Example Of Essay On Effective Leadership Essay

There are magnitudes of leaders in varied endeavors globally in contemporary times. From the sheer magnanimity of volume, only a few leaders rise above the rest. One of the most popular is Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the leader of the Catholic Church and the Supreme Pontiff, more commonly known as Pope Francis. News reports have disclosed that Pope Francis exhibits leadership traits and style that counter traditional practices of popes before him. As such, the current discourse aims to examine and explore Pope Francis’ leadership style and approaches, as well as an explanation on how Pope Francis’ effectiveness is deemed to be determined by the following factors: communication competencies, predisposition for leadership communication, use of strategic communication objectives, and use of power bases.

Leadership Style and Approaches

Explanation on How the Leader's Effectiveness is Determined
The effectiveness of a leader was deemed to be determined according to the following determinants: communication competencies, predisposition for leadership communication, use of strategic communication objectives, and use of power bases . As such, the effectiveness of Pope Francis as a leader would be examined more closely through each of the determinants of leadership effectiveness.

•Communication competencies

Pope Francis was born in Argentina. His native language is Spanish and speaks other languages such as “Italian, Portuguese, French, German, Ukrainian and Piedmontese (a language spoken in the Piedmont, an area in northern Italy). Of course Pope Francis is also conversant in Latin- the official language of the Holy See” . Thus, it could be deduced that Pope Francis is not proficient in speaking English, the universal language. In this aspect, his communication competencies could be perceived as effective from the perspectives of Spanish-speaking constituents, but partially ineffective for constituents that do not speak any of the languages he is highly proficient in.

•Predispositions for leadership communication

The factors that were noted as exemplified by effective leaders include predispositions for leadership communication, where elements of competencies and process understanding, trust, and liking themselves as well as others, as the manifested characteristics . In this particular facet, Pope Francis is evaluated as conforming to exhibiting these attributes. He was reported to assert that “great businesspeople spend time in the field getting to know their clients. And, great managers decentralize decision making by avoiding micromanagement and trusting their employees to get the job done in the field” . By these statements, it could be deduced that Pope Francis directly goes out of his way from the confines of the church to different locations where he believes he is needed. From there, he exercises interpersonal communication skills by regular interaction with people to understand their needs and to find ways to address these.

•Use of strategic communication objectives

As the leader of the Catholic faith, Pope Francis governs with clearly set objectives; including strategic communication objectives. For instance, since it is known that he is not so proficient in English, when he has to prepare a speech using English, much preparation is undertaken to ensure that his message is delivered in the most effective manner. Likewise, if there is a message that he thinks he could deliver with greater effectiveness using his native language; yet, the audience would not understand it, he ensures that there is an official interpreter to make the message understood. These techniques affirm the use of vision-setting tactics since targets or goals are explicitly defined and appropriate strategies are developed in terms of using communication modes to ensure that the objectives are reached .

•Use of power bases

The use of power bases requires understanding the five bases of power: legitimate, reward, coercive, referent, and expert . Obviously, Pope Francis assumes legitimate power through his assumption of the papacy. Using this power, he effectively applies theological doctrines in governing the entire Catholic patrons. Likewise, he also exudes referent and expert powers with years of experience as a priest and eventually as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, in conjunction with innate charisma and appeal to influence people in leading a Christian life.

•Contributing behavioral factors

Pope Francis evidently affirmed his innate ability and skills of applying the preferred leadership style. As revealed, “by choosing the name Francis after St. Francis of Assisi, the Pope revealed his intention to promote simplicity, the protection of the poor, humility, and most importantly, the rebuilding of the Church. Pope Francis has already actively demonstrated this intention by celebrating mass in a prison, choosing not to live in the opulent papal palace, and making clear his intention to act in a decisive manner with regards to the corruption and sexual abuse that has recently plagued Catholic priests and the Vatican” . Therefore, the behavioral factors that are exuded by Pope Francis are aligned with his leadership style and the communication strategies to affirm effectiveness in this realm.

Conclusion

The current discourse affirmed the effectiveness of Pope Francis as one of the most famous leaders of contemporary times. Through expounding on his servant leadership style and approaches, as well as an in-depth explanation on how Pope Francis’ effectiveness is determined by the determinants of leadership effectiveness, the world affirms how his style, behavior, and communication strategies contribute and influence others into attaining their respective purpose and goals in life: to live a better and rewarding Christian life.

References

Which languages does Pope Francis speak? (2013). Retrieved February 12, 2015, from Vatican.com: http://vatican.com/questions/67/which-languages-does-pope-francis-speak
Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership. (n.d.). What is Servant Leadership? Retrieved February 12, 2015, from greenleaf.org: https://greenleaf.org/what-is-servant-leadership/
Macedonio, S. (2014). Leadership in the Papacy: Pope Francis I, The Servant Leader. Retrieved February 12, 2015, from Leadership Institute at Harvard College: http://harvardleadershipmag.org/leadership-in-the-papacy-pope-francis-i-the-servant-leader/
Rubenfire, A. (2014, August 14). Four Leadership Lessons From the Pope. Retrieved February 12, 2015, from The Wall Street Journal: http://blogs.wsj.com/atwork/2014/08/14/four-leadership-lessons-from-the-pope/
Shockley-Zalabak, P. (2015). Fundamentals of Organizational Communication. Pearson.