Leadership is an essential management function that helps an organisation to direct its resources for goal accomplishment and enhanced efficacy. Influential leaders are professionals who know how to motivate and guide the employees of an organisation to achieve success and impact people. Regardless of your job role, you can benefit from learning about the importance of leadership, as it can allow you to contribute meaningfully towards organisational goals. In this article, we discuss the importance of leadership, explore why organisations need effective leaders and outline a few qualities of a good leader.
What is the importance of leadership in the workplace?
Leadership serves several functions crucial to the success of an organisation, but the main importance of leadership is that it provides a vision for the company. Leaders also articulate the vision and what members of the organisation can do to achieve it.
An organisation may have multiple skilled professionals, each with specialised talents and capabilities, but it is only through efficient leadership practices that they can harness individual efforts towards achieving the organisational goals. By inspiring and motivating teams and coordinating personal actions for the advancement of a common goal, leaders help their companies achieve excellence.
Why do organisations need effective leadership?
Most organisations have talented employees who have the right skills and experience to deliver results. But they still need a leader to direct the energy of their employees towards a common goal. Here are some reasons organisations need effective leadership:
Vision
Successful leadership in organisations can help develop a clear vision of the long- and short-term goals that the organisation can achieve. Influential leaders in workplaces help create a definite roadmap, highlighting the steps, methods and resources that their company can use in achieving their goals. Effective leadership is crucial for an organisation to succeed in its various ventures, as it allows them to move from ideation to execution.
Communication
Capable leaders are effective communicators who can help promote the company’s vision, mission and market its products and services to the right audience. Through communication, brand-building activities can occur, as it enables leaders to communicate with various stakeholders the company is serving or targeting. Clear communication at work results from good leadership, and it helps direct the roles and responsibilities of every employee in achieving organisational objectives. When leaders engage in active communication, they can better manage crises at work.
Decision-making
Good leaders are strong decision-makers. They make quick and informed decisions for the organisation in most situations. Leaders are experts at making the right decisions for the organisation and its people based on the prevailing circumstances. Good decision-making also enables leaders to consider their company’s strengths and weaknesses and make choices that can put them ahead of the competition now and in the future.
