The Importance of Leadership

The Importance of Leadership
The role of leaders in any organization, sector, or group is to provide direction, issue instruction, motivate, and ensure performance is maintained at a higher level. A leader is also the bearer of the vision. He or she is the one who knows where the group or organization is headed and must communicate this in a way that everyone understands. So, within a group, a leader is the one to be held responsible if or when a group fails to attain its objectives.
In the first segment, the impact of leadership is assessed by comparing the performance and productivity of a group if led by a leader with skills and without skills. When a group is led by a leader with skills, the chances are high that the group will be value-oriented. The values the leader practices are likely to be borrowed and practiced within the group. Secondly, the group should have a strong sense of direction. A group’s sense of direction is tied to the leader’s vision. So, there is a chance that the group will be working as a team towards a common goal. However, if the leader lacks skills, a group is likely to lack a sense of direction. The group members will also lack congruence, which means they will not be working towards a common goal. The environment will also be toxic, and progress is unlikely to be made.
Content and process make up the second segment. Here, the focus is on the distinction between the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of things. A leader must be able to differentiate between these two and champion the same to their group. Often, some leaders fall into the temptation of focusing on content or the what, and all progress made in such circumstances happens to be theoretical. A skillful leader should understand that the ‘how’ of things is more important and should be at the center of any progress made. Further, this leader should understand that there is a need to strike a balance between these two instead of heavily focusing on a single aspect.
Thirdly, a leader should be able to clarify the group’s purpose. At times, the group can lose focus and veer off the topic or purpose for which it was intended. However, as a leader, one must ensure that every time this happens, the leader is able to clarify the purpose. If, for example, the misdirection happened because of a conversation that a member of the group introduced, the leader should be able to bring the group back to the prevailing topic or theme. Therefore, clarifying the purpose simply means having the group be brought back to the apt material.
How to conduct the first session makes up the fourth session. As a leader, the first session sets up the stage for the success or failure of the other sessions. Therefore, it is crucial to establish an atmosphere or environment that yields the best results for the group. Every group member should be made to feel comfortable, and the leader should instill confidence in the group. Here, the leader can make use of several skills like greeting the group warmly. A warm greeting sets the mood in the room and makes the members relax. Secondly, the leader can address the feelings of anxiety to help alleviate any fears some of the members may have. Thirdly, the leader can actively engage the grou...