The Phenomenon of Leadership - Essay Example

?LEADERSHIP Leadership is lifting a person’s vision to high sights, the raising of a person’s performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations. —Peter Drucker Leadership is the attribute in the personality that is associated with the process of influencing the people around us. The objective of the leaders is to influence the people to accomplish the determined goals of the organization. The success of any organizational objective is dependent on the effective leadership. The leaders help the people to become more than they ever thought possible. There are some people in the organization who have tremendous qualities, which can be used for the growth of the organization. A good leader exploits those qualities and makes them unlocked for the attainment of the ultimate objectives of the organization. Some people get misunderstood with leaders and managers. An ideal leader always focuses on the people. The leaders inspire the people; motivate them to do right things and to shape the entities. A leadership has to perform the common activities on the organizational scenario, such as planning, organizing, directing and controlling. It has always been a debate whether the leaders are born or they are made. This debate between nature and nurture in leadership context has been an age-old topic of debate in management field. It is because some people have the innate leadership qualities. For example they are quite outspoken, very aggressive. Further they have natural intelligence. But an effective leadership needs some more traits beyond these qualities. The above mentioned qualities certainly are very useful for being good leaders, but it doesn’t mean that if they are absent in the persons, they cannot prove themselves as leaders. The best example of this was Mahatma Gandhi, a charismatic leader, who has a tremendous influence on people. The complicated and huge Indian society despite all its heterogeneous aspects, stood behind him, followed his ideals. Controlling such a hug and diverse nation like India was definitely not an easy task. Mahatma never stood in the benchmark of a good leadership; still he was one of the most influential leaders in the whole world. There are some exclusive qualities of the leaders, which are not found in some of the most influential leaders of the world. Still they have proved themselves as the leaders. No doubt, there are some born leaders. Many leaders have honed their leadership through extensive practice. It is because of their readiness to adapt them and equipped them with some qualities which were previously not in them. Importance of Effective Leadership on Organizational Scenario: In the changing market dynamics the people with various profiles join the organizations. There is fierce competition in the business world. In such crucial circumstances, the organization cannot survive just on the basis of knowledge. No doubt, the sound business knowledge is advantageous but for making things happen. However the effective leadership qualities cannot be neglected. For the survival and growth of the organization, it needs to develop certain strategies effectively. If there is a competition between equally competent organizations, and if the one organization is lacking effective leadership, and the other has a very strong leadership, ultimately the winner will be the organization with effective leadership. Effective leadership is regarded as the highest level of interpersonal dynamics. Learning Outcomes from playing scenarios: To sharpen the leadership qualities among the leaders the simulation has become a smart method. Simulation is nothing but a real life situation in which the trainers have been given the training of becoming the perfect leaders and not just a boss. For this I played games in which five different scenarios were given to me. I played the role the boss. I was not supposed to be just a boss, but to show my leadership qualities. All these scenes were useful for developing the fundamental skill of leadership and that is cognitive skill. In the first scenario, one of the staff members comes up with a new idea. Though the idea was really very genuine and fantastic, I was not ready to take the responsibility. I was not sure whether the senior level people will agree with it. I was confused. The team member was trying to convince me but I was not able to take any firm decision and finally I supported his idea though I was not sure whether it would work out. This team member can be the born leader, because he has tremendous capacity to influence me with his ideas. But ultimately being a boss, I am supposed to implement the idea. Being aggressive is the innate quality of the born leaders. It is not possible for everyone to be aggressive. But when we are leading a team, being a leader, it is necessary to be firm to our own attitude. Being assertive is certainly not an inborn activity but it can be developed through experiences. The group director at the Centre of Creative Leadership in Greensboro, North Carolina said, “We need to be clear about our own values, priorities, and preferences and not let someone else, or society, define them for us. By clearly identifying those values, priorities, and preferences we can articulate what we want, develop benchmarks, and make better choices." (from the article by Lisa Dewey) Here I came to know the weakness in my personality. I need to develop assertiveness, firmness. This firmness brings a confidence in the leader to cope with the situation and to take the responsibilities. I think I am lacking in self awareness. I am fully aware of the fact that people have different approaches and ideas. I should develop the skill in looking things from their perspective. This is the one of the major quality of the leaders which I need to develop for being a successful leader. In the second scene a new person joins our team. This game was a great opportunity for me to evaluate my interpersonal skill as well as my communication skill. It was again a great opportunity for me to evaluate my interpersonal skills. I showed positive approach and created a very healthy atmosphere in the team. I introduced the new person with all other team members. I found one of the strong points in my personality that I can be friendly and upbeat with my co-workers. I also can maintain very cheerful and positive attitude about work and work-life. While introducing my team members I can be appreciative towards them. I introduced their achievements and their strengths. I found that I have a sense of humour which I think is an effective tool to create good rapport among the group members and to make the new member feel comfortable. The third game was the status quo. Status quo is used in English with its original Latin form which means existing state of affair. We have discussed about the six different stages of team building in our paper. Fourth, fifth and sixth stages come under status quo. Here the team does not need the leader. In such circumstances the role of the leader becomes more crucial. In this role, it is the responsibility of the leader to set new target for the team. I leant a lot of patience and strategic move from this game. If the leader fails to set new targets, the team members are likely to become stagnant. It is necessary keep them toning up constantly. The leader has to have strong belief in his group members. There are two types of leaders one is born leader and another is an assigned leader. The born leader influences other team members. Assign leaders is the ultimate leader. He uses the qualities of the born leader of the team to set the goals. It is the responsibility of the assigned leader to stimulate the creativity and talents of the team members. At this stage the proper communication should be there. Proper communication means minimum conflict and dispute. If the assigned leader starts feeling insecure due to the talents of the team members, the situation takes a wrong turn. The stagnancy increases among the team members and the motivation factor comes down. The fourth game was based on the two cultures of the company. An organization is a heterogeneous group in which people from different cultures come and work together. Out of this mixed culture, a new culture is developed which is known as organizational culture and which is a unique culture. It is a combination of different cultures. In today’s globalized scenario, the organization cannot keep itself aloof from the influence from other cultures. Through the game, two different cultures were exposed. The leaders have to go through many cultural shocks. The world is becoming flatter day by day and the companies tend to employ people of every race, nationality, religious background and the age group. These diverse groups are working under a single roof. We, being the learner can learn how to incorporate the influences, practices, and values of the diverse cultures in a respectful and productive manner. It is also a great challenge before the leaders to handle the needs of the multicultural customers. This game helps to develop the multicultural leadership "Multicultural leadership encourages an inclusive and adaptable style that cultivates the ability to bring out the best in our diverse workforce and to fashion a sense of community with people from many parts of the globe," (Juana Bordas 2012) "It enables a wide spectrum of people to actively engage, contribute, and tap their potential. That's why making sure that your workplace has culturally inclusive leadership will be one of the most important transitions you make into the new globalized world." (Berrett Koehler 2007)  At the time of evaluating myself, I came to know that I am not a born multicultural leader. But I can adapt myself for nurturing the ability of being a multicultural leader. It is very essential to have history lesson. He/she needs to learn about different cultures dominant in the organization. This will give a clear insight to incorporate the multicultural leadership techniques. The fifth game was about crises and opportunities. Facing reality and troubleshooting is a must trait in the leaders. The fifth game aimed at preparing the learners to face the realities, to face the problems. The major and initial step in handling any critical situation is to know the root causes. At the same time the leaders also should recognize their role in creating the problem. The crises leadership tells not to take a certain situation as a problem; instead the leader should take it as an opportunity. No matter how things are going worse or they will get worse. In the crises it is not desirable for the leaders to act as if they are carrying the burden of the entire world on their shoulders. The outcome of this is that they go in isolation instead of facing the problems. In such circumstances problems can be solved with the help of other people. The team members can devise solutions. For that again a good rapport, a healthy and professional relationship among the team members is very necessary. In such situation the leaders’ interpersonal skill and communication skill plays an important role. The crisis provides the leaders a platform to get things done. So Being a leader, it is very essential to take every situation as a challenge and not as a problem. What should have been there is not important but what is there and how we can utilize them to solve the problems is important. Self Insight: On the basis of the five games I played, I started evaluating the potential abilities in me for being a leader. The games mainly aimed at self study. There is no teacher to tell you how to develop your leadership skills. We are our own mentor, and with real experience we can learn how to develop our personality. It was certainly a very unique method as it was different from the conventional style of teaching. The simulation exercises gave me an insight for being a good leader. For this self analysis I drew a mind map in which I discussed about my strengths and weaknesses for being an ideal leader. On the basis of the mind map I prepared a table which describes the inbuilt qualities in me for being a good leader and the qualities I need to improve. For a good leader, honing inbuilt qualities and striving to acquire skills essential for assigned leadership. Inbuilt Qualities The Qualities I need to develop 1. I have a good interpersonal skill. (which I tested in 2nd scenario when the new comer arrives in our team) I need to be firm and assertive in my decision. (It was assessed in the first scenario when one of my team members come to me with a new idea.) 2. I can be a very good motivator and supporter to my team. I can help my team members to develop team spirit among them. (I found this quality in my personality while playing the game when the new comes in second scenario. When there is a time of convincing our idea to the top management personnel, I have to develop myself. Convincing, pursuing the high profile people is a little bit difficult task for me. I get nervous. I am lacking in convincing and pursuing others. (In the first scenario) 3. I am good at communication skill. Of course communicating with my team members, I am quite comfortable. As long as status quo is concerned, I have to learn lot of thing. It would need lot of experience. The other major factor involved in status quo, is that the leaders should take care that his team members are not getting stagnant. In this game I found that I am lacking in creativity and ideas. (the third scenario) 4. I can be good at exploiting the talents in my team members. I should develop myself on this level. I could not handle the crises properly. So this area also needs to be developed. (In the last scenario where I became a little bit nervous) 5. I am quite adaptable. I am ready to change myself and develop the skills demanded by certain circumstances. While doing self analysis, I am quite positive. I am always open to accept my shortcomings. But at the same time, I was sure that most of the skills, can be developed through practice and working experience. Though I am not a born leader, I can definitely shape myself for being a good leader. Leaders are born but they can be made: When a research was conducted in two different organizations, a data came in front. The research question was whether the leaders are born or made 53.5% people said that in the organization, leaders are made, while 19% people said that they are born leaders. 28% people said that it is equal. It meant, according to them, leaders are born and they are made also. The following chart shows the peoples’ reactions: Importance of Computer Simulation games for developing leadership skills: For being the future successful leaders, a high-order thinking, problem solving and cognitive skills need to be develop among the participants to manage the work of the organization effectively in the future. The simulation gaming environment is very useful for assisting the students to cope with the unpredictable situation by creating such situation. The ability of problem solving is developed through the games. Simulation games are the useful tools. Personal Model of the Leadership: Below is the diagram to describe the important factors on effective leadership. I will continue my leadership development by using this model. The model is based on three major segments. Individual Group Community Various Stages of Team Development and the usage of the personal leadership model Marquette University Model of Leadership The individual values are the first and fundamental segment in leadership model. At individual level it is necessary to nurture self awareness. In this the leaders are supposed to identify talents, values and creativity in their own personality. They should know their strength and weaknesses. If certain weaknesses are possible to change, they need to be open to any further change. Appreciating multiple leadership style and seeking opportunities for growth would be the essentials. Second segment of the model is Group values. The assigned leaders must have the proper understanding of group dynamics and development. The team and other team members are there with whom he/she has to work. Hence the aims can be achieved through sharing leadership and empowering others. The leaders need to develop trust of the group members. Through mutual trust among the group members the collaboration is possible. For this a communication is the essential part. The motivating and encouraging others through written and oral communication, articulating abstract ideas, effective listening skills, are the major factors of the communication. The written and communication such as appreciation letter will boost the confidence of the employee. It will be with him/her as a record. It is further the indication of recognition the organization is giving them for his good work. The leaders are essentially be very good listeners. Listening to other people helps to finding way outs and avoids misunderstanding. The group members further can get the confidence that they are being listened to. Third necessary skill in Group values is being familiar with the dynamics of group decisions, obtaining information from all possible sources, managing and resolving conflict with graciousness. A good leaders need to develop critical thinking. They need to be flexible and open to the change. One more quality in group values of the leaders includes the leaders’ demonstration of empathy and respect for the ideas of other team members. The qualities such as adaptability, flexibility and openness to change, are demonstrated through communicative values of the leaders. A good leader has the ability to interact with the group of diverse people and diverse background. If the group is multicultural, the leaders also have to develop the multicultural approach while dealing with their team members. Demonstrating empathy for other culture, knowledge of the cultures and integrating perspectives and experiences of the people from other culture are some of the facets of a multicultural leadership which helps in team building process. The leaders never feel insecure because of the talents of other group members. Instead of that, they use these talents to achieve their goals. Other characteristics include in community values are identifying the needs of the community and demonstrating advocacy in various issues. Team development and maintaining team spirit is the essential role of the leaders. Below are the different stages of team building in which the model of leadership can be applied. It further gives a clear approach to the leadership model. In the first stage each team member strives hard to attain certain goal/s. They want their individual growth. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (see the figure) the group members have reached at the level of esteem. It is now the time to further boost their self esteem and bring them to the last hierarchy. According to Sam Walton, “Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish.” (Sam Walton)They have become perfect on individual level. At this stage they have achieved the highest individual aim. For attaining the last hierarchy, they are in need of a leader. In second stage the performance graph has goes up. But when the individual goals are attained, there is no further aim remained. So the performance starts dropping down. This is the third stage. At this level the leader enters the scenario. The situation is critical. The team is working without a leader. They have attained their personal growth, but how the personal growth can remain unless the organization growth remains consistent? At this stage the team members need someone who will be able to boost the morale of the group members, who will convince them their essential contribution in the consistent growth of the organization. Now the leader guides the team members, use his optimum skills to influence the team members and show them a certain direction to attain the goal. As an individual, they are not familiar with the organizational goals. The leader shows them the path and the team again comes up with a new vision and mission. Now they have been working under the mentorship of their leader. In this stage ideal leader constantly gets involved in self awareness. Any team is never a perfect team. Some of the team members are very smart; some of them are always stagnant and tend to avoid work as much as possible. While some of them will be really honest and committed to their work and they will always meet the deadlines. A general behavioural pattern of the team is as follows: It is a great challenge for the leaders to handle all types of behaviour patterns of their team members. The smart and manipulative people tend to complete their work smartly and for that they tend to manipulate things. If the manipulation is constructive and positive, these people prove very useful in the accomplishment of goals. But if the manipulation is wrong, it will make the adverse effect in the path of achieving the goals. Twenty percent of the people are not movable. They will never improve themselves. They are rigid, but the leader has to bring them also in the process. The real constructive people are those sixty percent who are less smart but hard workers and committed to their work. They will be the real human resource whom the leader can use. The growing condition again happens on the fourth stage. With the proper communication, the leader sets an agenda. He tries to explore the possible way of going up in the performance. For this being a leader, he has to think about the potential threats and challenges likely to obstruct in the attainment of the goals. Though this stage is an experiment level, one cannot afford any kind of risk. So the self analysis plays crucial role. The short term goal is to excel the performance and the long term goal is to keep the performance steady. While attaining the short term goal, the leader has to do a self analysis. There are some weaknesses in his personality as a leader which may be the potential threats. The leader will try to overcome those weaknesses with efforts. If some innate qualities of being a leader is not there in him/her, the leader can find the person from the team who has such qualities and then try to use the person’s quality to attain the goal. Being a leader, the person comes to know what qualities are there in the team members. Everyone is unique and has some or other qualities or abilities. The leader has to have the strategic approach to utilize those qualities and available resources to enter the next step. In this stage self analysis is very essential. The group members have initially gone up but on individual level. At certain point their aims end. When the leader approaches at level three, the performance has already started coming down. This stage needs to be taken positively. It is a transitional stage of the team. Espoused Theory v/s Theory-in-use: “When someone is asked how he would behave under certain circumstances, the answer he usually gives is his espoused theory of action for that situation. This is the theory of action to which he gives allegiance, and which, upon request, he communicates to others. However, the theory that actually governs his actions is this theory-in-use. (Argyris and Schon 1974: 6-7)” Espouse theory is often different from theory-in-use. On presumption level it is easy to say what exactly people will do in a certain situation. But if in reality such situation arises, they will do different things than they have said. It is so because of the demand of the situation. The manager many times will say right things but continues to do wrong things. In this paper in the second part, i.e. self analysis, I have tried to point out the strength and weaknesses of my personality for being a leader. I understand the area of development. I have noted one drawback and that is my inability to convince certain issue to my reporting authorities. Here the inability to communicate my ideas and convince them is an espouse theory. But in actual things may differ. The urgency of the situation, or because I am fully convinced with the issue and want strongly that it should be implemented, I will certainly able to convince it to my higher authorities, then it will be theory-in-use. It is the theory which is actually governing my action. Being a leader I should be a good listener to create good rapport with people around me. I will certainly do that when the time demands me. But, if I am a sales manager, I am carefully listening to my team member and suddenly our interaction process is disturbed by a very important call from the customer, my action will be to pick up the customer’s call first. In that case I will divert my attention from listening to the person. But my colleague will know very well that customers’ calls for an order are the most important thing and they are the ultimate priority of the organization. These are couple of examples which comes to the leaders where he/she has to maintain fine balance between espoused theory v/s theories in use. The paper will be concluded with discussing the Personal Leadership Plan (PLP) My PLP plan will be based on the following steps: 1. Identifying the Leadership Vision 2. Developing personal leadership plan: 3. Identifying personal goals: What type of role do I want to do in the next five years from now? 4. What different steps are required for reaching to my goal? 5. Specifying the strategies required to meet the leadership development and career objectives 6. Deciding whether I would need any additional training for meeting my goal? 7. Deciding deadline for completing the task Sources: 1. Peter Ducker, Quote on Leadership taken from the website: http://www.forbes.com/fdc/welcome_mjx.shtml 2. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2007, ISBN-10:1576754324, ISBN-13: 978-1-57675-432-0 3. Bordas Juana “Salsa, Soul, and Spirit: Leadership for a Multicultural Age, Berrett Koehler Publisher: 2012, p.8 4. Maslow’s Hierarchy Theory Map taken from http://www.google.co.in/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/Maslow%27s_Hierarchy_of_Needs.svg&imgrefurl=http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maslow%27s_Hierarchy_of_Needs.svg&h=768&w=1024&sz=188&tbnid=u4rCau0hY-D2IM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=120&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dmaslow%27s%2Bhierarchy%2Bof%2Bneeds%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=maslow%27s+hierarchy+of+needs&usg=__x_aUXph_Z6nH7ll3CgW7RFAXt7Q=&docid=sTZ09Wf7u-QY3M&hl=en&sa=X&ei=PupqUaX5EOnqiAfhvIGICg&sqi=2&ved=0CDkQ9QEwAQ&dur=3870 5. Dewey Lisa “Five Qualities Good Leaders Express from the site http://www.girlscouts.org/for_adults/leader_magazine/2004_fall/five_qualities.asp 6. Sam Walton, Quote taken from the article “What are the Characteristics of a Leader?” by Chad Brook Business News Daily 22 Jun 2012. 7. The Leadership Development Model is based on the original model on the website of Marquette University Read More