Leadership Theory and Ms. Mayme - Research Paper Example

Leadership Theory and Ms. Mayme Introduction Leadership is a way of motivating a group to enable them to achieve their aims. It is the process of influencing others to accomplish an objective (Daft & Marcic,2008). It is also the manner of guiding an organization to become consistent and unified. It also involves being responsible for the group as a whole. Leadership has become a critical requirement for organizational success. A leader capitalizes on individual strength to fulfill the roles entrusted on him. Effective leaders are proactive performers that maintains balance between different forces that affects an organization and its people.. He is either appointed by the senior levels of management or elected by the group. However, a leader can not have all the skills required of the role. The best situation will be to have as a leader someone who is flexible but firm. When it is required, he will let the leadership act to the others. According to Kouzes and Posner (1995), leadership begins where management ends. The management system of reward and punishment will give way to the innovation, individual character and the courage of conviction of a leader. Management skills alone are not enough to create success in an organization. Leaders are needed to seek out areas to improve. They enjoy challenges and taking them head on. Leaders are motivated and expected to challenge existing paradigms. Theory X and Theory Y The Theory X and Theory Y were first proposed by Douglas McGregor in his 1960 book The Human Side Of Enterprise. In his theory, there are two fundamental approaches to managing people. According to McGregor, Theory X is the authoritarian style of leadership while Theory Y is the participative style of leadership.(Hindle, 2003) Theory X assumes that the average person dislikes work and will avoid it he/she can. In business, leaders must counteract an inherent human tendency to avoid work. Therefore most people must be forced with the threat of punishment to work towards organizational objectives. The average person prefers to be directed. He chooses to avoid responsibility. He is relatively unambitious, and wants security above all else. Theory Y assumes that people have the tendency to exercise self-direction and self-control in an environment that favors them. This theory could motivate people to become high achievers. People will apply self-control and self-direction in the pursuit of organizational objectives, without external control or the threat of punishment. Committed people considers effort in work as natural as work and play. Commitment to objectives is a function of rewards associated with their achievement. The Five Level Leadership Hierarchy Collins (2001) describes the leadership development as a level based process that moves from various stages in the development. Level 1. Highly Capable Individual The first level describes the person as a productive contributor. He offers talent, knowledge, skills and good work habits as an individual. Level 2. Contributing Team Member At this stage, the person bestows his share and effort to the achievement of team goals. He works effectively with others in the group. Level 3. Competent Manager The person now has the capabilities in setting plans and objectives. He has developed his capacity to organize people for the efficient and effective quest in achieving his set objectives. Level 4. Effective Executive The person has gone beyond competence and builds widespread commitment to a clear and compelling vision. He has the capabilities to stimulate and motivate people to high performance. Level 5. The Leader The last level of development is that of becoming a true leader. The person builds an enduring and great organization. The Level 5 leader puts the organization's interests above his own. He achieves success through a combination of personal humility and professional resolve. Most leaders of this type believe that the validation and recognition of their work only comes in the success of their successors. These leaders have personal values, vision, passion, and commitment that energizes and move people. Leadership Styles According to Goleman (2000), the leadership styles are the following: Coercive. This is the least effective since it erodes employees’ pride. The leader here creates terrifies and demeans the employees at the slightest misstep. As a style it can be used in emergency situations. Authoritative. The leader has a vision, s/he motivate people by showing them how their work fits in the vision of the organization. This approach fails when the leader has a team of experts but it is a style which is effective in most business situations. Affiliative. The leader focuses on strong emotional relations and then he receives the benefits such as employees' loyalty. He offers positive feedback. As a style, it is positive but it should be better used when the leader wants to improve communication and increase morale. Democratic. The employees have a say in decisions and how they do their work. As a style, it is positive when the leader is uncertain about the best direction to take and when employees are not competent to offer advice. Pacesetting. The leader is very demanding and sets high standards. Employees feel overwhelmed. This style should be used sparingly but it can work well when employees are highly competent. Coaching. The leader encourages the employees and s/he helps them identify their potential. The impact of this style is very positive although from the six styles it is the one used least often. As a style is particularly good when employees are aware of their weaknesses but it does not work well when employees are resistant to change. Biographical Sketch of a Leader Mayme Dean Williams is an 81 year old African American who hailed in rural Missouri. She is a mother of eight kids. All of her children are now adults and are very active in their communities. All are employed and most are in the social services, teaching and human resources line of work. Ms. Mayme is able to encourage confidence, enthusiasm and respect. She is the matriarch of an ever growing family. She inspires confidence by listening, observing life, asking questions, and encouraging others. She has earned respect from a large number of community members by giving respect. She does not devalue others; she is accepting, confidential, and has a strong work ethic that she instills in others. A new barbecue restaurant was recently opened by one of her children. It is named as Mayme Deans, in honor to their mother. Ms. Mayme works a few hours every day at the restaurant. At work, she is very motivational through her enthusiasm, kindness, perseverance, optimism, and supportive behaviors. According to Goleman’s theory it could be observed that Mayme Dean Williams' leadership styles are affiliative and coaching. In order to coordinate this large family of hers she had to affiliate and to create strong emotional bonds among family members in order to manage the family and make the rest trust her. A family cannot be held together if there is no communication and affiliative leadership style is the kind of style that is suitable for improving communication. Affiliative leadership style creates mutual trust by not being critical to the others but on the contrary the leader offers positive feedback. She also follows the coaching style since she encourages the family members and identifies their true potential. The creation of the restaurant and the behavior at work is an example of Ms. Mayme’s leadership style of coaching. This style works well when others are not resistant to change. Ms. Mayme, with her positive attitude, has inspired trust and affection. When people trust the leader, they become more willing to change and improve their work behavior as well as their personal life. According to Collins' leadership hierarchy, a leader should have personal humility and professional will. This level applies to Ms. Mayme’s case. She would not have been a successful leader if she did not apply her principles first to herself and then to others. Her successful leadership is a product of her strong work ethic and kindness to others. Conclusion According to many studies, the more styles that a leader exhibits the better it is for the person in a leadership role. In this way, he achieves a best climate and business performance. The most effective leader is the one that switches flexibly from one style to the other. He is someone who is equipped with different types of tools in dealing with varying situation that demands his leadership. No one is born a leader but he can become one from the moment he understands his strengths and the emotional intelligence competencies which underlie the leadership styles he is lacking. A leader can be created and developed through his experiences and knowledge in dealing with people. In the case of Mayme Dean Williams, she has not followed a leadership program nor completed a formal course on leadership development. Her personality and experience drove her to follow instinctive leadership styles. She has become a successful leader because she understands very well the needs and feelings of the people under her such as her family and her community. Perhaps the most important point is that she understands herself very well. She is aware of her abilities, capabilities and capacities to lead With the help of true care and love, she managed to run a happy and successful family. Her success is threefold. She is a happy and satisfied mother. Her family are happy and content. Most of all, the society gained honest and successful citizens through the upbringing of her children. References Collins, J. (2001). From good to great: Why some companies make the leap…others don’t. New York: Harper Collins Publishing, Inc. Collins, J. (2001). Level 5 leadership: The triumph of humility and fierce resolve. Massachusetts:Harvard Business School Press. Daft, R. & Marcic, D. (2008). Management: The New Workplace. (6th Ed). South Western, Australia: Cengage Learning. Dubrin, A.J. (2007) Leadership: Research Findings, Practice and Skills. (5th Ed). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company Goleman D. (2000), “Leadership that gets results”, Harvard Business Review, March – April 2000. Hindle, T. (2003), Guide to Management Ideas, London: The Economist. Kouzes, J.M., Posner B.Z. (1995), The Leadership Challenge - How to Keep Getting Extraordinary Things Done in Organizations, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Inc . Read More