Perception and Its Impact on Leadership Effectiveness

This article discusses the importance of perception in leadership effectiveness and how it can be improved. It explores different leadership styles and their effects on employee motivation and performance. The article emphasizes the need for leaders to have a wide perspective and to understand their followers' needs and expectations in order to achieve organizational goals.

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Running Head: ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR AND DESIGN
Leadership Perception

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Introduction
In general sense, perception is to gain knowledge by making use of the senses. It differs
from person to person. For a leader, perception is to know the people with whom they work to
realize the defined organizational objectives. It holds vital importance to understand the way
people are going to behave in a respective organizational climate. Perception helps in analyzing
human behavior and to perk up relationships with the people working under the same company
(Maciariello, 2014).
The perception duly impacts on leadership effectiveness as it helps to get to know the
requirements of the people linked with the organization. Leadership effectiveness can be attained
by understanding the way leaders perceive its member’s performance and presentation towards
the tasks assigned to them. If things go on smoothly, the relationship would turn out to be strong
and hopeful as well. At the same time, the leader should also see to it that the followers
experience positive response as and when the leader asks for something to do. If followers are
pleased, they are going to contribute more towards making leadership more effective and
successful. If there is correct perception, it is sure that the areas lacking could be determined and
steps could be taken to manage and tackle it accordingly (Seijts, 2006).
Perception related to Leadership Effectiveness
The title says “For leaders, perception matters”. Leader and follower relationship are
based on the way both perceive each other in order to make a move forward. But, the most
important thing is that the perception should be unbiased, and then only, the resultants obtained
would be proper and up to the mark. If the leader acts in good faith, the followers would also
respond accordingly. In all, it will benefit the organization by making it perform its tasks and
activities in the most likely manner (McGarry, 2017).
In the words of Otara, 2011, the perception formed by leaders, managers and the workers
contribute a lot towards the construction of such a climate that fosters a worker’s efficiency and
effectiveness. At the same time, it is not an easy task to perceive the behavior of people working
in an organization as it differs a lot. It can be very well seen that people are more interested in
acting as per their values. In a workplace setting, the employees, as well as the employers, can be
at variance on account of disagreeing perceptions with regards to quantity, quality, and
schedules. There is no doubt that the people do consider that the leadership effectiveness can be
derived by means of successful perception. But, it can go differently from a leader and a follower

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perspective. The response given to a particular situation is primarily based on what to go
through. This is the possible reason that the perception should be correct and based on true facts.
If leader follows right perception, the resultant would be hopeful and promising. The leader has
to develop right intent and that too should be properly communicated to them. With positive
perception, the leader is going to foster diversity and going to promote the workplace ambiance
in the most successful manner (Otara, 2011).
According to Long, Yusof, Kowang, and Heng, (2014), it is very much evident that the
leaders come across choices, contending sets of values and priorities that make up the leaders’
dilemmas. It is important enough to develop trust and empathy from the leader’s part and to have
the potential to make out what is right or wrong. On that basis only, the leader could do well and
going to lay down positive impact on the followers also. There stay great necessity feeling the
relevance of perceived leadership and that can come up by using the aptest leadership style.
Transformational leadership style is the most needed one to bring forth positive changes. It
delivers motivation to the followers and makes the leader have the courage to bring
innovativeness and also to make employees feel satisfied also. There could also be quality
working life in order to make the workplace and the job turns out to be the most positive thing
for the employees. By this, it could be made out that the leader has to go through the most
appropriate leadership style for the sake of receiving the most promising returns. Worker’s job
should also be enriched from time to time in order to make it interesting and stimulating for the
workers. In this manner, perception towards leadership effectiveness could be realized by means
of the most requisite leadership style (Long, Yusof, Kowang & Heng, 2014).
The authors Ahmad, Abbas, Latif, and Rasheed, 2014, discussed the impact of
transformational leadership on employee’s motivation. The concept of Transformational
leadership is encircled by idealized influence, intellectual stimulation, and inspirational
motivation. It can also be figured out that the leaders following this leadership style are going to
connect with an influential vision that induces strong feelings, and that makes them ethical and
honorable hero amid their followers. At the same time, it leads to rising followers’ perception
with regards to tranquil goals and invigorating followers so that they can outshine their own
interest, collective objectives. This has been concerned well with the positive conduct of
employees including duty performance and plentiful actions showing behaviors of organizational
citizenship (Dipboye, 2018).

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The transformational leadership style is the best way to perceive the best out of the leader
and to make him more effective. It is a must to make followers positively impacted and this can
go well by going through the key aspects. It aims more on to get close to the way leader has to be
proficient enough deriving trust and consideration from the follower’s part. This is definitely
going to perk up the individual as well as organizational performance (Ahmad, Abbas, Latif &
Rasheed, 2014).
As per Black, 2015, the qualities of effective leadership could be traced well in the higher
education context. It can also be realized that a leader can be more effective if he belongs to a
higher education context. This instigates more of the behavioral approach, systems thinking, and
transformational leadership style in order to stand competitively at global markets. In this way, it
could be effectively realized that higher education institutions make one a great leader by
developing them with the greatest qualities needed to become a successful leader. Personal
leadership development is a must in order to do well at each possible front (Hellriegel & Slocum,
2008).
Not only, but there could also be a positive impact on the followers that could be more
influenced by the way behaviors, attitudes and morals could also be reflected by their acts. It is a
must to feel the relevance and importance of higher education institutions and the way it could
make leaders more of charismatic and multi-tasking. It would make followers feel positively
influenced and are going to perform their job duties with utmost effectiveness (Black, 2015).
In the words of Copeland, 2014, the 21st century receives wide-ranging, ambiguous and
demoralizing leadership failures. This can be located due to the failure of ethics and morals in
the thinking of the leaders. One can very well perceive that the leaders are no more abiding by
the values and morals and that makes them unfit as a leader. Even, the followers do not notice
them and unable to feel their charisma and potential. It is a must to infuse value-based leadership
just to make leaders feel great and grand in their thinking and actions (Northouse, 2009).
There stays great necessity to perceive leadership effectiveness by means of value-based
leadership. This comes out to be very much indispensable just to draw in the most promising and
favorable returns out of it. At the leader’s part, there has to be an emphasis on three root aspects
such as being ethical, authentic and transformational. All these together are going to draw in a
favorable response from the part of the followers and help leaders maintain a positive aura all
around (Andrews, 2017).

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Value-based leadership is perceived to be the key to leadership effectiveness. If it is
present, the leader would be able to form up a collective effort amid its members. The team
effort can also be maintained and that comes up as the way to grow and excel at an incessant
basis. Leadership effectiveness can be very well gained by means of value-based leadership and
that serve to be the essence for the organization’s growth and progress. Not only this, it would
help in having a motivated and encouraged workforce dedicated towards their role (Copeland,
2014).
In the words of Senge, Hamilton & Kania, 2015, there stays a great necessity for a deep
change so as to move with the progress against the society’s most obdurate problem and that
looks forward to a unique leader type named as the system leader. It is recognized to be the
leader that has the potential to go with collective leadership. There stays great necessity to feel
the actual need and relevance of collective leadership (Sims, 2002).
In today’s scenario, the leader has to be systematic enough and should go with the methodical
approach to resolve the key issues. There has to be far better knowledge and understanding as to
how collective leadership facilitates in reaching the so-called goals and objectives. It is not an
easy task to become a system leader rather it involves some key steps to abide by it (Western,
2007).
The key purpose is to understand the worth of learning on the job premises as it helps in
developing and growing skills and competencies. Engagement of people across boundaries is
also an essential step in order to make system leadership carried out in a pervasive manner. It
entails that different people from different backgrounds are going to support one to receive the
most tangible results. Not only, building of one’s own toolkit the best way to develop the
strategy or the approach to move forward with the best possible changes under the system
leadership. It is definitely going to help one carry on with the collective leadership concept. This
turns out to be far better and improved enough just to deal well with the ongoing state of affairs
(Senge, Hamilton & Kania, 2015).
The leader’s excellence and competency much rely on the way he perceives the
concerning things. It would help him to perform his role with utmost effectiveness and the
changes could also be brought forth if necessary. Perception duly impacts on leadership
effectiveness and a leader has to put in efforts to improve the perceived leadership effectiveness.
As per this part, the leader has to analyze the current situation, the changes needed, and the way

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motivation could go on to make employees feel energetic to play their roles. These altogether
going to make the followers feel good and proud and encourage them to do their best (Sadler,
2003).
Conclusion
Hence, it can be summed up that perception plays a vital role in ensuring leadership
effectiveness. If leaders have positive perception, it would result in fruitful resultants in the form
of motivated people and that could strive hard for the realization of the goals. Not only this, the
challenges could be faced collectively in order to make the business grow without any of the
compromises. It sees to it that the leaders should have a wide perspective in order to become
aware of its follower’s needs and expectations. It looks forward to understanding the follower’s
needs and requirements and to act accordingly. By making them feel pleased, the outcomes are
surely going to be highly hopeful and up to the mark. If the leader is there to support his team,
the things would turn out to be promising enough. There should be a deep analysis of the
ongoing situations in order to make team members act in the interest of the organization. The
leader really has to put in efforts changing the perception and also to draw in a positive
impression towards the respective areas. The Leader has to work hard on improving the working
ambiance and also to receive the most promising returns from it.

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