According to Reichheld [1]qualities that inspire loyalty are important and help in making a great leader, in my quest to show my subordinate how to be loyal, I will give trust and respect freely. To inspire loyalty from those I lead I will be authentic as much as possible since a greater value has been placed on authenticity. As an authentic leader I can be counted upon by the people I lead, I will be true to my word and deliver upon every promise I make.  To inspire real loyalty, I will motivate and improve the lives of those I lead. I will be an available team leader and member as well as help those I lead to pursue and fulfill their own goals and dreams. Inspiring loyalty drives the financial success of the company especially in today’s economy that is defined by stiff competition. Loyalty stands as a two-way trust between two parties, and in this case leaders and their subordinates.  As a leader I have to make myself vulnerable by giving loyalty firsts without concern for return loyalty, this inspires subordinates to do the same.

As a leader, I must be committed to ethical professionalism[2]. I must pose loyalty to the company’s vision and mission and loyalty to those who are superior to me.  To inspire genuine loyalty which is very fundamental to my leadership philosophy I must help those under me to develop professionally. For a leader to inspire genuine loyalty they must be willing to be mentors. The leadership philosophy of loyalty is based on trust and sharing values and beliefs. Trusting those I lead will be important in driving loyalty.

Cultivating and maintaining strong and mutually beneficial relationships with employees is a fundamental principle of my leadership philosophy[3]. These relationships are based on strong trust that develops from consistent actions that show that employees are reliable and committed to the success and to fulfilling the mission and objectives of the organization. Honesty is also another important aspect of establishing stable working relationships with employees. In my quest to work within my moral principle I will remain honest with my employees on both the negative and positive aspects of the business and in return, the employees will be honest with me concerning management issues. I will involve employees in all activities and operations that focus on achieving the company’s goals.  This will help me to successfully build the modern leadership philosophy that will help in creating and fostering the culture of commitment in an organization.

As a leader in an era defined by complex work environmental problems, I hope to fulfill the duty of building an environment that helps employees thrive and achieve organizational goals[4]. A leader’s philosophy has a direct impact on the organization’s culture. The creation of a pleasant work environment increases the productivity of employees. As a leader who is determined to base my leadership philosophy on the principle of creating a conducive work environment, I will encourage the creation of a culture of support. The work environment is defined by workplace culture and is created by the organization’s top leaders[5]. To create a safe work culture and environment I will encourage every employee to discuss important subjects that make them uncomfortable and subsequently their individual and team concerns will be worked upon.

I will empower employees to embrace the responsibility of positively influencing their work environments with a focus on promoting growth. I will focus on creating a “Want to” environment instead of a” Have to” work environment. The creation of a “Have to” environment makes employees bitter and disengaged[6]. Contrariwise in a “Want to” environment employees do more than what is required of them and they appreciate opportunities given to them. In a “Have to” environment employees will perform poorly and do minimum work and will resent having to do their tasks, such an environment lowers the productivity of the organization. To create a “Want to” environment which is a core part of my leadership philosophy I will be a caring leader, employees are motivated when leaders care about their wellbeing and in return, the employees will increase their productivity as a way of appreciating their leaders.

Philosophies of leadership emphasize that the attribute of trust is essential to create a bond between the leaders and the employees of an organization.  Trust acts as the glue that binds the leaders to his/ her followers and provides opportunities for success. The foundation of trust in a workplace environment is based on organizational credibility, respect and fairness according to the Dimension of a Great Work Place model[7]. Credibility is about being open and allowing accessible communication, respects includes supporting the professional and personals development of employees, Fairness is created by ensuring a balance in how a leader treats their employees in terms of rewards. With the absence of favoritism in an organization, a fair environment will be created. Building trust takes time, it is not established immediately[8].  The trust that I will place on my employees as a leader will allow the organization to excel. When using trust to lay a foundation for my leadership philosophy I will bear in mind that in a functional relationship the essence of trust is in its bond.

Motivation is a factor that pushes one towards achieving their goal, as an organizational leader I must motivate my subordinates to increase their performance. I bear in mind that to be an effective leader I should focus on first being self-motivated. To effectively motivate employees, I will schedule and give my employees more time and finding out what motivates them.  Ensuring a constant supply of resources, they need will go a long way in motivating the employees.  Effective listening is a guiding principle towards being an effective leader[9]. As a leader, I must effectively listen to my employees by ensuring that I eliminate all elements of prejudice and formulate an effective response for every concern raised by employees. Lastly, my leadership philosophy is based on drawing the red line, that will ensure that boundaries are respected and that everyone behaves and professionally presents themselves.

Inconclusion, I will build a leadership philosophy that is based on loyalty that is guided by ethical professionalism. I will work towards building trust and establishing a “Want to” work environment that increases the productivity of the employees. Motivation and drawing the red line will be important aspects that will also define my leadership philosophy.

 

 

 

Bibliography

Akiyama, Tomohiro, Kyoungjin J. An, Hiroaki Furumai, and Hiroyuki Katayama. "The concept of environmental leader." In Environmental Leadership Capacity Building in Higher             Education, pp. 19-40. Springer, Tok 2013.

Finnie, William, and Robert M. Randall. "Loyalty as a philosophy and strategy: an interview        with Frederick F. Reichheld." Strategy & Leadership (2002).

Kolzow, David R. "Leading from within: Building organizational leadership capacity." (2014).

Mineo, David L. "The Importance of Trust in Leadership." Research Management Review 20,     no. 1 (2014): n1.

Norenberg, Dan. 2020. Executive ownershift creating highly effective leadership teams. Cham:    Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35828-0.

 

[1] Finnie, William, and Robert M. Randall. "Loyalty as a philosophy and strategy, P, 27

[2] Ibid, P 28

[3] Kolzow, David R. Leading from within, P, 47

[4] Akiyama, et al., "The concept of environmental leader." P, 21

[5] Ibid, P. 23

[6] Ibid, P, 26

[7] Mineo, David L “The Importance of Trust in Leadership”, P, 2.

[8]Ibid, P, 3

[9] Kolzow, David R. Leading from within, P, 11