Leadership and Team-working Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Leadership and Team-working - Essay Example After all the leader is only an individual with limited capacity and it would be an exaggeration to credit to him or her all the performance of a team. Yukl however mentioned that â€Å"it [would be] helpful to examine the collective process that determine team performance. Leaders can improve team performance by influencing these processes in a positive way† (Yukl, 2013 pg 361) and having said this, the definition has acknowledged that the efficacy of a leader is dependent on his or her ability to engage the members of the team collectively and make it function as a team. Directing the team towards a common goal requires the members to be motivated by the leader. The definition given was inadequate because it does not provide the method to motivate team member to be directed towards a common goal. This leadership motivation includes visioning, expressing confidence in the team and celebrating progress. It is also important to involve team members in making decisions to affirm that they belong to the team. Managerial functions is also a necessary part of leadership such as selecting competent team members and coaching/training them to be able to perform well. An effective leader must also identify the obstructions for effective team working and be able to break down these barriers. These barriers could be miscommunication and factionalism that could divide the team and render it nonfunctional. Parker and Stone provided an answer on how these obstructions be overcome by highlighting the importance of communication and relationships between team members and calls for the effective interpersonal skill for the leader to overcome obstructions of effective team working (Parker and Stone, 2002). The classic case that can be cited on how a leader has effectively improved a team performance is the legendary Steve Jobs, Apple’s co-founder. During the absence of Steve Jobs, Apple was nearing bankruptcy but when he took over the company,