Examples Of Effective Group Leaders

What makes an effective group leader? In your essay, define leadership and provide an overview of leadership behaviours and styles in your discussion of leader effectiveness. Support your answer with relevant research

An effective leader sets clear direction, establishes goals, empowers his or her team towards achievement and leads by example. Leadership balances strong, forcefulness with compromise to achieve successful outcomes.

There are many characteristics and styles of leaders, ranging from forceful to compromising. Effective leaders require a balance of qualities to successfully achieve outcomes. Effective leaders include government heads, military leaders, corporate chiefs and ambassadors for civil rights, all must be forceful
(Hoover 2002) Dictatorial leaders can generate negative images and resentment by abuse of power, commanding and behaving forcefully to subordinates or subjects whose opinions are of little consequence. These dictatorial leaders are successful however not effective as they do not utilise the potential available to them. Adolf Hitler was a soldier who rose to political power by dividing his people by race. Hitler was one of the 20th century's most powerful dictators and converted Germany into a fully militarised society and launched World War II in his quest for European power. A modern example of a dictatorial leader is Saddam Hussein who became the president of Iraq by forcefully taking power in 1979. Hussein ruled his country with an iron fist, disposing all who apposed him, he also wanted to expand his countries economy and regional power by using military force to invade Iran and then Kuwait to access oil reserves. The two autocratic examples given both had their roots in military style leadership, which they carried over into the political arena. To explain this, the military define ‘Professional Leadership Qualities’ as omni directional loyalty, judgment, manners, thoughtfulness and consideration for military comrades. Above all, they include total acceptance of incurred responsibility to and for subordinates, particularly those who must fight, carry out orders, and
A common business goal outlines what the business needs so that the group leader can work together with everyone, reducing a need for direct orders. Goal alignment sets the frame of minds for followers so everyone has common, goal in mind, thus everyone is working together to accomplish a common outcome for the company. (Development Dimensions International, Inc 1996, p.19, 21) recommends that involvement should be first choice by asking others to contribute their ideas allowing for innovation. This style of leadership changes a leader from ordering a group to do something, into a leader who involves others to help seek ideas. Leaders will force a topic of agenda and compromise to an appropriate action from the input of others. ‘Effective group leadership requires both task leadership concerned with completing the task at hand and climate leadership to maintain group morale.’ (Lewis & Slade 2000, p.