The Manager as a Leader Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Manager as a Leader - Essay Example 1). Another more simple definition by Northhouse (2007) states that leadership is â€Å"a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal† (Northhouse, 2007, p. 3 cited in Clark, 2010, p. 1). These definitions provide a foundation for this report. In this researcher’s understanding, leadership can also be defined as the ability of one person to help another person achieve their full potential. 1 Personal Traits Associated with Leadership According to Clark (2010) a leader must understand who they are, what they know and what they can do. In order to understand these three issues a leader must have confidence in themselves and they must be able to inspire others. The ability to actively listen and to communicate is also traits that leaders must have in order to get along well with their employees. A good leader is also able to inspire others to work towards their potential. Leaders begin by setting the example of what they want th eir employees to do and show what is expected of them. Hyatt, Hyatt, and Hyatt (2011) suggest that leaders must have emotional maturity in order to lead effectively. They define this concept as the ability of the leader to implement basic leadership principles in their organisation. They suggest that emotional maturity comes through knowledge of emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence in their definition is â€Å"the ability to perceive emotions† (Hyatt, Hyatt, and Hyatt, 2001, p. 2). Some of the qualities that an individual has who is expressing emotional intelligence include â€Å"self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills† (Hyatt, Hyatt, and Hyatt, 2001, p. 2). Emotional maturity grows out of having emotional intelligence because emotional maturity is the ability to identify and accept all the feelings and emotions that an individual has and to be able to give a response in any situation. Also, the individual is aware of their emot ions and they know that the emotions are complete. But, the individual is also able to recognise and accept the differences they see in others as â€Å"assets to be valued† (Hyatt, Hyatt, and Hyatt, 2001, p. 2). Emotional maturity also has to do with behavioural responses to situations. Behaviour is tied into a person’s feelings, their actions, and their thoughts. 1.1 Motivation and Drive Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs has been used in business to talk about motivation. The way that these needs are shown suggest that lower level needs must be met before someone can move to higher level needs. For management, this means that the basic needs of proper wages, adequate breaks, a safe working environment, retirement benefits and job security must be met before higher level needs like recognition, a sense of community on the job and the ability to reach their full potential can be realized (Internet Centre for Management and Business Administration, 2010). Leaders also h ave strong problem solving skills that include the ability to critically think in all situations and decide what needs to be done. 2 Theory X versus Theory Y Theory X and Y are theories created by McGregor. This theory suggests that there are two basic ways to manage people and both theories emphasize a different way of dealing with people. Based on the idea that most people dislike working and would avoid it if possible, the X theory uses a more authoritarian management style (Chapman, 2010). In this theory people have to be forced to work by threatening them with punishment. According to this theory, punishment is the only way to get people to work towards the organisation’s goals. Therefore, the manager who subscribes to this theory would