The Importance Of Interpersonal Leadership

Leadership is a desirable trait by many and is needed to be successful within an organization. However, leadership comes in many forms. There are leaders that contain the gift of interpersonal communication, where an individual can effectively work with others to build teams or resolve conflicts. Then there are those leaders that have the innovation to guide the team in the right direction. An ideal leader would encompass both of these qualities. It would be accurate to assume that behavioral traits can be a good indicator in predicting those that possess the qualities to be an effective leader. Nevertheless, I concur with the theory that the ability to recognize an individual’s weakness allows for training to become efficient in that area.

Communication is how individuals often convey their thoughts, ideas, feelings, understandings and is a two-way process. Interpersonal communication is how individuals “transfer meaning between and among each other” (Robbins & Judge, 2009, p. 355). Not only does a person need to effectively utilize their transmission method to send their message, the receiving party needs to acknowledge what the sender is communicating, as well as the intent. Even if the message is well intended, if the receiver does not sufficiently interpret the meaning, then there will be miscommunication between both parties. This can result in unintended conflict and misunderstanding, which can be unfavorable to a relationship pending the situation. This is why it is necessary to understand the various methods of interpersonal communication and how miscommunication can occur.

Oral

Nonverbal communication is visible body cues presented by an individual that may or may not be deliberate. “Basically it is sending and receiving messages in a variety of ways without the use of verbal codes (words)” (“Non-verbal Communication,” n.d., para. 1). This can be seen in body language such as hand gestures or raising of eyebrows. Personal space and eye contact are other actions that are observed during communication. Just as with oral communication, if the receiver did not interpret the nonverbal communication as initially proposed, then there is a communication hindrance. However, the sender needs to attempt to be consciously aware of their body language as well to deter miscommunication from occurring. Living in a society where there are numerous cultures present, it is particularly important that there is an understanding that not all cultures have the same meaning behind the body language of others. I personally experienced the importance of acknowledging these differences while deployed in Iraq. Personal space was not customary there like it is in America. I soon learned that it was disrespectful to step back to achieve that personal space like what is expected