Leadership as an Influence Process - Essay Example

Executive Leadership INTRODUCTION In a book, "Lead like Jesus", Ken Blanchard defines leadership as a role that everyone occupies whenever we influence others to do a goal (Ken Blanchard, 2003). With this definition, leadership is not confined to the task being performed but the opportunity and role that all have. This encompasses leading a family, a church, a peer group and even one close individual in an ordinary day. It does not then take to lead a big recognized organization to be called a leader. In the book, obviously, the best formula was found to be the formula of leadership is the servant leadership performed by Jesus Christ-thus the title Lead like Jesus. ASPECTS OF LEADERSHIP Others define leadership as a process by which a person exerts an influence over others for the accomplishment of an objective or objectives thus necessitates directing the organization is such a way that is cohesive and coherent. This requires that leaders apply their knowledge, attributes including belief, values, their ethics, character and skills (Clark, 2008). "Common to all definitions of leadership is the notion that leaders are individuals who, by their actions, facilitate the movement of a group of people toward a common or shared goal. This definition implies that leadership is an influence process" (CliffNotes). The various definitions of leadership seem to have little else in common. They are technically different in many respects, which include who exerts the influence, the purpose of the influence, the way in which influence is exerted and even the outcome of the attempt to influence. These differences are not simple scholarly nit-picking; rather they reflect deep disagreement about leadership and the leadership process (Yukl, 2009). Indeed, the pursuit of knowing which leadership type is the most effective and which characters a leader must possess is a subject of many studies, college courses and class discussions. "Leadership is a subject that has long excited interest among people. The term connotes images of powerful, dynamic individuals who command victorious armies, direct corporate empires from atop gleaming skyscrapers, or shape the course of nations. The exploits of brave and clever leaders are the essence of many legends and myths" (Yukl, 2009). Gary Yukl gave the following list of leadership definitions from different authors: Definitions of Leadership -Leadership is "the behavior of an individual . . . directing the activities of a group toward a shared goal." (Hemphill & Coons, 1957, pg. 7) -Leadership is "the influential increment over and above mechanical compliance with the routine directives of the organization." (Katz & Kahn, 1978, pg. 528) -"Leadership is exercised when persons . . . mobilize . . . institutional, political, psychological, and other resources so as to arouse, engage, and satisfy the motives of followers." (Burns, 1978, pg. 18) -"Leadership is realized in the process whereby one or more individuals succeed in attempting to frame and define the reality of others." (Smircich & Morgan, 1982, pg. 258) -Leadership is "the process of influencing the activities of an organized group toward goal achievement." (Rauch & Behling, 1984, pg. 46) -"Leadership is about articulating visions, embodying values, and creating the environment within which things can be accomplished." (Richards & Engle, 1986, pg. 206) -"Leadership is a process of giving purpose (meaningful direction) to collective effort, and causing willing effort to be expended to achieve purpose." (Jacobs & Jaques, 1990, pg. 281) -Leadership "is the ability to step outside the culture . . . to start evolutionary change processes that are more adaptive." (Schein, 1992, pg. 2) -"Leadership is the process of making sense of what people are doing together so that people will understand and be committed." (Drath & Palus, 1994, p. 4) -Leadership is "the ability of an individual to influence, motivate, and enable others to contribute toward the effectiveness and success of the organization. . . . " (House et al., 1999, pg. 184) Source: (Yukl, 2009) The Influence Process and Leadership Environment In the book of Blanchard which adapts the leadership model of Jesus, leadership is seen as a journey, particularly a transformational journey which entails a commitment to lead in a different way. The process of leadership has four levels so that the biggest scope is organizational leadership. The four steps/levels is composed of the personal leadership arena, (which is built on the belief that before someone can lead, he has to know and lead himself first), the one-on-one leadership arena (which is built on trust and a result of the achievement of the personal leadership arena), the team leadership arena (built on empowerment, after trust is achieved at the one-to one leader arena) and lastly, the organizational leadership arena, (with the necessary outcome of effectiveness). The type of influence process is of much concern in the organization. "Some theorists would limit the definition of leadership to the exercise of influence resulting in enthusiastic commitment by followers, as opposed to indifferent compliance or reluctant obedience. These theorists argue that the use of control over rewards and punishments to manipulate or coerce followers is not really "leading" and may involve the unethical use of power" (Yukl, 2009). However, some are not convinced with this definition, rather consider this "limited" primarily because it is does not include some of the influence process that are significant in the understanding of why a manager is effective or ineffective in a given situation. "One viewpoint is that leadership occurs only when people are influenced to do what is ethical and beneficial for the organization and themselves. This definition of leadership does not include influence attempts that are irrelevant or detrimental to followers, such as a leader's attempts to gain personal benefits at the follower's expense" (Yukl, 2009). Some say that leadership as a process is the use of no coercive influence to pursue the goal or the group or the organization rather uses motivation to achieve them. "As a property, leadership is the set of characteristics attributed to those who are perceived to be leaders" (Teachers.Net, 2008). Yukl discussed both direct and indirect leadership. "Most theories about effective leadership focus on behaviors used to directly influence immediate subordinates, but a leader can also influence other people inside the organization" (Yukl, 2009). Direct form of leadership is exerted on the subordinates who the leader has a close contact with. It attempts to influence followers when the leader interacts with them using communication media. This includes sending memos, report or e-mails to employees, presenting speeches. On the other hand, indirect leadership is how a chief executive influences people at the lower level of the organization who do not interact directly with the leader. An example of this is cascading when the direct influence of the CEO ripples down to the immediate subordinates and down to regular employees. The effects of these influence includes changes in the attitudes, beliefs, values and behaviors of employees (Yukl, 2009). Every organization works in a particular work environment, which is indicative of how the leadership responds to both problems and opportunities. The leadership environment is shapes by both the past and the present leaders. Don Clark enumerates the three types of actions by which a leader exerts influence on the organizational environment: 1. The goals and performance standards they establish. 2. The values they establish for the organization. 3. The business and people concepts they establish. Source: (Clark, 2008) There are three terms that are essential in understanding the shaping of the business leadership environment. 1. It is observed that successful organizations are those with leaders who have set high standards and goals across the entire spectrum which includes strategies, market leadership, plans, meetings and presentations, productivity, quality, and reliability. 2. Values reflect the concern the organization has for its employees, customers, investors, vendors, and surrounding community. These values define the manner in how business will be conducted. 3. Concepts define what products or services the organization will offer and the methods and processes for conducting business. Source: (Clark, 2008) These three make up the "personality" of the organization and this in turn defines the roles, relationships, rewards and rites that take place in the organization (Clark, 2008). MY LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE AND WORK ENVIRONMENT I have worked for 13 years in the army as a non-commissioned officer (sergeant). "A non-commissioned officer is "an enlisted member of an armed force who has been given authority by a commissioned officer" (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.,, 2009). That means I have been junior executive officers duties. As to the leadership positions, I have been a team leader, squad leader, platoon sergeant and an officer! As an officer, I was able to command a couple of units and I had a piece of difficulty in leading. Individual idiosyncrasies of the members and different personalities are not always easy to deal with. The pride that each member holds, being part of the army is something that a leader should also recognize, thus respect should be of paramount consideration to an army leader. Respect that a leader must be the first to exercise so as the subordinates would follow. This is also an influence that one leader can exert, a very powerful influence of being an example. Some literatures mention about leadership as an example and it is indeed essential. Richard M. Ayres mentioned that leadership is action not words. The ability to translate intention into reality and to be able to act on your intention comes into being through a commitment-a characteristic common to all individuals who are recognized as leaders. It is not pursued and achieved simply through words of commands. "Commitment consists of a set of positive beliefs coupled with an equally appropriate set of positive action and behavior. Without this action and behavior, there is no commitment - merely good intentions. Effective leaders not only say they want to do the "right" thing; they follow through with appropriate actions-they "walk the way they talk." (Ayres, 2004). He believes that leadership is the act of setting the correct example, "serving as a role model, having actions that speak louder than words", standing up for what you think is right, "showing the way, holding to the purpose and espousing the positive beliefs" (Ayres, 2004). This paper particularly touched a similar aspect that I was in - law enforcement. He went on to narrate that his experiences in the Marine Corps taught him virtually everything he needed to know about effective leadership. The Corp's philosophy, 'you are responsible for everything your men do or fail to do,' was succinct and complete. The mandated response to failure ('no excuse sir') taught him about absolute accountability. He considers the most valuable experience in my life relative to the subject of leadership his 5-year tour of duty in the U.S.M.C. He mentioned that, the most impressive of qualities of one military man is his ability to deal with people, being a great teacher; and taking a lot of his personal time to ensure that his subordinates had mastered their skills and always providing feedback without being critical. The leadership of this military man was not just inside the barracks but also outside of the work, treating his subordinates as family but provided delineation between work and play. I am currently working at Honeywell International. The company "is a diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; automotive products; turbochargers; and specialty materials" (Honeywell International). My job is to teach and certify people particularly soldiers to become pilot for a new unmanned flying aircraft. My primary jobs are to instruct and certify. I have limited leadership function as I alone work in teams of two. Honeywell embraces at least three organizational cultures: staying contemporary, continually improving and commitment to diversity. The company uses learning to generate business success through developing great people with great talent and skills then linking learning to both results and personal development. This is couples with creating an environment where learning is naturally built into working together to improve our competitiveness (Honeywell International). Honeywell also strives to continually improve. This is built on the belief that first class companies do not just satisfy almost all their customer's expectations; they actually them. With this pursuit, business success is a moving target so that the company inevitably gets better and better each year as an organization and in providing products and services (Honeywell International). The major improvement methodology employed in Honeywell is the Six Sigma principle. The Six sigma principle is claimed by the company to have enabled them to continuously improve the way of doing things which results to greater value both of the company and the customers. Currently the company has a black belt in Six Sigma. A certified Black Belt is one that exhibits "team leadership, understands team dynamics, and assigns their team members with roles and responsibilities. They have a complete understanding of the DMAIC model in accordance with the Six Sigma principles, have a basic knowledge of lean enterprise concepts, and they can quickly identify "non-value-added" activities" (Aveta Business Institute). Six Sigma simply means "a measure of quality that strives for near perfection" (iSixSigma). "Six Sigma is a disciplined, data-driven approach and methodology for eliminating defects (driving towards six standard deviations between the mean and the nearest specification limit) in any process -- from manufacturing to transactional and from product to service" (iSixSigma). "The fundamental objective of the Six Sigma methodology is the implementation of a measurement-based strategy that focuses on process improvement and variation reduction through the application of Six Sigma improvement projects" (iSixSigma). For Honeywell, "Six Sigma is a way to achieve performance breakthroughs. It encompasses tools from all of our improvement initiatives - Operational, Technical and Customer Excellence. It applies to all the functions in the company including Marketing, Finance, Product Development, Business Services, Engineering, and all the other functions in our businesses are included (Honeywell International). Lastly, the company commits to diversity. With 128,000 employees, and an operation that spans more than 100 countries, diversity is a necessary and essential part in the business. Honeywell see diversity as the foundation of a culture that exudes respect, understanding and appreciation of different perspectives, backgrounds and experiences (Honeywell International). Currently, I am still in the reserve where I command a group of 35. Still, the pursuit for the effective leadership is in me. There are several experiences and leadership methods used but as Ken Blanchard said leadership is a transformational journey. Several thousand of empirical studies were already conducted on leadership effectiveness, but the results are often inconsistent and inconclusive. The confusion brought by the results might be attributed in large part to the "sheer volume of publications, the disparity of approaches, the proliferation of confusing terms, the narrow focus of most research, the preference for simplistic explanations, the high percentage of studies on trivial questions, and the scarcity of studies using strong research methods"(Yukl, 2009). By far, the most exciting the amazing discovery in leadership is the leadership shown by Jesus as followed by his disciples and Christian leaders. One comment says: "Jesus is by far the most effective leader I know. He led with a positive example by making himself a servant so all mankind could have salvation. His message was revolutionary; and he remained focused on his goal, which caused him to experience the greatest personal sacrifice-his own life. He took a group of 12 people, and in 3 1/2 years taught them how to send the message to the entire world using three teaching methods: he told them how to do it; he showed them how to do it; then he sent them out to do it" (Ayres, 2004). Exactly how Jesus has triumphed in his goals without sacrificing righteousness is indeed amazing and worthy of imitation. His great example is already a leadership in action. Works Cited Aveta Business Institute. (n.d.). Retrieved August 22, 2009, from http://www.sixsigmaonline.org: http://www.sixsigmaonline.org/six-sigma-black-belt-training/ Ayres, R. M. (2004). Leading by Example: How We Learn About Leadership. Paper, Center for Labor-Management Studies, NEIA Annual Conference, Idaho. Clark, D. (2008, May 21). http://www.nwlink.com. Retrieved August 22, 2009, from http://www.nwlink.com/donclark/leader/leadcon.html CliffNotes. (n.d.). http://www.cliffsnotes.com. Retrieved August 22, 2009, from http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/CliffsReviewTopic/Leadership-Defined.topicArticleId-8944,articleId-8913.html Honeywell International. (n.d.). Retrieved August 22, 2009, from http://www51.honeywell.com: http://www51.honeywell.com/honeywell/aboutus.html iSixSigma. (n.d.). Retrieved August 22, 2009, from http://www.isixsigma.com: http://www.isixsigma.com/sixsigma/six_sigma.asp Ken Blanchard, P. H. (2003). Lead Like Jesus. Nashville, Tenessee, USA: Church Strengthening Ministry, Inc. Teachers.Net. (2008, March 28). http://teachers.net. Retrieved from http://teachers.net/lessons/posts/2533.html Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.,. (2009, July 29). Retrieved August 22, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-commissioned_officer Yukl, G. (2009). Leadership In Organization (7th ed.). New York City: Prentice Hall. Read More