Motivational Leadership

Introduction

The purpose of a leader in an organization is to get the needed results. However, the leader cannot get results by him/her own self but needs other to do it. In addition, the most effective way to make other people to get results is not by commanding them but motivating people. Many leaders may misconstrue motivation and application of motivation thus failing to motivate the followers to attain the organizational goals. Motivational leadership involves understanding what will move people to perform effectively. A good leader is self-motivated to attain certain objectives and able to motivate others (Ferrell et al., 2007).

Summary

Motivation is influenced by the leadership style. Throughout an individual’s lifetime, his or her motivation is influenced by changing ambitions and leadership style he or she operates or works under. Command and control in the work place drains off an employee’s ambition whereas employee responsibility boosts ambition. Motivated employees are more productive, they perform their duties with enthusiasm and with utmost good will (Baldoni, 2005). It is the responsibility of the leaders in management to give the employees that environment to be motivated.

 

Analysis

            The three articles compare and contrast in a number of ways. They all suggest that whether a leader is in charge of a government facility, learning institution or a business, his or her behavior has a direct impact on productivity, employee satisfaction, performance, and turnover. Thus, a motivational leader must possess certain traits in order to encourage his followers. These are, first, a motivational leader must have relevant knowledge and skills. This comes from preparation in the responsibilities of organizational duty. The leader should be able to evaluate the progress of the institutions in accomplishing its objectives and take any necessary changes. Second, the leader must have effective communication skills; he or she can convey ideas in the best way possible without sounding vague. Thirdly, confidence, a motivational leader should be secure enough to have a lower need to command and thus he is able to encourage autonomy, empowerment and participation of employees in decision making. Fourthly, a motivational leader should be committed. The mere formulation of objectives does not reflect leadership that motivates. A leader should translate the significance of an objective to others and elicit actions from others involved in the process of attaining the objective. Other qualities include; energy, professional practice, insight into needs of other and ability to take necessary action to attain goals significant to others.

The three articles contradict in that: The first article explains that sociological issues influence motivation. The workplace environment by itself can be a motivating factor. The need to be respected, in addition to that of having a sense of belonging in certain groups, leads to self-affiliation and boosts self-esteem. This certainly motivates employees as they work in a safe place where they can realize their full ability, dreams or ambitions (Ferrell, Hirt & Ferrell, 2007).

The second article suggests on physical needs like fatigue, stress and biological factors as a factors to be in motivation of employees. Physical needs can support or hinder an individual’s ability to achieve a certain objective. Employees may be reluctant to take up activities that cause stress or may become ineffective in their performance. A motivational leader should evaluate whether the working conditions allow employees to satisfy basic human needs i.e. clothing, hunger and shelter. The negligence of these needs will lead to decline in the quality of performance and morale and eventually resignation of staff. A good leader should be aware of any problem arising and empower them to an actual intervention. Jeffrey Swartz explains that the institution shows the apex innovation in Corporate Social Responsibility by integrating social justice into its business model.

The third article stresses on the expectancy value theory. This theory explains that individuals will go for character that has the highest combination of expected results and value. A motivational leader can apply this concept by evaluating what is essential to a particular individual and devising a way by which that person can attain their own personal ambitions while fulfilling the leader’s objectives. Michael Dell says that it makes a great business sense for the management to commit in establishing environmentally sustainable products both for the customers and for the employees as well. For this theory to fulfill it purpose, one’s perception of the following matters: his value for the objective, his or her own mental or physical capability to meet a specific goal, the likelihood of the objective to be fully realized, the cost, and the risk involved in terms of esteem or safety (Ferrell et al., 2007).

Application

            For an organization to be able to attract and retain employees, it must devise and instill work performance, innovative and spontaneous behavior into the employees. Motivation is the foundation for human behavior. With the current model of business, maintaining a creative, productive and committed workforce is very important. The hallmark of leadership is the ability to motivate others to develop and attain specific objectives and a sense of personal gratification and accomplishment. For an organization to adopt a self-motivating environment it must have an organizational design that incorporates committed and productive employees and the leaders too must act like key heads and act as expected of them, they should set the pace and lead by example (Beinoff, 2006).

Works Cited

Baldoni, John. Great motivation secrets of great leaders. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Professional. 2005.

Benioff, Merc, & Adler, Carlyle. The business of changing the world: twenty great leaders on strategic corporate philanthropy. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Professional. 2006.

Ferrell, O. C., Hirt, Geoffrey A., & Ferrell, Linda. Business: A Changing World. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Professional. 2007