Contemporary leadership issues


MAJOR LEADERSHIP ISSUES IN MANAGEMENT TODAY

(a) Building trust

Trust is defined as the belief in integrity, character and ability of a leader or manager. Research has identified five elements of the term trust, which are:
  • Integrity: Honesty and trustfulness;
  • Competency: Technical and interpersonal knowledge and skills;
  • Consistency: Reliability, predictability, and good judgment in handling situations;
  • Loyalty: Willingness to protect a person physically and emotionally;
  • Openness: Willingness to share ideas and information freely.

(b)Providing ethical leadership

There is a growing general interest in ethics through the field of management.  Ethical leadership denotes the need for managers to conduct in accordance with the principles, values and beliefs that define what is right and what is wrong. Managers must set acceptable goals and behave according to set standards. Avoidance of abuse of power is the other important element of ethical or moral leadership.

(a)       Empowering employees

This refers to the process of giving workers at all levels authority to make decisions and the responsibility for their outcomes. Empowerment helps managers to get workers involved in the decisions and increase their commitment and motivation. Effective managers usually empower substantial authority to workers.

(b)       Gender and Leadership

The number of women managers is rising but still relatively low in top levels. Stereotypes suggest women are supportive and concerned with interpersonal relations whereas men are seen as task-focused. However, research indicates that there is no gender-based difference in leadership effectiveness and that women are seen to be more participative than men.

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