Leadership and Ethics

Abstract Although managers need leadership qualities in order to effectively complete their tasks, it is imperative to understand the difference between a manager and a leader. Management is a function in which directives are carried out and executed during the day to day activities of the business, while leaders innovate, and bring forth ideas envisioned that many would discount as possibilities. A leader must understand their role and the effect they have on others. Failure to understand the extinct a leader has on his/her organization and the operations of the company may cause turbulence and discontent in their subordinates. When this understanding is breached, resistance, mistrust, and defiance receive an open invitation. It is easier to maintain trust and a fruitious relationship between a leader and his/her followers than it is to earn it back. Introduction With the rise of the knowledge worker, “one does not ‘manage’ people,” Mr. Drucker wrote. “The task is to lead people. And the goal is to make productive the specific strengths and knowledge of every individual” (Murray, A., date unknown). Employees contributing on decisions made will improve their efficiency due to their knowledge of their field, their execution, and their informed abilities to complete the tasks. In order to nurture the innovations and knowledge employees have, allowing them to assist in the decision making process will not only improve the culture of the organization, but also improve efficiency, boost employee morale, and make decisions base on those affected by them, the employee. The question is, how do you create employee empowerment, when management resists on the idea? How should the leader deal with the situation? In order to offer a resolution to the issue at hand, the leader must understand his role as a leader. A leader is any person who influences individuals and groups within an organization, helps them in establishing goals, and guides them toward achieving

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