly drove change in what was a failing air hose by concentrating on changing the publics perception of air travel as being somehow elevated above other forms of transport and turn the concept into one as commonplace as boarding a bus. The low-cost-no frills strategy was driven into every aspect of the airlines operation and OLearys considerable ability to generate publicity at every possible opportunity was apply to the full. Every possible cost-saving action was hit the booksn, from negotiation of landing fees to relentless advance of cheap flights with the lowering of passenger expectations of the service provided by such low costs. Ryanair, like many airlines today is suffering from the economic depression, but has up until recently been profitable and is still planning expansion at a time when many airlines are near collapse. This is in no short part due to the leadership qualities of Michael OLeary. The context in which leadership occurs is often a deciding factor in wheth er it is successful o not. The variety show of leadership exercised will be related to the nature of the tax and the people being led. It will also depend on the environment, and the actual leader. An compend of the qualities of leadership in terms of intelligence, initiative, self-assurance and other characteristics is of limited value. The qualities necessitate may be different in different circumstances, and it is important to take account of the variable leaders have to deal with, in particular, the task in hand, the group being led, and the leaders position relative to the group (Armstrong 2006).Leadership exists at different levels according to Adair (2006). There is the aggroup level, where the leader is in charge of ten to fifteen people. The operational leader is responsible for(p) for a significant part of the business, such as a business unit, division or key functional department such as marketing. Operational leaders often have more than one aggroup leader report ing to them. At the strategic level, the leader, often designated as the CEO, is leading the entire organisation. Strategic leadership is the art of leading a bear-sized body of people. The key to achieving sustainable business success is to have chastity in leadership at all three levels. Strategic, operational and team leaders need to work harmoniously together as the organisations leadership team.Cole (1997) relates that leadership is exercised against a background of the culture of the organisation. and this fact has important implications for the amount of power assigned to leaders as well as the styles that will be permitted. It does not follow that in any one organisation all leaders will adopt a less task-centred style than line managers, because their particular sub-cultures may be sufficiently different from the organisations as a whole. The sub-culture is a value-system of one part of an organisation which is a variance with the dominant value-system of the organisation as a whole. As an example, the research and development leader may be focused on future product development while the marketing leader will aim to maximise market penetration.ConclusionsLeadership appears to be characterised by many factors, some of which are inherent in the personality and actions of the individual, while others are dictated by circumstance, but are almost always accompanied by change in the circumstances of the organisation being led. Leadership is often confused with management, and the nature of leadership is not full understood.ReferencesAdair, J. (2006) Leadership and Motivation, Kogan Page Limited, London, p 33.Adair, J. (2003) The Inspirational Leader, Kogan Page Limited, London, p 25.Armstrong, M. (2006), A Handbook of sympathetic Resource Management Practice, 10th Edition, Kogan Page Limited, London, p 300.Bennis, W. (1990 Managing the Dream Leadership in the 21st Century, Training The Magazine of humankind resource development 27 (5) 44-6.Cole, G.A. ( 1997), Personnel Management, 4th Edition, Letts Educational , London, p 57.Daft, R.L. (2006), The New Era of Management, Thomson South-Western, USA, p 292.Harrison, R. (2005), Learning and Development, 4th Edition, Chartered wreak of Personnel and Development, London, p 256.Hollington, S. (2006) How to Lead your Boss, People Management, Vol 12, no 24, 7 December, pp 44-5.Northouse, P.G, Northouse, P.G. (2009) Leadership Theory and Practice, Edition 5, SAGE Publications, London, p 10.Price, A. (2007) Human Resource Management in a Business Context, 3rd Edition, Cengage Learning EMEA, London, p 531.Ruddock, A. ((2008), Michael OLeary A Life in Full Flight, Penguin Books, London, p 194.Shackleton, V. (1995), Business Leadership, Routledge, London, p 2.Swart, J. Mann, C. Brown, S. Price, A. (2005) Human Resource Development, Elsevier Butterworth Heinemann, London, p 179.Torrington, D. Hall, L. Taylor, S. (2008), Human Resource Management, Seventh Edition, FT assimilator Hall, London, p 318.Ulrich, D. Smallwood, R. (2002), Why the Bottom Line Isnt How to Build Value through with(predicate) People and Organisations, John Wiley Sons, Inc., USA, p 43.