Introduction
To become an effective leader, one should develop and use strong leadership strategies. This presentation will focus on four important strategies of a leader: communication strategy, conflict resolution strategy, delegation skills, and teamwork development strategy. Each of these strategies is important for guiding organizations effectively and helping them avoid risks and attain the best business outcomes.
Effective Communication Strategy
The first leadership strategy is the communication strategy. Every leader must be able to communicate their messages quickly and effectively to attain organizational goals and lead a company to success. One can distinguish eight dimensions of communications: receiver-centric communication, strategic communication, interpersonal interaction, innovation interaction, teamwork, and team leadership, influence and negotiation, ethics and fairness, and learning and development. Each of these dimensions is an essential element of effective leadership communication. The main goals of business leaders are to convey messages between superiors to subordinates (downward communication) and subordinates to superiors (upward communication) (Ophilia & Hidayat, 2021, p. 25). The company’s success depends on the preferred communication flow between the leaders and other communication channels.
Leadership Communication
Regardless of the chosen leadership style or dimension of communication, a leader should remember the following useful tips for effective communication. Thus, communication between leaders and their followers should be relentless and clear, and leaders should communicate their ideas frequently and through different media (Leading Effectively Staff, 2020). All messages must be simple and direct so that the listeners do not search for a hidden meaning. Telling stories to illustrate messages is also essential. Moreover, leaders’ messages should be affirmed with actions, which means that if a leader says something, they should act accordingly and not contradict their words. Listening is an integral part of effective communication since it helps build trust and respect and create an emotional connection with a team. Being visible and available is also important because if a leader is known only for their email responses, their opinion will not be valued. Finally, authentic leadership is associated with honest and sincere communication.
Conflict Resolution Strategies
Conflict resolution strategies may take many forms and reflect the leadership style. Thomas and Kilmann developed a conflict management model consisting of five modes: avoiding, accommodating, competing, compromising, and collaborating (Ronquillo et al., 2021, p. 5). As one can see in the image above, collaborating is the most effective strategy, while avoiding is the most ineffective strategy that does not help solve a conflict and can be useful only in non-emergency situations (Ronquillo et al., 2021, p. 6). Collaborating involves all parties of the conflict who are brought together for a resolution. Accommodating is a strategy in which only one party wins and the other party loses. The competitive strategy has a similar effect, and a leader focuses only on their perspective and does not promote a unified team. Finally, compromise helps reach a consensus, but neither party will be fully satisfied.
Steps to Conflict Resolution
Regardless of a conflict resolution strategy, leaders should take several steps to help solve any organizational conflict. The first step is to establish rules for respectful communication before it begins. Then, all parties should be asked to set aside biased opinions about each other and engage in active listening without interruption. All parties should write down the problem and restate it loud to see whether each party comprehends the situation in the same way and discuss disagreements when needed. When the problem is summarized, each party should develop its best solution and discuss all the pros and cons. Only after that, do both parties choose the most appropriate solution for all.
Delegation Skills
Delegation is the
transfer of power and responsibility to others to complete these assignments (John & Judy, 2018, p. 415). Delegation is important in leadership because it helps leaders become responsible for all operations under their authority and control them more effectively. The main principles of the delegation are (1) Functional clarity, which means that a leader should clearly explain the function that should be done and the results that should be achieved. (2) Matching authority with responsibility: Leaders should choose a person with proper authority and personal capabilities to complete the task. (3) Unity of command, which means that a subordinate should be accountable to one leader. (4) Principle of communication: Communication channels should be open for giving directives and receiving feedback. (5) Principle of management by exception: Leaders can delegate routine tasks and decision-making to subordinates, but they should perform the most important tasks.
Effective Delegation: Advantages and Barriers
Effective delegation has several advantages. It allows leaders to make quick decisions, gives more time for strategic planning and other important tasks, motivates subordinates, creates a sense of responsibility, and prepares them for problem-solving processes when they achieve an executive level (John & Judy, 2018, p. 416). At the same time, there are some barriers to effective delegation, such as subordinates’ disinclination for leaders, unwillingness to accept delegation, an improper grouping of unit’s activities, lack of trust in subordinates’ abilities, fear that subordinates will make mistakes, desire to attain personal credit, fear that subordinates will outperform their leader, and the unwillingness of subordinates to take responsibility. All these barriers may prevent leaders from delegating their duties and impede a company’s success.
Teamwork Development Strategy
Teamwork development is essential for organizational success. The main benefits of developing teamwork at the workplace are as follows: teamwork offers multiple ideas for one solution and helps find the best solution out of many; it helps improve creativity and innovation at work, thus allowing employees to make quality decisions and demonstrate greater commitment (Alghamdi & Bach, 2018, p. 29). Teamwork increases motivation, makes every worker feel that they are essential parts of the team, and improves effectiveness, reducing the organization’s costs. However, leaders may encounter some challenges that prevent them from building effective teamwork. Such challenges are effective leadership and management of the team (a leader should carefully assign tasks and avoid compartmentalization); teamwork is initiated only by the leader while the employees do not want to participate; inability to manage conflicts may also be a teamwork challenge; and lack of responsibility of a leader to encourage in collaboration (Alghamdi & Bach, 2018, p. 30).
The technology of Developing Teamwork
A good team leader should be able to develop teamwork effectively. Thus, leaders should engage employees of diverse cultural backgrounds to find multiple ideas. Workers should have shared access to various computer tools and documents. Leaders should embrace mobility and manage changes quickly. Individual work should be supported, but it is important to create places for collaboration. Socializing should also be encouraged to unite workers and create a positive atmosphere at work. Starting team traditions and finding time to celebrate is also essential. Leaders should also set clear goals for their teams and define roles and responsibilities.
Conclusion
Being a good leader means using various leadership strategies to attain organizational goals effectively and quickly. Good leaders must have good communication skills to be able to communicate their ideas effectively and encourage subordinates to work. They should be able to solve conflicts successfully, by applying one of five conflict resolution modes. Delegating tasks to other workers is another essential skill a leader must possess. Finally, teamwork development strategies will help leaders create a positive atmosphere and team spirit at the workplace, thus bringing a company to success.
References
Alghamdi, A., & Bach, C. (2018). Developing teamwork at workplace. International Journal of Business and Management Invention, 7(2), 28-40. Web.
John, K. N., & Judy, M. N. (2018). Effective delegation and control in organizations. International Journal of Innovation and Research in Educational Sciences, 5(4), 415-417. Web.
Leading Effectively Staff. (2020). Why communication is so important for leaders. Center for Creative Leadership. Web.
Ophilia, A., & Hidayat, Z. (2021). Leadership communication during organizational change: Internal communication strategy: A case study in multinational company operating in Indonesia. Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 10(2), 24-34. Web.
Ronquillo, Y., Ellis, V. L., & Toney-Butler, T. J. (2021). Conflict management. StatPearls. Stat Pearls Publishing. Web.
