Effective leadership
Quick Reflections
What are some typical leadership behaviors that come to mind? Definition Many attempts have been made over the years to define leadership. Different definitions have been given, the only commonality being the role that influence play in leadership Besides influence, leadership has been defined in terms of group processes, personality, compliance, particular behaviour, persuasion, power, goal achievement, interaction, role differentiation, initiation of structures, and a combination of two or more of these What is leadership Definition Enabling groups of people to face challenges and achieve results in complex situations Involves creating a positive work culture characterized by strong relationships with your colleagues, and staff, trust, dedication, handwork, and teamwork
When you boil it all down, contemporary leadership see to be a matter of aligning people towards common goals and empowering them to take the actions needed to reach them ( Fortunes article) Being able to create the kind of meaning for people, the values that make sense to them, where there is enough trust in the system ... (W. Bennis) Leadership (cont..) Leadership is about responsibility -leadership is not a rank, privileges, titles, or money. It is about responsibility Leaders do not start with " what do I want" but rather start with "what needs to be done" Then they ask "what can and should I do to make a difference" Leadership (cont..) Leadership is done with others - Mobilizing people through out the organization to do adaptive work Leadership happens at all levels - What ever level you are, whatever your job, you can bring new insight, new leadership, to your team or to your group
Leadership is the art of inspiring subordinates or followers to perform their duties willingly, competently, and enthusiastically. Leadership is a social influence process in which the leader seeks voluntary participation of the followers in order to achieve organizational objectives. Leadership is both process and property. As a process, leadership involves the use of noncoercive influence to direct and coordinate the activities of the members of an organized group towards the achievement of group objectives.
As a property, leadership is a set of qualities or characteristics attributed to those who are perceived to successfully employ such influence. Such qualities include: Ability to inspire the other. Ability to understand human behavior. Ability of verbal assertiveness. Willingness to take risk.
Meaning
In spite of seeming discontent at least with the traditional approaches to leadership theory and practice, throughout history, the differences between success and failure, whether in a war, a business, a protest movement, a sports etc have been attributed to leadership
A recent study by Gallup survey indicates that most employees believe that it is the leader, not the company, that guides the culture and creates situations where workers can be happy and successful
Principle roles of a leader
Leadership traits and characteristics
Are leaders born or made?
Belief by many modern scholars Believes that leadership capacities and competencies can be acquired but the desire to learn must be there. Leadership is a goal to be pursued, not a gift to be bestowed only upon a lucky few. The best leaders make a personal choice to continually assess and constantly develop their leadership capabilities Leaders vs. managers Who are the Leaders and Who are the Managers?
In recent years, many theorist and practitioners have emphasized the difference between managers and leaders Warren Bennis has noted that " to survive in the 21st century we are going to need a new generation of leaders - leaders, not managers
