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Learner First Name and Learner Last Name

California Southern University

Course (example: MGT 87500)

Date

Mentor Name
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Global Issue: What it takes to be a real leader

Review of Subject

The effectiveness of a leader has been a major issue in the world of business, human

resource management and development, social issues as well as other aspects wherein one should

govern others accordingly. To perform a global leadership efficiently is vital to the business and

workforce management as leadership is the key component of all organizations. This case study

is primarily focused on how one can develop his leadership skills in order to attain success in a

business with an environment conducive enough for workers to hone skills that will redound to

the benefit of everyone involved in an organization as a whole.

I have set out the salient features of leadership that are needed for one to acquire as well

as the key qualities that a leader must possess.

Discussion

A transformational leadership style that creates positive change and growth are needed to

be focused on. This starts with the vision that is set by the leaders and their capability to clearly

communicate these to their team members in such a way that will inspire them to be a part of it.

There are certain qualities that you must possess to be an effective leader, enough to keep your

team is going together with you in keeping you company a success.

The following are seven leadership qualities that are needed for you to acquire:
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1. Clear Vision:

A leader has to have a vision of what they want to achieve. If you have a clear vision, your

company have a direction to where it would go. The ability to communicate this vision

effectively to everyone in the organization keeps everyone is informed with what you wanted to

attain. This in return could affect how each of them would do their work in order to contribute to

the attainment of the goal which you have set for the company as a whole. You have to ask

yourself, Is your vision clear? Or does it need to be refined? What is needed to achieve this

vision?

2. Courage.

To be an effective leader you must have the courage; the willingness to take new challenges,

make tough decisions, take calculated risks and the willingness to take a step to attain something

they believe in. A leader has to have the courage to create a vision and make difficult decisions

in order to attain that vision.

3. Self Motivation.

Transformational leaders have to have the passion and motivation that they emit from within.

This, in turn, can be absorbed by the people within the workforce which can help them work

through efficiently. Ask yourself, are you passionate about your vision and is willing to take the

challenge and do the work needed to see your vision achieved?

4. Inspiration.
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Through their personal passion, an effective leader has to have the ability to inspire others and

get them to be a part of their vision. Inspiring people to create the necessary change and

efficiency at motivating and inspiring them to work harder and move further.

5. Follow through.

As action speaks louder than words, people take a notice on how leaders live according to the

standards which they have set. A follow through the promises and visions which a leader have

set has a true impact on a leaders ability to influence change. A leader must ensure to follow

through if his standards are met.

Promote a healthy inter-office lifestyle, and encourage your team to live up to these standards.

By emphasizing these standards, and displaying them yourself, you will hopefully influence the

office environment into a friendly and helpful workspace

Having a great idea, and assembling a team to bring that concept to life is the first step in

creating a successful business venture. While finding a new and unique idea is rare enough; the

ability to successfully execute this idea is what separates the dreamers from the entrepreneurs.

However you see yourself, whatever your age may be, as soon as you make that exciting first

hire, you have taken the first steps in becoming a powerful leader. When money is tight and

startup fundraising is required, stress levels are high, and the visions of instant success dont

happen like you thought, its easy to let those emotions get to you, and thereby your team. Take a

breath, calm yourself down, and remind yourself of the leader you are and would like to become.

Here are some key qualities that every good leader should possess, and learn to emphasize.
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Be a role model.

If a leader makes an honest and ethical behavior, he raises a higher tendency for the team to

follow his steps. Your business is a clear reflection of yourself. You have to promote a healthy

inter-office lifestyle and encourage your team to live up to these standards which you have duly

set.

By displaying an honest work ethics yourself you are being a good model to your team and will

in such a way, influence them in creating a helpful workplace which will redound to back to the

success of your business.

Communicate.

The ability to clearly and succinctly communicate what you want to be done is necessary for a

healthy organization and attaining success. The inability to relate your vision to your team will

be a hindrance in working towards the same vision. With this, you must consider honing your

communication skills.

Training new members and having a productive environment, these all depend on healthy

communication. Thus, making yourself available to discuss interoffice issues is vital, whether

this stems from an open door policy to your office space or making it a point to talk to your staff

on a daily basis. This will help your team trust on you and will motivate them to work harder.

Delegate.

Finessing your brand vision is essential to creating an organized and efficient business, but if you

dont learn to trust your team with that vision, you might never progress to the next stage. It's
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important to remember that trusting your team with your idea is a sign of strength, not weakness.

Delegating tasks to the appropriate departments is one of the most important skills you can

develop as your business grows. The emails and tasks will begin to pile up, and the more you

stretch yourself thin, the lower the quality of your work will become, and the less you will

produce.

The key to delegation is identifying the strengths of your team and capitalizing on them. Find out

what each team member enjoys doing most. Chances are if they find that task more enjoyable,

they will likely put more thought and effort behind it. This will not only prove to your team that

you trust and believe in them but will also free up your time to focus on the higher level tasks,

that should not be delegated. Its a fine balance, but one that will have a huge impact on the

productivity of your business.

Trust in yourself.

There may be days where the future of your brand is worrisome and things arent going

according to plan. This is true with any business, large or small, and the most important thing is

not to panic. Part of your job as a leader is to put out fires and maintain the team morale. Keep

up your confidence level, and assure everyone that setbacks are natural and the important thing is

to focus on the larger goal. As the leader, by staying calm and confident, you will help keep the

team feeling the same. Remember, your team will take cues from you, so if you exude a level of

calm damage control, your team will pick up on that feeling. The key objective is to keep

everyone working and moving ahead.

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Commit.

If you expect your team to work hard and produce quality content, youre going to need to lead

by example. There is no greater motivation than seeing the boss down in the trenches working

alongside everyone else, showing that hard work is being done on every level. By proving your

commitment to the brand and your role, you will not only earn the respect of your team but will

also instill that same hard working energy among your staff. Its important to show your

commitment not only to the work at hand but also to your promises. If you pledged to host a

holiday party, or uphold summer Fridays, keep your word. You want to create a reputation for

not just working hard, but also be known as a fair leader. Once you have gained the respect of

your team, they are more likely to deliver the peak amount of quality work possible.

Here are the six leadership styles Goleman uncovered among the managers he studied, as well as

a brief analysis of the effects of each style on the corporate climate:

1. The pacesetting leader expects and models excellence and self-direction. If this style were

summed up in one phrase, it would be Do as I do, now. The pacesetting style works best when

the team is already motivated and skilled, and the leader needs quick results. Used extensively,

however, this style can overwhelm team members and squelch innovation.

2. The authoritative leader mobilizes the team toward a common vision and focuses on end

goals, leaving the means up to each individual. If this style were summed up in one phrase, it

would be Come with me. The authoritative style works best when the team needs a new vision

because circumstances have changed, or when explicit guidance is not required. Authoritative
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leaders inspire an entrepreneurial spirit and vibrant enthusiasm for the mission. It is not the best

fit when the leader is working with a team of experts who know more than him or her.

3. The affiliative leader works to create emotional bonds that bring a feeling of bonding and

belonging to the organization. If this style were summed up in one phrase, it would be People

come first. The affiliative style works best in times of stress, when teammates need to heal from

a trauma, or when the team needs to rebuild trust. This style should not be used exclusively

because a sole reliance on praise and nurturing can foster mediocre performance and a lack of

direction.

4. The coaching leader develops people for the future. If this style were summed up in one

phrase, it would be Try this. The coaching style works best when the leader wants to help

teammates build lasting personal strengths that make them more successful overall. It is least

effective when teammates are defiant and unwilling to change or learn, or if the leader lacks

proficiency.

5. The coercive leader demands immediate compliance. If this style were summed up in one

phrase, it would be Do what I tell you. The coercive style is most effective in times of crisis,

such as in a company turnaround or a takeover attempt, or during an actual emergency like a

tornado or a fire. This style can also help control a problem teammate when everything else has

failed. However, it should be avoided in almost every other case because it can alienate people

and stifle flexibility and inventiveness.

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6. The democratic leader builds consensus through participation. If this style were summed up

in one phrase, it would be What do you think? The democratic style is most effective when the

leader needs the team to buy into or have ownership of a decision, plan, or goal, or if he or she is

uncertain and needs fresh ideas from qualified teammates. It is not the best choice in an

emergency situation, when the time is of the essence for another reason or when teammates are

not informed enough to offer sufficient guidance to the leader.

The Total Leadership Process

The Total Leadership concept rests on three principles:

Be real: Act with authenticity by clarifying whats important.

Be whole: Act with integrity by respecting the whole person.

Be innovative: Act with creativity by experimenting with how things get done.

You begin the process by thinking, writing, and talking with peer coaches to identify your

core values, your leadership vision, and the current alignment of your actions and values

clarifying whats important. Peer coaching is enormously valuable, at this stage and throughout,

because an outside perspective provides a sounding board for your ideas, challenges you, gives

you a fresh way to see the possibilities for innovation and helps hold you accountable to your

commitments.

You then identify the most important peoplekey stakeholdersin all domains and

the performance expectations you have of one another. Then you talk to them: If youre like
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most participants, youll be surprised to find that what, and how much, your key stakeholders

actually need from you is different from, and less than, what you thought beforehand.

These insights create opportunities for you to focus your attention more intelligently,

spurring innovative action. Now, with a firmer grounding in whats most important, and a

complete picture of your inner circle, you begin to see new ways of making life better, not just

for you but for the people around you.

The next step is to design experiments and then try them out during a controlled period of

time. The best experiments are changes that your stakeholders wish for as much as, if not more

than, you do.

Conclusion

Although leadership has many definitions and varied criteria for success, it is defined by

the assumption that it is an influence process that in many cases are situational. The success of a

leader depends on his/her ability to achieve a goal through the actions of those involved. It takes

the commitment of others in the organization to implement a leader's vision and goals. Society

and organizations must have effective leadership in order to successfully achieve their

objectives. But primarily because it is vital for growth and the overall well being of our society.

We must also remember that leadership needs to be constantly developed, reinforced and be able

to effectively foster commitment within an organization.

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References:

Chuang, Szu-Fang. Spring 2013. Essential Skills for Leadership Effectiveness in Diverse
Workplace Development. Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development.
Volume 6. Issue 1. Page 1-24.
http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1133&context=ojwed.

Fast Company. (2012, May 29). 6 Leadershio styles and when you should use them. Retrieved
from https://www.fastcompany.com/1838481/6-leadership-styles-and-when-you-should-
use-them.

Friedman, Steward. (2008, April). Be a better leader. Have a richer life. Harvard Business
Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2008/04/be-a-better-leader-have-a-richer-life.

Hogg, Bill. (2016, February 2). 7 Must Have Transformational Leadership Qualities. Retrieved
from http://www.billhogg.ca/2016/02/7-must-have-transformational-leadership-qualities/.

Prive, Tanya. (2012, December 19). Top 10 Qualities That Make a Great Leader. Retieved from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/tanyaprive/2012/12/19/top-10-qualities-that-make-a-great-
leader/#2b00aa5c7754.

Vojta, Marilyn. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.tnstate.edu/servicelearning/documents/Leadership%20Characteristics.pdf