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Leadership Style
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- 2. Session Objectives • Whatis leadership? • Defining A Leader • Leaders – born or bred? • Do we need leaders? • Different Leadership Styles • When to use Different Leadership Theories
- 3. What is Leadership "Leadershipis a function of knowing yourself, having a vision that is well communicated, building trust among colleagues, and taking effective action to realize your own leadership potential."
- 4. Defining A Leader Thinkof a leader that you worked for or observed… What does this person do and what qualities does this person have that make you admire him or her as a leader?
- 5. Are Leaders BORN orBRED ?
- 6. Do we needLeaders?
- 7. Leadership Styles • Autocratic(Authoritarian) • Bureaucratic • Democratic • Laissez-Faire Leadership is the art of giving people a platform for spreading ideas that work.
- 8. Autocratic (Authoritarian) • Managerretains power (classical approach) • Manager is decision-making authority • Manager does not consult employees for input • Subordinates expected to obey orders without explanations • Motivation provided through structured rewards and punishments Leaders don't create followers, they create more leaders.
- 9. When to useAutocratic • New, untrained employees • Employees are motivated • Employees do not respond to any other leadership style • High-volume production needs • Limited time for decision making • Manager’s power is challenged by an employee A man is only a leader when a follower stands beside him.
- 10. Who are AutocraticLeaders?
- 11. Bureaucratic • Manager manages“by the book” • Everything must be done according to procedure or policy • If it isn’t covered by the book, the manager refers to the next level above him or her • Police officer more than leader Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.
- 12. When to useBureaucratic • Performing routine tasks • Need for standards/procedures • Use of dangerous or delicate equipment • Safety or security training being conducted • Tasks that require handling cash An army of sheep led by a lion is better than an army of lions led by a sheep.
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- 14. Democratic • Often referredto as participative style • Keeps employees informed • Shares decision making and problem solving responsibilities • “Coach” who has the final say, but… • Gathers information from staff members before making decisions Leadership is action, not position
- 15. Democratic Continued • Helpemployees evaluate their own performance • Allows employees to establish goals • Encourages employees to grow on the job and be promoted • Recognizes and encourages achievement • Can produce high quality and high quantity work for long periods of time True leadership must be for the benefit of the followers, not the enrichment of the leaders.
- 16. When to useDemocratic • To keep employees informed • To encourage employees to share in decision-making and problem-solving • To provide opportunities for employees to develop a high sense of personal growth and job satisfaction • Complex problems that require a lots of input • To encourage team building and participation. Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.
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- 18. Laissez-Faire • Also knownas the “hands-off¨ style • Little or no direction • Gives followers as much freedom as possible • All authority or power is given to the followers • Followers must determine goals, make decisions, and resolve problems on their own. Leaders think and talk about the solutions. Followers think and talk about the problems.
- 19. When to useLaissez-Faire • Employees are highly skilled, experienced, and educated • Employees have pride in their work and the drive to do it successfully on their own • Outside experts, such as staff specialists or consultants are being used • Employees are trustworthy and experienced Communication is the real work of leadership.
- 20. Other Referenced Theories Hersey-Blanchard SituationalLeadership Based on the amount of direction (task-behaviour) and amount of socio-emotional support (relationship-behaviour) a leader must provide given the situation and the "level of maturity" of the followers.
- 23. Development level D1or “I don’t know where to start
- 24. Development level D2or “I think I kind of know what you are talking about”:
- 25. Development level D3or “I know how to do that”:
- 26. Development level D4or “Leave this in my hands”
- 27. Level of developmentof an Individual
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Editor's Notes
- #5 This is a brainstorming question to allow the group to think about what makes good leaders. This allows the group to start thinking about leadership styles. (For Participation you can give them a piece a paper and ask them to note it down)
- #6 Here we will divide the audience into 2 and initiate a debate. One team will put forward point for “Leaders are born” and the other for “Leaders are made” The conclusion of the debate to derive that effective leaders are made not born. Effective leaders are made, not born,. They learn from trial and error, and from experience. When something fails, a true leader learns from the experience and puts it behind him.
- #7 Ask the audience : Do we need leaders? Consider how life would be different without leadership: Families Education Businesses Service associations
- #8 So far we have learnt what is leadership, that leaders are made and that it important to have leaders. Now lets understand the different leadership style.
- #9 Autocratic Leadership is often considered the “classical approach,” but this leadership style has been greatly criticized during the past 30 years. Often referred to as the Authoritative Style, or Directive Style, it relies heavily on old ideas and beliefs. Put simply, the style communications….”the leaders is the boss.” Often, people tend to think of this style as a vehicle for yelling, using demeaning language, and leading by threats and abuse of power. Those ideas are not the authoritative style, but the structure and limited follower participation leaves one not to be surprised by those accusations. The main ideas that circulate around Autocratic Leadership are: It uses the classical approach where the manager retains as much power and decision-making authority as possible. The manager does not consult employees, nor are they allowed to give any input. There is a one-way flow of communication. Subordinates are generally expected to obey orders without any explanations. The motivational environment is produced by creating a structured set of rewards and punishments. Notice that the description of Autocratic Leaders use the term, managers. Autocratic Leadership fits nicely in to the ideas of management where it is expected that subordinate obedience results from orders and expectations set by the leader. On the flip-side, the term subordinate is used—showing that the relationship between leaders and followers is strictly business. Some studies say that organizations with many autocratic leaders have higher turnover and absenteeism than other organizations. Certainly Gen X employees have proven to be highly resistant to this management style. These studies say that autocratic leaders: --Rely on threats and punishment to influence employees --Do not trust employees --Do not allow for employee input Yet, autocratic leadership is not all bad. Sometimes it is the most effective style to use.
- #10 In reality, the Autocratic style should normally only be used on rare occasions. Having said that, there are always situations where a quick and confident decision is needed. In other situations, there may be factors such as the follower’s development level, knowledge level, and skill level that leave leaders with few other choices than to use the style. The autocratic leadership style should NOT be used when: --Employees become tense, fearful, or resentful --Employees expect to have their opinions heard --Employees begin depending on their manager to make all their decisions --There is low employee morale, high turnover and absenteeism and work stoppage Lets look at some examples of where Autocratic Leadership might be used…
- #11 Can you think of some Autocratic Leaders? (Ask the Audience) Schools Parents Example of autocratic leaders : John F. Kennedy / Adolf Hitler (Click Mouse for image) There are some places/organizations where we might need Autocratic Leaders? Many military leaders are considered Autocratic Leaders. Why would it be advantageous to use an Autocratic Style in the military? Prison systems almost have to use an autocratic style, along with other places where it is too risky to leave anything questionable and unanswered. Factories often require high volume production on a daily basis—we often see autocratic leadership styles used to increase efficiency
- #12 You want your organization to keep their “nose out of trouble?”....find a Bureaucratic Leader! Bureaucratic leadership is where the manager manages “by the book.” Everything must fall according to procedure or policy. If it is not covered by the book, the manager refers to the next level above him or her. When considering leadership traits, Integrity is often listed as one of the most valuable traits a leader could possess. Bureaucratic leaders demonstrate the meaning of integrity beautifully. When do we need leaders with an abundance of integrity and when do we want Bureaucratic Leaders?....
- #13 The bureaucratic style is most effective when there is a need to be concerned about procedure, safety, and specific, technical tasks. This style is ineffective when: --Work habits form that are hard to break, especially if they are no longer useful. --Employees lose their interest in their jobs and in their fellow workers. --Employees do only what is expected of them and no more.
- #14 Can you think of some Bureaucratic Leaders? Police were already mentioned Administrative positions Where are some places/organizations where we might need Bureaucratic Leaders? Law enforcement absolutely needs bureaucratic leaders. In their professions, law enforcers do not have room to “wiggle their toes,” and they must be sure to dot their I’s and cross their T’s. It is important to consider how important it is for organizations that are funded by state tax dollars to have some bureaucratic leaders to monitor and lead others to be efficient and effective. Anytime there is an exchange of money, or someone is required to manage money, we hope to have bureaucratic leaders, or people with bureaucratic skills in those positions. On a side note, what kind of connections might there be between bureaucratic leadership and stress management?!
- #15 Like the other styles, the democratic style is not always appropriate, but it has many valuable benefits. It is most successful when used with highly skilled or experienced employees or when implementing operational changes or resolving individual or group problems. Because a democratic leader welcomes team input and facilitates group discussion, it is often referred to as a participative leadership style Democratic leaders are constantly keeping employees informed about matters that affect them. They are consistently sharing plans with the group and offering multiple options for group consideration. Even though the Democratic leader still makes the final decision, they use a coaching style to encourage followers to take part in influencing and guiding decision making process. Generally before making a final decision, the leader will consult followers and gather information from them. There are so many great qualities about the democratic leadership style…that the list goes on…
- #16 One of the interesting ideas about Democratic Leadership is the use of a “coach” style of leadership. Not only is the leader concerned about being effective and efficient, but they are also concerned about the development of their followers through the tasks. Democratic leaders commonly works with followers to help them set goals, not only for their organization, but personal achievement goals as well. Democratic leaders encourage growth in employees/followers by encouraging them to work freely with each other and leave division of tasks to the group—allowing more sharing and collaboration among followers or group members. In order to continuously encourage growth, democratic leaders make it a point to praise and offer constructive criticism. In addition, they will join in group activities without over-participating. Let’s begin thinking about when we might value a democratic leadership style….
- #17 A democratic leadership style allows for multiple viewpoints, inputs, and participation, while still maintaining control and the leadership role. A quality democratic leader will recognize each member’s strengths and effectively encourage the best from each member. It is important for the leader to be able to recognize those strengths and focus on the needs of the group’s members. On the other hand, it is sometimes a challenge for democratic leaders to recognize that not all tasks need to be handled by the group, and that sometimes the leader should appropriately address some issues along. Democratic leadership should not be used when: --There is not enough time to get everyone’s input. --It’s easier and more cost-effective for the manager to make the decision. --The business can’t afford mistakes. --The manager feels threatened by this type of leadership. --Employee safety is a critical concern.
- #18 Obviously, our country was founded out of democratic ideas. Our government acts as a democracy that encourages involvement and allows every Indian to actively participate and voice their concerns, if they choose to do so. Does this mean that all of our political leaders are democratic leaders? A democratic leadership style is also commonly used in situation where the leader needs too and wants to encourage team building. There is no better way to encourage true team collaboration than allowing the members to be actively involved in a group processes and decisions.
- #19 Laissez-faire leadership may be the best or the worst of leadership styles. A successful laissez-faire leader is often popular, even charismatic, and inspires people rather than directs them. They believe people know what to do and will do it without too much direction. The laissez-faire leadership style is also know as the “hands-off” style. It is one in which the manager provides little or no direction and gives employees as much freedom as possible. The authority of power is given to the employees and they must determine goals, make decisions, and resolve problems on their own.
- #20 This is an effective style to use when: --Employees are highly skilled, experienced, and educated. --Employees have pride in their work and the drive to do it successfully on their own. --Outside experts, such as staff specialists or consultants are being used --Employees are trustworthy and experienced. This style should not be used when: --It makes employees feel insecure at the unavailability of a manager. --The manager cannot provide regular feedback to let employees know how well they are doing. --Managers are unable to thank employees for their good work. --The manager doesn’t understand his or her responsibilities and is hoping the employees can cover for him or her. Some risks are involved with Laissez-Faire Leadership. Followers may like them, but some people find events around them confusing and chaotic. They also may feel that the leader does not respect their time and energy. Most importantly, they may not see where their contribution fits and slowly become less committed and enthusiastic.
- #22 This is a leadership theory developed by Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard that classifies the way we communicate with a person when we need their collaboration on a task. Think, of this list, what is the style that best describes you. Have you got it?
- #23 To your audience : Think about at least once that you have received detailed instructions on how to perform a task that you have done a thousand times and you master. How did that make you feel? But what happens when you don’t have a clue on how to perform a task and you are left with some generic instructions? This graph is a situation curve According to Hersey and Blanchard, there are four main leadership styles: Directing(S1) – Leaders tell their people what to do and how to do it. Coaching (S2) – Leaders provide information and direction, but there's more communication with followers. Leaders "sell" their message to get people on board. Supporting (S3) – Leaders focus more on the relationship and less on direction. The leader works with the team, and shares decision-making responsibilities. Delegating (S4) – Leaders pass most of the responsibility onto the follower or group. The leaders still monitor progress, but they're less involved in decisions. As you can see, styles S1 and S2 are focused on getting the task done. Styles S3 and S4 are more concerned with developing team members' abilities to work independently. When Hersey and Blanchard reflected about this they said that all styles described above are great leadership styles, as long as they match the maturity of the follower. To understand what this means in everyday life, how to apply on the different development levels let me take you through the developement level first: Click for next slide
- #24 Development level D1 or “I don’t know where to start”: does not matter if your follower is new to the company or new to the task, but when you see the fear in his eyes…then probably he is in this maturity level. If you detect this, make sure you use a Directing style of communication, defining the target of the task, and detailing the steps, tools and times when the task is expected to be finished. D1 – People at this level of Development are at the bottom level of the scale. They lack the knowledge, skills, or confidence to work on their own, and they often need to be pushed to take the task on.
- #25 Development level D2 or “I think I kind of know what you are talking about”: your follower has done the task before, but needs your support along the way. Use the coaching style to get his buy-in the process. In this case we are still very task oriented – we need to define the goals, but also we work along with the follower to guide him and get him confident in the task. D2 – at this level, followers might be willing to work on the task, but they still don't have the skills to complete it successfully.
- #26 Development level D3 or “I know how to do that”: you are talking with a person that knows the task, has done it several times and might even have his own lessons learnt on it. Don’t focus so much on the task to be done, but on the results you expect from the task – and give your follower the chance of taking some of the decisions along the way: use a Supporting style. D3 – Here, followers are ready and willing to help with the task. They have more skills than the R2 group, but they're still not confident in their abilities.
- #27 Development level D4 or “Leave this in my hands”: you can delegate a task to your follower. He feels confident to handle the task, and to take the necessary decisions to successfully achieve it. Focus on explaining the result expected and, though you delegate, don’t forget to do regular follow ups to monitor the progress of the task –delegate does not mean forgetting about it. Remember that the ultimate responsibility of the outcome is yours! D4 – These followers are able to work on their own. They have high confidence and strong skills, and they're committed to the task.
- #28 To your audience : Think about at least once that you have received detailed instructions on how to perform a task that you have done a thousand times and you master. How did that make you feel? But what happens when you don’t have a clue on how to perform a task and you are left with some generic instructions? According to Hersey and Blanchard, there are four main leadership styles: Directing(S1) – Leaders tell their people what to do and how to do it. Coaching (S2) – Leaders provide information and direction, but there's more communication with followers. Leaders "sell" their message to get people on board. Supporting (S3) – Leaders focus more on the relationship and less on direction. The leader works with the team, and shares decision-making responsibilities. Delegating (S4) – Leaders pass most of the responsibility onto the follower or group. The leaders still monitor progress, but they're less involved in decisions. As you can see, styles S1 and S2 are focused on getting the task done. Styles S3 and S4 are more concerned with developing team members' abilities to work independently. When Hersey and Blanchard reflected about this they said that all styles described above are great leadership styles, as long as they match the maturity of the follower. To understand what this means in everyday life, how to apply on the different development levels let me take you through the developement level first: Click for next slide
- #29 This figure provides what actually situational leadership looks like. Let’s assume that one of our subordinates is not capable of doing a task alone, because of the lack of competence and confidence. So his readiness level can be seen as D1, so the appropriate style of leadership would be “Directing” (Telling what to do, how to do), which is very task-oriented and less relation-based, because he/she firstly needs to learn how to cope with. On the other hand, let’s assume that even though one of our other subordinates is capable enough to deal with the case alone, he/she does not have sufficient confidence level, so the readiness level of this person is D3. He/she only needs some supporting, and the leader should encourage shifting these peoples’ readiness level one more step forward which is D4. The methodology of Situational Leadership can be seen as deploying the right way of leadership to the right type of the followers. To sum up, the leadership style is not totally fixed in the situational leadership model; however, it is flexible enough to adapt to different styles over time depending on the self-development of people. Your Staff and Employees D1: The first of the four developmental styles is called a ‘D1’ for Developmental Level One. This level is characterized by a low level of competence and yet, a high level of commitment. We all typically start here as new employees. But it doesn’t end there. D1s are also older employees with new tasks or jobs. What are typical behaviors for new employees or employees who are excited about a new task or promotion? They are eager to please and do whatever tasks they are asked to do. They arrive early and stay late, and often commit lots of hours to the task at hand. They want to learn everything they can about the responsibilities of the position. They are like sponges, soaking it all up. Sound perfect? Remember, they have low competence so they may be eager, but they aren’t necessarily skilled or have the knowledge to do the job well. D2: About six months down the road (sometimes earlier, sometimes later), what happens to our eager beaver new employee? The bloom falls off the rose. The honeymoon period is over and the reality of the job sets in and this D1 becomes a D2. The employee now has gained some competence or skills but his or her commitment takes a nose dive (low commitment), particularly if the job didn’t add up to what he or she thought it should be. Employees at this level typically ask the question, “So this is the job?” and those D1s that arrived early and stayed late are now watching the clock and stretching the boundaries. They typically do the minimums, especially if others do the same. Eager to fit in, your D1 will now look around and adopt some of those disappointing, negative behaviors that you so hopefully wanted to eradicate. D2s can leave you scratching your head and saying, “what happened?” You may even entertain the thought that you made a huge mistake in hiring this person for the job in the first place. Blanchard would say, “Rejoice, this is growth.” Your D1 employee is progressing and you should come to expect that every D1 will become a D2 someday – after all, you don’t want them to stay forever a D1. There is no set time period. A person can pass quickly through one level to the next or get stuck there. It all depends on the level of competence and commitment. Sometimes we do a disservice to our D1s – excited to entice good employees to come to work for us, we paint a beautiful, exaggerated picture of the organization or the job. Then we realize that the greater we played up the job or the organization in the interview or orientation process, the farther the drop to reality for the D2. D3: D3s have a high level of competence (they know the work); but variable commitment to the job. In other words, they have good and bad days. D3s can leave other staff members wondering, “hmm… I wonder what kind of mood he’ll be in today?” D3s may have experienced disappointments from being passed over for promotions or job assignments. They may have dashed expectations of where they thought they would be in their career. They could be harboring unresolved issues and lots of “stamps” with others. D3s have roadblocks that are preventing them from having a consistent high level of commitment to the job. This is a typical stopping place for employees and without intervention, can easily become a permanent home. D4: D4s are our star performers; they have a high level of both competence and commitment. They are ready to take on new challenges, work independently and often are the first ones to be promoted. But guess what? When they get promoted, where do they end up? Yes, back to D1s again and the cycle starts all over. You as a Manager or Supervisor Right now you may have suddenly found yourself among the Ds or might have easily identified the level of some of your staff. So, how do we deal with such vast differences in employees? How do we, as supervisors and managers, help employees move to the D4 star performer? Blanchard would argue that your supervision or leadership style needs to change based on the developmental level of the employee – D1s need a different approach than D4s. He defines leadership as a combination of directive and supportive behaviors. Directive behavior is defined as telling, and showing people what, when and how to do it and providing frequent feedback. Supportive behavior involves praising, listening, encouraging and involving others in decision-making. Leadership style is based on the amount of directive and supportive behavior given to the employee by the supervisor. Each level needs a different combination or dose of each. S1: D1s need a directive approach where the supervisor is highly involved in the assignment of tasks and teaching the employee how to perform the job. The supervisor assists the employee in learning about the organization and its values, as well as helps the employee with goal setting and learning the skills he or she needs to perform the job. It is both highly directive and supportive – it’s a teaching style. S2: Oh yes, our D2s. At first glance, you may want to hit them over the head with a 2×4 or send them packing, but the D2 needs exactly the opposite. In fact, what they need is a good coach. If you are or were involved in sports teams, think about the characteristics of someone who you saw as a good coach. Perhaps, you coach a team yourself. Think about what your team needs from you. For me, a good coach quickly corrects problem behaviors and sets the standard for good performance. At the same time, a good coach sees the potential in an individual and encourages him/her to do the task well. A good coach gives lots of immediate feedback and is quick to both praise and reward good performance and address poor performance. D2s need supervisors who can be good coaches and deal with their problematic behaviors quickly and effectively. S3: What do you think is most needed by a D3 employee? A D3 doesn’t need much direction, but needs lots of support. A D3 needs to talk about the past issues that have comprised his or her commitment. Most of all, D3s desperately need help to resolve past conflicts and move forward. They may need assistance with crafting new goals and building a new vision for work or place in the organization. This employee needs guidance in order to re-kindle his or her faith in the job and the organization. Simply, D3s need you to stop and listen. S4: Finally, our D4s; what do you think they need? They need permission to excel. They need tasks delegated to them so that they can achieve and succeed. They need room to teach D1s and lead others. D4s want growth opportunities and goals. They want a supervisor who willempower them. They do not want to be micro-managed, have goals set for them or a lot of directive behaviors from their supervisor. Ironically, often unknown to them, D4s want to know that their supervisor or manager recognizes that when they get that new task or promotion, they are going to be D1s again. They don’t want a supervisor who assumes that the individual has failed or wasn’t ready for the new promotion when he or she asks for more direction or help. Instead, the supervisor sees it as expected, allowing that staff member to move quickly around the cycle again…and again. Your Challenge So, how have you applied the Situational Leadership II model in your own supervision or management of others? Here’s a challenge for you. Take the team of employees you oversee and write their names down on a piece of paper. Next to their name mark down what level you think they’re at (D1, D2, D3, D4) as employees and what level of supervisory skill would work best for them. Try the supervisory skills we’ve talked about in this post for a month and see what happens. We think this new year will be the year of the Innovative Leader. A leader forged in the challenging times of the past few years and yet, still tackles the workplace issues with unwavering optimism and pragmatism. The Innovative Leader has a backpack full of managerial skill sets, a head full of rapid decision-making and problem-solving talents, and a heart ready to serve others for the sake of the company . You can provide handouts to the trainees with the image and the notes for there reference.