What is Organizational Leadership and Why is it Important to Study It?

Every year, thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs establish new businesses with the hope of earning unlimited income in the following years. Unfortunately, according to Small Business Facts, only half of businesses survive during the first five years. The important question here is – why do businesses fail?

If entrepreneurs were willing to strip away all the excuses, explanations, and justifications for their businesses’ failures, and be really sincere in their assessments, they could uncover one plausible reason – lack of solid organizational leadership.

Why Organizational Leadership is Important in Business

The wings of a business don’t flap about themselves, but must be geared up by the leadership. Lack of organizational leadership can nullify even the soundest of organizations. Therefore, the importance of organizational leadership cannot be underestimated. 

Crash Course in Quality Leadership:

• Objectives & Strategies: Strong leadership comes from those who have both goals and the strategies to achieve them, as well as the ability to clearly communicate both to their teams.
  • Remember: Reasonable/incremental goals, clearly stated expectations, and a clearly defined plan can get you far. 
     
• Company Culture & Morale: Culture starts at the top. This means that employees will follow the example given to them by leadership. When management is out of touch, overly controlling, or quick to criticize and slow to praise, employees will not feel motivated. When management empathizes with and understands employees' perspectives, trusts and empowers employees in their work, and rewards excellence, employees are more willing to go above and beyond.
  • Remember: Management may determine goals, but employees are the ones who actually perform the legwork needed to reach them. Treat your employees well or they will leave (and they'll tell everyone in their network why).
     
• Confidence & Self-Esteem: Leaders are constructive, not destructive. Ask anyone who's had a boss gradually break down their confidence--it doesn't feel good and it makes every single workday a source of dread. Take the time and make the effort to build up your teams' confidence and help them learn new skills--it helps them grow professionally and demonstrates your leadership skills.
  • Remember: Employees are people, not minions. They work best when they feel confident, respected, and supported.
     
• Teamwork & Collaboration: A great leader collects a team of talented experts, gives them a goal, and ensures they have everything they need to achieve it. Team spirit is no joke--particularly with people you spend 40+ hours a week with. Leadership unifies individual efforts, effectively generating teamwork and collaboration. 
  • Remember: Each member of your team makes a valuable contribution. Without every piece of the puzzle, the vision can't be realized. 
     
• Respectful Discipline: As a leader, there will be varying levels of disciplinary actions required. The key is to always approach such discussions with respect. Your employee is not a child, nor are they less-than-human. Establish reasonable expectations and approach failures or mistakes with respect and grace. Ask them what went wrong calmly, and try to work together to develop realistic solutions to ensure the issue is not recurring.
  • Remember: Accidents happen--even to working adults. Treat your employees with respect even when things aren't great, and they will never forget you or your management style. 
     
• Accountability & Representation: A great leader is someone who takes accountability when a mistake has been made by the team. A great leader is someone who champions the team after a victory. Your job is to support their work, defend their integrity, celebrate their wins, and guard their interests.
  • Remember: As a leader, you're not really "in the game." You are the coach: you represent the team, provide guidance, and help them reach goals.

Organizational leadership is the fulcrum on which the needs of the employees and the requirements of the organization are balanced. In other words, leadership is the engine fueling the other parts of the vehicle to move forward.

Importance of Studying Organizational Leadership

Today’s business world is quite different from the workplace of the past due to cultural shifts, changing power dynamics, and the need for more flexibility in workplaces and styles. These days, business is conducted in a wide range of environments and time frames, powered by advanced technologies and social collaboration tools.

What does this mean for entrepreneurs? Well, it means that adequately trained and skilled leaders with a background in organizational leadership will be crucial to propelling their businesses to greater heights of success. Such individuals are capable of staying abreast with the latest breakthroughs, while simultaneously supervising employees who interact with and access work materials from different locations. Therefore, studying organizational leadership is very crucial if you want to qualify for and sustain a leadership position.

How A Business Degree Helps You Acquire Organizational Leadership Skills

Do you think you have the critical skills (objectives, strategies) as well as the soft skills (respect, collaboration) required to be a great organizational leader? As the business world changes and evolves, many academic programs have started to offer a business degree in organizational leadership. Most of these programs allow for distance learning, which provides the convenience and flexibility that online learning has to offer. Most organizational learning degree programs feature a condensed timeline for completion--that means you could complete the degree much quicker than a traditional educational program.

Acquiring a business degree could equip you with the skills that you need to become an effective leader. Earning the degree could open a world of opportunities, including:

• Industries beyond the traditional "business" role
• Ability to function in small-scale, corporate, or global economies
• Impart entrepreneurial skills which could come in handy someday

Are You Ready to Study Organizational Leadership Today?

Whether you’re looking to qualify for leadership position, get a promotion, or shake things up completely with a fresh start, a business degree through ECPI University could help you achieve your goals.

Interested in acquiring a degree in organizational leadership? If you want to earn a Bachelor of Science Degree in Organizational Leadership with a Concentration in Leadership, contact one of our friendly admissions counselors today to get started.

It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

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For more information about ECPI University or any of our programs click here: http://www.ecpi.edu/.