Organizational leadership roles require a skilled individual who can take charge and guide the overall direction of their group toward success. Before learning more about what skills make a great leader, let’s learn about what organizational leadership actually is.
What is Organizational Leadership?
In simple terms, organizational leadership is a management style that directs an entire team toward fulfilling an organization’s overall goals.
CEOs, military generals, team coaches, and department heads are examples of leaders who must engage and motivate their organizations to achieve collective goals while establishing a positive and welcoming environment.
More than just managers delegating tasks or supervising a team, organizational leaders communicate the overall mission of their organization, establish a strategy to achieve that mission, and motivate their teams to fulfill their goals to the best of their abilities.
Let’s take a look at the organizational leadership skills that all great leaders should possess.
Request infoClear Communication
Clear communication is a vital skill for organizational leaders to master. As a leader, you’re responsible for clearly defining your organization’s objectives and goals and the complex strategies required for achieving them. Leaders need to be adept in all forms of communication, from one-to-one conversations with employees to email correspondence to chats over the phone or webcam.
Think of organizational leaders as the captains of their ship – without clear communication with the crew, the ship is likely to run aground.
Leaders can encourage open and transparent communication with their teams by establishing an open-door policy where employees can feel free to step into the leader’s office whenever they need to ask a question, discuss concerns, or speak about anything.
Influence
Organizational leaders at every level need to know how to influence their team to do their best work every day. Influence is a powerful skill that leaders can wield in more ways than one. As well as motivating their employees, leaders can use their influence to get everyone on board with a new company policy or initiative.
Influence goes beyond simple motivation. Every team member has their own unique motivation for being there—some show up for a paycheck while others want to advance their career or learn new skills—so motivating them isn’t enough. The power of influence shows a team why their efforts are important, so they feel a sense of ownership and pride about their work.
Great leaders can enhance their influence skills by first building a relationship of trust with their employees.
Problem Solving
Organizational leaders need to solve a diverse range of problems quickly and effectively. No matter how finely tuned, every strategy will eventually run into issues that an organizational leader will need to address.
Leaders must stay cool under pressure and not let the stress of making these decisions paralyze them into inaction. As organizational leaders, it’s their responsibility to assess the issues and strategize possible solutions for them. Because these decisions are likely to have long-term effects, leaders should be comfortable solving problems with the entire organization in mind and crafting beneficial solutions.
Great leaders get the credit for solving complex problems, but they should also be willing to accept the blame when things go wrong. Organizational leaders can lead by example by accepting blame with grace and showing their employees how to turn an unfortunate moment into a learning experience.
Becoming a Better Organizational Leader
Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi once said, “Leaders aren’t born, they are made. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal which is worthwhile.”
Experience leading is possibly the best way to learn how to be a leader, but not everyone has the opportunity or time to hone their leadership skills in the field. We’re here to help.
At The Chicago School, a degree in Organizational Leadership prepares graduates to serve as leaders and managers in their chosen fields while understanding and showing sensitivity to diverse populations and appreciating the importance of ethics, education, research, and policy-making.
Students in Chicago, Anaheim, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Dallas are earning Ph.D.’s in Organizational Leadership to become visionary leaders in organizations worldwide.
Designed for working professionals, the online Master’s in Organizational Leadership program prepares students to effectively apply the psychological theories of leadership to a constantly evolving business climate.
To learn more about The Chicago’s School Organizational Leadership programs, fill out the form.