Challenges of Leadership Essay

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY THE CHALLENGES OF drawing cardship?Being a loss draw is in itself a challenge. The challenges of leadhip ar really of three manikins impertinent, coming from mass and situations inwrought, stemming from within the attractor himself and those arising from the disposition of the attractionshiphip role.EXTERNAL CHALLENGESIts al close to im practical to imagine a situation where a leader doesnt put one across to cope with external challenges. In an organization, such issues as lack of funding and early(a) resources, opposite from forces in the community of interests, and inter to a greater extent or lessbodyal problems within the organization often rear their heads. Social, economic, and policy- make forces in the larger world behind affect the organization as well. To some uttermost, the measure of every leader is how well he dirty dog deal with the constant succession of crises and minor annoyances that threaten the mission of his group. If he i s able to solve problems, take benefit of opportunities, and resolve conflict with an aviation of calm and a minimum of fuss, most of the external issues be on the dot now noniceable to anyone else. If the leader doesnt plow external challenges well, the organization credibly wont, either. Weve all seen examples of this, in organizations where e realone, from the film director to the custodian, has a constantly disquieted tactual sensation, and un officeds is passed in whispers. When battalion specify that leaders atomic bout 18 disquieted or unsure, they themselves become stressed or unsure as well, and the tenseness of the group moves from its mission to the current worrisome situation. The work of the group suffers. intimate CHALLENGESWhile leadership presents to each of us the opportunity to demonstrate the take up of what we are, it also exposes our limitations. In galore(postnominal) cases, good leaders take for to track those limitations in order to tr ansmit and follow their spate. Fear, lack of confidence, insecurity, impatience, intolerance (all faeces act as barriers to leadership. At the akin era, ac realizeledging and overcoming them open fire rescind a mediocre leader into a great one. Its often very grueling for people, specially those who see themselves as leaders, to admit that they talent give personalisedisedity traits or personal characteristics that interfere with their ability to reach their goals. realm of good leadership is settleing to accept the reality of those traits, and working to modification them so they commit ont loll in the nub.Some measure, what seems to be an advantage whitethorn present a challenge as well. A leader whos extremely decisive may estrange followers by never consulting them, or by consistently ignoring their advice. A leader whos terrific at developing relationships with early(a)s in the organization may be unable to tell someone when shes non doing her job. Some c haracteristics brook be double- acuityd swords, positive in some circumstances and prejudicious in former(a)s. The real challenge is in knowing the difference, and adapting your behavior accordingly.CHALLENGES ARISING FROM leading ITSELFReal leadership commits great demands on people. As a leader, you are responsible for your groups vision and mission, for upholding a standard, often for creation the groups representative to the rest of the world and its protector as well. These responsibilities might be shared, whitewash in most organizations, one person takes the largest part of the burden. In addition to its responsibilities, leadership brings such challenges as motivate people often without seeming to do so and keeping them from stagnating when theyre doing well. leading also possess to motivate themselves, and not just to seem, and actually to be, enthusiastic around what theyre doing. They bear to be sure of serving their group and its members and all that that entails. In other words, they confirm to be leaders all the sentence.WHEN ARE THE CHALLENGES OF leadership MOST OBVIOUS? one(a) obvious and correct answer to this question is all the time, only when in fact some times are much(prenominal) apparent than others. leaders is usually the most difficult when the situation is changing or un steadfast. When a frequent roots group is doing well gathering allies, narkting its substance across, attracting funding no one oftentimes notices what the director does just now when something un smellinged-for happens, shes expected to take care of it, often in a very creation way. Some particular times when challenges may place upright* When something new is about to start. When youre beginning a new intervention, try something diametrical in a program thats been running for a while, stepping up to another stage in your orifice, or hiring a new leader, no one is quite sure whats going to happen. Systems andrelationships hatf ul break d avow, and its often a national of leadership as to whether the new situation is favored or not. * When something is about to end. Often at the end of a school year, a particular project or initiative, a bowed stringed instrumenting period anytime when something is coming to an end and things are, by definition, about to counterchange times get difficult. That may be because of a broad push to get finished, or because its tough to tell whats coming succeeding(prenominal), or because a close-knit group is splitting up. whatsoever the reason, it often takes leadership skills to enlighten sure that the project ends successfully, and all(prenominal)one moves on to the next phase, whatever that is.* When times are tough. If thithers not full funding, or an organization or group is world publicly criticized, for instance, its leader usually has to try to solve the problem in some way invent bullion, reduce expenses, defuse the attacks. Leaders are tested when time s are difficult. * During transitions. There are many ways in which a group stop be in transition. It may go because of a grant or because of other circumstances from a loosely organized, grass roots collective to a much to a greater extent formally organize organization. It might grow quicklyeven too quickly. It might be losing some key people, or changing leaders. One of the most difficult tasks a leader faces is trying to keep a group stable through and through a period of change.WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SPECIFIC CHALLENGES THAT galore(postnominal) LEADERS FACE, AND HOW to COPE WITH THEM?EXTERNAL CHALLENGESThe world surprises us at every turn, throwing up barriers where the way seems clear, and revealing broad highways where there seemed to be solo brick walls. Both kinds of surprises sometimes the positive more than the negative present opportunities for employment leadership, with all the challenges they entail. Some common situations that call for leaders to use their res ources admit * Public criticism, especially uninformed criticism, of your group or mission. * Flare-ups of others interpersonal issues, either within the group or right(prenominal) it. * Crises, which could be tied to finances, program, politics, public relations (scandals), legal concerns (lawsuits), even spectral issues (loss of enthusiasm, low morale).* Disasters. These are different from crises, in that, in a crisis, something essential (usually negative, besides not always) seems to behappening, and youre trying to control the situation. In a mishap, the worst has already happened, and youre trying to deal with that in some way. * Opposition and/or hostility from powerful forces (business groups, local government, an influential organization, etc.) * A financial or political windfall. Sometimes an unexpected benefit can be harder to handle than a calamity. * Collaboration with another group or organization may call upon a leader to define clearly the boundaries within whi ch he can operate, and to balance the needs of his own group with those of the collaborative initiative as a whole.HOW TO COPE WITH EXTERNAL CHALLENGESBe proactive.Regardless of the situation, its significant for leaders to do something. Waiting is occasionally the right strategy, but even when it is, it makes a group nervous to see its leader evidently not exercising some control. Be creative.Try to think out locating the box, i.e. in unexpected but strong ways. If disaster has struck (youve just lost a major source of funding, perhaps ), how can you turn what butts like the end of the world into a new beginning? post you change the way the organization operates to deal with the loss? Can you use the fact that youre about to lose services to make believe community and political support? Is this an opportunity to diversify your funding? Can you exsert your horizons and your reach through collaboration? Dont just suppose at the obvious, but consider a situation from all pers pectives, and take care for unusual ways to make things work. An principal(prenominal) piece of breeding, one thats often quoted in community work, but which cant be overstated the Chinese character for crisis combines the characters for danger and opportunity. Face conflict squarely.This doesnt mean come out fighting, but rather identify and discern the conflict, and work to resolve it. This is true both for conflict within your group, and conflict amid the group and others outside it. Far too many people, leaders included, act as if conflict doesnt exist, because they find it difficult or frightening to deal with. As a result, it only(prenominal) grows worsened, and by the time it erupts, it may be intimately impossible to resolve. Ifits confront early, nearly any conflict can be resolved in a way that is beneficial for everyone demandd. Its a blend of leadership to have the courage to name the conflict and work on it. Always look for common ground.If theres opposition to what youre doing, it may only be to one specific part of it, or may be based on mis understanding. There are few groups or individuals who turn int have some common interests. If you can find those, you may have a basis for solving problems and making it possible for people to work together. Retain your objectivity.If youre mediating a conflict within the organization, dont take sides, even if you think you know one side is right. That go away come out if you mediate objectively and well.If youre faced with detractors or opposition, dont automatically assume theyre villains. What are their concerns, and why do they dis make with what youre doing? Dont get sucked into a fight unless theres really no alternative. plane rabid opposition can often be overcome through a combination of respect, political pressure, and creative problem solving.When you do scent you have to fight, pick your battles carefully. Make sure you have the resources money, political and other allies, voluntee r help, whatever you need to sustain conflict. Battles can advance your cause, or they can kill your initiative once and for all. Dont get into a fight you have no chance to win. Look for opportunities to collaborate.This is important both within and outside your group or organization. Within the group, involve as many people as possible in decisions, and make sure they have control over what they do. The more they own their jobs and the organization, the more enthusiastic theyll be, the more effective the organization entrust be, and the more effective youll be as a leader. Outside the organization, try to forge ties with other organizations and groups. Let them know what youre doing, get and give support, and work with them to the extent you can. Make common cause with other groups that have similar interests. In turnings, there is strength, and youll be stronger as an alliance of groups than any one of you could be individually.INTERNAL CHALLENGESLeaders are human. Thats hardl y news, but it means that they come with all the same problems and failings as everyone else. One of the superior challenges of leadership is facing your own personal issues, and making sure they dont prevent you from exercising leadership. Acknowledging the attitudes and tendencies that get in your way, and working to overcome them, is perfectly necessary if youre to become an effective leader. Among the most common personal traits that good leaders have to overcome or keep in check are * Insecurity. Many people feel, at to the lowest degree some of the time, that theyre not up to the tasks they face. They may even believe that theyre fooling people with their air of competence, when they know theyre really not very capable at all. Insecurity of that sort keeps them from being proactive, from interest their vision, from feeling like leaders. It can be crippling to both a leader and her group or organization.* Defensiveness. Also born of insecurity, defensiveness shows up most o ften as an inability to take criticism (other people might catch on to the fact that youre as incompetent as you know you are), and continuing hostility to anyone, even an ally, who voices it. Defensiveness often also includes a stubborn resistance to change ideas, plans, or assumptions, even if theyve been shown to be ineffective. * drop of decisiveness. Sometimes its hard to make a decision. You never know till later and sometimes not even then whether you do the right decision. Maybe if you had a few more facts The reality is that leaders are called on to make decisions all the time, often with very secondary time to consider them. It is important to have as much information as possible, but at some post, you just have to make the decision and live with it. Some decisions are reversible, and some are not, but in either case, its important to learn to make a decision when necessary and understand that living with the consequences is part of being a leader* Inability to be di rect when theres a problem. Many people demand so badly to be liked, or are so afraid of hurting others, that they find it difficult to rate anything negative. They may be reluctant to tell someone hes not doing his job adequately, for instance, or to address an interpersonal problem. Unfortunately, by let these things go, they only make them worse, which makes them still harder to address. Its essential to learn when soundness is necessary, and to learn how to exercise it.*Inability to be objective. Neither looking at situations through rose-colored glasses nor being always on the edge of hysteria is conducive to effective leadership. Just as objectivity is important in dealing with external issues, its important to monitor your own objectivity in general. Theres a difference between being an optimistic individual and being unable to see disaster looming because its too painful to contemplate. By the same token, seeing the possible negatives in an apparently positive situation i s not the same as being paralyzed by the assumption that calamity lurks around every corner. The inability to accurately identify the positive and negative in any situation and react appropriately can create serious problems.* restlessness with others and with situations. It may seem, disposed(p) the importance of decisiveness and firmness, that patience is not a virtue a leader needs. In fact, it is perhaps the most important trait to develop. Situations do not resolve themselves instantly, and anyone whos ever been bear on in an organization knows that Rule 1 is that everything takes longer than you think it will. sight in unfamiliar situations need a while to orient themselves. Leaders who are impatient may make rash decisions, may alienate staff members or volunteers or allies, and can often make situations worse rather than better. Its hard to be patient, but its worth the effort. In addition to character traits that can get in a leaders way, there are the effects of heal th and personal crises.COPING WITH INTERNAL CHALLENGESListen.Listen to peoples responses to your ideas, plans, and opinions. Listen more than you talk. Listen to a broad range of people, not just to those who agree with you. Probe to find out why they think or feel the way they do. Assume that everyone has something important to say. If you hear the same things from a number of different and diverse sources, you should at least consider the possibility that theyre accurate. If theyre about things you do that you can change, you might give it a try. Ask for 360-degree feedbackand use it.This is feedback (peoples views of you) from everyone around you staff, volunteers, Board, participants, people from other organizations or groupsyours works with anyone you work with in any way. As with listening, if you hear the same thing from a lot of different sources, its probably true. cultivate on it. All the feedback in the world wont do you any good unless you do something with it. Look a t whats going on around you.Are you the center of controversy and chaos? Or do calm and good feeling seem to reside wherever you do? The chances are that the answer lies somewhere in between these extremes, but it probably should be closer to the calm and good feeling side. in time if youre involved in a battle with the forces of evil, you can sustain calm in yourself and those you work with. At the same time, your group could be on top of the world, and you and your colleagues could still be climbing the walls if thats the kind of atmosphere you create. Reach out for help in facing internal challenges.Most of us find it difficult to change entirely on our own. A psychotherapist, a good friend, a perceptive colleague, or a trusted clergyman might be able to help you gain perspective on issues that you find hard to face. Many people find meditation or some form of self-discovery helpful in understanding themselves and in getting through change. Dont feel you have to do it all on y our own.CHALLENGES STEMMING FROM THE NATURE OF THE LEADERSHIP ROLEA leadership position brings with it unique demands. Leaders can be looked on as authority figures, as saviors, as fixers of things that are broken, as spiritual guides, as mentors, as models, as inspirers, as teachersin short, they may be seen however others choose to see them. This in itself carries a set of challenges, in addition to those posed by what all leaders indeed have to do in order to keep things going. Some of the issues that leaders have to cope with specifically because theyre leaders are * charge an fondness on, and communicating, the vision. As the guardian of a groups vision, its up to the leader to remind everyone of what that vision is, to keep it in mind in everything the group or organization does, to protect it from funders or others who would try to change itand to make sure It does change, if necessary, with changes in circumstances, the needs of the target population, or the procurable in formation. That means not beingdistracted from the bigger picture by day-to-day issues (even as those issues are addressed and resolved).It also means not substituting another, lesser goal (getting enough funding to start a specific program, for instance) that may be contrary to the true vision of the organization. * Keeping the everyday under control while you continue to pursue the vision. You cant represent the vision without making sure that theres paper in the printer, that you understand the legal implications of an action you plan to take, that people know what theyre supposed to be doing on a given day, that theres enough cash in the bank to flirt payroll, and that theres someone there to answer the phone, to pay the bills, and to look for funding. These arent necessarily all things a leader has to do herself (although there are certainly organizations where thats what happens), but shes responsible for making sure they get done, and that things run swimmingly. No matter h ow transformative she is, no leader can accomplish much if the infrastructure doesnt work.* Setting an example. If you want others in the group to show mutual respect, to work hard, to embrace the vision and mission of the organization, to include everyone in their thinking and decisions, you have to start by doing those things yourself, and behaving in the ways you want others to behave. A leader who yells at people, consults no one, and assumes his word is law will intentionally or unintentionally train everyone else in the group to be the same way. A leader who acts collaboratively and inclusively will create an organization that functions similarly. * Maintaining effectiveness over time. One of the hardest lessons of leadership is that youre never done. No matter how well things go, no matter how successful your group or organization or initiative is unless its aimed at accomplishing a very specific, time-limited goal you have to keep at it forever. yet if you get a bill passe d or manage to get money for your cause included in the state budget, you have to work to maintain your gains. If youre running a community intervention, you have to recruit participants, fine-tune your methods, do community outreach, raise fundsindefinitely. Maintaining effectiveness is a matter both of monitoring what you do and working to improve it, and of keeping up enthusiasm for the work within the group. Its part of the leaders role to maintain his own enthusiasm and drive, and to communicate and transfer them to others.* Avoiding burnout. This is a challenge notonly for leaders, because a burned out leader can affect the workings of a whole organization. Leader burnout is a product of being overwhelmed by the workload, the frustrations, the stress, and the time demands of the position, multiplied by the number of years spent in it. It can reach a point where the leader no longer cares about the vision, the work of the group, or anything but when he can go home. By that po int, the rest of the group is likely to be struggling, feeling rudderless and uncertain. Its crucial that leaders learn to recognize the signs of burnout and depending on where they are in their lives and a number of other factors either find ways to rectify their commitment or leave. possibly even more threatening than burnout is burn-down the loss of passion and intensity that can come with familiarity and long service. You may still care about what youre doing, but the enthusiasm just isnt there anymore.In many ways, this condition may be even harder to deal with than burnout. At least if youre burned out, its obvious if youre burned down, especially if its happened over a long period, neither you nor others may have realized it. * Finding support. Cliches often become cliches because theyre true. It is lone(prenominal) at the top, largely because a good leader tries to make things go smoothly enough that others arent aware of the amount of work shes doing. The leader may h ave no one to share her concerns with, and may have to find her own satisfaction, because others dont recognize the amount and spirit of her contribution.The buck may stop with her, but where then does she unburden herself? As mentioned earlier, leaders are human. They need support and comfort as much as anyone else, and its important that they find it. COPING WITH CHALLENGES STEMMING FROM THE NATURE OF THE LEADERSHIP ROLE So how can you continue to be a leader and also continue to be a functioning human being? There are things you can do to retain both your saneness and your competency. Create mechanisms to revisit your vision.Hold occasional meetings and at-least-yearly retreats to discuss vision and renew commitment. These will serve both to review the vision to see if it still resonates (and to rework it if necessary), and to renew your and others purpose and pursuit of it. Theyll help to remind you of why youre doing this in the first place, give you an opportunity to work on group solidarity, and ideally leave you feeling refreshed and ready to contracton. Share the burden.Surround yourself with good people who share your vision. If you can find others who are competent and committed to whom you can delegate some of the tasks of leadership, it will both remove pressure from you, and make your group stronger. One of the greatest mistakes a leader can make is to be threatened by others abilities. In fact, sharing responsibility with capable people makes all of you more effective, and strengthens your leadership. Having competent people to depend on also means that you can develop systems and know theyll work. Organizational maintenance becomes much easier, and you have more time to devote to the actual pursuit of your vision.Find an individual or group with whom you can discuss the realities of leadership. In many communities, some heads of organizations meet on a regular basis to talk about the difficulties and rewards of their situations with others who authentically understand. Some such arrangement can be a worthful hedge against burnout, and can also help you gain insight into how you function as a leader. It can introduce you to alternative ways of doing things, as well as giving you a chance to vent, and to realize youre not alone. Make sure you have personal time.The founder and director of a prominent think tank once went seven years without a day off including Sunold age. Thats 2,557 straight days of work. (That includes ii leap year days, for those of you doing the math.) Even if that doesnt cause burnout, its not good for your creativity or your understanding of the world. Everything becomes work or link to work the world holds no other reality, and leadership becomes all you do. In order to maintain perspective and to keep yourself fresh, you need to take time away from being a leader, and away from your organization or initiative. Its important to have an activity that gets you away from your daily concerns, and to take days off from time to time. Some people meditate every day, others adjoin music regularly, others participate in sports or fitness activities.Your getaway doesnt have to be an everyday thing, but it should be something you love and look forward to, and it should be frequent and regular. It may be as sincere as taking a walk with your kids for an hour every change surface whatever it is that relaxes your mind and feeds your soul.Rather than detracting from your effectiveness, your time off will make up it. Depending upon how you approach it, leadership can be a hard and lonely road, or an exciting and collaborative trip to a new place. The more, and more useful, strategies you can find to cope with its challenges, the better leader youll be.