Explain the characteristics and importance of Leadership

Explain the characteristics & Importance of Assertiveness.

Ans.    There are times in our lives when we find it difficult to deal with certain situations. Two example of such situations are:

(1)     Asking someone to return something that they have borrowed.

(2)     Saying, “No” and then feeling guilty.

(3)     Communicating our feelings to a partner, family member of friend.

Our inability to deal with such situations is because we lack assertiveness skills.

In our discussion of negotiation strategies we had mentioned that the confronting strategy is the best one. However confronting conflict is not as easy as it appears to be. Often managers are unable to confront the conflict situation because:

(1)       They feel inferior to the other person in the conflict.

(2)       They do not posses the necessary skills required for confronting the           situation.

(3)       The other person’s position and power might overawe the manager.

Inability to confront the conflict situation results in managers either suppressing their feelings or expressing their feelings in the form of anger. Neither of them is really helpful in anyway and is more often than not counterproductive.

Assertive behaviour is an effective alternative to suppression and anger. Assertiveness is the process of expressing thoughts and feeling while asking for what one wants in an appropriate way. Assertiveness involves respecting the rights of others, asking for legitimate changes and giving and receiving honest feedback.

Characteristics of Assertive Individuals:

The characteristics of assertive individuals are:

(1)     They are not afraid to request the other person to change his/her offensive behaviour.

(2)     They are not uncomfortable saying ‘No’ to unreasonable requests.

(3)     They are direct, honest and expressive. They express their thoughts, feelings, and ask for what is rightfully theirs but they do so in an appropriate way and without obstructing the rights of the other person.

(4)     They are confident, gain self-respect and make others feel important.

(5)     They have high self-esteem. Irrespective of the outcome, their respect for themselves remains high.

Importance of Assertiveness :

People experience a variety of negative emotions and behaviors when they do not know how to be assertive. They experience:

1.      Depression: The person feels helpless and that he has no control over his life.

2.      Resentment: They are furious and angry with others for taking advantage of them.

3.      Frustration: People feel frustrated about letting those events happen that they do no want to happen.

4.      Temper: Individuals who lack assertive skills and are  not able to express anger appropriately often throw temper tantrums.

5.      Anxiety: They experience anxiety and try to avoid situations they are uncomfortable in.

6.      Relationship difficulties: Individuals who lack of assertive skills have difficulties in their relationships because they cannot tell others what they want or need or how the other person affects them