Tag Archives: Goleman

Leadership

Leadership Exposed – Things You Thought You Knew About Leadership

The literature written on leadership is absolutely phenomenal. The guide lines, tips, styles and profiles of exceptional leaders during the course of history are everywhere… and worth reading! As we read and research, we learn to recognize specific leadership ideas and qualities we previously failed to see before. Following is a list of things we thought we knew and understood about leadership.

1) Leaders come in different styles.

History points us toward Albert Einstein, well known for his Theoretical Physics; Leonardo da Vinci, for his Art. These are leaders we use as mentors for their wisdom and experience or by their virtue and expertise, as well as what they contributed to society. Elders of a tribe or grandparents could be included in this category of informal leadership. Then you come up against the ‘formal’ leaders or those appointed or elected to the position of leadership. Senators, congressmen, presidents or judges fall into this category; those who are elected to the position of eldership within a government or club.

Literature written by Lewis outlines the three basic styles of leadership which are authoritative, participative and delegative.

Then there is literature written by Likerts which outlines the four styles: authority that is exploited, authority that is charitable, deliberative and participative.

Also, included in the list of literature written by Goleman, who researches six styles of leadership; visionary, instructive, networking, democratic, commanding and pace making.

2) Leadership is a process of ‘coming into’.

Some people seem to be born with leadership qualities, while others learn the art of leadership. However you come into these qualities, you need to develop and sharpen these leadership abilities. You can obtain knowledge by attending seminars, workshops and conferences on leadership. Another way to increase your abilities is to interact with people who already project and practice these leadership qualities.

Expanding your knowledge and exposure will enable you to obtain and exercise leadership attitudes, insights, and integrate the cycle of learning. Being a leader is a full time, lifelong learning process; not something you accomplish over night. A good leader puts his or her knowledge, skills and attitudes to the test daily; plus, sets a goal to have a new experience each day.

3) Leadership begins with YOU.

First, applying the knowledge you accumulated to your own life is the best way to develop leadership abilities. Leaders enjoy the limelight. Remember, your actions affect your credibility; as in ‘action speaks louder then words’. How you interact with family, friends, co-workers or the public; connect with your actions and development you as a leader. Time management in both your personal and professional responsibilities will affect your leadership qualities, too.

Repetition develops habits; habits form character. ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ by Steven Covey, a must read for insight on achieving personal leadership.

4) Leadership is shared.

Leadership is designed to be a shared responsibility between members of a group or team. Each individual must fulfill his or her responsibilities. Elected or ‘formal’ leadership positions are merely additional responsibilities from their usual team or group responsibilities. Being and effective leader means sharing the work. Putting a group of individuals together, forming members and leaders to work toward one mutual goal; is the formation of a great team. While learning to work together; there must be trust within the full group to be effective. Through actions the foundation of mutual respect and trust are built, which in turn builds confidence.

This was one of the strongest abilities of Ronald Regan when he was president. He had a tremendous ability to delegate tasks throughout his staff because he felt he had put the right people in the right positions. Which created trust between him and staff, but more importantly… throughout the staff. Creating a collaborative effort between everyone and leaders in the process.

5) Leadership styles connected to situations.

Where dictatorship works in Singapore; it does not work in the United States of America. Leadership styles used in ‘formal’ leadership depends greatly on culture, beliefs, values and the form of government in that nation. There are no restrictions on the number of leadership styles used for any given situation. Most of the time, a combination of styles are used as the situation dictates.

In instances of war and calamity, decision-making is a matter of life and death; a nation’s leader cannot afford to consult with all departments to arrive at crucial decisions. Leadership is different in times of peace and order, each sector and branch of government can freely work together and positively affect each other while working toward the mutual goal set before them.

Another situation would be leadership within an organization. When there is a high motivation and competent level; a combination of delegative and participative styles of leadership is in order. However, if the competence and commitment is low, a combination of high coaching, supporting and directing style of leadership is required.

The ideas we may already know or concepts we take for granted are actually the most useful insights we can have on leadership. How we apply these insights to our life is the difference between a good leader or a great leader. Either way, there is a leader within all of us. It’s just whether or not you choose to accept it.
Please share any of your ideas about this post below, or any thoughts you had while reading it below. I do appreciate you coming by and look forward to hearing from you!

To your continued success!

Mike Clark

 

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Mike_J_Clark/604724

 

Leadership

Leadership Exposed: Things You Thought You Knew About Leadership

Much has been written about leadership: rules, pointers, styles, and biographies of inspiring leaders throughout world history. But there are certain leadership ideas that we ourselves fail to recognize and realize in the course of reading books. Here is a short list of things you thought you knew about leadership.

1. Leaders come in different flavors.

There are different types of leaders and you will probably encounter more than one type in your lifetime. Formal leaders are those we elect into positions or offices such as the senators, congressmen, and presidents of the local clubs. Informal leaders or those we look up to by virtue of their wisdom and experience such as in the case of the elders of a tribe, or our grandparents; or by virtue of their expertise and contribution on a given field such as Albert Einstein in the field of Theoretical Physics and Leonardo da Vinci in the field of the Arts. Both formal and informal leaders practice a combination of leadership styles.

o Lewin’s three basic leadership styles – authoritative, participative, and delegative

o Likert’s four leadership styles – exploitive authoritative, benevolent authoritative, consultative, and participative

o Goleman’s six emotional leadership styles – visionary, coaching, affiliative, democratic, pacesetting, and commanding.

2. Leadership is a process of becoming.

Although certain people seem to be born with innate leadership qualities, without the right environment and exposure, they may fail to develop their full potential. So like learning how to ride a bicycle, you can also learn how to become a leader and hone your leadership abilities. Knowledge on leadership theories and skills may be formally gained by enrolling in leadership seminars, workshops, and conferences. Daily interactions with people provide the opportunity to observe and practice leadership theories. Together, formal and informal learning will help you gain leadership attitudes, gain leadership insights, and thus furthering the cycle of learning. You do not become a leader in one day and just stop. Life-long learning is important in becoming a good leader for each day brings new experiences that put your knowledge, skills, and attitude to a test.

3. Leadership starts with you.

The best way to develop leadership qualities is to apply it to your own life. As an adage goes “action speaks louder than words.” Leaders are always in the limelight. Keep in mind that your credibility as a leader depends much on your actions: your interaction with your family, friends, and co-workers; your way of managing your personal and organizational responsibilities; and even the way you talk with the newspaper vendor across the street. Repeated actions become habits. Habits in turn form a person’s character. Steven Covey’s book entitled 7 Habits of Highly Effective People provides good insights on how you can achieve personal leadership.

4. Leadership is shared.

Leadership is not the sole responsibility of one person, but rather a shared responsibility among members of an emerging team. A leader belongs to a group. Each member has responsibilities to fulfill. Formal leadership positions are merely added responsibilities aside from their responsibilities as members of the team. Effective leadership requires members to do their share of work. Starting as a mere group of individuals, members and leaders work towards the formation of an effective team. In this light, social interaction plays a major role in leadership. To learn how to work together requires a great deal of trust between and among leaders and members of an emerging team. Trust is built upon actions and not merely on words. When mutual respect exists, trust is fostered and confidence is built.

5. Leadership styles depend on the situation.

How come dictatorship works for Singapore but not in the United States of America? Aside from culture, beliefs, value system, and form of government, the current situation of a nation also affects the leadership styles used by its formal leaders. There is no rule that only one style can be used. Most of the time, leaders employ a combination of leadership styles depending on the situation. In emergency situations such as periods of war and calamity, decision-making is a matter of life and death. Thus, a nation’s leader cannot afford to consult with all departments to arrive at crucial decisions. The case is of course different in times of peace and order—different sectors and other branches of government can freely interact and participate in governance. Another case in point is in leading organizations. When the staffs are highly motivated and competent, a combination of high delegative and moderate participative styles of leadership is most appropriate. But if the staffs have low competence and low commitment, a combination of high coaching, high supporting, and high directing behavior from organizational leaders is required.

Now that you are reminded of these things, keep in mind that there are always ideas that we think we already know; concepts we take for granted, but are actually the most useful insights on leadership.

Tim Maher is interested in personal development in all its facets and has read many books on this topic. It is an interest that is fed and nurtured by listening to audio books and seminars when possible. To assist your own personal growth journey get your audio resources at ==> [http://www.magillaudiobooks.com/list.aspx?catId=137]

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Tim_Maher/71401