Leadership Examined

Applications of Leadership Theory

Jeremy Manjorin

Org 579: Capstone

Colorado State University

Dr. Suzanne LeBeau

August 31st, 2014

2Copyright 2014 Jeremy Manjorin. This work is not authorized for public release. All rights reserved.

Welcome

Welcome to Applications of Leadership Theory. The purpose of this presentation is to analyse a variety of leadership theories and their applications in a modern global organization.


Introduction

In this presentation, we will examine leadership through three lenses:

• Leadership Learned

• Leadership Examined

• Leadership Forward


What is Leadership Theory

Leadership theory is the study of leadership, specifically, types of leadership characteristics, their constructs, and how they work in practical settings.

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Leadership Learned

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”

– John Quincy Adams


Analyzing Leadership

When analyzing leadership, there are a variety of theories that have application in a global organizational setting. While there are many, the four main theories that will be discussed in this presentation are:

Situational Leadership

Transformative Leadership

Charismatic Leadership

Servant Leadership


Situational and Transformative Leadership Theories

Situational Leadership - As Peter Northouse (2013) writes in his book Leadership: Theory and Practice, “Situational leadership reminds us to treat each subordinate differently based on the task at hand and to seek opportunities to help subordinates learn new skills and become more confident in their work” (pg. 106).

Transformative Leadership - Transformational leadership is concerned with long-term goals and the values, ethics, standards, and development of relationships between the leader and the follower.


Charismatic and Servant Leadership Theories

Charismatic Leadership - Charismatic Leaders use a wide range of methods to manage their image and, if they are not naturally charismatic, may practice assiduously at developing their skills. They may engender trust through visible self-sacrifice and taking personal risks in the name of their beliefs. They will show great confidence in their followers. They are very persuasive and make very effective use of body language as well as verbal language. (Rose-Hulman, 2013, p.1)

Servant Leadership – As written by Robert K. Greenleaf in The Servant as Leader (1970), “The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material…” (p.24)


Leadership as Support

What does leadership do in an organization?

• It helps develop strategies

• examines alternatives

• supports the organization

• communicates paths forward to the stakeholders

• and sets the example of how to act within the collective group.

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Leadership for Evaluation

Leaders embody these qualities by understanding how to communicate with different types of stakeholders (direct

reports and subordinates, peer, senior leadership, and external parties like the media, shareholders and the public at large).

Leaders need to understand human behaviorLeaders need to be effective communicators.

Leaders need to understand decision making processes Leaders need to be ethical in their choices and actions

Leadership Examined

“To lead people, walk behind them.”

– Lao Tzu


Lifelong Learning

Within successful organizations, training and development are paramount to stakeholder engagement.

Leaders promote learning within a team, and within an organization to allow groups to more fully understand their roles, as well as the roles of those around them. As Donovan and Townsend (2004) writes in The Training Needs Analysis Pocketbook, “Managers…have the responsibilities of “participating in the training needs investigation, supporting and briefing participants before, during and after the training, setting measurable objectives and rewarding the practice of learning” (p.42).

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Leadership Challenges

There are a variety of new challenges that leaders face in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.

• Globalization – Language and communication barriers

• Communication and Collaboration – Styles of communication

• Local and regional competition

• Messaging - Unified Mission statements

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Leadership Forward “Successful leaders see the

opportunities in every difficulty rather than the difficulty in every opportunity.”

- Reed Markham


Practical Applications of Leadership Theory

As a mid-level manager, it is sometimes difficult to synthesize the leadership theories discussed herein into a meaningful path forward.

The value in this and in deconstructing the different theories of leadership lies in how one can apply this to the smaller scale of where they are now.

The understanding of theories like situational and transformative leadership help address day to day issues that arise in any organization for any manager or person in a leadership position.

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Leadership and Decision-making

Decisions can be made using:

• Intuitive rationale

• leaning on lessons of past experiences

• decisions applied to similar situations to help guide the decision maker.

As Larina Kase writes in her article Great Leaders are Great Decision-Makers (2010), “Great leaders understand how to balance emotion with reason and make decisions that positively impact themselves, their employees, their customers and stakeholders, and their organizations. Making good decisions in difficult situations is no small feat because these types of decisions involve change, uncertainty, anxiety, stress, and sometimes the unfavorable reactions of others” (p.1).

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Conclusion

Based off the skills and lessons discussed throughout this presentation, the knowledge gained from the Organizational Leadership program has provided clear understanding and guidance on the following topics:

• Understanding leadership theory and its applications in a global organization

• Analyzing how groups interact within an organization

• Understanding strategies for bolstering stakeholder support and organizational capacity

• Identify key traits of effective leadership

• Assess challenges of organizational leadership and identify effective development strategies in an organization


References

Donovan, P., & Townsend, J. (2004) “The Training Needs Analysis Pocketbook” Pocketbooks Stakeholders” Financial Times Lexicon. Retrieved from http://lexicon.ft.com/Term?term=stakeholders

Greenleaf, R. (1991). The Servant as Leader ([Rev. ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Robert K. Greenleaf Center.

Johnson, Murray. (2009). Transformational Leadership Characteristics. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwostlSE1PM#t=65

Kase, L. (2010). Great Leaders make Great Decision-Makers. Graziadio Business Review. Vol 13, Issue 4. Retrieved from http://gbr.pepperdine.edu/2010/10/great-leaders-are-great-decision-makers/

Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Pozin, I. (2014). 16 Leadership Quotes to Inspire you to Greatness. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/ilyapozin/2014/04/10/16-leadership-quotes-to-inspire-you-to-greatness/

Rose-Hulman. (2013). Leadership styles. Retrieved from: http://www.rose-hulman.edu/StudentAffairs/ra/files/CLSK/PDF/Section%20Three%20Campus%20Involvement%20&%20Leadership/Leadership%20Styles.pdf