Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Leading
Leading is the process of influencing others to act to accomplish specified objectives. It
consists of interpersonal influence, by means of communication process, toward the attainment of a specified goal.
Who is Leader?
Leader is a person who guides others toward a common goal, showing the way by example, and
creating an environment in which other team members feel actively involved in the entire process. A leader is not the boss of the team but, instead, the person that is committed to carrying out the mission of the Venture. A leader is a person who has a vision, a drive and a commitment to achieve that vision, and the skills to make it happen. A leader impels his followers to action by persuasion, influence, power, threat of force, and appeal to legitimate right. A leader is one who has followers. He has formal and informal authority and power. A leader may be born or made by time, education, or training. A leader has common traits like intelligence, social sensitivity, social participation, and communication skills. He communicates, persuades, motivates, guides, leads, and informs his subordinates and followers. A leader has power the bases of which are reward, coercion, legitimacy, identification with the power figure, and expertise. In an organization usually a manager is considered as leader who directs his group members to achieve the desired goal.
Vision of Leader
A vision statement is a statement of words describing where and what an organization wants to be in the future. To be a visionary, a leader need have nothing more than a clear vision of the future. The difficult task is communicating that vision with clarity and passion in order to motivate and inspire people to take action. A visionary leader who clearly and passionately communicates his or her vision can motivate employees to act with passion and purpose, thereby ensuring that everyone is working toward a common goal. The end result is that everyone contributes to the organization's forward momentum. Effective leaders are able to set and achieve challenging goals, to take swift and decisive action even in difficult situations, to outperform their competition, to take calculated risks and to persevere in the face of failure. Strong communication skills, self-confidence, the ability to manage others and a willingness to embrace change also characterize good leaders.
Page 1
Leadership is the initiation of action to solve a problem The action of leading a group of people or an organization Leadership is directing or controlling the activity of a group Leadership is influencing the activities of group as it moves toward its goals Leadership is power, But power is not necessarily leadership Leadership is power that grows out of personal characteristics such as charisma, expertise, and interpersonal skills
Traits of Leadership
Physical
Emotional
Social
Intelligence
Communication
Experience
Trusworthy
Physical:
High energy level Physical stamina Tolerance for stress
Page 2
Social:
Well-adjusted Honest Ethical Promises kept Fulfills responsibility Able to convert purpose and vision to action Behavioral flexibility Understands others Persuades others to follow Cooperates and collaborates with others Ability to influence others Takes initiative in social situations
Intelligence:
Learns from experience and adapts to change Good judgment Self-knowledge Effectively plans organizes and solves problems Decisive Asks for more responsibility Knowledge of organization and how it operates Eager to explore new approaches to work
Page 3
Experience:
Successful managers usually had experience in a variety of different types of situations May give followers freedom to take responsibility for own ideas, decisions and actions Committed to collaboration and require everyone to participate in leadership Motivation- a leader has to be able to motivate everyone to contribute. Planning- the leader has a plan to achieve the goal.
Trustworthy:
Caring genuinely concerned with followers lives and well-being Empathize and care about implications of actions Constancy staff believe leader will support them,
Types of leaders
Types of Leadership
Autocratic
Democratic
Laissez-faire
Beureaucratic
Transactional
Transformational
Page 4
Benefits:
Incredibly efficient Decisions are made quickly Work gets done efficiently
Downside:
High levels of absenteeism High staff turnover
Page 5
2. Democratic leaders
Democratic or participative style gives the participation and freedom of other group members. Participative or democratic leaders encourage group members to participate actively in a decisions or discussion. Rather than restrict group members, this style of leadership has a positive effect. Participative style can be characterized as follows: All group members participate freely. Communication is directed to all members, not just in leaders Group decisions are perceived as group achievements Group members are able to satisfy some personal needs in the group environment Group members are able to identify with the group.
Employing in the participative style is difficult. The leader must balance the need to achieve the desired task with the aim of encouraging group interaction. This type of leadership is the most frequently used because it promotes a high degree of group cohesion and at the same time spurs the group toward accomplishing the task.
Benefits:
Team members tend to have high job satisfaction and are productive This style also helps develop people's skills Team members feel in control of their destiny, so they're motivated to work hard by more than just a financial reward.
Downside:
It can often hinder situations where speed or efficiency is essential. For instance, during a crisis, a team can waste valuable time gathering people's input Another downside is that some team members might not have the knowledge or expertise to provide high quality input.
Page 6
3. Laissez-faire leadership
This French phrase means "leave it be," and it describes leaders who allow their people to work on their own. This type of leadership can also occur naturally, when managers don't have sufficient control over their work and their people. Laissez-faire leaders may give their teams complete freedom to do their work and set their own deadlines. They provide team support with resources and advice, if needed, but otherwise don't get involved. The laissez-faire leadership style is also known as the hands-off style. All authority or power is given to the employees and they must determine goals, make decisions, and resolve problems on their own. The leader of a laissez faire gathering always tries to view the discussion from the frame of reference of the member who is speaking.
Benefits:
Giving team members so much autonomy can lead to high job satisfaction Increased productivity
Downside:
Team members don't manage their time well If they don't have the knowledge, skills, or motivation to do their work effectively.
Page 7
4.Bureaucratic leadership
Bureaucratic leadership is where the leader manages By the book everything must be done according to procedure or policy. If it isnt covered by the book, the leader refers to the next level above him or her. This leader is really more of a police officer than a leader. He or she enforces the rules. This is a very appropriate style of work involving serious safety risk or where large money are involved.
Page 8
Benefits:
This leadership style clarifies everyone's roles and responsibilities. Transactional leadership judges team members on performance, People who are ambitious or who are motivated by external rewards including compensation often thrive.
Downside:
Team members can do little to improve their job satisfaction. It can feel stifling, and it can lead to high staff turnover.
6. Transformational leadership
The transformation leader motivates its team to be effective and efficient. Communication is the base for goal achievement focusing the group in the final desired outcome or goal attainment. This leader is highly visible and uses chain of command to get the job done. Transformational leaders focus on the big picture, needing to be surrounded by people who take care of the details. The leader is always looking for ideas that move the organization to reach the companys vision span of control. The transformational leadership style depends on high levels of communication from management to meet goals. Leaders motivate employees and enhance productivity and efficiency through communication and high visibility. This style of leadership requires the
Page 9
Benefit:
They expect the best from everyone on their team as well as themselves. This leads to high productivity and engagement from everyone in their team.
Downside:
The leader's enthusiasm is passed onto the team, He or she can need to be supported by "detail people."
Which Type of Leader would Best Suit an Organization with Narrow Span of Control?
What is narrow span of control?
Span of control can be defined as. Span of Control means the number of subordinates that can be managed efficiently and effectively by a superior in an organization. It suggests how the relations are designed between a superior and a subordinate in an organization Two types of span of control Narrow span of control: Narrow Span of control means a single manager or supervisor oversees few subordinates. This gives rise to a tall organizational structure. Wide span of control: Wide span of control means a single manager or supervisor oversees a large number of subordinates. This gives rise to a flat organizational structure. An ideal span of control according to modern authors is around 15 to 20 subordinates per manager, while according to the traditional authors the ideal number is around 6 subordinates per manager. In reality, the ideal span of control depends upon various factors, such as: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Nature of an organization Nature of job Skills and competencies of manager Employees skills and abilities The kind of interaction that takes happens between superiors and subordinates, etc
Page 10
Page 11
What personality, knowledge, values, ethics, and experiences does the Leader have? What does he or she think will work?
The Employees being supervised
Employees are individuals with different personalities and backgrounds. The leadership style leader use will vary depending upon the individual employee and what he or she will respond best to. The Company The traditions, values, philosophy, and concerns of the company will influence how a leader acts. In conclusion, A leadership style does not have to be based merely on personality you can choose a style. You can and should further develop your ability to use various leadership styles. Create an inclusive style, a style that you can vary. Try new behaviors and techniques, depending on what the situation calls for and what fits with your personality and your values.
Page 12