Leadership.

Now, as perhaps never be fore, there is a growing awareness the success and profitability of organizations are directly dependent on the effective use of human resources. The real test of your ability as a leader and supervisor is how skilled you are in establishing and maintaining human organizations.

Leadership is a responsibility that must be practiced full-time. Each minute must be spent wisely, and this is not easy. Because it involves the complexities and eccentricities of people, leadership almost defies description and understanding. Along the same line, it is still virtually impossible to identify with certainty, the specific causal factors that determine leadership success at a specific time and place. This is because real-life situations are in a constant state of change, with many factors or variables in place at the same time.

While leadership and management are often thought of as one and the same, there is an important distinction between them. Leadership is a broader, more encompassing process. Management is a special kind of leadership in which the achievement of organizational goals is of most importance. The primary difference between the two concepts originates with the word organization. Leadership manifests itself any-time you try to influence the behavior of an individual or group, regardless of the reason. It may be for your own goals or for those of others, and the goals may or may not agree with organizational goals.

To lead effectively and dynamically, you must possess three competencies:

1. The skill of diagnosing--being able to understand the situation you are trying to influence.

2. The skill of adapting--being able to adjust or fit your behavior and your other resources to meet the contingencies of the situation.

3. The skill of communicating clearly--being able to communicate in a way people can easily understand and accept.

Components Of Effective Leadership

Supervisors should be familiar with the latest information and advice concerning motivation and leadership. To benefit the most, you should place emphasis on those procedures best fitting your situation and the conditions under which you carry out your supervisor's responsibilities.

Here are the most significant ones:

* Concentrate on the most important parts of your job. One of these concerns how you respond to forces and events outside your control: unexpected equipment break-downs, labor problems, govern-mental regulations and the like. Although your attention to these matters is necessary, handling them successfully gains you only a reputation for competence.