Introduction to Leadership- Chapter One
What does It Mean to Be a Leader?
The chapter starts off with a reference on how Abraham Lincoln used leadership skills to not only win a war but to keep a county together. By controlling his emotions and not thinking only about himself, his vision created an environment where he listened to his advisers and excluded divisive plans.
Leadership according to “The Leadership Experience”-7th edition by Richard L. Daft is “an influence relationship among leaders and followers who intend real changes and outcomes that reflect their shared purposes.”
Six different leadership theories were discussed within the first chapter of the textbook: Great man; trait, behavior contingency, influence and relational theories. The one that I found most interesting was the Great man theory. Daft calls it the “Granddaddy of leadership concepts.”
If asked, I do believe most people would say that most great leaders were born that way. As a former educator in the elementary and middle school levels of education, I must admit that I do believe some people are natural born leaders. I had countless students throughout my career that processed leadership skills even in Kindergarten. They certainly weren’t followers and seemed to take charge in situations. Other students followed them. Their leadership skills weren’t developed based on experience which leads one to believe that they were born with them.
An approach to leadership that seeks to identify the traits leaders possessed that distinguished them from people who are not leaders refers to as the contingency approach.
Key components of leadership include optimism, honesty, integrity and optimism. Leaders must be able to encourage their staff to envision a sound future. One of the biggest misconceptions about leaders is that they tend to be arrogant.
Leadership is a work in progress. Managers who want to be more effective and possess leadership skills need to learn to adapt to new ideals; have better communications skills with co-workers and accept defeat at times.
Overall, I do believe this chapter was a good introduction to what leadership is and can be.
TRAITS, BEHAVIORS AND RELATIONSHIPS: CHAPTER TWO
Chapter two covers traits, behaviors and relationships. One of the objectives of this chapter was to identify your own trait so that you can be a better leader. I believe it is important for someone to examine how they interact with co-worker; how the theory of individualized leadership can increase the working relationship between a manager and staff.
Characteristics were examined. These include personal such as energy and humility; intelligence and ability; which includes knowledge and intelligence. Personality which includes optimism, honesty and independence. Social characteristics such as cooperativeness and interpersonal skills; work-related characteristics include drive dependability and social background-which can include education. A leader should know their strengths. A good leader will know their limits and be able to delegate assignments to others.
Three types of leadership roles were examined within the chapter:
- Operational Role: vertical management positions. An example would be a division president.
- Collaborative role: Horizontal responsibilities. Project Managers are an example of this leadership type.
- Advisory Role: This provides guidance and support and a human resource manager is an example of such.
Several studies were examined including Ohio State with resulted in two categories of leadership: Consideration and initiating structure. The University of Michigan study looked at employees centered and job-centered.
Leadership behaviors needed to focus on the human needs of subordinates. Job centered behavior is when a leader knows how to run an organization that is cost efficient with goals that are the emphasis.
One of the types of leadership that was reviewed was that of individualized leadership. I tend to use this method in my current role of operations manager. This concept is one in which a manager develops an unique relationship with each employee on a personal level. My approach is to let each employee know that I value their opinions as much as I do as any one else in the company.
CONTINGENCY APPROACHES TO LEADERSHIP: CHAPTER THREE
Being an effective leader is based on many factors. There is no magic plan. One must be able to devise a plan, navigate through the twist and turns and make necessary changes to reach a given goal. According to Daft (page 670 “Contingency means “it depends”. I have learned this too many times in my work environment. Just because I planned it one way doesn’t mean it will go as plan.
Task behavior and relationship behavior are two basic leadership behaviors. By using these types of behaviors, a leader can execute a plan with hopes that the outcome will be the only within the business plan. There must be a balance between the two.
The situational theory focuses on how followers play a major role in the success of a business. By having a strong team of employees or simply ones that will follow; one can be an effective leader.
Every follower should be trained to the best of their ability. A good leader will learn quickly that every employee is completely different. Just because they work in the same department doesn’t mean they need to be given the same approach when it comes to directions.
Delegating, participating, selling and telling are four leadership styles a leader can do to convey directions to a staff member. For example, I have found that each employee of mine reacts differently to written messages. When I issue a memo, I have some of my drivers who will read it, ask questions and follows the guidelines. Others simple glance at it and continue to do the same thing as if the memo was never issued. Others must be told verbally. I have often issued the memo, spoke to each person individually; explain the memo before I have noticed results.
By understanding my employee’s behaviors and limits and their willingness to listen to directions is one of the ways I have found to have a better relationship with them. To me, knowing your employee as a person and not just a time-card is one way a manager can lead.
Between The Lines 