Leadership

Define leadership
Leadership is a process by which a person exerts influence over others, inspire, motivates and directs their activities to help achieve group or organizational goals.


Three leadership theories (trait, behavioral and contingency theories):

1] Trait theory argues that leaders have certain personality, social and physical characteristic known as traits that influence whether the person acts as a leader.

2] Behavioral has three well known theories:
• Ohio University studies
Leaders who demonstrates high consideration, sensitive to people’s feeling and places priority on an environment.
• University of Michigan
2-dimentional, employee orientated (personal relationship, production orientated (task and technical aspect of work).
• Blake and Mouton’s Managerial Grid
2-dimentional, 9-9 (Team mangt), 1-1 (Impoverished mangt), 1-9 (Country club) and 9,1 (Authority obedience)

3] Contingency has two well known theories:
• Fiedler’s leadership contingency theories
Uses the least-preferred co-worker (LPC) questionnaire to determine employee interest towards relationship with co-workers (relationship-orientated) or productivity (task-orientated).
• Hersey and Blanchard’s situational theories
Telling style, Selling style, Participating style and Delegating style


Distinguish characters between transactional vs transformational leadership:

1] Transactional has four dimensional
• Contingent rewards for exchange in mutually agreed upon completion
• Active management by exception corrective action for any deviation
• Passive management by exception intervene only when std not meet
• Laissez faire abdicates responsibilities and avoid decisions.

2] Transformational has four dimensional
• Charisma – provides a clear vision and an articulate mission
• Communication – High expectations, express important purpose in simple ways
• Intellectual stimulation – intelligence, rationality and careful problem solving
• Individual consideration – coaches and adviser and advice each employee base on individual needs.


Cultural issue, leadership behavior and issue:

Leaders must have enough knowledge and basic intelligence to perform their duties. Recent studies indicates that emotional intelligent is more important than any single factor and is best predictor that who will become a leader.
• Awareness: This is exhibited by self-confidence, realistic self-assessment and self-deprecating sense of humor.
• Management: The abilities to manage one’s emotions and impulses.
• Self-motivation: The ability to persists through setbacks and barriers.
• Empathy: The ability to sense how others are feeling.
• Social skills: The ability to handle the emotions of others.