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Managers do things right, leaders do the right thing |
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Leadership is the ability to decide what is to be done and then get others to want to do it |
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Effective leaders help to establish vision, set standards of performance and to create a focus and direction |
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for organisational efforts |
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Using power to influence the thoughts and actions of others in such a way that they achieve high performance. |
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Characteristics
Ability to :
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be innovative, creative and persuasive and look to the long term |
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promote and manage change |
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inspire trust and build relationships |
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influence through non-coercive means |
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personal interest in the achievement of others |
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facilitates individuals and groups to set their own objectives in alignment with strategy |
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provide feedback on performance. |
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Types of Power
Most images of leadership suggest that leaders get things done and get people to do things and that leaders are powerful.
Leadership always implies power or the ability to exercise influence over others. Power can come from the personal qualities or from the position that the leader holds in an organisation. The process is a 2-way relationship between from the leader down to the subordinate and upward to the leader's superior. Each try to influence the other in some way.Which kind of power a leader uses and how they use it is a critical contributor to ward overall effectiveness.
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Coercive Power
the ability to give punishments to subordinates )demotions, paycuts etc), leads to resistance and a general low-level of performance and satisfaction.
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Reward Power
the ability to give valued rewards to subordinates (money, praise, promotion etc) achieves some results but usual not above average.
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Legitimate Power
the right of the leader to demand "compliance" because of position or office - a potential basis of bureaucracy.
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Expert Power
The use of superior knowledge and skills by the leader - use in combination with referent power for the best results.
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Referent Power
Personal identification with the leader and the desire to receive the leader's approval,: linked to charisma - use in combination with expert power for the best results.
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Leadership Styles
Autocratic, Democratic or Laisez-faire
Where are you?
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Be flexible as a leader
There have been many survey and discussions regarding the need for flexibility and the use of different styles according to the situational conditions. In some situations leaders may be required to be directive and task oriented whereas in others a more people-centred approach is more appropriate. Where subordinates are highly trained, there may be little need for leadership intervention
As subordinate maturity improves the leader should move from a directive to a non-directive position providing the leader has the skills and characteristics to do so.
Note
This short synopsis represents some commentary about the characteristics and styles of leadership. It is a VAST subject, which has been researched for decades. And there are many schools of thought. Current thinking leans toward democracy and the empowerment of others and I believe this should be adopted where possible. But the ability to be flexible and adapting to different situations is equally important.
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View the Model
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For an interestiing view on leadership and teambuilding please take a little time to look at
The Goose Story
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need to know more....
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