Of all definitions I have read of Leadership, Sammy Cohen, co-founder of Neon Bandits, defines it the best – “To me, leadership is about playing to strengths and addressing weaknesses in the most productive and efficient way possible. It’s about knowing your team and yourself, and doing your best job to set both up for success.”
Leaders are the people we look up to, be it in a society or an organization. They will be the role models. They will influence the attitude and behavior of the people around them.
What makes a Great Leader?
In an organization, leaders are responsible for setting the bar for the employees with which they are willing to strive towards excellence. An effective leader understands the importance of leading by example. He shouldn’t possess ‘do as I say, but not as I do’ mentality which is counterproductive. Great leaders like Steve Jobs and Indra Nooyi are full of drive and passion which fuels innovation.
While honesty, commitment and communication are the important traits that make up a great leader, focus on ethics forms a critical element. A leader should be compassionate, supportive and a source of inspiration. He should be able to trust the team and delegate the work accordingly. Effective leadership results in a better culture in the organization.
What is Organizational Culture?
Organizational culture is a system of shared assumptions, values, and beliefs, which governs how people behave in organizations. These shared values have a strong influence on the people in the organization and dictate how they dress, act, and perform their jobs.
How Leadership influences Corporate Culture?
The organizational culture plays a larger role in terms of productivity and employee satisfaction. A happy and healthy environment ensures better work culture. Good leaders fuel enthusiasm in employees and make them strive harder to achieve organizational goals.
“A competent leader can get efficient service from poor troops, while on the contrary an incapable leader can demoralize the best of troops.”
The productivity and success of the organization depends on the leadership. While good leadership can lead to success, bad or poor leadership might prove detrimental. The attitude and actions of the leader are often reflected by the employees. When the leadership is in the hands of a careless individual who doesn’t mind punctuality and sincerity, the employees will follow the path and become unproductive. But if the leader is devout and inspiring, it pushes the employees to do their absolute best.
Effective communication plays a key role in building relationships with employees. A good leader interacts with the employees and understands their style of work. He makes use of their strengths while efficiently helping them to work on their weaknesses. Employees don’t like employers who don’t treat them well or the ones who don’t listen to their opinions. Good leaders treat everyone nicely, listen to their ideas, respect their opinions and compliment them for their work.
In case of any dispute, good leaders make sure that each side gets a chance to speak up and ensure that the issue is resolved according to the company’s policy. There will be great coordination among the leaders and the staff. There will be no miscommunication and procrastination. An engaging workplace boosts the morale of the employees. They will love to come to the office and put in their best efforts to get things done.
Leaders can make companies flourish. An excellent corporate culture is an inevitable outcome in the presence of effective leadership. That is the reason when we hear the names of corporate giants like Apple, Google and Facebook, we immediately connect to their great leaders and how we wish working in those thriving work cultures.
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