LEADERSHIP

Definition

Leadership is a process of influencing people to direct their efforts towards the

attainment of some particular goal or goals.

Leadership is the ability persuades & inspires others to seek defined objectives.

Leadership is the art of getting some one else to do something you want done because
he wants to do it. -----Dwight Eisenhower

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more,
you are a leader. – John Quincy Adams

Harry Truman defined leadership as “the ability to get other people to do what they
don’t want to do and like it.”

The first duty of the leader is optimism. How does your subordinate feel after meeting
with you? Does he feel uplifted? If not, you are not a leader. - Field Marshall
Montgomery

Leadership styles:

1. Autocratic or authoritarian
2. Democratic or participative
3. Laissez – Faire or free - Rein
4. Paternalistic
5. Bureaucratic Style

(A) Autocratic leadership: in this case, decision making is solely kept with the
leader.
This can be further divided into three types;

1. Hard Boiled Autocrat: Such leaders use heavy negative influence, give orders
which the subordinates must accept, resulting in the employees becoming
resentful and quarrelsome.

2. Benevolent Autocrat: Such leaders try to use many of the techniques of positive
leadership by using praise and pats on the back to secure personal loyalty for
achieving acceptance of his own decisions.

3. Manipulative Autocrat; Such leaders make the subordinates feel that they are
actually participating in the decision making even though managers have taken
the decision themselves

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 (B) Democratic or participative Leadership style: The democratic type of
leader operates differently, in that he tries to lead mainly through persuasion
and example rather than through fear, status or force. He encourages
participation in decision making

(C Laissez – faire or free Rein Leadership style: This type of leader prefers to
give little or no direction and seeks to lead his group with a very loose rein,
allowing his subordinates a great deal of freedom. This amounts to buck passing
and results in little real interest in the job

(D) Paternalistic Leadership: This style of leadership adopts the paternal or

fatherly attitudes as the right one for the relationship between the leader and his
group. Its objective is to help, guide protect and keep the followers happily
working together as members of a family. It is based on the ground that “happy
employees work harder” while otherwise stated employees will work harder out
of gratitude.

(E)Bureaucratic style of Leadership: It also referred to as rules – centered or

procedure – centered leadership style it is less dynamic and less proactive. It is
noticed in Indian public sector, often criticized for delay, nepotism, favoritism.
This is also a very a rigid style.

Leadership traits

1. Energy, both mental and physical requires for a job

2. Emotional stability which enable a leader to act with self- confidence, avoid anger
and deal with his subordinates with understanding.Knowledge of Human
Relations which requires an understanding of human behavior
3. Empathy which enables him to look at things objectively and from another’s view
point
4. Objectivity which prevents him from getting emotionally involved.
5. Personal motivation, that is enthusiasm with himself to get the job done
6. Communication skill, that is, the ability to talk and write clearly and forcefully
7. Teaching ability which will help him develop and inspire his subordinates
8. Social skill, which enables him to understand people and know their strength and
weaknesses and presents himself as a friendly and approachable person
9. Technical competence which provides him with an effective working knowledge
and insight of the operation under his guidance
10. Practices perseverance and persistence.
11. Doesn’t fail to provide feed back to the response received from colleagues &
peers
12. Rewards those who displays ownership (Owners are people who take full
responsibility for their job) .
13. Takes full responsibility for his staff’s morale and performance
14. Decide clear future goals and plan to achieve them.

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15. Avoid being firefighter
16. Creates agreements with team members and enters into agreements for achieving
specific assignments.
17. Does not focus for being liked. Focuses on the respectful practices and
communications.
18. Values upbeat ness and cheerful in communication.
19. Sets dead lines for task fulfillment
20. Deals all problems in logical way
21. Busy in thinking and decision making processes through out the day.
22. Provides very clear decision
23. Spends time very judiciously

The seven keys to Business Leadership:

1. Trust your subordinates: you can not expect them to go all out for you if they
think you don’t believe in them
2. Develop a vision: Some executives ‘suspicious to the contrary, planning for the
long term pays off. And people want to follow some one who knows where he is
going.
3. Keep your cool: The best leaders show their mettle fire.
4. Encourage risk: Nothing demoralizes the troops like knowing that the slightest
failure could jeopardize their entire career
5. Be an expert: From board room, every one had better understand that you know
what you are talking about.
6. Invite dissent: Your people are not giving you their best or learning how to lead if
they are afraid to speak out.
7. Simplify: You need to see the big picture in order to set a course, communicate it
and maintain it, keep the details at bay.

Qualitative questions for Business Leadership

Q. How often do I communicate a vision for my business? Have I identified

and communicated 3-5 key priorities to achieve that vision? Would my
employees be able to articulate the vision and priorities, if asked?

In the press of day to day activities, leaders often fail to adequately communicate
their vision , or don’t convey it in a way that helps their people understand what
they are supposed to be doing to drive the business and where to focus their own
efforts , says Kaplan

Q. How I am spending my time? Does it match my key priorities? How are my

subordinates spending time? Does it match priorities of the business?

You need to know whether you are spending time in a way that will allow you to
achieve your priorities. For e.g. if your major priorities are senior talent
development and global expansion but you are spending most of your time on

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domestic operational and administrative matters that could be delegated, you there
is a disconnect, and you need to make changes.

Q. Do I give people timely feed back that they can act on? Do I have 5-6 junior
people who will tell me things I don’t want to hear but need to hear?

Leaders often fail to coach employees in a direct and timely fashion and instead
wait until the year end review, which may lead to unpleasant surprises. You also
need to cultivate subordinates who can give advice and feedback during the year.

Q Have I, at least in my own mind, picked one or more potential successor?

Am I coaching them and giving them challenging assignments? Am I
delegating sufficiently? Have I become a decision making bottleneck?

If you are not identifying potential successors, you are probably not delegating as
much as much you should. Which means you are not spending enough time on vital
leadership priorities? Ironically, when leaders believe they are so talented they can
perform tasks far better than subordinates, and therefore insist on doing the tasks
themselves, they will typically cause their business to underperform.

Q. Am I attuned to changes in the business environment that would require a

change in the way we organize and run our business?

The world is constantly changing, and you need to adapt your business accordingly.
But you may be to close to business to see the subtle changes and make meaningful
changes- you may have to fire people you hired, you may have to acknowledge you
made some mistakes and be open to changing your operational style. It can be some
time wise to seek advice and another perspective from subordinates who can be
more objective.

Q. How do I behave under pressure and what signals I am sending my

employees?

A leader’s actions in times of stress are watched closely by subordinates and have
profound impact on employees’ behavior. Do you accept responsibility for mistakes,
or do you look for some one to blame? Do you support employees, or do you turn
on them? Are you cool and calm, or do you loose your temper? Do you standup for
what you believe, or do you take the expedient route? You need to be aware of your
own stress triggers and modulate your behavior.

Q. Does my leadership style reflect who I truly am? Do I assert my self

sufficiently, or have I become tentative? Am I too politically correct? Does
worry about my next operation or bonus case me to hesitate to express my
views?

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 A business career is a marathon not a sprint, and if you are not true to yourself, you
are going to wear down eventually. Observe leadership styles, and choose elements
that you feel comfortable, but without trying to be some else; even an orthodox
style can be effective if it reflects your skill, values and personality.

The differences between a leader and a manager:

“The leaders innovate; the manager administrates. The leader focuses on people; the
manager focuses on systems and structure. The leader inspires the manager
controls. The leader is his own person; the manager is a good soldier. The leader
sees the long- term; the manager sees the short- term.”