Leadership Styles Essay Examples and Research Papers Page 3

Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent. This definition is similar to Northerners’ definition? Leadership is a process whereby individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. Leaders carry out this process by applying their leadership knowledge & skills. This is called Process Leadership. However, we know that we have traits that can influence our actions. This is called Trait Leadership, in that it was once common to believe that leaders were born rather than made.

These two leadership types are shown in the chart below: [pick While leadership is learned, the skills and knowledge processed by the leader can e influenced by his or her attributes or traits, such as beliefs, values, ethics & character. Knowledge and skills contribute directly to the process of leadership, while the other attributes give the leader certain characteristics that make him or her unique. Four Factors of Leadership There are four major factors in leadership: Leader You must have an honest understanding of who you are, what you know, and what you can do.

Also, note that it is the followers, not the leader or someone else who determines if the leader is successful. If they do not trust or lack confidence in their leader, then they will be uninspired. To be successful you have to convince your followers, not yourself or your superiors, that you are worthy of being followed. Followers Different people require different styles of leadership. For example, a new hire requires more supervision than an experienced employee. A person who lacks motivation requires a different approach than one with a high degree of motivation.

You must know your people! The fundamental starting point is having a good understanding of human nature, such as needs, emotions, and motivation. You must come to know your employees’ be, know, and do attributes. Communication You lead through two-way communication. Much of it is nonverbal. For instance, when you “set the example,” that communicates to your people that you would not ask them to perform anything that you would not be willing to do. What and how you communicate either builds or harms the relationship between you and your employees. Situation All situations are different.

What you do in one situation will not always work in another. You must use your judgment to decide the best course of action and the leadership style needed for each situation. For example, you may need to confront an employee for inappropriate behavior, but if the confrontation is too late or too early, too harsh or too weak, then the results may prove ineffective. Also, note that the situation normally has a greater effect on a leader’s action than his or her traits. This is because while traits may have impressive stability over a period of time, they have little consistency across situations.

This is why a number of leadership scholars think the Process Theory of Leadership is more accurate than the Trait Theory of Leadership. Various forces will affect these four factors. Examples of forces are your relationship with your seniors, the skill of your followers, the informal leaders thin your organization, and how your organization is organized. Boss or Leader? Although your position as a manager, supervisor, lead, etc. Gives you the authority to accomplish certain tasks and objectives in the organization (called Assigned Leadership), this power does not make you a leader, it simply makes you the boss.

Leadership differs in that it makes the followers want to achieve high goals (called Emergent Leadership), rather than simply bossing people around. Thus you get Assigned Leadership by your position and you display Emergent Leadership by influencing people to do great things. Pick] What makes a person want to follow a Leader? People want to be guided by those they respect and who have a clear sense of direction. To gain respect, they must be ethical. A sense of direction is achieved by conveying a strong vision of the future.

When a person is deciding if she respects you as a leader, she does not think about your attributes, rather, she observes what you do so that she can know who you really are. She uses this observation to tell if you are an honorable and trusted leader or a self-serving person who misuses authority to look good and get promoted. Self-serving leaders are not as effective because their employees only obey them, not follow them. They succeed in many areas because they present a good image to their seniors at the expense of their workers. Be. Know. Do The basis of good leadership is honorable character and selfless service to your organization.

In your employees’ eyes, your leadership is everything you do that affects the organization’s objectives and their well-being. Respected leaders concentrate on (U. S. Army, 1 983): what they are (such as beliefs and character) what they know (such as job, tasks, and human nature) hat they do (such as implementing, motivating and providing direction). What makes a person want to follow a leader? People want to be guided by those they respect and who have a clear sense of direction. To gain respect, they must be ethical. A sense of direction is achieved by conveying a strong vision of the future.

The Two Most Important Keys to Effective Leadership According to a study by the Hay Group, a global management consultancy, there are 75 key components of employee satisfaction. They found that: Trust and confidence in top leadership was the single most reliable predictor of employee satisfaction in an organization. Effective communication by leadership in three critical areas was the key to winning organizational trust and confidence: Helping employees understand the company’s overall business strategy. Helping employees understand how they contribute to achieving key business objectives.

Sharing information with employees on both how the company is doing and how an employee’s own division is doing? relative to strategic business objectives. So in a nutshell? you must be trustworthy and you have to be able to communicate a vision of where the organization needs to go. Principles of Leadership Know yourself and seek self-improvement – In order to know yourself, you have to understand your be, know, and do, attributes. Seeking self-improvement means continually strengthening your attributes. This can be accomplished through self-study, formal classes, reflection, and interacting with others.

Be technically proficient – As a leader, you must know your job and have a solid familiarity with your employees’ tasks. Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions – Search for ways to guide your organization to new heights. And when things go wrong, they always do sooner or later? do not blame others. Analyze the situation, take corrective action, and move on to the next challenge. Make sound and timely decisions – Use good problem solving, decision making, and planning tools. Set the example – Be a good role model for your employees. They must not only hear what they are expected to do, but also see.

We must become the change we want to see – Mahatma Gandhi Know your people and look out for their well-being – Know human nature and the importance of sincerely caring for your workers. Keep your workers informed – Know how to communicate with not only them but also seniors and other key people. Develop a sense of responsibility in your workers – Help to develop good character traits that will help them carry out their professional responsibilities. Ensure that tasks are understood, supervised, and accomplished – Communication is the key to this responsibility.

Train as a team – Although many so-called leaders call their organization, department, section, etc. A team; they are not really teams… They are just a group of people doing their jobs. Use the full capabilities of your organization – By developing a team spirit, you will be able to employ your organization, department, section, etc. o its fullest capabilities. The Process of Great Leadership The road to great leadership that is common to successful leaders: Challenge the process – First, find a process that you believe needs to be improved the most.

Inspire a shared vision – Next, share your vision in words that can be understood by your followers. Enable others to act – Give them the tools and methods to solve the problem. Model the way – When the process gets tough, get your hands dirty. A boss tells others what to do, a leader shows that it can be done. Encourage the heart – Share the glory with your followers’ hearts, hill keeping the pains within your own. Leading & Leadership Goals Your thinking skills can be considered directional skills because they set the direction for your organization. They provide vision, purpose, and goal definition.

These are your eyes and ears to the future, allowing you to recognize the need for change, when to make it, how to implement it, and how to manage it. You find vision by reaching for any available reason to change, grow, and improve. Just as you perform preventive maintenance on your car, you must perform preventive maintenance on your organization. Do NOT believe in the old adage, “If it anti rook, don’t fix it,” for the people who do, go broke! Treat every project as a change effort. Treat every job as a new learning experience. Good organizations convey a strong vision of where they will be in the future.

As a leader, you have to get your people to trust you and be sold on your vision. Using the leadership tools described in this guide and being honest and fair in all you do will provide you with the ammo you need to gain their trust. To sell them on your vision, you need to possess energy and display a positive attitude that is contagious. People want a strong vision of where they are going. No one wants to be stuck in a dead-end company going nowhere… Or a company headed in the wrong direction. They want to be involved with a winner! And your people are the ones who will get you to that goal.

You cannot do it alone! When setting goals, keep these points in mind: They should be realistic and attainable. They should improve the organization (morale, monetary, etc. ). All the people should be involved in the goal-setting process. A program should be developed to achieve each goal. Inspiring Your Employees Getting people to accomplish something is much easier if they have the inspiration to do so. Inspire means “to breathe life into. ” And in order to perform that, we have to have some life ourselves. Three main actions will aid you in accomplishing this:

1 . Be passionate: In organizations where the is a leader with great enthusiasm about a project, a trickle-down effect will occur. You must be committed to the work you are doing. If you do not communicate excitement, how can you expect your people to get worked up about it?

2. Get your employees involved in the decision-making process: People who are involved in the decision-making process participate much more enthusiastically than those who just carry out their boss’s order. Help them contribute and tell them you value their opinions. Listen to them and incorporate their ideas when it makes sense to so.

3. Know what your organization is about! The fundamental truth, as General Creighton W. Abram used to say in the mid-sass, is that “the Army is not made up of people. The Army is people. Every decision we make is a people issue. ” Your organization is the same. It may make a product or sell a service, but it is still people! A leader’s primary responsibility is to develop people and enable them to reach their full potential. Your people may come from diverse backgrounds, UT they all have goals they want to accomplish. Create a “people environment” where they truly can be all they can be.

The sass’s Oscar Chaos in the 196(Yes and expanded by others, this leadership theory breaks the styles down into 9 categories; Idealists, Mentors, Achiever, Innovators, Synthesizers, Partners, Cheerleaders, Challengers, and Diplomats. Each of these categories is associated with a different central fixation or passion in people’s personalities. It is wise to note that no style reflects better leadership capabilities Han any other. There are equally successful as well as ineffective leaders within each style. Each leadership style is examined below in greater detail. The Idealist: The Idealists are leaders whose fixation is perfection.

At their best, Idealists will focus on high standard of excellence. They are seen as wise and discerning leaders with strong personal convictions and are extremely ethical. A highly developed Idealist can provide a proper vision for those they lead, and can be excellent teachers. But the idealist can often lack patient and chastises those around him for falling short of perfection. They can lapse into self-righteousness and intolerance. Anger is said to be the motivating force behind their personality. Since the Idealist is susceptible to anger, he can at times erupt without warning when someone fails to live up to his high expectation.

Example of an Idealist: Mahatma Gandhi The Mentor:

The leadership style of the Mentor can often be characterized as compassionate and caring. They are highly empathetic individuals who are able to see the best in others. They are champions of customer service in the workplace and gain their deepest satisfaction from helping to develop others. The Mentor is motivated by a desired to be loved, needed and appreciated. When this desire is not met, or they perceive they are being betrayed, they can become vindictive. Mentors may also have trouble saying “no” to others.

To be at their most effective they need to set clear boundaries with those they lead. Example of a Mentor: Mother Teresa. The Achiever: Having vanity as their driving force, the Achievers are often go-getters who are willing to take risks to ensure SUccess for the projects or organizations they lead. This type of leader is extremely efficient and goal-oriented as well as a great self-remoter. The Achiever is often seen as charming and gracious. Yet for all his ability to drive toward the goal, the Achiever can at times be blinded to reality or to failures along the way.

They may also be viewed as exploitative and opportunistic, setting their personal goals ahead of those of the team.

Example of an Achiever: Bill Clinton.

The Innovator: Every Organization can use an Innovator in a leadership role. With his unique ability to see things from a different perspective, this style of leadership will usually bring a fresh new outlook to a project or a problem. They are generally blown to learn and master most skills that interest them. The Innovator is fixated on dissatisfaction, and as such always wonders if there is a better way of doing things.

Yet dissatisfaction may at times cause Innovators to be unable to live in the moment, and oftentimes they have trouble seeing things the way the rest of the team or organization sees them. Left to their dissatisfaction for long periods of time, the Innovator may withdraw and become reclusive. Example of an Innovator: Albert Einstein The Synthesizer: Often capable of exerting influence on those around them, the synthesizer as the ability to see the big picture and quickly find ways to integrate various elements of a project together.

This type of leader may exhibit great insight into problems and the intelligence required to find the proper solutions. At their best, they can be leaders of great vision and strategy. The fixation of the Synthesizer is detachment from emotions. This serves him well in the ability to integrate complex components, but it may lead him to be less than sympathetic to those around them. This trait may also cause the Synthesizer to be poor at giving positive reinforcement to those he leads.

Example of a Synthesizer: Richard Nixon The Partner:

With fear as the chief driving force of their personality, the Partner tends to be a highly team-oriented leader who brings out the best in others. Their worries can translate well into the ability to challenge others in ways that make them accountable for their role within the team. Partners are seen as trustworthy, reliable, and capable of sacrifice for others. Fear though can also cause self-doubt within Partners, and they may put off decisive actions on issues that trouble them. Some may take up the habit of looking for hidden agendas within the subordinates they lead.

Example of a Partner: Colic Powell The Cheerleader:

The charms and easy-going nature of the Cheerleader can play a vital role in an organization. The Cheerleaders are generally multi-talented and able to achieve distinction in various roles. Their fixation is on enthusiasm, and their optimistic nature may lead them to focus mostly on the good instead of the bad in a situation. Because of their reluctance to see the bad side of a situation, the Cheerleader may become a poor contingency planner when leading a team, project or organization. At times they may gloss over details and not be as analytical as the ask may require.

Example of a Cheerleader: John F. Kennedy

The Challenger: With their extreme self-confidence and rather soft heart, the Challenger can inspire loyalty from those he leads. The Challenger is driven by a fixation on power. They can take on vast amounts of responsibility, are highly independent, and show great courage in the face of adversity. Challengers are willing to get in harm’s way in order to accomplish their goals and objectives. Yet this need for power can sometimes result in the Challenger being viewed as a tyrant. They can also have problems admitting to any personal weaknesses, and eve a tendency to become self-absorbed.

Example of an Advocate: Fidel Castro The Diplomat:

The Diplomat is a leader capable of building cooperation within a project or organization. They are the organization’s referees. Challengers are also gifted at resolving problems between those who work for them, fostering group unity. Diplomats also have the ability to get along with anyone and are trusting of those around them. They are champions of diversity within the workplace. Often the drawback to their abilities to see all sides of an issue is that they may become out of touch with their own wishes.