Management Development Review

Emerald Article: "Good" leadership

Scott E. Drouillard, Brian H. Kleiner

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What are the distinctions between

good or moral leadership? How do
these relate to management practice?
Scott E. Drouillard and Brian H. Kleiner
address these two questions.

Techniques
Good leadership

Leadership defined

Scott E. Drouillard and

Brian H. Kleiner

No one could deny that Adolf Hitler was an

effective leader. He led Germany from
depression to prosperity, and from being a
crippled military power to being the most
powerful and efficient military machine in the
world all in a few short years! However,
most would deny that he was a good leader.
This distinction has been largely overlooked
in the definitions of leadership most commonly found in business texts, books and articles.
For example; Leadership is the processing of
influencing others to achieve organizational
goals[1, p. 408]. This is not an isolated
example, Zaleznik, from Harvard Business
School, and a writer on leadership, defines it
as, The ability to influence a group toward
achievement of goals[2]. There is no mention of values, ethics, morals or goodness in
these definitions.
Granted, the definitions cited are not taken
in their full context, and they do not suggest
evil or unethical means to the goals end, but
they do raise the question of whether leadership is, in a business context, only the influencing of others towards goals, no matter the
means. The common-sense answer is: of
course not! The definitions most commonly
used are decidedly amoral and yet, often, the
definitions are followed by lists of good
leader attributes that include terms like:
integrity, honesty, fairness and humanity.
For the purpose of business, leadership
should be defined more exactly to include this
element of morality or goodness. A more
appropriate definition might be, The influencing of others, by means of reason and
inclusion, to achieve organizational goals that
are in the long-term best interest of all
involved, with the wellbeing of society in
mind.
While this definition may seem cumbersome, it is more appropriate to the commonsense answer above and provides a better
framework for the application of leadership in
a business context. It also precludes an Adolf
Hitler approach to leadership; it includes
morality and the desire to see others besides
oneself benefit in the process, and it provides

The authors
Scott E. Drouillard and Brian H. Kleiner are based in the
Department of Management, School of Business Administration and Economics, California State University, Fullerton, California, USA.
Abstract
Makes a necessary and rarely touted distinction as to
moral or good leadership versus amoral leadership. The
most common textbook definitions of business leadership
are lacking, because of their lack of a moral stance. Reemphasizes the important distinction between a manager
and a leader, which has been revealed in great depth by
many authors earlier. Discusses and gives form to the most
important and agreed-on characteristics or attributes of
leadership, many of which are inseparable from goodness. Addresses the issue of whether these attributes can
be learned and developed, or are inherent at birth. Concludes that good leadership has a moral foundation and
that leadership skills can be learned.

Management Development Review

Volume 9 Number 5 1996 pp. 3033
MCB University Press ISSN 0962-2519

30

for the greater environment: society. In summary, this more exact definition promotes
good leadership, not just effective
leadership!

may take quite a few tries (maybe years) to

master it. Furthermore, the recipe is likely to
evolve into something different under your
making, given your tastes and talents.
Likewise, leadership, and the qualities of
leadership, will differ from person to person.
However, we can identify specific items for
inclusion in the recipe that are generally
necessary and found in most leadership
experts lists.
The characteristics are not to be viewed as
separate ingredients, but as a part of an integrated whole. In other words, there is significant overlap between them, and so many
descriptors could accurately be listed under
more than one of the attributes:
Communicative. The ability consistently to
exercise good, clear communication is
essential. This includes the choice to listen.
Listening is important because it affirms
the speakers worth as a person and as a
contributor and it allows for the receipt of
important and relevant information that
will help the organization achieve its goals.
On the sender side of leadership communications, the ability to articulate ideas and
vision, inspire, provide feedback, espouse
practical philosophies and values are all
necessities.
Integrity. Actions not just words that
display honesty, trustworthiness, fairness,
ethics and high moral standards are vital
demonstrators of a good leader. Thomas
Jefferson once said, Whenever you are to
do a thing, though it can never be known
but to yourself, ask yourself how you would
act were all the world looking at you, and
act accordingly. People are always watching, and true leaders do the right thing.
Genuine interest in others. A sincere, conveyed interest in others their wellbeing,
personal growth, physical and emotional
needs, the value of their contributions is a
large factor in leadership. This attribute
breeds loyalty and commitment to the
leader. It creates followers. Words like
appreciation, supportive, considerate,
nurturing, and respectful come to the
forefront under this characteristic. Ralph
Waldo Emerson wrote, Trust men and
they will be true to you; treat them greatly,
and they will show themselves great.
A good leader cares for others.
Rewards and recognizes achievement.
A quote, from The Prince, written by
Machiavelli, states: Furthermore, a prince

Leading versus managing

Zaleznik makes this scathing statement,
[Managers brought with them] what they
learned from the business schools, namely,
principles of bargaining, emotional control,
human relations ... They left behind commitment, creativity, concern for others, and
experimentation[2]. Management and
leadership are not interchangeable terms.
Zaleznik says, leaders grow through mastering painful conflict during their developmental years (Lee Iacocca, for example), while
managers confront few of the experiences that
generally cause people to turn inward for
answers[2].
Zalezniks point is good, but one could
infer that experiences create a leader. The
difference between a developing leader and a
manager is that one chooses to confront and
grow from an adverse experience and the
other chooses to avoid or manipulate the
situation.
Lundy[3] made this obvious point, Leaders are people who have followers. He goes
on to explain that many people have subordinates and are therefore managers, but some of
those same managers do not have followers,
so they are not leaders. Conversely, some
persons that do not have the title of authority,
are leaders because they do have followers[3].
As parties involved in the influencing of
thoughts and actions, we need to make the
conscious decision to make a distinction
between leading and managing. By not
emphasizing this distinction, we run the risk
of not developing leaders. In summation,
Warren G. Bennis, a leading authority on
leadership, is quoted as saying, Managers are
people who do things right, and leaders are
people who do the right things.

The characteristics of a good leader

Before listing and describing the characteristics of a good leader, one must be careful to
recognize and assert that leadership is not an
exact science it is an art to be studied, practised, developed and lived. An analogy might
be if a friend prepares a wonderful dish. You
might ask for and receive the recipe, but it
31

Responsibility is the second half of

decision making. Taking responsibility for
all decisions within a leaders authority is
truly the ultimate baptism in fire testing and tempering the metal of a would-be
leader. One might also add perseverance
here, because to fail is human. Not to
succeed in the long run is a matter of
choice because it is usually due to the lack
of hard work, perspiration and overcoming
obstacles.
Competence. This characteristic goes
beyond the notions of intelligence, knowledge, and formal training even experience. It is a settled disposition that is
derived from them. It is a track record of
successes that will consistently continue
into the future. Performance and
favourable outcomes in different situations
and with different teams demonstrate the
existence of competence. This disposition
fosters security for all, because people
believe in the leaders ability to lead again
successfully. Jack E. Reicheft, president
and CEO of Brunswick Corp. said it this
way, ... I would rather have a first-class
manager running a second-rate business
than a second-class manager running a
first-rate business.

should show that he is an admirer of talent

by giving recognition to talented men, and
honouring those who excel in a particular
art. A true leader is big on performance
and substance and cares little for methodology and form (as long as the means are
ethical). This characteristic presupposes
and includes the importance and practice
of delegation. A leader can make certain
the reward is most effective by simply
asking them what they want and giving it to
them[4, p. 6.72].
Team orientation. A leader recognizes deficiencies in self and the inherent limitations
of a single individual. With that recognition, a team approach is employed.
Solomon, known for his wisdom and extraordinarily successful enterprises, wrote in
Ecclesiastes, Two are greater than one, for
the greater the return on their works. A
true leader selects individuals for their
differences in abilities and trains their
talents. A team is formed where the players
augment and complement each other. The
leader is the coach that facilitates, assists,
teaches and motivates!
Visionary and idea-oriented. Leadership
never neglects the long term. A good leader
exercises intuition with reason, and emphasizes the need for ideas. Other terms that
help describe this characteristic are creativity, conceptualizing, and right-brain activity. Henry Ford used to invoke the proverb,
Without a vision, the people perish and
Napoleon Bonaparte once said: Imagination rules the world. This attribute is the
most charismatic, and the most far-reaching. It has allowed humankind to make
dreams realities, literally to the point where
any one of us can soar through the air,
across the ocean, and reach another continent in a matter of hours.
Decisiveness and responsibility. Few are
comfortable with making decisions on a
grand scale; even fewer are willing to take
responsibility for those decisions. A leader
will make difficult decisions and take full
responsibility for them, even if not personally involved in their execution. Decision
making is a combination of courage, risktaking and, ultimately, a leap of faith. To
be innovative, to execute vision, a leader
must make decisions that often no one else
is making. James Crook said, A man who
wants to lead the orchestra must turn his
back on the crowd.

Leadership skills: inherent or learned?

Most leadership skills are learned
Kotter[5, pp. 33-4], of Harvard Business
School, argues:
A few of the leadership attributes do seem to
arrive at birth: some basic mental and interpersonal capacity, and perhaps some physical
capacity that is related to energy level. Furthermore, a few of the other attributes build off this
native capacity (e.g. some intellectual skills
would not develop without some minimum
intellectual capacity). Nevertheless, the old homily
Leaders are born, not made gets little support
from this analysis, because most of the items[attributes] come after birth and are not deterministically a
function of natural abilities[emphasis added].

Kotter[5, p. 34] goes on to say:

A large number of the items are developed on
the job as a part of ones posteducational career.
Almost all the knowledge, relationship, and
background requirements fit this generalisation.
Some of the skills, abilities and motivation does
too.

Many experts agree that most of the attributes

of a good leader can be learned or attained.
Often the only difference between a
32

non-leader and a leader, is the very next

choice in that persons life. It is arguable that a
leader is created by a string of choices. Those
same choices are incorporated into the persons being over a lifetime and become core,
personal attributes. Consider Abraham
Lincolns road to leadership:
failed in business in 1831;
defeated for Legislature in 1832;
second failure in business in 1833;
suffered a nervous breakdown in 1836;
defeated for Speaker in 1838;
defeated for Elector in 1840;
defeated for Congress in 1843;
defeated for Congress in 1848;
defeated for Senate in 1855;
defeated for Vice-President in 1856;
defeated for Senate in 1858;
elected President in 1860.

holds in his heart and mind the paradox of

terrible storm and peace unspeakable and
perfect.

While we appreciate the poetic beauty of

Sandbergs words, and acknowledge the truth
of them in most part, it must be noted that
Lincoln did not arrive on earth with those
qualities. They were learned and the accolades earned.

Conclusion
Good leadership has a moral foundation, as
proved by specific core attributes necessary to
be a good leader. In the business context, it is
important to define it as such. The idea that
management and leadership are synonymous
must be dispelled. To be a leader, a person
must consistently exemplify the core characteristics of a leader. Finally, the question over
whether most leadership skills can be learned
is answered affirmatively.

The above is not only a lesson in perseverance, but it speaks to the process of learning
that occurs in the formation of a leader. It
demonstrates that leadership is not something
that a person is born with, and everyone just
naturally recognizes that birthright. Abraham
Lincoln is a classic example of a person who
learned how to be one of the greatest leaders
in American history. He made choices
throughout his life that culminated in the
creation of an incredible leadership example.
Carl Sandberg, when speaking of Abraham
Lincoln on the one-hundred-and-fiftieth
anniversary of his birth, said:

References
1 Bartol, K.M. and Martin, D.C., Management, McGrawHill, New York, NY, 1994.
2 Zaleznik, A., The Managerial Mystique, Restoring
Leadership in Business, Harper & Row, New York, NY,
1989.
3 Lundy, J.L., Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way, Avant
Books, Slawson, CA, 1990.
4 Radocinski, M.L. and Kleiner, B.H., Managing
professionals effectively, Professional Practice
Development, pp. 6.69-6.74.

Not often in the story of mankind does a man

arrive on earth who is both steel and velvet, who
is hard as a rock and soft as the drifting fog, who

5 Kotter, J.P., The Leadership Factor, Free Press, New

York, NY, 1988.

33