ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP 1
OrganizationalLeadership
College
The Program has been favored by manystudents undertaking a broad range of courses. The program combinesthe disciplines of business, sociology, and psychology. Students haveenrolled the organizational leadership program for several reasons.First, the course lecturers have flexible office hours which allowstudents to make frequent consultations. The tutors are also laudedfor providing high-quality, personalized instruction to the students.Also, the course has various concepts which can be used by studentsas they transition into corporate life.
In particular, military veterans have preferred the organizationalleadership program for a number of reasons. For example, the programallows for flexibility since classes can be held in the daytime,evening, or during the weekend. Consequently, military veterans havea wide array of time slots from which they can select their preferredsegment. Online courses are also offered for those that are eitherhousebound or live in far-flung areas. Military veterans also likethe program due to its blend of disciplines. The OrganizationalLeadership Program offers a blend of business understanding andpeople understanding. Therefore, it provides military veterans with aplatform through which they can gain expertise in both fields using asimultaneous approach.
Furthermore, military veterans choose the program since it allowsthem to enhance their leadership skills. The military structure issynonymous with order and rank. Obedience to hierarchical levels ofmilitary command is paramount. However, it is common for suchobedience to become mechanical and coercive. Leaders in the militarysetting may grow to view leadership as a manifestation of power.Therefore, military veterans could learn plenty of insightfulpointers from studying the program. The Program demonstrates the importance of considering other people indecision-making. The program educates military veterans on the impactof people in leadership. It also teaches military veterans socialskills that may have been difficult for them to nurture while incombat. For these reasons, military veterans have preferably selectedthe Program.
The program has served to affirm the fact that leadership skills canbe taught to others. Leadership involves charting a course whichothers can imitate and follow. Providing an example worthy ofimitation forms the basis for the existence of leadership. Theemergence of willing followers contributes to success in leadership(Riggio, Chaleff, & Lipman-Blumen, 2008). Schools of leadershipcustomarily invite guest speakers to give talks and also presentlectures to students. Such speakers are usually leaders in business,environmental, or political circles. Students feel motivated to reachout for more success and accept more responsibility. They are alsoinspired to formulate new techniques and approaches as they solveemerging problems. Developing such a mindset contributes to thelearning of leadership skills.
The phenomenon of apprenticeship also proves that leadership can betaught. An apprentice is tasked with observing the actions of themaster. After extended periods of practice, an apprentice is ready topractice the skills and apply the knowledge gained during theapprenticeship. Also, many organizations develop a pool of candidateswho undergo leadership training. In some instances, some employeesmay be required to shadow others for a time so as to learn.Succession planning helps to cater for situations where leadershippositions may need to be filled. During such cases, the trainees thatdisplayed higher aptitude are preferentially selected as leaders.Such cases prove that leadership can be taught.
Fordham’s Program fits conclusively toconcepts in Riggio and Sternberg. For example, the program teachesleadership through the courses of entrepreneurship, organizationalcommunication, and mediation. It also imbibes leadership qualitiesassociated with human resource management and emotional intelligence.Entrepreneurship is concerned with developing business ideas andexploring them so as to realize profits (Riggio, Murphy, &Pirozzolo, 2001). An entrepreneur is a leader in that he manages hisresources without supervision. Organizational communication isanother important facet of leadership. Competent communication skillsenable a leader to relay instructions and interpret feedback (Riggio& Feldman, 2005). Providing vague instructions contributes topoor leadership since the direction to be followed is unclear.
Also, providing leadership may require the aspect of mediationbetween two or more parties. For example, contractual breaches areusually mended through the efforts of arbitrators. A mediator needsto understand the circumstances of both parties so as to cause anamicable resolution (Riggio & Orr, 2004). He also needs to showleadership by appealing to the needs of both parties. Human resourcemanagement involves considering the labor resources of anorganization so as to maintain high levels of productivity (Riggio,2003). Therefore, a leader is required to evaluate the work done bythe available workforce to as to determine if additional resourcesare required. It may also be essential to evaluate the psychology ofworkers so as to avoid burnout (Riggio, 2003).
A capable leader also needs to cultivate emotional intelligence so asto have the insight required to adapt to varying situations thatarise in the workplace. Emotional intelligence requires a leader tobe balanced and reasonable (Riggio & Tan, 2014). Externalsituations should not be allowed to influence the exercise ofleadership in a company. In this manner, Fordham’s OrganizationalLeadership Program teaches concepts that are covered in Riggio.
References
Riggio, R. E., Chaleff, I., & Lipman-Blumen, J. (2008). Theart of followership: How great followers create great leaders andorganizations. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Riggio, R. E. & Feldman, R. S. (2005). Applications ofnonverbal communication. Mahwah, N.J.: L. Erlbaum AssociatePublishers.
Riggio, R. E. (2003). Introduction to industrial/organizationalpsychology. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall.
Riggio, R. E., Murphy, S. E., & Pirozzolo, F. J. (2001). Multipleintelligences and leadership. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence ErlbaumAssociates.
Riggio, R. E. & Orr, S. S. (2004). Improving leadership innonprofit organizations. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Riggio, R. E. & Tan, S. J. (2014). Leader interpersonal andinfluence skills: The soft skills of leadership. New York:Routledge.