Have you ever noticed how many managers, despite being good bosses, are not true leaders? Unfortunately, this is a very common situation in the corporate world and considering that most teams need guidance in order to function well and achieve goals, true leadership is not something that could be taken for granted you will be sure about this if you read this importance of leadership essay.
Leading a team is to lead people – employees – so that they can walk with their own legs. Those who exercise leadership should be respected by those who are led, not by using force or imposing power, but by earning and exercising authority. Once a leader accepts and exercises his/her the authority, the team automatically shows respects and performance accordingly. If a leader chooses to act for the power, the team will fear him/her, but not respect. Hence, a true leader must have the wisdom to delegate, but with great responsibility, for whomever delegates should not run away from the responsibility of what is being delegated.
A boss that only tells employees what to do will only take the company so far. In this case, no matter how much the employees attend to the bosses’ commands, it is simply a matter of hierarchy, not because they believe or trust what the boss says. Oftentimes, these situations happen because the manager himself does not feel like a leader. Thus, one can’t blame the people under his command if they do not treat him or her as such.
As the needs of the market and the economy develop, companies are changing the leadership and development perspective of leaders. The old model has been losing space for a training aimed at self-knowledge, continuous development and systemic vision. In addition to discovering the need to invest in people and integrate all areas within the organization, we see a great movement that strengthens the importance of interpersonal relationships, collaboration and teamwork.
The maturity of an innovative leader and his/her capacity for self-criticism and personal transformation influence the development of the people he/she leads. Thus, self-knowledge becomes a very important quality to identify opportunities in a model of leadership, even though it is not something easy to achieve. Alternatively, the way a leader develops his/her own professional skills and attitudes within the workplace has direct results in the development of the team as a whole, not being restricted only to the area in which the leader acts. In other words, before leading the other, the leader must be a leader of him or herself.
Along with his/her own internal development, a leader who wants to develop his team must create a bond of trust and genuine interest in being an example, so to help each employee to look inward and go further than his/her own limitations. A way of exercising this self-knowledge is through sincere dialogues, powerful questions, group dynamics, and empowerment meetings. Also, things like sharing life stories, messages, and videos that lead to reflection and awareness are good ways of motivating employees to become the best version of themselves.
By nurturing talents within their own teams, managers and bosses develop motivated employees and future leaders who have been led and already know the importance of awakening and developing other people. This virtuous cycle leads to a positive retention of human professionals, productive and adherent to the company culture. The best way to cultivate talent is to be an exemplary leader – an educator, server, and friend focused on both the people and the results, not just on the results.