Post on 08-Apr-2017
1 A leader is a dealer in hope. —Napoleon Bonaparte
DEFINING A LEADER
”A man who can persuade people to do what they don’t want to do, or do what
they’re too lazy to do, and like it.”
- Harry S. Truman, 1884-1972, Thirty-third President of the
United States, Miller, More Plan Speaking
"A leader is someone [who] leads by example and has the integrity to do
the right thing even when it is not popular. A good leader has positive influence
over others, inspiring them to become a better person and example for others
to model their life against, as well."
– Mark Little, founder and president, Diversified Funding
"A true leader is secure in creating a framework that encourages others to tap
into their own skills and ideas and freely contribute to the whole of the project
or company."
– Judy Crockett, owner, Interactive Marketing &
Communication
2 A leader is a dealer in hope. —Napoleon Bonaparte
WHAT ARE TRAITS?
Early trait theory proposed that merely a few personality traits have the ability to
determine the success of a leader. The trait theory of leadership focuses on
identifying different personality traits and characteristics that are linked to
successful leadership across a variety of situations. Traits are external behaviors
that emerge from the things going on within our minds and it's these internal
beliefs and processes that are important for effective leadership. The trait
leadership theory believes that people are either born or are made with certain
qualities that will make them excel in leadership roles.
Stogdill /Mann identified five important traits found more in leaders than
followers.
Intelligence
self-confidence
Determination
Integrity
Sociability
3 A leader is a dealer in hope. —Napoleon Bonaparte
Traits of a good leader.
1. Honesty
Display sincerity, integrity, and candor in all your actions. Deceptive
behavior will not inspire trust.
2. Competent
Base your actions on reason and moral principles. Do not make decisions
based on childlike emotional desires or feelings.
3. Forward-looking Set goals and have a vision of the future. The vision must be owned
throughout the organization. Effective leaders envision what they want and
how to get it. They habitually pick priorities stemming from their basic
values.
4. Inspiring Display confidence in all that you do. By showing endurance in mental,
physical, and spiritual stamina, you will inspire others to reach for new
heights. Take charge when necessary.
5. Intelligent
Read, study, and seek challenging assignments.
6. Fair-minded Show fair treatment to all people. Prejudice is the enemy of justice. Display
empathy by being sensitive to the feelings, values, interests, and well -being
of others.
7. Broad-minded Seek out diversity.
8. Courageous Have the perseverance to accomplish a goal, regardless of the seemingly
insurmountable obstacles. Display a confident calmness when under stress.
9. Straightforward
Use sound judgment to make a good decisions at the right time.
10. Imaginative
Make timely and appropriate changes in your thinking, plans, and methods.
Show creativity by thinking of new and better goals, ideas, and solutions to
problems. Be innovative!
4 A leader is a dealer in hope. —Napoleon Bonaparte
WHAT ARE BEHAVIORS?
“Behavior is the mirror in which everyone shows their image.”
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Behavior is the range of actions and mannerisms made by
organisms, systems, or artificial entities in conjunction with their environment,
which includes the other systems or organisms around as well as the physical
environment.
Behavioral theories of leadership do not seek inborn traits or
capabilities. Rather, they look at what leaders actually do. Behavioral theories focus
on how leaders behave.
If success can be defined in terms of describable actions, then it
should be relatively easy for other people to act in the same way. This is easier to
teach and learn then to adopt the more ephemeral 'traits' or 'capabilities'. Behavioral
theory promotes the value of leadership styles with an emphasis on concern for
people and collaboration. It promotes participative decision making and team
development by supporting individual needs and aligning individual and group
objectives. Behavioral Theories of Leadership, also known as “The style approach
to leadership” focuses on the behavior of the leader and what leaders do and how
they act
Behavioral Theory of Leadership is a leadership theory that
considers the observable actions and reactions of leaders and followers in a given
situation. Behavioral theories focus on how leaders behave and assume that leaders
can be made, rather than born and successful leadership is based on definable,
learnable behavior. Behavioral theories of leadership are classified as such because
they focus on the study of specific behaviors of a leader. For behavioral theorists, a
leader behavior is the best predictor of his leadership influences and as a result, is
the best determinant of his or her leadership success.
These theories concentrate on what leaders actually do rather than
on their qualities. Different patterns of behavior are observed and categorized as
'styles of leadership'. This area has probably attracted most attention from practicing
managers.
5 A leader is a dealer in hope. —Napoleon Bonaparte
Behaviors of a good leader.
1. Inspire and Motivate Others Leaders who are effective at inspiring and motivating others have a high level of energy
and enthusiasm. The point is every leader needs to find ways to inspire their employees
to higher performance.
2. Driving for Result The drive for results is a critical behavior to success. However, some organizations are
all push (drive for results) and no pull (inspiration), which ultimately reduces
motivation. Leaders that do this well are not afraid to ask their employees for a higher
level of performance and continually remind them of their progress relative to the goal.
3. Strategic Perspective Leaders who provide their team with a definite sense of direction and purpose tend to
have more satisfied and committed employees. Employees need to see how their hard
work makes a difference, and how it helps get the organization closer to achieving
success.
4. Collaboration Leaders who promote a high level of cooperation between their work group and other
groups create a positive and productive atmosphere in the organization. When leaders
demonstrate that they can achieve objectives that require a high level of intergroup
cooperation, synergy is created and every employee enjoys the work experience.
5. Walk the Talk A key behavior in creating a satisfied and committed workforce is the very basic and
fundamental skill of being honest and acting with integrity. Leaders need to be role
models and set a good example for their work group.
6. Trust Leaders can engender trust by becoming aware of the concerns, aspirations, and
circumstances of others. Trust can also be built through knowledge and expertise.
7. Develops and Supports Others
When leaders work with employees and push them to develop new skills and abilities,
they are building higher levels of employee satisfaction and commitment.
8. Building Relationships Leaders who stay in touch with issues and concerns of individuals in the work group
have employees with higher levels of employee satisfaction and commitment
9. Courage The leaders with the highest levels of employee satisfaction and commitment are
courageous. Some leaders assume that conflicts will work themselves out and the
problems will simply disappear
6 A leader is a dealer in hope. —Napoleon Bonaparte
Mahatma Gandhi
Gandhi is widely acknowledged as one
of the greatest leaders of the non-
violent movements the world has ever
seen. As a pioneer of Satyagraha
(Shridharani, 1939), which is
resistance through non-violent civil
disobedience, he became one of the
major political leaders of his time.
TRAITS EXAMPLES
Self Confidence Salt march-where he marched 388km to the sea at Dandhi , Gujarat
and make salt for himself
Assertiveness He did the all things in a good and correct way and achieved his
goal of, independence for India in 1947
Warmth Mahatma Gandhi was good with all religions people and
understand their feelings.
Enthusiasm In South Africa’s government came to Gandhi to stop the non-
violence and they demanded many benefits to him but he refused
Emotionally Stable From British government many influence can to stop the campaign
but he was very stable in his goal.
Trust Worthiness He always walked his talk and if he give a promise he will do it.
BEHAVIORS EXAMPLES
Determination of objectives In 1929, after successfully completing the land tax protest in
Bardoli, Gandhi literally had nothing in his hands. He must find an
issue that would arouse the whole nation. He got the determination
and started planning for a nation-wide salt satyagraha. His
objective was to give a big blow to the unjust government.
Manipulation of the means He emphatically repeated to his fellowmen that nonviolence would
be the means to achieve the goal. He asked everyone else in the
nation to wait, except those 78 volunteers in the Ashram, until he
took a pinch of salt in his own palm and declare that the salt law
was broken from that moment onwards.
Control of the instrumentality
of action
His absolute conviction on nonviolence made some 78 of the salt
satyagra his leave their ashram dwelling and shed their sweat and
slog along the 241 miles long walkway.
Stimulation of the coordinated
action
All the thousands who joined in Dandi salt satyagraha were
arrested including Gandhiji. He had strategized and planned in
such a way that the end of the salt satyagraha at Dandi must be
followed by similar such protests all over the country
7 A leader is a dealer in hope. —Napoleon Bonaparte
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, similarly, was the leader of the
Chinese Revolution and the founder of People’s
Republic of China, the China we see today. He
withheld the Japanese invasion, kick-started the
economy of China and helped it become the
super-power it is today. His vision for China is
what he and the people of China strived for. His
ideologies and principles of governance and
economics are now known as Maoism.
TRAITS EXAMPLES
Courageous Not afraid to speak up
Good communicator Ensured rallies were held, ensured citizens were taught
vernacular Chinese
Toughness Disliked by many but still resilient
Methodical Knows how to go to the masses and organize them to realize
these slogans.
Transformational Took a visionary position and inspired people to follow
Knowledgeable Despite not receiving proper education in his early years, Mao
educated himself by reading a variety of books.
Possesses Foresight Mao was born in a turbulent time where China was dubbed
“the sick man of Asia” and constantly suppressed by the
Japanese and Western countries.
BEHAVIORS EXAMPLES
Autocratic Led the Standing Committee and possessed total authority to
make decisions alone.
Referent power His followers respected him because they liked him and found
him charismatic.
Coercive Forced people, suppressed the intellectuals and sent whoever
who resisted him to the countryside to get ‘reformed’.
Military focused “All political power comes from the barrel of the gun”.
8 A leader is a dealer in hope. —Napoleon Bonaparte
Abraham Lincoln
Hoping to win the admiration
of his peers, Abraham
Lincoln volunteered in the
fight against Native
Americans trying to reclaim
land and was chosen as the
captain of his company.
Lincoln was one of the most
effective leaders in world
history is a notion fully supported by his extraordinary acc omplishments.
TRAITS EXAMPLES
Adaptable to situations An astute politician and proficient lawyer, he
played a vital role in unification of the states
Dominant Lincoln led the country when it faced its
greatest constitutional, military and moral
crises
Ambitious Rising from a modest and humble beginning,
it was his sheer determination and honest
effort that led him to the nation’s highest
office
BEHAVIORS EXAMPLES
Diplomatic He not only turned up victorious but also was
effective in strengthening the national
government and modernizing the economy.
Conceptually skilled He not only envisioned but actually brought
to the forefront a truly democratic
government which was led by the concept of
‘by the people, of the people and for the
people’.
Socially skilled He was a savior of the Union and an
emancipator for the slaves.
9 A leader is a dealer in hope. —Napoleon Bonaparte
Mother Teresa
As opposed to many leaders
idealized by the business
community, Mother Teresa was
operating at a spiritual level. This
propelled her to create and lead an
organization entirely devoted to
the love and the service of the
poor. Further, she did not want to
become herself a leader. She
accepted to become one, a serving
leader. Giving her life and her comfort for the sake of others. “Loving until it hurts”,
as she liked to say.
TRAITS EXAMPLES
Adaptable to situations She was a ray of hope for many, including the
aged, the destitute, the unemployed, the
diseased, the terminally ill, and those
abandoned by their families.
Co-operative Abided by her religious faith of Roman
Catholicism to serve the unwanted, unloved
and uncared people of the world.
Responsible She led all her life serving the poorest of the
poor.
BEHAVIORS EXAMPLES
Organized Founder of the Missionaries of Charity, with
her fervent commitment and incredible
organizational and managerial skills, she
developed an international organization that
aimed towards helping the impoverished.
Knowledgeable about the work After years of service as a teacher and mentor,
Mother Teresa experienced a call within her
religious call, which changed her course of life
completely, making her what she is known as
today.
10 A leader is a dealer in hope. —Napoleon Bonaparte
REFERENCES
http://govleaders.org/one-person-at-a-time.htm
http://www.grin.com
https://hbr.org
http://regent.edu
http://www.business-leadership-qualities.com
http://www.personalbrandingblog.com
http://www.technofunc.com
https://www.mindtools.com
http://www.leadership-central.com
https://www.boundless.com
http://www.educational-business-articles.com