COMMUNICATION FOR LEADERS

Communication for Leaders



Communication for Leaders

Introduction

Communication is a very important management tool which can be used to solve all the problems of the world if carried out effectively. Even leaders who are strongly committed to improve environmental quality cannot impose it upon people who do not understand or appreciate its importance. Conversely, even the most reluctant of political leaders cannot fail to improve environmental quality when their people demand it. Communication through interpersonal, group, mass media etc. is at the heart of these processes. People take decisions for change once they have been motivated and empowered by the information they have internalized and found relevant to themselves and their interest (Leary, 1986).

It is evident that environmental leadership cannot achieve its objective without communicating effectively with its inhabitants. Special target group for Ghana National Environmental Action Plan include: households, schools, social organizations, citizens, economic sectors like industries, consumers, agriculture, transport and related socio-economic organ as the employers organization. These target groups must also cooperate to seek for solution to environmental problems and implementation.

Discussion and Analysis

Leadership and communication are often considered two necessary influences on group cohesiveness and functioning. No matter the nature of the group, these two factors will typically have an effect on the group's success. It is important to exhibit effective communication and leadership styles in any type of group in order to maximize performance. In order to improve these skills, one must identify relevant factors. This study will examine whether altering the type of task, specifically behavioral, cognitive, and affective, is a factor that has a significant effect on leadership and communication within a small group.

Although groups can thrive without a leader, effective leadership tends to enhance group effectiveness. Leadership can be demonstrated by either one single facilitative figure, or by individual members taking charge when past experience and expertise is relevant to the task at hand. The emergence of leadership in a group motivates members to engage in collective thinking and work towards one collective goal (Kaiser, 2007). According to Kaiser, leadership effectiveness corresponds with the performance of the team and is a group occurrence rather than an individual effort. Riggio, Riggio, Salinas, and Cole (2003) explored the role of social and emotional communication skills in leader emergence and effectiveness. They found that leaders who displayed more developed communication skills were viewed by their peers as more effective. Such skills include the ability to ...