Inspiring Leadership

The chapter discusses the important factors that a leader ought to consider so as to effectively manage others and himself. It describes the skills and attributes that someone in a management position is supposed to possess, the influence of emotional intelligence on one's performance as a leader and how he creates a conducive and great place for those under him. We are told that through effort, enthusiasm and determination a leader is able to inspire high performance in his organization.

Effective management of one's team is important since regular reviewing and refining of the management procedures would ensure the goal of the organization is achieved. High level performance would be realized with thorough preparation and planning by the team leader, having a collaborative agreement to organizational goals by the main players, having comprehensive and effective management procedures and finally ensuring that the whole thing is reviewed and improvements made.

A leader is supposed to exhibit qualities of integrity and consistency of behavior. Respect is one important attribute that is necessary in ensuring that members know where they are headed to and work in unity. Team members ought to know their team's vision. The team should have an appropriate code of conduct and the leader should always inspire members to stick to these agreed values. The team leader is supposed to have self- confidence and self-control in order to realize consistency in his personal performance. By showing how dependable one is and keeping a respectable distance from his team mates, a leader inspires focus on organizational goals by his team.

An effective leader must possess the necessary skills and expertise in the job he is in charge of. This background knowledge and experience is critical in the success of the activities of the organization. The members of the team are too expected to have the skills and abilities to carry out their assigned roles. Instruments to drive performance such as resource management, performance focus, conflict management, self-motivation, discipline and control management should be emphasized by management. These are referred to as the X-factor. In addition to these, the leader is supposed to have integrity, self-control and self-belief, to show openness, vulnerability, purpose, belief and shared leadership and should be sensing.. These form a group of competencies called the Y-factor.

Emotional intelligence is where one is able to understand his feelings and emotions. An effective leader manages his feelings and emotions such that he is inspirational to his juniors and drives performance within the organization. Appropriate use of different styles of leadership will produce desired results. For example creating a learning culture together with an environment of encouragement will result in high level performance.

Understanding the dynamics and different stages of team development is critical to a leader. Managing and inspiring team communications, creating a knowledge-sharing culture, motivating the team, stress management, effective conflict management and ensuring a balance in the work the team engages in will produce a high level of performance within any organizational setting. This is a responsibility charged to the leader and he must accomplish it effectively. A leader should create an environment that favors high performance and value all the people in the team despite existence of any differences between them.

There's a lot to learn from this chapter. It is a guide to effective leadership and it has opened my eyes to the world of managing teams. Through lessons on emotional intelligence, skills and attributes a leader is supposed to have, I have gained an insight into what one is required to have in order to manage people effectively.