Final answer:
Leading in management involves motivating, directing, and influencing employees to work towards organizational goals. Leadership styles may vary from instrumental to expressive, or transactional to transformational, with the ultimate aim of fostering a supportive and productive work environment.
Step-by-step explanation:
As one of the key management functions, leading focuses on a manager's efforts to motivate, direct, and influence people to work hard to achieve the organization's goals. This involves a range of activities that aim to encourage and rally a team towards meeting the set objectives and fostering an environment where employees feel empowered and committed to the business direction. Leadership function can manifest in different styles, such as instrumental and expressive leadership. While instrumental leaders are more task-oriented, expressive leaders prioritize the emotional well-being and support of their teams.
Understanding management and organizational structure is vital, especially since the manager often plays the most influential role in career satisfaction and growth. Good managers not only focus on maintaining the status quo but also work on building relationships, recognizing initiative, and facilitating skill development within their teams.
Among the spectrum of leadership styles, the concepts of transactional leadership versus transformational leadership have been highlighted, where transactional leaders use a system of rewards and punishments to achieve goals, and transformational leaders possess traits like charisma and consideration. However, regardless of their style, leaders must effectively manage their relationship with their team, guiding and supporting them to ensure workplace success and job satisfaction.