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Questions of Leadership

Elizabeth Kelley, PhD.March 3, 2007

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Questions of Leadership# Question

1 What is leadership?

2 Is leadership important?

3 How do management and leadership differ?

4 Are leaders born or made?

5 What do leaders do?

6 How do you lead effectively in emerging environments?

7A & B

Why transformational leadership?What IS transformational leadership?

8 What kind of leadership will organizations need in the future?

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Effective Leaders

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Elizabeth 1

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Gandhi

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Winston Churchill

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Oprah

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Louise Arbour

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Ordinary Guy

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Norman Horrocks, OC

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Question #1

What IS Leadership?

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Various Definitions Leadership is the process by which a person

exerts influence over other people and inspires, motivates, and directs their activities to help achieve group or organizational goals. (McShane, 2000)

To take people to places they would not have gone, and have them do things they would not have done…. Because it is their own idea! (Kelloway, 2004)

Leadership is an intangible quality with no definition. That’s probably a good thing, because if the people being led knew the definition, they would hunt down the leaders and kill them. (Scott Adams, 2000)

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Question #2

Is Leadership Important?

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It Depends on Who You Ask

Implicit Leadership Perspective Leadership Substitutes

YES!!! complex, changing environment lateral leadership requirement employee retention

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Question #3

How Do Management and Leadership Differ?

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Various perspectives Management is doing something right;

leadership is doing the right thing

Management deals with systems and structures; leadership deals with people and ideas

Managers control complexity; leaders initiate change

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Question #4

Are Leaders Born or Made?

GREAT MAN STUDIES

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Leadership Competencies

1. Drive

2. Leadership motivation

3. Integrity

4. Self-confidence

5. Intelligence

6. Knowledge of the business

7. Emotional intelligence

8. Tolerance to Stress

9. HEIGHT

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Leadership Competencies

Indicate potential, not performance Perceptions Chicken or egg? Universality bias

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Question #5

What Do Leaders Do?

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Behavioural Studies

Two independent behavioural dimensions: people-oriented and task-oriented

Results in four styles of leadership People-oriented – satisfied

employees Task-oriented – inconclusive Universality bias

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Context Bias in Theory

How does context influence management thought?

Cold War climate – Leadership theory connection

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Contingency Approach

IT DEPENDS!!! Focus on relationship between

leader and follower Different styles for different

situations Transactional – focus on results,

getting job done

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Emerging Organizational Environments

Issues: Information – access, control, usage, privacy,

security, technology Distance – remote workers, customers, suppliers Diversity – generational, cultural, gender, ability Corporate social and environmental

responsibility Integrity

CHANGE

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Question #6

How to Lead Effectively in These Environments?

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Transformational Leadership

Aim is to elevate followers to higher levels of performance (Burns and Bass)

Also called “full range leadership” and/or “authentic leadership”

Focuses on leader-follower relationship Incremental to transactional leadership

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Question #7A Why Transformational Leadership? It works

unequivocal support in a variety of environments (Judge & Piccolo)

increased employee job satisfaction, organizational commitment, retention, information sharing, innovation, individual and unit bottom line performance

It can be taught improved organizational and

individual performance after training (Barling, Weber & Kelloway)

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Question #7BWhat specifically IS it?

Idealized influence – Leader engenders faith, trust and respect by consistently doing the right thing

Inspirational motivation – Leader sets high standards, presents a vision, convinces individuals they can perform beyond expectations; consistent actions cultivate trust

Intellectual stimulation – Leader encourages followers to think for themselves, develops future leaders

Individualized consideration – Leader treats each employee as an individual, focuses on employee development, demonstrates compassion

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Ways to Enact TFL

Idealized influence – make decisions transparent; give the decision and its rationale

Inspirational motivation – talk positively, express confidence in others; use the self-fulfilling prophecy – “I know you can do it”

Intellectual stimulation – ask “What if?”, “What do you think we should do?”; STOP answering questions

Individualized consideration – make time for others as individuals, MBWA, assign tasks on the basis of individual abilities and developmental needs

RRSP MODEL

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Transformational Stories

Ordinary Guy Stacey, the teacher Jack Welch…not?

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Question #8

What kind of leadership will organizations need in the future?

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Future Leadership Style Helping others succeed Flexible Collaborative Inclusive Participative Relationship-oriented Encourage knowledge sharing and creation Encourage innovation TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP

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Leadership in Other Emerging Contexts

Remote leadership Knowledge-based organizations Multi-generation workforces Cross cultural workforces Social/environmentally conscious

organizations

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Nothing New Under the Sun?

To lead people, walk beside them.As for the BEST leaders, the people

do not notice their existence. The Next Best, the people honor and praise. The NEXT, the people fear; and the NEXT, they hate.

When the BEST leader's work is done the people say, "We did it ourselves". Lao Tzu

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Questions of Leadership…and some suggested answers

# Question Answer

1 What is leadership? Influence, inspire, your choice

2 Is leadership important? Yes, very (but not everyone agrees)

3 How do management and leadership differ?

They are two ends of a continuum of full range leadership; both required

4 Are leaders born or made? Yes; you can learn to be transformational; some do it naturally

5 What do leaders do? It depends on who/when you ask – people and task;

6 How do you lead effectively in emerging environments?

Transformational Leadership

7A Why transformational leadership?

It works and it can be taught

7B What IS transformational leadership?

A leadership style that aims to elevate performance beyond expectations: ask questions, empower, role model, articulate a vision and are CONSISTENT

8 What kind of leadership will organizations need in the future?

Transformational leadership