Setting the tone in leadership is an immensely significant process within an organization. Setting the tone refers to the process of creating a connection between the leader and the employees. This phenomenon is about an organization working as a team through a leader bearing responsibility for the team’s morale problems (Northouse, 2012, pg. 129). Provision of the efficient structure that accommodates workers at the working environment is a crucial aspect. Clarification of norms in a group or organization enables a leader to administer leadership with ease; this is because everyone denotes his or her expectations from the organization (Northouse, 2012, pg. 130). Building cohesion is yet a key factor; this is establishing consistency and unity in leadership. A good leader unites the organization and builds interpersonal relations. Leadership is based on promoting standards of excellence which the organization works to achieve and maintain with the emphasis on constructive feedback (Northouse, 2012, pg. 136).
Feedback is the response that is obtained after leadership practices have been established. Constructive feedback is honest and direct communication about an organization’s performance. It is not mean-spirited or paternalistic, nor is it overly patronizing. Therefore, this paper is a discussion of constructive feedback and its role in leadership. Constructive feedback helps an organization to know if it is doing the correct things in the right manner and with the right speed. Although it is not easy to give constructive feedback, it is a skill which can be learnt. Moreover, it allows an organization to look at itself honestly and know what it needs to improve (Northouse, 2012, pg. 137).
There are many tips that should be incorporated in giving constructive feedback. People immensely benefit from the feedback that is delivered in a non-confrontational, constructive manner. Unfortunately, not many people have the innate skill of delivering feedback in the correct manner. However, there are some basic techniques that can enable an individual to deliver a quality and constructive feedback. These include addressing behaviors, describing the observed behaviors, and giving feedback in a calm unemotional language. In addition, the evaluation of communication is highly significant (Northouse, 2012, pg. 137).
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Considerably, one of the most difficult challenges facing leadership is listening to out-group members who are the individuals in an organization who do not identify with the larger group. When leadership fails to listen to out-group members, the results are problematic (Northouse, 2012, pg. 151). Out-group members are common in an organization’s daily encounters. In an organization, there are out-groups consisting of people who are at odds with management’s vision. They are excluded from imperative decision-making groups. Moreover, speaking about project groups, some out-group members are those who just refuse to contribute to various activities of the larger team. Since out-group members are popular, it is essential for individuals who aspire to be leaders to know how to work with them (Northouse, 2012, pg. 151).
Out-groups is a common occurrence whenever individuals meet to solve a problem or accomplish a task. The term “out-group” refers to people in a group who do not feel that they are part of the larger organization (Northouse, 2012, pg. 164). This difference occurs because other people feel they cannot identify with the larger group or cannot meet the larger group’s reality. Sometimes, these groups form because individuals feel excluded as a result of failure of communication and social skills (Northouse, 2012, pg. 165). In responding to out-group members, an individual has to identify his attitude towards out-group members. In addition, a leader should explore how to respond to these members. In conclusion, setting tone is a decisive factor in leadership. A leader should lean to improve interpersonal communication in a group. Moreover, out-groups are significant, and a leader should develop listening attitude towards their unique contribution (Northouse, 2012, pg. 165). A leader should help the out-group members become included and create an outstanding relationship.
Developing leadership skills is a decisive factor in competencies and demonstrating performance. Leadership skills give people the ability and capacity to influence others. Therefore, leadership skills are a critical component in the successful leadership. Moreover, this paper is to discuss the aspect of developing leadership skills and their influence on efficient leadership. Leadership skills account the overall success of any organization based on its effectiveness and implementation.
However, it is essential to note that even though leadership skills play a critical role in the leadership process, they receive little attention. Previously, research has been based on leadership traits. Conversely, leadership skills have received considerable attention by researchers and practitioners (Northouse, 2012, p. 85). Core leadership styles are exceedingly crucial in leadership skills and practices. Although there are many kinds of leadership skills, they are frequently regarded as groups of skills. Leadership skills can be grouped into three principal categories: administrative, interpersonal and conceptual skills.
Administrative skills are abilities of a leader’s effective administration of formal instructions and authoritative power to in an organization. A good leader should possess these skills in order to become competent and intelligent person that leads. In addition, interpersonal skills are of great role in the effective leadership practices. They denote the employee-employer relations in the work place. Good relations such as equity, intelligence, and honesty play a crucial role in encouraging competence at the workplace. Conceptual skills are critical for the leader in organizing his work. These include working with ideas and concepts. Good problem solving skills by a leader promotes good leadership.
Showing emotional intelligence is yet another vital factor in the leadership skills and practices. Emotional intelligence has captivated the interest of many scholars and practitioners of leadership. Emotional intelligence regards a person’s ability to comprehend his or her individual and others’ emotions. Additionally, he should be able to apply the knowledge to life tasks. Emotional intelligence refers to the capacity to observe and express emotions for using ones to enable rational thinking. It includes understanding emotions by a leader in the administration through managing emotions effectively (Northouse, 2012, p. 91). Leaders need to learn to become aware of emotions of others, regulate his or her emotions, and skills of handling conflict (Northouse, 2012, p. 92).
An effective leadership establishes compelling visions that control people’s behavior. In leadership, a vision is a mental model of an ideal future state. Vision offers a picture of what is expected as an outcome. In developing a vision, a leader should focus on positive outcomes that are expected and communicate them to other people. Moreover, the leader and members of the organization should share a common vision. The vision plays a significant role in how the leader influences others and how others react to his or her leadership (Northouse, 2012, p. 109). In leadership practices, vision has been a fundamental aspect of leadership training and development in recent years (Northouse, 2012, p. 110).
There are various characteristics of the vision. First, it creates a picture of the future that is better than the status quo. It is an idea about the future that requires an act of faith by followers. Visions paint an ideal image of where the group or organization is headed (Northouse, 2012, p. 110). Vision portrays the change expected from the picture indicating desires of an organization. Therefore, change is a salient characteristic of vision and enhances visionary leadership adequately. The values of vision include the features that are expected towards obtaining it. A map is a vision characteristic that indicates the steps and directions of working towards achieving the goals. Finally, a challenge represents the task that a leader is supposed to tackle together with his organization (Northouse, 2012, p. 126).
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