Leadership

What is leadership?

Leading people

Influencing people

Commanding people

Guiding people

Leadership TraitsIntelligence

More intelligent than non-leaders

Scholarship Knowledge Being able to

get things donePhysical

Doesn’t see to be correlated

Personality Verbal facility Honesty Initiative Aggressive Self-confident Ambitious Originality Sociability Adaptability

Leadership StylesDelegating

Low relationship/ low task

Responsibility Willing employees

Participating High relationship/

low task Facilitate

decisions Able but unwilling

Selling High task/high

relationship Explain decisions Willing but unable

Telling High Task/Low

relationship Provide instruction Closely supervise

Types of Leaders

Leader by the position achievedLeader by personality, charisma Leader by moral exampleLeader by power heldIntellectual leaderLeader because of ability to

accomplish things

Conventional Leadership

Leaders take charge of groups. There is no sharp disctinction

between leadership and management.

They occupy positions of authority.

Leadership is a formal role.

They make strategic decisions. They are good at managing

people. They have emotional

intelligence. They sell the tickets for the

journey AND take us to the destination

The changing meaning of Leadership

Our definition of leadership needs to change for a knowledge driven world that is no longer rigidly hierarchical, stable or static but one that is fluid, fast changing and less formally structured.

Leadership has always been based on power. For the conventional view, this means the power of personality to dominate a group.

But in our knowledge driven world, business is a war of ideas where the power to innovate and promote new products is the new basis of leadership.

This is in tune with Richard Florida's book, "The Rise of the Creative Class" which argues that more and more work requires creative thinking. This is the power on which leadership will be based in the future.

Thought leadership

What is thought leadership?Whenever you advocate a new idea to

your colleagues or boss, you show thought leadership.

It isn't necessary to have inspirational influencing skills, which is necessary for senior executives because they need to win over the entire organization.

And beat off their internal competitors for top jobs. Also, to initiate organization-wide change, it helps to be inspirational.

But a thought leader focuses on smaller scale changes - ideas for a new product or changes to an existing one.

Thought leaders can persuade others using logic, evidence or an actual demonstration of a prototype to win support.

To be a thought leader, you need to immerse yourself in your professional domain and search for new things to say that add value to your organization's objectives.

If you can demonstrate the value of your idea and explain it with conviction, you might not need inspirational influencing skills.

Thought leadership traits

Thought leadership is based on youthful rebelliousness - the willingness to risk group rejection in the pursuit of a better way of doing things.

Thought leadership has a more competitive edge. Thought leaders are saying, essentially, that they know of a better product or way of doing things than anyone else in the team or organization.

Thought leadership ends when the target audience accepts the idea.

The real value of examining thought leadership is that it helps us to see that there is a critically important distinction between leadership and management.

When executives move from championing a new idea to its implementation, therefore, they are switching hats from leadership to management.

The bottom line is that leadership is about the initiation of new directions. Implementing them is a managerial undertaking

Managers vs. Leaders

ManagersFocus on thingsDo things rightPlanOrganizeDirectControlFollows the

rules

LeadersFocus on peopleDo the right

thingsInspireInfluenceMotivateBuild Shape entities

Common Activities

Planning OrganizingDirecting Controlling

Planning

ManagerPlanningBudgetingSets targetsEstablishes

detailed stepsAllocates

resources

LeaderDevises strategy

Sets direction Creates vision

Organizing

ManagerCreates

structureJob descriptionsStaffing HierarchyDelegatesTraining

LeaderGets people on

board for strategy

CommunicationNetworks

Directing Work

ManagerSolves problemsNegotiates Brings to

consensus

LeaderEmpowers

peopleCheerleader

Controlling

Manager Implements

control systems Performance

measuresIdentifies

variancesFixes variances

Leader MotivateInspireGives sense of

accomplishment

Three ways of defining leadership

Leadership means being the dominant individual in a group.

Leadership means getting things done through people.

Leadership means challenging the status quo, promoting a better way.

New Leaders Take Note

General Advice Take advantage

of the transition period

Get advice and counsel

Show empathy to predecessor

Learn leadership

Challenges Need

knowledge quickly

Establish new relationships

Expectations Personal

equilibrium

New Leader Traps

Not learning quickly

IsolationKnow-it-allKeeping

existing teamTaking on too

much

Captured by wrong people

Successor syndrome

Seven Basic Principles

Have two to three years to make measurable financial and cultural progress

Come in knowing current strategy, goals, and challenges. Form hypothesis on operating priorities

Balance intense focus on priorities with flexibility on implementation….

Seven Basic Principles, con’t

Decide about new organization architecture

Build personal credibility and momentum

Earn right to transform entityRemember there is no “one”

way to manage a transition

Core Tasks

Create Momentum

Master technologies of learning, visioning, and coalition building

Manage oneself

Create MomentumFoundation for

change Vision of how

the organization will look

Build political base to support change

Modify culture to fit vision

Learn and know about company

Securing early wins First set short

term goals When achieved

make a big deal Should fit long

term strategy

Create MomentumBuild credibility

Demanding but can be satisfied

Accessible but not too familiar

Focused but flexible

Active Can make

tough calls but humane

Master Technologies

Learn from internal and external sources

Visioning - develop strategy Push vs. pull tools What values does the strategy embrace? What behaviors are needed?

Communicate the vision Simple text - Best channels Clear meaning - Do it yourself!

Enabling Technologies, con’t

Coalition building Don’t ignore politics Technical change

not enough Political

management isn’t same as being political

Prevent blocking coalitions

Build political capital

Manage Oneself

Be self-awareDefine your

leadership styleGet advice and

counsel Advice is from

expert to leader Counsel is

insight

Types of help Technical Political Personal

Advisor traits Competent Trustworthy Enhance your

status

How Far Can You Go?