Thursday, February 27, 2014

Com12: Business Communications. Week 1: Leadership is...

Week 1: Leadership is:

My Post and related peer replies
Leadership is a person's ability to not only direct subordinates, allocate tasks and delegate work, but to influence and motivate those subordinates to reach the common goals of an organisation (Dwyer 2009 p250). The leader initiates the relationship and creates the communication linkages between the involved parties (Northouse 2010 pp3-4). A successful leader, however, encourages their team or group to reach their fullest potential, complete tasks effectively and efficiently, meet deadlines and reach targets, ultimately resulting in the success of the organisation.

Dwyer, J 2009, Communication in Business Strategies and Skills, 4th edn, Pearson Education Australia, French's Forest, NSW. Northouse, P.G. Leadership: Theory and Practice, 2012, edn 5 Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA.

Author: Samantha Wallwork
Date: Sunday, 1 December 2013 5:06:05 PM EST
I completely agree with you that a leader should be encouraging and motivating to team members, but I (personally) disagree that a leader should (always) be directing subordinates and delegating work. This is the role of a manager, who should absolutely be a leader in their own right, but not all leaders are or need to be managers. A leader can lead by example and encourage and motivate, but may not have the position or status to delegate tasks.

Food for though :)

Author: Michelle Jenkins
Date: Monday, 9 December 2013 11:44:32 AM EST
Interesting response. In my past positions - my leaders have always delegated, as well as encouraged and motivated. Upon reflection though - maybe they were delegating the requests which the Manager had passed down the line.


Author: Daniel Muirhead
Date: Sunday, 1 December 2013 9:10:50 PM EST
Enjoyed reading your post, it raised some interesting points.
One area, which I thought was interesting, was where you said 'leadership is a persons ability to not only direct subordinates, allocate tasks and delegate work’ (Dwyer 2009 p250). I have had the pleasure of working under certain leaders in the banking industry where employees will go above and beyond to reach the common goal, which the leader has set out. It is amazing to see tasks being done, even before the manager/leader has delegated them. The staff will do it simply because they want to reach that goal. Being able to motivate to a level where that happens is quit incredible, and an invaluable skill for a leader to possess.

Author: Michelle Jenkins
Date: Monday, 9 December 2013 12:02:31 PM EST
Yes I agree. I am in a role now where all staff know what to do without needing to be asked. We also work more than what is required, and don't add the extra time to our time sheets. We all have the same mental attitude and work ethics - and that is to get the job done. None of us like leaving unfinished jobs at the end of the day. I guess you could say our Manager employed staff with the same values. She was skilled at choosing the right people. We only need to occasional motivational speech if we are tired lol

No comments:

Post a Comment