Leadership in the workplace is the ability of an individual to manage and supervise an organisation and to positively influence others to perform their jobs to the best of their ability, resulting in business success.
Essentially, leaders create a vision and, through a combination of influence, communication and support, motivate a team to help them realise their goals. When leaders effectively lead their company, they impact the decisions, actions and overall attitude of others in a positive manner.
Leaders must embody the organisation’s values and culture. They will use their skills to steer organisations through the good times and in times of change when good morale and a positive working environment can make the difference between success and failure.
While great leadership has a huge effect on an organisation’s success, poor leadership can be expensive in terms of high levels of employee turnover, low morale, toxic workplace culture, and lower productivity and performance.
Dr. Timi Olubiyi, an entrepreneurship and business management expert stated that “effective leaders inspire people, motivate them to perform to a higher level, and embody company values and culture. They make a tangible difference to business success and have a wider impact than they ever could individually.
“Directly impacting decisions, actions and the positive mindset of others, an effective director builds a team around them which benefits from its collective skills and experiences and is inspired and motivated to achieve success.
“Effective leadership improves morale through a clear vision, increasing employee engagement, improving employee retention, creating a culture of openness and building trust. Influential leaders inspire improved morale and confidence which in turn improves productivity.”
He also noted that an effective leader is confident and has a strong sense of who they are, saying that “leaders set the tone for an organisation and live its values. They will enjoy learning opportunities and creating a positive organisational culture to empower their team through learning and growing and see it achieve its goals.”
Characteristics Of A Good Leader
An effective leader demonstrates a range of abilities, traits, and behaviours. Capable leaders leverage these hard and soft skills to overcome obstacles, negotiate change and attain their objectives.
They achieve this by inspiring and motivating their team, empowering individuals, fostering trust, encouraging collaboration and cultivating a positive and productive workplace.
While some leaders inherently possess leadership characteristics such as integrity and emotional intelligence, other leadership qualities, such as communication, can be cultivated through education, training, coaching and experience.
Qualities Of A Good Leader Include:
Integrity: Leaders are moral touchstones for organisations, especially in bad times, so it is essential that they consistently demonstrate moral and ethical leadership and embody the values of the organisation they lead.
Empathy And Influence: A good leader uses their innate emotional intelligence to empathise with others, understand their concerns, overcome challenges and defuse conflict. They use these qualities to influence, motivate and inspire their teams to perform to the best of their ability.
Communication: Effective leaders are good communicators who can convey their messages to inspire and motivate. They are open, honest and transparent about the organisation which in turn engenders trust.
Vision: An effective leader thinks strategically beyond the everyday purpose of the organisation in order to plan for its future. They understand both their organisation and the landscape within which it operates.
Decisive: Capable leaders are focused and assertive and are responsible for making informed confident decisions.
Delegation: Good leaders delegate and manage their team to build trust.
Confidence And Positivity: successful leaders believe in their abilities and are optimistic, helping to boost morale, inspire others and promote a healthy workplace.
