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Managing Human Element at Work

Notes motivations etc. Thus, a successful leader possesses the human relations attitude. He always
tries to develop social understanding with other people. The human skill involves the following:
Empathy: A leader should be able to look at things objectively. He should respect the rights,
beliefs and sentiments of others. He should equip himself to meet the challenges emanating
from the actions and reactions of other people. The leader should be empathetic towards his
followers so that he can carefully judge their strengths, weaknesses, and ambitions and give
them the attention they deserve.
Objectivity: A good leader is fair and objective in dealing with subordinates. He must be free
from bias and prejudice while becoming emotionally involved with the followers. His approach
to any issue or problem should be objective and not based on any pressure, prejudice or
preconceived notions. Objectivity is a vital aspect of analytical decision-making. Honesty, fair
play, justice and integrity of character are expected of any good leader.
Communication Skill: A leader should have the ability to persuade, inform, stimulate, direct
and convince his subordinates. To achieve this, a leader should have good communication
skill. Good communicator seem to find all responsibilities easier to perform because they relate
to others more easily and can better utilize the available resources.
Social Skill: A leader should understand his followers. He should be helpful, sympathetic and
friendly. He should have the ability to win his followers’ confidence and loyalty.
A leader must be objective and impartial. He should not follow unfair
practices like favouritism and nepotism. He must show fair play and
absolute justice in all his decisions and actions.

Conceptual Skill
In the words of Chester Barnard, “the essential aspect of the executive process is the sensing
of the organization as a whole and the total situation relevant to it.” Conceptual skills include:
• The understanding of the organization behaviour,
• Understanding the competitors of the firm, and
• Knowing the financial status of the firm.
A leader should have the ability to look at the enterprise as a whole, to recognize that the
various functions of an organization depend upon one another and are interrelated, that changes
in one affect all others. The leader should have skill to run the firm in such a way that overall
performance of the firm in the long run will be sound.

Technical Skill
A leader should have a thorough knowledge of, and competence in, the principles, procedures
and operations of a job. Technical skill involves specialized knowledge, analytical skill and a
facility in the use of the tools and techniques of a specific discipline. Technical competence is
an essential quality of leadership.

Personal Skill
The most important task of the leader is to get the best from others. This is possible only if he
possesses certain qualities. These personal skills include:
Intelligence: Intellectual capacity is an essential quality of leadership. Leaders generally have
somewhat higher level of intelligence than the average of their followers.

Emotional Maturity: A leader should act with self-confidence, avoid anger, take decisions on
a rational basis and think clearly and maturely. A leader should also have high frustration

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