MEANING OF LEADERSHIP
Leadership is referred to the art of leading a group of individuals. It involves inspiring the subordinates for working hard and deliver their best so as to attain predetermined objectives. An individual is born with leadership and it cannot be taught unlike any other managerial skill. Leadership can be referred as a position of authority which is held by a person in a particular group, which is making an opportunity available to him so as to have an interpersonal influence on the members of the group so as to coordinate and direct their efforts towards certain goals.
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IMPORTANCE OF LEADERSHIP
Bringing discipline in the organization: A leader is required to create discipline in his/her team. Discipline is necessary to perform team activities in a smooth manner so as to achieve the predetermined goals of the group. In order to create discipline in the group, the first and foremost thing to ensure is that the leader is disciplined.
Motivation for the employees: A good leader acts as a motivator for the group members. Effective leadership is necessary for motivating the subordinates so as to enhance productivity of the group efforts. The employees require motivation to perform their assigned tasks which in turn helps in the achievement of their individual goals and ultimately the group objectives are achieved.
Confidence: A leader acts as an effective guide and a proper adviser for the subordinates. Thus leadership in a group is capable of creating confidence among the subordinates in the group. Team members are required to be encouraged and need confidence to do their jobs. This motivates them to do their work with more interest and which in turn helps to achieve the predetermined targets of the group.
Boosting employee morale: Leadership helps in boosting up employee morale. It is necessary to do so as to achieve the objectives of the group which in turn aids in the achievement of the organizational objectives.
Developing team spirit: An organization is consisted of multiple departments and the departments are comprised of several teams. Effective leadership helps in the promotion of team-spirit in the organization. Unity is strength and unity can be made effective in the groups by the respective group leaders.
Encouragement of initiative: A broad minded leader encourages his/her subordinates to take their own initiatives. Democratic leaders provide opportunities to the team members to take part in the team decision making.
Effective direction to the workforce: An organization is incorporated with certain long term objectives to achieve. To attain them, activities require direction. An effective leadership aids in directing the activities performed in the organization so as to attain organizational objectives.
Help in overcoming resistance to change: Any new policy or a change in the existing policy implemented in the organization by the management may not be welcomed by the workforce. A good leader helps to overcome resistance on the part of the subordinates to the organizational changes. He/she is required to explain to the employees how such change is going to be useful for both the enterprise and its workforce.
CONCLUSION
Leadership is an indispensable quality that a team head is required to possess. A leader is someone on whom the entire team looks up to. A leader is the one who brings all the team members together and maintains harmony in the group. Leadership is not only required to be possessed by a person heading a group in the organization but it is a quality which the person heading a functional department is required to possess. The MD or CEO of a corporate organization needs to act more as a leader than a boss to sail the latter to its long term objectives in the most effective manner.
