Leadership in Human Relations What

Leadership in Human Relations

What are the key leadership skills that today's Human Resource professionals need in order to function seamlessly and effectively? Among the leadership skills reviewed in this paper are motivational skills, the ability to inspire, political skills and the ability to lead people as the company adapts to change in an economic downturn.

What is a leader? According to Leslie L. Kossoff, internationally respected executive advisor specializing in corporate turn-around, there is a big difference between a "manager" and a "leader" (Kossoff, 2010). Management is a career, Kossoff explains and leadership "is a calling." More specifically, leadership doesn't require charisma or "that special something" but what it does require are "clearly defined convictions" and the "courage of your convictions" to see your goals and convictions transformed into reality.

Employees need leadership from someone they can trust, Kossoff explains, and from someone who is working for "the greater good." When the organization a leader is working with transcends "…all previous quality, productivity, innovation and revenue achievements," that is a sure sign of solid leadership.

Managers and business owners in Singapore believe skills and competencies that make a good leader include the ability to motivate and inspire, among other qualities. An article in the journal Research and Practice in Human Resource Management reports on the results of two surveys with managers and business owners in Singapore. The respondents were 61 employers from "a broad cross section" of organizations in Singapore. The bulk of the participants (70%) were between 26 and 45 years of age and 80% had management positions. About 65% held HRM positions.

The respondents were asked to complete a questionnaire with six main parts. The first part queried participants as to "expected and experienced" leadership in their workplace, and the second part asked respondents to specify their preference as to gender in leadership. The third part tested the "level of leadership satisfaction" and the fourth section invited the respondents to comment on "…a variety of leadership behaviors." The fifth section asked participants to score leadership performance based on their experiences, and the final section "evaluated leadership competency" (Choo, 2007, p. 105).

The results of this research showed that, first of all, respondents believe there are "significant gaps" in leadership skills in their workplaces. Those gaps included "motivating, inspiring and acknowledging" the contributions of staff members (Choo, p. 106). In other words, managers and business owners in this survey believe that the ability to motivate people is an important leadership skill. So too are the skills of inspiring people who work with you or for you, and acknowledging accomplishments of others -- a simple pat on the back occasionally -- are good leadership skills. Over half of the respondents indicated that their supervisors "…were not good role models and…lacked vision and creativity" (Choo. p. 106).

In the meantime, the results showed a "reasonable consensus" that the top five leadership qualities are: a) ethics and integrity; b) being accountable; c) showing confidence; d) communication; and e) dedication (Choo. p. 106).

It is vital for a leader in the HR field to have political skills. According to Blass, et al., writing in Human Resources Management, the best way to acquire political skills, is through the mentoring process. The inexperienced individual who has a desire to become a leader in the HR field must have a mentor who is "…armed with organizational experience" that is borne of "vicarious and firsthand experience" and is willing to share "insights and cues with proteges on what it takes to be successful in the organization" (Blass, et al., 2007, p. 6). Mentors must be able to have an "adaptive capacity" to teach the political skills necessary to lead, Blass continues.

Politically skilled individuals generally possess "greater adaptive capacity," Blass continues, which can result in "positive and strong leader reputation" (p. 6). Moreover, Blass argues that individuals with well-honed political skills gain "influence" because they are socially astute, have learned adaptability, and adjust behaviors "to meet situational demands" (p. 11).