Leadership And Organizational Skills

Leadership and Organizational Skills "Leadership skills" and "organizational skills" are in everyone's lips. It is taken as the "most studied and least understood topic" as per Bennis and Nanus (2007). The study says that the problem of the organization cannot be solved without management and organization cannot be successful if there is no leader. Leadership skill is the magic to the organization that gives the new vision and direction to the organization and organizational managerial skill is changing the vision into reality by focusing on functional aspects of management.Leaders operate by focusing on "emotional and spiritual resources" and in contrast managers operate on "physical resources".  Managers will see whether the work is done with high efficiency or not by giving importance to time schedule and level of quality performance but leader gives the direction and path for the followers. Martin Luther King, Junior can be the example. He communicated to the people on vision of civil rights. This vision is not for one day or two days. This is forever.Leaders are of many kinds. They can be "authoritarian, paternalistic and democratic" but the most common on three of them is the desire to move and drive the crowd or group to the end. There are inherent skills that are most common on the leaders. They are knowledge, interpretation skills and initiatives. Traits can be the important factors but it is not only the sole factor.The study made by Adair (2008) focused on seventeen qualities of leadership to become a perfect leader. The table given below summarizes these qualities in details.Table 1: Seventeen Qualities of LeadershipAbility to make decisionSense of dutyEnergyCalmness in crisisHumourConfidenceSense of JusticeAbility to acceptDeterminationHuman elementExampleInitiativePhysically fitResolute couragePride in commandEnthusiasmLoyalty Source: Adair J., 2008. How to grow leaders: The seven principle of effective leadership development, ed: 1st, India: Kongan Page, Page 12Organizational skills are necessary for the success of the any institution. It is more focused on intuitive methods on handling the people who are working inside the organization as well as outside. This helps to cope the organization with internal and external environment. The organized organization is properly planned, structured and managed institution where evaluation of work is done regularly.  Robert Kartz has developed the three different managerial skills which are more about the knowledge and information on (i) technical skills (ii) human skills and (iii) conceptual skills.Technical skills are more concerned on organizational management knowing the nature of work that the people working under his have to perform. Human skills are concerned on handling the "Human" factor working in the organization. Conceptual skills are showing the "broad and farsighted" view so that change can take place. It is conceptualization of "complex and abstract" situation.Story of successful business leader and managerNelson Mandela: Leader among leadersHe was a former president of South Africa from African National Congress. He was an anti-apartheid activist. He is the most excellent model like Mahatma Gandhi, who has given the whole life to transform the nation and became a role model to his helpers who were following his ideals. He won the trust among the followers and he had a clear focused vision for giving the direction to the nation with high level of commitment. To become a good leader it is not necessary to get the education. In his autobiography, he told that he got the education by listening to the elders not by going to the school and colleges like today. He is not educated and trained to be a leader instead circumstances changed him to become a good leader.He is one of the few leaders who is able to receive universal respect not only in Africa but around the world. He was able to steer his nation which was passing through the crisis. His leadership role gave the re-birth to the nation and international reputation as a "benevolent negotiator and quintessential peacemaker".Although he was imprisoned for 27 years for his opposition to apartheid, he didn't direct his vision. His continual effort on focused vision made him success as a result he was awarded with Nobel Peace Prize. Because of his high degree of dedicated commitment on the vision he was right person at that time, right for the nation and right for the people. Mandela articulated the vision and gave the legitimacy. He protected the people from the risk and exposed them to reality. So he is regarded as a leader among the leaders not only in Africa but around the world.Eric Schmidt: CEO of GoogleEric Schmidt has made good relation not only to his staffs and co-workers but also outside. He has good relations with Obama administration which is important from a Google Perspective. The administration helped Google focusing on a national broadband plan. This coordination helped to be more innovative. In the interview with Fox news agency he says that he is more focused on customers giving the right information at low cost. He is also worried on agency problems and gives more time on value maximization of shareholders wealth.Eric Schmidt's proper management and coordination has helped to grow Google from the small organization to global enterprises in 10 years to time period. His proper planning and controlling strategy has helped a lot to Google to position the wide range of product and to meet the expectation in monetary value. In this down market Google is not only earning but keeping itself at a growth stage. He is able to respond the wants and needs of the business by prioritizing goals of the organization so he is good at managing the institution.Dhirubhai Ambani: Business Leader and ManagerIn 2007 his business was able to make turnover of 60 billion dollars and became a second richest family in the world. He started his business in spices in 1958. When he makes the profit from this spices business he expanded the business by opening textile mill in India. Then the business has made tremendous success. Now his business portfolio includes petrochemicals, production of crude oil and gas etc.India takes Dhuribhai Ambani as a business leader as well as a business manager. He was farsighted person who diversified the business in different sectors by taking the risk. He managed his business from spices to what he has today. His timely decision, confidence and enthusiasm in business had made the success.Conclusion:There is the equal importance of leadership skill and management skill. When the leadership is effective it helps to the nation as well as to the organization to get success on focused view. If there is no leadership in organization then it shows the negative effect on performance and it helps the organization to move slowly because of lack of vision. Proper leadership can lead the business towards the success even to the weak organization. When there is no leadership there is no direction then there is no goal. Churchill was acclaimed for the foresightedness. So he is taken as a good leader.Managers play a crucial role in success and failure of operation of the mission stated by the leaders. They help in implementation of work by taking timely, correct and complete decision making. Managers have the good skills for proper planning, organizing, staffing, controlling and taking the corrective actions on day to day operation. Good manager will motivate the human factor, learn from the past mistakes and gain respect from a team and workers. By considering the basic functions, managers will implement the different policies. They have the expert knowledge on implementing the policies by forming the good working environment in the organization.This signifies that there must be balance between leadership skills and manager's organizational skills. It is because too much of leadership and no management then you got a problem in the organization and when there is no leadership and too much of management then also it brings the problems. So "leadership skills" and "manager's organizational skills" are equally important although they are two different things.