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Leadership

The document discusses the concept of leadership, emphasizing its role in guiding and influencing individuals and organizations. It outlines essential elements of effective leadership, various leadership styles, qualities of good leaders, and the importance of motivation in achieving organizational goals. Additionally, it highlights the characteristics of motivation and strategies to motivate employees, along with the implications of stress in the workplace.
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
16 views17 pages

Leadership

The document discusses the concept of leadership, emphasizing its role in guiding and influencing individuals and organizations. It outlines essential elements of effective leadership, various leadership styles, qualities of good leaders, and the importance of motivation in achieving organizational goals. Additionally, it highlights the characteristics of motivation and strategies to motivate employees, along with the implications of stress in the workplace.
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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 Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill,

encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization


to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire
organizations. The word "leadership" often gets viewed as a
contested term.
 Leadership is a set of behaviors used to help people align their
collective direction, to execute strategic plans, and to
continually renew an organization.
 That’s how the Oxford Dictionary defines leadership. In simple
words, leadership is about taking risks and challenging the status
quo. Leaders motivate others to achieve something new and
better. Interestingly, leaders do what they do to pursue
innovation, not as an obligation. They measure success by
looking at the team’s achievements and learning.

5 Essential Elements of Leadership


 Communication. Leadership starts with communication.
 Knowing Your People. A good leader knows his or her team
better than anyone else—their strengths, their weaknesses, what
makes them tick and what motivates them.
 Knowing Yourself.
 Diplomacy.
 Seeking Out Feedback.
1. Communication: Leadership starts with communication.
Effective communication is clear, transparent and customized to
the recipient. A good leader will take the time to find out which
communication style and method (text, e-mail, phone or in-
person) work best for each team member. By communicating
with your team, you build trust, rapport and a culture of shared
accountability. Communicate—often, clearly and honestly.

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2. Knowing Your People: A good leader knows his or her team
better than anyone else—their strengths, their weaknesses, what
makes them tick and what motivates them. Take the time to get
to know your team and you’ll know how to talk to them—and
how to get things done.
3. Knowing Yourself: It’s not only important to know your team;
it’s important to know yourself. Is this just a job to you, or do
you truly want to be a leader? —Do you want to motivate,
inspire and lead people? If you’re just in it for the money or the
prestige, you’re not a true leader. Your team most likely won’t
be happy or engaged, and neither will you.
4. Diplomacy: If you’re simply telling people what to do, you’re
not going to have engaged workers, and your results will
probably suffer, too. Sure, sometimes you have to make a tough
call and push through an unpopular agenda item, but for the
most part you should try to show your team that they do have
choices. Listen to their needs, take suggestions and implement
the democratic process when it comes to projects. Of course,
every company, department and project are different, but, for the
most part, giving people the autonomy they crave will result in a
more engaged workforce and better results. Gently encouraging
a collaborative, democratic work environment will be more
effective than forcing roles and expectations on people.
5. Seeking Out Feedback: It’s hard to do an honest self-
assessment so regularly ask for feedback—not only from your
team, but other managers, mentors and other colleagues as well.
Feedback helps you to understand what your strengths and
weaknesses are and how to use them to your advantage. When
you grow, your team grows!
TYPES OF LEADERSHIP STYLES
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1. Autocratic Leadership: A leader who has complete control
over his team is called an autocratic leader. They never bend
their beliefs and rules for anyone. Additionally, their team has
no say in the business decisions. Moreover, the team is expected
to follow the path directed by the leader.
This archaic style of leadership has very few takers because it
discourages change. And modern leaders are changing the definition
of leadership and redefining what leadership is with their path-
breaking decisions.
2. Laissez-Faire Leadership: Laissez-Faire is derived from a
French word that means ‘allow to do’. “The practice of non-
interference in the affairs of others, especially with reference to
individual conduct or freedom of action,’ defines
dictionary.com. In this type of leadership, team members have
the freedom to perform their job according to their will. They
are given the freedom to bring in their perspective and
intelligence in performing business functions. If you take up a
leadership course, you’d get to learn about it in detail.
3. Democratic Leadership: In this type of leadership, team
members and leaders equally contribute to actualizing business
goals. Furthermore, they work together and motivate each other
to achieve their personal goals too. This type of leadership leads
to a positive working environment.
4. Bureaucratic Leadership: In this type of leadership, leaders
strictly adhere to organisational rules and policies. They make
sure that their team members do the same. Bureaucratic leaders
are often organized and self-motivated. There is no right or
wrong leadership style. Therefore, it is up to you to decide the
kind of leader you wish to become.
WHAT ARE THE QUALITIES OF A GOOD LEADER?
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1. Honesty and Integrity: Leaders value virtuousness and
honesty. They have people who believe in them and their
vision.
2. Inspiration: Leaders are self-motivating, and this makes them
great influencers. They are a good inspiration to their followers.
They help others to understand their roles in a bigger context.
3. Communication Skills: Leaders possess great communication
skills. They are transparent with their team and share failures
and successes with them.
4. Vision: Leaders are visionaries. They have a clear idea of what
they want and how to achieve it. Being good communicators,
leaders can share their vision with the team successfully.
5. Never Give-Up Spirit: Leaders challenge the status quo.
Hence, they never give up easily. They also have unique ways
to solve a problem.
6. Intuitive: Leadership coach Hortense le Gentil believes that
leaders should rely on intuition for making hard decisions.
Especially because intuition heavily relies on a person’s
existing knowledge and life learnings, which proves to be more
useful in complex situations.
7. Empathy: A leader should be an emotional and empathetic
fellow because it will help them in developing a strong bond
with their team. Furthermore, these qualities will help a leader
in addressing the problems, complaints, and aspirations of his
team members.
8. Objective: Although empathy is an important quality a leader
must imbibe, getting clouded by emotions while making an
important business decision is not advisable. Hence, a good
leader should be objective.
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9. Intelligence: A good leader must be intelligent enough to arrive
at business solutions to difficult problems. Furthermore, a
leader should be analytical and should weigh the pros and cons
before making a decision. This quality can be polished with an
all-inclusive leadership training program.
10.Open-Mindedness and Creativity: A good leader is someone
who is open to new ideas, possibilities, and perspectives. Being
a good leader means understanding that there is no right way to
do things. Therefore, a good leader is always ready to listen,
observe, and be willing to change. They are also out-of-the-box
thinkers and encourage their teams to do so. If you enroll for a
leadership course, all these things will be a part of the
curriculum.
11.Patient: A good leader understands that a business strategy
takes time to develop and bear results. Additionally, they also
believe that ‘continuous improvement and patient’ leads to
success.
12.Flexible: Since leaders understand the concept of ‘continuous
improvement, they also know that being adaptable will lead
them to success. Nothing goes as per plan. Hence, being flexible
and intuitive helps a manager to hold his ground during
complex situations.
WHAT IS MOTIVATION?
 Motivation is the force that leads people to act to achieve their
objectives. It is the activators of human behaviors to do
something. People are willing to act because they are motivated
toward their goals. The driver of their actions may be money
need, success need, position need, and their best potentiality.

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 Motivation is the art of inspiring and encouraging subordinates
or people to do work effectively so that both organizational and
individual goals can be achieved.
 Motivation, forces acting either on or within a person to initiate
behaviour. The word is derived from the Latin term motivus (“a
moving cause”), which suggests the activating properties of the
processes involved in psychological motivation.
The phrase motivation is derived from the word ‘motive’. As a noun
motive means an objective and as a verb motive means moving into
action.
A person’s how much motivated, and cannot be observed directly but
only from the shown behavior. It is also influenced by a worker’s
perception, learning, ability, and personality traits. Management gets
work done by working with and through people to achieve
organizational goals. Motivation is a crucial tool for the manager or
leader to achieve effective work performance from workers.
Employees get motivated when they get what they expected from the
management. Their expectations like increased salary, bonuses,
incentives, overtime, and other similar benefits.
Motivation is essential for both individuals and the organization, an
individual is motivated for his success and an organization motivates
its employees for organizational success.

CHARACTERISTICS OF MOTIVATION
Motivation is a continuous process. Up to life, people needed to be
motivated. It is a psychological phenomenon that affects individual
behaviors. As it has sound benefits, the complex it is.
The following are the main features of motivation
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1. Psychological Process: Motivation is a psychological process. It
is a process to achieve the desired result by stimulating and
influencing the behavior of subordinates.
Manager must be careful to understand the needs, motives, and
desires of every worker in the organization. Subordinates differ in
their approach and even two individuals cannot be motivated with the
same technique.
2. Continuous Process: It is a continuous process. A satisfied person
of today may not be satisfied tomorrow. When one need is
satisfied, another need emerges.
Therefore, motivation is a never-ending process until the completion
of the objectives. It is the responsibility of the management to develop
new techniques, systems, and methods to fulfill the changing needs of
workers.
3. Complex and Unpredictable: It is complex and unpredictable.
Human wants are unlimited and change according to time and
situation. A satisfied person in the present may not be satisfied in
the future.
In a similar manner, even two persons may not be motivated with
similar behavior and facilities. Therefore, a manager must be
conscious to motivate subordinates and achieving objectives
effectively.
4. Pervasive Function: It is a pervasive function of all levels of
management. Every manager from the top level to the lowest level
in the management hierarchy is responsible for motivation.
A manager is primarily responsible for motivating his subordinates
and secondly other subordinates in the management hierarchy. For
this, it is essential to develop the concept of group work and team
spirit among all the members of the organization.
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5. Influences the Behavior: One of the important parts of
motivation is to influence the behavior of the people. Management
has to influence the behavior of the workers and inspire them to
concentrate more on their work.
Therefore, a manager has to play the role of a leader to influence the
behavior of subordinates to achieve common goals.
6. Concentrated on Whole Individual: Individuals are motivated to
fulfill their unlimited needs. A person cannot be partly motivated
as he is a self-contained and inseparable unit.
For example, whenever individual wishes to wear a pair of shoes,
only the feet are not motivated but the whole body of the individual is
motivated to get the shoes. Thus, motivation is concentrated on
individuals and their attitudes to improve their working efficiency.
7. Positive or Negative Motivation: Last but not least, motivation
can be negative and positive.
 A positive one promises incentives and rewards to workers.
Incentives involve financial and non-financial benefits.
 A negative one is based on punishment for poor performance
like minimizing wages, demotion, job termination, etc. On the
basis of requirements, a manager can use both positive and
negative motivation for better performance.
IMPORTANCE OF MOTIVATION
Motivation may serve various purposes in the workplace, some
purposes are:
 Drives Profitable Operation: Motivation boosts employee
productivity and engagement, leading to increased profitability
for the organization.

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 Overcomes Resistance to Change: Motivation helps
employees embrace and adapt to change, facilitating smooth
transitions and fostering growth.
 Maximizes Human Resources: Motivated employees utilize
their skills and expertise to the fullest, resulting in enhanced
productivity and efficiency.
 Enhances Employee Satisfaction: Motivation brings a sense of
fulfillment and job satisfaction, leading to increased loyalty and
a positive work environment.
 Reduces Disputes and Strikes: Motivated employees engage in
constructive communication, reducing conflicts and labor
unrest.
 Ensures Workforce Stability: Motivated employees are less
likely to leave, providing continuity, smoother operations, and
cohesive work culture.
HOW TO MOTIVATE
1. Incentive Theory: The incentive theory suggests that
management can invoke motivation by reinforcement,
recognition, through incentives and rewards. The incentive
theory also proposes that people display certain behaviour to
achieve a specific result, incite a particular action or receive a
reward. Here are a few examples of incentives in the workplace:
 Bonus: A bonus is a monetary reward that a company may give
an employee based on their performance.
 Praise: Praise can be useful for one-on-one situations, such as
quarterly employee reviews. Praising and appreciating an
employee by giving positive feedback about their performance
helps build trust and significantly reduce attrition.
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 Training and education: Providing opportunities such as paid
training or continuing education may give a team an incentive to
increase their knowledge in a specific field or develop a skill set.
 Promotion: Providing an opportunity for career advancement is
often one of the most influential incentives a manager can offer
because it can give an employee a feeling of importance and
growth. A promotion may include an advanced role, a new job
title and a salary increase.
 Salary or wage hike: Management teams find that offering a pay
raise or a salary increase can be effective motivators. For
optimal results, managers use salary or wage incentives for
individual employees, rather than for all employees and
departments within a business.
 Paid vacation or time off: Consider offering employees
compensation for taking days off or give them additional
vacation days every quarter or year. Employees may value this
incentive if they plan for a family vacation or desire some extra
time to rest at home.
2. Maslow's theory of hierarchical needs: Maslow's hierarchy is
a content-based motivational theory. It outlines a few basic
needs a person wants to fulfil before progressing to more
complex needs. This hierarchy categorizes needs into five
levels:
 Physiological: An individual's basic physiological needs are
water, shelter, clothing and food. In a work setting, an
employee's salary may fulfil their physiological needs.
 Safety: This level refers to a feeling of protection that
individuals experience. This need may align with an employee's
expectation of job security.
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 Socialisation: To meet Socialisation needs, employees may
develop friendships at work to create a sense of belonging for
themselves. Management can fulfil this need by creating
opportunities for employees to bond, by hosting company
lunches and team-building activities.
 Esteem: Employees often reach this level by receiving
recognition, which can help them feel confident in their work
and increase their self-esteem. Recognizing a professional's
achievements and providing positive feedback are two methods
that can help build their self-esteem.
 Self-actualization: To reach this level, employees may try to
achieve complex, long-term professional or personal goals. Self-
actualized employees can motivate themselves to complete
workplace goals effectively.
STRESS
Stress is a normal reaction the body has when changes occur,
resulting in physical, emotional and intellectual responses. Stress
management training can help you deal with changes in a healthier
way.Stress responses help your body adjust to new situations. Stress
can be positive, keeping us alert, motivated and ready to avoid
danger. For example, if you have an important test coming up, a stress
response might help your body work harder and stay awake longer.
But stress becomes a problem when stressors continue without relief
or periods of relaxation.
TYPES OF STRESS
1. Acute Stress
2. Chronic Stress
3. Episodic Stress
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4. Eustress
1. Acute Stress Disorder: Is a psychological response to a
terrifying, traumatic or surprising experience. It may bring
about delayed stress reactions if not correctly addressed.
2. Chronic Stress: Is the physiological or psychological
response induced by a long-term internal or external stressor.
The stressor, either physically present or recollected, will
produce the same effect and trigger a chronic stress response.
3. Episodic Acute Stress: Is when a person experiences acute
stress frequently. If you have episodic acute stress, you may
feel like you are always under pressure or that things are
always going wrong. This can be exhausting, both physically
and mentally.
4. Eustress: Refers to stress that leads to a positive response. It
is the opposite of distress and can refer to any type of
beneficial stress, whether physical or psychological. 1 It tends
to be short-term and often feels exciting. People perceive this
type of stress as manageable and even motivating.
CAUSES OF STRESS
CAUSES OF WORK STRESS INCLUDE:
 Being unhappy in your job
 Having a heavy workload or too much responsibility
 Working long hours
 Having poor management, unclear expectations of your work, or
no say in the decision-making process
 Working under dangerous conditions

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 Being insecure about your chance for advancement or risk of
termination
 Having to give speeches in front of colleagues
 Facing discrimination or harassment at work, especially if your
company isn't supportive
LIFE STRESSES CAN ALSO HAVE A BIG IMPACT.
EXAMPLES OF LIFE STRESSES ARE:
 The death of a loved one
 Divorce
 Loss of a job
 Increase in financial obligations
 Getting married
 Moving to a new home
 Chronic illness or injury
 Emotional problems (depression, anxiety, anger, grief, guilt, low
self-esteem)
 Taking care of an elderly or sick family member
 Traumatic event, such as a natural disaster, theft, rape, or
violence against you or a loved one
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF STRESS
 PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS OF STRESS INCLUDE:
 Aches and pains.
 Chest pain or a feeling like your heart is racing.
 Exhaustion or trouble sleeping.
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 Headaches, dizziness or shaking.
 High blood pressure.
 Muscle tension or jaw clenching.
 Stomach or digestive problems.
 Trouble having sex.
 Weak immune system.
 STRESS CAN LEAD TO EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL
SYMPTOMS LIKE:
 Anxiety or irritability.
 Depression.
 Panic attacks.
 Sadness.
 OFTEN, PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC STRESS TRY TO
MANAGE IT WITH UNHEALTHY BEHAVIORS,
INCLUDING:
 Drinking alcohol too much or too often.
 Gambling.
 Overeating or developing an eating disorder.
 Participating compulsively in sex, shopping or internet
browsing.
 Smoking.
 Using drugs
EFFECTS OF STRESS ON THE HEALTH
SHORT TERM EFFECTS 1
If you've been stressed out for a short period of time, you may start to
notice some of these physical signs:
 Headache
 Fatigue
 Difficulty sleeping
 Difficulty concentrating
 Upset stomach
 Irritability

LONG TERM EFFECTS


 Difficulty concentrating
 Upset stomach
 Irritability
When stress becomes long-term and is not properly addressed, it can
lead to a number of more serious health conditions, including:
 Depression
 High blood pressure
 Abnormal heartbeat (arrhythmia)
 Hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis)
 Heart disease
 Heart attack
 Heartburn, ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome
 Upset stomach -- cramps, constipation, and diarrhea
 Weight gain or loss 1
 Changes in sex drive
 Fertility problems
 Flare-ups of asthma or arthritis
 Skin problems such as acne, eczema, and psoriasis

DIAGNOSIS OF STRESS
Stress is subjective — not measurable with tests. Only the person
experiencing it can determine whether it's present and how severe it
feels. A healthcare provider may use questionnaires to understand
your stress and how it affects your life.
If you have chronic stress, your healthcare provider can evaluate
symptoms that result from stress. For example, high blood pressure
can be diagnosed and treated.
MANAGEMENT AND PREVENTION OF STRESS
What are some strategies for stress relief?
You can’t avoid stress, but you can stop it from becoming
overwhelming by practicing some daily strategies:
 Exercise when you feel symptoms of stress coming on. Even a
short walk can boost your mood.
 At the end of each day, take a moment to think about what
you’ve accomplished — not what you didn’t get done.
 Set goals for your day, week and month. Narrowing your view
will help you feel more in control of the moment and long-term
tasks.
 Consider talking to a therapist or your healthcare provider
about your worries. 1
WHAT ARE SOME WAYS TO PREVENT STRESS?
Many daily strategies can help you keep stress at bay:
 Try relaxation activities, such as meditation, yoga, tai chi,
breathing exercises and muscle relaxation. Programs are
available online, in smartphone apps, and at many gyms and
community centers.
 Take good care of your body each day. Eating right,
exercising and getting enough sleep help your body handle
stress much better.
 Stay positive and practice gratitude, acknowledging the good
parts of your day or life.
 Accept that you can’t control everything. Find ways to let go
of worry about situations you cannot change.
 Learn to say “no” to additional responsibilities when you are
too busy or stressed.
 Stay connected with people who keep you calm, make you
happy, provide emotional support and help you with practical
things. A friend, family member or neighbor can become a
good listener or share responsibilities so that stress doesn’t
become overwhelming.

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