Leadership and Planning

What is it about?

This chapter begins by establishing the need for effective leadership. Next, it sets the framework for understanding leadership. Despite its popularity and our daily encounter with it, many people lack a clear understanding of the word, while other view leadership and management as words that are interchangeable. To clarify the differences between the two words, we define leadership using Rost's (1993) definition. Then we present the differences between leadership and management. The concepts of leadership and vision are explored. We provide anecdotes of visionary leadership to bolster our discussion. We next present the concept of planning and its relationship to leadership particularly with respect to organizational performance. We list the steps in the planning process and offer SWOT and SMART activities. A brief overview of the main effects of planning on workplace leadership performance is presented, followed by a more detailed description of the relevance of planning as a measureable aspect for specific key leadership behavior in organizations, namely vision, problem solving, driving and implementing change, and succession planning.

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Why is it important?

Effective leadership is necessary for creating sustainability in organizations. It allows executives to execute their vision and strategies in fast-paced turbulent environments. By doing so, effective leaders can outmaneuver their competitors, increase market share, and ensure the delivery of quality goods and services in highly competitive business markets. Leaders who have a vision and strategic plan accordingly create organizational relevance and sustainability. Simply maintaining the status-quo is an untenable, unsustainable proposition for leaders and their organizations.