Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Session Style
• Consider
– nature of topic
– time available
– Team size
• Decisions
• Challenges of leadership
• Leadership - Definition
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Topics
• Leadership - Dimensions
• Leadership – functions
• Leader - qualities
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Topics
• Leadership styles
• Choosing a style
• Leadership – a continuum
• Leadership – thoughts
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Context
• Nature of business
– Insurance industry – Financial services
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Leadership in action
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Leadership styles - Questionnaire
• What is my current leadership style?
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Leadership styles - Questionnaire
• What is my current leadership style?
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Leadership styles - Questionnaire
• What is my current leadership style?
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Leadership styles - Questionnaire
• What is my current leadership style?
– If two of the scores are close, you might be going through
a transition phase, either personally or at work.
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Challenges facing the industry
1. …
2. …
3. …
4. Discounts
5. Competition
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Leader - Definition
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Leadership - Dimensions
• The process of influencing group activities
towards the accomplishment of goals in a
given situation
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Leadership - Dimensions
• A relationship between two or more people in
which influence and power are unevenly
distributed
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Leadership - Dimensions
• Leadership is about removing barriers in situations so
that followers work with freedom and independence
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Leadership - Dimensions
• Is the difference between effective and
ineffective organizations
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Leadership - Dimensions
• Leadership is the lifting of human sights to
higher vision. The raising of human standards
to higher performance, the building of human
personality beyond its normal limitations
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Leadership
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Leadership - functions
• Develop team work
– Individuals
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Leadership - functions
• Leader is a representative of the team
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Leadership - functions
• Counsel employees at times of emotional
disequilibrium
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Leadership - functions
• Utilize power appropriately and effectively
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Leadership functions - Siamese twins
• Responsibility & accountability
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Delegation
• Is about letting go – making yourself
vulnerable
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Leadership vs lack of leadership
Leadership Lack of leadership
Inspires the employee Drives the employee
Accomplishes work and Accomplishes work at the
develops the employee expense of the employee
Shows the employee how to Instills fear in the employee by
do his job threats and coercion
Assumes obligations Passes the buck
Fixes the breakdown for the Fixes the blame for loss in
loss in production or sales production or sales
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Leader - Qualities
• Ability to awaken in others the desire to follow
a common objective in a given situation
• Contagious confidence
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Leader - Qualities
• Get everyone to row together
• Sense of urgency
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Leader - Qualities
• Decisive and bold decisions
• Accept change
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Leader - Qualities
• Take charge
• Anticipate
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Leader - Qualities
• Realistic about the external environment but
still positive and reinforcing in responding to
the difficulties
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Leadership Styles
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Leadership styles
• Behavior, a leader exhibits, during supervision
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Autocratic leadership style
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Participative leadership style
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Free reign
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Leadership styles
• Autocratic leader
– Description
• Theory X leader
• Centralize power & decision making
• Threat of penalties and punishment
• Sets goals and structures work
• Gives orders for subordinates to follow – what to do
not why?
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Leadership styles
• Autocratic leader
– impact on team
• Frustrating
• Effective action impeded
• Low morale
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Leadership styles
• Autocratic leader
– Advantages
• Permits quick decision making
• Increases productivity
• Enhances morale in successful situations
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Leadership styles
• Autocratic leader
– Disadvantages
• Subordinates follow directions even if incorrect
• Subordinates avoid responsibility
• Lack of innovation and initiative
• Low involvement
• No ownership of outcomes
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Leadership styles
• Autocratic leader
– Suitable in situations where
• subordinates lack knowledge of company goals
• subordinates inexperienced
• Culture of fear and punishment
• Leader prefers active and dominant role in decision
making
• Little room for error in final outcomes
• Under conditions of stress
• Situations demanding great speed
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Leadership styles
• Democratic / participative style
– Description
• Theory Y leader
• Leadership by consultation
• Invites decision sharing
• Decentralized power & decision making
• Team members are encouraged to exploit their
potential
• Participative leader attaches high importance to work
and people
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Leadership styles
• Democratic / participative style
– Impact on the team
• Job satisfaction
• High on morale
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Leadership styles
• Democratic / participative style
– Advantages
• Skill development of team members to take on higher
responsibilities – succession planning
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Leadership styles
• Democratic / participative style
– Disadvantages
• Time consuming
• Team members expect to be consulted on every matter
• Some team members may misunderstand the leader to
be incompetent
• Some leaders may use this as a “passing the buck”
process
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Leadership styles
• Democratic / participative style
– Suitable in situations
• Goals communicated and have been accepted
• Rewards and involvement are used as primary means of
motivation and control
• Leader truly desires to hear the ideas of his / her
employees before decision making
• Not suitable when employees look up to seniors for
instructions / directions
• Not suitable when employee does not seek interaction
with leader
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Leadership styles
• Democratic / participative style
– Suitable in situations
• The leader wishes to develop skills of team members
• Team members are reasonably knowledgeable and
experienced
• Team members want active involvement in issues that
affect them
• There is sufficient time available for implementation
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Autocratic vs democratic
Authoritative Participative
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Which is better?
• Autocratic vs participative
– Morse and Reine in their research on the topic
found
• Autocratic leadership resulted in greater productivity
• Democratic leadership resulted in greater job
satisfaction
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Leadership styles
• Free reign
– Description
• Complete delegation of authority to team members
• Free rein manager avoids power, abdicates
responsibility, relinquishes leadership
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Leadership styles
• Free reign
– Impact on the team
• High morale
• Self driven
• Owns responsibility and accountability
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Leadership styles
• Free reign
– Advantages
• Develops skills of team members
• Higher risk ability
• High on morale
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Leadership styles
• Free reign
– Disadvantages
• Risk of teams working at cross purposes
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Leadership styles
• Free reign
– Suitable in situations
• Organizational goals have been communicated well and
accepted
• Leader is comfortable with complete delegation
• Team members have proven track record
• Team is willing to take the responsibility
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Why some leaders free reign
• Lack of self confidence
• Fear of failure
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How to choose my leadership style?
• Depends on the
– Person
– Goals
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How to choose my leadership style?
• Depends on the goals
– Immediate goals to increase productivity implies
choose autocratic leadership style
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Leadership is a continuum
• It is not either autocratic or democratic or free
reign
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Leadership thoughts
• I like people
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Leadership thoughts
• I believe that any problem can be solved
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Leadership – How?
Interpersonal influence
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Leadership – How?
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Leader - Definition
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Dr MLK
Leadership – How?
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• Have you ever felt unseen, unheard, not
understood
• Being open
• Being curious