Developing Leaders

Peter F. Drucker once said, "Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things" (Famous-Quotes-And-Quotations.com, n. d.). Leading is a key function of management. Without leadership, valuable time spent on planning, organizing, and controlling can be lost with no productive end result. Because leadership is the core of management, a great deal of focus must be placed on its key components. "Leading means influencing other people to get the job done, maintaining morale, molding company structure and managing conflicts and communication" (Dessler, 2004, p. 3).

Effective leadership is the foundation for any business. Developing leaders, leading strategic planning, overcoming obstacles, and motivating and inspiring employees are major components of leadership. Many articles and publications have been devoted to these four components. In selecting the articles to be summarized, emphasis was placed on articles that discussed universal methods utilized by businesses, along with recommendations for promoting successful leadership.

Developing Leaders

From front-line employees to mid-level managers, expectations of employees in today's organizations have become more demanding. "Today, employees are given leadership titles and expected to figure out how to handle their new roles, but aren't effectively trained" (Gale, 2002, p.1). Companies benefit when they have leaders positioned throughout the organization. This positioning distributes knowledgeable and skilled employees to benefit all aspects of the organization.

In the past, leadership development was limited to executive employees. This training process must change as companies strive to become more adaptive to the competitive world. With the downsizing of staff, additional work responsibility with less guidance is becoming the norm. The need for leadership must evolve as the organization grows.

A great manager may not be a great leader. Great leaders must be able to communicate as well as motivate employees. "The manager administers; the leader innovates. The manager imitates; the leader initiates" (Bennis, 1994). Jon Katzenbach best described leadership "as a mind set of adaptive responsiveness" (Gale, 2002, p.2). Some will argue that leaders are born, while others will say leaders are trained. In either case, a qualified well-rounded leader must be found.

Sourcing and recruiting, among other methods, can identify leaders. This may include new college graduates who have gained the knowledge and skill capabilities of becoming a great leader. On the downside, students may not have had the opportunity to use and strengthen the skills they have learned. Lack of experience can hinder effectiveness. External recruiting for top talent from other companies can also be a valuable source for finding leaders. Recruits that already have been in the workforce may have hands-on experience in team building, problem solving skills, and an understanding of how to interact with employees.

A second option would be to train internal personnel who demonstrate traits and skills consistent with becoming a strong leader. Several benefits could result from this option. The employee would be familiar with the inner workings and culture of the company, as well as how other employees respond to company needs. The ability to move up within an organization can be used as a motivational factor. "Employees who are given the opportunity to develop leadership skills are more inclined to take responsibility and feel pride in their work" (Gale, 2002, p.1).

With downsizing or new openings companies would have in-house experience available immediately. There is no need to wait for a hiring or training process. Empowering employees offers economic benefits for businesses, as well as a more positive culture. One apparent disadvantage for the company can be lack of new ideas. Thoughts and processes may become single-minded and outside ideas may be missed.

Training Leaders

Leadership training should be a critical part of business strategy. Effective leadership training should start with leaders already established in the organization as the trainers. "Every effective leadership development program must have the full endorsement of senior-level managers, who have to be good examples of whatever is being taught in the program" (Zenger, Ulrich, Smallwood, 2000, p.10). Just as teachers must possess knowledge and skills before passing information onto their students, managers must understand the processes and programs being implemented by the organization in order to train and coach their employees.

Below is a list of what the most effective leadership development programs should include:

* Planning what participants need to do differently when returning to their job

* Create measurements that will be used when participants return to work

* Provide examples and stories from respected leaders inside the organization that explain how things are best accomplished inside the organization.

* Use skill-building activities targeted specifically to the participants needs

* Create learning projects in which participants tackle important issues they face

(Zenger, Ulrich, Smallwood, 2000, p.8)

The transformation into becoming a leader should not be an event or lectured activity; it should be a facilitated process that promotes the learning and retention of skills. Leadership training should not simply be a day or week-long seminar. Leadership should be built and explored with each participant. Leadership training should become a process which allows growth over an entire career.

Where to Begin

The development of future leaders needs to be a priority for businesses now. Through high school, students have access to student-to-work programs and business curriculum. This gives them the starting tools to embark on a business leadership career. Employee leadership training programs can become valuable assets to companies that understand how important strong leadership is. Teaching new employees and also prepping existing employees to prepare for the future will allow companies to survive and grow. With the never-ending competition of business, developing tomorrow's leaders today is just smart business.

Leading Strategic Planning and Goal Setting

"The function of strategic planning is to align all the efforts of an organization to customer

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