An efficient leader

Published Date: 23 Mar 2015

Every organisation, be it big or small needs an efficient leader. And for an institution like Cardiff Business School, which has more than 50 taught courses and staff of more than 120, the challenges and responsibilities are even higher. Thus, the Director has to have certain specific leadership qualities.

"Leadership is a process of influencing others to achieve organizational goals, creating a vision for others and having the power to translate the vision in reality."

A leader must be able to convince the co-workers, employees and subordinates that whatever work they will do not only affect the productivity of institution but also will help themselves. A leader needs to have a visionary approach and innovative ways of solving problems and dealing with tough situations. Leadership as described by Stogdill, 1950 is:

The process of influencing the activities of an organized group in its efforts toward goal setting and goal achievement (Buchanan).

Stogdill's definition has three key components:

1. It defines leadership as an interpersonal skill in which the leader tends to modify and shape the behaviour of others.
2. Leadership is a social context where the members of group are 'followers' or subordinates.
3. It emphasises the effect of leadership in the achievement of institutional goals.

In the process of selection of the Director for CARBS, there are certain key factors or elements which the candidate must possess; Honesty and Integrity are amongst them, a leader whose actions back up his words and words that are congruent with his action, is a man of integrity and thus liked by all. Keeping his words and being true to his values is very necessary for the leader if he wants his subordinates to follow him and support him in his vision of success. A leader is responsible to carry out the culture of ethics and values in the institution and because he is a leader, he has to set up an example from himself first. Values and integrity for an educational institution is vital, nobody wants to wake up one with a profitable institution that does not have a soul.

''I consider my life worth nothing to me . . . if only I may finish the race and complete the task . . .'' - The Disciple Paul Acts 20:22. The Director has to be a leader with a vision and well defined purpose for his team and subordinates. Working without purpose can only be defined as mindless and heartless drudgery. The leader should always have his aim, goals and objectives very clear and he should direct integrated efforts to achieve the goals. The leader must be able to make the subordinate believe that the purpose he is working for is worth contributing to and by the time it will end he will be proud of the fact that he did.

Lying is done with words and also with silence. - Adrienne Rich. The Director has to communicate very clearly, effectively and efficiently in order to qualify as a good leader. The best ideas of the world will go useless if they are not communicated properly. Communication also includes being a good listener, orator and having an empathetic attitude. If there was no appropriate communication of overarching ideas, mission, and vision, many of the corporate would not have existed today. In today's competitive environment, the leader has to be well versed with all varieties of communication forums.

Woolfe, Lorin. The Bible on Leadership From Moses to Matthew-Management Lessons for Contemporary Leaders. New York: AMACOM/American Management Association, 2002. Print.

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