Leadership Styles

There was a time when I thought that brains were everything. That view has dimmed recently. I think brains are important, but now I also look for good team-builders, good communicators, and courageous people who dont get stuck with an idea. You need people who are more nimble, who have the ability to lead organizations in changing and tumultuous times comfortably, without panicking. - Larry Bossidy, Chairman & CEO, Allied Signal, Inc. What is Leadership? Leadership is the ability to influence a group toward the achievement of a vision or set of goals. The source of this influence may be formal, such as that provided by the possession of managerial rank in an organization. Because management positions come with some degree of formally designated authority, a person may assume a leadership role simply because of the position he or she holds in the organization. But not all leaders are managers, nor, for that matter, are all managers leaders. Just because an organization provides its managers with certain formal rights is no assurance that they will be able to lead effectively. We find that no sanctioned leadership that is, the ability to influence that arises outside the formal structure of the organization-is often as important as or more important than formal influence. In other words, leaders can emerge from within a group as well as by formal appointment to lead a group. Leadership has been described as the process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task". Other in-depth definitions of leadership have also emerged Defining Leadership "Leadership is the lifting of a man's vision to higher sights, the raising of a man's performance to a higher standard, the building of a man's personality beyond its normal limitations." - Peter Drucker Leadership is influence - nothing more, nothing less -John C Maxwell. "Leadership is a function of knowing yourself, having a vision that is well communicated, building trust among colleagues, and taking effective action to realize your own leadership potential." -Warren Bennis The Leader is one who mobilizes others towards a goal shared by leaders and followers...Leaders followers and goals make up the three equally necessary supports for leadership -Gary Willis

Leadership has probably been written about, formally researched, and informally discussed more than any other single topic. Despite all this attention given to leadership, there is still considerable controversy.

Some characteristics of managers versus leaders in the twenty-first century

Manger characteristics Administers A copy Maintains Focuses on systems and structure Relies on control Short-range view Asks how and when Eye on the bottom line Imitates Accepts the status quo Classic good soldier Does things right

Leader Characteristics Innovates An original Develops Focuses on people Inspires trust Long-range perspective Asks what and why Eye on the horizon Originates Challenges the status quo Own person Does the right thing.

One of the most reliable indicators and predictors of true leadership is an individuals ability to find meaning in negative events and to learn from even the most trying circumstances. Put another way, the skills required to conquer adversity and emerge stronger and more committed than ever are the same ones that make for extraordinary leaders. Nature of Leadership: Charismatic Leadership Charismatic leadership is a throwback to the old conception of leaders as being those who by the force of their personal abilities are capable of having profound and extraordinary effects on followers. Although the charismatic concept, or charisma, goes as far back as the ancient Greeks and is cited in the Bible, its modern development is often attributed to the work of Robert House. On the basis of the analysis of political and religious leaders, house suggests that charismatic leaders are characterized by self-confidence and confidence in subordinates, high expectations for subordinates, ideological vision, and the use of personal example. Followers of charismatic leaders identify with the leader and the mission of the leader, exhibit extreme loyalty to and confidence in the leader, emulate the leaders values and behavior, and derive self-esteem from their relationship with the leader. Bass has

extended the profile of nicely expertise and the fostering of attitudinal, behavioral, and emotional changes in their followers. Leader traits that foster charismatic attributions include self-confidence, impressionmanagement skills, social sensitivity, and empathy. Characteristics and Approaches of Transformational Leadership and Transactional Leaders Many years ago James MacGregor Burns identified two types of political leadership transactional and transformational. The more traditional transactional leadership involves an exchange relationship between leaders and followers, but transformational leadership is based more on leaders shifting the values, beliefs and the need of their followers. Transactional Leaders Contingent reward: Contracts the exchange of rewards to effort; promises rewards for good performance ; recognizes accomplishments. Management by exception (active) watches and searches for deviations from rules and standards; takes corrective action. Management by exception (passive); intervenes only if standards are not met. Laissez-Faire; Abdicates responsibilities; avoids making decisions. Transformational Leadership Charisma: Provides vision and sense of mission; instills pride; gains respect and trust Inspiration: Communicates high expectations; uses symbols to focus efforts Intellectual Stimulation: Promotes intelligence, rationality and careful problem solving. Individual consideration: Gives personal attention, treats each employee individually; coaches and advises. Leadership skills: What skills do leaders need? Cultural flexibility: in international assignments this skill refers to cultural awareness and sensitivity. In domestic organizations the same skill could be said to be critical for success in light of increasing diversity. Leaders must have the skills not only to manage but also to recognize and celebrate the value of diversity in their organizations. Communication Skills: Effective leaders must be able to communicate in written form, orally, and non verbally. HRD Skills: Because human resources are so much a part of leadership effectiveness, leaders must have human resource development HRD skills of developing a learning climate, designing and conducting training programs, transmitting information and experience, assessing results, providing career counseling, creating organizational change and adapting learning materials. Creativity: problem solving, innovation, and creativity provide the competitive advantage in t todays global marketplace. Leaders must possess the skills to not only be creative themselves but also provide a climate that encourages creativity and assists their people to be creative.

Self management of learning: this skill refers to the need for continuous learning of new knowledge and skills. In this time of dramatic change and global competitiveness, leaders must undergo continuous change themselves. They must be self-learners. 10 skills most often identified were the following. Verbal communication(including listening) Managing time an distress Managing individual decisions recognizing, defining, and solving problems Motivating and influencing others Delegating Setting goals an articulating a vision Self-awareness Team building Managing conflict. Approaches & Behavior of great leaders Vision:. Great leaders articulate an ideological vision that is congruent with the deeply held values of followers, a vision that describes a better future to which the followers have a oral right. Passion and self-sacrifice: Great leaders display a passion for, and have a strong conviction of , the moral correctness of their vision. They engage in outstanding or extraordinary behavior and make extraordinarily self-sacrifices in the interest of their vision and the mission. Confidence, determination, and persistence. Great leaders display a high degree of faith in themselves and in the attainment of the vision they articulate. Theoretically, such leaders need to have a very high degree of self confidence and moral conviction because their mission usually challenges the status quo and, therefore, is likely to offend those who have a stake in preserving the established order. Image building: Great leaders are self-conscious about their own image. They recognize that they must be perceived by followers as competent, credible, and trustworthy. Role modeling: Leader image building sets the stage for effective role modeling because followers identify with the values of role models who are perceived positively. External representation: Great leaders act as the spokesperson for their organization and symbolically represent the organization to external constituencies. Expectations of and confidence in followers: Great leaders communicate high performance expectations to their followers and strong confidence in their followers ability to meet such expectations. Selective motive arousal: Great leaders selectively arouse those motives of followers that are of special relevance to the successful accomplishment of the vision and mission.

Frame alignment: To persuade followers to accept and implement change, great leaders engage in frame alignment. This refers to the linkage of individual and leader interpretive orientations such that some set of followers interests, values, and beliefs, as well as the leaders activities, goals, and ideology, becomes congruent and complementary. Inspirational communication. Great leaders often, but not always, communicate their messages in an inspirational manner using vivid stories, slogans, symbols, and ceremonies. These 10 leadership behaviors and approach has are not specific styles per se, but cumulatively they probably represent what is currently known about the most effective style to todays leaders/managers. The classic research studies on leadership set the stage of the theoretical development of leadership. The trait theories concentrate o the leaders themselves and through the years with a little promise for either the understanding of the leadership process or the relationship with effective leadership performance. Recently, however, there is renewed research interest indicating a significant relationship with the Big Five personality traits and effective leadership. Thee is also emerging interest in the state like positive organizational behavior capacities (hope, optimism, resiliency, emotional intelligence, and, especially, self-efficacy). And effective leaders, and there is continuing concern with leader skills and competencies. The group and exchange theories emphasize the importance of followers and although the leader-member exchange (or LMX) model still generates research, the group and exchange theories in general are recognized to be only partial theories. Summary continuum of Leadership styles drawn from the classic studies and theories of leadership Boss Centered Theory X Autocratic Production centered Close Initiating structure Task directed Directive Directive Employee Centered Theory Y Democratic Employee centered General Consideration Human relations Supportive participate

Traits of Leadership: The process through which leaders influence other group members toward attainment of specific group goals. Great person theory (of leadership. Theory suggesting that all great leaders share key traits that suit them for positions of authority.

Trait Drive Honesty and Integrity Leadership , motivation Self-confidence Cognitive Ability Creativity Flexibility Expertise

Description Desire for achievement: ambition; high energy; tenacity; intitiative Trustworthiness; reliability; openness Desire to exercise influence over others to reach shared goals Trust in own abilities Intelligence; ability to integrate and interpret large amounts of information Originality Ability to adapt to needs of followers and to changing situational requirements Knowledge of the groups activities; knowledge of relevant technical matters.

Leadership Styles We have all had good leaders and bad leaders in our lives at some point but what is it that makes us decide which classification to assign them? What was it about their leadership style that led us to determine if they were good or bad? Good leadership incorporates a vast array of skills that will determine its effectiveness. One of the most prominent is the approach or leadership style that a particular leader chooses to employ. Leadership style is the attitude or approach that a leader adopts in order to lead others. In involves the way that a leader will go about issuing instruction or giving direction. It includes the methods with which he or she will develop plans. Finally yet importantly, it is the way that a leader can influence people and keep them motivated. Over the years, management and leadership styles have been closely examined in an attempt to find new and better ways to lead. We have examined the effectiveness of a number of differing approaches. This has led to the classification of leadership into four main categories or leadership styles. These are authoritarian, democratic, and Delegative and Bureaucratic. Most leaders will fall somewhere in between based on their individual personalities and depending on the situation. 1. Authoritarian (Autocratic) Leadership This style relies heavily on the authority of the position in many cases. While some elements of this style are considered useful, dependence on authority alone can be problematic. This is known as the bossy leadership style. An authoritarian leader gives orders based in his or her own view of the situation alone. The authoritarian leader simply tells people to do what he or she wants done with little regard for additional information or feedback, relationships or perspectives other than his or her own. While the shortcomings of this style can be easily imagined, there are times when it can be useful especially when the course is narrower in scope, the followers are already motivated and the leader already knows everything that he or she needs to know about every aspect of the operation. Of course, this

ideal scenario is quite rare which is why this style is usually problematic and less effective when relied on heavily. We tend to associate this style with degrading, disrespectful or unprofessional leaders but its true essence is simply command. The disrespect that may often accompany this style is not necessarily part of the authoritarian style but rather the poor effectiveness of the individual in question. A predominantly authoritarian leader who also uses poor tactics like this is a recipe for disaster while someone who uses it to compliment other styles can be effective. This Style is Effective when New, untrained staff do not know which tasks to perform or which procedures to follow Effective supervision provided only through detailed orders and instructions Staff do not respond to any other leadership style Limited time in which to make a decision A managers power challenged by staff Work needs to be coordinated with another department or organization

This Style is Ineffective when Staff become tense, fearful, or resentful Staff expect their opinions heard Staff depend on their manager to make all their decisions Low staff morale, high turnover and absenteeism and work stoppage

2. Democratic (participative) Leadership Let us take a vote. The democratic style of leadership in one in which the leader will get the members of the team more involved in the decision making and direction aspects of the operation at hand. He or she will rely on feedback from subordinates, followers or workers. While the leader maintains the authority to make the final decision, he or she understands the usefulness of using information and perspectives outside of his or her own limited scope. People will me more motivated to participate and get things done when they feel included in the overall design and direction. In part, they will feel as if the direction of the tasks is their own. Democratic leadership also strengthens relationships and promotes greater levels of respect and confidence in the operation as a whole. The people involve will have a better understanding of what they are working to accomplish and thus be more motivated to make it happen. This has been found to be a very effective approach to leadership as it relies more heavily on positive relationships and effective communication Democratic Leader The leader here is a person who is a coach who has the final say, but gathers information from staff before making a decision. He develops plans to help staff evaluate their own performance. He encourages staff to grow on the job and be promoted moreover he recognizes and encourages achievement

This Style is most Effective when One Wants to keep staff informed about matters that affect them. Wants staff to share in decision-making and problem-solving duties. Wants to provide opportunities for staff to develop a high sense of personal growth and job satisfaction. A large or complex problem that requires lots of input to solve Changes must be made or problems solved that affect staff Want to encourage team building and participation

This Style is most ineffective when Easier and more cost-effective for the manager to make the decision Cant afford mistakes Manager feels threatened by this type of leadership Staff safety is a critical concern

3. Delegative (laissez faire) Leadership Laissez faire is a French term that essentially means, To allow. This leadership style is centred on the delegation of responsibility and task accomplishment to others within the team structure. With delegative leadership, the leader allows subordinates to make decisions on their own using their own experience and knowledge of the specific area that they control. This is actually a very widely used form of leadership due to the complex nature of most organizations that require the use of leadership. It is far more effective to let the people who understand a smaller part of the puzzle in more depth control and take responsibility for the part of the project that falls within their scope. The leader sets the overall goals and directs the big picture. He or she will also monitor the progress of the operation and give instruction to the delegated leaders below him or her when needed. This allows the leader to manage a broader scope of responsibilities by not trying to micro manage smaller aspects and details of the operation. While delegates hold responsibility to the leader, the leader is still ultimately responsible for the operation. This style is effective when employees or followers have all of the tools and understanding that they need to do the job or when their knowledge of the smaller task is deeper or more acute than that of the leader. If you do not know anything about software development and you hire a developer to create software to accomplish a task, you are unlikely to know enough to tell the developer how to go about writing code. You can however direct the overall effort by explaining the priority needs of the final product and communicating to determine whether what you want is actually possible with the given resources. This relationship relies on a certain degree of trust in the competence of the employee. This style is Effective when Staff highly skilled, experienced, and educated Staff have pride in their work and the drive to do it successfully on their own Outside experts, such as staff specialists or consultants used

Staff trustworthy and experienced

This Style should not be used when Staff feel insecure at the unavailability of a manager The manager cannot provide regular feedback to staff on how well they are doing Managers unable to thank staff for their good work The manager doesnt understand his or her responsibilities and hoping the staff cover for him

4. Bureaucratic Leadership This style of leadership follows a close set of standards. Everything is done in an exact, specific way to ensure safety and/or accuracy. You will often find this leadership role in a situation where the work environment is dangerous and specific sets of procedures are necessary to ensure safety. In the working world bureaucratic leadership skills would be best utilized in jobs such as construction work, chemistry-related jobs that involve working with hazardous material, or jobs that involve working with large amounts of money. Benefits of Bureaucratic Leadership In school work, you may find that bureaucratic leadership skills are necessary when working on a group project for a science class. Precision is key in a science project, and meticulous notes are essential. A natural bureaucratic leader will tend to create detailed instructions for other members of a group. This type of leader would also be very successful working in student government roles. This Style is most effective when Staff performing routine tasks over and over Staff needs to understand certain standards or procedures. Safety or security training conducted Staff performing tasks that require handling cash

This Style is Ineffective when Work habits form that are hard to break, especially if they are no longer useful Staff lose their interest in their jobs and in their co-workers Staff do only what is expected of them and no more

Other Styles 1. Transformational Leadership Transformational Leadership is defined as a leadership approach that causes change in individuals and social systems. In its ideal form, it creates valuable and positive change in the followers with the end goal of developing followers into leaders. Enacted in its authentic form, transformational leadership enhances the motivation, morale and performance of followers through a variety of mechanisms. These include connecting the follower's sense of identity and self to the mission and the collective identity of the organization; being a role model for followers that inspires them; challenging followers to take greater ownership for their work, and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of followers, so the leader can align followers with tasks that optimize their performance. 2. Creative Leadership Creative Leadership is about mindfully creating the future, and the topics include developing gifted leaders, leverage, intellectual capital, vision, paradox, integration, core values, grace, and of course - leading, following or getting out of the way. Creative leaders attract a great deal of attention in business, politics, sport, and education. There seems to be a widespread belief that creative leadership is a good thing and that more you can get the better. Creativity and leadership have various characteristics in common. Both have attracted attention across a wide range of professional, educational, and sociopolitical fields 3. Corrective Leadership Corrective Leadership empowers staff to facilitate collaborative and synergism. In this style the leader tries working with and through other people instead of bowing to authoritarianism. This style is very useful especially when collaboration projects are involved, this is typically used in Outsourcing. 4. Consultative Leadership This style focuses on using the skills, experiences, and ideas of others. However, the leader or manager using this style still retains the final decision-making power. To his or her credit, they will not make major decisions without first getting the input from those that will be affected. The consultative leader traits are: often involve others in problem solving, team building, retains right for final decisions, focuses his/her time on more important activities, provides proper recognition, delegates but keeps veto power, weighs all alternatives before final decision is made 5. Servant Leadership This term, created by Robert Greenleaf in the 1970s, describes a leader who is often not formally recognized as such. When someone, at any level within an organization, leads simply by meeting the needs of the team, he or she is described as a "servant leader." In many ways, servant leadership is a form of democratic leadership, because the whole team tends to be involved in decision making. Supporters of the servant leadership model suggest that it's an important way to move ahead in a world where values are increasingly important, and where servant leaders achieve power on the basis of their values and ideals. Others believe that in competitive leadership situations, people who practice servant leadership can find themselves left behind by leaders using other leadership styles. 6. Task Oriented Leadership Highly task-oriented leaders focus only on getting the job done, and they can be quite autocratic. They actively define the work and the roles required, put structures in place, plan, organize, and monitor. However, because task-oriented leaders

don't tend to think much about the well-being of their teams, this approach can suffer many of the flaws of autocratic leadership, with difficulties in motivating and retaining staff. 7. Transactional leadership This style of leadership starts with the idea that team members agree to obey their leader totally when they accept a job. The "transaction" is usually the organization paying the team members in return for their effort and compliance. The leader has a right to "punish" team members if their work doesn't meet the pre-determined standard. Team members can do little to improve their job satisfaction under transactional leadership. The leader could give team members some control of their income/reward by using incentives that encourage even higher standards or greater productivity. Alternatively, a transactional leader could practice "management by exception" rather than rewarding better work, the leader could take corrective action if the required standards are not met. Transactional leadership is really a type of management, not a true leadership style, because the focus is on short-term tasks. It has serious limitations for knowledge-based or creative work; however it can be effective in other situations. 8. People-oriented leadership or relations-oriented leadership This is the opposite of taskoriented leadership. With people-oriented leadership, leaders are totally focused on organizing, supporting, and developing the people in their teams. It's a participative style, and it tends to encourage good teamwork and creative collaboration. In practice, most leaders use both task-oriented and people-oriented styles of leadership. 9. Charismatic leadership A charismatic leadership style can seem similar to transformational leadership, because these leaders inspire lots of enthusiasm in their teams and are very energetic in driving others forward. However, charismatic leaders can tend to believe more in themselves than in their teams, and this creates a risk that a project, or even an entire organization, might collapse if the leader leaves. In the eyes of the followers, success is directly connected to the presence of the charismatic leader. As such, charismatic leadership carries great responsibility, and it needs a long-term commitment from the leader. 10. Pacesetting Leadership In this style, the leader sets high standards for performance. He or she is obsessive about doing things better and faster, and asks the same of everyone. But this style should be used sparingly, because it can undercut morale and make people feel as if they are failing 11. Visionary Leadership This style is most appropriate when an organization needs a new direction. Its goal is to move people towards a new set of shared dreams. Visionary leaders articulate where a group is going, but not how it will get there setting people free to innovate, experiment, take calculated risks, 12. Coaching Leadership This one-on-one style focuses on developing individuals, showing them how to improve their performance, and helping to connect their goals to the goals of the organization. Coaching works best, with employees who show initiative and want more professional development. But it can backfire if its perceived as micromanaging an employee, and undermines his or her self-confidence.

Varying Leadership Three factors that influence which leadership style to use are the following: 1. The managers personal background: What personality, knowledge, values, ethics, and Experiences does the manager have. What doeshe or she think will work? 2. Staff being supervised: Staff individuals with different personalities and backgrounds; The Leadership style used will vary depending upon the individual staff and what he or she will respond best to 3. The organization: The traditions, values, philosophy, and concerns of the organization influence how a manager acts Good Leader An effective leader will use a combination of skills derived from all the styles above. Great leaders are those who can effectively change their style and incorporate strengths from each style in the right ratios to meet specific situations with the most effective approach. This is not always easy. The complex nature of personal relationships, large operations and business tasks requires that leaders be understanding, flexible, experience and competent in the intricacies of solid leadership. It takes time, effort and education to become a great leader.