Kim Woods (681 draft)

Philosophy of Leadership

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Definition of Leadership

Leadership is the ability of a person or a group of people to guide and influence other people who eventually become their followers to move towards the same direction. The works of Dwight Eisenhower influence this definition. Leadership can have different interpretations or meanings to different people or groups. For instance, in the transformational model of leadership, leaders set direction and help themselves and their teams or followers to do the right thing to move forward.

For other people to be influenced or be guided by an individual there must be a common goal or objective towards which the entire team work or charge. According to Bacharach (2016), Eisenhower describes leadership as the art of getting an individual or a group of people to do something wanted because the individual wants it done. Bacharach (2016) also maintains that leadership revolves around creating an inspiring vision of the future, motivating and inspiring people to engage with the established vision, managing delivery of the image and building a team towards achieving the same goal or vision.

In business management for instance according to Sethuraman and Suresh (2014), a vision should be an attractive, convincing and realistic depiction of where the organization and its leaders want to be in the future. Effective leadership must set direction, priorities and provide markers so that the organization can tell what it wants to achieve going forward. For the vision to be realistic, attractive and convincing, effective leaders must be adept in looking into the future, solving current problems while not being satisfied with their current situations. Once the vision has been developed, leaders must make them convincing and compelling.

Secondly, leadership must be supported by motivation and inspiration. A strong, attractive and compelling vision provides the strong foundation for leadership. However, the ability of a leader to inspire and motivate people helps them in delivering the vision. Management of the delivery of the vision is vital. Managing delivery of the vision is an aspect of leadership that directly relates to management. Effective leadership must ensure that the amount of work needed to deliver the vision is managed properly. The followers (or better-called team) must be constantly and continuously coached and built to achieve a common vision.

Leadership Theories

From the lecture notes and additional material, different leadership theories describe varied situations and styles of leadership based on the qualities of the leader. In this paper, I will discuss three leadership theories that have greatly influenced my thinking on leaders and leadership. More specifically, the paper will discuss three contemporary leadership theories: authentic leadership theory, servant leadership theory, and transformational leadership. Authentic leadership theory is relatively new and is focused on the leaders dealing in an honest and straightforward way with their teams or followers.

Genuine leadership theory has its roots in ancient Greek philosophy that is focused on the development of cardinal virtues. According to Wang et al. (2014), authentic leadership brings together the concept of authenticity coupled with positive psychology. The authors further explain that authentic leaders are a “process that draws from both a highly developed organizational context and psychological capacities, which results in both greater self-regulated and self-awareness positive behaviors on the part of leaders and their followers, which fosters positive self-development.”

Authentic leaders are considered genuine and real. As a theory, authentic leadership is still developing, but more research exists over the past few years because of peoples’ insecurity in leadership and their increasing desire to have honest and better leaders. There are dimensions of authentic leadership that are common among authentic leaders, especially in the context of developing leadership approaches. These dimensions are associated with observable features or characteristics; consistency and self-discipline, heart and compassion, purpose and passion, relationships and connectedness, and values and behavior.

People who are developing or have developed authentic leadership have a deep sense of purpose; they know their direction and where they are coming from. The purpose is often manifested in the form of passion, which makes people feel a deep interest and concern in the things they do. Such people are motivated intrinsically and inspired to achieve a common purpose, one which they deeply care about and spend a lot of time working on. Avolio and Walumbwa (2014) explain that authentic leadership comes with values.

Authentic leaders have a deep understanding of these values and cannot promise on any of these values. Value, as a quality manifests itself through the behavior of the leader, authentic leaders at all times will act in strict adherence and accordance with these values. Avolio and Walumbwa (2014) further ventilate that authentic leadership builds relationships with other people and have a connectedness with their followers. Authentic leaders are willing to listen to other people’s experiences and share their experiences with their followers.

Communication is key in building and maintaining relationships, and therefore such leaders place a lot of importance on frequently passing vital messages to other people, including their followers. Also, self-discipline counts in authentic leadership according to Wang, Sui, Luthans, Wang, and Wu (2014) who explain the need for authentic leaders to have exceptional focus and determination which is only possible through self-discipline. Self-disciplined and consistent leaders are capable of remaining consistent, calm and cool during stressful situations. For instance, implementing a new project or change can come with a lot of situations, stress, and confusion which often make leaders lose their cool (Avolio, & Walumbwa, 2014).

However, authentic leaders must be able to consistently keep their cool, stay focused and adjust to the needs of the changed environment. Authentic leadership requires a big heart which embodies compassion. The ability to be sensitive to the needs of other people and willingness to help people regardless of their past mistakes makes a leader authentic. Wang, Sui, Luthans, Wang, and Wu (2014) however explains that authentic leadership theory is in its infancy, implying that it lacks specific universal theories or answers to some questions.

The core or emphasis of authentic leadership theory is on the legitimacy of the leader and how the legitimacy can be strengthened through honest relationships with the followers or the subordinates (Avolio, & Walumbwa, 2014). In the contemporary society, authentic leadership borrows heavily from the concept of genuineness. Authentic leaders need a lot of honesty in their communication and action; they must show high levels of reliability, leaving no room for mind games or hidden agendas.

Servant leadership theory is a contemporary and recent theory of leadership that argues that the most effective leaders serve their followers or their people- they are servants of their followers. Servant leaders according to Washington, Sutton and Sauser Jr. (2014) are capable of getting results for their organizations or groups through whole-hearted attention to the needs of the followers. Unlike several leadership models or approaches, offering numerous suggestions on how executive leaders can motivate and influence those lower in the hierarchy, servant leadership theory puts a lot of emphasis on ethical practices, empathy, trust and collaboration (Washington, Sutton, & Sauser Jr, 2014).

The leader must exhibit servant hood- leading from a deep desire to better serve other people and not to attain or cling to more power. The theory assumes that if leaders are capable of focusing on the desires and needs of their followers, then the latter eventually reciprocate through better performance, deeper engagement and increased teamwork. Robert Greenleaf initially presented the servant leadership theory in his 1970 essay dubbed, “The Servant as Leader.”

From this time, however, several different theorists have contributed to the modern understanding of servant leadership (Washington, Sutton, & Sauser Jr, 2014). For instance, Larry Spears outlines the most important features or characteristics of servant leadership and leaders through an analysis of Greenleaf’s writings. The ten features include the ability to listen, empathy, conceptualization, persuasion, deep awareness, healing, and commitment to the growth of other people, stewardship, conceptualization, foresight and the ability to build the community. Servant leaders must demonstrate a deeper understanding and ability to commit to the growth of other people. In so doing, they exhibit empathy, persuasion, and stewardship (Liden, Wayne, Liao, & Meuser, 2014).

Servant leadership theory is very popular amongst the Christian population, especially leaders in the Christian faith who cite Jesus Christ more often as the penultimate example of a servant leader. However, while it has found acceptance and followership in many quarters, servant leadership is attracting a lot of debate from business management or organizational leadership perspective. According to Liden, Wayne, Liao, and Meuser (2014), servant leadership is not active within an organizational context because such leaders are likely to become extremely focused on the needs of the followers that the essential needs of the organization may suffer consequentially.

Thirdly, transformational leadership theory embraces the approach of causing a change in social systems and individuals. In the ideal form, transformational leadership creates positive and valuable change in the followers with the end objective of developing those lower in the hierarchy to become leaders (Muenjohn, & Armstrong, 2015). Enacted in the authentic form, transformational leadership theory enhances the motivation, performance, and morale of followers through several mechanisms. Such mechanisms include connecting the sense of identity of the follower and their self to the collective identity of the organization for instance.

Transformational leaders must play the role of role models for their followers that are capable of inspiring them; challenging those lower in the hierarchy to take more significant ownership of what they do and understand the weaknesses and strengths of their followers. Transformational leadership has four major components which are essential for this discussion: individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation, inspirational motivation and idealized influence (Muenjohn, & Armstrong, 2015). Individualized concern describes the degree to which leaders attend to the needs of their followers, mentor or coaches the followers, and listen to the needs and interests of the follower.

Transformational leaders offer support and empathy, keeps communication channels open and places the mounting challenges before the followers. Also, transformational leadership encompasses the need for extended respect to the followers and ability to celebrate the individual contribution that each follower is capable of making to the team. The followers have aspirations and the will for self-development and have intrinsic motivation for their roles or tasks (Muenjohn, & Armstrong, 2015). Intellectual stimulation describes the degree to which the leader can challenge assumptions, take high-level risks and solicit ideas from the followers.

Leaders with the transformational leadership style encourage and stimulate creativity in the followers. They can nurture and develop people who are independent thinkers. For such leaders, learning is an important value, and unexpected situations are viewed as chances or opportunities for learning (Northouse, 2017). The followers ask vital questions, think deeply about situations and make effective decisions on the better ways of executing their roles.

Inspirational motivation is another component which enables transformational leaders to articulate their vision that is of great appeal and inspiration to the followers. Such leaders are capable of challenging their followers with higher standards, communicate optimism about their future objectives and goals, and provide meaning for the roles being executed (Northouse, 2017). From such motivation, followers have massive sense of purpose if they are to be motivated to act.

Leadership Style and Strengths

People have different leadership styles. I believe in the ability to set a common vision which can be followed by the rest of the people, which means I am a transformational leader. As a transformational leader, I possess some key strengths that have enabled my success in different areas of influence. Firstly, being a fast thinker and with the ability to formulate visions, I can access current situations either in teams or organizations and formulate a vision for its overall growth and improvement. I can communicate the vision or common goal effectively and efficiently to another cadre of leaders in my teams and to all followers to get everyone on board (Muenjohn, & Armstrong, 2015).

Secondly, being a transformational leader, I believe in promoting enthusiasm in my work environment or around teams I work with. An enthusiastic work environment encourages and drives an organization with innovations and changes. Thirdly, my vision as a transformational leader aligns perfectly well with the ability to inspire and motivate (Northouse, 2017). With my strong passion for change and transformation, I am capable of influencing and inspiring my followers to optimize their performance.

When going through challenging times, such leaders heavily depend on their passion for helping in selling their vision and getting followers headed towards a common course or direction. According to McCleskey (2014), transformational leaders can inspire their followers by developing a shared vision or goal towards which they strive. I believe in lifting other people. Just like transformational leaders most of the time do their best to work in environments or organizations with low morale, I believe in strengthening people who feel subdued by life experiences or situations they cannot control.

My style of leadership is based on the following important pillars: creating an inspiring vision of the future, motivating people to buy into the vision and deliver it, efficiently managing the execution and delivery of the idea, and building trust-based and stronger relationships with the followers (Northouse, 2017). I believe that people need a substantial and compelling reason to follow my lead, and this is why there is need to create and effectively communicate an inspiring vision which predicts the future.

Secondly, I believe in motivating people to share the vision and deliver it. The followers must have the vision and embrace its delivery. The followers’ values must be in agreement with the vision and embrace its implementation. Thirdly, managing the delivery of the vision and the original goal is important. A vision can only be efficiently implemented if the rest of the team own it and putting the mundane work of ensuring it has been delivered (Northouse, 2017).

From an organizational perspective, to manage the delivery of the vision efficiently, sensitive change management must be combined with effective project management. Building long lasting and trust-based relationships with the followers is vital in putting a lot of focus on the people and working hard to help them achieve their set goals and objectives.

Followership

Followership is often used to describe the other side of leadership. For leaders to efficiently perform and have a supportive team committed to the vision or goal that has been set, effective followership is critical (Liden, Wayne, Liao, & Meuser, 2014). Effective followership is a critical component of leadership because it can either decide the success or failure of an organization. It is important to note that leadership implies followership; no one can lead if no one is following. Secondly, followers and leaders must work closely together to establish a productive relationship based on trust and progress.

Proponents of active followership recognize that subordinates or followers play a significant role in leadership success, especially from an organizational perspective. It is never about the leader alone. A lot of emphases is often placed on the leader alone without understanding the role of followers in the process. Effective followership can be encouraged based on the following pillars; trust, stability, compassion, and hope. Building trust is an important pillar of trust (Liden, Wayne, Liao, & Meuser, 2014). Through everyday behavior, followers must show evidence that they are people who can be trusted. Leaders often place a lot of trust on their followers to deliver and execute their mandate.

To be an effective follower, leaders must have a lot of faith and confidence in the ability to execute roles without any form of micromanagement. Secondly, stability is an essential component of effective followership. Followers must exhibit the ability to remain calm in the face of panic and give a sense of confidence to their leaders. Thirdly, effective followership requires the willingness to learn, accept mistakes and embrace correction (Washington, Sutton, & Sauser Jr, 2014). Most times people make mistakes, but they fail to own their failures. To be effective followers, people must admit mistakes and own negligence, and embrace correction so that such errors do not reoccur.

Leadership Lessons and Enhancing Leadership Effectiveness

Throughout the course, I have gathered valuable information and lessons that will help in interacting with people going forward, especially in the sphere of leadership. The class has been loaded with vital lessons on effective leadership, ways of improving leadership effectiveness and methods of connecting better with the followers. Firstly, I have learned the value of active and open communication as a pillar of any leadership style. In any environment-public administration, community service or even business, knowledge is power.

Great leaders according to Bacharach (2016) ensure that every person around them; employees or followers from the bottom to the top of the hierarchy get up-to-date and complete information about important issues that touch on organizational effectiveness. However, most leaders often fail to establish a two-way channel of communication where both sides can listen to one another. Those lower in the hierarchy should feel confident that anything they say will be promptly addressed and any complaints will not be punished or used against them.

From the lesson notes, effective leaders encourage communication from the lower cadre of staff as a way of promoting openness and transparency. Secondly, I have learned the significance of supporting and facilitating my team or followers. For people to do the best work, leaders must provide a supportive environment that not only allows them to speak up about their challenges but also addresses any risks that are likely to come in their line of work (Syed & Hauer, 2017). For instance, in a manufacturing plant, the general manager must ensure that the working environment is safe for the staff and that they can tell the truth without being victimized or punished.

Supporting the team in every dimension creates a culture of positivity and confidence in the group. Thirdly, I have learned the significance of inspiring action in my squad or followers. According to Syed and Hauer (2017), painting a vision for that future can motivate the team or followers to do anything needed to get results, especially in an organizational context.

Creating a vision is not enough. Effective leadership needs people who are capable of inspiring action and managing the painted concept to successful delivery. Liden, Wayne, Liao and Meuser (2014) explains that effective leaders not only clear way organizational challenges that constrain the teams’ initiative and true innovation, but also creates a positive energy that enables the success of the team. Being optimist and having confidence in the team promotes achievement. People want to work with leaders who are capable of lifting them into the clouds instead of dragging them into the mud.

Inspiring action requires an optimistic attitude where people work towards achieving a common goal or success but with a lot of determination and commitment. Integrity is key in the entire process (Syed & Hauer, 2017). Based on these key lessons, my thinking around the subject of leadership has been transformed in a great way. As opposed to the past, I now believe that people can be inspired to become effective followers and enhance their followership traits. Based on these lessons, there are two specific actions that I will take to enhance my leadership effectiveness.

Firstly, I will communicate more and better. The value two-way communication cannot be underestimated in enhancing effective leadership, especially when dealing with people from diverse grounds. My communication will be supported by a great deal of listening and humility, where the followers feel respected and greatly appreciated. Listening and acting on people’s prompts make them feel valued and treasured within an organizational setup and therefore is an essential component of effective leadership.

Secondly, I will inspire confidence and motivation in the people I lead. People want to be associated with those who can encourage them to action and motivate them to climb the ladders of success. As a result, driving the followers is an essential pillar in creating a successful team capable of taking risks.

References

Avolio, B. J., & Walumbwa, F. O. (2014). 16 Authentic Leadership Theory, Research and Practice: Steps Taken and Steps that Remain. The Oxford handbook of leadership and organizations, 331.

Bacharach, S. (2016). Leadership without Presumptions: Lessons from Eisenhower.

Liden, R. C., Wayne, S. J., Liao, C., & Meuser, J. D. (2014). Servant leadership and serving culture: Influence on individual and unit performance. Academy of Management Journal, 57(5), 1434-1452.

McCleskey, J. A. (2014). Situational, transformational, and transactional leadership and leadership development. Journal of Business Studies Quarterly, 5(4), 117.

Muenjohn, N., & Armstrong, A. (2015). Transformational leadership: The influence of culture on the leadership behaviours of expatriate managers. international Journal of Business and information, 2(2).

Northouse, P. G. (2017). Introduction to leadership: Concepts and practice. Sage Publications.

Sethuraman, K., & Suresh, J. (2014). Effective leadership styles. International Business Research, 7(9), 165.

Syed, S. J. A. N. B., & Hauer, G. (2017). Effective leadership in a turbulent organisational environment. International Journal of Supply Chain Management, 6(2), 133-139.

Wang, H., Sui, Y., Luthans, F., Wang, D., & Wu, Y. (2014). Impact of authentic leadership on performance: Role of followers' positive psychological capital and relational processes. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 35(1), 5-21.

Washington, R. R., Sutton, C. D., & Sauser Jr, W. I. (2014). How distinct is servant leadership theory? Empirical comparisons with competing theories. Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics, 11(1), 11.