How to be a Manager that Leads - Research Paper Example

Introduction A Manager is an essential part of the Business or Corporate World. He is responsible for the survival and success of the business or enterprise. The performance of the firm fully depends upon the manager and how he leads the group of employees or supervisors of the company. The manager requires certain leadership qualities for leading the workers in an efficient and effective manner. He should be a good planner who directs the employees to work so as to achieve fruitful results. He should possess high standard monitoring skills for assessment of work of the employees. He also needs to take suitable corrective measures if necessary. Manager can give directions to employees directly or through the supervisors who further direct workers. He should possess general awareness about the groups he supervises. It is not necessary for a manager to know how to do the work of the employees; rather the basic quality of the manager is to know how to manage the employees. He will be the chief of all groups in the company and has rights/power to hire the suitable workers from the open market and fire the unwanted personnel out of the industry. The Manager even can promote the best worker on the interest of company. He has the right to alter/amend the duties/assignments of the work groups or employees. Here the subject for research is about the qualities that a manager must have to lead the groups in an enterprise or business. Amongst the qualities, the top of the chart is leadership quality. A number of good qualities in addition to leadership mold a best manager in an enterprise. The paper seeks to describe the qualities for best manager who leads the company for having best results as well as getting faith of employees. How to be a manager that leads: Management experts and practitioners have seen leadership and management as having two distinct roles. In other words, leadership provides the vision and general direction while management deals with the day to day activities (Smoke, 2005, 119). This paper attempts to portray a scenario where both these roles are combined where a manager can imbibe leadership qualities which in turn will improve the operational efficiency of an organization. Leadership in Business organizations: Due to the inherent complexity of human behaviour the concept of leadership in society and business is difficult to define. There have been many definitions on leadership coined by social and management experts, and the one common thread that runs through all is the leader’s ability to influence (Rowe & Guerrero, 2010, 3). This section focuses on different aspects of leadership that can be applicable to diverse situations with regard to corporate governance. So much of literature has been written about leadership and management in business that it is difficult to find a common list of qualities applicable in all situations. But one thing that all agree on is that certain leadership qualities are essential for a business to develop and thrive. This is true of any type and size of business. An attempt is made here to list some of the main qualities that would be agreed upon as essential by business leaders and theorists alike. In a study titled ‘Neohumility / Humility and Business Leadership: Do they belong together?’ by Pareena G. Lawrence, Associate Professor, Economics and Management, University of Minnesota, the author lists certain qualities that are suggested by various experts on the field of leadership and management (Lawrence, 2006, 117). a. Vision: b. Ability: c. Enthusiasm: d. Self Awareness: e. Empathy: f. Independence and self-confidence: g. Persistence: h. Rationality: i. Integrity: j. The leader should also possess the ability to communicate effectively, nurture, delegate, motivate and above all be a team player. Many leaders also have an inborn personal charisma which is something difficult to develop consciously. The existence of the second last point namely integrity is what plays a crucial role in good corporate governance. Too much ambition (personal or for the sake of business) can be harmful as in the case of Enron Corporation whose collapse took along with it a conniving Arthur Anderson also. Too much of ambition is referred to as greed. Unethical corporate leaders can exhibit or possess all or many of the above attributes except integrity. Exercise of power in leadership: Throughout the ages, leadership has played a part in shaping the life of human beings across the globe. But it was only in the early 1900’s that this aspect began to be studied and theories related to the same began to be formulated. Whatever may be said in different theories, leaders often use some base or guidelines in exercising their power. It would depend on the ability, mentality and the situation faced by the leaders. It may also be that a single leader may use more than one guideline in exercising power over their subordinates. Some major guidelines are given below (Leadership styles and basis of power, n.d). Coercive Power: This is the method by which leaders use coercion to exert power over their employees or followers. It can also be called the stick approach (from carrot and stick approach). This was one of the most widely uses forms of leadership across the world in business until modern management thinkers began to formulate ways in which productivity could be improved by treating employees as human beings rather than as a producing machine. In coercive style, the feelings and opinions of the employees are not taken into consideration. Usually there will be some form of punishment if the employee fails to carry out his orders properly. Lately, this form of leadership is not very popular especially in developed and developing economies. Some situations in which coercive power can be exercised is during a crisis, emergency or where the survival of the firm itself is at stake. Reward power: Reward power is an instance where workers are given rewards apart from their basic salary or wages in completing the work. Reward could be given for achieving or exceeding targets, finishing a stipulated work on or before time or even for producing better quality of work. It can also be given for disciplined work. Rewards can be monetary and non-monetary. Monetary rewards are generally in the form of additional cash calculated according to some predetermined criteria. Non-monetary rewards can include health care plans, paid vacations etc. one of the most powerful non-monetary reward is simple words of sincere praise. Reward power is being widely used in business circles nowadays. Legitimate power: This power comes from the legitimacy of the post held by the leader. A CEO is said to have legitimate power over his subordinates due to the official position held by him. This is also the case with managers and supervisors. Such persons can order employees to work solely on the basis of their position. This power is lost once the leader is exits from the position. Referent power: This type of power is available to the leader due to the respect he earns from his subordinates. People with charisma will usually hold this type of power and is seen more in social and political circles. This could be a lifelong power for the leader. In informal groups, this power can be stronger than legitimate or reward power. Expert power: This power arises from the knowledge of expertise of the leader is his chosen field. To continue having this power, the leader should constantly update himself with relevant information. This is also not linked to positions within the organization. For example, a mechanic (expert) coming to repair equipment in the CEO’s office will have the power to require his boss to perform relevant acts on his request. Here again, use of these powers in a responsible manner is crucial. For example, a leader can be coercive, but ethical, and exhibit ethical corporate governance. Reward power can be used to corrupt for personal and business greed. Leaders may use its different forms according to individual circumstances. What is more important than types of power is the way it is used so that proper corporate governance takes place. But in a logical sense, a corrupt leader will be more helped by using coercive, referent, or reward power. Followers can be coerced, awed, or corrupted using these powers. Leadership theories and styles: Modern management thinkers often stress that leaders are developed and not born. Some of the important theories and styles evolved and identified over a period of time are discussed here. Some of the earlier ones believe that some leadership traits/theories like Great Man Theory and charismatic leadership (to a large extent) are inborn and cannot be developed.  Path-Goal Theory: The path-goal theory of leadership was propounded by Robert House and Mitchell. It is of the opinion that the leader has the ability to motivate, satisfy and improve performance of subordinates. As the name suggests, the leader has to develop a goal out of his vision and set a path for his subordinates to follow to achieve that goal. In the process the leader has to first make clear to the subordinates the way or path to follow. He must then remove or guide in removing obstacles along the path. He must also set and provide relevant rewards and incentives so that the employees are motivated to follow the path and achieve the goals set for them. The creators of this theory also say that there are four style of leadership that a person can follow depending on his mentality, capability and the situation.   Supportive leadership: As the name suggests, the leader follows a supportive style in the process of achieving goals. Support can be given by providing facilities, giving the right working atmosphere, giving support to and motivating the employees etc. The leader can also show his support by raising the self esteem of the employee through words of sincere praise for doing the work correctly and also make efforts to make the job more interesting. Concern for the needs of the employees is also another factor in this type of leadership. All this indicates that this type of leadership is mainly effective in a situation where the work is repetitive boring or in some cases even dangerous. Directive leadership: This is a style where the work needs constant direction from the leader. So the leader has to be on hand most of the time to see that work is being done in the right way at the right speed. In case he sees a variance, he has to give the right directives to correct the situation. This type is suited to jobs which are complex and complicated. It is also a useful method to follow if the workers are new to the job or are inexperienced. Participative leadership: In following this style, the leader takes into consideration the opinions and suggestions of the employees in completing the task. This type will be characterized by regular meetings between employees (or their representatives) and the leader. This style is best suited in situations where the job might be complex and the employees themselves are experts in their fields. Being experts they can assist the leader in making the right decisions. Achievement-oriented leadership: This type of leadership is best suited when the employees are ambitious and also when the work is challenging or complex. The leader’s approach would be to set challenging targets to the employees and also providing suitable rewards when the targets are achieved. High quality of work and also an element of self improvement will also be expected of the worker. Great Man Theory: This is similar to trait theory, in the sense that this line of thought believes in born leadership rather than developed leadership (Great Man theory, 2010). But this line of thought does not discount other styles and models. It basically states that a leader will emerge in times of great problems or stress. But it appears to be more relevant to social, religious, and political environments rather than organizational ones. But it can happen in business settings even though a leader is appointed rather than automatically emerging from within or outside. Autocratic leadership: This approach does not involve employees in suggestions and decision making. The leader gives orders and employees follow them. This type is not acceptable by many leaders today and will usually work only in smaller organizations. Laissez-fair: In this form of leadership, the leader gives enough freedom to his followers or sometimes.   There won’t be any involvement of the leader.  A research project is an ideal situation where this type of leadership will work best. This is assuming that individuals are motivated at getting results and resents directions from above. Transactional Leadership: Here the leader is in the role of a negotiator. He appeals to his followers for their performance.   He encourages his followers by giving positive ideas and try to achieve the target.  Punishment and encouragements are used simultaneously to achieve the very aim. Commands rule this system.  The followers must obey the commands of their leaders. Transformational Leadership: The leader himself acts as a role model to his followers.  He inspires them by his very actions.  Encouragement and motivation are used to achieve the desired results. Since the leader always shows concern in the well being of his followers, they have a feeling of security and in turn they show their sincerity.    They can air their opinions and get their doubts cleared with their leaders.  The leader has the power to transform and even build a second rung of leadership within the organization. Charismatic leadership: Charisma is a quality that is possessed by only a few people. An article titled “Charismatic Leadership” quotes Max Weber on the aspect of charismatic leadership. It says that charismatic leadership is defined as “resting on devotion to the exceptional sanctity, heroism or exemplary character of an individual person, and of the normative patterns or order revealed or ordained by him”.(Charismatic leadership, 2010). It is often said that leaders with charisma have an added advantage over others who lack it. It should be interesting how such leaders hold their power over their followers. “The Charismatic Leader gathers followers through dint of personality and charm, rather than any form of external power or authority” (Changing minds group: Leadership styles, 2010). The book by Naomi Frances Miller et al titled “Leadership” givens the characteristics and traits of charismatic leaders. Sourcing from two other works the authors say that such leaders will, have an appealing vision, have high performance expectations of others, display self-confidence, exhibit role model behaviour, show confidence in others to achieve targets and work towards achieving collective identity. Other characteristics include unconventional behaviour, ability to take personal risks and sensitivity to other’s needs (Neider & Schriesheim, 2002, 28).Here also, corporate governance is solely dependent on motives rather than on styles. Just like power mentioned earlier, some styles can actually help an unethical leaders. Charismatic, transformational, and autocratic approaches are some of the styles which is useful to corrupt employees and other stakeholders. The awe in which a leader is held by followers can influence their personal judgment and make them go along with their leaders’ unethical practices. The ability to transform employee outlook can also result in the same situation. The same situation can arise due to the fear of the autocratic leader.  Why do managers plan? A comprehensive review of leadership theories and styles has been mentioned above. But apart from imbibing these qualities managers need to plan ahead in order to implement the goals and visions that have been envisioned by the leadership of an organization. In other words, “planning goes beyond mere judgments, since judgments involve the assessments of a situation but do not stipulate actions to be taken. Planning concerns actions to be taken with reference to specific goals” (Liebler & McConnell, 2004, 84). This observation indicates that managers need to understand leadership goals and missions to evolve a planning strategy. It is better for managers to imbibe leadership qualities in order to plan for the future survival and growth of an organization. History of transformational leadership in the context of the US postal service: Transformation, based on the Latin word ‘transformere’ means change of any sort (Hacker & Roberts, 2004, 1). So, transformational leadership, apart from providing a vision and mission, has the power to create and develop new leaders (Bass & Riggio, 2006, 3). In effect transformational approach in managerial training can help improve organizational efficiency. This approach can also bring about operational efficiency as seen from the performance of the United States Postal Service (Crew, Kliendofer, & Campbell, 2008, 153). Diversity and management: The globalized and multi-cultural environment that exists today needs managerial training that requires an understanding of cultural diversity. There are many avenues for managers that provide such facilities to managers and leaders to cope with diversity in the workplace. Conclusion: Management and leadership has been seen as distinct fields by theorists and practitioners. But, managers who develop leadership qualities can become more effective in their roles. This paper argues that managers need to absorb certain leadership qualities as mentioned, including factors such as diversity training in order to be effective in a globalized and competitive world. References Bass, B M & Riggio, R E. (2006). Transformational leadership, Routledge. Changing minds group: leadership styles. (2010). The Leadership Hub, retrieved 23 August 2010, http://www.theleadershiphub.com/blogs/changing-minds-group-leadership-styles-do-leaders-have-have-charisma. Charismatic leadership. (2010). 123Manage, retrieved 23 August 2010, http://www.12manage.com/methods_weber_charismatic_leadership.html Crew, M A, Kliendofer & Campbell, J I (2008). Handbook of worldwide postal reform, Edward Elgar Publishing. Great Man Theory, ChangingMinds.org, retrieved 23 August 2010, http://changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/theories/great_man_theory.htm Hacker, S & Roberts, T. (2004). Transformational leadership: creating organizations of meaning, Quality Press. Lawrence, P G. (2006). Neohumility and business leadership: do they belong together, Journal of business and leadership, 116-126 Leadership styles and basis of power. (n.d.). Reference for business, retrieved 22 August 2010, http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Int-Loc/Leadership-Styles-and-Bases-of-Power.html   Liebler, J G & McConnell, C R. (2004). Management principles for health professionals, Jones & Barlett. Neider, L L, & Schriesheim, C A. (2002). Leadership, Information Age Publishing Inc. Rowe, G & Guerrero, L. (2010). Cases in leadership, SAGE Publications. Smoke, C H. (2005). Company officer, Thomson Delmar. Read More