“The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.”- Ken Blanchard. It is true that in every successful follower lies great leader. Such saying can never be more real as it in fact that one’s nation accomplishments rely heavily in someone or somebody’s initiative. Whether on a small-scale organization or a larger body of individuals, leadership truly comes and play a great role. Managing a group of persons is already a major task let alone utilizing such effectively and efficiently. Nevertheless, once handled right, it ensures positive result and expand greater horizon for an organization. However, what is a leader if it cannot lead anyone? More importantly, how does one become a leader if it cannot make someone be moved by his acts? Thus, leading something for greater goals requires a motivating attitude that would affect people, so that sufficient workforce will be generated and be the start of a reliable development.
According to the research “Effect of Leadership Style on Employee Performance” by Iqbal N, leadership is a process by which an executive can direct, guide and influence the behavior and work of others toward the accomplishment of specific goals in a given situation. Leadership is an ability of a manager to induce the subordinates to work with confidence and zeal. Leadership can be defined as the capacity to influence a group realization of the goal. Leaders are required to develop the future vision, and to motivate the organizational members to want to achieve the visions and to improve the performance. It can also be illustrated as a performing band. Although the lead singer usually takes the role of the leader, a band will sound good if all of its members will perform accordingly and cooperatively.
Personally, I have witnessed such factors on my current employment. As a government employee, I can tell that such agency moves and takes action through hierarchy. A government agency is further divided on units, eg. Finance, Human Resource, Payroll, etc. On these units lies a head that serve or act as a leader. The agency I am employed with, Department of Education, possesses good quality leaders. They set good examples for us employees to follow, a perfect appreciation of leading by example. In this way, our agency has a very friendly environment not just on its customers but also on their own employees. We feel subordination for each other rather than an employee designed to meet his or her deadlines. Camaraderie is being promoted and observed at all times. This I can say that a true leader is the best follower and leader is not synonymous to boss. As the saying goes “The boss drives people; the leader coaches them. The boss depends on authority; the leader on good will. The boss inspires fear; the leader inspires enthusiasm. The boss says I; the leader says WE. The boss fixes the blame for the breakdown; the leader fixes the breakdown. The boss says, GO; the leader says Let’s GO!”- Harry Gordon Selfridge. For that, I am very thankful for what this organization has to offer for I, an employee, has been motivated on promoting the mission and vision of the entity.
Leadership does not simply start with commands and ends in fixed results. It is literally a systematic process and should be designed for the welfare of those people that will take part for that particular movement. You train employees not for them to stay as employees but for them to break free and become a leader they ought to be.
By: Jovi Loise D. Santiago| DepEd| Balanga City, Bataan
