Formal Paper: The Need for Developing Leaders
Introduction
Every organization and business in the twenty-first century is in need of an excellent leadership to steer its agenda and lead to the achievement of their goals and objectives. The development and training of such leaders is becoming an integral part of any business undertaking. This paper analyses the gaps that exist hence warranting such leadership development, the need and crucial nature of the same, and the consequences that may abound if there is inadequate support to promote such growth and advancement. The author shall then conclude by factoring in biblical principles and values to show how some of God-chosen leaders also underwent the same process and how it helped in their eventual reign.
Gaps
Leadership gaps refer to shortcomings that relate to one’s profession, title or career making them insufficiently fit for or meet the job requirements. These may also hold one back from reaching their full potential or achieve what they set out to do. Identifying and pointing out these gaps in leadership may prove a hard undertaking as it requires careful analysis to pinpoint them. Such gaps in leadership development may relate to decision-making, communication, strategy formulation, or the interpersonal skills that a leader may require for their jobs. Organizations need to identify such gaps early on so that they may act on them accordingly. They may find out about them through such instances as holding one-on-one meetings with the workforce and asking them questions, using assessment tools, or even offering the employees a chance to offer feedback anonymously. Leslie (2015) outlines that one of the most prevalent gaps in leadership today is skills-related. Daskal (2017) further elaborates on some archetypes and their resultant shadows. The first in such gaps are the rebels who are confident with their shadows the imposter. The second are the explorers who are intuitive with their shadows the exploiter. The truth-tellers speak with candor but have shadows that are deceptive. The fourth are the heros who are courageous with shadows that are bystanders. The others are the inventors with integrity against destroyer shadows. The sixth are the navigators who are trustworthy and the fixers along them. The last are the knights that value loyalty against the mercenary. All these show a polarity in every leader that they seek to overcome. These result in the gaps that may challenge their whole leadership agenda.
Need
As a result of the gaps in leadership as this paper identifies above, there is a need to address them and ensure such leaders excel in their work. Leaders are people who have a integral role in their organizations or in any other capacity that they may arise in. They are responsible for coming up with visions, inspiring their followers into adopting and sharing in the dreams, and working together towards their achievements. Without the necessary skills and abilities needed for leadership, they stand to not only mislead the organizational goals but also demotivate and lose the trust of their people. A leader without the required interpersonal skills cannot communicate their vision or even inspire the people to desire the same goals. They risk being an obstacle to teamwork and collaborative relationships. Kirchner & Akdere (2014) review the literature on the need for leadership development programs and how they benefit organizations. Their work reveal that such programs are necessary for effective leadership in the modern work environments coupled with technological, political, economic, and social factor advancements. Leadership development is also necessary to ensure organizations have leaders that are strategic, tactical, and creative-thinkers. These are crucial factors for businesses to stay ahead of the curve and acquire a competitive advantage against their rivals. Leaders who lack in some areas, such as decision-making or even analytical skills, stand to cost their organizations. They should be able to manage projects, value delegation, hold their people responsible and showcase the highest level of accountability. Organizations with leaders with such gaps in their skills or leadership abilities do not stand a chance as such key personnel represent all their undertakings in the first place.
Support
Businesses that decide to take steps towards developing their leadership should do so to their fullest abilities. They should also invest and divert more resources to ensure that they get the most out of the process. Leadership development requires more than just training and empowerment programs. Instead, they need to concentrate on more support systems that enable the leaders to develop an all-rounded capacity to deliver in their duties. In the absence of such support, the undertaking would not bear enough fruits. According to Kirchner & Akdere (2014) such leadership development programs should be all-encompassing. The trainings involved must be practical, realistic, and provide opportunity for growth. They should also include feedback mechanisms and exercises directing one on what excellent leadership requires. The work further delves into the environments where such development programs can take place such as a classroom setting, self-help groups, assessment centers, or even experiential coursework. Despite all these, such undertakings require the support of all the involved parties including the organizations and among the leaders themselves. Sufficient support in this instance could include giving the leaders the required time and resources while also creating an environment conducive for putting what they learn to use. Without the necessary support systems, such leaders may not be able to find the development programs helpful. They may fail to put them to use and return the business to the place that they were before the training or even worse. Leaders also need such support as some of the development needs may require them to venture into areas that they were not conversant with such as business analytics. They may require such training and experience to allow them incorporate analytics in the workplace and develop data-based decision making. As a result, they require the support of the workplace, their subordinates, friends, and family to adopt the new skills and put them to good use.
Biblical principles
Manning & Curtis (2019) define leadership as a social influence leading people into specific actions and behavior. Being a leader does not start or end with the society’s appointment of one to the specific position. Instead, there are leaders who have arisen to the occasion as circumstances required. In all these, leaders are constantly inadequate and require developmental avenues to become better. Merida (2015) shows the examples of various kings that arose over time to lead God’s people. They had different value systems and although some lived up to expectation, most went astray. The book also highlights several prophets that God put in the paths of such leaders to help them lead their people in the right way. In Proverbs 12:15 (NIV), the Bible elaborates that the wise have and listen to counsel that help them make the right decisions. In the New Testament, before Jesus departed from his disciples, he realized that despite the time he had spent with them and walked with them, they would still need a helper, hence the promise of the Holy spirit. All these show that leaders need more avenues for development to harness their full potential. Leadership is a continuous process requiring constant learning and relearning of various aspects as they arise. A wise leader acknowledges that they are not perfect and need to learn more as King Solomon proved (Merida, 2015).
Conclusion
Leadership development is a crucial prospect towards ensuring the right skill set match with the needs of the company. The need for such development is apparent from the requirements and challenges that leaders constantly face in the course of dispensing their duties. The bible also offers insight into God’s view of his chosen leaders as needing more direction and advise.
References
Daskal, L. (2017). The leadership gap: what gets between you and your greatness. Penguin.
Kirchner, M. J., & Akdere, M. (2014). Leadership development programs: An integrated review of literature. Bilgi Ekonomisi ve Yönetimi Dergisi, 9(1), 137-146.
Leslie, J. B. (2015). The leadership gap what you need, and still don’t have, when it comes to leadership talent. Center for Creative Leadership. Р, 20.
Manning, G., & Curtis, K. (2019). The Art of Leadership. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.
Merida, T. (2015). Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Kings. B&H Publishing Group.