Authentic Leadership on Employee Trust †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Authentic Leadership on Employee Trust. Answer: Introduction: Trait theories defer from behavioral theories mainly in terms of the qualities of a leader (Derue et al. 2011: 12). Trait theories of leadership list some specific personality traits that a leader possesses. These traits distinguish leaders and non-leaders. The theories stress that leaders are not made but are born. In other words, the theories maintain that leadership in innate (the personality traits are inborn) and cannot be achieved through learning (Landis, Hill Harvey, 2014: 97). Behavioral theories of leadership, on the other hand, focus on the leader's specific and observable behaviors. Therefore, behavioral theorists pay their attention to the conduct or behaviors of leaders. The primary assumption of these theories is that leaders are made but not born and that the success of leadership is deeply rooted in the learnable and definable behaviors (Penney, Kelloway O'Keefe, 2015: 19) Different organizations have their strategies of selecting and developing effective leaders. However, some of the factors that determine the selection and development include assessment of core competencies and skills and clarification of roles and objectives (Zaccaro Klimoski, 2002: 17). The two primary leadership competencies are skills and behaviors. Skills, in this case, include interpersonal skills, technical and conceptual skills. An effective leader has the responsibly of assigning roles and defining objectives to the workers (Zaccaro Klimoski, 2002: 17). For instance, the role of a human resource manager in an organization would include assigning tasks, formulating action plans for completing tasks or projects and setting goals of performance. Employees' motivation is key to the growth and sustainability of any business. The UK and Europe to ranking companies which have also been cited as the best working places share some common factors that they employ to motivate staff. One of the factors includes employee engagement in the business's operations. Maximum engagement of employees gives them opportunities to not only grow but also shine (Malik, Butt Choi, 2015: 56). They are given opportunities to explore their strengths, grow in their roles as well as learn more. The respective companies and workplaces empower their employees thereby encouraging understanding and encouragement. As a result, the companies record high productivity and profits. Another form of motivation is awarded in terms of awards and other benefits. Other than the basic salary, employees working in these top and/or best companies receive other benefits such as allowances, sick leave, educational leaves, retirement benefits and promotions (Wang Hsieh, 2013: 616). Additionally, employees enjoy a high sense of empowerment. Employees are therefore given opportunities to make decisions that influence the respective companies. It is thus evident that these companies and workplaces encourage decision-making strategy that involves all the stakeholders. Such an approach according to Wang and Hsieh (2013: 616) ensures that the employees are satisfied hence work towards improving the companies' productivity while maximizing profits and meeting competitive advantage. One of the recent films I have watched is Jamie Uys' The Gods Must be Crazy. It is an African based film depicting the ancient life before the emergence of technology in the region. In my perspective, the film is a depiction of what Auguste Comte contended. That is, societies evolve from one stage to the other. The three stages are the theological stage, metaphysical stage, and the scientific stage. The film shows a sophisticated culture which is later disintegrated by conflict and the emergence of technology. The society in question has strict beliefs and values and knows nothing about education. They believe in supernatural powers. Generally, I found the movie interesting and all-involving. Conversely, a friend who watched the same film said that the movie was unattractive. According to her, the actions, events, culture, and characters show how human beings can be barbaric at times. She also contended that the film could be fictional because she could not understand how rational hu man beings could lead a normal life in a desert. Essentially, our perceptions about the film were very different. While I perceived that the unfolding events in the film were salient in any society with no experience of technology and exposure, my friend maintained that such kind of life is abnormal and the film events are just mere makings and imaginations. If I were Samantha, I would ensure the following factors before delegating any project or part of the project to any member of the staff. I would first consider whether I have suitable personnel who can handle the task effectively. The right person to handle the project must possess all the necessary abilities to handle the requirements of the project. In order to ensure that the workers do not feel that Samantha's oversight and authority are too much or she is over controlling, it is necessary to delegate projects while incorporating discussion and participation. She should invite questions and also allow suggestions. The approach is effective in understanding how the workers perceive the task, how they accept it and even become committed. Executives do not require controlling all the projects as a way of maintaining authority. Other than controlling all the projects, executives can alternatively express authority through ensuring that there is trust between them and the employees (Binns, Smith, Tushman, 2011: 72). Again, they can also do so through employees' motivation. Additionally, executives have all rights to have control over projects because it is one of their core responsibilities. However, their manner of control is influenced by the decisions made. They have to be made aware of the decisions made. Some of the tasks that a top executive cannot delegate include; core responsibilities, talent nurturing and team building, crisis management, and achievement of the mission, vision and the company culture. According to Hackman, a successful teamwork should be small in size with consistent membership (Hackman, 2009: 98). It should have skilled, highly motivated and committed members. Also, a successful teamwork should have defined roles and responsibilities. The team leaders should be courageous, assertive and capable of imposing authority. These qualities are important in ensuring effective group performance. Other essential conditions improve the efficiency of teams. Firstly, effective teams focus on cooperation among the team members (Hackman, 2009: 100). In this case, there is the need for the team members to work together to achieve certain goals. Effective teams should also exhibit flexibility. That is, teams should be able to deal with any changes. Dealing with changes calls for the team members to consider different views from every member and can even choose to compromise. One of the things I would do to ensure that the new team is effective is to lay down the ground work. Secondly, I would assess the skills and expertise of every team member. This would help in classifying the members with complementary skills. It would be necessary to divide the overall goal into smaller tasks. The breakdown promotes individual performance and responsibility thereby enhancing accountability towards achieving the overall goal. References Binns, A., Smith, W. K., Tushman, M. L. (2011). The ambidextrous CEO. Harvard Business Review, 89(6), 74-80. Derue, D. S., Nahrgang, J. D., Wellman, N. E. D., Humphrey, S. E. (2011). Trait and behavioral theories of leadership: An integration and meta?analytic test of their relative validity. Personnel psychology, 64(1), 7-52. Hackman, J. R. (2009). Why teams don't work. Interview by Diane Coutu. Harvard Business Review, 87(5), 98-105. Landis, E. A., Hill, D., Harvey, M. R. (2014). A synthesis of leadership theories and styles. Journal of Management Policy and Practice, 15(2), 97. Malik, M. A. R., Butt, A. N., Choi, J. N. (2015). Rewards and employee creative performance: Moderating effects of creative self?efficacy, reward importance, and locus of control. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 36(1), 59-74. Penney, S. A., Kelloway, E. K., OKeefe, D. (2015). Trait theories of leadership. Leadership in Sport, 19. Wang, D. S., Hsieh, C. C. (2013). The effect of authentic leadership on employee trust and employee engagement. Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal, 41(4), 613-624. Zaccaro, S. J., Klimoski, R. J. (Eds.). (2002). The nature of organizational leadership: Understanding the performance imperatives confronting today's leaders (Vol. 12). John Wiley Sons.