Chapter 12: Leadership

Editor's Notes

• #4 Understanding what defines a leader is important to discuss before defining leadership. A leader is a person who inspires, motivates, and encourages people to reach their personal goals and goals for the organization. They are influential people who embody the organizations mission, vision, and values. According to Nayar, “Management consists of controlling a group or a set of entities to accomplish a goal. Leadership refers to an individual’s ability to influence, motivate, and enable others to contribute toward organizational success. Influence and inspiration separate leaders from managers, not power and control” (2013).
• #6 Trait theories of leadership encompass many qualities that a true leader exhibits and embodies. According to Cherry: Intelligence and action-oriented judgment: Great leaders and smart and make choices that move the group forward. Eagerness to accept responsibility: Strong leaders take on responsibility and don't pass the blame on to others. They stand by their success and take ownership of their mistakes. Task competence: A great leader is skilled and capable. Members of the group are able to look to the leader for an example of how things should be done. Understanding their followers and their needs: Effective leaders pay attention to group members and genuinely care about helping them succeed. They want each person in the group to succeed and play a role in moving the entire group forward. People skills: Excellent interpersonal skills are essential for leading effectively. Great leaders know how to interact well with other leaders as well as with team members. Need for achievement: Strong leaders have a need to succeed and help the group achieve their goals. They genuinely care about the success of the group and are committed to helping the group reach these milestones. Capacity to motivate people: A great leader knows how to inspire others and motivate them to do their best. Courage and resolution: The best leaders are brave and committed to the goals of the group. They do not hide from challenges. Perseverance: Strong leaders stick with it, even when things get difficult or the group faces significant obstacles. Trustworthiness: Group members need to be able to depend upon and trust the person leading them. Adaptability and flexibility: Effective leaders don't get stuck in a rut. They are able to think outside of the box and adapt quickly to changing situations.    
• #8 Behavioral theories of leadership can train people to be leaders according to Robbins & Judge (2015). I could see where both types of leaders could be needed, but I think the employee-oriented leader could create a more productive staff. So simply getting the job done can be appropriate at times, but if you want the job done correctly and efficiently then it could be useful to consider being more employee-oriented.
• #9 Fred Fielder created the first contingency model for leadership. It begins with identifying one’s leadership style by using the LPC Questionnaire to identify their style by measuring whether a person is task or relationship oriented (Robbins & Judge, 2015). Following this determination, he focuses on defining the situation based on 3 characteristics including leader-member relations, task structure, and position power. Leader-member relations: degree of confidence, trust, and respect members have in their leader Task structure: degree to which the job assignments are procedurized Position power: degree of influence a leader has over power variable (i.e. hiring, firing, discipline, promotions, and salary increases)
• #10 According to Robbins & Judge (2015): Charismatic leadership involves a person who has a vision as an idealized goal, they focus on the future and how to get to a better tomorrow, they are willing to take risk for gain, they are perceptive of others’ abilities, and they engage in novel behaviors. Transformational Leadership involves a person who reward “good” behavior, they watch & search for rule breaking, they only intervene when standards are not met, they avoid making decisions, and they communicate high expectations.
• #12 Mentor – senior employee who sponsors and supports a less-experienced employee
• #14 Complacency: Leaders and their teams often reach a point where it’s easier to continue along the path of least resistance than it is to push forward towards growth and innovation (Borough). This can cause employees to be less motivated for growth and stagnant towards improving processes. Over-Control: According to Borough, “This creates a culture of micromanagement that stifles independent thinking, crushes creativity, and leaves leaders too focused on the short-term. They may practice small-picture thinking when, as their organization’s thought leaders, they should be going big” (2017). Assumed Collaboration: According to Borough, “True collaboration doesn’t just happen. It takes a host of communication and negotiation skills to create and support a collaborative work environment between leaders, teams, business units, silos, globally distributed groups, and so forth” (2017).