Resistance is often the first response for an individual or employee when it comes to change, especially if such employee is comfortable working in
In this writer’s opinion, the concept of change is often difficult for many individuals to embrace.
In her opinion, resistance is often the first response for an individual or employee when it comes to change, especially if such employee is comfortable working in the culture that they have become accustomed to.
It is critical that an individual in a leadership position lead by example in building cultures of integrity and ethical behavior (Congress et al., 2017).
An individual in a leadership position is essentially an agent of change and needs to have the ability to enable their organization to design a way forward with principles and values that encourage employees to tap into their creative side and ultimately be successful (Congress et al., 2017).
For a leader of change to be affective, they must realize that companies are the most effective when they are run by ideas and decisions of multiple employees, not by a hierarchy (Steve Jobs, n.d).
A good leader trusts their employees to come through with what they need to do without watching them and micromanaging them all of the time (Steve Jobs, n.d).
At this time, this writer does not work in the human service setting. However, her goal is to do so. This writer is well aware that an effective change leader leads by example in building cultures of integrity and ethical behavior (Congress et al., 2017).
A leader must possess certain traits in order to be effective within their agency as well as with clients and in the community.
According to Congress et al (2017), an Effective Change Leader must be credible, honest, humble, competent, forward-looking, courageous, inspirational, and energetic. In this writer’s opinion, all six of these traits are incredibly important.
However, when this writer begins her career in the field the first trait that she hopes that her service manager will have is honesty. One central aspect of honesty is the ability to communicate in an honest manner with one’s staff and clients as well as the community (Congress et al., 2017).
In her opinion, she herself would definitely lose respect and trust if she were to find out that her manager is dis-honest or withholding information.
In her opinion, when dealing with the health and welfare of clients, and the community as a whole, honesty is crucial. This writer believes that a successful leader will be honest with their staff, clients, and community regarding all aspects of their agencies state of affairs as well as their mission.
An effective leader must keep everyone abreast of what is going on within the organization, including the good and the bad. Leaders who cover all sides are much more appreciated than leaders who conceal information that could easily be communicated (Arcement, 2015).
In addition, according to Rappeport & Wolvin (2020), leaders who effectively communicate meaning draw on past experience, present opportunities, scenarios of the future, fundamental values, and cultural traditions to articulate inspiring visions of their organization’s future.
In this writer’s opinion, a good leader must also be credible and have the ability to listen to their employees, their clients, stakeholders and the community (Congress et al., 2017).
Only through listening to all of these individuals can a leader know how their vision should best be framed and implemented Rappeport & Wolvin (2020).
In this writer’s opinion, it is crucial for a leader to not only listen, but actually care and consider the issues and ideas of their employees.
Employees want to be led by those who genuinely care about who they are and what they represent to the team and organization at large (Llopis, 2013).
In this writer’s opinion, in many cases employees are reprimanded or spoken to regarding issues that they may have mishandled or things that they may not have done well, but rarely hear anything when they have done something well or gone above and beyond.
In her opinion, recognizing, acknowledging, and possibly rewarding an employee when they have done well goes a long way. When working in the field this writer hopes that her leader will be energetic.
Being energetic means fostering collaboration as well as celebrating successes (Congress et al., 2017). Celebrating success goes beyond one single employee being recognized.
According to Bence (2022), when a success is celebrated, everyone is reminded that their ability to reach one specific goal indicates just how close they are to achieving even greater goals.
In addition, employees who feel appreciated and know their efforts have been noticed become even more productive with the next round of projects.
REFERENCES
Arcement B. (2015). Why honesty and ethics are the two most powerful leadership traits. https://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/how-to/growth-strategies/2015/09/honesty-and-ethics-most-powerful-traits.html
Bence, B. (2022). The top ten reasons why leaders should celebrate wins. https://www.reliableplant.com/Read/22191/reasons-leaders-celebrate
Congress, E., Luks, A., Petit, F. (2017). Nonprofit Management: A Social Justice Approach. https://eds-s-ebscohost-com.postu.idm.oclc.org/eds/ebookviewer/ebook?sid=83c9c537-2592-4ea8-91e6-f2efe410f6d5%40redis&ppid=pp_35&vid=0&format=EB
Llopis, G. (2013). Six Ways Effective Listening Can Make You A Better Leader. https://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2013/05/20/6-effective-ways-listening-can-make-you-a-better-leader/?sh=2143aff71756
Rappeport, A., Wolvin, A. (2020). Listening Leadership: An Academic Perspective. Journal of the Association for Communication Administration Volume 39,(2), 43-49.
Steve Jobs. n.d. (2010). Steve Jobs talks about managing people. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f60dheI4ARg
