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KEY FOUNDATIONAL LEADERSHIP CONCEPTS: A BRIEF INSIGHT INTO EFFICIENT

MANAGEMENT

Key Foundational Leadership Concepts: A Brief Insight into Efficient Management

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KEY FOUNDATIONAL LEADERSHIP CONCEPTS: A BRIEF INSIGHT INTO EFFICIENT

MANAGEMENT

Key Foundational Leadership Concepts: A Brief Insight into Efficient Management

In the corporate world, the operational efficiency highly depends on managers, CEOs,

and those holding any other high level managerial positions. Considering the large

responsibilities borne by these individuals, the need of emphasizing on developing a concrete

organizational structure is constantly increasing in today’s dynamic corporate world. Businesses

now need implementation of new systems, as employees in today’s world are not satisfied with

just timely pay. They also equally demand sufficient work satisfaction, thus imparting substantial

weight to this factor. This paper discusses the application of foundational leadership to achieve a

strong company profile. Key highlights include various actionable insights for corporate

organizations along with their effects on the workforce.

Methodology

Every organization needs a base or a foundation to expand, and often times, a weak base

may lead to a downfall for businesses (Ross, 2006). New CEOs are particularly hired to change

the ways that might be followed by old business. In this way, the CEOs could improve their

understanding of a necessity of building the system in an appropriate manner. This thought leads

to the question – if creating a strong base could be enough to usher in growth for an organization,

where do practical work-based activities stand in this context? The answer to this question

comprises the ways by which a director or a CEO can transform basic building blocks and

streamline the order of work. Genuine leadership is mainly characterized by a single nature, i.e.

being supportive. Leaders can witness growth only by being supportive to their subordinates

(Walters, 11). Thus, the application of foundational leadership theories in a practical way in an

organization is necessary to ensure building a headstrong base for organizational prosperity.

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KEY FOUNDATIONAL LEADERSHIP CONCEPTS: A BRIEF INSIGHT INTO EFFICIENT

MANAGEMENT

The primary method applied to discuss this paper involves considering the example of a

new CEO who has recently been hired to take charge of a medium-sized organization. With its

work keeping the company stable but without any particular noticeable growth curve, the

company stands a chance of becoming obsolete. This is mainly due to the fact that in order to

stay ahead in the competition, it is necessary that a company should compete with its own

progress in addition to other businesses. This is where leadership skills based on building a

strong foundation could come of use.

Discussion

Working towards Skill Building

From a historical perspective, skill building has always proven to be crucial for

developing a keen sense of leadership. Studies have shown an increase in leadership capabilities,

with experts in skill development teaching the relevant knowledge to an audience (Sugiyama,

Cavanagh & van Esch, 2016). And this is where the new CEO needs to start the transformation.

A key way to do this is to involve mediocre-level employees in skill development programs that

can be run in-house. The CEO can also approach specialized vendors who could keep seminars

and instructional events on a regular basis.

Recognizing the Loyal Audience

In partial contrast to the above argument, not every employee or worker needs a skill

upgrade. The methodology example provided for this paper also takes into consideration the

presence of a handful of old, loyal employees, who probably remained with the company for

numerous years. And subjecting these employees to programs that are really meant for the less

experienced ones showcases an authoritarian approach. A highly detailed one-to-one guidance

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KEY FOUNDATIONAL LEADERSHIP CONCEPTS: A BRIEF INSIGHT INTO EFFICIENT

MANAGEMENT

system appointed by the CEO and overall company management is required in this context.

Assuming the loyal members have worked hard during their long tenure in the company, the best

way to ensure their efforts are recognized is to provide them different work options. For

example, some of them can be shifted to offshore locations for a less strenuous and high earning

job description. In case this cannot be facilitated, work from options and flexible work hours

coupled with high-scale promotions is a good path ahead.

Culturally Significant Emotional Connect

Cultural diversity plays a major role in strengthening foundational leadership

opportunities for businesses. In such a diversified scenario, a key method for the new CEO to

lead is via implementing culturally varying management. Banking on emotional connects has

shown to largely influence how employees work. Thus, addressing the emotional needs of

employees plays a large part for appointing appropriate leaders, mainly by making them aware of

the challenges to come (Beatty, 2004). It is here, wherein the understanding of foundational

leadership of the new CEO and management could be tested.

Net-Worth is Network

What really is needed is the CEO to recognize the presence of a diversified population in

the company whose skill-sets vary across a broad spectrum. Cultural diversity could also be

combined with other identity based diversity on the grounds of race, age, gender, ethnicity,

among other parameters. A key factor that ties in such a diversified employee audience is their

networking skills. A broad focus in current times lies on how well a person interacts with others

on a social as well as cultural scale giving rise to network leadership. With effective networking
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KEY FOUNDATIONAL LEADERSHIP CONCEPTS: A BRIEF INSIGHT INTO EFFICIENT

MANAGEMENT

brought in as a supplementary change to a company’s behavior as a whole, the effectiveness can

be measured by the management with high clarity.

Limitations to the Scope of Foundational Leadership

The above described methodology may not be fool-proof every time and numerous

factors come into picture when foundational leadership is relied upon. Thus, these skills might be

assets for a person whose leadership talents involve recognizing the constantly changing

workplace dynamics. However, these skills could also prove to be drawbacks in more than one

way. Fir example, hiring the right kind of employees in the beginning phase, financial resource

expenses, and willingness of employees towards adaptation are key areas of concern. Despite

these restraints, CEOs and other managerial staff start thinking radically, adapting to emerging

workplace trends could present the least path of resistance.

Conclusion

Ever changing workplace needs a shift in management, especially if its growth is not

occurring as per projections. This shift is needed the most when new management is appointed,

be it in the form of CEO, a Lead, or even a board of directors. Implementing foundational

leadership could turn the tide of events for businesses in such cases. Skill-building,

understanding the requirements of new as well as old employees, encouraging networking, and

building a strong emotional impact are core concepts in this leadership domain. It solely rests on

the CEO’s arms to incorporate such changes and take a risk towards making a difference in the

way work is handled.

Works Cited
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KEY FOUNDATIONAL LEADERSHIP CONCEPTS: A BRIEF INSIGHT INTO EFFICIENT

MANAGEMENT

Brenda R. Beatty & Christine R. Brew (2004) Trusting relationships and emotional

epistemologies: a foundational leadership issue, School Leadership & Management,

24:3, 329-356, DOI: 10.1080/1363243042000266954

Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Weill, David Robertson, (2006) Enterprise Architecture as Strategy:

Creating a Foundation for Business. Retrieved from: Google Books

Sugiyama, K., Cavanagh, K., & van Esch, C. (2016). Inclusive leadership development:

Drawing from pedagogies of women’s and general leadership development programs.

Journal of Management Education, 40(3), 253–292, doi: 10.1177/1052562916632553.

Walters, J. D. (2000). The Art of Supportive Leadership: A Practical Guide for People in

Positions. Retrieved from: Google Books