Most organizations have a leader who directs the mission and vision of the members. The members give their trust to the leaders, and in turn, it provides the leader the power to motivate everyone to work towards a single goal. Organizations truly need a leader. However, we should also ask, what makes a leader a leader?
In a social group, where each member exerts an effort in achieving a goal. It requires interpersonal communication that encourages the formation of trust in the aspirations of the chosen leader (Gruman et al., 2017). For example, a ship suddenly encounters big waves in the middle of the ocean due to an unpredictable underwater disturbance. The crew members will immediately report, meet with the captain, and discuss their course of action to prevent the ship from sinking. The captain shall decide on what to do next based on their consensus, and every crew follows his directives as accurately as possible. This is the secret in conquering the enormous ocean waves that could have engulfed every ship that has passed such natural disasters.
After we have understood the definition of leadership, we shall now try to dissect the reasons that make a leader a leader: his communication skills. One of the essential skills of a leader is excellent interpersonal communication, both verbally and non-verbally. In addition, a leader is a leader if he can influence the members through his voice. This is the bread and butter of the organization as conflicts may not happen, or these can be resolved quickly through proper conversations, leading to the group’s success.
We should understand that there must always be two-way communication. Meaning, there is a message, sender, channel, and receiver. After receiving the message, the recipient shall respond to the other side and become the second sender. Therefore, any interruptions in this model’s elements shall result from poor communication, leading to conflicts (Gruman et al., 2017).
Communication is not just about sending a message but also about conveying a strong or impactful message, and this can be done through several strategies. First, the leader can amplify values by illustrating their philosophies consistent with that of their members (Gruman et al., 2017). It shows that the leader values the members’ values, and his actions are not just for personal gain.
Second, the leaders can utilize rhetorical devices in explaining a complex concept. Examples of this are similes, metaphors, analogies, and stories that clarify the situation (Gruman et al., 2017). Through this strategy, the members could easily place themselves on a different shoe, giving importance to other aspects that were blinded on their side initially.
Lastly, the leaders can mention several known people who side with their opinion. The audience often wants to know who has the same opinion and tends to mimic or agree with the opinion of many. Therefore, this technique makes the leader influential. However, one must be careful in using this and understand the appropriate circumstances, for it may be the root of biases.
These are just some techniques that a leader could use to become a true leader who his members can hear. A leader cannot be followed when the members are deaf from what they should hear. Members cannot decide with the leader without seeing the light in a dark situation. Therefore, in asking what makes a leader, the answer is his persuasive communication skills.
Reference:
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2017). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE.
Hi, I agree with the importance of interpersonal communication in achieving a goal. If a person wants to achieve a certain goal, then certain steps should be made. Interpersonal communication is the communication between two or more people. To expand on your idea of interpersonal communication, there are many skills that are presented like active listening, decision making, problem solving, verbal and nonverbal communication in which are needed in a group. A leader has a great impact on a group and the decisions made in a group. To become a leader there are many skills that a leader needs. You stated that a leader must value the team members, utilize rhetorical devices, and mention opinions for other members to feel comfortable sharing. I agree with you with the importance of these techniques in every group. For example, a group project of mine, one member stated his opinion first which helped other students open and be able to figure out the project.
Not only are the techniques important in group projects, but I would also like to expand on that and state the importance of communication skills and groupthink. The way that we communicate is the way that we are successfully accomplishing the task or project. To complete these tasks, there are communication skills that are needed. One communication skill that is important is active listening. Being able to listen to classmates and seeing their opinions helps develop comfort between members in which their opinions are being heard. Active listening also helps in reducing stereotypes and biases that many develop before starting a group project. According to the textbook, “when these biases operate, we short-circuit our search for information and instead rely on our assumptions to fill in the missing information” (Gruman, 256). Another communication skill that is important is unselfishness. A leader would help the group have a head start and help them develop ideas and opinions. A leader would need to be unselfish to have the group succeed and doing things for the group that sometimes might not be comfortable.
“The most significant of the topics examined in sports teams are team cohesion, communication patterns, team confidence, and group goal setting” (Gruman, 132). Another part that is important in group work is team cohesion in which the team stay united and continue to work on their group. Another topic that is important is team confidence in which the confidence of the teammates of one another helps keep the goal set and organized. As well as having communication patterns like having messages being delivered and received in a proper and organized way between members of the group. The performances of a group are affected by the communication between one another. For example, if one person has an attitude with the other members, then he or she might not be liked. These techniques are all important to help a group succeed and reach their goals.
References: Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2017). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE.