1. Why is leadership important?

5 marks -300-500words

2. Do you agree that people are born leaders? -5 marks- 300-500words

3. What are the top ten qualities or skills that leaders must possess? 5 marks– 500 words

4. What are top two reasons that you think that would lead to a failure of leadership? – 300 –
500 words -5 marks

Q. 1

1. Changemakers

The function of leadership is changing. Previously, leaders were viewed as bosses or managers
who adhere to the reward and punishment system. However, they are increasingly viewed as
agents of change inside an organisation or team. They are selfless individuals who use
intuitiveness, analytics, and other skills to align themselves with the most recent market trends
that align with the organization's goals and objectives and bring innovation to business
processes and the tasks performed by the workforce in order to reduce monotony and infuse
creativity.

2. target-oriented

According to experts, leaders are the link between employers and employees. In addition, they
believe that good leadership builds a personal connection with employees in order to establish a
goal or target that vicariously meets the goals and expectations of the workforce and the
organisation. It drives and encourages individuals to accomplish organisational objectives with
minimal resources.

Conflict resolution

Though executives may not be the most powerful members of an organisation, they are skilled
at resolving disputes between various business stakeholders. Since they have an in-depth
understanding of the individual and cognition, which enables them to comprehend the
standpoint of others and generate viable solutions quickly.

4. Promotes a favorable work environment. To retain staff, many businesses use smart and
effective communicators as leaders. The primary reason is that competent and skilled leaders
foster a favorable work environment, which increases employee job satisfaction and motivation.

5. Contributes to organisational growth

Role models are regarded to drive organizational growth and development in every corporate
context. They possess the necessary skill sets that boost the productivity and effectiveness of
numerous business processes, hence stimulating the growth and development of the firm. The
increasing significance of adaptive leadership models has prompted corporate organisations to
hire leaders with a wide range of skills that provide a competitive edge and boost business
efficiency and production. Now that you are cognizant of the reasons why the incorporation of
leadership in a company is essential, let's examine the many functions that leaders perform
within a company.

Q. 2
A leader is an individual who leads or commands a
group, organization, or country. This means that a leader is someone who influences a
group of people to work toward a common objective.
To become a leader, one must possess various qualities, as it takes more than just one
specific quality to become a leader. There are various such qualities, from being
empathetic and understanding of different individuals to coming up with creative
solutions for a problem, having Vision, Inspiration, Strategic & Critical Thinking, Interpersonal
Communication, Authenticity & Self-Awareness, Open-Mindedness & Creativity, Flexibility,
Responsibility & Dependability. Most individuals possess additional attributes that are a part of
leadership qualities yet don’t have enough to become one. Not all of these qualities and
acquired before, most of them are learned by experience or via books. And that can bring one to
the question: Can there be born leaders?
For some individuals, these leadership traits are inherent, whereas, for others, it’s a
feature that is acquired. Leadership qualities being passed due to one’s genetics have
been backed by various studies, ending the debate of whether inheriting such attributes
is possible. As a matter of fact, according to these studies, it has been found that
leadership is only 30% genetic, and 70% is learned. Leadership qualities can be
‘learned’ in many ways. It can actually be studied in classes, where the qualities are
recognized and encouraged, or can even be taught through life experiences.
Even the process of studying these qualities is not simple. David Rosch, a professor at
the University of Illinois (the university that conducted the research regarding the role of
genetics in the making of a leader) stated that teaching leadership was like a three-
legged stool—being ready, willing, and able.
I believe that leaders are made and not born. Yes, I agree that some individuals
possess a few of the qualities it takes to become a leader from birth. However, I do not
believe that possessing these qualities alone is enough. One needs to hone them and
make proper use of them. For example, if an individual was given a brilliant pencil that
writes beautifully, but they don’t use it simply because they did not sharpen it, the ability
of the pencil matters no more and is now less useful than your ordinary pencil.

Q. 3
1. People Management Skills: A leader often has to deal with demotivation and conflicts among
people. This requires one to manage people with emotional intelligence and know their team
members professionally while also keeping their personal circumstances in mind.
Understanding the different values and beliefs shared by people, a leader also has to do their
best in giving feedback and helping the team members in becoming more efficient.

2. Communication Skills: Effective leaders often possess good communication skills, including
verbal, written, and listening skills. As a team leader, one is the communication bridge between
upper-level management and frontline employees. An empathetic and positive attitude proves
very helpful in creating a healthy, work-friendly environment and ensuring that individuals feel
valued.

3. Technical and Conceptual Know-how

Technical and conceptual know-how is a crucial skill for a leader to possess. Technical skills can
often be developed through job training, work experience, and formal education. Conceptual
skills or domain knowledge go a long way in increasing the quality and efficiency of the
decisions a leader makes. They give one the ability to analyze complex situations within their
domain.

4. Encouraging action and innovation

Good leaders mentor and encourage their team members to become more effective performers
and think innovatively. Giving employees tasks that are challenging enough while also
preventing burnouts, help a build confidence and facilitate further growth.

5. Self-awareness and Personal Development

Good leaders also focus on developing themselves in terms of their emotional intelligence,
domain knowledge, and other skills. They must also be open to resilient, adaptive, and open to
feedback from others.

6. Time Management Skills

Leaders often face many tasks and demands in their work. Having a good sense of time and
managing it optimally while making provisions for interruptions is a crucial skill for leaders to
have. A leader or a manager must be able to prioritize, delegate, eliminate tasks as required
while also ensuring quality of work.

7. Directing and Oversight

Directing is one of the most important skills where a leader has to take charge, guide and
instruct members to achieve organizational goals. Oversight includes supervision of staff, quality
assurance, and dealing with areas of concern. A leader must also oversee the facilitation of
improvements.

8. Civic-mindedness
A good leader considers the ethical consequences of the decisions they make for both their
customers and teams. Although sometimes leaders are required to act according to the situation
and the organisation's objectives, they must always keep in mind their community's needs.
9. Diagnostic analytical and Decision-making skills
A good leader must have good diagnostic and analytical skills. These skills can help one identify
the best possible approaches to a problem or situation. They can also be utilized in visualizing
the outcomes of these approaches. Decision making skills help a leader make judgements
about various alternative courses of actions and choose the best process to achieve a goal.

10. Cultural Sensitivity

Successful leaders are respectable of cultural differences among people and are always
considerate of them while making decisions. They also make for effective communicators since
they understand how cultural differences can manifest in the behaviour and thoughts of different
people.

Q. 4
1.Inefficient communication abilities
The ability to communicate effectively is the essential component of a productive team.
Therefore, the way in which a leader communicates has a tremendous influence on the efforts
of their followers. It is impossible for a group of people to comprehend what is expected of them
by their leader unless there is communication that is both clear and constant. It is essential to
the effective operation of the team to have individual conversations with team members as well
as group conversations with the members of the team in order to inform them about goals and
changes and to explain the purpose and vision. There are a number of factors that might lead to
ineffective communication, including a lack of responsibility or a decline in face-to-face
encounters as a direct result of technological advances. Nevertheless, a failure in
communication on the part of the leader can have extremely negative repercussions regardless
of the reason why the failure occurred. It frequently results in values and attitudes that are at
odds with one another between the leader and the followers, as well as overall conflict and
turmoil. This not only leads to mistrust in the leader among the members of the group, but it also
has a negative impact on their ability to accomplish their goals and on the organisation as a
whole. Communication that is counterproductive not only frequently brings about more hazards,
but it can also occasionally be even more destructive.

2.A lack of awareness regarding feedback

The inability to accept ownership and criticism, either by ignoring them or by refusing to accept
to agree with or strive towards them, is a primary factor that contributes to the failure of
leadership. Problems cannot be handled if a leader solely points the finger of blame at other
people or outside forces and is always looking for an escape hatch. When this occurs, feedback
may play an extremely important part since it can assist a leader in determining where things
may be going wrong and provide them with the opportunity to improve and redeem themselves.
However, when faced with challenges of this nature, a leader must frequently choose to reject
any criticism or constructive feedback they may receive from peers or subordinates. This can be
disastrous for a leader's reputation because it gives followers the impression that the leader
does not value or respect their opinions highly enough to take into account what it is that they
might have to say. Additionally, it gives the impression that the leader is immature and boastful
in general. Because of this, the leadership role is ultimately unsuccessful.
 REFERENCES

● University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental

Sciences (ACES). "Are leaders born or made? New study shows how
leadership
develops." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 6 October 2014.
<www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141006133228.htm>.
● https://www.ccl.org/articles/leading-effectively-articles/characteristics-good-leader
/