Rethinking the 21st Century Leadership Skills
By S. Gumbe,
Department of Business studies, Faculty of Commerce
University of Zimbabwe.
An essential part of management is the coordination of the activities of people and guiding their efforts towards the goals and objectives of the organisation. This involves the process of leadership and the choice of an appropriate form of action and behaviour. Leadership is a central feature of organisational performance. The manager must understand the nature of leadership influence, factors which determine relationships with other people and the effectiveness of the leadership. The 21st Century leaders must create an atmosphere in which people believe in strategy, management decisions and their work. Once people believe in management decisions, there is an excitement within the organisation. Today, leadership is increasingly associated not with command and control but with the concept of inspiration of getting along with other people and creating a mission with which others can identify.