Tag: global senior leadership management course

In today’s dynamic work environment, demonstrating leadership skills has become essential to professional responsibilities. The ability to exhibit effective leadership reflects your credibility as a working professional and showcases your growth potential.

As the concept of leadership evolves with changing times, it is no longer confined to a commanding figure dictating tasks to others. A true leader can guide and inspire team members, leading by example and directing them towards success.

Given the significance of leadership, it is crucial to understand its definition and how it can propel your career advancement.

What is Leadership?

Leadership is a multifaceted concept that can take various forms depending on the context. Its definition may vary depending on the situation at hand. Contrary to common misconceptions, leadership is not contingent on one’s position or rank within a company; rather, it revolves around fostering a positive mindset and effectively conveying it to others to inspire the collective achievement of shared objectives.

Let’s understand the 7 different leadership styles and their significance – 

Autocratic Leadership

Autocratic leadership is characterised by a leader who retains full control and authority over decision-making and rarely seeks input from team members. This style can be effective in situations that demand quick decision-making or where employees lack expertise. However, excessive reliance on this style can stifle creativity, demotivate employees, and hinder their personal growth. Autocratic leadership is most suitable when immediate action is necessary in times of crisis.

Its advantages include the following – 

• Swift decision-making process
• Efficient crisis management
• Reduces employee stress
• Direct and clear communication
• Enhanced productivity and efficiency
• Effective workload management

Democratic Leadership

Democratic leadership focuses on inclusiveness and participatory decision-making. Leaders who embrace this style actively involve team members in decision-making, encouraging open communication and feedback. By valuing input from various perspectives, democratic leaders promote a sense of ownership and engagement among team members. This style fosters creativity, teamwork, and a collaborative work culture. It is particularly beneficial when complex problem-solving, innovation, or consensus-building is required.

Its advantages include the following – 

• Diverse viewpoints for better decision-making
• Efficient problem-solving
• Increased commitment
• Stronger team relationships
• Heightened morale and job satisfaction
• Emphasis on honesty
• A clear vision for the future

Transformational Leadership

Transformational leaders inspire and motivate their teams by setting a compelling vision and challenging goals. They encourage personal development and foster a positive work environment encouraging growth and innovation. Transformational leaders often lead by example and empower their team members to reach their full potential. By emphasising individual strengths and providing support, they can generate high commitment and loyalty within the team. This leadership style is valuable when organisations are undergoing significant change, require a culture shift, or seek to unleash the creativity of their workforce.

Its advantages include – 

• Cultivates robust relationships
• Sets an exemplary influence
• Inspires enthusiasm and motivation
• Promotes a culture of learning and stimulates creativity
• Decreases employee turnover rates

Transactional Leadership

Transactional leadership is based on the exchange of rewards and punishments for performance. Leaders who adopt this style focus on setting clear expectations and providing specific feedback. They establish formal systems of rewards and recognition, as well as consequences for subpar performance. Transactional leaders effectively maintain stability, ensure compliance, and achieve short-term goals. However, this style may not be as effective in situations that require creativity, adaptability, or long-term growth.

Its advantages include the following – 

• Clearly defined success criteria
• Transparent expectations and job roles
• Swift identification of problem areas or underperforming employees
• Facilitates cost-effective decision-making
• Encourages individual motivation and competition for success
• Consistent recognition and rewards for high-performing employees

Servant Leadership

Servant leadership centres around the leader’s commitment to serving the needs of their team members. Leaders who embody this style prioritise their employees’ well-being, growth, and development. They actively listen, empathise, and support their team’s personal and professional goals. Servant leaders create a nurturing and supportive environment that fosters trust, loyalty, and high employee satisfaction. This style is precious in industries where employee engagement, customer service, and teamwork are crucial.

Its advantages include the following – 

• Clear definition of success parameters
• Fosters trust-based relationships
• Promotes ownership and responsibility
• Cultivates innovation, curiosity, and creativity
• Nurtures a people-focused culture
• Drives significant positive impact on company performance

Laissez-Faire Leadership

Laissez-faire leadership, or hands-off leadership, gives employees a high degree of autonomy and freedom in decision-making and task execution. Leaders who adopt this style provide minimal guidance, allowing individuals to take ownership of their work. This approach is suitable when team members are highly skilled, self-motivated, and experienced. However, in the absence of proper guidance and direction, this leadership style can lead to ambiguity, lack of accountability, and reduced productivity. Laissez-faire leadership works best in environments where creative freedom and independent thinking are essential.

Its advantages include the following – 

• Increased employee retention rates
• Enhanced accountability for subordinates
• Cultivates a relaxed company culture
• Fosters a creative work environment
• Provides motivation for employees

Coaching Leadership

Coaching leadership focuses on developing the potential of individuals through mentorship, guidance, and ongoing support. Leaders who embrace this style invest time and effort in understanding their team members’ strengths, weaknesses, and aspirations. They provide constructive feedback, offer growth opportunities, and help employees overcome obstacles. Coaching leaders foster a culture of continuous learning, personal development, and skill enhancement. This style effectively builds high-performing teams, enhances employee morale, and develops future leaders.

Its advantages include the following – 

• Enhancing communication through a mentor-like relationship between leader and employee
• Encouraging the exchange of constructive feedback
• Driving personal and professional development
• Promoting a supportive environment without judgment

Understanding and Adapting Leadership for Success

Leadership is significant in running a kitchen, an organisation, or a country. Each individual possesses their own unique leadership style, accompanied by their own responsibilities and challenges. Determining the appropriate leadership style, when, where, and how can often be confusing. However, understanding your personality type and having clarity regarding the leadership style that resonates with you can make this process less daunting.

To have a better understanding of leadership and its comprising responsibilities, we recommend enrolling in programs like Imarticus’  Global Senior Leadership Programme, powered by the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow. The course provided by Imarticus will help you unleash your potential as a leader., by leveraging new skills and leading opportunities coming your way post program completion!

Leadership requires lots of admirable qualities, one of which is possessing the right amount of emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is known as the ability to perceive one’s own or others’ emotions. It means comprehending what the other person is feeling through their sentiments and their signals. 

Emotional intelligence is the crux of becoming a successful leader. Even though one’s technical skill might guarantee them the job interviews, to become efficient in management in future, emotional intelligence plays a critical role. 

In this article, let’s learn in detail about the significance of emotional intelligence as a leader in the workplace and how you can also be a part of an IIM Leadership Programme. 

What is Emotional Intelligence? 

Emotional intelligence or EQ was first coined in 1990 by Professor John D Mayer and Peter Salovey. It is often thought of as a ‘glue’ that can help bind relationships in the long run. They have defined it as an ability to manage and control one’s emotions. This, in turn, would foster long-term relationships not only in personal life but also in one’s professional life. 

What is Emotional Intelligence in Leadership? 

Every effective leader in a workplace is an embodiment of being the most emotionally mature individual ever. It is an essential skill that helps to solve and recognise the problems of one’s team members. 

Emotional intelligence enables the individual to understand and manage one’s emotions and put themselves in the other one’s perspective. It is also an effective parameter that checks the leadership effectiveness of an individual. Sometimes IQ, technical skills and communication skills fall short in a corporate sector if the candidate lacks emotional intelligence. 

Thus, the use of emotional intelligence has now been popularised. Many leaders enforce emotional intelligence in their leadership style to incite innovation, and job satisfaction and create a positive work environment. 

Components of Emotional Intelligence in Leadership 

Various components of emotional intelligence should be reflected in leadership roles. Let’s find them out. 

Self-awareness 

This is the ability to understand the individual’s strengths as well as their weaknesses. It also makes the leader control their emotions to understand complex emotional turmoil easily affecting the team members. This in turn makes the leader sufficiently self-aware to guide and control their team. 

Moreover, self-awareness also has tons of admirable qualities. They are: 

• Helps the leader to make a profitable and sound decision to bring prosperity to the company. 
• To instigate personal growth among the team members for smooth functioning. 
• Taking 360-degree feedback which in turn is the best way to estimate the self-awareness quotient of the leader. 

Self-management 

This is also considered to be a crucial component when it comes to emotional intelligence as a leadership quality. Even in challenging business situations, this component comes in handy to test one’s leadership skills. It is an admirable quality that keeps emotions in check even during difficult situations. There are also other upsides of self-management in the workplace. They are: 

• It helps in maintaining a positive outlook in the leaders even during adversities. 
• It equips the leaders with various ways to tackle different situations. 
• It also helps the leader to know how to react during a tough predicament by emphasising calmness and mental peace. 

Social awareness 

Since a business organisation does not operate in solitude, social awareness is an essential factor for emotional intelligence. This would help the leaders to be well aware of their work and business environment. There are several upsides to social awareness. They are: 

• It helps to formulate business strategies and implement potent plans to adapt their employees to heterogeneous market conditions.
• Social awareness is not only limited to its external factors: it also enhances the leader’s capability to understand and manage people’s emotions in the workplace.
• Leaders who excel in social empathy help them to understand the perspective and emotions of the people which promotes effective communication and collaboration. 

Relationship management 

This component comes in handy when it is time to resolve conflicts in the workplace. This is a vital component for influencing and coaching the team members at the workplace. This is also an admirable ability to keep conflicts and miscommunications at bay in an organisation. 

Relationship management also talks about increasing job satisfaction and promoting growth. It also helps to maintain peace between all parties within the organisation. 

Emotional Intelligence: Scope in Leadership 

Even though several leaders prolifer in technical and communication skills, they often overlook emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence, on the other hand, becomes an inevitable part of a managerial skill set. Any leader who might lack emotional intelligence will not survive within the tides of a complex business environment. The scope of emotional intelligence in leadership are: 

• Positive work culture: Emotional intelligence amongst the leaders produces a positive work culture which increases efficiency and productivity vicariously. 
• Instigates growth: Emotional intelligence promotes growth, creativity and innovation in an organisation and their stakeholders. 
• Team motivation: Emotional intelligence helps in motivating team members and also encourages them to put their best foot forward. 
• Correct decisions: Emotional intelligence is an important component which helps in making correct decisions even during difficult times. 
• Strong bond: Emotional intelligence promotes a strong bond between leaders and their teams. 

Conclusion n

Be it communication skills, technical skills or anything else, nothing surpasses emotioal intelligence. Since it is the most important part of leadership, it is now being incorporated into many management courses. 

If you are interested in learning about leadership and its essential to become a potential global leader, check out Imarticus Learning’s Global Senior Leadership Programme with IIM Lucknow. This IIM course for working professionals is specifically designed to transition one’s career to a high-potential business leader. It makes it easier for your journey to become a CMO, CFO or COO. 

To know more, check out their website right away!