Improving Leadership Skills Essay -- Organizational Development, Team

Analytical Paper When seeking to improve leadership skills it is important to become immersed in concepts that foster an environment conducive to high performance teams. Two of these concepts have been discussed in length: Conflict Resolution and Team Building. This essay will discuss the importance of these ideas as they relate to leadership and what aspiring leaders can learn. Second, which of the topic readings create the â€Å"best† model for effective leadership within an organization? Lastly, what impact can be expected on the organization if these ideas are not implemented? All of these are relevant questions that those who aspire to be great leaders must answer. There a several areas of concern when discussing the traits of leadership. One of these areas relates directly to conflict. Every organization will experience conflict. It is up to leaders to resolve conflict that may affect organizations negatively. In doing so there are several approaches to consider in order to insure practical resolution; accommodation, avoidance collaboration, competition, and compromise. Of these options collaboration is cited as having the most benefit to the organization. A leader pursuing resolution through collaboration displays traits that can be identified as qualities associated with effective leadership per the BarOn Emotional Quotient Inventory (BarOn EQ~i), confronting problem employees and building and mending relationships (Wilcox & Rush, 2004, p. 8). Obviously problem employees can create conflict as seen in Dealing with Conflict by Masters and Albright. Dealing with this problem in a collaborative manner communicates the importance of the relatio nship between leadership and the individual with whom the conflict arose. In addition... ...ve to good organizational citizenship (Bolino & Turnley, August 2003, p. 4) Teams who fear conflict will waste time posturing for individual self interest and create greater conflict through â€Å"back-channel† attacks and politics (Lencioni, p. 615). In conclusion, aspiring leaders will find that conflict resolution and effective team building are important factors in building a successful organization. There are important lessons to be learned in the readings Dealing with Conflict and The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. The best model for organizational leadership would have to go to the later by default for lack of a clear outline in the former, but that does not take away from its importance. If any lesson is to be learned it is that very relevant questions can be answered from these examples and to ignore them would be detrimental to an organization and its leader.