Leaders

Leadership
Any living collectively, not just humans, need leadership Humans pursue more goals other than survival Programming behaviour of employees through standard operating procedures, functional specializations, signals and punitive measures is not enough. Every leadership context must be seen as different and leaders must acknowledge them. Making tough decisions alone is not leadership, but creating followers is. Leadership is about resolving paradoxes and crises in the absence of clear knowledge on where to draw the line. Great leaders try to anticipate change

Leadership
What we demand from leaders: Purpose, direction and meaning Trust Optimism Action & results has the capacity to convert purpose to action Characteristics of successful, ethical organizations in the future: Alignment with a common vision Empowerment: everyone is at the center of the organization Learning culture

Leadership traits
Challenging the process Inspire a shared vision Enable others to act Model the way Encourage others Make a paradigm shift: innovate Invent new strategies Adhere to values and principles Enlist others: focus on followers needs & build loyalty

Leadership
Leadership values meaningful interactions; healthy conflict and dissent: - not averse to risk-taking; supportive of learning from, rather than blaming people for mistakes - Encourages informal leadership in cross functional teams - Leaders listen to ideas of colleagues and abandon egos to support talent of others. - Push decision making power down - Emphasize self-discipline, individual responsibility, relationships, ethics and open communication

Leadership can be learned:

We have the innate capacity We all have some leadership experience: lets share However, the maturing of any complex talent requires a happy combination of motivation, character & opportunity most human talent remains undeveloped

Leadership:
Central to Leadership: Leadership is a process Leadership involves influence Leadership occurs within a group context Leadership involves goal attainment Leadership is related to the personal traits of a leader Leadership is a process whereby one individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal in a specific way Process implies not a trait or characteristic which resides within the leader alone, but a transactional process that occurs between the individual and the group members.

Leadership Integrity
Pursuing leadership could take you on a dangerous power trip Ambition should be counterbalanced by competence & integrity all three must be in balance Formidable ambition + competence = self-serving leader Formidable ambition + integrity = cannot get things done Integrity + competence = good work; does not open new grounds

Trust is a key factor

For trust to take hold, generate shared values, goals, vision with the followers As trust builds, reward dissent, encourage it allows more informed decisions Honesty and candor at the top levels When executives speak their mind, they encourage their peers & subordinates to do the same Create an open environment where dissent is tolerated, innovation is encouraged and risk taking is encouraged. Trust comes from 4 characters of leadership: Competency, congruity, constancy & caring

Buried Treasure
True leaders embrace error Do not fear failure There is no failure, only feedback No mistake not tried hard enough Mistake something to be faced, addressed and cleaned up

An empowered workforce
Good leader makes people feel they are at the very heart of things; they can make contributions. Leadership gives the workforce a sense of its own meaning, significance, competence, community and commitment To free someone from rigorous control by instructions, policies and orders and to give that person freedom to take responsibility for his ideas, decisions, and actions . Is to release hidden resources that would otherwise remain in accessible to both the individual and the organization. -- Jan Carlson, Scandinavian Airlines System Leaders bring diverse talents, perspectives and constituencies together to form an integrated, dynamic whole. Leaders are also followers who let others lead.

Leaders & Managers

Leaders conquer the context; managers surrender to it To manage: holding the reins of a horse To lead: cradle a child To manage means to bring about, to accomplish, to have charge of a responsibility for, to conduct. To lead is influencing, guiding in direction and action.

Major Leadership competencies

Self-direction Flexibility Teamwork Strategy Problem finding Decision making Managing change Delegation / empowerment Communication Negotiation Power & Influence

Major Leadership Styles

Strategic Leadership Transactional Leadership Visionary Leadership Charismatic Leadership Empowering Leadership Moral Leadership Servant Leadership Entrepreneurial Leadership Innovative Leadership

Strategic Leadership
Strategic model to be competitive Leader needs to analyze situation, decide strategies, put them into action, evaluate, modify or change strategies as needed. Managerial activities: planning, organizing, staffing, controlling Strategy formulation, strategy implementation and strategy evaluation Selected strategies translated into a series of statements on the goal, objective, policies, procedures, programs and plans Creation of direction and purpose depends on information and expertise Manmohan Singh; Bill Gates

Transactional Leadership
Based on the concept of exchange between leaders and followers Leader provides followers with resources & rewards in exchange of motivation, productivity and effective task accomplishment Leader provides contingent reward to reinforce appropriate behaviour and discourage inappropriate behaviour Leaders ensure existing system is well maintained. Logical and fair minded. Refers to rules and regulations in times of conflict Crisis may break down the system this style is good for steady state Sonia Gandhi; Richard Nixon; George Bush (Sr.)

Visionary Leadership
Visionary structure works best when business calls for: flexibility; rapid change; high professionalism with little supervision; interdependent experts; cross-disciplinary ideas; innovation; complexity; advance planning; optimism about the future In times of change visionary leaders emerge with the foll. cha.:
Appropriate for the organization and for the times Set standards of excellence & reflect high ideals Clarify purpose and direction Inspire enthusiasm and encourage commitment Are well articulated and easily understood Reflect the uniqueness of the orgn. and its distinctive competence Are ambitious

* John F. Kennedy; Jawaharlal Nehru; Martin Luther King

Charismatic Leadership

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Have profound emotional effects on their followers. Perceived not as simple bosses but as role models & heroes They evolve among groups, not normally designated Characteristics include:
Strong personal power Transforms people to share radical change Inspirational articulation of future vision Passionate advocacy by incurring great personal risk and cost Likeableness Idealized vision highly different from the status quo

Indira Gandhi; Mao Tse Tung; Charles de Gaulle

Empowering Leadership
Roots of Japanese management style; quality circles, etc. Underlying theme: giving away and sharing of power with those who need it to perform their job functions Enhances peoples belief in their abilities and sense of effectiveness Are participative decision makers Essence of style is participation of many in decision making A democratic process Group decision making where the head is not the boss but coordinator and facilitator Dalai Lama; Ratan Tata; A.B.Vajpayee

Moral Leadership
Based on the reality that we cannot violate natural laws with impunity. Individuals more effective and organizations more empowered when they are guided and governed by these proven principles through generations No easy, quick fix solutions to personal & interpersonal problems Are fundamental principles that when applied consistently become behavioural habits enabling fundamental transformations of individuals, relationships and organizations Moral principles, unlike values, are objective and external Mahatma Gandhi; Nelson Mandela

Servant Leadership
Concept developed by Robert Greenleaf The leader is a servant first Begins with a natural feeling that one wants to serve then conscious choice causes one to aspire to lead The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant first to make sure that other peoples high priority needs are being served. Mother Teresa; Florence Nightingale; Baba Amte

Entrepreneurial Leadership
Teaching individuals to be entrepreneurial Manage by objectives Build in plentiful and measurable feedback as the projects are being implemented for course correction Dhirubhai Ambani; Warren Buffet; Stephen Jobs.

Innovative Leadership
Passion and impulsive Willing to compromise on their vision Lad with vigor and high energy Look for innovative solutions 3M leadership; Disney leadership

Leadership Thoughts
Leadership is like beauty. You cannot define it, but you know it is there when you experience it. Warren Bennis Leadership: the art of getting someone else to do something that you want done because he wants to do it. Dwight Eisenhower If you want to get the best out of a man, you must look for the best that is in him. Bernard Haldane You do not lead by pointing and telling people some place to go. You lead by going to that place and making a case. Ken Kesey

Thoughts
Leaders have certain things in common: They provide direction and meaning They generate and sustain trust They are purveyors of hope They are people who get results They have an incredible sense of spotting talent They are able to get people to do the things they cant. Leaders create an environment where others can lead themselves.

Thoughts
The making of a leader is a question of substance rather than style: Vision and inspiration Perspiration and results management Flexibility and holistic perspective Knowing when to act and when to stand back Willingness to fail Accountability Active, emphatic and educated listening Commitment Alliances and partnership Reputation

Thoughts
Leaders find themselves in a constant balancing act: The markets demand tough, decisive controls and employees want a leader versed in the gentle art of people management A leader also needs to have a sense of measures and milestones. Not only must there be deadlines, but also some clear metric that must be kept in front of the group Leaders inspire others to excel even beyond their own expectations

Thoughts
New wave leadership traits: get excited Create a memorable vision Decide where you need to go, not how you are going to be there Stay close to the troops Strengthen leadership throughout the organization Be interesting Your development as a leader has everything to do with your desire and drive. If you want to improve, the progress you can make is limitless. You learn about leadership basically by having birth experiences and by reflecting on these experiences

Thoughts
The key to competitive advantage will be the capacity of leadership to create the social architecture capable of generating human capital Great managers manage current systems, but they do not adjust to dodging bullets, new global opportunities, technological discontinuities. Leadership does. Leadership is an action; not a position. A leader doesnt just react and respond, but rather takes the initiative and generate action

Thoughts
Seven traits of great leaders: They identify, cultivate and inspire enthusiastic followers They focus their efforts They face and overcome great difficulties They expect more from themselves than from others They are not afraid to take tough decisions Thy have a vision and utmost faith in themselves to fulfill that vision They are ambitious for themselves, their companies and their people Define leadership not in terms of position but in terms of contribution The right leader for your organization is one who can sell the vision and keep the key talent happy.