«The Skills of a Leader» - Free Essay Paper

Group cohesiveness refers to the forces that act on members to remain in a group and it provides the union that sticks the group together (http://www.pitt.edu/~groups/kabindex.html). Group cohesiveness is important since it allows extensive communication within the group, creates positive interactions within the group because the members of the groups are friendlier to each other. It also makes it easier for the group to achieve its goals since the members of the group have a sense of belonging and can recommend the group to others. Therefore, the promotion of group cohesiveness is important.

Promotion of group cohesiveness can be achieved through enhancing the value of working as a group, by creating awareness of the group positives and benefits, making the group more satisfying to members through activities that satisfy the needs and wants of individual members and making the group more prestigious for every member to feel a rise in status. In addition, engaging in numerous interaction activities that encourage togetherness and acquaintance amongst group members also promotes group cohesiveness. An activity that can enhance group cohesiveness can be that which involves members of the group introducing themselves to 4 other people, and telling them three things about themselves, and then the group members try to remember what they learned about others.

Consequently, decision making is an important task in the leadership of a group. Wren (1995) identifies various factors that affect a leader`s decision making process. They include; the time required in making the decision, the quality and rationality of the decision and the acceptance and commitment of the subordinates to implement the decision effectively. A leader can decide to make aristocratic decisions when there is a need to save on time and the goal of the group or organization, especially where there are competing individual needs and goals. On the other hand, a leader can engage group members in coming up with decisions when they will play a critical role in its implementation. Group decisions are easily accepted and implemented by subordinates effectively and with a lot of commitment.

Emotional intelligence is another attribute that is vital in leadership. It refers to the ability of the leaders to comprehend and manage their emotions and those around them. Goleman (1995) found that effective leaders are famed by a high measure of emotional intelligence that includes self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skill. This attribute is important because it offers leaders an array of skills and proficiency in managing relationships, steering social networks, influencing and inspiring others.