Is leadership and motivation necessary in a business? Why are leadership and motivation necessary in a business in which people are paid for their work?
Managers should be able to provide meaningful guidance and advice for employees. If needed, managers should be able to show employees how to perform their job tasks more efficiently and effectively. Managers should also be able to provide the support that employees need to grow and develop.
Good leaders motivate employees to work hard and meet organizational needs through one means or another. Some leaders may inspire employees to work hard, while other managers may cause employees to fear the consequences of not working hard. Both methods work to drive motivation and one may work better than the other depending on the manager’s specific style and the culture of the organization.
It is critical that leaders initiate action by planning out who will perform what tasks, when the tasks will be completed, and by what means the tasks will be accomplished. Without a clearly defined plan to complete business goals and good communication between managers and relevant parties, an organization will fail no matter how strong the other aspects of managerial leadership are. Managers should be able to initiate fast action to utilize human resources to complete business needs.
Good leaders drive employee productivity by building confidence in employees and creating a positive environment that is conducive to productivity. When employees feel stressed or distracted, job performance and job satisfaction suffer. When managers build morale, it can help to improve retention, increase employee job satisfaction, and may favorably impact the bottom line.
One of the most important things that every manager must do in order to be effective is to align employee needs and organizational needs. Employee talents, interests, and scheduling needs can all either benefit or detract from an organization, depending on how well a manager works to align these things with organizational needs and goals. The best managers will find a way to effectively align each employee’s needs and talents with the organization’s goals.
It is possible for leaders to delegate too much and it is possible for leaders to delegate too little. Strong leaders know what to delegate and what to handle so that the organization is as productive as possible. Adequate delegation is also necessary for maintaining employee satisfaction, as employees may take advantage of a manager that delegates too little and resent a manager that delegates too much.