Dynamics and leadership

 

Introduction

            Leadership can best be described as the spirit and core of any given organization. This is because the leaders of the organization are in charge of running the organization as well as managing the employees of the organization. The leaders, of show ‘u’ care, in this case are entrusted with the communication of the organizations’ vision, goals and ideas not only to the employees but also to the outsiders. The duties of the leader are varied and may go on and on with no particular end. In a nutshell, it is important that the leaders of the organization, who in this case are the regional managers, be aware of their role in the organization as well as how they can utilize this special position for the benefit of the organization.

            To be able to fully achieve the organizations goals, it is important that the managers be made aware of their boundaries as far as power and position are concerned. These two basic tenets define leadership. Only after their roles as leaders have been established are they able to comfortably settle in their roles and to further utilize those particular roles to the benefit of the organization (Bolman & Deal, 2013). The essence is to educate the managers on what and how their roles are in the organization, how to use their leadership position, how to use their position and to work with the outside world and finally, how to evaluate their end performance. Thus, the report will be categorized into four parts that essentially define how successful leaders navigate their organizations. This will be applicable to the regional managers who are in essence the leadership that runs show ‘u’ care.

Part 1

Leadership roles and responsibilities

            In a big organization such as show ‘u’ care, the leadership roles have to be clearly outlined for the managers. This roles aid the managers in handling both the employees of the organization as well as the outside world. In this case, the managers have to constantly put on different hats to be able to handle the different matters that are likely to pop up both inside and outside the organization. These roles have been divided into three major roles.

Interpersonal role

            It is important that a leader be a figurehead. This is because in this capacity, different people look up to them. The role of a regional manager as an interpersonal individual requires that the manager act as a figurehead (Bryson, 2011). This means that they have to take on the role of performing any social duties such as the welcoming of the visitors and the hosting of receptions, or legal duties on behalf of the organization such as the signing of legal documents. In this case they are acting as symbolic leaders of show ‘u’ care.

            This particular role also requires that the managers take up the leadership role which includes the directing as well as the motivating of all subordinates that are under them in the organization. Furthermore under the leadership role it is the duty of the manager to train both current as well as new employees. This duty requires that the manager learn to interact with all employees in the organization. Leadership requires that the managers in their capacity be open to their employee by establishing a working relationship with them regardless of their stations (Tannenbaum et.al, 2013).

            Finally, this role requires that the regional managers constantly act as the organizations liaison person both from within the organization as well as outside the organization. This means that they have to act not only as business correspondents but also as participants in any meetings with other organizations. In this capacity as leaders, the regional managers are in essence acting as ambassadors of the organization. This is important for the organization, which mainly deal with fund raisings that are the lifeline of the organization.

The informational role

            The leader of any given organization has to take on the informational role. The informational role of the regional manager requires that they play a monitoring role. This means their duty is to insure that they seek and acquire information that is work related as far as the organization is concerned. This includes reading reports and other relevant sources as well as attending relevant seminars and training. This is important for show ‘u’ care, it being a charity organization.

            It is always important that the leader of any given organization be an effective disseminator. As a disseminator, it is the duty of the regional manager to communicate information relevant to the running of the organization to relevant persons and departments (Bryman, 2013). This includes that communication of information/decisions to subordinates through memos and reports to the respective departments as well as regional branches.

            Finally, the managers’ informational role involves his acting as a spokesperson whose duty is to transmit information to outsiders. This involves the passing on of relevant organizational materials to the outside world via reports as well dishing out the organizations progress. This is important for the organization as it is actively involved in charity work and mostly participates in activities that bring in funds. This said, it is important for the people who contribute towards the organization and who are interested in knowing how their contribution was being used.

Decisional role

            Often than not, it is important that the leader know how and when to make specific decision. This role of the regional manager of show ‘u’ care is to play the decisional role. This involves making of relevant decisions that may involve the organization. Here, the regional manager has to act as an entrepreneur whose role is to identify new ideas as well as initiate new improvement projects in the organization. This includes the implementation of innovations as well as planning of the organizations future. It also includes deciding the different events that may be initiated to be able to organize fund raisers as well as the events that the organization can participate (Allison & Kaye, 2011).

            The regional manager in this capacity also acts as a disturbance handler. This means that they disputes that may arise from both within and outside the organization and where necessary, they take corrective action. This is important for the organization for more often than not they help avert crises in the organization.

            Decision making also requires that the regional manager be a resource allocator. This means that they have the power to decide where to apply the organizations resources. This involves the drafting and approval of plans, budgets as well as schedules that run the organization as well as set the organizations priorities.

            Finally, as the decision maker, it is the duty of the regional managers to act as the organizations negotiators. This means that they are in charge of defending the interests of the organization. This means that they have to participate as well as direct team, departmental as well as organizational negotiations.

Conclusion

            The roles that are to be played by the regional managers as well as their duties are very important aspect of running this diverse organization. However, understand their role as leaders in the organization is just the first step in establishing a strong organization. The second part would be how to help these regional managers develop their leadership skills.

Part 2

Development of leadership skills

            Leadership management is a very important aspect of the growth of any organization. Thus, it is important that the organization participate in activities that that develop leadership skills with the regional managers. These activities are meant to enhance the quality of leadership within the organizations. These skills may be learnt through education or experience. In most cases and for the longest period, leadership development has mostly centered on developing leadership abilities as well as well as the attitudes of individual persons.

            This is because, people are not born with ability, rather, they learn. This is similar with leadership which is learnt. Different personal traits can either aid or hinder individual performances as far as leadership is concerned. However, it is very possible for people to be able to develop and sharpen leadership effectiveness (Glickman et.al, 2012). This however requires the existence of leadership programs uniquely tailored for this purpose. This requires persistence practice as well as focus on the part of the regional managers.

            Education is a very important aspect of leadership training. More often than not, this type of training is associated with learning/reading. This helps the leaders know more about what is required for in leading. Due to the different nature as well as characteristics of different individuals, the success or failure of leadership development depends largely on three variables. These include individual learner characteristics, the mature of the leadership program as well as support for behavioral change from the person in charge or running the development program.

            Therefore, if one aims to gain maximum leadership development it is important that they develop a program that integrates a wide range of development experiences over a specific period. These experiences may include experiential classroom style programs, mentoring, three sixty degree feedbacks, executive coaching, business school style coursework, reflective journaling, and more. Also, a good program is one that involves the setting a goal, then the following an evaluation of key developmental needs and finally the evaluation of the achievement of goals after a specific period. How then can the organization be able to achieve this style of leadership skill development?

            Effective leadership means doing the right things. An effective leader sets up a clear vision, communicates with zeal and inspires subordinates to take action. Thus for the leaders to be able to do this, they have to have established leadership standards for the organization. These will be able to define the areas where the regional managers need to excel in terms of directing the work of others in the organization. This includes creating seminars where regional managers learn more about the organizations requirements. This creates a learning environment for the leaders.

            Similarly, it is important to create or rather have leaders who act as mentors to other leaders. This involves having the experienced leaders train future leaders by presenting their supervision through instruction and mentoring. They work with less experienced personnel to devise an action plan. This plan might begin with a self-assessment of the employee’s strengths and weaknesses. The mentor then identifies resources, such as management books and training courses, which can help the employee develop his leadership skills (Boyce et.al, 2010).

            Team building is also another effective tool that has been used in the creation as well as development of leadership. By means of case studies and role playing training, participants are trained on how to build teams, promote teamwork, set performance high standards, and motivate employees’ quick action (Northouse, 2012). Finally, it is important for there to be a development of trust from both the regional managers to their employees as well as other aspects of the whole organization. The existence of trust is always able to bridge gaps creating suitable environments for good leadership.

Conclusion

            Leadership skills are aspects that can easily be acquired. The key here is to provide a suitable environment for the acquisition of these skills. At the end of the day, whether the skills are acquired through education or experience, it is the application of these skills that will ultimately define a well managed organization.

Part 3

Leadership and instructions

            The most important part of being a good leader is to be able to comprehend the amount of power that one has been granted with and when to exercise the use of this power and when not to. A good leader is not only able to comfortably give instruction, but should be able to receive instruction where applicable and largely know how to interpret this information before passing it down to their subordinates (Ciulla, 2013).

            In this particular case, there is the whole fact that show ‘u’ care is a national organization with different branches thus the roles of the regional managers. However, it should be noted that at the regional level, the regional managers represent the larger organization. This is very important for they are now representing the organization and all its policies at the regional level.   The leaders should be were of the fact that while they work with the employees as well as the volunteers, they are representing show ‘u’ care as an organization. This means that anything that the employees and volunteers pick on will ultimately go towards the fixing or tarnishing of the organizations name (Tannenbaum et.al, 2013).

            Regional managers should also be aware of the fact that while they may be leaders at the regional level, their powers do not go freely unchecked. This is due to the fact that a group of ethics put in place to steer it governs the organization, like any other. These ethics come in form of policies as well as values that are decided at the national level that help steer the organization as well as its goals (Eubanks et.al, 2012). It is important that the regional managers embrace these policies and work with them. Once they have been able to embrace these policies, it is then easier to pass them over to the employees and volunteers. This means that in this capacity as leaders, it is the duty of the regional managers to receive policies from the headquarters. Once received, they have to interpret these policies then pass them to their subordinates. The regional managers should be well aware of the fact that in their leadership capacity, they have a lot of influence of the employees and volunteers. They should be able t to use this relationship to nature and mold the values of the organization in these groups of people. This is achieved through programs such as mentoring of the employees and volunteers, ensuring efficient and effective communication, the sharing of the organizations vision as well as motivation of the people involved and being a role model as far as the application of the organizations ethics are concerned. This is because many of the volunteers and employees will be looking up to the regional managers for guidance.

            The managers should also use their capacity as leaders to be able to empower both the volunteers as well as the employees. This not only builds self confidence of the people in the organization, but also encourages them to know that they are a part of the organization regardless of the role they play in that organization.

            This effective relationship that can be built with other people in the organization can only thrive on effective communication. It is through this communication that a leader can built trust with the people they work with, and ultimately avert conflict that often arise due to break down of communication channels (Keng et.al, 2013).

Conclusion

            It is therefore important for the leader in any given organization to be aware of the fact that in their capacity as leader, there is a lot riding on their shoulders. It is only through the effective corporation of all the stakeholders in the organization can the leaders effectively steers the ethics of their respective organization.

Part 4

Leadership evaluation

            The real test of leadership is really the determination of whether a leader has been able to achieve success in whichever endeavor they were put in charge. In this case, the organization will determine the performance of the regional manager according to the performance of their respective regional offices. Ultimately, a great leader is one that is able to create positive change in the department in which they lead. The true test of leadership is whether others see the leader as one. Thus, the subordinates as well as the people who work around a leader are the ones that are able to determine whether an individual is a leader or not. Furthermore the successes of department/regional office of individual regional managers tell whether that leader has been effective or not. In this case, which region has been able to organize most fund raisers as well as participate in charity events?

            In this case, there are a number of elements that can be used to measured according to how the leader is able to carry out leadership tasks expected f them. This includes their time management. It entails how effective they are at arranging events around specific allocations of time. Furthermore, communication is an important element in determining the effectiveness of a leader. A good leader is one that can communicate orders effectively as well as be able to diligently listen. The delegation of different duties also goes a long way in determining whether an individual is suited for a leadership role. Delegation is just not about telling individual what to do but knowing whom to tell so and at what time (Glickman et.al, 2012).

            Leadership can also be measured according to the motivation that a leader has been able to pass down to their subordinates. This is important for the motivation can only came from above which in this case is from the leader himself. The goals as well as periodical reviews that a leader sets can be used to measure the effectiveness of that leader. A good leader is one that communicates efficiently to the subordinates what they are doing and how they aim to achieve it. This requires a strong team that is able to view the leaders’ goals and move in tandem with these goals (Tannenbaum et.al, 2013). Thus an effective leader can be measure by the team that he surrounds himself with as well as works with.

Finally, a good leader is one that works with the goals of the organization being his most important aspect. This means that they work towards achieving the goals of the organization and should not be distracted regardless of the situation. This means that the goals that the regional managers set up for their different organizations should be in tandem with the goals of show ‘u’ care.

Conclusion

            Great leadership is not measured according to an individual’s well being; rather, it is measured by the level of success of the department that person was placed in charge of. It is important for these evaluations to be put in place for they help determine whom great leaders are and who is likely to crumble under pressure. Great leadership will always translate to great organizational success.  

            Leadership is a very important element of any given organization. It is therefore imperative that the leadership of that organization be structured in a way that would ultimately yield the most gain for the organization. The existence of dynamism among leaders in the organization will mean that they are able to effectively handle not only their internal matters that affect the organization but also any external obstacle that may present itself.

 

 

 

 

 

References

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Bryman, A. (Ed.). (2013). Leadership and organizations. Routledge.

Bryson, J. M. (2011). Strategic planning for public and nonprofit organizations: A guide to strengthening and sustaining organizational achievement (Vol. 1). John Wiley & Sons.

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Glickman, C. D., Gordon, S. P., & Ross-Gordon, J. M. (2012). The basic guide to supervision and instructional leadership. Pearson Higher Ed.

Keng, F. T., Ruedy, N., Johnson, H. H., & Avolio, B. J. (2013, January). The Ethics of Change: The Effects of Authoritarian and Ethical Leadership on Organizational Change. In Academy of Management Proceedings (Vol. 2013, No. 1, p. 17561). Academy of Management.

Northouse, P. G. (2012). Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage Publications.

Tannenbaum, R., Weschler, I., & Massarik, F. (2013). Leadership and organization. Routledge.