Leadership Basics

Facilitator’s Guide

State Personnel
Department Training
Division

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Table of Contents

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Introduction and Overview – 20 min

Learner Outcome/Goal: To prepare new supervisors and

emerging leaders to become an effective leader who
enables a high-performance work team.

Handouts
 PowerPoint Handout
 Reality Check Exercise
 Leadership Values Exercise
 Evaluations

Introduction: Introduce yourself- name, authority (why

should the learners listen to you), interest device
(humor), special instructions, facilities, etc.

Icebreaker:
 Ask participants to look around the room at the
leadership quotes posted.
 Then ask participants to choose only one of the
quotes that resonate well with their personal views
on what make a good leader.
 Have them explain their individual choices and
reasoning in introduction.

Participant Introduction: Have participants introduce

themselves (name, agency, position, quote chosen and
reasoning for choosing that specific quote).

Performance Objectives:
 Identify and discuss the definition of leadership
 Identify and discuss characteristics of a good leader
 Identify the common leadership theories
 Identify classic leadership styles
 Identify and discuss the differences between
managing and leading.
 Discuss some leadership emerging trends from
Senior Executive study
 Assess and identify personal leadership
competence.

Unit 1: Definition of Leadership – 10 m

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Activity: Ask participants to write on the slip of paper to
write down how they define leadership

Definitions:
 Warren Bennis' (regarded as the pioneer of
contemporary Leadership studies) definition of
leadership: (focuses on individual capability of
leader)
"Leadership is a function of knowing yourself,
having a vision that is well communicated, building
trust among colleagues, and taking effective action
to realize your own leadership potential."

 Opposing Definition: The capacity to establish

direction and to influence and align others toward a
common goal, motivating and committing them to
action and making them responsible for their
performance

 So which one is wrong? Is either of them wrong? Or

are the both right?

Unit 2: Characteristics of a Good Leader – 15 min

 Small Group Activity:
• Brainstorm what characteristics they think a good
leader should have.
• Record results on flip chart paper.
• Select a reporter and a recorder.

 6 basic characteristics of a Good Leader

• Trustworthy
o A leader needs to be trusted and be
known to live their life with honestly and
integrity.
o A good leader "walks the talk" and in
doing so earns the right to have
responsibility for others.
o True authority is born from respect for the
good character and trustworthiness of the
person who leads
• Enthusiastic about their work

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 o People will respond more openly to a
person of passion and dedication.
o Leaders need to be able to be a source of
inspiration, and be a motivator towards
the required action or cause.
o The leader needs to be seen to be part of
the team working towards the goal. This
kind of leader will not be afraid to roll up
their sleeves and get dirty.
• Confident
o Leaders inspire confidence in others and
draw out the trust and best efforts of the
team to complete the task well.
o A leader who conveys confidence towards
the proposed objective inspires the best
effort from team members.
• Remain calm in situations of chaos
o People look to the leader during times of
uncertainty and unfamiliarity and find
reassurance and security when the leader
portrays confidence and a positive
demeanor.
• Analytical
o Not only does a good leader view a
situation as a whole, but is able to break it
down into sub parts for closer inspection
o Not only is the goal in view but a good
leader can break it down into manageable
steps and make progress towards it.
• Committed to Excellence
o Second best does not lead to success.
o The good leader not only maintains high
standards, but also is proactive in raising
the bar in order to achieve excellence in
all areas.

**Compare 6 Characteristics to Answers given by

Participants on Flip Chart.

Unit 3: Is Leading Different than Managing? 5 min

Complete the entire Self-Assessment.

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Definitions
 Leadership: setting a new direction for a group
 Management: directing and controlling according to
established principles

People ask the difference between a leader and a boss.

The leader leads, and the boss drives."
 Theodore Roosevelt

 When to manage and when to lead?

 To manage is to control, handle or manipulate. To
lead is to guide, influence or persuade Therefore,
you manage things and processes. You lead people
and organizations
 Skills and characteristics of a manager
Anyone can be a manager, but a manager who fills the
leadership role needs:
 Vision
 Good managers need to be knowledgeable of
the organization’s mission and vision and be
able to translate these cornerstones to the
average employee. To be a good manager you
need to make sure your employees share and
understand your vision for your department.
Finally, managers need to be able to link
individual tasks of the employee to that mission
and vision.
 Gaining the attention of your employees may be
easy, but keeping the attention on your vision is

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 much harder
 Enthusiasm
 A negative leader will only bring a team down
 Enthusiasm is infectious
 If you have a good time and your work you will
be enthusiastic and help motivate others
 Ability to delegate
 A good manager never fears that delegating to
their subordinates will open the door for their
subordinates to overshadow their work
 Hard worker
 Don’t delegate to a degree that you are no
longer do anything
 Actions speak louder than words
 Not doing anything but preaching to your
employees to work hard will only cause
employees to lose respect for you
 Doing the least attractive tasks will cause
employees to gain even more respect for your
leadership
 Don’t’ be indecisive
 Always think carefully before making a decision,
however when you make the decision don’t’
change it!
 People do not respect indecisive leaders
 If you change your decision it causes people to
question your judgment and motives in making
that decision

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  Stay away from answering questions with I’m
not sure, I don’t know, I think, I guess….this
lessens your credibility as a leader.
 Reward subordinates for good work
 The reward maybe in the form of a good word, a
promotion, a pay rise or a spot-bonus.
 It should be something that shows to your
members and subordinates that their work is
also important to the working of the
organization.

Next, we’ll turn our attention to important business concepts

which make our KPI’s move on the dashboard.

Who knows what a KPI is?

How many know your agency’s dashboard?
How many have a dashboard specific to your work team?

Thinking of our business world as a system can be helpful in

objectively reviewing the effectiveness of processes and
programming. It also helps to define roles within an organization
and effective communication techniques. Changes are you
already belong to many systems:
• Family
• Faith Community
• Social Organizations
• School Groups

Every system has a hierarchy, typically separated into tops,

middles, bottoms and customers. When filling a middle role, the
leader is receiving information from all sides – tops, bottoms and
customers. To remain sane in the chaotic life of a middle, it is
imperative to have a strong business plan and means of
measuring your outcomes. KPI’s and dashboards lend
themselves to this practice.

To begin, document any sequence of events that starts with an

input and ends with an output. These events include operations,

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transportation, inspections, delays, and decision points.

Operations: Actions that change or transform

Transportation: Moving whatever flows through the system –
forms, reports, data share between departments
Inspections: Regular review of what flows through the system
Delays: Wait times for reviews, decisions, waiting for resources
Decision Points: Points at which whatever is flowing through the
system meets certain criteria and moves forward, or is diverted to
a sub system – go or no go

Jot down as many of the work processes you can for which you
have direct responsibility. Identify where the process point starts
(input) and where the process ends (output). Think of the staff
assigned to each process. Could duties be changed for ee
development? Could a cross-functional team work together to
solve a problem and provide an executive recommendation for
action? Not only can this activity assist to record your team’s
efforts, but it can also be used to make sure the right people are
performing the right tasks.

Unit 4: Leadership Theories – 10 min

Early leadership theories focused on what qualities
distinguished between leaders and followers, while
subsequent theories have looked at other variables such
as situational factions and skill level. While many
different leadership theories have emerged, most can be
classified as one of the major types.
 “Great Man” Theory:
 Assumes that the capacity for leadership is
inherent – that great leaders are born, not made.
 Often portrays great leaders as heroic, mythic, and
destined to rise to leadership when needed.
 The term “Great Man” was used because, at the
time, leadership was thought of primarily as a male
quality, especially in terms of military service.
 Trait Theory:
 Similar to “Great Man” theories, trait theory
assumes that people inherit certain qualities and
traits that make them better suited to leadership.
 Trait theories identify particular personality or
behavioral characteristics shared by leaders.
 If particular traits are key features of leadership,

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 how do we explain people who possess those
qualities but are not leaders? This question is one
of the difficulties in using trait theories to validate
leadership qualifications.
 Contingency/Situational Theory:
 No leadership style is best in all situations
 Focuses on particular variables related to the
environment that might determine which particular
style of leadership is best suited for the situation
 Transactional/Management Theory:
 Focus on the role of supervision, organization, and
group performance.
 Base leadership on a system of reward and
punishment.
 When employees are successful, they are
rewarded; when they fail, they are reprimanded
or punished.
 Transformational/Relationship Theory:
 Focus upon the connections formed between
leaders and followers.
 Motivate and inspire people by helping group
members see the importance and higher good of
the task.
 Focused on the performance of group members,
but also want each person to fulfill his or her
potential.
 These leaders often have high ethical and moral
standards.
 Behavioral Theory:
 People can learn to become leaders through
teaching and observation.
 Participative Theory:

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  Suggest that the ideal leadership style is one that
takes the input of others into account.
 These leaders encourage participation and
contributions from group members and help group
members feel more relevant and committed to the
decision-making process.
 However, the leader retains the right to allow the
input of others
 Ask
 What theory do you agree with?
 Do you think that someone can agree and
demonstrate the use of more than one theory?
 Do you think you use different theories for different
situations?

Unit 5: Kurt Lewin’s Leadership Styles – 10 min

 Authoritarian (Autocratic)
 Provide clear expectations for what needs to be
done, when it should be done, and how it should be
done.
 Clear division between the leaders and the
followers.
 Authoritarian leaders make decisions
independently with little or no input from the rest
of the group.
 Abuse of this style is usually viewed as controlling,
bossy, and dictatorial.

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  Authoritarian leadership is best applied to
situations where there is little time for group
decision-making or where the leader is the most
knowledgeable member of the group.
 Participative (Democratic)
 generally the most effective leadership style
 offer guidance to group members, but they also
participate in the group and allow input from other
group members
 Participative leaders encourage group members to
participate, but retain the final say over the
decision-making process
 Group members feel engaged in the process and
are more motivated and creative.
 Delegative (Laissez-Faire)
 offer little or no guidance to group members and
leave decision-making up to group members
 This style can be effective in situations where
group members are highly qualified in an area of
expertise; it often leads to poorly defined roles and
a lack of motivation.
 How to develop a leadership style
 Lead according to your personality, your
employees’ personality and the situation
 One size does not fit all

10 min break

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Unit 6: Ways to Lead – 15 min

 Leading yourself
 Personal Productivity
 Being aware of your own values and how these
values correspond to your work environment
 Values are the goals towards which you aspire.
They largely define the core of your identity.
More importantly still, they are the source of
your motivation to improve yourself.
 If you don't understand your values, you won't
understand how to orient yourself in a direction
that is likely to be satisfying.
 Your behavior, your actions will be more
oriented towards putting out fires (satisfying
your immediate needs), and less oriented
towards developing your long term potential.
 You won't have a plan. You will instead, just be
reactive.
 Personal Management Guidelines:
 Monitor your work hours
 Recognize your own signs of stress
 Learn to delegate
 Recognize what is important and what is urgent
 Communicate as much as you can
 Take time to reflect
 Recognize accomplishments

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Wrap up section with flip chart exercise of delegatable
tasks
Delegation is an opportunity for managers to develop and
create time for managerial activities.

 Leading other individuals

 Ways to lead others:
 Coaching & Developing
 Driving Performance
 Inspiring Loyalty and Trust
 Managing and Directing Work
 Encourage Partnerships – within and across
teams
 Influence through Personal Power
 Selecting the Right Talent
 Leading in groups
 Effectively Leading in Groups
 Group Dynamics
• Forming - formalities are preserved and
members are treated as strangers.
• Storming - members start to communicate
their feelings but probably still view
themselves as part of their parent
department rather than part of the team.
They attack others insular attitudes while
guarding their own
• Norming - people feel part of the team and
realize that they can achieve work if they

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 accept other viewpoints.
• Performing - the team works in an open and
trusting atmosphere where flexibility is the
key and hierarchy is of little importance.
 Team Building
• A team is a group of people who are jointly
responsible for achieving a shared goal. If
one member fails then it can hinder the
achievement of the collective goal.
• The most important foundation you can lay,
when building better collective performance,
is that of common understanding and
commitment to the shared goal.
 Leading in an organization
 Effectively Leading in an organization:
 Set Direction
• Strategic Analysis
♦ Environmental Scan:
 In terms of organizations and strategic
planning, an environmental scan
involves considering the factors that
will influence the direction and goals of
your organization. And, it includes
consideration of both present and
future factors that might affect the
organization, since, of course, we're
planning for the future, not just the
present.

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 ♦ SWOT Analysis:
 A strategic planning tool used to
evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities, and Threats involved in
a project or in a business venture.
 It involves specifying the objective of
the business venture or project and
identifying the internal and external
factors that are favorable and
unfavorable to achieving that objective
• Strategic Direction
♦ The organization’s mission, vision, values
and goals
♦ Strategic planning can help an
organization to focus its vision and to
ensure that members of the organization
are working toward the same goals.
♦ Strategic planning helps leaders to be
intentional and pro-active in allocating
resources to achieve these priorities.
Take a few minutes to conduct a swot analysis for your
work team. Work independently for 3 minutes, and then
discuss w/your table group.

Unit 7: Emerging Trends in Leadership

 Discuss Study:
o In 2007, researchers at the Center of Creative
Leadership (CCL) asked 247 senior
executives around the globe about 10

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 leadership trends in business
o The executives involved all have over 15
years of management experience, are within
the top three tiers of their organization, and
have leadership responsibility for 500 people
or more.
o The goal was to asses these trends, the
obstacles they create, and their potential in
impact on leading organizations
o The results show some important patterns
that focus on talent, innovation,
collaboration, and globalization.
 Trend 1: The Rise of Complex Challenges
o Nearly 92 percent of the executives surveyed
believe the challenges their organizations
face are more complex than they were just
five years ago.
o Why does the world feel more complex?
o Participants attributed the top factors
as internal to their organization, market
dynamics, shortage of talent, and
globalization
o The combination of changes in market
dynamics and a shortage of available
talent create an environment where
organizations will continually be asked
to do even more with less and respond
even faster to changes in their industry
and economy.
 Trend 2: The Innovation Revolution
• Innovation is one of the largest factors in an
organization’s growth
• Only 50% of the executives claimed their
company is amongst the most innovative
companies, meaning there is much room for
improvement
• Executives also showed that their companies
have implemented strategies to directly

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 promote innovation
• In the future, companies will hire other
companies specifically specialized in
innovation to drive higher level of innovation.
 Trend 3: The Art of Virtual Leadership
• 85% of the executives in the study believe
that virtual leadership is now a necessary
skill for senior leaders in an organization
• 92% also said that they believe virtual
leadership requires different skills that face-
to-face leadership
• The executives surveyed were asked to
choose one skill that is central to effective
virtual leadership.
♦ Communication dominated with over 70
percent of the responses.
♦ The most frequently cited communication
skills were frequency of communication
and clarity/effectiveness of the message
 Trend 4: Collaboration Nation
• 97% of the executives claim that
collaboration between leaders is required if
they want to succeed
• However, only 47% of the leaders believe
that their company is effectively collaborating
• This leads a huge gap for improvement
 Trend 5: The World of Interruption
• Research by Gloria Mark (reported in The

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 New York Times Magazine in October 2005:
“Meet the Life Hackers” by Clive Thompson),
concludes that the average worker is
interrupted on the job every 11 minutes.
Even more interesting is that it takes those
same workers about 25 minutes on average
to return to the original task.
• This shows that strategies need to be taken
by employees to free themselves from
distractions and interruptions
• The executives polled had these strategies to
try and prevent themselves from being
interrupted and more efficient in their daily
processes:
 Trend 6: Authenticity Is the Next Celebrity
• Some leaders struggle in keeping a cohesive
authentic self in their personal lives and at
work
• 90% of the executives in the study claim to
have an authentic self, meaning that these
leaders are able to do their jobs without
compromising their values, beliefs, and
personality
• However, for the leaders who struggle with
an authentic self most attribute this struggle
to maintaining an “executive image.”
• The struggle is between whether you should:
♦ fill the roles your coworkers expect from
you and keep that executive image or

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 ♦ Present your true self without fear of the
negative outcomes
 Trends 7 &. 8: The Fallout from the Baby Boom
• The 2000 U.S. Census claims that the Baby
Boomers’ population of 83 million people will
start to leave the workforce in 4 years
• The skills that executives believe the
expertise that will be most lost if the baby
boomers left tomorrow are: (refer to table on
PowerPoint)NK ORDER O
• it can take years to groom and develop
effective senior managers, and most experts
agree that there will be a critical shortage of
middle and top leaders in the next few years
• Therefore, organizations need to prepare for
this dramatic loss and start grooming new
leaders
 Trend 9: Leadership for Longevity
o Research shows that effective leadership and
regular exercise are strongly linked. Executives
who exercise are rated significantly higher by their
coworkers on their leadership effectiveness than
non-exercisers. In addition to the health benefits,
exercisers score better than non-exercisers in all
leadership categories including organization,
credibility, leading others and authenticity
(European CEO, December 2006).
o As we attempt to lead and live in an increasingly
complex world, improved levels of stress, health,
diet, and fitness will be essential to ensure a
sustainable and productive career.
 Trend 10: What’s next?
o When asked to identify a trend they see emerging

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 in leadership, 112 executives mentioned 21
different trends
o But the trend most often mentioned is the shift
from an autocratic style to one that’s more
participative
o Executives predict that collaboration and
team efforts will be the deciding factors of
future success and no longer on individual
efforts
o Leaders also note the trend towards instant
gratification.
o Employees are becoming less patient, less
company-centric, more mobile and more
interested in near-term tangible rewards.
o Executives also comment on the increasing
importance of balance between time spent at home
and at work.
o Employees are becoming less willing to
sacrifice family commitments and private
time for job demands. Executives see flex
time as a concept to be taken seriously.

Before we adjourn, I want to leave you with 9 Deadly Sins most

managers forget. If in doubt, don’t go without, contact your
agency HR Rep prior to taking action.
• Failure to Document
• Failure to Train
• Failure to Keep Evidence
• Grade Inflation
• Failure to Consult HR
• Inappropriate Electronic Messages
• Inconsistent Treatment
• Inappropriate Talk About Ex-EE’s
• Uncontrolled Deadlines

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Unit 8: Wrap Up

Our last group discussion will be where should we spend our time
between the topic areas on the self assessment?
• Vision
• Commitment
• Customer Service
• Coaching
• Staff Development
• Operations Management
• Change Management
• Project Management
• Performance Management

Overall Message: There is no magic formula!

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 Works Cited

Criswell, Corey, and Andre Martin, comps. 10 Trends: a Study of Senior

Executives’ Views on the Future. 2007. Center for Creative
Leadership. 23 May 2008
<http://www.ccl.org/leadership/pdf/research/TenTrends.pdf>.
Dombeck, Mark, and Jolyn Wells-Moran. "Values and Morals Clarification."
MentalHelp.Net. 12 June 2006. 23 May 2008
<http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?
type=doc&id=9795&ch=353>.
"Leading Diversity." MPA. Magazine Publishers of America. 27 May 2008
<"The Secrets of Listening." Lead, Influence, and Gain. The PAR
Group. 27 May 2008 .>.
McNamara, Carter. " Basics of Conflict Management." Free Management
Library. 2008. Free Management Library. 20 May 2008 <
<http://www.managementhelp.org/intrpsnl/basics.htm>.
McNamara, Carter. "Basics for New Managers and Supervisors to Manage
Themselves." Free Management Library. 2008. Free Management
Library. 20 May 2008
<http://www.managementhelp.org/suprvise/mng_slf.htm>.
McNamara, Carter. "Suggested Competencies for Effective Leadership in
Organizations." Free Management Library. 2008. Free Management
Library. 20 May 2008
<http://www.managementhelp.org/ldr_dev/cmptncy/cmptncy.htm>.
McPheat, Sean. "Key Skills of a Top Manager." Evan Charmichael. 20 May
2008 <http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/169/Key-
Skills-Of-A-Top-Manager.html>.
"Quotes: Leadership Issues." LeadershipNow. 2007. LeadershipNow. 19 May
2008 <http://www.leadershipnow.com/leadershipquotes.html>.
"The Secrets of Listening." Lead, Influence, and Gain. The PAR Group. 27
May 2008
<http://www.thepargroup.com/article_SecretsListenWell.html>.
Van Wagner, Kendra. "Leadership Theories." About.Com. 21 May 2008
<http://psychology.about.com/od/leadership/p/leadtheories.htm>.
Van Wagner, Kendra. "Lewin's Leadership Styles." About.Com. 21 May 2008
<http://psychology.about.com/od/leadership/a/leadstyles.htm>.
Ward, Susan. "Leadership." About.Com. 21 May 2008
<http://sbinfocanada.about.com/od/leadership/g/leadership.htm>.
White, Barbara. "Seven Personal Characteristics of a Good Leader."
Buzzle.Com (2005). 21 May 2008
<http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/11-22-2005-82085.asp>.

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In-Class Exercise
Handouts

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 #1
The wicked leader is he who the
people despise.
The good leader is he who the
people revere.
The great leader is he who the
people say, "We did it ourselves."
- Lao Tsu

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 #2
Come to the edge, he said.
They said: We are afraid.
Come to the edge, he said.
They came.
He pushed them ... and they flew.
- Guillaume Apollinaire

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 #3
Leadership is the activity of
influencing people to cooperate
towards some goal which they
come to find desirable (and which
motivates them over the long
haul).
- Orway Tead

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 #4
We found that the most exciting
environments, that treated people
very well, are also tough as nails.
There is no bureaucratic mumbo-
jumbo ... excellent companies
provide two things
simultaneously: tough
environments and very supportive
environments.
- Tom Peters

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 #5
Example has more followers than
reason. We unconsciously imitate
what pleases us, and approximate
to the characters we most admire.
- Christian Nestell Bovee

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 Is your Leadership behavior out of sync with the
way that you feel an effective leader should be
spending his or her energy?

Think about your daily interaction with the people who you lead. Generally
speaking, determine the actual behaviors that define that interaction.
Using the list of behaviors below, determine the amount of time (in
percentages) that you generally spend on each behavior. Then in the
second column, determine what you feel would be ideal distribution of time
(in percentages).

Percentage of time spent on Ideally the percentage of time

Behavior
each behavior you would devote to each
behavior
Informing
Directing
Clarifying or Justifying
Persuading
Collaborating
Brainstorming or Envisioning
Reflecting (Quiet Time for
Thinking)

Observing
Disciplining
Resolving interpersonal conflicts
Praising and/or encouraging

Now, evaluate reasons why you feel there is a gap

between how you should spend your energy and how you
actually spend it?

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 What do you value the most in Leadership?

Explain that it is important that leaders clarify their own sense of

leadership values. Ask participants to reflect upon the values that define
their role as a leader? Then ask participant to individually circle five values
listed below that best complete the following sentence:

“_________________ is a ‘cornerstone’ in my approach to leadership."

ACHIEVEMENT AFFECTION PREDICTABILITY

ADVENTURE COMFORT RESPONSIBILITY
CHALLENGE CONFORMITY RESPONSIVENESS
CONTROL COOPERATION PERSONAL
CREATIVITY DIRECTNESS DEVELOPMENT
ECONOMIC BALANCE EXPERTNESS POWER
FAIRNESS FLEXIBILITY RECOGNITION
FREEDOM FRIENDSHIP RISK
HAPPINESS HELPFULNESS SELF-RESPECT
HARD WORK INDEPENDENCE VARIETY
HONESTY INTEGRITY SECURITY
HARMONY LEADERSHIP TRADITION
INVOLVEMENT MORALITY/ETHICS TRUST
ORDER LOYALTY WISDOM

Give 2 examples, how do you think that these values

drive your behavior?

1._________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________
_

2._________________________________________________________

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 _________________________________________________________
_

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