Understanding Leadership In Communication
- Aksyarboy, Izza, & Iqbal
- Apr 5, 2017
- 18 min read
DEFINITION OF LEADERSHIP
Leadership has several meanings in every of human field because it might be found in all aspects of human life. There are no certain definition of the leadership itself. But the term of leadership is often linked with a group of work or an organization. The word leadership is derive from the root word “” which mean “a person who lead somebody”. It also derive from the word “” which mean taking a step earlier.According Business Dictionary, leadership is an activity of leading group of the people or an organization or the ability to do leading. Some expertise has their own perspective about the definition of the leadership as mentioned in the following.
Chemers (1997) states that leadership as one of the process of social influence in which a person can enlist the aim and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task. Similarly, the definition of leadership by Stocklin that a leadership is the ability to help the people to achieve certain purposes by coaching and inspiring the people through shared vision and create an environment where the people can be valued and fulfilled.
In other scope, some of the expertise argue leadership as kind of the activities that can be trained and observed in order to determine of one’s ability and capacity in leading other people.It is similar with the statement which said that a leader ability is not to be born but it is to be formed.Some of them also define that the ability of the leaderor leadership is the same as an ability of the manager or management because leadership provides direction for a company and it involves showing workers how to effectively perform their responsibilities and regularly supervising the completion of their task. On the other hand, the leader is quite different with the abilitiy of management ability in several purposes and goals. Management is more likely as a discipline of the arranging and maintaining ofthe task in one group or an organization. But, the leadershipis about persuading people in a positive direction for improving their ability in one group or an organization.
To sump up, the writer would like to conclude that leadership has definition as an ability of the people in influencing other people in achieving the goal or the purpose of thegroup or organization task.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNICATION
Basically, the way of communication and leadership go hand in hand. Communication and leadership cannot be separated from each other. When the leader does the interaction with their followers by giving or receiving the information, the communication is measurement on how the leader’s position is focused because the main purpose of the leadership is to influence others towards a shared goal.
The leader is demanded to communicate well with others not only in the course of doing their duty, but even be in a position to be elected or appointed to leadership positions in the first place. Furthermore, every field in of human aspects may affect the way ofthe leader in communicating with others. To become a great leader one should be a great communicator. Great leaders are always considered as first-class communicators, they have a clear set of values and they always believe in promoting and inculcating those values in others. It is due to this reason that their teams appreciate them and follow them as a leader. Being great communicator does not mean great talker.
There is a big difference between the two, the thrust of gaining more knowledge separates excellent communicator from a good talker, who lack knowledge and get confused while interacting with others, whereas great communicator speak in confidence and never get confused because of the knowledge they possess. They have ability to connect to passions and ambitions while communicating their ideas with others. They are aware of the thing that if fails to connect with the audience they might no be able pass their idea to them and purpose of communication will not be achieved. The best communicators always have a unique quality of listening peacefully to what others are speaking. This makes them good observer and enables them to read a person or group’s mind by analyzing the attitudes, behavior, activities, ideals, anxieties and are able to modify their messages according to the situation.
Another way to look at this connection between communication and leadership is to consider some of the specific leadership tasks in which communication is crucial.
Assessment and evaluation: one must possess strong communication skills in order to assess strengths, weaknesses, position, and trends involving individuals, groups, and organization as whole.
Strategy: developing workable plans requires the ability to draw the information from a variety of sources and share it with teams of people on working on various parts of what eventually becomes an integrated map for the future.
Management: In order to most effectively coordinate in deploy people and resources, communication is essential. Strong ability to gather feedback on the fly and express clear, actionable directives is the hard of successful management.
Mediation: every human system will, at times, develop some form of conflict requires strong communication skill such as listening, emphatizing, and diplomacy.
Sales and Marketing: helping potentially users of one’s products or services attain realistic and accurate knowledge of them is all about inquiring into and recognizing their values and expressing the compatibility between what you over and what they need or want.
Leaders who communicate effectively to encourage and stimulate their people are considered to be the best leaders or managers. They ensure work, discipline, and a sense of responsibility among team members. They have strong and precise set of working principles and believe to incorporate the same in their teams and because of this they are highly appreciated and followed by their team members (Lee Froschheiser). When a leader inspires his team, group or people around him by communicating his ideologies and aims perfectly make them enough efficient to perform the entire assigned task effortlessly that concept is Leadership communication.
Leadership in communication is defined as inspiring and encouraging an individual or a group by systematic and meaningful sharing of information by using excellent communication skills. Leadership communication is a complex process which starts from developing strategy for communicating, writing precisely and then speaking effectively to control difficult situations. Leadership communication has three major aspects: Core, Managerial, and Corporate.
The Core Aspects Approach includes writing and speaking: these are the individualized skills and are required to be expanded, to lead and manage bigger groups or teams. Expressive cultural understandings, listening patiently, team management and team meetings, providing training facilities and mentoring are the skills which aid to manage huge groups and are Managerial Aspect Approach of leadership communication. The Corporate Aspects Approach are the skills required at much higher levels of leadership, and there is a need to interact with an external sphere, skills which are most needed: maintain employee relations, communication during change and crises, media associations and image building.
An organization with leaders who are skillful enough to communicate responsively and frequently with perfectly planned and dedicated communication policies, to help to encourage not only employees, but business partner and customers as well to trust on the organization. Communications plays significant role in building trust by creating an environment which empowers leaders to lead efficiently motivating employees to work and achieving the ultimate goal (Jodi Macpherson). It becomes very challenging for a leader to stimulate, involve and hold their most brilliant team members if the leader won’t trust their messages (Kaufman). If the group have trust on their leader and are well aware with what is going around, they will be most gratified and energized.
By sharing essential information with group, leaders can develop a culture of trust and can easily build associations with group that facilitate organizations to grow more rapidly. Trust building activities include communication management, sourcing the right networks, positive conversation about what else to be done and feedback of communication. Trust is essential because it is the trust of the people that has the capability to create a vast form slight and convert major into minor. Hence, it is must for an organizational leader to make sure that the people associated with them contain trust factor.
So that, the communication is o is necessary needed by the leader to achieve the successful of the leadership because every effective communication will determine the characteristic of the leadershipBasically, the way of communication and leadership go hand in hand. Communication and leadership cannot be separated from each other. When the leader does the interaction with their followers by giving or receiving the information, the communication is measurement on how the leader’s position is focused because the main purpose of the leadership is to influence others towards a shared goal.The leader is demanded to communicate well with others not only in the course of doing their duty, but even be in a position to be elected or appointed to leadership positions in the first place. Furthermore, every field in of human aspects may affect the way ofthe leader in communicating with others. To become a great leader one should be a great communicator. Great leaders are always considered as first-class communicators, they have a clear set of values and they always believe in promoting and inculcating those values in others. It is due to this reason that their teams appreciate them and follow them as a leader. Being great communicator does not mean great talker. There is a big difference between the two, the thrust of gaining more knowledge separates excellent communicator from a good talker, who lack knowledge and get confused while interacting with others, whereas great communicator speak in confidence and never get confused because of the knowledge they possess. They have ability to connect to passions and ambitions while communicating their ideas with others. They are aware of the thing that if fails to connect with the audience they might no be able pass their idea to them and purpose of communication will not be achieved. The best communicators always have a unique quality of listening peacefully to what others are speaking. This makes them good observer and enables them to read a person or group’s mind by analyzing the attitudes, behavior, activities, ideals, anxieties and are able to modify their messages according to the situation.Another way to look at this connection between communication and leadership is to consider some of the specific leadership tasks in which communication is crucial.Assessment and evaluation: one must possess strong communication skills in order to assess strengths, weaknesses, position, and trends involving individuals, groups, and organization as whole.Strategy: developing workable plans requires the ability to draw the information from a variety of sources and share it with teams of people on working on various parts of what eventually becomes an integrated map for the future.Management: In order to most effectively coordinate in deploy people and resources, communication is essential. Strong ability to gather feedback on the fly and express clear, actionable directives is the hard of successful management.Mediation: every human system will, at times, develop some form of conflict requires strong communication skill such as listening, emphatizing, and diplomacy.Sales and Marketing: helping potentially users of one’s products or services attain realistic and accurate knowledge of them is all about inquiring into and recognizing their values and expressing the compatibility between what you over and what they need or want.Leaders who communicate effectively to encourage and stimulate their people are considered to be the best leaders or managers. They ensure work, discipline, and a sense of responsibility among team members. They have strong and precise set of working principles and believe to incorporate the same in their teams and because of this they are highly appreciated and followed by their team members (Lee Froschheiser). When a leader inspires his team, group or people around him by communicating his ideologies and aims perfectly make them enough efficient to perform the entire assigned task effortlessly that concept is Leadership communication.Leadership in communication is defined as inspiring and encouraging an individual or a group by systematic and meaningful sharing of information by using excellent communication skills. Leadership communication is a complex process which starts from developing strategy for communicating, writing precisely and then speaking effectively to control difficult situations. Leadership communication has three major aspects: Core, Managerial, and Corporate. The Core Aspects Approach includes writing and speaking: these are the individualized skills and are required to be expanded, to lead and manage bigger groups or teams. Expressive cultural understandings, listening patiently, team management and team meetings, providing training facilities and mentoring are the skills which aid to manage huge groups and are Managerial Aspect Approach of leadership communication. The Corporate Aspects Approach are the skills required at much higher levels of leadership, and there is a need to interact with an external sphere, skills which are most needed: maintain employee relations, communication during change and crises, media associations and image building.An organization with leaders who are skillful enough to communicate responsively and frequently with perfectly planned and dedicated communication policies, to help to encourage not only employees, but business partner and customers as well to trust on the organization. Communications plays significant role in building trust by creating an environment which empowers leaders to lead efficiently motivating employees to work and achieving the ultimate goal (Jodi Macpherson). It becomes very challenging for a leader to stimulate, involve and hold their most brilliant team members if the leader won’t trust their messages (Kaufman). If the group have trust on their leader and are well aware with what is going around, they will be most gratified and energized. By sharing essential information with group, leaders can develop a culture of trust and can easily build associations with group that facilitate organizations to grow more rapidly. Trust building activities include communication management, sourcing the right networks, positive conversation about what else to be done and feedback of communication. Trust is essential because it is the trust of the people that has the capability to create a vast form slight and convert major into minor. Hence, it is must for an organizational leader to make sure that the people associated with them contain trust factor.So that, the communication is o is necessary needed by the leader to achieve the successful of the leadership because every effective communication will determine the characteristic of the leadership
TYPES OF LEADERSHIP STYLE
Daniel Goleman, the author of the book on ‘Emotional Intelligence’, has identified six different leadership styles, and he believes that good leaders will adopt one of these six styles to meet the needs of different situations. A key point of Goleman’s argument is that good leaders must be emotionally intelligent or sufficiently sensitive and interpersonally aware to know which styles to adopt for different situations. Here are the six leadership styles:
1. The Visionary/Authorative Leader mobilizes the team toward a common vision and focuses on end goals, leaving the means up to each individual. If this style were summed up in one phrase, it would be “Come with me.” The authoritative style works best when the team needs a new vision because circumstances have changed, or when explicit guidance is not required. Authoritative leaders inspire an entrepreneurial spirit and vibrant enthusiasm for the mission. It is not the best fit when the leader is working with a team of experts who know more than him or her.
2. The coaching Leader develops people for the future. If this style were summed up in one phrase, it would be “Try this.” The coaching style works best when the leader wants to help teammates build lasting personal strengths that make them more successful overall. It is least effective when teammates are defiant and unwilling to change or learn, or if the leader lacks proficiency.
3. The affiliative leader works to create emotional bonds that bring a feeling of bonding and belonging to the organization. If this style were summed up in one phrase, it would be “People come first.” The affiliative style works best in times of stress, when teammates need to heal from a trauma, or when the team needs to rebuild trust. This style should not be used exclusively, because a sole reliance on praise and nurturing can foster mediocre performance and a lack of direction.
4. The democratic leader builds consensus through participation. If this style were summed up in one phrase, it would be “What do you think?” The democratic style is most effective when the leader needs the team to buy into or have ownership of a decision, plan, or goal, or if he or she is uncertain and needs fresh ideas from qualified teammates. It is not the best choice in an emergency situation, when time is of the essence for another reason or when teammates are not informed enough to offer sufficient guidance to the leader.
5. The pacesetting leader expects and models excellence and self-direction. If this style were summed up in one phrase, it would be “Do as I do, now.” The pacesetting style works best when the team is already motivated and skilled, and the leader needs quick results. Used extensively, however, this style can overwhelm team members and squelch innovation (Benincasa, 2005).
6. The commanding/coercive leader style typically associated with the military (Shead, 2017). If this style were summed up in one phrase, it would be “Do what I tell you.” The coercive style is most effective in times of crisis, such as in a company turnaround or a takeover attempt, or during an actual emergency like a tornado or a fire. This style can also help control a problem teammate when everything else has failed. However, it should be avoided in almost every other case because it can alienate people and stifle flexibility and inventiveness (Benincasa, 2005).
SOURCES OF LEADER IN INFLUENCING THE OTHERS
1. Legitimate power is a person’s ability to influence others’ behavior because of the position that person holds within the organization. Legitimate or position power, as it is sometimes called, is derived from a position of authority inside the organization, often referred to as “formal authority.” That is, the organization has given to an individual occupying a particular position the right to influence—direct—certain other individuals. Those with legitimate power have the understood right to ask others to do things that are considered within the scope of their authority. When a manager asks an employee to work late to complete a project or to work on one task instead of another, he or she is exercising legitimate power. Managers can enhance their position power by formulating policies and procedures. For example, a manager might establish a requirement that all new hires must be approved by said manager, thus exercising authority over hiring (DuBrin, 2009).
2. Reward power is a person’s ability to influence others’ behavior by providing them with things they want to receive. These rewards can be either financial, such as pay raises or bonuses or nonfinancial, including promotions, favorable work assignments, more responsibility, new equipment, praise, and recognition. A manager can use reward power to influence and control employees’ behavior, as long as employees value the rewards. For example, if managers offer employees what they think are rewards (a promotion with more responsibility), but the employees do not value them (i.e., they are insecure or have family obligations that are more important to them than a promotion), then managers really do not have reward power (Lunenburg, 2012).
3. Coercive power is a person’s ability to influence others’ behavior by punishing them or by creating a perceived threat to do so. For example, employees may comply with a manager’s directive because of fear or threat of punishment. Typical organizational punishments include reprimands, undesirable work assignments, withholding key information, demotion, suspension, or dismissal. Coercive power has negative side effects and should be used with cautions, because it tends to result in negative feelings toward those who use it.
4. Expert power is a person’s ability to influence others’ behavior because of recognized knowledge, skills, or abilities. Physicians are acknowledged to have expertise, special skills, or knowledge and hence expert power. Most people follow their doctor’s advice. Computer specialists, tax accountants, and economists have power because of their expertise. Experts have power even when they rank low in the organization’s hierarchy. As organizations become increasingly more technologically complex and specialized, expert power of organization members at all levels in the hierarchy becomes more important (Luthans, 2011).
5. Referent power is a person’s ability to influence others’ behavior because they like, admire, and respect the individual. For example, suppose you are friends with your boss. One day, she asks you to take on a special project that you do not like. To anyone else, you would likely decline the request, but because of your special relationship with this individual, you may do it as a favor. In this instance, your boss has power over you because of your positive relationship (Lunenburg, 2012).
THE LEADERSHIP QUALITIES
1. Honesty
Honesty is the integration of outward actions and inner values. Whatever ethical plane we hold ourselves when we work as a team, it’s important to prove ourselves an honest soul. People want to follow an honest leader. People will trust someone who actively displays honesty; not just as an honest individual, but as someone who is worth following. Well-groomed leaders treat people how they want to be treated. They are extremely ethical and believe that honesty, effort, and reliability form the foundation of success. They embody these values so openly that no employee suspicions their integrity for a minute. They share information openly and avoid twist control (Kotter, 1999). Our organization culture and employees are a reflection of ourselves and if we make honest and ethical behavior a key value, our team will follow us. Optics over ethics is not a formula for success. It doesn’t matter how intelligent, friendly, influential, or confidence a person is, if they are prone to rationalizing unethical behavior based upon current or future needs, they will eventually fall prey to their own undoing.
2. Vision
Leaders must have vision with clear, vivid picture of where to go, as well as a firm grasp on what success looks like and how to achieve it. But it's not enough to have a vision; leaders must also share it and act upon it. A good leader must have the discipline to work toward his or her vision single-mindedly, as well as to direct his or her actions and those of the team toward the goal. Leaders without vision will fail as a blind cannot lead another blind. Leaders who lack vision cannot inspire teams, motivate performance, or create sustainable value. Poor vision, tunnel vision, vision that is fickle, or a non-existent vision will cause leaders to fail. A leader’s job is to align the organization around a clear and achievable vision.
3. Communication
Good leaders always communicate plainly, quickly, concisely, and by doing this often; motivate everyone to give their best all time. Being able to clearly and succinctly describe what we want done is extremely important. If we can’t relate our vision to our team, we won’t all be working towards the same goal. Ideal productive work environment all depend on healthy lines of communication. There must be open door policy. We must talk to our staff on a daily basis, making ourselves available to discuss interoffice. Our team member must learn to trust and depend on us, and must be less hesitant to work harder. Good leaders are great communicators. They manage their team by reminding of expectations that he/she had of the group. They made it easy for the team to stay focused and on track. Good leaders can communicate effectively across mediums, constituencies, and environments. They are active listeners, fluid thinkers, and know when to dial it up, down, or off. Leaders exhibiting openness have more sources of input, more information and tend to make better decisions because of the increased input (Shipyard, 2015).
4. Delegation
It’s important to remember that trusting our team with our idea is a sign of strength, not weakness. Delegating tasks to the appropriate departments is one of the most important skills. Finessing our brand vision is essential to creating an organized and efficient business, but if we don’t learn to trust our team with that vision, we might never progress to the next stage. If we fail to delegate the task, the emails and jobs will begin to pile up. The more we stretch ourselves thin, the lower the quality of our work will become, and the less we will produce. We need to find out what each team member enjoys doing most. We must respect and try to do that. Good leaders don’t focus on protecting their domain; instead they expand it by investing in mutually beneficial relationships. They share the harvest of their success to help build momentum for those around them. An overabundance of ego, pride, and arrogance are not positive leadership quality. Good leaders take the blame and give the credit; not the other way around.
5. Decision
Many people wonder how leaders know how to make the best decisions, often under immense pressure. The process of making these decisions comes from an accumulation of knowledge, experiences, competence and encounters with a multitude of difference circumstances, personality types and unforeseen failures. The most successful leaders are instinctual decision makers. Good leaders have learned the mastery of anticipating organization patterns, finding opportunities in pressure situations, serving the people they lead and overcoming hardships. Leaders must understand that in certain situations, difficult and timely decisions must be made in the best interests of the entire organization. Decisions require firmness, authority, and finality it will not please everyone. Extraordinary leaders don’t hesitate to take decision in any situations. Leaders must not waste their time on issues that disrupt momentum. They know how to make 12 decisions in 10 minutes and it’s better to give poor decision than no decision (Shipyard, 2015).
6. Commitment
If we expect our team to work hard and produce quality content, we need to lead by example. There is no greater motivation than seeing the boss down in the trenches working alongside everyone else, showing that hard work is being done on every level. By proving our commitment to the brand and our role, we will not only earn the respect of our team, but will also instill 10 that same hardworking energy among our staff. It’s important to show our commitment to our promises. Once we have gained the respect of our team, they are more likely to deliver the peak amount of quality work possible by them (Tracy, 2012). We must steadfast in our commitment to our people, and must do everything in our power to be someone they can count on both in good and in bad times.
THE TRAITSS OF TERRIBLE LEADER
1. Lack of Transparancy
Staff can tell when you’re not being completely honest with them. There’s rarely a reason not to be entirely transparent with your team, especially at a young, growing company. Your team will appreciate understanding exactly where the company stands. This will help everyone come together as a team, focused on the problems that need solving for the long-term benefit of the company. Lack of transparency can result in a lack of trust.
—Mitch Gordon, Go Overseas
2. Not Listening
Listening to all employees as often as possible is so important to building a loyal and faithful team. Everyone needs to be part of the process and bigger picture. Interacting and listening to your team is something that is too often forgotten by leaders, with the hustle and bustle of job and travel schedules. It shouldn’t be.
—Jason Grill, Jgrill Media | Sock 101
3. Ego
The leaders are ones who accept blame when things go wrong and give credit to their team when things go right. In order to be a true visionary leader, you need to let go of your ego and focus on your people because without them you would be nowhere.
—Nick Friedman, College Hunks Hauling Junk
4. Poor Communication of Strategy
Leaders tend to map out ideas in our heads but don’t share the process. Then, when the team starts making suggestions that you’ve already eliminated through thoughtful internal deliberation, they get angry. But no one knows you’ve already done that—so both sides get frustrated. My co-founder would tell me this all the time, so I started writing ideas and plans out to make sure my process and conclusion are easy to understand.
—Benish Shah, Before the Label
5. I have often been blamed for sounding like a broken record but it is a record that my staff, clients and vendors know and can count on. Too often I see CEOs, who should also be leaders, who are inconsistent and change their minds, which leads to confusion and mixed signals among everyone around them. Sticking to your guns and accepting the fate (even if it’s bad!) will lead to opportunities to continue learning while building trust in others.
—Kim Kaupe, ZinePak
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