Free Paper Sample on Leadership Management Strategies

Introduction

Leadership is important as it enables organizations to be led in the right direction. For leadership to be effective, communication and management of conflicts at workplace are essential. Without them, leaders will struggle to lead employees effectively and make them stay motivated towards achieving the goals and objectives of the organization.

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Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is a leadership trait that assists in managing conflicts. Emotionally intelligent leaders do not allow their emotions to influence their decision-making skills (Akanji et al., 2018). Therefore they do make hasty decisions, which is a key step to solving conflicts.

Listening

A leader can use listening as a strategy to improve communication. Listening involves not monopolizing a conversation with employees and listening keenly to their feedback. Understanding employees’ feedback and answering questions make them active in a conversation (Akanji et al., 2018).

Motivation

Employees can be motivated by acknowledging achievement which involves recognizing work well done. Motivation also involves a friendly work environment by creating a pleasant atmosphere that is comfortable and welcoming for employees (Akanji et al., 2018). Friendly competition among teams assists in employee participation and engagement. Employees’ behavior can be improved by hiring people with the right attitudes, communicating the expected behavior, leading by example and reinforcing the right behaviors.

Functions of Management

The primary functions of management include planning, organizing, leading, and controlling (Berisha & Ismail, 2018). The first function of management is planning. The managers have to develop detailed actions and plan to propel the company's goals and objectives. (Berisha & Ismail, 2018). Planning is based on team, departmental, divisional, and organizational goals, and therefore, it is the manager who has the responsibility of ensuring that all the goals are planned appropriately.

The second function of management is organizing. A manager has to organize how the resources will be allocated to achieve the set goals and objectives. The distribution of the resources and the interaction of human resources need to be well organized. A manager's responsibility is to ensure that everything is organized from assigning duties, delegating to providing direction to all teams to work towards achieving the goals (Berisha & Ismail, 2018).

Leading is the third function of management. This is the role of a manager that is evident for all to see. Managers have to interact and connect with all employees in an organization by showing them the steps that they have to take to achieve the goals and objectives that have been set. The manager has to communicate, motivate, and encourage the employees to enhance their productivity.

The last function of management is controlling. Controlling ensures that everything is done according to the principles and procedures that were initially laid down. Through controlling function, the managers have to point out errors and mistakes and guide the employees in rectifying and preventing them from occurring again (Berisha & Ismail, 2018). Control enables managers to take corrective measures and maintain the standards of work that were initially set to achieve the goals.

Leadership Theories

There are many leadership theories and motivations, but the principal ones include Maslow's hierarchy of needs and Hertzberg's two-factor theory (Nader, 2019). Abraham proposed Maslow's hierarchy of needs, and he postulated that people are only motivated when their needs have been fulfilled. He gave five needs that have to be fulfilled in order from physiological, safety, social, self-esteem, and finally, self-actualization needs (Nader, 2019). Hertzberg's two-factor theory is categorized into hygiene factors and motivating factors. Hygiene factors are required to ensure that employees are not dissatisfied while the motivating factors ensure that employees are satisfied and motivated to post higher performances. Leaders need to consider the skills and capabilities of individuals and group members (Nader, 2019). It is through understanding the skills and capabilities that a leader will be able to match the right employees and groups to the right duties, hence enhancing motivation as everyone will do what they love.

Improvements

Several actions need to be undertaken to improve communication, manage conflicts, develop strong organizational culture, and enhance the ethical behavior in organizations. First, to improve communication and manage conflicts, managers should learn to listen to the employees. Managers should not monopolize discussions when trying to solve conflicts (Nader, 2019). They should listen to what the employees have to say before making judgments. After listening to the employees, the manager should inform and encourage the employees. The leader should ensure that whatever they say to the employees inspire them to improve their performance. Finally, the leader should also make the employees feel comfortable by freely expressing their ideas and thoughts about what needs to be done to achieve the company's goals.

Conclusion

In conclusion, leadership should incorporate several concepts for it to be effective. A leader needs to be able to manage conflicts, communicate ideas and thoughts clearly, listen to employees keenly and respond appropriately as well as find ways of keep the employees motivated. It is only through mastering the aforementioned skills and concepts that a leader can inspire the employees to enhance their productivity.

References

Akanji, B., Mordi, T., Ajonbadi, H., & Mojeed-Sanni, B. (2018). Impact of leadership styles on employee engagement and conflict management practices in Nigerian universities. Issues in Educational Research, 28(4), 830-848. http://www.iier.org.au/iier28/akanji.pdf

Berisha, H., & Ismail, Y. (2018). Management Functions Displayed by Prophet Muhammad in Two Major Events. International Journal of Economics, Management, and Accounting, 26(2), 291-310. http://journals.iium.edu.my/enmjournal/index.php/enmj/article/download/548/295.

Nader, R. (2019). Leadership and motivation (Doctoral dissertation). https://www.academia.edu/download/36604401/LEADERSHIP_AND_MOTIVATION.pdf.