Responsible Business Leadership: Chapter 1

2. Group member characteristics and behavior

Refers to attributes of the group members that could have a bearing on how effective the leadership attempt will be. Intelligent and well-motivated group members, for example, help the leader do an outstanding job.

Satisfactions of Leaders

1. Feeling of power and prestige 2. A chance to help others grow and develop 3. High income 4. Respect and Status 5. Good opportunities for advancement 6. A feeling of being in on things 7. An opportunity to control money and other resources

Types of Followers: Isolates

1. Isolates are completely detached and passively support the status quo by not taking action to bring about changes. They do not care much about their leaders and just do their job without taking an interest in the overall organiza- tion. Isolates need coaching, yet sometimes firing them is the only solution.

Three Sets of Leadership effectiveness factors

1. Leader characteristics, behavior, and style 2. Group member characteristics and behavior 3. Context (Internal and external environment)

Essential Qualities of Effective Followers

1. Self-management. The key to being a good follower is to think for one- self and to work well without close supervision. Effective group members see themselves as being as capable as their leaders. 2. Commitment. Effective followers are committed to something beyond themselves, be it a cause, product, department, organization, idea, or value. To a committed group member, the leader facilitates progress toward achieving a goal. 3. Competence and focus. Effective followers build their competence and focus their efforts for maximum impact. Competence centers on mastering skills that will be useful to the organization. Less effective group members rarely take the initiative to engage in training and development. 4. Courage. Effective followers establish themselves as independent, critical thinkers and fight for what they believe is right. A good follower, for example, might challenge the company's policy of taking ninety days to make good on accounts payable, or of recruiting key people almost exclusively from people with demographic characteristics similar to those of top management.

Dissatisfactions and Frustrations of Leaders

1. Too much uncompensated overtime 2. Too many headaches 3. Facing a perform-or-perish mentality 4. Not enough authority to carry out responsibilities 5. Loneliness 6. Too many problems involving people 7. Too much organizational politics 8. The pursuit of conflicting goals 9. Being perceived as unethical, especially if you are a corporate executive 10. Job fatigue and burnout as a result of the preceding nine problems

Three key aspects of being an effective group member:

1. Types of followers 2. The personal characteristics of productive followers 3. The importance of collaboration between leaders and followers.

Types of Followers: Bystanders

2. Bystanders are free riders who are typically detached when it fits their self-interests. At a meeting, a bystander is more likely to focus on the refreshments and taking peeks at his or her personal text messages. Bystanders have low internal motivation, so the leader has to work hard to find the right motivators to spark the bystander into action.

Types of Followers: Particitpants

3. Participants show enough engagement to invest some of their own time and money to make a difference, such as taking the initiative to learn new technology that would help the group. Participants are sometimes for, and sometimes against, the leader and the company. The leader has to review their work and attitudes carefully to determine whether or not the participant is being constructive. Participants have also been regarded as active followers, or those who make a major contribution to the mission of the group. The term derives from experiences at the space shuttle activities at NASA, and the National Outdoor Leader- ship School that includes mountain climbing, expeditions, and adventure paths. Leaders at both activities said that success in their ventures requires a single- minded focus on the goal and a team of active followers.46 Such individuals will inform the leader and the group about what they think is necessary for success, or survival, such as alerting the leader to a potential avalanche.

Types of Followers:

4. Activists are considerably engaged, heavily invested in people and processes, and eager to demonstrate their support or opposition. They feel strongly, either positively or negatively, about their leader and the organization and act accordingly. An activist might be enthusiastic about reaching company goals, or so convinced that the company is doing the wrong thing that he or she blows the whistle (reports the company to an outside agency). The leader has to stay aware of whether the activist is for or against the company.

Types of Followers:

5. Diehards are super-engaged to the point that they are willing to go down for their own cause, or willing to oust the leader if they feel he or she is headed in the wrong direction. Diehards can be an asset or a liability to the leader. Diehards have an even stronger tendency to be whistleblowers than do activists. A diehard, for example, might take it on her own to test the lead quantity of paint in children's furniture sold by the company. Leaders have to stay in touch with diehards to see if their energy is being pointed in the service of the organization.

Team builder

A key aspect of a leader's role is to build an effective team. Activities contributing to this role include: a. ensuring that team members are recognized for their accomplishments, such as through letters of appreciation b. initiating activities that contribute to group morale, such as giving parties and sponsoring sports teams c. holding periodic staff meetings to encourage team members to talk about their accomplishments, problems, and concerns

Entrepreneur

Although not self-employed, managers who work in large organizations have some responsibility for suggesting innovative ideas or furthering the business aspects of the firm. Three entrepreneurial leadership role activities are: a. reading trade publications and professional journals to keep up with what is happening in the industry and profession b. talking with customers or others in the organization to keep aware of changing needs and requirements c. getting involved in situations outside the unit that could suggest ways of improving the unit's performance, such as visiting other firms, attending professional meetings or trade shows, and participating in educational programs

Coach and motivator

An effective leader takes the time to coach and motivate team members, and sometimes to inspire large groups of people inside the organization. This role includes five specific behaviors: a. informally recognizing team members' achievements b. providing team members with feedback concerning ineffective performance c. ensuring that team members are informed of steps that can improve their performance d. implementing rewards and punishments to encourage and sustain good performance e. inspiring people through such means as being charismatic, creating visions, telling interesting stories, and being highly ethical

Leadership Role

An expected set of activities or behaviors stemming from one's job.

Emergent Leaders

Group members who significantly influence other group members even though they have not been assigned formal authority. Based on personal attributes and behaviors Example, Influential Co-worker

Substitutes for Leadership

Factors in the work environment that provide guidance and incentives to perform, making the leader's role almost superfluous

Leader Irrelevance Argument

Factors outside the leader's control have a larger impact on business outcomes than do leadership actions

Executor

In carrying out the executor role, the leader makes things happen, often helping translate plans into action. Parts of this role include: a. translating strategy into action, such as helping develop action plans b. making change happen c. holding people accountable to ensure that productive work is accomplished

Shared Leadership

Instead of centralizing leadership in the hands of a few, authority and power are shared, and people lead themselves.

Technical problem solver

It is particularly important for supervisors and middle managers to help team members solve technical problems. Two activities contributing to this role are: a. serving as a technical expert or adviser, such as helping the group make optimum of social marketing to promote the company. b. performing individual contributor tasks on a regular basis, such as making sale calls or repairing machinery.

Framework formula: Variables that influence leadership effectiveness

L = f (l,gm,s) The formula means that the leadership process is a function of the leader, group members (or followers), and other situational variables.

Leader Constraint Theroy

Leaders are constrained in what they can do but still have plenty of room to influence others.

Figurehead

Leaders, particularly high-ranking managers, spend some part of their time engaging in ceremonial activities, or acting as a figurehead. Four specific behaviors fit the figurehead role of a leader: a. entertaining clients or customers as an official representative of the organization b. making oneself available to outsiders as a representative of the organization c. serving as an official representative of the organization at gatherings outside the organization d. escorting official visitors

Leader Vs. Manager

Leadership deals with the interpersonal aspects of a manager's job, whereas planning, organizing, and controlling deal with administrative aspects. Leadership deals with change, inspiration, motivation, and influence. The leader is an inspirational figure, and the manager is a stodgy bureaucrat mired in the status quo.

Leadership Effectiveness

Refers to attaining desirable outcomes such as productivity, quality, and satisfaction in a given situation.

Negotiator

Part of almost any manager's job description is trying to make deals with others for needed resources. Four illustrative negotiating activities are as follows: a. bargaining with superiors for funds, facilities, equipment, or other forms of support b. bargaining with other units in the organization for the use of staff, facilities, equipment, or other forms of support c. bargaining with suppliers and vendors for services, schedules, and delivery times d. bargaining with job candidates about starting compensation and benefits

1. Leader characteristics, behavior, and style

Refers to the inner qualities, such as self-confidence and problem-solving ability that help a leader function effectively in many situations. Leader behavior and style refers to the activities engaged in by the leader, including characteristic approach, that relate to his or her effectiveness. A leader who frequently coaches group members and practices participative leadership, for example, might be effective in many circumstances.

Team player

Related to the team-builder role is that of the team player. Three behaviors of team players are: a. displaying appropriate personal conduct b. cooperating with other units in the organization c. displaying loyalty to superiors by fully supporting their plans and decisions

preferred term for a person who reports to a leader

Team member, group member, or associate. Researchers, however, continue to use the terms subordinate and follower for technical purposes.)

Leadership

The ability to inspire confidence and support among the people who are needed to achieve organizational goals.

3. Context (Internal and external environment)

The internal and external environment also influences leadership effectiveness. A leader in a culturally diverse environment, for example, will need to have multicultural skills to be effective. All of the topics in this text fit somewhere into this model, and the fit will be more obvious at some places than at others.

Basic Role for Corporate Leaders

To release the human spirit that makes initiative, creativity, and entrepreneurship possible

Strategic planner.

Top-level managers engage in strategic planning, usually assisted by input from others throughout the organization. Carrying out the strategic-planner role enables the manager to practice strategic leadership. The strategist role is concerned with shaping the future of the organization, or a unit within the larger organization. Specific activities involved in this role include: a. setting a vision and direction for the organization and providing innovative ideas to pursue b. helping the firm deal with the external environment c. helping develop organizational policies d. being a thought leader in the sense of the organization being widely respected for advancing a field or producing a superior product

Spokesperson.

When a manager acts as a spokesperson, the emphasis is on answering letters or inquiries and formally reporting to individuals and groups outside the manager's direct organizational unit. As a spokesperson, the managerial leader keeps five groups of people informed about the unit's activities, plans, capabilities, and possibilities (vision): a. upper-level management b. clients or customers c. other important outsiders such as labor union d. professional colleagues

Flexible Leadership Theory by Gary Yukl

organizational performance is stronger when the influence of middle- and lower-level leaders on important decisions is commensurate with their unique, relevant knowledge. The implication is that involving leaders throughout the organization in making decisions improves company performance.