LEADERSHIP TRAITS &

BEHAVIOR
MOTIVATION &
COMMUNICATION
MR. RUBEN S. LEYBA
INTRODUCTION-Leadership Behavior
• The leader sets example. Whether in
the Army or in civilian life, the other
people in the organization take their
cue from the leader-not from the
leader says, but what the leader does.
- Colin Powell
Leadership Behavior

“THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS THAT YOU

ALWAYS KNOW
THE RIGHT THING TO DO. THE HARD PART IS
DOING IT.”

NORMAN SCHWARTZKOPF,
U.S. ARMY
 Introduction
• Differentiating between effective and ineffective
leaders requires looking at their behaviors and results.
• Leadership behavior can be observed and measured.
• Personality traits, values, and intelligence cannot be
directly observed, but they may contribute to effective
leadership behaviors.
• Two other factors that influence leadership behavior are
the followers and the situation.
• Follower and situational factors can help determine whether a
particular leadership behavior is “bad” or “good.”
 Why Study Leadership Behavior?

• Many people in positions of authority either cannot build

and motivate teams or do not realize the negative impact
of their behavior.
• Leadership behaviors are a function of intelligence,
personality traits, emotional intelligence values, attitudes,
interests, knowledge, and experience.
• Over time, leaders learn and discern the most appropriate
and effective behaviors.
• Individual differences, followers, and situational variables
play a pivotal role in a leader’s actions.
The Building Blocks of Skills

FIGURE 7.1
The Building Blocks of Skills
The Early Studies

• Ohio State University developed the Leader Behavior

Description Questionnaire (LBDQ). and identified two
independent dimensions of behaviors.
– Consideration is how friendly and supportive a leader is
toward subordinates. Leaders high in consideration show
concern by speaking up for subordinates’ interests and
expressing appreciation for their work.
– Initiating structure is how much a leader emphasizes
meeting work goals and accomplishing tasks. Leaders
high in initiating structure engage in task-related
behaviors like assigning deadlines and monitoring
performance levels.
– These dimensions are independent continuums.
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The Early Studies (continued)

• University of Michigan identified four categories of

leadership behaviors that are related to effective group
performance.
– Goal emphasis and work facilitation are job-centered
dimensions similar to the LBDQ initiating structure
behaviors.
– Leader support and interaction facilitation are
employee-centered dimensions similar to the LBDQ
consideration dimensions.
– Job-centered and employee-centered behaviors are at
opposite ends of a single continuum.
• Findings of both university studies suggest that no universal
set of leader behaviors is always associated with leadership
success. 7-8
The Leadership Grid
• Alternative conceptualizations focus on:
– Identifying key leadership behaviors.
– Determining if these behaviors have positive
relationships with leadership success.
– Developing behaviors related to leadership success.
• The Leadership Grid profiles leader behavior on two
dimensions: concern for people and concern for
production.
– “Concern” reflects how a leader’s underlying
assumptions about people at work and the
importance of the bottom line affect leadership style.
• The most effective leaders are said to have high
concern for both people and for production. 7-9
Competency Models

• Competency models describe the behaviors and skills needed

for organizational success.
• All organizational competency models fall into one of four major
categories.
– Intrapersonal skills: adapting to stress, setting goals
– Interpersonal skills: communicating, interacting
– Leadership skills: building effective teams
– Business skills: thinking strategically
• The Hogan and Warrenfelz model:
– Allows people to see connections between models.
– Makes predictions about the ease or difficulty of changing leadership
behaviors and skills.
– Points out what behaviors leaders must exhibit to be effective.
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The Leadership Pipeline

• The Leadership Pipeline model shows where leaders should

spend time, what behaviors they need to exhibit, and what
challenges are likely at different organizational levels.
• It outlines leader development through organizational levels from
first-line supervisor to functional manager to CEO.
• The pipeline offers a roadmap for individuals who want to chart
their career progression.
• It provides a useful framework for considering how leadership
competencies change as people are promoted through
organizations.

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Community Leadership

• Community leadership is the process of building a team of

volunteers to accomplish an important community outcome.
• Community leaders lack position power and also have fewer
resources and rewards.
• Three competencies are needed to drive community change
efforts successfully:
– Framing: recognizing and defining opportunities
– Building social capital: developing and maintaining relationships
– Mobilization: engaging a critical mass to take action and achieve a
specific outcome

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The Components of Community Leadership

FIGURE 7.4
The Components of Community Leadership
Source: J. Krile, G. Curphy, and D. Lund, The Community Leadership Handbook: Framing Ideas, Building Relationships, and Mobilizing Resources (St.
Paul, MN: Fieldstone Alliance, 2006).
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 Trait Theories

Traits are distinctive characteristics that

distinguish leaders from non-leaders.

• Early trait theories identified:

– Physical characteristics (height, appearance)
– Personality characteristics (extrovert)
– Skills and abilities (intelligence)
– Social factors (interpersonal skills)

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 Recent Results on Traits

After being rejected as a basis for identifying leaders,

trait theories have had a revival.

• Some studies have identified • An AT&T study found these

these traits: characteristics in managers who
advanced:
– Drive
– oral communication skills
– Motivation – human relations skills
– Integrity – need or motive for advancement
– Self-confidence – resistance to stress
– Intelligence – tolerance of uncertainty
– Knowledge – energy
– creativity

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 Personal-Behavioral Theories

• University of Iowa (Kurt • Boys’ Club test

Lewin) – laissez-faire underperformed
– Leadership styles – autocratic and democratic
• autocratic • same quantity of work
• democratic • democratic - higher quality of
• laissez-faire work and group satisfaction
– Measured quantity and quality
of work and group satisfaction

Later tests disputed the differences found

between autocratic and democratic
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 Personal-Behavioral Theories

• Tannenbaum and Schmidt

– Continuum of leadership behaviors
• from boss-centered to subordinate-centered
– Leaders need to consider:
• Their personal abilities and style
• Their subordinates’ preferences and tolerances
• The nature of the situation

Appropriate leadership behavior is neither autocratic

nor democratic, but can be somewhere in-between.
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 Personal-Behavioral Theories

• University of Michigan (Rensis Likert)

- Job-centered vs. employee-centered

• Job-centered • Employee-centered
– structure the jobs of – build effective work groups dedicated to
subordinates high performance goals
– closely supervise – focus on the human aspects of
– use incentives to spur subordinates
production – specify and communicate objectives, but
– determine standard rates of give considerable freedom in the means
production for their achievement

Employee-centered is better.
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 Personal-Behavioral Theories

•Ohio State Studies

- two-dimensional model
• Initiating structure
– structured their roles and the
roles of subordinates toward
achieving goals
– actively involved in planning
work activities, communicating
pertinent information, and
scheduling work
• Consideration
– work atmosphere of mutual trust
– respect for subordinates’ ideas
– consideration of subordinates’
feelings
– good two-way communication

Consideration produced higher employee satisfaction.

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 Personal-Behavioral Theories

• Blake and Mouton - Managerial Grid®

– Concern for Production vs. Concern for People
• Better to be high on both dimensions
• Other studies suggest that high on both dimensions is not
always best
– Flexibility is necessary, depending on situation

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Situational Theories

• Fiedler’s Contingency Model

– Leader style is either task-oriented or relationship-
oriented
– Style depends on three situational factors
• leader-member relations
• task structure
• position power

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 Situational Theories

Vroom/Yetton/Jago Leadership-Style Theory

(called Normative Leadership Model in text)

•Leader style is either autocratic, consultative, or group

• Style depends on eight situational factors

• quality requirement • commitment probability

• commitment requirement • goal congruence
• leader’s information • subordinate conflict
• problem structure
• subordinate information

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 Situational Theories

Hersey and Blanchard

- Situational Leadership Theory

• Leader style depends on the readiness of followers as defined by their:

– Ability
– Willingness
• Style takes the form of four leader behaviors
– Telling
– Selling
– Participating
– Delegating

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 Situational Theories

Path-goal Theory

•Leader style is either directive, supportive, participative, or achievement-oriented

• Style depends on two types of situational factors

• Subordinate characteristics • Context characteristics

– personality traits – the task itself
– skills, abilities, and needs – the work group
– the organization’s authority
structure

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 Transformational Leadership

• Three leader factors are important:

– charisma
– individualized consideration
• delegating
• paying attention to followers’ needs
• treating followers with respect
– intellectual stimulation
• offering new ideas to stimulate followers
• encouraging followers to think and act creatively

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What is motivation?

• Motivation - the process by which a person’s

efforts are energised, directed, and sustained
toward attaining a goal.

• Motivation, or, to put it another way – why people

do what they do – is behind most of our actions.
We all do things for a reason; however, that
reason is not always clear.

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3 elements of motivation

• Intensity – how hard a person tries

• Direction – effort that is channeled toward, and

consistent with, organisational goals

• Persistence – how long a person can maintain

effort

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Early motivation theories

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Early theories of motivation

• Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

• McGregor’s Theories X and Y
• Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory
• McClelland’s Three Needs Theory

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Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

Maslow’s theory is that people are motivated by

needs. Once people have what they need, their
needs change and develop.

In the next diagram, you can see that these start

at the bottom with basic physiological needs
such as food and water. They then progress and
change until self-actualisation is achieved.

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Maslow’s hierarchy of needs - diagram

Self-
actualisation
Esteem

Love

Safety

Physiological

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What does it mean?

Maslow’s hierarchy looks at a person’s whole life,

not just their work life.

However, work can fulfil some of a person’s needs

to help them be more fulfilled and therefore more
motivated.

The next diagram offers suggestions of how to

interpret Maslow’s needs in a workplace context.

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 What does this mean?

Maslow Fulfilment activities Workplace fulfilment activities

Physiological Food, water, sleep, sex Money, working conditions, kitchen

Safety Safety, security, stability, protection Safe environment, job security, benefits

Social Love, affection, belonging Friendly supervision, good relationship

with colleagues, membership of groups

Esteem Self-esteem, self-respect, prestige, Job status, job title, positive feedback,
status recognition

Self-actualisation Growth, advancement, creativity Challenging work, opportunities for

autonomy, achievement, promotion

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 Criticisms of Maslow

• People can be on multiple steps at the

same time

• People will move between different stages

in both directions

• Not based on research

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McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y

• Theory X - the assumption that employees dislike work,

are lazy, avoid responsibility, and must be coerced to
perform.

• Theory Y - the assumption that employees are creative,

enjoy work, seek responsibility, and can exercise self-
direction.

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Criticisms of McGregor

• Managers used a set of assumptions based on

their view

• The assumptions moulded their behaviour

toward employees

• No empirical evidence to support this theory.

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Herzberg’s two factor theory

Two-factor theory (motivation-hygiene theory) - the

motivation theory that claims that intrinsic factors
are related to job satisfaction and motivation,
whereas extrinsic factors are associated with job
dissatisfaction.
• Hygiene factors - factors that eliminate job
dissatisfaction, but don’t motivate.
• Motivators - factors that increase job satisfaction
and motivation.

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 Herzberg’s two factor theory

Herzberg’s theory is in some ways similar to Maslow’s. He puts forward the

suggestion that people have two sets of factors which contribute to their
motivation:
Hygiene
Motivators
Extrinsic and Related Factors Intrinsic and Related
to Dissatisfaction to Satisfaction
Company
Growth
Policies

Salary Responsibility

Work
Achievement
Conditions

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Herzberg’s two factor theory

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McClelland’s achievement motivation theory

He suggests that there are four main needs that

everyone has:

• The Achievement motive (n-Ach)

• The Power motive (n-Pow)
• The Affiliate motive (n-Affil)
• The Avoidance motive (n-Avoid)

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McClelland’s four needs

He suggests that everyone has a combination of these needs but that one tends to
dominate.
• The Achievement motive (n-Ach)
People with a high achievement need like to be successful and have positive feedback.
• The Power motive (n-Pow)
People with a high power need like to be in charge of people and/or organisations.
• The Affiliate motive (n-Affil)
People with a high affiliation need prefer to work with other people in teams and groups.
• The Avoidance motive (n-Avoid)
People with a high avoidance need will avoid situations which may provoke negative
emotions in them.

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Criticisms of McClelland

• Focus in the research was mostly on nAch

• Not very practical to use in organisations as a

tool because of time taken to undertaken and
expertise needed

• Motivators are internal and difficult to identify and

measure

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Thematic Apperception Tasks - TAT pictures

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Criticisms of McClelland

• Focus in the research was mostly on nAch

• Not very practical to use in organisations as a

tool because of time taken to undertaken and
expertise needed

• Motivators are internal and difficult to identify and

measure

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 Activity – individual reflection

• What motivates you?

• What makes you get out of bed in the
morning?
• What makes you attend lectures?
• What makes you want to do well?

Select a theory and analyse your own

motivations.
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Leadership Communication

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Communication

• What is involved in communication?

• “Leaders communicate to share the vision with
others, inspire and motivate them to strive
toward the vision, and build the values and trust
that enable effective working relationships and
goal accomplishment.” (Daft, 2008, p. 259)

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Technological Concerns

• Technology in communication:
– Good & Bad?
– Missing…
– Affect outcomes?
– People as ‘whole’ people?
– Personal?
– Quality of communication?
– Lazy communication?

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Feedback Concerns

• As followers we like to give feedback so why

when we are leaders do we no longer want to
hear feedback?
• Why don’t coaches ask for feedback?
• Feedback from assistants?

• Top-down paradigms vs. inverted paradigms.

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Communication Process

• Encoding & Decoding

– Individual differences
– Knowledge.
– Values.
– Attitudes.
– Background.
• Goal: Transfer information WITH shared
meaning.

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Communication Types

• Management Communication: directing the traffic of

communication. Collecting pieces of the puzzle and
determining who gets to see which pieces at which
time.
• Leadership Communication: using the ‘whole’
person approach and ensuring everyone can see
the vision (the picture on the box of the puzzle)
while striving to promote upward communication
links. High use of purpose, ultimate vision and
stories / metaphors.

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 Communication Champion

Purpose Directed
Direct attention to vision/values,
Strategic Leader desired outcomes; use
persuasion
Conversation as Communication
Internal and Open climate Champion
external sources Listening
Discernment Methods
Dialogue Use rich channels
Stories and metaphors
Informal communication

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Open Climate

• Sharing all types of communication across job

descriptions (horizontal) and hierarchies
(vertical).
• Surveys show employees want good and bad
information. Why don’t we, as leaders, give
open and honest information?
• Ownership in the text is akin to autonomy as we
discussed in Motivation & Empowerment.

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 Why Open the Communication Channels?

An open climate is essential for cascading vision, and cascading is essential because:
Natural Law 1: You Get What You talk about
– A vision must have ample ‘air time’ in an organization. A vision must be shared and practiced by
leaders at every opportunity.
Natural Law 2: The Climate of an Organization is a
Reflection of the Leader
– A leader who doesn’t embody the vision and values doesn’t have an organization that does.
Natural Law 3: You Can’t Walk Faster Than One Step at a
Time
– A vision is neither understood nor accepted overnight. Communicating must be built into continuous,
daily interaction so that over time followers will internalize it.

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Asking Questions

• Conditioned to have right answers and only give

right answers.
• Problems need answers… leaders must have
and provide the right answer.
• Think of school…
• Ripple effect of a leader asking questions is…?
• Leader centered vs. follower-centered.
– Think about categories of leadership…

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Listening

• Most folks are thinking of what to say next while

they should be listening to what is actually being
said.
• Average retention rates of auditory information is
around 25%.
• Can listening be draining?

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 Ex . 9.4 Ten Keys to Effective Listening
Keys
1. Listen actively
2. Find areas of interest
3. Resist distractions
4. Capitalize on the fact that
thought is faster than speech
5. Be responsive
Poor Listener
Is passive, laid back
Tunes out dry subjects
Is easily distracted
Tends to daydream with slow
speakers
Is minimally involved
Good Listener
Asks questions; paraphrases what
is said
Looks for opportunities, new
learning
Fights distractions; tolerates bad
habits; knows how to concentrate
Challenges, anticipates,
summarizes; listens between lines
to tone of voice
Nods; shows interest, positive
feedback
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 Ex. 9.4 (contd.)

Keys Poor Listener Good Listener

6. Judge content, not delivery Tunes out if delivery is poor Judges content; skips over
delivery errors

7. Hold one’s fire Has preconceptions; argues Does not judge until
comprehension is complete

8. Listen for ideas Listens for facts Listens to central themes

9. Work at listening No energy output; faked attention Works hard; exhibits active body
state, eye contact

10. Exercise one’s mind Resists difficult material in favor of Uses heavier material as exercise
light, recreational material for the mind

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Discernment

• Utilizing nonverbal and situational cues not

verbalized during communication.
• We are taught to be PC and speak words that
are less likely to offend. Most of us aren’t taught
how to behave while we are speaking.
– Remember only 25% of our words are retained!
• People watching… full time and not as a
boredom quelling activity.

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Dialogue

• Finding that shared meaning in the message and

building upon that base layer by layer with a lack
of right vs. wrong and judgments.
• Discussions are taught and encouraged.
– Debates, position statements, right vs. wrong.
– Sports are huge for this. Sometimes called ‘bar room
debates’.
• Best 3rd baseman of all-time is…?

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 Dialogue vs. Discussion
Conversation
Lack of understanding, disagreement,
divergent points of view, evaluate others

Dialogue Discussion

Reveal feelings State positions

Explore assumptions Advocate convictions
Suspend convictions Convince others
Build common ground Build oppositions

Result Result

Long-term, innovative solutions Short-term resolution

Unified group Agreement by logic
Shared meaning Opposition beaten down
Transformed mind-sets Mind-sets held onto

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Communicate like a Champion:

• Establish credibility: knowledge, expertise,

relationships, track-record and demonstrating a ‘we’
mentality.
• Build goals on common ground: show folks how
what they do impacts the overall picture and that the
overall picture benefits them.
• Make your position compelling to others: use
emotion to your advantage through symbols,
metaphors and stories.
• Connect emotionally: EQ and adapt to the situation
to ensure followers are ready to listen.

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 A Continuum of Channel Richness
Electronic mail, IM,
Web, intranet
Face-to-face
Formal report verbal
Disadvantages Advantages
Impersonal Personal
One-way Two-way
Slow feedback Fast feedback
Low channel High channel
richness richness

Advantages Disadvantages
Provides record No record
Premeditated Spontaneous
Easily disseminated Dissemination hard

Memos, letters
Telephone

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Channel Richness

• The ability to handle multiple cues

simultaneously.
• The ability to facilitate rapid, two-way feedback.
• The ability to establish a personal focus for the
communication.

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Stories & Metaphors

• The goal is to further emphasize the emotional

connection.
– Must consider the communication process still.
– Information must be congruent with listeners abilities,
knowledge base and/or experiences.
• Select stories carefully as listeners only
remember 25% anyway and the story is more
likely to be in that 25% than the remainder of
your verbalized information.

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Informal Communication

• Part is the nonverbal communication (weighted

higher than verbal) and the goal as the leader is
to have our verbal and nonverbal match to
enhance our credibility and further emotional
connections.
• Part is the setting. Informal conversations can
dramatically influence the openness of an
environment and the transfer of information.
– Think school…

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•THANK
YOU!
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