Theory And Practice Of Leadership Lecture Note

Leadership Effectiveness Application Many people over many years have asked is there a difference between being a manager and being a leader. This author believes the answer is yes. Managers, too many, do just that they 1 manage the status quo of the organization. They tend to have a myopic view of the organization and focus on team goals instead of each member of the team or the organization as a whole. A leader looks beyond the goals of any one team. The leader thinks holistically about the organization and according to John Quincy Adams you are a leader “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” This paper will examine for insights the author has learned in the last eight weeks and offer an option as to how the author would run an organization. Insights Leadership should be distributed Lateral coordination allows for lateral forms which are typically less formal that hierarchical forms and more flexible than authority-bound systems and rules. They are often simpler and quicker as well. (Bolman & Deal 2013) Often societies give or place immense power and responsibility to individuals and label them leaders. Other times that power is seized and the society either bend or rebel. This hierarchical pattern is often emulated in public, private and military organizations. As such people place expectations on those in power and are often surprised or disappointed, especially in times of crisis, when they fail to provide leadership. In addition allowing so few to have so much can be disastrous for an organization. A good example can be seen in the Star Wars movies. “There is a constant through line we see starting with A New Hope and running through to the end of the Return of the Jedi of the Emperor consolidating more and more power into his own hands and that of his right-hand man, Darth Vader.” “As the events of the movie make clear, the deaths of the Emperor and Darth Vader pretty much eliminated any opportunity for succession. A galaxy-wide organization wasdefeated simply by taking out two key individuals. Despite his decades of scheming, Palpatine's organization barely lasted a day after he was gone.” (Knapp 5) Distributed leadership is Lateral coordination People’s behavior is often remarkably untouched by commands, rules, and systems. Lateral techniques—formal and informal meetings, task forces, coordinating roles, matrix structures, and networks—pop up to fill the void. Leadership is basically situational While some assert “that all good leaders must have the right stuff—qualities like vision, strength, and commitment. The other holds that good leadership is situational; what works in one setting will not work in another.” (Bolman & Deal 2013) That being said one can point to few characteristics shared by leaders. “Leaders, compared to nonleaders, tend to be smarter, more creative, more extraverted and agreeable, and better at thinking outside the box. They have more social skills and stronger needs for power and achievement.” (Bolman & Deal 2013) However, those skill sets, while good to have, may not work all the time and in all circumstances. A good example is Sir Winston Churchill who, during World War I, was responsible for a disastrous military attack on the Gallipoli Peninsula that saw thousands dead, many ships destroyed and Churchill asked to leave the Admiralty. (Klein) After the war Churchill returned to politics and was considered by many as a failed politician and in whom no real trust could be placed, but Churchill persevered and even his ideas about Germany, which at one point were considered wild or paranoid, eventually saw him leading Britain through its darkest hour. If there had been no war Churchill would likely have been a just another politician. A Leader should have vision, communication, and conviction Individually these traits will not get you far. One can have vision, but no idea how to make that vision a reality. One can be a great communicator, speaker, or interact with everyone, 2 but if there is no clear message or any passion then most of what is said will have no weight or influence. Finally, one can have strong beliefs and want to act on them but not have good communication skills or any idea where those beliefs should take people. Having all three traits can be combined looked at in another way, and frankly a little less nice, by using acronym BAD. This, and once again please excuse the crudity, stands for Balls, Attitude and Direction. Sir Winston Churchill, in the following excerpt shows us BAD in action. In just a few sentences he communicates his vision, direction, and conviction to fight the evil moving across Europe even it means the destruction of Britain. “…we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old.” (Churchill) A leader should be part of the away team Star Trek was a science fiction show from the 1960s, which despite the show being fiction did offer some real-world lessons. Captain Kirk was always willing to put himself in harm's way by joining his team when they left the ship. “With his boots on the ground, he was always able to make quick assessments of the situation, leading to superior results.” (Knapp Five) Leaders often don’t want to or find themselves moving away from leading teams on missions. However, Rensis Likert conducted a survey and noted “that “employee-centered” supervisors, who focused more on people and relationships, typically managed higher-producing units than “job-centered” supervisors, who ignored human issues, made decisions themselves, and dictated to subordinates.” (Bolman & Deal 2013) In addition being a job-centered manager can cause a leader to lose perspective and as such will find it harder to understand what the team is doing, and the best way to figure out a problem or get out of a situation. What's more, when a leader is not involved with your team, it's easy to lose a team’s trust and have the team will likely start to talk about how they hate the job and how the leader doesn’t under what they do or what the job is like. Kirk did not have to go on Away Missions, but by doing so his crew trusted his decisions because he knew the risks of command and was still willing to take on additional risk alongside every team member on the mission. Leading an organization I have spent most of my career in a structural frame and often dealing with vertical coordination. Also, in these organizations I have seldom felt appreciated or cared about and as such I turned cynical and was not seen as a team player much less a candidate for management. In those instances where I had a leader that cared more about me I did more for the organization, but not because I cared more about the organization; I felt loyalty toward my boss. I do believe “Good leaders care deeply about their work and the people who do it and are doggedly persistent in pushing the cause forward. Yet another characteristic is the ability to inspire trust and build relationships” (Bolman & Deal 2013) I agree that a leader can care deeply even when several managers have said that trying tobe a nice guy and be a boss is not possible. Regardless of whether that is true or false I would 3 try to lead in a structural human resource hybrid. I believe this hybrid creates a chain of command, but avoids micromanaging which allows various departments a sense of autonomy. The only time upper management or a leader should get involved is if a department is not meeting the goal or is receiving complaints both externally and internally. I believe once the main goal, regardless of the frame, is creating a binding culture which “is a pattern of basic assumptions shared among members of a group.” (Bolman & Deal 2013) Also, a leader’s power should come from “talent, caring, sensitivity, and service rather than position or force.” Finally, a leader should ensure that those who serve grow as persons become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become leaders. (Bolman & Deal 2013) Understanding and appreciating the role of conflict Understanding and appreciating the role of conflict in organizations can help leaders effectively navigate disagreements and improve decision-making. Conflict is inevitable in any organization, and it is important to understand its role in organizational life. Conflict can be a good thing if it leads to productive change, but it can also be destructive if not handled properly. Understanding how conflict works will help leaders recognize when conflicts arise so they can address them appropriately, maintain open lines of communication throughout the process, and make decisions that are best for their organization. Recognizing the importance of communication in organizational life can help leaders foster a more open and effective exchange of ideas. Leaders should communicate clearly about their goals, expectations for employees' contributions, and other important information to ensure that all members feel valued by their organization. Recognizing the importance of communication Leaders should also be aware that communication is not always easy or comfortable—if it were, nobody would ever have a problem being open with each other. But recognizing that communication isn't always easy or comfortable (or even always necessary) will help leaders better understand what type of communication works best for their teams and thus create an environment where everyone feels accepted and respected. Appreciating the role of power in organizations can help leaders use their influence more effectively to achieve organizational goals. Appreciating the role of power Power is a necessary and important part of any organization. Leaders should use their power to influence others in a positive way, rather than using it to control or manipulate them. Understanding how power works will help leaders use their influence more effectively to achieve organizational goals. Understanding the role of emotions in organizational life can help leaders create a more positive and productive work environment. Understanding the role of emotions Emotions play a big role in organizational life, and they can have a significant impact on productivity. Leaders should be aware of the emotions of their employees and work to foster a healthy workplace culture in which workers feel respected and valued Understanding how emotions can impact work will help leaders create a more positive and productive work environment. 4