The Most Important Keys to Effective Leadership by Lamb and McKee - Essay Example

 The following personal beliefs on leadership were borne out of reflection from the points given out in the text, from further readings and from my own personal experiences that led me to create my convictions on leadership. 1. Leaders have a moral and ethical base. 2. Leaders are adept at establishing and maintaining harmonious relationships. 3. Leaders set a personal example. 4. A good leader decides what is best for his group even if painful decisions have to be made. 5. Leaders need the ability to maintain the focus on the real purpose of the organisation. 6. Leaders are enablers. 7. Leaders have initiative. 8. Leaders have to be comfortable with ambiguity 9. A good leader is always open to learning something new, and not haughty enough to claim that he is already “made”. 10. The most important keys to effective leadership are trust and confidence as well as effective communication. Leadership has been a subject of interest for various groups for the longest time. Great leaders have been analyzed on the basis of their character and leadership styles. Many have gone to gain prominence in their respective fields and some have remained in the background while the groups they have led are celebrated for the extraordinary skill or action they have exemplified. Leadership may be defined as a “process in which a leader attempts to influence his or her followers to establish and accomplish a goal or goals.” (from http://www.answers.com/leadership#top). It may be as simple as coming up with a group decision or as complex as establishing a group culture. Leadership is a continuous process wherein a leader tries to move from accomplishing one goal to another for the good of the whole group. This process has been exhibited for many years, not only by humans, but by lesser animals as well. In groups of animals, there is usually an identified leader of the pack whose behavior commands obedience from the whole group. Another definition is “Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent. Leaders carry out this process by applying their leadership attributes, such as beliefs, values, ethics, character, knowledge, and skills” (Clark, 2008, para.3). How do people become leaders? Bass (1989 & 1990) cites three theories that push a select few to assume their leadership roles. The first is the Trait Theory, which claims that there are some inborn personality traits that lead some people into leadership roles. These people feel comfortable in such a role that it does not take much effort to accomplish their tasks and achieve their goals as the leader of a group. Another theory is the Great Events Theory. This is explained by a crisis or an important event which may propel an ordinary person to rise to the occasion and bring out his or her leadership qualities. An example would be a vice president assuming the position of president when the latter suddenly dies or gets impeached from his position. The third theory is the Transformational theory which simply states that some people choose to be leaders. This initiative makes drives them to learn the necessary skills to shepherd their followers towards success. There are different kinds of leadership styles that have been identified. An Autocratic leader expects followers to obey him without question. Consultative leadership, as the name implies, consults followers of their opinion on some decision-making concerns but ultimately determines the final decision himself. Democratic or participative leadership enjoins the group in decision-making. Laissez-faire leaders are content to just lay back and let the group take whatever action they deem fit (http://www.answers.com/leadership#top). In my personal manifesto on leadership, I believe that having a sensible and stable moral and ethical base is a priority. Michael Fullan, a leading advocate in the study of educational leadership claims that a leader should have moral purpose. This moral purpose pushes him to act with the intention of making a positive difference in the lives of the people around him and in society in general (Fullan, 2004). Fullan believes that having moral purpose is the key element in the success and sustainability of organizations. People who work for organizations with leaders possessing moral purpose are enabled to work hard because they feel that their potentials are expanded and their individual goals are achieved. This encourages them to stay on with the organisation for further personal and professional growth. “Moral purpose infuses an organisation with passion and purpose since workers become eager to know the enabling purpose of their work” (Fullan, 2004, p. 26). Another component of effective leadership given by Fullan and which I personally believe in is the ability to establish and maintain harmonious relationships with diverse people and groups, especially with those different from themselves. He is the glue that fuses the group together with diplomacy and commonality of goals. He possesses high emotional intelligence, maturity and understanding of people coming from various backgrounds. Setting a personal example is another leadership quality that I highly regard especially in times of difficulty. In the movie Alive, a team of South American rugby players underwent a horrible and traumatic experience of being marooned in the Andes mountains after their plane crashed on its way to an international competition. In the 70 days that they stayed there, they were exposed to the deaths of their close friends and relatives who did not survive the ordeal. Twenty-nine died in the mountains and a mere sixteen survived. Such life and death situation necessitated leadership in some circumstances when others have no choice but follow orders, as they are at a loss on what to do. Time came when food was scarce, a meeting ensued as to deliberate on the idea of eating their dead friends’ flesh as meat in order to survive. Since they had different beliefs and value systems, they debated on the morality of the problem at hand. There was a conflict as to their moral principles vis a vis their need to survive. Some were agreeable to try it out and others were adamant in their stand to hold on to their “civility”. The true leader was the one who made the first move of the unspeakable action of cutting a dead person’s flesh with a sharp blade of glass and eating it in front of an ambivalent audience. He was courageous enough to do it even if his insides were churning and his emotions needed to be silenced with the decision to help others survive. It was a sacrifice he had to endure as a personal example to his group. He respected other’s belief systems, but knew that the priority for the time being was to survive. This is very much related to my next statement. A good leader decides what is best for his group even if painful decisions have to be made. He is ready to sacrifice his own convenience for the good of the majority. He is not after his own personal glory but the welfare and triumph of the whole group. His mettle is tested when times get difficult and everyone looks up to him to lead them out of the dark. The fifth statement in my leadership manifesto is “Leaders need the ability to maintain the focus on the real purpose of the organisation.” A good leader has a clear vision of where he is going and sets directions to others towards that vision. He collaborates with other people on ways and means to reach their goals and not focus the authority on himself. In doing so, he empowers them to be confident in their abilities and motivates them to welcome challenges and opportunities. Because of his positive influence, he gains the respect of everyone to follow his lead while pursuing a common mission for the growth and development of the organisation (Leithwood & Riehl,2003). Not all tasks are to be directed by the leader. My next statement of leaders being enablers is a testament of their trust in their followers. Kouzes and Posner (1987) explain the processes on how great leaders can shine even more. They advise leaders to challenge the process and improve on the areas in the process that needs it. Leaders are also recommended to inspire vision that can be easily understood by their followers. They must be good at encouraging people to act on their own by providing them with the tools and methods to solve their problems. It also cannot be said often enough that leaders have to be good models, most especially when the going gets tough. They should exhibit an attitude and behavior of positivism that his followers can emulate. Leaders should encourage their followers’ hearts while keeping their pains within their own. Initiative is one thing leaders should have. Sometimes, it takes great courage to have such. Leaders tread a path where no one dares to go. He proves to them that if one does not try something, they will never know what they are capable of. He is one to start action and empowers others to follow. He boosts his member’s confidence and self-esteem that they can do the same. He is a source of hope and inspiration to others. The eight statement of leaders being comfortable with ambiguity is equivalent to leaders being not knowing everything. In a research reported by French, Simpson and Harvey (2001), a good leader is also equipped with ‘negative capability’. “The underpinning image of leadership is based on knowing and is manifested through activity, work and achievement. There is, however, a quite other dimension of leadership, based on not knowing, on not doing, on being-done-to, and on being no longer in control of one’s own situation.” (French, Simpson & Harvey, 2001). I interpret such a construct as being humble enough to admit when one doesn’t really know instead of putting up a façade of being all-knowing. Tolerating enough ambiguity to keep the creative juices flowing in the organization is balanced with seeking coherence in the chaos. Fullan states, “All of this complexity keeps people at the edge of chaos. It is important to be at that edge because that is where creativity resides, but anarchy lurks there too” (Fullan, 2004, p.5). This peculiarly human capacity to live with and tolerate ambiguity, of being content with half knowledge is quite a refreshing concept. “It implies the capacity to engage in a non-defensive way with change, without being overwhelmed by the ever-present pressure merely to react. It also indicates empathy and even a certain flexibility of character, the ability ‘to tolerate a loss of self and a loss of rationality by trusting in the capacity to recreate oneself in another character or another environment’ (Hutter, 1982, p.305). This leads us to the next statement, “A good leader is always open to learning something new, and not haughty enough to claim that he is already “made”.” Being human and fallible is one trait that all members of the group share, and what better quality to relate to than that? Group members will even feel important enough to share the burden of thinking up solutions to problems with their leader. I am humble enough to admit when I do not know what to do, and I believe this humility will endear me to my followers to help me be a better leader. Clark (2008) discusses a study reported by Lamb and McKee (2004) that concludes that the most important keys to effective leadership are trust and confidence as well as effective communication. Having trust and confidence in a capable leader was shown to be a reliable predictor of employee satisfaction in an organisation. These employees are assured that they are in good hands and that there are safely on a journey aboard a tight ship run by an efficient captain. Such trust and confidence are won with effective communication prevalent in the organisation. This is shown in three critical areas. One is in the area of helping employees understand the organisation’s overall strategies. Another is in helping employees understand how they can contribute in meeting the organizational goals and objectives. The last area where effective communication must take place is in sharing information with employees how their group is performing in relation to the organizational objectives. For me a good leader is summed up to have a clear vision of how an institution should be. He is equipped with the knowledge and skills of how to get there, complemented by a positive attitude and high emotional intelligence in handling people. He does not see himself as central in the process of change but shares his leadership with key people like his members who directly affect the institution. His caring, considerate and sensitive attitude is oriented towards the growth and development of the members and the institution itself. References Bass, B. (1989). Stogdill's Handbook of Leadership: A Survey of Theory and Research. New York: Free Press. Bass, B. (1990). From transactional to transformational leadership: learning to share the vision. Organizational Dynamics, Vol. 18, Issue 3, Winter, 1990, 19-31. Clark, D. (2008) Concepts of Leadership in Hutter, A.D. (1982) Poetry in psychoanalysis: Hopkins, Rosetti, Winnicott. International Review of Psycho-Analysis 9, 303-16. Retrieved on March 10, 2009 from http://nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadcon.html French, R., Simpson, P. & Harvey, C. (2001), ‘Negative capability’: the key to creative leadership. Presented at the International Society for the Psychoanalytic Study of Organizations 2001 Symposium. Retrieved on March 9, 2009 from www.sba.oakland.edu/ispso/html/2001Symposium/french.htm Fullan, M. (2004) Leading in a Culture of Change Personal Action Guide and Workbook. Jossey-Bass Hutter, A.D. (1982) Poetry in psychoanalysis: Hopkins, Rosetti, Winnicott. International Review of Psycho-Analysis 9, 303-16. Kouzes, J. M. & Posner, B. Z. (1987). The Leadership Challenge. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Lamb, L. F., McKee, K. B. (2004). Applied Public Relations: Cases in Stakeholder Management. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Routledge U.S. Army Handbook (1973). Military Leadership. Leadership. Retrieved on March 11, 2009 from: http://www.answers.com/leadership#top Liethwood, K.A. & Riehl, C. (2003) What We Know About Successful School Leadership. NCSL. Paramount & Touchstone Pictures, (1993) Alive. Smith, B. (2008) Educational Leadership. NSW: Southern Cross University Read More