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Ethnic conflicts and how to live in harmony

Human conflicts What human beings are doing to their fellow human beings because of their tribe, race and religion is unbelievable. How can thousands of people be killed for no reason other than that they belong to a different tribe or race? We are all part of a human society. The purpose of every society is first to provide the conditions of life and growth, and secondly to state the freedom of the individual and the ethnic groups. These are the conditions of healthy progression and successful arrival. We belong not only to the humanity in general, but we belong also to our tribe-type, our race-type, our class-type, religion-type in which we resemble some and differ from others. We tend to group ourselves in communities, classes, associations whose life we help, and by belonging to them we enrich ourselves and the groups or society to which we belong . An ethnic group is the means of social identity formation in most societies; this can be according to tribal, racial or language cla...
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Steps in the decision-making process

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Step in the decision making process The basic function of leaders is to make decisions. There are three elements of decision making, namely, the decision maker, the decision, and the decision-making process. The decision maker:  The leader who is the decision maker functions in a group or an organisation which is being influenced by the factors of leadership. Effective leadership actions are based on four major factors of leadership namely the subjects, the leader, the situation and communication. These factors influence and affect the actions a leader should take and when to take them. The personality of a leader and the style of leadership have also great bearing on the decision process. For many years, people thought that the best leadership style was a participative style which prescribed listening to your subordinates and involving them in decision making. Autocratic leadership style, which involves the leader taking control and telling subordinates what to do, was considere...
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Problem solving and steps in problem solving

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Problem solving and types of thinking Problem solving has been defined as a systematic search through a range of possible actions in order to reach a predefined goal. The ultimate goal of problem solving is to overcome obstacles and find a solution that best resolves the issue. It involves two main types of thinking; creative thinking and critical thinking. Norman Vincent Peale, the great minister of positive thinking said, "...the only people I know who don't have any problems are dead people. The more problems you have, the more alive you are. If you have no problems at all, then you are in grave jeopardy!" Problems are there to help us grow wisely towards knowing the world that we are living in. Types of Problems Psychologists have identified two types of problems; these are: Well-defined Problems; These are well-structured problems which have clear solution paths. The person is able to specify all the steps that must be taken to reach a solution. Most mathematics ...
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Authority and power in leadership and its effects on people in organisations

Authority and power in leadership Many people often confuse power with authority. In any case, authority and power are intricately interrelated and are indeed a source of confusion among people who do not understand the concepts fully.  Power denotes something different.  Authority has been defined as the moral or legal right given to a person to give orders, make decisions and enforce obedience, by virtue of the position held in the organisation. The definition of authority differs from that of power in that it identifies legitimacy, justification, and the right to exercise power. Authority is always official in nature and so it is legitimate. When a person joins an organisation, he enters what is termed as a psychological contract, subjecting himself to the authority system of the organisation. Authority systems differ from one organisation to another. The legitimacy of authority finds its source from culture, values and political systems, and hence it varies from soci...
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The art of influence and the degree of your influence as a leader.

Ways to influence human behaviour There are many ways to influence human behaviour and leaders use variety methods to change the behaviour of subordinates in order to accomplish key goals and tasks. Many people often loosely use the term influence to refer to authority, power and leadership in organisations. Influence is an essential ingredient in authority, power and leadership. Influence has been defined as the ability to personally affect other people's actions, decisions, opinions, or thinking and it includes virtually any interpersonal transaction which has psychological or behavioural effects. Influence means how you change minds, shape opinions, and move others to act. Good leaders concentrate on things that they can influence. There are things that form the circle of  influence and these can be both directly and indirectly under a leader's control. A leader's circle of direct influence includes how he decide to behave toward his subordinates, how much and how wel...
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How to deal with setbacks or smal failures; and the importance of damage control and accountability in leadership

Effective steps in dealing with failure The qualities and status of leadership do not automatically ensure success or guarantee the absence of mistakes. Things can go wrong even if everything is done right. A good leader will not panic in crisis. The following are some of the steps that are effective in dealing with setbacks or failure: Try to find positive aspects in the setbacks or failures, and see things in more positive light; look for something good in what happened. Focus on what has been achieved, rather than on what has not been achieved. Look at the setback or failure analytically. Make a list of your mistakes and think of how to improve your way of doing things. After gathering the facts, step back and ask yourself, what did I learn from this? Write down the things you need to work on and make a plan for addressing your mistakes. Once you come up with a plan, a way of adjusting your expectations and actions, you can begin to address the situation. Stay confident. Separate th...
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Principles for effective discipline in leadership

Principles of effective discipline in leadership   Administering punishment or disciplinary action should not be a joy for the leader but rather a moment of sadness, as failure by subordinates is not the aim of any effective leader. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary discipline is defined as the training that corrects, molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character. It is training a person in mind and character to enable him to become a self-controlled, constructive member of an organisation or of society. Mark Twain says: "There is nothing training cannot do. Nothing is above its reach. It can turn bad morals to good; it can destroy bad principles and recreate good ones; it can lift men to angelship." The following are the general principles for effective discipline: Diagnose before you prescribe: Before you punish someone, get your facts straight and think the matter through; Stick to facts and describe the facts specifically and concretely. Avoid gener...
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