The Importance Of Leadership For Any Organizational Growth
You may have all the ingredients to cook your favorite meal, but you may end up making it a mess if you do not know how to use them in the right proportions. In the same way, you may have all the resources you need to build your company but would struggle to grow your business without the right leadership practices. This is why you need effective leadership to guide the people working for you and provide a work environment that could benefit all.
Management is about persuading people to do things they do not want to do, while leadership is about inspiring people to do things they never thought they could. ~Steve Jobs
Why is Leadership Important?
A leader is a person you look upto for all the burdens and challenges they take and provide a direction and action plan for the crowd to follow.
It is not possible to reach your destination without the roadmap and toolkit. On your way, you would also stumble upon many times; you might lose all your motivation to move forward. That is when you need a mentor to guide you if the destination feels impossible to reach. And that is leadership for you and also the reason why it is important.
Leadership in the Workplace
Good leadership is the pillar of strength for any organization. Leadership management is crucial for any organization to maximize efficiency and organizational goals.
Without any thought-out leadership practices, an organization moves to informal leadership processes that lead to a non-defined culture and non-sustainable growth. It creates an imbalance in the organizational structure and leaves the members confused and frustrated. Also, it impacts the overall bottom line of the organization.
People run businesses. These people fit the different pieces of an organizational puzzle. But you can’t just hire employees and expect them to solve the organizational puzzle on their own. You must make them understand the organizational aspects and what is expected of them. And this requires effective leadership that can drive individuals by building interpersonal relations with each one of them. It is a core management role that helps optimize productivity and accomplish corporate priorities.
And it does not only stop there. The importance of leadership is far greater than we can think. It elevates employee motivation and morale, eliminates bias, builds confidence, develops a psychologically safe work environment, and fosters innovative thinking.
It’s quite safe to say that the importance of leadership is pivotal in accomplishing efficiency throughout the organization. However, it solely depends on how one perceives leadership’s meaning and leads a workforce for bigger success in the long run.
Responsibilities of a Leader
Good leadership is pervasive, persuasive, and persistent. Bad leadership is poisoned with pedanticism, posturing, self-importance. ~Marcia Whicker
Leadership is not an easy job. It requires a lot of leadership qualities and experiences for one to become a successful leader. We have seen many leaders worldwide who have failed big time, be it a political, economic, or organizational leader. To understand it better, let us look into the crucial responsibilities of a leader.
1. To Influence the Crowd
The word that goes hand in hand with leadership is Influence. Leadership boils down to influencing the people to build the necessary skills and attitude for them to perform. An effective leader influences people by their exemplary behavior and positive work ethics. Not many people have the charisma or will that can influence others. It is the reason why we don’t see that many good leaders. People are influenced by their leader’s discipline, which translates into their behavior.
2. To Fulfill People’s Needs First
A leaders’ job is to serve their people selflessly, keep others’ needs first, and build a work environment where everyone can thrive and learn from each other. Good leaders understand that when you invest in others and prioritize their needs, they build undying loyalty and trust. It comes from a sense of compassion and empathy. They build relationships by being open-minded and listening to others’ perspectives before making a decision. It empowers people and helps them build confidence.
Related: Servant Leadership, its Principles, and Examples in the Workplace
3. To Solve Internal Conflicts
Conflicts in a workplace are very prominent. When a diverse set of people come together under the same roof, differences of opinions and clashes are bound to happen. A leader is aware of this fact and makes sure to resolve conflicts that can affect the organization’s productivity. An HR leader is very agile to respond to any such crisis and implements practices that can resolve any such workplace conflicts.
Related: 6 Conflict Resolution Steps That Every Leader Needs To Know
4. To Provide the Right Training and Development
One thing that great leaders believe in is good hiring. But hiring itself would not do much if they are not provided with the right training and development over time. Now there are many aspects to it. First, when you train your employees, you build their confidence and expertise that directly impacts organizational bottom line. Also, employees seek training for their growth and job satisfaction. Secondly, providing the right training also helps an organization to shape future leaders.
Related: 5 Reasons To Employee Training And Development
5. Building Morale
Throughout the employee life cycle, people go through many events that can break their morale. For some, it could be not having the right work-life balance, hectic schedules, or not being appreciated enough by the management. Leaders do not want their best employees to leave the organization due to low morale. They are therefore keen on listening to them. To motivate them from time to time by recognizing and acknowledging their work. They are open to understanding the situation and act accordingly to build a motivated and satisfied workforce.
Related: 8 Ways To Improve Employee Morale in Your Workplace
Finally!
The importance of leadership in an organization is immense. And for the smooth functioning of an organization, the need for effective leadership cannot be taken for granted. Do let us know your views on leadership and what kind of leaders the world needs the most today.