In today’s world, the need for good and effective leaders is in demand. The main purpose of the leader is to get things done effectively and efficiently by his/her subordinates. Their purpose is to make others transform values into action, vision into realities, obstacles into innovation, and last but not least risk into rewards. Leaders, in essence, offer a pathway of confidence and direction as we move through the chaos. This essay will analyze the three problems that young leaders face at the workplace such as lack of trust, earning other’s respect, and lack of communication along with their solutions.
One of the main problems that young leaders face in the workplace is the lack of trust which adversely affects their performance. According to Burke, Sims, Lazzara, and Salas (2007, pp. 606-632) “the impact that trusts in leadership (or lack of trust) can have when teams are performing in high-risk situations, characterized by time pressure and dynamic conditions” Trust is the central link that reflects the success of a firm and when it is broken, it creates trust issues. The same is the problem that the young leader faces at the workplace because when a new leader arrives, the people who are working there may not know what kind of a person. Subordinates may hesitate to believe in him/her as they do not know them. This may result in the leader not being able to motivate his/her subordinates as they do not believe in him/her. As a result, it would affect the organization and instead of achieving the goals effectively and efficiently, it may disrupt the operations.
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Another problem that the new leaders confront in the working environment is related to respect. Pretorius, Marius states (2012, p.40-44) “We are accustomed to hearing the phrase 'leadership failure' when the business press righteously passes judgment on a troubled turnaround or sneers at the embarrassing details of an ethical stumble. But what is the appropriate assessment when a company's upper and mid-level managers fail to achieve the respect of the managers they lead? Respect is remarkable for leaders because if their subordinates don’t respect him/her then he/she may not be able to inspire them and also may not be able to influence them to follow the rules and regulations together with the policies of the organization thereby affecting the work environment. Moreover, if the subordinates don’t respect their leader then they may not follow his/her strategies. This would have a really genius impact on the company as when the subordinates are not following or respecting their leader then others may take advantage of it and might turn on everyone towards each other as there are no principles of team unity, the spirit of co-operation between them, thereby putting the company at risk.
Lastly, the problem faced by young leaders is the lack of communication between them and their team members. Lack of communication can severely damage an organization and its work environment. It occurs when one party usually misunderstands the words of another party. In the context of an organization, when the subordinates misinterpret the words and actions of their leaders it may cause conflict among them. Poor communication can also lead to weak formulation, lack of teamwork, low morale, and reduced profits of the organization. Poor leaders usually take much time to respond to followers' inquiries, ignore staff emails, and avoid any form of social interaction with their subordinates. When subordinates need any sort of help regarding their assignments or projects a poor leader does not pay attention well and escape from challenges.
A possible solution for building trust in the organization, young leaders should keep promises and align behaviors with the values and should not deviate from them. Keeping commitments must be the essence of one’s behavior, in all relationships, day after day and year after year. Rodriguez et al (2014, pp. 1581-1587) When a leader keeps up with the policies and does not infringe on them then it leads to the development of trust between the leader and his/her followers. This is, in fact, true because when leaders ensure that the words and actions both go hand in hand. Not just some of the time but all the time also leader should be honest, supportive, approachable, and friendly among team members. Any wrongdoing regarding misbehavior by the leader can cause conflicts while achieving organizational goals. Thus, a leader should set an example by aligning actions with shared values. So, followers may incorporate these practices from leaders.
Another solution is to earn respect to be consistent in fulfilling duties and responsibilities. Whatever assignments and projects are given to young leaders from senior management, they must be completed within a specific time and not give them the chance to be criticized. If projects are delayed it harms the performance of young leaders and they almost lose the chance to proceed further in order to meet the deadlines. So, in order to be a proactive young leader should make a timeline before starting any assignment and must evaluate my own performance, my goal, and where I am standing right now. A sharp leader should analyze the big picture and work immediately on the potential challenges that he expects to face in the future. Furthermore, such a leader should be accountable for the failures. A leader should have the courage to accept his/her failures rather than impose them on someone’s shoulders, should learn from mistakes, and improve themselves if they miss the deadline due to poor role. That’s all an effective leader works.
The last solution is to combat the problem; of lack of communication between the leaders and the subordinates by scheduling meetings and discussions at regular intervals in order to know each other. A leader should be a patient listener of subordinates’ feedback to evaluate their judgments and performances. Denning mentions that (2005, p. 12) “effective communication leads to the clear pathway which an employee needs to work on” A good leader always provide each and every tool in order to empower them through proper communication so they make the rational decision making. A leader should also stop making quick assumptions regarding their team members and should teach the strengths, and weaknesses and communicate accordingly to establish a hierarchy chain and give work to those who are best to perform it. Thus, all these activities by the leaders will establish a good friendly atmosphere among their leaders and their subordinates and for sure will help the firm to actively achieve goals.
Overall, the new leaders face many problems when interacting with their subordinates such as lack of trust, miscommunication, and Earning respect as these are the most common problems faced by them. However, there could be many things that a leader could do in order to prevent these problems and earn the confidence and trust of his/her subordinates by giving financial incentives and giving credit when it is due, and also by taking the responsibility when any goal is not achieved. These practices by the leaders will help him/her in combating these problems. Since the need for leaders in today’s managerial activities is increasing, the need to prevent the problems faced by them needs to be immediately solved.
References:
- Burke, Sims, Lazzara, and Salas, (2007). Trust in leadership: A multi-level review and integration, The Leadership Quarterly, 18 (6), 606-632. doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2007.09.006
- Pretorius, Marius, (2012). A reality check for corporate leaders: when managers don't respect their bosses, Strategy & Leadership; Chicago, 40 (1), 40-44. doi:10.1108/10878571211191693
- Gilley, M. Gilley and McMillan, (2009). Organizational Change: Motivation, Communication, and Leadership Effectiveness, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/piq.20039
- Rodriguez, M. Ferrer, C. Funez, P. Medina, V. Manas Rodriguez, M. Salvador Ferrer, C. Pecino Medina, V. (2014). Communication in Leadership Impact Commitment of Workers in Public Administration. Universitas Psychologica, 13(4), 1581-1587.Retrieved from
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