Leadership Theory
According to Nathan F. Iannone, leadership can be defined as the art
of
influencing, directing, guiding, and controlling others in such a way as
to
obtain their willing obedience, confidence, respect and loyal cooperation
in
accomplishment of an objective. Leaders are not born...sure there are
some
gifts-traits-attributes, natural endowments that affect relative
abilities...but
they are not born, they are made. Any reasonably intelligent
person with enough
forcefulness to develop his/her ability to inspire others
to follow him can earn
leadership status. Remember that we have both formal
and informal leaders....
Being a Captain /Sergeant doesn’t make you a
leader! Classic Leadership
Theory: Common Traits of Leaders. Booher and
Watson refer to classic leadership
theory because it describes an approach to
understanding leadership that by and
large is out of style. Nonetheless it is
clear that one can learn a great deal
by studying the important personal
ingredients in the leadership equation.
Studying the traits of great
leaders became unpopular because it was and is
associated with the "great
man" theory of leadership. This approach was
espoused in the 19th. and early
20th. Centuries, and asserted the leadership
qualities are largely inherited.
This was called "trait theory." Researchers
such as Mann and Stodgill found
no consistent correlate between particular
traits and leadership. Later
research, particularly more recent and more
sophisticated work has found a
consistent and strong relationship between
certain traits and leadership.
Possessing these core traits simply makes it more
likely that a person will
take the appropriate action leading to leadership
success. Overhead #2 The
Art of Leadership. What is the nature of leadership,
leadership is an art! As
with any form of artistic expression, painting, music,
leadership is an art
form in that it: ? Is an expression of the
individual within the social and
environmental context. ? Reflects the
individual’s personality. ? Can be
easier to demonstrate and develop
when one has a talent for it. ? Can be
learned-you may have a talent for
it, you may not, either way, anyone can
still become an effective leader.
? Is greatly enhanced through a disciplined
regimen of learning and
feedback. Through science, we can study the elements
of leadership and provide
valuable understanding into its nature. This
enables us to determine where to
focus our leadership skills and abilities,
as well as measure to some extent,
our effectiveness. However, the act of
leading itself is largely unscientific
and is far more akin to practicing an
art form than studying scientific
variables. Understanding both facets of
leadership is crucial to your
development as a leader. For you as a leader,
remember that leadership is an
art; your leadership is always a work in
progress. OH #3 Leadership Styles. Many
people believe that there is one type
of leadership that is most effective, and
if they can only develop that
style, they would be effective as a leader. Some
leaders have one style, and
honestly believe that it is best to stick with what
comes naturally. As with
any art form, one has a number of tools at one’s
disposal. In leadership,
these tools are different leadership styles. Although
certain situations call
for specific styles, most situations call for a
combination of styles. The
four general styles of leadership are: 1. Autocratic.
2. Participative.
3. Laissez-faire. 4. Variable. Autocratic also known as
authoritarian
leadership is rule by authority. As a manager or supervisor, a
person is
endowed with a level of authority, which is expected to be obeyed.
An
autocratic leader rests on this fact, expecting his subordinates to
comply.
Participative leadership is often referred to as democratic
although democratic
processes (voting etc.) need not be present to constitute
participative
leadership. Laissez-faire leadership (really non-leadership) is
a hands off
approach. If the group’s goals are being accomplished under the
management of
a LF leader, it is because the group members are
self-motivated, demonstrate
effective teamwork, and exhibit expertise in
their field. Variable leadership, a
precursor to "situational leadership"
draws from a combination of the above
styles. Whether this form of leadership
is effective depends on how each style
is applied at what time. The styles of
leadership help us understand how people
go about practicing the art, the
question how does our individual traits affect
our ability to do so? OH #4
Leadership Traits. Traits can be described as our
general orientation
(paradigm) toward people and things. Regrettably we tend to
view ourselves,
as the way people ought to be. That is problematic. This clouds
our judgment
of ourselves and others, hindering our ability to ascertain
weaknesses, and
objectively evaluate and develop upon our strengths. Traits are
such a
fundamental aspect of our personalities that they lead us to
display
consistent behavior across different situations. (Each of us can be
described in
terms of our personal traits.) There are certain traits that are
associated with
effective leadership. They are so critical, yet difficult to
pinpoint, that for
centuries, volumes have been written in an effort to
define and describe them.
They are the critical foundation of successful
leadership. These traits
distinguish leaders from non-leaders. OH #5: Common
Traits of Leaders continued.
Integrity of character is the foundation of
lasting and effective leadership.
Kouzes and Posner assert, "Honesty is
absolutely essential to leadership.
After all, if we are willing to
follow someone whether it is into battle or into
the boardroom, we want first
to assure ourselves that the person is worthy of
our trust. We want to be
fully confident in the integrity of our leaders."
Professional competence
includes a solid grasp of the methods, processes,
procedures, and techniques
of a leaders organization. This competence can be
everything from "rocket
science to parking tickets," without it leaders
quickly lose the respect of
their followers and find it difficult to make
well-informed decisions.
Certainly it is critical that given the pace of law
enforcement, leaders are
capable of making intelligent, quick strategies that
solve problems. Make
good decisions or you wont be around long as a boss. Genius
is not required,
above average intelligence is. Typically we imagine leaders
doing only
exciting things, letting others do the real work. This mental frame
ignores
the hard reality that being the boss isn’t easy. High levels of energy
are
needed physical vitality helps leaders overcome the often unrelenting
demands
of leadership. Drive to excel, high desire for achievement,
outstanding
leaders drive themselves and their organizations to complete
challenging
assignments and achieve extraordinary results. OH #6 Traits of
Leaders. Carl
Watson and Carl Chimers (UC-Santa Cruz) tell us that
confident leaders are more
successful than ones who lack confidence.
Self-confidence is important because
confident leaders remain calm under
pressure, persist doggedly in the face of
adversity, and act boldly and
confidently which helps encourage and embolden
followers. A person riddled
with self-doubt may not be able to act effectively
under pressure or command
respect of followers. "By demonstrating grace under
pressure, the best
leaders inspire those around them to stay calm and act
intelligently." (K.
Labich.) People who lack emotional stability are more
prone to moodiness,
angry outbursts, and inconsistent behavior. This undermines
their
relationships with followers, peers, and superiors. Highly
successful
leaders, on the other hand, remain even-tempered and are calm,
confident and
predictable during a crisis. Lastly, outstanding leaders have a
strong desire to
lead" they want to be in charge. To fulfill this desire they
are more willing
to accept responsibility and subsequently take decisive
action. Leaders have a
strong desire to have influence and impact others. In
short, they accrue and use
power. Power can be used pro-socially
(responsibly) and it can be used
capriciously. The fact that power can be
abused should not blind us to the fact
that it is necessary for organizations
to function. Excellent leaders use their
power to build up their
organizations, develop their people, and make them
successful. OH #7
Leadership Principles. Let us talk about leadership principles
that guide
people toward the actions that lead to successful leadership. If
traits are
the necessary preconditions for leadership; then principled actions
are the
fulfillment of the promise. OH #8 Moral courage is not an all or
nothing
proposition. Exceptional leaders consistently exhibit the unwavering
courage of
their convictions, often refusing to follow the easy path because
it violates a
moral standard. To become an effective leader, one must
establish or adopt
clearly defined moral standards, then adhere to then
relentlessly. To develop
their followers, you must know them well. Think how
people are constantly
changing...makes your job even more difficult. Managers
(as opposed to leaders)
restrict information to their people as a method of
maintaining control and
importance to the team. Leaders empower their people
with information so that
the entire team, and through this leader, can excel.
Keeping people informed
also provides feedback and points of reference to
monitor success. Human beings
have a tendency to form cliques. Although this
natural tendency has advantages,
its drawbacks tend to inhibit effective
teamwork. The most significant way this
happens is by stifling contrary
points of view. Although we normally think that
we want total agreement
during all stages of a project, in reality contrary
points of view provide
more choice and help avoid unethical decision-making.
Exceptional leaders
demonstrate loyalty not only to their organization, but also
to their
followers. Being loyal means that they deeply consider what is best
for
others, despite what you may want or need for yourself. Do, as I say, not
as I
do is the best way to fail in leadership. Remember the old cliché:
Actions
speak louder than words, people can be inspired by words, but they
follow
actions. OH # 9 Johari’s Window. Self-knowledge is critical for people
to
develop and grow in every aspect of our lives, and that includes
leadership
skills. By being familiar with our strengths and limitations, we
are able to use
our strengths to best advantage and create a plan to expand
the abilities we
find limited. Alternately, we can surround ourselves with
people who compensate
for our limitations. Whatever approach we eventually
take, self-knowledge is the
first critical step. Johari’s Window is a concept
used by self-development
trainers. It describes degrees of knowledge about
the self in two dimensions,
(1) that which is known/unknown to the self and
(2) that which is known/unknown
to others. Using these categories produces a
two by two matrix of potential
circumstances of knowledge regarding the self.
The first quadrant, public
knowledge describes things about us that we are
aware of and so are others. The
second quadrant, blind knowledge, can be what
derails us from success as a
leader. This quadrant describes things about us
that others are aware of and
that we are not; thus, we are blind to our true
natures. Often, it is as simple
as thinking we are better at something than
we really are. Because this is such
a large problem in organizations, many
companies in private business have
instituted multi-rater (360 degree)
feedback processes. These allow superior,
subordinates, and peers. To arte
how effective leaders are on a variety of
dimensions (usually based on a
validated competency profile). Multi-rater
feedback provides a great
opportunity for leaders to reduce their blind spots.
The third quadrant
describes that which is neither known to us that we hide or
keep private from
others. Keeping things private is both expected and necessary
OH #10
E-Cubed. Lets talk about how all these traits and principles fit
together.
First, we propose that integrity of character and moral courage are
the
foundation or basis of principled leadership. After the foundation
of
integrity and courage, we turn to what is called "e-cubed" which
describes
some leadership fundamentals. Extraordinary leaders enable their
followers. That
is, they set them up for success by ensuring that they have
the right
experiences, skills and resources. They also actively remove
obstacles or
barriers to success. In order to enable their people, leaders
must be
professionally competent, have the smarts to make right decisions,
and have a
through knowledge of the strengths, limitations, and preferences
of their
followers. Extraordinary leaders empower their followers. In other
words they
share information, power, and authority to make decisions and take
action. How
do these traits and principles come into this? Emotionally stable
leaders do not
allow their strong desire to lead to lure them into hoarding
power, acting
capriciously, developing cliques or playing favorites. These
leaders understand
that sharing information and power leads to better
performance and more
motivated followers. Extraordinary leaders energize
their followers. They excite
their followers by challenging them to met
difficult goals, expressing
confidence in their ability to meet the goal, and
setting the example by their
own enthusiasm, energy, and hard work toward the
goal. OH #11 When Do You Know
You Are a Great Leader? If people continue
to write about your effective
leadership 50 years after your death, that’s a
pretty good sign that you were
a great leader. For everyone else, it’s very
difficult to tell. Some of us,
whom have adoring followers, have failing
organizations. Some of us who have
successful organizations have burnt out
and bitter followers. Few of us have
both for a sustained period of time.
When we do, it is easy to become with our
leadership qualities. We suggest we
should seek to raise our art to an even
higher form, constantly seeking to
become, and help others become, better
leaders. With this view, we never
become so enamored with ourselves that we say,
"Yeah, I am a great
leader." Instead, one recognizes that many factors
contribute to leadership
success, No small measure of our success is due the
efforts, smarts, and
tenacity of our followers. And, as the environment in which
we do business
change, so too must our leadership skills grow and expand. Three
Lessons
in Leadership: People from top to bottom in most organizations
exercise
leadership. It does not require charisma; it is not mystical or
mysterious. What
is Leadership? Leadership is the process of giving
meaningful direction to
collective efforts. ? Giving meaning. ? Setting a
direction
? Willing support and cooperation. Leadership vs. Management:
?
Planning vs. Setting a Direction ? Organizing and staffing vs..
Aligning
People ? Controlling and problem Solving vs. Motivating People.
Three
Lessons in Leadership or 3E’s ? Envisioning. ? Energizing.
?
Enabling. The Three E’s of Leadership. ? Articulating a
Compelling
Vision. Set the direction. ? Setting High Expectations.
Encourage
excellence. ? Modeling Consistent Behavior Walk the talk. The
Three E’s
of Leadership. Energizing: Demonstrating Personal Excitement:
Enthusiasm
is contagious. Expressing Personal Confidence: Confidence
inspires.
Seeking, Finding, and Using Success: Celebrate and leverage
success Enabling.
Expressing Personal Support: back people up.
Empathizing: Understand other’s
feelings. Expressing Confidence in People:
believe in them and they will
believe. Leadership Competencies: ? Action
oriented. ? Building
team spirit. ? Command skills. ? Ethics and integrity.
?
Interpersonal savvy. ? Managing vision and purpose. ? Motivating
and
inspiring others. ? Problem solving and decision quality. ?
Results
orientation. ? Strategic
agility.