Leadership is very important within an organization. Good leadership is what separates okay companies and great companies. Leadership is what makes everything go within an organization and without it they would be lost. If there were no leaders within an organization then who would come up with innovative ideas? Who would be the people who take risks, and help educate and motivate others? That’s what true leaders do. The best thing about leadership to me is that leadership doesn’t have to come from the top if it come from the bottom as well.
For example, when I worked for Allstate Insurance as an Underwriter we were developed by the company to be leaders. We were to treat our job as if we were the leaders and owners of our business. Meaning there was open communication between management and regular employees and ideas that were supported by a business case would be reviewed and taken under consideration if it made sense for the company. One example of how I was able to show my leadership ability was I chose to participate in a case study of working four 10-hour days instead of the 5 traditional 8-hour day. I chose to present this idea because I noticed how busy we were Monday-Thursday and how slow we were on Fridays. With that being said 2 members on my team were able to work four 10-hour shifts and have a long weekend off because it made sense business wise. Even though I was a junior underwriter with the company I was still able to show leadership and able to present my idea and it worked! This is a true example of how leadership doesn’t have to come from a high-ranking position.
This week in my strategic management class we read articles about the difference between management and leadership. There really is a difference. Managers are responsible for carrying out day to day tasks passed down to them by leadership. Leaders are the ones who come up with innovative ideas to make sure the organization progresses and make strides to become even greater. They are the great thinkers of the company. Without leaders the organization would not grow and it would stay stagnant. Nothing within an organization compares to what leaders can do. Leaders push the culture forward and provide the format for the organization overall. Every manager isn’t a leader. Some managers do exactly just that they just manage the everyday activity to make sure that everything is running smoothly. From my experience working I’ve learned to know the difference. I had a supervisor at previous job who was straight by the book and did nothing but exactly what they were told. I also had managers at jobs who were innovators and although they were managers they were leaders as well. They always submitted feedback. They worked on projects to help the organization and were both great leaders and well as managers. Leadership is an attitude more than a position within an organization and just because you’re in management that doesn’t mean you are or will make a great leader.
For an organization to reach its pinnacle it must have a vision of what it wants to be and how they are going to get there. True leaders communicate their vision with others and then the come up with a plan to execute it. Leaders are needed within an organization because they are the ones who inspire others to be great and to reach their maximum potential. Great leaders lead by example as well as with their words. An excellent example of a great leader is President Obama. He was blessed with the gift of gab and he most known for his speeches and his cool, calm, and collected attitude. Due to Obama’s leadership qualities as a country we were able to come up with a way so more people could have health insurance, capture Osama bin Laden and decrease the deficit. Obama had a vision of what he wanted to do and although he wasn’t able to accomplish everything he lead the United States in a better direction.
Many leaders are born naturally but I myself feel that you can be taught to lead. I myself am not a natural born leader but with the right training that I received at Allstate I was able to assume a leadership role. When it comes to leadership a lot of it comes down to courage and how well you know what you’re doing. For you to be able to lead people you have to have a solid vision and an excellent plan. Leaders within an organization should be developed. There should never be a lack of leaders. Once one group of leaders become seasoned they should be prospecting the next group of leaders so they can train and develop them. This is how organizations thrive and get better.
Good leadership all across the board makes employee morale go up and everyone is happier with the work that they do. One of the biggest reasons employees quit their job is because of bad leadership. No one wants to follow an organization that isn’t going anywhere and that’s why employees quit. Good leadership goes a long way within an organization and it’s what make companies stay around. When you think of companies such as Disney, Apple, etc. there is a reason why there are some of the most popular brands around and have been for so long. Their leadership is a big reason because they are innovative and they plan well for changes. Leadership is what makes organizations thrive and the people within the organization want to stay and develop. This is why leadership is so important because it’s the vehicle that makes everything go and without it organizations would fail.
Thanks for reading my blog this week. Think of some brands that have been around forever and think of why? My favorite brands are Nike and Apple because their innovation and good leadership. What some of you guys favorite brands.
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