Reading: Lesson 2 - Developing Leadership Skills

2.2.A - Developing Leadership Skills

1. LEADERSHIP IN BUSINESS

1. People are not born leaders. People develop their leadership qualities through experience, training, and personal development. For example, anyone can learn to be dependable, to take initiative, and to cooperate with others. Becoming an effective leader requires commitment, preparation and practice.
   
2. Managers need to be leaders. However, they are not the only people in an organization who need leadership skills. Many businesses are using employee teams to plan work and make decisions. The team may include a manager, although many do not. Even when a manager is a part of the team, the leader of the group will not always be the manager. As the team completes various projects, individual team members may assume leadership for specific activities. If the team is well organized, the leaders often have expert and identity power that help to get individual projects completed. The organization may give the entire team position and reward power that team members can use to help plan and implement team activities and to encourage the achievement of the team’s goals.
   
3. Today, companies frequently evaluate applicants’ leadership abilities before hiring them. Companies often prefer to hire employees who have already developed leadership characteristics and have had leadership experience. Training programs for employees often emphasize team building and leadership development. Some companies allow employees to volunteer for leadership training, whereas others expect everyone to participate. Companies recognize that employees with leadership skills can make valuable contributions to a business’s success. It is important to take advantage of leadership development opportunities whenever they occur.
   

2. HUMAN RELATIONS

1. Managers are continually interacting with employees, other managers, customers, and others who have interest in the work of the business. Because of these contacts, managers need human relations skills. They must maintain good working relationships with others both inside and outside the business and help employees work well together.
   
2. Human relations involve several skills. Those skills may be just as important to the success of a business as the ability to make decisions or operate a complicated piece of equipment. Important human relations skills include (1) self understanding, (2) understanding others, and (3) developing job satisfaction.
   
3. To work well with others, managers must have self-understanding. Self-understanding involves an awareness of your attitudes and opinions, your leadership style, your decision-making style, and your relationships with other people. Employees look to managers for information and direction. They want managers to be able to make decisions, solve problems, and communicate expectations. If managers understand themselves and what other people expect of them, they can decide on the best way to work with people and the type of leadership to use. By understanding their strengths and weaknesses and how others perceive them, managers can work to improve their skills.
   
4. Each person brings diversity to the workplace through their background, attitudes, skills, and motivations. A manager must find a way to help a business benefit from this diversity. Some people need a great deal of support and regular communication from their supervisor; others do not. Some employees want managers to consult them when making important decisions, whereas others do not care to be involved in decision making. Some people work harder when praised; others expect managers to tell them when their work needs improvement.
   
5. When working with a diverse workforce, managers must be able to recognize their own biases and avoid stereotyping. The leader who knows each person and his or her needs will be a more effective manager. To accomplish the goals of a company, managers need to understand and work with employees as individuals.
   
6. Most people who work at a job for any length of time are not totally satisfied or dissatisfied with their jobs. However, some people enjoy their work much more than others. An employee’s feelings about work may be very different from one day to the next. There are many reasons for these differences. Job satisfaction can be influenced by factors such as the personal characteristics of employees and managers, individual needs, the people with whom the employees work, and the actual work itself. Factors outside the job can also have an influence on job satisfaction.
   
7. Managers must be aware of the differences among their employees to help them maintain a high level of job satisfaction. For example, when two people with different backgrounds, values, and needs must work together, they may initially have difficulty relating to each other. Managers may want to develop activities that help employees get to know each other. Companies should offer training and development opportunities to improve the human relations skills of employees and managers.
   
8. People should be carefully matched with the kind of work they perform, because personal characteristics can affect job performance. A shy person, or one who enjoys working alone, might perform better as a computer maintenance tech than as a computer salesperson. A person who does not pay close attention to details may not be an effective quality inspector on a production line. Human resources departments often test new employees or those seeking a promotion in order to match people with appropriate jobs. Whenever possible, managers should match the job tasks with the needs and interests of the employees and observe people when they begin new tasks to identify possible problems.
   

3. SOFT SKILLS

1. Successful managers have a combination of hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills can be learned and are related to how to do a specific job, such as working with a spreadsheet or preparing a financial report. Soft skills are traits related to an individual’s character, attitude, and personality, which greatly influence how he or she gets along with others at work. When managers hire new employees, they often look more closely at an individual’s soft skills, because hard skills can be taught on the job. The soft skills an individual brings to the job are developed and practiced throughout one’s life.
   
2. A number of studies have shown that employers look for soft skills when hiring young employees, but they often find these skills missing. Soft skills include communication, teamwork, networking, problem solving and critical thinking, and professionalism.
3. Managers spend much of their time communicating. When communication breakdowns occur, human relations problems will likely develop. Communication skills are the number one soft skill desired by employers. Managers engage in communication every day. This includes written messages in the form of letters, emails, and more complicated report writing. Communication skills also involve how well someone can speak as well as listen. Managers must be able to listen to their teams and executive staff. By listening to employee concerns, managers can identify problems, determine needs, and respond to them more effectively.
   
4. Verbal communication is only one way of communicating. Nonverbal communication occurs through facial expressions, body language, and posture. When employees report to a manager, they may hear the manager say one thing, but if the manager’s nonverbal communication says something else, employees are more likely to believe the nonverbal cues. Successful managers will allow employees to voice their opinions and will listen to feedback. When employees are involved in planning and decision making, managers are responsible for communicating their employees’ ideas and concerns to upper management.
   
5. Teamwork is vital for the success of most businesses. Team members want to feel that they are important and that they can count on their fellow team members. Managers are often responsible for team building, or getting people to support the same goals and work well together to accomplish them. Teams that take responsibility for work and show pride in the results reduce the amount of time managers must spend monitoring the teams’ work.
   
6. Managers must have a positive attitude when guiding and working with teams. A manager’s attitude sets the tone for employees. If a manager has a negative attitude about the business, its products, employees, or management, then employees will most likely feel the same way. Managers also look for positive attitudes and enthusiasm in employees that they bring to their team. These employees are often more motivated and, in turn, motivate others. Successful and motivated team members will work cooperatively and contribute ideas. Participating in group decision making requires all members to contribute. Team members must communicate well and have respect for other team members and their differing opinions.
   
7. Managers will have both a personal and professional network. A personal network includes people outside of the business environment, such as family, friends, neighbors, and other acquaintances. A professional network includes coworkers, managers from other businesses, and other types of professionals. Networks allow for a set of contacts that can share information, provide new opportunities, and support activities. Networks are very important in finding a job, both for young workers entering the market and for managers who may be looking for a new position. A large majority of available jobs are not advertised. Managers often prefer to ask others in their network whether they have any referrals.
   
8. Knowing a set of facts and data is not the same thing as being able to use that information to think critically and solve problems. Many of the problems that managers face have a large number of variables to consider but do not have simple answers. Managers must be able to bring together multiple sets of information and opinions and then assess that information to find solutions.
   
9. Problem solving and critical thinking require a combination of research, evaluation of the pros and cons of alternative courses of action, and creativity and innovation. When a manager evaluates a team’s recommendation, he or she must ensure that ideas are justified, well-reasoned, and insightful. The manager must communicate the same vision when ideas are presented to members of the executive staff.
   
10. Professionalism is a combination of qualities. A manager who displays professionalism is responsible, has integrity, is accountable, and strives for excellence. Because a manager sets the tone at work, professionalism is communicated through the manager’s behavior. For example, a professional manager shows he or she is dependable by arriving on time for work and using time effectively.
    
11. Managers also expect their team members to exhibit professionalism. They want team members who dress appropriately, who communicate well, and who are dependable. When managers hire young employees, they may ask about attendance in school. Attendance records can be a strong indicator of how dependable the employee will be on the job. In team work environments, when an employee is late or missing, the entire team is less productive.