A lot has been written about leadership; many books, articles and posts. Most of these offer solid information about how to function as a leader: rules, suggestions, styles, and biographies of inspiring leaders throughout world history. However, there are certain fundamental leadership ideas that we often fail to recognize and realize in the course of our reading. Here is a short list of things you should understand about leadership.
1. Leaders come in many different shades
There are many different types of leaders and styles of leadership and you will probably encounter more than one of these 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 are those people we look up to by virtue of their wisdom and experience, like 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.
There are three major theories of leadership style:
· Kurt Lewin’s three basic leadership styles – authoritative, participative, and delegative
· Rensis Likert’s four leadership styles – exploitive authoritative, benevolent authoritative, consultative, and participative
· Daniel Goleman’s six emotional leadership styles – visionary, coaching, affiliative, democratic, pacesetting, and commanding.
2. Leadership is a process of becoming
There will always be discussions about whether great leaders are born or made. And, 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 just like learning how to ride a bicycle, you can also learn how to become an effective leader and hone your leadership abilities. Knowledge about leadership theories and skills may be formally gained by enrolling in leadership seminars, workshops, and conferences. Daily interactions with people also provide the opportunity to observe and practice leadership theories. Used together, formal and informal learning will help you gain leadership attitudes, leadership insights, and thus advance your cycle of learning. You do not become a leader in one day or just one stop. Life-long learning is important in becoming a good-to-great leader. Each day will bring new experiences that put your knowledge, skills, and attitude to the test. There is always an opportunity to learn from a situation.
3. Leadership begins with you
The best way to develop leadership qualities is to begin to apply the principles to your own life. As the old adage says “action speaks louder than words.” Leaders are not always in the limelight or spotlight. Always keep in mind that your credibility as a leader depends much on your actions: your interaction with your family, friends, and co-workers; the way you manage your personal and organizational responsibilities; and even the way you talk with the vendors and cleaning people. Repeated actions become habits. Habits in turn form a person’s character. Steven Covey’s book entitled “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” provides excellent insights on how you can achieve personal leadership.
4. Leadership is shared
Leadership is not a solo practice or a Lone Ranger act, but rather a shared responsibility. The responsibility is shared among members of an emerging team. A leader belongs to a group. Each member of the group has responsibilities to fulfill. Effective leadership requires that all members do their share of the work. Starting as a simple group of individuals, members and leaders work towards the formation of an effective, efficient and productive team. Seen in this light, social interaction plays a major role in leadership. To learn how to work together effectively requires a great deal of trust between and among the leaders and members of an emerging team. Trust is built upon your actions and not just on your words. When mutual respect exists, trust is fostered and confidence is built.
5. Leadership styles depend on the situation
There is no rule stating that only one style of leadership can be used. Much of the time, leaders employ a combination of leadership styles depending on the situation and the people.
In leading organizations, when the staff is highly motivated and competent, a combination of high delegative and moderate participative styles of leadership is much more appropriate appropriate. But if the team has low competence and low commitment, a combination of high coaching, high supporting, and high directing behavior from organizational leaders is required.
There will always be more to learn about leadership. It never hurts to go back to the beginning, back to the basics for a refresher. The reminders outlined in this post should demonstrate to you that there will always ideas and concepts that you may feel you have a firm grasp on, and even frequently take for granted, but offer much deeper insights on closer examination.
Thoughts?
photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lumaxart/2137729430/sizes/m/in/photostream/
