I have been involved with many employment opportunities, and I often feel that most employers don't really know how to lead or lack the values needed to lead. This can diminish their businesses or organizations because they are not treating their employees with the moral consideration that every employee deserves. When businesses or organizations face a stalemate, the association with good leadership must be acknowledged despite the various external factors that we cannot control. The internal factors, however, can be controlled, and among these factors, leadership is one of them. Thus, good leadership becomes the bedrock of any business or organization, and without it, the path ahead may be filled with dread and doom.
For example, I was once part of a tuition centre located at Bedok Reservoir, and throughout my period of employment there, which was about six months, I saw a lot of tutors come and go because of poor leadership, which could be attributed to the lack of respect toward employees and the culture of such a workplace. Leadership influences the culture of a workplace, allowing any form of positivity or negativity to take place, and that directly affects employee performance. Let's be frank — nobody wants to work in an environment that is constantly hostile because that would make an individual lose the morale and dedication needed to fulfil their tasks. The same applies when employers scale down their operations to cut costs, which can lead to dissatisfaction among existing workers who have to juggle extra responsibilities on top of their existing ones.
What do you think good leadership looks like? There are two words that I feel should be inculcated in future leaders — respect and accountability. Respect is necessary when it comes to establishing vision and communication with employees. Leaders are not there to control their workers but to make them feel important — to make them feel that they are part of something bigger. To do so, leaders need to acknowledge and reward those who have gone above and beyond for the company.
Accountability is equally necessary, and leaders need to have a good eye for this. Leaders must examine their workers and cut off those who do not contribute to the company. Responsibility is given to all employees, but often only some are capable of putting in the effort. Leaders must carefully and cautiously examine the steps taken by employees in contributing to the business or organization. Those who do not contribute at all should be removed from the organization or business, as they can be seen as a detriment rather than a contribution to the overall objectives.
With this understanding, employees can bring about positive results as they strive to do their best, knowing that they are rewarded for their efforts and are willing to break boundaries when their innovations are shared and implemented. A company can only triumph if the people within that company are triumphant which involves the need to be inspired, to be judged with respect and dignity as well as understanding accountability. Leadership is not about control but rather about growing the individual because the individual in an organisation or company plays a pivotal role – like a cog or a spring of a watch – and with that, performance and profit will come naturally.