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What Does It Mean to Be a Leader?

Chapter Objectives

Understand the full meaning of leadership and see the leadership potential in yourself and others.

Recognize and facilitate the six fundamental transformations in today’s organizations and leaders.

Identify the primary reasons for leadership derailment and the new paradigm skills that can help you avoid it.

Recognize the traditional functions of management and the fundamental differences between leadership and management.

Chapter Objectives (contd.)

Appreciate the crucial importance of providing direction, alignment, relationships, personal qualities, and outcomes.

Realize how historical leadership approaches apply to the practice of leadership today.

Definition of Leadership

Leadership is an influence relationship among leaders and followers who intend real changes and outcomes that reflect their shared purposes.

Ex. 1.1 What Leadership Involves

Influence Intention

Followers

Shared purpose

Change

Personal responsibility and integrity

Leader

Ex. 1.2 The New Reality for Leadership

OLD Paradigm Stability Control Competition Uniformity Self-centered Hero

NEW Paradigm Change/crisis mgt. Empowerment Collaboration Diversity Higher purpose Humble

What is a “paradigm?” – a shared mindset that represents a fundamental way of thinking about, perceiving, and understanding The world; a world-view; weltanschauung

The New Reality for Leadership(CONTD)

Today’s leaders accept inevitability of change/crisis, and see them

as potential source of energy/renewal-when you do not change, you die

Share power-find ways to increase a firm’s brain power by getting involvement/commitment; info rather than assets source of power

Realize that self-directed teams/horizontal collaboration breakdown departmental boundaries-concept of knowledge management; culture of sharing info

The New Reality for Leadership(CONTD)

Today’s leaders Realize that there is a trend towards collaborations

between organizations; a network of independent companies that share financial risks/leadership talents/technologies/markets

Uniform thinking can be disastrous in today’s diverse/global world

Go away from self-centeredness; leaders emphasize something larger than self-interest

Are aware of shift from hero to hard-working, behind the scenes leader who builds others

Management and Vision

Management is the attainment of organizational goals in an effective and efficient manner through planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling organizational resources.

Vision is a picture of an ambitious, desirable future for the organization or team

Managers & Leaders

Managers detail plans/schedules, allocating resources for achieving specific goals Organize, staff and develop policies/procedures Monitor implementation Relationships – between machines, reports Power from organizational position

Leaders Call for creating a compelling of the future, and developing far-sighted

strategies to producing the changes needed to achieve vision Compelling – vision has to be shared and people can relate to Communicate vision and develop a shared culture/core values that lead to

desired future state Relationships – motivating and inspiring people; influencing rather than

coercion Personal power

Leaders

Subtle personal qualities: enthusiasm, integrity, courage and humility

Genuine passion for the work, and concern for people

Emotionally connected to others Open mind and welcome new ideas Listen and discern what people need Need to be non-conformists; willing to step

outside boundary and comfort-zone

Ex. 1.3 Comparing Management and Leadership

Focusing on people – inspiring and motivating followers

Based on personal power

Acting as coach, facilitator, servant

Focusing on objects – producing/selling goods and services

Based on position power

Acting as boss

Relationships

Creating shared culture and values

Helping others grow

Reducing boundaries

Organizing and staffing

Directing and controlling

Creating boundaries

Alignment

Creating vision and strategy

Keeping eye on horizon

Planning and budgeting

Keeping eye on bottom lineDirection

LeadershipManagement

Ex. 1.3 (contd.)

Creates change and a culture of integrity

Maintains stability; creates culture of efficiency

Outcomes

Emotional connections (Heart)

Open mind (Mindfulness)

Listening (Communication)

Nonconformity (Courage)

Insight into self (Character)

Emotional distance

Expert mind

Talking

Conformity

Insight into organization

Personal Qualities

LeadershipManagement

Position power

A written, spoken, or implied contract wherein people accept either a superior or subordinate role and see the use of coercive as well as noncoercive behavior as an acceptable way of achieving desirable results.

Leaders operate from personal power

Theories of Leadership

Great Man Theories Born with certain traits/natural abilities of power & influence

Trait Theories Started in the 1920s Characteristics such as intelligence, height, energy, etc

Behavior Theories Early 1930s What a leader does; how he behaves towards followers, i.e.,

autocratic/democratic, and whether this is effective/ineffective Contingency Theories

Based on situation & context Influence Theories

Influence processes between leaders and followers, i.e., charismatic Relational Theories

How leaders/followers interact, i.e., transformational leadership Emerging Leadership Theories – learning organizations/change

Ex. 1.4 Top Seven Reasons for Executive Derailment

• Acting with an insensitive, abrasive, intimidating, bullying style

• Being cold, aloof, arrogant• Betraying personal trust• Being overly ambitious, self-centered, thinking of

next job, playing politics• Having specific performance problems with the

business• Overmanaging, being unable to delegate or build a

team• Being unable to select good subordinates

Leadership

Most of us aware of famous leaders, but leadership usually starts small

May begin with personal frustrations about events that prompt change initiation

Framework for the Module

Introduction: : What Does It Mean to be a Leader?

Part 2: Research Perspectives on Leadership- Traits, Behaviors, and Relationships- :Contingency Approaches

Part 3: The Personal Side of Leadership

- The Leader as an Individual- Leadership Mind and Heart

Part 4: The Leader as a Relationship Builder- Motivation and Empowerment- : Leadership Communication- Leading Teams- Developing Leadership Diversity- Leadership Power and Influence

Part 5: The Leader as Social Architect

- Designing and Leading a Learning Organization- Leading Change