APPLYING LEADERSHIP THEORIES AT THE WORKPLACE

To a great extent, leadership theories have helped form and shape the kind of governance that exists today. Many aspects of these theories can be applied to help one improve his or her leadership skills.

1. Maximise Your Strengths

As proposed by the Trait Theory, effective leadership depends on the traits that one possesses. Leaders should strive to concentrate on their strengths rather than their weaknesses. The strengths vary from one leader to another and may include:

• A strong will is crucial to staying resilient and seeing leaders through difficult times. No matter how challenging the situation may be, a strong-willed leader is able to find inner strength and carry on until he overcomes all challenges.

• A decisive nature is another strength that some leaders possess. Decisiveness means that when others may be perplexed, a leader can calmly assess the situation and choose one action to unite everyone by. But, since they may not always make the right decisions, they must also be willing to learn from their mistakes.

2. Be Inclusive Leaders

However, some of the more complex situational theories emphasise concentrates on people. It means that they acknowledge individual people to be their greatest assets and not just mere numbers in their workforce. Being an inclusive leader requires that one constantly involves other people in their leadership, whether it be by always welcoming the feedback of others or delegating more responsibility to others than other forms of leadership.