Intro to Leadership

Being Socially Perceptive

Being socially perceptive involves understanding the unique needs, goals, and demands of different constituencies•Having insight into and awareness of: what is important to others, how they are motivated, the problems they face how they react to change

A Change

Visions represent a change in the status quo, a change toward something more positive in the future. Change can take many forms, changes about rules, procedures, goals, values, or rituals. It is not uncommon for leaders to experience resistance to their vision and be accused of "stirring up the pot."

Fostering a Positive Strengths-Based Environment

A final way to practice strengths-based leadership is to create and promote a positive work environment in which people's strengths play an integral role.•Organizations that create positive work environments have a positive physiological impact on employees which in turn impacts performance.•Leaders who want to create a positive work environment should attend to four areas: climate, relationships, communication, and meaning. To create a positive climate, leaders should foster among their employees virtues such as compassion, forgiveness, and gratitude.•To build positive relationships, leaders need to highlight individuals' positive images and strengths.•To develop positive communication, leaders must be supportive, make positive than negative statements, and be less negatively evaluative of others.•Leaders can foster positive meaning in their organizations by emphasizing the connection between employees' values and the long term impact of their work.

A Map

A vision provides people with the map to guide them, to let them know when they are on- or off-track.oPeople feel a sense of certainty and calmness when they know they are on course; a vision gives this assurance.oVisions provide a guiding philosophy for people that gives them meaning and purpose. •When people know the overarching goals, principles, and values of the organization, it becomes easier for them to have an identity and know where they fit within the organization.•Seeing the larger purpose allows people to appreciate their contributions to the organization.

Core Leadership Skills

Administrative, interpersonal, conceptual

Values

Advocating change within an organization requires an understanding of one's own values, the values of others, and the values of the organization. A vision that everyone in the company is important places high value on human dignity. Similarly, if the vision suggests that everyone is equal, they would be advocating for fairness and justice as primary values.

What are Strengths?

An attribute or quality of an individual that accounts for successful performance.•Ability to consistently demonstrate exceptional work. Positive features of ourselves that make us effective and help us flourish.

Managing People

An effective leader connects with people and understands the tasks, the skills required to perform them, and the overall environment. Includes helping employees: to work as a teammotivating them to do their bestpromoting satisfying relationships among employees. Occupies the most time. Involves communicating with multiple stakeholders.

Centre for Applied Positive Psychology (CAPP) and Realise2 Assessment

CAPP researchers created a more dynamic model of strengths that emphasizes the changing nature of strengths.•CAPP argued that strengths are more fluid than personality traits and can emerge over a lifetime through the different situations we experience. •Realise2, the questionnaire CAPP uses, assesses 60 strengths in relationship to three dimensions of energy, performance, and use.

CAPP

Centre for Applied Positive Psychology (CAPP) and Realise2 Assessment

six traits of leadership

Confidence, Charisma, Determination, Sociability, Integrity

Handling Conflict

Conflict creates the need for change and occurs as the result of change.•Conflict is the struggle between two or more individuals over perceived differences regarding substantive issues or relational issues.Although uncomfortable, conflict is not unhealthy nor necessarily bad.•If conflict is managed effectively there is a reduction of stress, an increase in creative problem solving, and improved group relations.

Creating Vision

Creating vision requires the capacity to challenge people with compelling visions of the future.•A leader must implement the vision and model the principles set forth in the vision. •To create vision, a leader needs to: Set forth a picture of a future that is better than the present. Move others toward a new set of ideals and values that will lead to the future

Theory Z

Developed by William Ouchi (1981) to include the collectivist values of successful Japanese companies (automobiles, electronics)•Emphasizes communication, collaboration, and consensual decision-making•Also incorporates individualistic values such as formal authority structures, individual contributions, and recognition

Laissez-Faire Style

Dissimilar to both Theory X and Theory Y—typically considered to be nonleadership. The leader is nominal and only engages in minimal influence. Literally takes a "hands off" attitude. The leader does not try to influence or control the group

Showing Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence: a person's ability to understand his or her own and others' emotions, apply this to life's tasks•Emotional intelligence is the ability to: perceive and express emotions, use emotions to facilitate thinking, understand and reason with emotions, manage emotions effectively

Developing Your Strength

First, you must acknowledge your strengths and be prepared to reveal them to others because it lets other know how we can me most useful when working together.•People use a variety of ways to reveal their strengths, such as posting them on Facebook or LinkedIn, adding them to their email signature, or listing them on their resume. •Be alert to cultural differences in how people express strengths. Second, practice working consistently with others based on your strengths. For example, if your strength is as an innovator, find ways to be creative in your leadership.•Third, become aware of your weaknesses as well as strengths.

Identifying and Measuring Strengths

Gallup researchers discovered 34 themes or patterns of what makes individuals perform at a high level.•Gallup identified themes of human talent, not strengths.•The equation for developing a strength is talent times investment.•Talents are not strengths, but they provide the basis for developing strengths when they are coupled with knowledge, skills, and practice.

Learned behaviors

Ingrained things that we have learned throughout our life experience. Although valuable, they do not excite or inspire us.

Recognizing and Engaging Strengths of Others

Leaders need to recognize and engage the strengths of their followers. Often the strengths of followers are not evident to leaders or even to the followers themselves. •It is important to find opportunities outside followers' normal realm of duties or activities that will allow their strengths to emerge. •Knowing followers' unique strengths allows leaders to make work assignments that maximize each individual's contribution to the collective goals of the group.

What Are Leadership Skills?

Leadership skills refer to learned competencies that leaders are able to demonstrate in performance.•Leadership skills: Give people the capacity to influence others. Are a critical component in successful leadership

Authoritarian Style

Like Theory X, Authoritarian leaders perceive subordinates as needing direction•Authoritarian leaders exert influence and control over group members. Communication is top-down. The agenda is set by the leaders. Praise/criticism is given freely, but it is based on personal standards

Training and Development

Loehr and Schwartz (2001) stress that people are a "mission-specific species" and their goal should be to mobilize their sources of energy to accomplish their intended mission.•Kouzes and Posner's (2003) Leadership Practices Instrument identifies vision as one of the five practices of exemplary leadership.

Leadership Styles in Practice

No one is entirely one style or the other.•Our styles shift, depending on the situation. •Leadership lies along a continuum from high leader influence to low leader influence.

Weaknesses

Our limiting attributes. They often drain our energy and result in poor performance.

Assumptions of Theory X

People dislike work and will try to avoid it.•People need to be directed and controlled.•People want security, not responsibility.

Assumptions of Theory Y

People don't inherently dislike work; doing work is as natural as play.•People will show responsibility and self-control toward goals to which they are committed.•People accept and seek responsibility.

Unrealized strengths

Personal attributes that are less visible. We feel good when we tap into them because they support our efforts.

Realized strengths

Personal attributes that represent our strongest assets. We are energized when we use them.

Characteristics of a Vision

Picture Change Values Map Challenge

Outcomes of Democratic Style

Positive Outcomes: Greater group member satisfaction, commitment, and cohesiveness. More friendliness, mutual praise, and group mindedness. Stronger worker motivation and greater originality •Negative Outcomes: It takes more time and commitment than authoritarian leadership. Can result in inefficiencies and lower productivity

Problem Solving

Problem Solving Skills are a leader's cognitive ability to take corrective action in a problem situation to meet desired objectives.•Skills include the following: Identifying the problem. Generating alternative solutions. Selecting the best solution from among the alternatives. Implementing that solution

Realise2 Quadrant Model

Realized strengths: Personal attributes that represent our strongest assets. We are energized when we use them.•Unrealized strengths: Personal attributes that are less visible. We feel good when we tap into them because they support our efforts.•Learned behaviors: Ingrained things that we have learned throughout our life experience. Although valuable, they do not excite or inspire us.•Weaknesses: Our limiting attributes. They often drain our energy and result in poor performance.

Relationship Leadership

Relationship leadership behaviors help subordinates feel comfortable with themselves, with each other, and with the situation.•They include: Consideration behaviors. Employee orientation. Concern for people •Consideration behavior builds. Mutual trust and friendship. Respect Regard between leaders and follower A concern for people involves: Building trust. Providing good working conditions. Maintaining a fair salary structure. Promoting good social relations Relationship leadership behavior is about three things: Treating followers with dignity and respect. Building relationships and helping people get along. Making the work setting a pleasant place to be

Relationship-Oriented Style

Relationship-oriented people find meaning in being rather than in doing.•Instead of seeking out tasks, relationship-oriented people want to connect with others.•They have strong orientation in the present and find meaning in the moment.

Democratic Style

Resembles assumptions of Theory Y•Subordinates are capable of working on their own•Leader works with subordinates and treats them in an egalitarian manner•Leader does not speak down to group members; rather, they speak on the same level

Managing Resources

Resources can be money, supplies, equipment, space, etc., anything needed to operate an organization.•Managing resources requires a leader to be competent in both obtaining and allocating resources. Ex.: cross-country coach buying new uniforms for the team•The ultimate responsibility of resource management rests on the leader.

Gallup's Strength Finder Profile

StrengthsFinder is a 177-item questionnaire that identifies areas where you have the greatest potential to develop strengths.•Researchers developed a configuration that included four domains of leadership strength; executing, influencing, relationship building, and strategic thinking.•Effective teams possess broad groupings of strengths and work best when all four domains of leadership strength are represented on their teams.

Task Leadership

Task leadership behaviors facilitate goal accomplishment.•The leader initiates structure. Organizes work. Defines responsibilities. Schedules work activities •The leader engages in production orientation, which stresses: The production and technical aspects of the job. The focus is on how the job will be done

Task-Oriented Style

Task-oriented people are goal-oriented.•They want to achieve.•Their work is where they find meaning.•Reaching a goal is a positive expression of who they are.

Showing Technical Competence

Technical competence involves having specialized knowledge about our work. A leader with technical competence understands the intricacies of how the organization functions. A leader is more effective when he or she has knowledge about the activities subordinates are asked to perform. A leader is not required to have technical competence in every situation.

Discovering Your Strengths

There are several ways to discover one's strengths: •Completing one or more of the strengths questionnaires (StrengthsFinder 2.0, VIA-IS, Realise2). •Completing exercises at the end of this chapter.

Leaders who want to create a positive work environment should attend to four areas

climate, relationships, communication, and meaning.

Six universal core virtues

courage, justice, humanity, temperance, transcendence, and wisdom.

Four domains of leadership strength

executing, influencing, relationship building, and strategic thinking.

Values in Action (VIA) and the Inventory of Strengths

identified six universal core virtues: courage, justice, humanity, temperance, transcendence, and wisdom.•The VIA includes 24 strengths organized under these 6 basic virtues.•The strengths identified by the StrengthsFinder are more closely tied to the workplace and helping individuals perform better, while VIA strengths are focused more directly on a person's character and how they can become more virtuous.

A Picture

•A vision creates a picture of a future that is better than the status quo—an idea about the future that requires an act of faith by followers. Ideal picture of where an organization should be going. Image may be more productive, confirming, or inspiring than the present. Picture a time and place where the common good is served.Sometimes a leader's vision is clear, sometimes it is only a general direction that gives a "bare bones" notion of where they are leading others and the final picture may not emerge for some time

Conceptual Skills

•Conceptual skills involve the thinking or cognitive aspects of leadership, such as concepts and ideas.• Divided into three specific skill sets: Problem Solving, Strategic Planning, Creating Vision

A Challenge

•Finally, a vision challenges people to transcend the status quo to do something to benefit others. Visions challenge people to commit themselves to worthwhile causes.

Implementing Vision

•Implementing vision is true test of a leader.-The leader must model the attitudes, values, and behaviors set forth in the vision—the leader must be the living example of the ideals articulated in the vision.-When leaders are seen acting out the vision, it builds credibility.-Implementation requires a leader sets high expectations for others.-Setting challenging goals motivates people.-This process doesn't happen rapidly but takes continuous effort.

Interpersonal Skills

•People skills—the abilities that help a leader to work effectively with subordinates, peers, and superiors, to accomplish the organization's goals•Divided into three specific skill sets: Being Socially Perceptive. Showing Emotional Intelligence. Managing Interpersonal Conflict

Outcomes of Authoritarian Style

•Positive Outcomes: Efficient and productive. More can be accomplished in a short period of time Negative Outcomes: Fosters dependence, submissiveness, and decreases individuality. Can create hostility and discontent. Can cross the line into abusive behavior

Strategic Planning

•Strategic planning requires developing careful plans of action based on available resources and personnel to achieve a goal. Boal and Hooijberg (2000) suggest that strategic leaders need to have: The ability to learn—capacity to absorb new information and apply it towards new goals. The capacity to adapt—being able to respond quickly to changes in the environment. Managerial wisdom—A deep understanding of people and the environment in which they work

Administrative Skills

•The competencies needed to carry out the purposes and goals of the organization. Involve planning, organizing work, and coordinating work activities. Allow leaders to accomplish the mundane, but critically important, and aspects of leadership•Divided into three specific skill sets: Managing people, managing resources, and showing technical competence

Vision in Theories of Leadership

•Transformational leaders demonstrate vision as one of four factors of performance.•Charismatic leaders create changes by linking their values and vision to the self-concept of followers.

Outcomes of Laissez-Faire Style

•Very few, if any, positive outcomes. Exception is when people are self-starters, skilled at their tasks and don't require ongoing feedback Negative outcomes: Very little accomplished. Group members feel directionless. Group members become unmotivated and disheartened

What Is a Vision?

•Vision is a mental model of an ideal future state—"what could be." •Visions imply change and challenge people to reach a higher standard of excellence, giving meaning and purpose to people.•Ideally they are shared by the leader and members of the group or organization.

Articulating Vision

•While it is important to have a vision, it is equally important to be able to articulate that vision to others. Leaders must adapt their vision to their audience—they need to articulate their visions so that they fit within others' latitude of acceptance. If the vision is too demanding and demands too big a change, it will be rejected. •Leaders need to highlight the intrinsic value of their vision, emphasizing how the vision presents ideals worth pursuing.•By highlighting the values of the vision, it allows individuals to find their work worthwhile. •Articulating a vision requires the right language, words that are motivating and inspiring. •Words need to describe a vision that is affirming, uplifting, and hopeful—Martin Luther King Jr. and JFK •Inspiring symbols abound—the U of M 1997 football team looked to Into Thin Air by Jonathan Krakauer, utilizing the metaphor of climbing Mount Everest to motivate them toward winning a national championship. •Articulating a vision requires using inclusive language. •This links people to the vision and makes them part of the process. •Words such as we and our are preferred over they or them. •Inclusive language builds community around a common goal.