Characteristics of leadership

Characteristics of leadership Introduction The characteristics of leadership are examined in the context of business management. Leadership Shackleton (1995) defined leadership as the process in which an individual influences other group members towards the attainment of group or organisational goals. According to Torrington et al (2008) the leader may or may not be the nominal head of a group, implying that managers may or may not be leaders, and leaders may or may not be managers. Hollington (2006) argues that any individual may act as a manager at one stage and a leader at another time, depending on the situation. It should not be assumed that leadership is always a downward process, as there are times when employees or managers lead upwards. There is a degree of confusion between management and leadership, which is clarified by Northouse and Northouse (2009) who state that while management is concerned with the provision or order and consistency within organisations, the prime function of leadership is to drive change and development. Management seeks order and stability, whereas leadership aims to adapt behaviour and promote beneficial change. Qualities of leadership The understanding of leadership involves a blend of approaches according to Adair (2003). The combination of personal qualities (what you are), situational (what you know) and functional (what you do) all form a critical combination which distinguishes a leader. The attributes of a good leader are that they should possess most of the characteristics of the field they operate in. As an example, the leader of a law firm should typically have the characteristics of a good lawyer. More generic qualities are associated with leadership, such as enthusiasm, integrity, moral courage, warmth, and a combination of toughness and fairness. Both generic and typical qualities are necessary for recognition as a leader, supplemented with the natural authority which differentiates leadership from others. The increasing global competition in business has led to a focus on developing high-powered organisations which can differentiate themselves from the competition by the performance of their employees. According to Swart et al (2005) leadership had been identified as a key to the high-performance organisation. Leadership is seen as power to inspire, motivate and fill employees with the desire to change the organisation and to be the best. Leaders can act as change role models within the organisation. Building commitment to a common organisational purpose is essential to gaining competitive advantage and learning and development of employees plays a major part in delivering this. Dave Ulrich, whose work has had a profound influence on thinking within the human resources profession, has developed a framework for guidance of human resource professionals in developing commitment and common core values to organisations (Ulrich and Smallwood 2003). According to Harrison (2005) a key capability proposed in Ulrichs framework is leadership. Harrison relates that the latest human resource research findings show that there is an overwhelming need for effective leaders in the face of the radical change agenda facing the public and not-for-profit sectors of the economy or at the highly competitive environment in which all private sector organisations now operate. Leaders at corporate level are accountable for the results of the organisation and their brand has a major influence on shareholder confidence. At the line manager level leaders play a key role in communicating and enacting the organisations vision and in implementing the human resource strategies to raise employees commitment to it. Whether leadership characteristics can be developed within a person is the subject of debate. Price (2007) offers the following quote from Bennis (1990): I would argue that more leaders have been made by accident, circumstances, sheer grit, or will than by all the leadership courses put together. Price argues that whereas good leaders are comparatively easy to recognise when they are in positions of authority, developing people to achieve the necessary qualities is not so easy. Just as the nature of leadership is not fully understood, the appropriate methods of training and leadership are a matter of controversy. It is arguable that many supposed leadership training courses are actually teaching management skills rather than those of leadership. Training courses have concentrated on identifying the nature of leadership and the form in which the individual trainee wishes to adopt, which incorporates a range of options from being able to give orders to a more specialised form. Self0awa reness is often an optional training requirement for those who feel they lack identified leadership skills, by delivering a general boost in self-confidence. In each case the training depends of factors such as the participants level of seniority, or the organisational culture in which the individual operates. Clearly it would be inappropriate for a junior manager to adopt the manner of a managing director, or apply authoritarian forms of leadership in a business whole culture encourages wide participation in decision-making. Organisational strategy may be clearly stated and communicated, but the primary key to successful strategy implementation is leadership. Daft (2006) states that leadership is the ability to influence people to adopt the new behaviour needed for strategy implementation. An important part of implementing strategy is building consensus. People throughout the organisation must believe in the new strategy and have a strong commitment to achieving the vision and goals. Leadership means using persuasion, motivating employees, and shaping culture and values to support the new strategy. As an example Daft relates that CEO Sam Palasino of IBM used leadership to get people throughout the organisation aligned with the new e-business strategy. His actions included dismantling the executive committee that previously presided over strategic initiatives and replace it with committees made up of people from all over the company who now have a voice in strategy formulation and implementation. He inves ted considerable money in teaching managers at all levels how to lead rather than control their staff. He is also communicating with people all over the company, appealing to their sense of pride and motivating them to make IBM great once more by uniting behind the strategic vision, and facilitating the implementation of the strategy by making people feel they are participating, understand the strategy and therefore have more commitment to achieving it. Leadership in achieving successful strategy can be attributed to the drive and determination of a charismatic leader. Ruddock (2008) relates the Michael OLeary relentlessly drove change in what was a failing airline by concentrating on changing the publics perception of air travel as being somehow elevated above other forms of transport and turned the concept into one as commonplace as boarding a bus. The low-cost-no frills strategy was driven into every aspect of the airlines operation and OLearys considerable ability to generate publicity at every possible opportunity was utilised to the full. Every possible cost-saving action was taken, from negotiation of landing fees to relentless promotion of cheap flights with the lowering of passenger expectations of the service provided by such low costs. Ryanair, like many airlines today is suffering from the economic depression, but has up until recently been profitable and is still planning expansion at a time when many airlines are near collapse. This is in no small part due to the leadership qualities of Michael OLeary. The context in which leadership occurs is often a deciding factor in whether it is successful o not. The kind of leadership exercised will be related to the nature of the task and the people being led. It will also depend on the environment, and the actual leader. An analysis of the qualities of leadership in terms of intelligence, initiative, self-assurance and other characteristics is of limited value. The qualities required may be different in different circumstances, and it is important to take account of the variable leaders have to deal with, in particular, the task in hand, the group being led, and the leaders position relative to the group (Armstrong 2006). Leadership exists at different levels according to Adair (2006). There is the team level, where the leader is in charge of ten to fifteen people. The operational leader is responsible for a significant part of the business, such as a business unit, division or key functional department such as marketing. Operational leaders often have more than one team leader reporting to them. At the strategic level, the leader, often designated as the CEO, is leading the entire organisation. Strategic leadership is the art of leading a large body of people. The key to achieving sustainable business success is to have excellence in leadership at all three levels. Strategic, operational and team leaders need to work harmoniously together as the organisations leadership team. Cole (1997) relates that leadership is exercised against a background of the culture of the organisation. and this fact has important implications for the amount of power assigned to leaders as well as the styles that will be permitted. It does not follow that in any one organisation all leaders will adopt a less task-centred style than line managers, because their particular sub-cultures may be sufficiently different from the organisations as a whole. The sub-culture is a value-system of one part of an organisation which is a variance with the dominant value-system of the organisation as a whole. As an example, the research and development leader may be focussed on future product development while the marketing leader will aim to maximise market penetration. Conclusions Leadership appears to be characterised by many factors, some of which are inherent in the personality and actions of the individual, while others are dictated by circumstance, but are almost always accompanied by change in the circumstances of the organisation being led. Leadership is often confused with management, and the nature of leadership is not fully understood. References Adair, J. (2006) Leadership and Motivation, Kogan Page Limited, London, p 33. Adair, J. (2003) The Inspirational Leader, Kogan Page Limited, London, p 25. Armstrong, M. (2006), A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, 10th Edition, Kogan Page Limited, London, p 300. Bennis, W. (1990 Managing the Dream: Leadership in the 21st Century, Training: The Magazine of Human resource development 27 (5): 44-6. Cole, G.A. (1997), Personnel Management, 4th Edition, Letts Educational , London, p 57. Daft, R.L. (2006), The New Era of Management, Thomson South-Western, USA, p 292. Harrison, R. (2005), Learning and Development, 4th Edition, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, London, p 256. Hollington, S. (2006) How to Lead your Boss, People Management, Vol 12, no 24, 7 December, pp 44-5. Northouse, P.G, Northouse, P.G. (2009) Leadership: Theory and Practice, Edition 5, SAGE Publications, London, p 10. Price, A. (2007) Human Resource Management in a Business Context, 3rd Edition, Cengage Learning EMEA, London, p 531. Ruddock, A. ((2008), Michael OLeary: A Life in Full Flight, Penguin Books, London, p 194. Shackleton, V. (1995), Business Leadership, Routledge, London, p 2. Swart, J. Mann, C. Brown, S. Price, A. (2005) Human Resource Development, Elsevier Butterworth Heinemann, London, p 179. Torrington, D. Hall, L. Taylor, S. (2008), Human Resource Management, Seventh Edition, FT Prentice Hall, London, p 318. Ulrich, D. Smallwood, R. (2002), Why the Bottom Line Isnt: How to Build Value Through People and Organisations, John Wiley Sons, Inc., USA, p 43.

John Lewis

Good day, everyone. Since you’ve just heard about the plus side, let us now talk about the weakness. Some may find the first few familiar but I’ll mention them again anyway. * Firstly, in 2008, a scandal over expenses claimed by Members of Parliament revealed that John Lewis prices were being used as a guide to the maximum costs refundable to MPs when equipping London pieds a terre at a public expense. * Secondly, last year, pre-tax profits fell 3. 8%, to ? 354 million. * Thirdly, the very wet summer in 2012 has affected profits of businesses including retail and the hospitality industry. Besides that, there are a number more that we’ve manage to look up such as how * John Lewis performance slipped over the 2010 Christmas period. While all retailers practically underperformed during this time, John Lewis was the most exposed.At the time of writing, the share price was 361p with the 52-week low of 367p and high of 759p, which means that John Lewis M&S had lost more than 50% of its value during the year (Sunday Times, 2011). * Similarly, the price/earnings ratio of 9. is very low as compared to that of its competitor’s i. e. Mark and Spenser. The price/earnings ratio is the key indicator of investor assurance in a company (Arnold, 2002). * Next, John Lewis has recently started cutting prices to match up the ever increasing competition. This may devalue the brand (The Economist, 2012). * Lastly, The company has been recently criticized for fuelling accusations of poor managerial incompetence, corporate governance and lack of transparency infuriating many large investors (Nugent and Hawkes, 2012). * Thank you. John Lewis Good day, everyone. Since you’ve just heard about the plus side, let us now talk about the weakness. Some may find the first few familiar but I’ll mention them again anyway. * Firstly, in 2008, a scandal over expenses claimed by Members of Parliament revealed that John Lewis prices were being used as a guide to the maximum costs refundable to MPs when equipping London pieds a terre at a public expense. * Secondly, last year, pre-tax profits fell 3. 8%, to ? 354 million. * Thirdly, the very wet summer in 2012 has affected profits of businesses including retail and the hospitality industry. Besides that, there are a number more that we’ve manage to look up such as how * John Lewis performance slipped over the 2010 Christmas period. While all retailers practically underperformed during this time, John Lewis was the most exposed.At the time of writing, the share price was 361p with the 52-week low of 367p and high of 759p, which means that John Lewis M&S had lost more than 50% of its value during the year (Sunday Times, 2011). * Similarly, the price/earnings ratio of 9. is very low as compared to that of its competitor’s i. e. Mark and Spenser. The price/earnings ratio is the key indicator of investor assurance in a company (Arnold, 2002). * Next, John Lewis has recently started cutting prices to match up the ever increasing competition. This may devalue the brand (The Economist, 2012). * Lastly, The company has been recently criticized for fuelling accusations of poor managerial incompetence, corporate governance and lack of transparency infuriating many large investors (Nugent and Hawkes, 2012). * Thank you.

The Basic Facts of Essay Writing Topics English

The Basic Facts of Essay Writing Topics English It is critical to know what kind of essay you're going to write and what's the ideal approach to write it. You may also provide the report to some other man or woman to experience the job. A friend will determine the regions which don't rhyme, and can help in making the piece exemplary. Write a great standard to someone's folk pal inquiring them to help you guideline an individual in creating all of the career choice. Vital Pieces of Essay Writing Topics English The simple means to compose the essay is by being alert to the topic. The introduction should offer general information which will be included in the short article. Opt for an informative speech topic you're interested in. The informative speech topic ought to be new and related to your audience. Opt for an intriguing topic Student must choose a topic that's prevailing and trending so it can draw the eye of ultimate readers in only a fast glance. Try out another topic and do the exact same 5-minute writing test till you locate a topic you know it is easy to write on. Needless to say, you're in a position to select any other topic. This issue of a report determines the points that are going to be used. The Number One Question You Must Ask for Essay Writing Topics English The conclusion provides the general verdict of the argument. Once you've written your supporting suggestions and facts, return and ask yourself whether you would love to compose a brief introductory paragraph. Perhaps it may be a question, or a very simple statement. Once you get your topic, approach identified and conducted your initial research a good way to start is to list out each of your important findings and supporting data. Once you inform us about each one of the paper info, we will begin att empting to get a best writer for your paper. 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As a result, if you're struggling to compose a thesis statement for a persuasive essay and you would love to understand how to compose a thesis statement for a persuasive essay, keep in mind your thesis may include personal views and perceptions towards the subject. The thesis will provide you with a guideline on how best to go about with writing the essay. It's possible for you to write a persuasive essay on just about any topic so long as you take the ideal strategy. Writing an informative essay is just one of many assignments that you need to tackle. Choosing good informative essay topics is simple if you understand how to go about doing it. You might find it tough to pick the very best topic for your informative essay, which is the reason why it is far better to consult the next list.

Magical Realism In A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings By...

Magical Realism Essay While this genre in itself is an oxymoron, it can be defined as a genre of writing where magical or spectacular elements are introduced to a realistic and culturally accurate setting whose characters accept these events as part of their lives. Some of the genre’s defining characteristics are magical events are set in an ordinary world with historic and cultural realities but there is no logic or reasoning behind the event. There are also cultural influences in the story that are common beliefs among different types of people. And the hardest to define characteristic is the seamless blend of magical and realistic elements into one story. One of the key elements of magical realism is, the story bears the influences of†¦show more content†¦Furthermore, magical realism is also defined by a setting in an otherwise ordinary world with historical and cultural realities. Rudolfo Anayas book Bless Me Ultima, has many of these cultural realities that make the setting seem real in the â€Å"fictional† story. One of the key elements in the book are the characters with unexplained magical powers called Curanderos, these people are known to be able to heal the wounded and cure the sick. Curanderos are a part of Hispanic-American or chicano culture. Since Bless Me Ultima is set in a small town in New Mexico and the characters speak spanish, the reader can assume the dominant culture would be chicano affirming the cultural reality of these â€Å"witch doctors.† The story is also tied with historic realities in terms of setting. During Tony’s narration of his life, his brothers were only home a few different times due to their participation in the war. The war the book refers to is World War II which was an event that would have been happening during this time. Later in the book, Tony’s father blames the atomic bomb testing that occurred in New Mexico during the war for the strong hot winds that created dust devils that occurred durin g summer. In addition, another key element of the genre of magical realism is the blending of the magic and reality together seamlessly, blurring the line between the two. â€Å"Light is Like Water† is one of the best examples of thisShow MoreRelatedMagical Realism In Gabriel Garcia-Marquez A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings869 Words   |  4 Pagesthat a dead enormous man washes ashore, or a man with wings just appears out of nowhere all of a sudden making your life better without you realising it, or the power of a curandera is stronger than of God and evil itself. Magical realism a genre of writing, that introduces a realistic narrative and naturalistic technique but includes the elements of dreams, and fantasy making it seem completely normal, different than fiction. There are several elements that makes a writing magical realism but someRead More Realistic and Magical Elements of A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings1111 Words   |  5 PagesRealistic and Magical Elements of A Ver y Old Man with Enormous Wings      Ã‚   A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings is a renowned short story written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It was published in 1955. Gabriel Garcia Marquez was born and spent his childhood in Colombia but has lived in Paris and Mexico. As for the work that made him famous, A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings is considered by most an archetype of Magical Realism. When reading A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings, one comesRead MoreMagic Carpet Ride853 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Magic Carpet Ride† The author of â€Å"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings,† Gabriel Marquez, was a man ahead of his time. The concept of Magical Realism was brought forth in the early twentieth century, but not many people were in favor of it or could grasp the concept. One could compare it to a balanced diet; In the most simplest form, Magical Realism gives an even combination of reality and fairy tales. Magical Realism has different definitions; however, they all relatively share the sameRead More Magical Realism in Context: Analysis of A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings1193 Words   |  5 PagesMagical Realism in Context: Analysis of A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings      Ã‚   From the beginning of A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings, the ordinary begins to confront the extraordinary. This short story by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, one of the most famous Latin American authors, was introduced to the world in 1955. By examining the magical and realistic elements of this short story, the theoretical term given to an emerging art form of the mid- twentieth century can be applied to a workRead More Magical Realism in Gabriel Garcia Marqezs A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings1069 Words   |  5 PagesCharacteristics of Magical Realism in Gabriel Garcia Marqezs A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings The controversy surrounding Magical Realism makes the classification of what is and what is not Magical Realism very difficult. Gabriel Garcia Marquez, a famous Latin American author, has written many pieces of what is generally conceived to be Magical Realism. Marqezs A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings fulfills every characteristic of Magical Realism.. A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings includesRead Moreâ€Å"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings by Gabriel Garcia- Marque995 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings†:Gabriel Garcia- Marquez story â€Å"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings†, written in 1955, is about a family harboring what is thought to be a fallen old â€Å"angel man†, initially thought to be on his way to take their ailing child away. The angel must have been coming for the child, but the poor fellow is so old that the rain knocked him down (Marquez, 1955). The family not knowing how to treat the situation embarks on a journey of mixed emotions of whether the man isRead More Magical Realism in Gabriel Garcias A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings 1023 Words   |  5 PagesMagical Realism in Gabriel Garcias A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings      Ã‚   A Very old Man with Enormous Wings (1955) is a short story by Garbriel Garcia Marquez, a Latin American author. This story contains many elements of Magical Realism, such as having one fantastic element while being reality based, having a deeper meaning, and having no need to justify or explain events or human actions. The magical elements in this story are the old man (that is assumed to be an angel) and theRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings1264 Words   |  6 PagesLiterary Analysis: A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings: A Tale for Children â€Å"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings: A Tale for Children† which was written in 1955 by Gabriel Garcà ­a Mà ¡rquez has been described by many as difficult to understand and hard to follow. Faulkner describes it as having a â€Å"charming (but unsettling) effect† (1) on readers. Raney says that the story leaves most readers not fully understanding it because it uses a â€Å"subtler irony† (108) that â€Å"whispers† (108) to them and that itRead More The Loss of Faith Exposed in A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings2205 Words   |  9 PagesThe Loss of Faith Exposed in A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings† by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is about a small religious town that is faced with having to believe or not believe in something that once held an extremely important place in Catholic history. The inciting incident is when Pelayo finds the bedraggled angel face down in the mud. The rising actions occur within the treatment of the angel by Pelayo, Elisenda and the town’s people, and also inRead MoreEssay on A Study of a Very Old Man with Enormous Wings1150 Words   |  5 Pagesnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Gabriel Garcia Marquez, a master of magical realism, twist our minds eye in the story A VERY OLD MAN WITH ENORMOUS WINGS. Our perspectives are disoriented as we are enchanted with beautiful prose and appaled by people’s actions. Through the use of percpective and magical realism Marquez conveys mob mentality and people’s reactions to something unusual. Through the use of magical realism, Marquez shows us the absurdidity of people’s actions. The large man with enormous wings converys people’s