Can you imagine a successful business without a leader. Have you ever heard of one? It seems inconceivable that any organization can achieve success without someone directing the organization toward its goals. Leadership, or the lack of leadership, is one of the most important indicators of an organizations future success.



Organizational change or innovation does not just happen. In fact it is much more difficult for an organization to innovate without effective leadership. The employees who are being expected to change their methods (ie. leave their comfort zone) will have an easier time adapting if they see a strong leader showing them the way. Employees must have faith that their leader will guide them through the transition.

The Role of Leadership

As an employee in an organization, you may have noticed how important it is to have faith in your leaders. The leaders are supposed to be the personification of the ideals of the organization. The employees look up to the leaders as examples of how they should work. Actually, organizations need someone to be responsible enough to lead the rest. Without this leadership the collective efforts of the organization to achieve its goals would be futile.

When all is said and done, it all comes down to whether the employees trust that leaders in the future will support them as they embark on their endeavors. Will the leaders work to improve work relationships? Will the leaders work to strengthen the confidence of their employees? Will the leaders be prepared to “go to the mattresses” with their troops? These factors will determine whether a would be leader is trusted by their followers. Without trust would be leader will not effectively lead the organization

The Impact of Poor Leadership

Many organizations suffer from either poor leadership or complete lack of leadership. The result is that the organization is not as successful as it could be. This lack of leadership may be at the top of the organization, however, often times it lies hidden in lower levels of the organization. For example, the business might be lead by a strong charismatic leader. That leader could expertly chart the company's path toward the successful achievement of its strategic goals. On the surface everything would appear to be in order. Consider though the plight of an employee in that organization who is managed by an ineffective lower-level leader. This employee may be encouraged by the actions and example set by the leaders at the top of the organization, however, they may not trust the actions of their immediate manager. Lack of trust of lower level could spread and effectively undermine the leadership effectiveness of the strong charismatic leader. The ultimate success of the organization would be less than optimal because although the organization enjoyed strategic leadership, that leadership didn't permeate the business operations.

Feeble leadership would only result to the deficiency of hope which might probably go on for too long and in turn would lead to the organizations inevitable decline.

Conclusion

Leadership is a key component in successful organizations. Effective leaders can help their followers and organizations achieve goals that they never though possible. Conversely, lack of leadership, or ineffective leadership, can devastate an organization. Consider you own leadership ability. You do not need the highest level person in your organization to be a leader. You just need to commit yourself to developing and practicing your leadership skills.