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Transcript of Leadership
LEADERSHIP
ContentContent........................................................................................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................................2
LEADERSHIP..................................................................................................................................................3
Attributes of a Leader...............................................................................................................................4
Leadership – Interpersonal Effectiveness.................................................................................................6
A LEADER AT WORK......................................................................................................................................8
The 3 Step Process – Leadership at Work.................................................................................................9
Leadership & Management Skills...........................................................................................................10
How to be a Leader....................................................................................................................................11
ETHICS........................................................................................................................................................13
How to create the ethics in companies?..................................................................................14
Personal Values and Ethics..........................................................................................................16
To be a leader for all, even to yourself................................................................................16
SUSTAINABLE LEADERSHIP.........................................................................................................................18
The Leadership Challenge- Sustainability?.............................................................................................18
10 guidelines for system leaders committed to sustainability....................................21
Sustainable Leadership- Case Coca Cola.................................................................................................22
The Leader in ME!!!................................................................................................................................23
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................................24
INTRODUCTION
Leaders and the high level managers had never hard times as nowadays. In today’s
world, competition is so high, the wind in many aspects can change quickly in
business life; so that the high level managers need strongly true information more
than ever. They need to have the right information, right estimation for the future,
moreover they also should not to lose their own motivation and the road plan to
reach the goals. In this complicated environment todays leaders have to think in
many different aspects and they need to see the project as a global one which even
effects the natural environment.
Today’s leaders have to run! The word is changing quickly and yesterday’s rights
can be today’s wrongs. That’s why leaders have to follow the technology, science
and politics to forecast the tomorrow’s world. Today’s leaders have no time to
breathe, they always need to watch everything to fulfill the projects as perfect as
possible.
Although the leaders are going through hard conditions, they are also not allowed to
make any mistakes. Even one mistake can kill their whole career and can create a
big problem for the world. We know more than yesterday’s world, but there are still
unknown side effects of new technology. In this fall, the leaders are taking big risk.
In this work, I explained the definition of leadership, attributes of leadership and also
focused on sustainable leadership. As conclusion, I will give an example from a
worldwide company to show the importance of a sustainable leader.
LEADERSHIP
Leadership can be defined differently though the individuals. The author of the book
Leadership James G. Hunt demonstrates that leadership is immersed in a
complicated, dynamic, and interactive net, which he refers to as a "historical-
contextual superstructure." He asserts that conceptions of leadership are integrally
connected to various factors, which includes among others the nature of reality and
ontological issues, stakeholder and shareholder perspectives, and levels-of-analysis
issues. That’s why, the definition of leadership and researches will depend on
person’s conception of leadership. Hunt provides many examples of conceptions of
leadership (e.g., leadership as cognition, leadership and culture, leadership
development)1.
Studies of leadership have produced theories involving traits2, situational
interaction, function, behavior, power, vision and values; charisma, and intelligence,
among others.
In this paper we will also see the different aspects of the leadership. There is two
different mindset for leadership. The first group is thinking that, people are born as
leaders and the education will empower these but if the person is not born as a
leader education will not make them leaders. The second group is thinking that,
people can improve their leadership skills though the education. I strongly believe
that education can help people to improve their leadership skills, that’s why I will
explain in below the attributes of leadership and how to be a leader at the work.
Besides, I also believe that some people are born with specialties and this can be
the specialty of leadership, but still education is a supportive asset to improve the
specialty so that they can be a leader who can lead the world.
Attributes of a Leader
1 PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA2 Richards & Engle, 1986, p.206
There should be a difference in the person to be a leader. Although we all have the
attributes in our personality, the leaders has to use these specialties to finish the
process with difference. Besides finishing the process, the leaders has to create an
inspiring value at the end. Moreover, the leaders should impress the other people
and encourage them in many ways.
There are many attributes that a leaders should have in their personalities but in
below you can find some of the most important:
Passion:
Effective leaders have to believe passionately in their goals. They have a positive
outlook on who they are, and they love what they do. Their passion for life is a
guiding star for others to follow.
Integrity:
Because they know who they are, effective leaders are also aware of their
weaknesses. They only make promises they can follow through on.
Honesty:
Leaders convey an aura of honesty in both their professional and their personal
lives.
Trust:
Effective leaders earn the trust of their followers and act on behalf of their followers.
Curiosity:
Leaders are learners. They wonder about every aspect of their charge. They find out
what they need to know in order to pursue their goals.
Risk:
Effective leaders take calculated risks when necessary to achieve their objectives. If
a mistake is made, the effective leader will learn from the mistake and use it as an
opportunity to explore other avenues.
Dedication:
The effective leader is dedicated to his or her charge, and will work assiduously on
behalf of those following. The leader gives himself or herself entirely to the
taskwhen it is necessary.
Charisma:
This may be the one attribute that is the most difficult to cultivate. It conveys
maturity, respect for your followers, compassion, a fine sense of humor, and a love
of humanity. The result is that leaders have the capability to motivate people to
excel.
Listening:
Leaders Listen! This is the most important attribute of all, listen to your followers.
Leadership – Interpersonal Effectiveness
Leadership is a direct function of three elements of interpersonal effectiveness
Awareness
Awareness is a state of consciousness. It is the ability to recognize yourself, others,
events and situations in real time. It is the ability to assess the impact of actions on
situations and others, and be critically self-reflective. It is a development process
that is a function of experience, communication, self-discovery and feedback.
Ability
Ability to learn and understand technical issues is the basis of our careers. Ability to
lead is a function of influence:
• Ability to communicate
• Ability to resolve conflicts
• Ability to solve problems and make decisions
As a member of a team, we influence others in a collaborative effort to find better
ideas or solve problems.
Commitment
Leaders will make the commitment to follow the way to reach the goal.
Movie example – Untouchables
Moment of truth for Elliott Ness
Jimmy O’Neil asks
“What are you prepared to do?”
Ness replies
“Anything I have to do to make this thing right.”
O’Neil says
“Everyone knows where the problems are, but no one is willing to do
anything. You said you would do anything you had to, to make it right. Now,
I’m willing to help you. You made the commitment.”
A LEADER AT WORK
There are leaders which are important in the history of the world. Some of these
leaders are: Adolf Hitler, Atatürk…
Adolf Hitler did so many things that he made millions of the people to follow him.
The most remarkable thing that Hitler made is, he said that all Germans have to be
blonde even if he was a dark German man. He did wrong things but he did the
things so right that’s why the millions could follow him.
In the workplaces we also need leaders but they should not be as strong as the
leaders in the history. The leaders at the work have to support the project teams
and they need to finish the projects on the time.
In below, there are some attributes of the leaders at the work:
• Leaders at work have to influence the attitudes of the people being lead!
• Leaders at work must be extra charismatic, inspirational, respectful, and
stimulating- make people wonder- when leading!
• Leadership is defined as influencing others to work diligently toward achieving
their goals.
• Leaders has to state clearly their vision.
• The leaders have to explaining their plan for the vision!
• The leaders have to instill confidence and optimism to their team!
• The leaders have to share the power & recognition. . . The leaders have to
lead by making others powerful
In below there is a table which is showing the leadership strategies in special
situations:
The 3 Step Process – Leadership at Work
There are three steps in overall to be leader in the workplaces. These are:
STEP 1: Self-Knowledge (Evaluation)
The leaders have to educate themselves so good, so that they will exactly know
what they are talking about.
STEP 2: Self-Discipline (Organization)
Leaders have to follow their plan to reach to goal and support the team to follow the
team.
STEP 3: Self-Sacrifice (Resolution)
The leader has to work a lot, be in the charge in the first line to have the
responsibility of the whole results.
Overall, the workers Must . . .
. . . Trust the leader!
. . . Have faith in the leader!
. . . Believe in the leader!
Leadership & Management Skills
The leaders and the managers have to share some common attitudes but there is a
significant difference between a leader and the manager. In below we can see the
differences in detail.
Leadership – soft skills
• Communications
• Motivation
• Stress Management
• Team Building
• Change Management
Management – hard skills
• Scheduling
• Staffing
• Activity Analysis
• Project Controls
How to be a Leader
There are two main idea about being a leader. One side is thinking that the people
are born as a leader and there will be no change in their abilities even if they
educate themselves specially.
There is also the other side thinkers who think that people can gain leadership skills
when they have the supportive education. I am also one of these people, so that I
searched how we can improve our skills in case we get interested in being a leader.
The result is as in below:
If you want to get ahead, be a leader, you must assume:
• That everything that happens to you results in a situation that is in your
control
• That what you think and do in your private life is what you will come back to
you in your public or corporate life
• You are what you think and believe
• If you never meet a challenge you will never find out what you are worth
• Take control of your life
• Assume responsibility for who you are
• Convey a positive and dynamic attitude in everything you do
• Accept blame: learn from your own mistakes as well as those of others. Take
blame for everything that happens in your unit
• Give credit wherever it is due
• Be caring when you review your team members' progress or lack
• Think great thoughts. Small thinking is why companies go broke
• Turn disasters into opportunities. Turn every obstacle into a personal triumph
• Determine your "real" goals then strive to achieve them
• When you want to tell someone something important, do it personally
• Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty doing what you ask others to do. Make
coffee
• Listen effectively
• Encourage teamwork and participation
• Empower team members
• Communicate effectively
• Emphasize long-term productivity
• Make sound and timely decisions
• Treat each person as an individual
• Know yourself and your team
• Protect your team
• Have vision, courage and commitment
ETHICS
The values and the ethics are essential for describing the goal of a person or a
company. With the topic of leadership, ethics become more critical for defining the
goal of the leader.3 Because the said information has to be done though leaders to
gain trust from people so that these people will follow the leader.
When there are strong ethics that are also the basic of doing the things, the whole
work processes will be done easily. Even in the complicated situations, leaders can
find the right solutions with the ethics. The ethics are like a book which is not written
for the leaders’ culture. When the leader has own ethics, the ethics can make high,
mid-level managers to follow leader, the managers can empower the basic workers
with high motivation. As conclusion to strong ethic belief, the goals will be achieved
easily and quickly with high motivation.
To sum up, I can say that the ethics are priceless for the companies’ perspective.
For instance, Virgin and Pret A Manger are successful companies with unique work
processes and ethics. No one in the company is behaving fake. Virgin is the
company which has high responsibility against nature and they always try their best
to be the leader company in their market. Pret A Manger is taking care of the
employees in the first line. It gives special care for employees’ education. It
empower employees’ to help homeless people, to find donations etc.
If the ethics are just a written rule paper on the wall, the result of the processes will
be like in BP. There is a petrol issue in Mexico, and it is said that BP is about to lose
around 15 milliard pound. There is also a similar story in the English parliament who
had his name in a scandal and it came out that he took illegal money in somehow.
To sum up, I want to tell that the ethics should be the reality in the company and in
the leaders being. There is no expiration date for the ethics; these are sustainable,
non-changing rules. Ethics should create strong relationship between the crowds,
and empower them to create stronger cooperation. Beside all, ethics must taking
care of the nature, so that the people will also have positive feelings about the
leaders. Meanwhile, the ethics should create the awareness for the business
3 Jacki Orme, Personel ve Gelişim Enstitüsü CEO’su
environment so that the leaders can have support from nature saver groups too.
This is the most important skill for todays’ leadership.
In conclusion to ethics, if there is strong ethics, the leaders will always make right
decision not only to achieve the goal but also for everything and everyone who will
be effected from the goal.
How to create the ethics in companies?
Ethic rules of a company should not just stay in the written form. Ethics have to be
in every move of the company. When the rules are just in the advertisement walls of
the companies, they will never bring a result for the processes. To create the
commitment to the ethics, the employees’ and the leaders have to follow them from
their heart. To create this environment, ethics have to be created by taking care of
everything and everyone who will be directly or indirectly effected from the
companies processes. When everything has the optimal satisfaction with the results
that they will face with, company will definitely create a value with the goal that it
will reach.
In this fall; whole stakeholders, shareholders, employees’ and nature will be in same
basket and whole will have the same goal. That’s why the ethics will be priceless,
will have the support from all sides.
The support to ethic rules from the employees is one of the most important for the
companies. When the employees support, they can create new ideas and they can
do better than expectations when it is needed.
IIP have the success criteria’s though the ethics as in below:
The high level managers have to support companies to have ethics which will
conform the goal and the vision of the company.
The high level managers have to make the ethics to be main activity style.
Managers can be able to define the ethics for their own roles in the companies.
Managers can be able to define the main values of the companies though the
ethic rules.
Employees can be able to understand the importance of ethic in their work.
Employees have to believe in vision and the ethics of the company and work
though these rules.
Managers have to employee the ones who can work though the company’s vision
and ethics rules.
High level managers can be able to explain their role model being though ethics.
High level managers have to explain how they can be leader for the company
though the ethics rules.
Employees can be able to explain how the managers are doing their job though
the ethics and how they are being leader to them.
Personal Values and Ethics
A leader has to have his/her own values and ethics. Because the people will firstly
want to understand where the leaders are staying before they follow him/her. The
people want to see the harmony between the actions and the behaviors in a leader.
When the personal goals are similar with the enterprise goals, there will be a win-
win situation and the success will be easier. Leaders have to be true and honest, if
not there is no possibility to be a leader.
The companies can be long lasting when the ethics and the values are clearly known
and followed from all employees. Though the hard time of the companies, values
and the ethics will help to make the best decision. With the common belief, people
will be working together for the common goals which will create win-win for all level
employees.
To be a leader for all, even to yourself
Leaders will need strong management skills. If the leaders want to be effected in
their roles, they will need to know how to have the followers who will support all the
time.
The leaders firstly know to manage himself/herself to have the followers. Leaders
have to show the attitude that they want to see from the followers. Leaders have to
be role models for them. Management and leadership have common attributes but
here we see the minor difference. When the leader have enough discipline to
manage himself/herself, then the leader can see the attitude that is needed from
the employee.
The manager of Ernst and Young have a good explanation about the situation:
“Leadership is needed in all levels of the each company. Everyone will need to be a
leader or a manager though the need of the day. You need to have these attitude
both.”4
4 Adrian Godfrey, Ernst&Young, Institute of Business Consulting and Partner Başkanı
SUSTAINABLE LEADERSHIP
The Leadership Challenge- Sustainability?
Nowadays the world is changing quickly, besides we can reach all the information so
quickly. The leaders from 90s, 80s, 70s would not be the leaders of today if they
don’t change their abilities they will not be success in 2010s.
The sustainable leaders have to have such attributes:
• Focus on the individual members and the team
• Provide employees and stakeholders the opportunity to develop and utilize
their talents and strengths
• Listen to employee’s concerns
• Allocate the right resources for the right project, at the right time
• Specify standards and expectations
• Delegate responsibility through empowerment
• Let employees and stakeholders identify their own interests and abilities
• Lead by example: set the standard for excellence
To deal with our collective problems we need to use style of leadership that will help
us collectively embrace fundamental changes in our underlying values and ethics
that affect our societies, communities and ways of living
As mentioned above, traditional leadership values will not be sufficient to facilitate
the transition to sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles.
Sustainability leadership is focused on long-term, substantive changes toward
sustainability and promoting the common good.
Values are inherently dedicated to promoting the development of a just, sustainable
future leadership by values and leadership by teams and networks of committed
individuals.
We need to accept responsibility for the world we are living and the sustainable
leaders have to lead the work though this responsibility.
Sustainable leadership requires an in-depth understanding of the interconnected
and interdependent nature of the components which comprise our systems.
The sustainable leaders, therefore, need to be proficient in systemic thinking.
The sustainability approach to leadership requires special competencies compared
to traditional leadership:
• Knowledge about the challenges of globalization
• Capacity for innovation
• Dialogue and communication skills
• Systems thinking
• Global mindset
• Peer networking ability
• Strong capacities in Information and Communication technologies (ICTs)
In below, the picture will show the situation of a sustainable leader in nowadays
world. The leaders’ environment has to start from I and the project that they will
lead has to cover all the perspectives till the All level.
In sustainable leadership management, it has to be clear that the projects are not
ending. The results of the project will create the new input for the project level two
and the sustainable leader has to be aware of this situation and has to take care of
all the possible risks and end effects. In below, we can see this process in a picture.
10 guidelines for system leaders committed to sustainability
These are:
1. The reality test (face the facts)
2. Moral purpose
3. Get the basics right
4. Communicate the big picture
5. Provide opportunities for people to interact with the big picture
6. Intelligent accountability (evidence based)
7. Incentivize collaboration and lateral capacity building
8. The long lever of leadership
9. Design every policy, whatever the purpose, to build capacity, too
10. Grow the financial investment in education
Sustainable Leadership- Case Coca Cola
Coca Cola company had a big issue in India. In 2000 the Coca-Cola Company opened
a bottling plant in Plachimada in the Kerala State of India on the invitation of the
Kerala State government. In 2002 a sit-in started at the plant demanding its closure
alleging the misuse by the Coca-Cola Company (CC) of local water resources. This
protest was mostly the work of a divasi women (tribal people, therefore outside the
caste system). The accusations being levelled at CC were an over-use of the
groundwater, from the use of more bore wells than permitted by their license, as
well as the discharge of toxic waste back into the ground water. The groundwater is
said to have fallen from 45m to 100m below the surface. Complaints from local
people where that the remaining water tasted and smelt bad, did not cook properly
(food went bad quickly) and gave people stomach problems and rashes.
There were other issues as well. CC was using 3 liters of water to produce 1 liter.
There were big protests against water consuming.
As a solution, Coca cola got a new CEO as a leader. He figured out all the pro and
contra in the situation. He created a friendly environment which consisted of many
sides of the case. Besides, the good communication with everyone, he also created
a big resource group to find a way to produce cola with less water in the production.
Coca Cola employed Jeff Seabrigt as environmental manager. He worked though the
GIS systems. As a result of GIS research, he discovered that %40 locations of the
fabrics were not suitable regarding to water sources. After discovering the reason of
high consume, the team created water risk schemas to find the optimal solution.
Meanwhile, the team took the ideas of the enemy groups such as Greenpeace and
World Wildlife Fund Cooperation. This positive attempt could change the enemy
behavior against Coca Cola, now it has the perspective of an environmentally-
conscious company.
With long researches and high investment, Coca Cola could decrease the level of
water in the production. They used to consume 3 liters of water for one liter of cola
but now the level is 1 liter. Moreover, the CEO could make the cooperation with the
people and the groups who were against the whole production. Also, the
environmental awareness became more important for coca cola.
To sum up, coca cola could solve the hard situation by choosing the sustainable
leader in this hard situation. They cleaned their name in the against nature groups
and showed up as supportive though a good plan.
The Leader in ME!!!
As conclusion, I want to give the example from a worldwide education company.
This company is mainly teaching the workers who are in midlevel management
segment in the companies. The educations company’s specification is mainly in soft
skills.
Though their education in all over the world in many companies, they figured out it
is needed to support to kids to improve their leadership skills. It is believed from the
company team that, if they can educate the kids from the year of 7, the kids will be
more successful in their whole life.
To prove this, the company started the case project work in USA. They trained the
teachers at the school, trained the kids and trained their families. After all training
process, it was obvious that the students were much more successful than ever and
the discipline problems were nearly zero at the schools.
After this case, this training also became worldwide. Now, the Turkish government is
supporting the project. The fist results are also remaking from Turkey. Teachers and
the familes are very satisfied about the education. Hopefully our kids will be more
successful in the near future.
CONCLUSION
Being a leader means to go the right goal. If you don’t know where you are going
and what your goal is; there will be no meaning to lead other people. Leaders have
to have a clear vision, afterwards they need to lead people though this clear vision
so that the followers can focus on their goals and they will move for the action.
Leaders are strong because they are trustful and respectful more than anyone. If the
leaders want to heritage their skills, they need to pay attention for the
communication skills. To reach the goal, the leaders need to be in communication all
the time. Though the communication, the leaders should not let anyone to feel that
they are better than the others but also they will never let anyone to act like the
managers of the leaders.
Leaders are going after their dreams. They put the dream in a concurrent plan and
they move though this plan. Though this plan, the leaders make positive effect on
the other people. Effective leadership means the total difference that they can
create in other people’s lives.
As Ken Blanchard mentioned in his book, leadership attributes has to be a heritage
in the companies so that the company culture can be in the future. Moreover, the
leaders should live though these leadership attributes.
Successful leaders know all the people that they are in touch with. Leaders can feel
empathy against these people. Meanwhile, leaders have to be clear about the goals
that they are running after with the followers. Even if there will be some unexpected
obstacle, they should be able to find the possible best solution.
Leaders have to think positive, love the work that they are in, furthermore the work
has to be the center of their lives. They need to make estimations about future with
the knowledge.