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Leadership will never cease changing in a developing work environment. It will always be changing to accommodate the best way to influence an organization. Too often a society sees examples of organizations failing because they simplify do not want to change with the time. Blockbuster, Blackberry, and Kodak are popular examples. Sull writing for the Harvard Business Review (2014) says it best, “The problem is not an inability to take action but an inability to take appropriate action” (para. 3). So often do leaders in organizations have the ability to act, but fail to do so. I believe a primary reason for this, is failure to implement a level of leadership in every aspect of the organization. When I say implement leaders at all levels, I do not mean how organizations hire individuals and place them in positions where their job description is to oversee an area. No, when I say this, I mean how an organization needs a system that will focus on developing that individual into bettering themselves and the organization, with the addition of fitting into a system where all the leaders are connected and driven towards the organizational mission. Only then will an organization be able to reach its full potential and be flexible enough to change in a changing environment. Like a snowflake, no two organizations are exactly the same. Ranging from complicated elements such as structure or work environment to the individual workers in the organization. However, no matter how flat or tall, task or relationship, autocratic or democratic, one thing is still needed. That is the need to have a wide variety of leaders at every level. There is much research on the different styles of leadership. The two broad topics would include trait and behavior theories while the other topic would include contingency theories. I believe that contingency theories play a more active role in keeping the organization evolving. Schmitz (2012) reinforces this by stating, “In general, effective leaders do not fit solely into one style in any of the following classifications. Instead, they are able to adapt their leadership style to fit the relational and situational context” (para. 16). Allow me to list some of the benefits of having leaders that can adjust to the situation in every level of the organization. The first benefit comes in the form of better moral and drive. This is a result from matching similar traits from followers to leaders. McCallum (2013) reveres this idea by stating, “It stands to reason that if leadership is important to performance, followership must have something to do with it too” (para. 2). Followers will relate to leaders more if they share common beliefs and ideologies. In order for this to occur, the leader must first have been in the position of the follower. The Bible says, “Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.” (Mark 10:43-44, New International Version). Having a leader that can relate to their followers will earn their respect and trust. As a result leaders will have more influence over their followers and followers will work harder for their leader. The drive that is created from this relationship will boost productivity and lead to exploiting more opportunities for the organization. This will help eliminate organizations from stalling out and eventually crashing into the ground. A leader that demonstrates this quality would be, Wal-Mart’s Doug McMillion. McMillion is now the President and CEO of Wal-Mart stores. According to Wal-mart.com (2016), “Doug is a longtime champion of Wal-Mart’s customers, its associates and the company’s culture” (para. 4). Doug is in good company of individuals who have worked their way into the position they now hold. Doug’s career started with Wal-Mart when he was 19. As he grew with the company and worked several different positions, he was able to understand the different aspects of Wal-Mart stores. Coming up through Wal-Mart in this manner commands the respect of all Wal-Mart employees. Doug’s understanding of various employee jobs not only helped him into the position his is in today, but also gains followership so that he can effectively lead. Another benefit to having leadership scattered across all levels of an organization is diversity. Some leaders can be drastically different from other leaders. A leader in the customer service department is likely to have a relationship-oriented behavior while a leader in a finance department will likely have more task-oriented behavior. Although they are opposite from one another, each posses it own strengths and weaknesses. The customer service department has the ability to maintain and gain clients, while the finance one is able to tell customer service department what the optimal number of clients is. However, without customer service, there would be no purpose for the finance department to exist. When leaders across all levels of an organization have the ability to come together and pool their resources and expertise into a team they will be able to use their strengths to cover other departments weaknesses. Having different perspectives on a given problem will lead to more creative solutions for that problem. Being well versed with multiple types of leadership styles will help their organization save time and capital that could be used for the betterment of the organization. General Electric (GE) is a prime example for applying leadership at all levels. A company that has a diverse portfolio of products of this magnitude can easily involve all levels of leadership styles. GE understands the notion that leadership styles will always change in the future. The article, To Invent Future Leaders, General Electric Redefines Tough Love, has this to say about leadership styles at GE, “We are constantly seeking new ways to develop leaders. If the world now needs a new kind of leader, GE will invent it” (para. 24). This ideology is exactly what organizations need to adopt. Leadership will never be categorized it is always changing. This stresses the importance of why fostering leadership growth at all levels will help the organization succeed. Recapping, organizations face the permanent problem on how to handle leadership effectively. The work environment is always changing, and as a result leadership is always changing with it. The better the organization is at managing leadership within the organization, the better they will perform in the market place. Being able to diversify leadership as well as winning the hearts of followers is instrumental in this prevalent problem. Li (2016) sums the idea of this article, “For an organization to be run efficiently and effectively, good leadership must exist at all levels” (para. 1). Organizations that can find ways of doing this will find themselves at the front of the pack. Sources: Doug McMillon - President and CEO, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (2016). Retrieved September 08, 2016, from http://corporate.walmart.com/our-story/leadership/executive-management/doug-mcmillon/ Li, A. (2016). Leadership and How It Affects the Effectiveness of an Organization. Retrieved September 08, 2016, from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/leadership-affects-effectiveness-organization-33429.html Mark. (2011). In The Holy Bible, New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. McCallum, J. S. (2013, September/October). Ivey Business Journal. Retrieved September 08, 2016, from http://iveybusinessjournal.com/publication/followership-the-other-side-of-leadership/ Schmitz, A. (2012, December 29). Chapter 14 Leadership, Roles, and Problem Solving in Groups. Retrieved September 07, 2016, from http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/a-primer-on-communication-studies/s14-leadership-roles-and-problem-s.html Sull, D. (2014, July/August). Why Good Companies Go Bad. Retrieved September 06, 2016, from https://hbr.org/1999/07/why-good-companies-go-bad TO INVENT FUTURE LEADERS, GENERAL ELECTRIC REDEFINES TOUGH LOVE. (2010, April 1). Retrieved September 08, 2016, from http://www.smu.edu.sg/perspectives/2012/06/26/invent-future-leaders-general-electric-redefines-tough-love
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