Leadership Styles

There are many types of leaders and many types of leadership styles. For this workshop, we pulled from the research of Kouzes and Posners The Leadership Challenge (2002), in which they identified five practices of exemplary leaders. To find out which leadership practice you are most comfortable working with, take the survey below:

Please take a few moments to read the questions on the below and fill in the grid with a rating from 1 to 10.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30.

Are you constantly asking what can I learn? Do you develop cooperative/networking relationships? Do you find thinking about future trends influences your work? Are you clear about your philosophy of leadership? Do you give team members appreciation and support? Do you look to others/other groups for innovative ways to improve? Is how a person approaches a team/work project important to you? Do you show others how their interests/goals can be realized? Do you ask people for feedback on how your actions are affecting them? Do you praise people for a job well done? Are you really big on setting goals and sticking to them? Do you truly support others decisions? Are you able to really describe a plan/vision for the future? Do you always set a personal example? Do you recognize peoples commitment to shared values? Are you constantly looking for ways to challenge yourself/test your limits? Do you make sure people have the opportunity to grow in jobs/experiences? Do you want others to see and share in a dream for the future? Is it important to you that people adhere to agreed-upon standards? Are you constantly looking for ways to celebrate accomplishments? Do you often experiment and take risks? Do you actively listen to diverse points well? Are you able to describe the big picture well? (ie. For a goal or new project) Is it important to you to build consensus around decisions? Do you creatively reward people for a job well done? Do you find yourself challenging people to try new things/approaches? Do you treat everyone with dignity and respect no matter how different? Do you speak with great conviction about the meaning of work? Do you always follow through on promises and commitments? Do you express confidence in peoples abilities?

ANSWERS The rating scale from 1 to 10 1 = Almost Never 2 = Rarely 3 = Seldom 4 = Once in a while 5 = Occasionally 6 = Sometimes 9 = Very Frequently 10 = Almost Always

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CP

EO

IS

MW

EH

When finished filling in the grid, add the column down. The column with the highest score is the leadership practice you most closely identify with. CP is Challenge the Process EO is Enabling Others to Act IS is Inspiring a Shared Vision MW is Modeling the Way EH is Encouraging the Heart

Inspire a Shared Vision

Inspire a Shared Vision at the movies Gandhi, Mad Hot Ballroom, School of Rock, Glory, Jerry Maguire, Life is Beautiful, Braveheart, Finding Neverland, Primary Colors, Joel Barker on Vision, Born into Brothels, Twelve Angry Men, Norma Rae.

Leaders inspire a shared vision. They gaze across the horizon of time, imagining the attractive opportunities that are in store when they and their group arrive at distant destinations. What does your vision look like? Human memory is stored in images. If you ask people to think about Paris and about what comes to mind, they dont quote stats, they describe pictures

Effective teams are ones that know what they are aiming for. Think back to a recent group or team and ask yourself the questions to the right. Did you know, clearly, what the goals of your team or project was? Did you inspire a shared vision?

QUESTIONS

What were the goals of the group? Was everyone on the same page about what the final outcome should be? Did team members feel that they were an integral part of working towards the groups shared vision? Was there a driving force behind the group? Can you identify a point in time when you felt your group was all moving in the same direction, together, as one?

Strategies for Inspiring a Shared Vision Get to know group members you cant inspire others if you dont know them Think about your past who are the people that have inspired you? Write your vision statement there is power in putting things down in writing and having a solid representation of where your group is going. Decide to care you can only inspire others if you yourself are inspired. Become a futurist dont get so bogged down in the details of today that you lose sight of your goals Speak from the heart be open, honest, and excited with your team. Expand your communication skills if you dont normally put yourself out there, give yourself a nudge.
From Kouzes and Posners The Leadership Challenge (2002)

Encourage the Heart

Encourage the Heart at the movies Radio, Hoosiers, Shawshank Redemption, E.T., Rudy, School of Rock, Million Dollar Baby, Glory, Good Morning Vietnam, Miracle, Big Fish, In America, Forrest Gump, Legally Blond, Patch Adams, Primary Colors

Leaders encourage the heart of their team members to carry on. Genuine acts of caring uplift the spirits and draw people forward. Leaders make people winners, and winning people like to up the ante, raise the standards, and explore uncharted territory. Leaders recognize and reward what individuals do to contribute to vision and values. Leaders enjoy being spontaneous and creative in saying thank you, whether by sending notes, handling out personalized prizes, listening without interrupting, or trying out a lot of types of recognition

In any group, there might be a daunting task or a tough time ahead. Here are some questions to ponder when you are working in any group, but especially when team members may need a boost to continue to feel motivated and valued. Do you encourage the heart?

QUESTIONS

How do group members know their work is valued? How do group members know that they are valued, independent of the work theyve done for the group? Who is the first to say thank you? In what ways would you want to be recognized for a job well done? Is praise part of the groups norms? Do you focus on those who are doing things right? Do group members know you think they can achieve high expectations?

Strategies for Encouraging the Heart Schedule celebrations theyre worth making time for and sometimes were so busy that scheduling things is the only way to make sure it gets done. Install a public bragging board this can be any list of accomplishments Create a commemorative award honoring exemplary actions its great to have something tangible for members to take away. Demonstrate caring by being available for team members. Show passion and compassion. Be a cheerleader your way Find a style that works for you and use it. Not all of us our bubbly. You dont need to be, as long as youre genuine. Celebrate not only accomplishments but values too group members sometimes need to know that its not just their work you value, but their views, thoughts, values, opinions, suggestions, etc. too.

From Kouzes and Posners The Leadership Challenge (2002)

Enable Others to Act

Exemplary leaders enable others to act. They foster collaboration and build trust. This sense of teamwork goes far beyond a few group members or close confidants. Leaders know that if people dont have important opportunities to put their talents to good use, theyll wind up frustrated. To strengthen others, leaders place their constituents, not themselves, at the center of solving critical problems and contributing to key goals.
Think back to one of the last groups you were in or felt connected to. Ask yourself these questions about your role in the group. Do you enable others to act? Enabling Others to Act at the movies Star Wars IV, Gandhi, The Karate Kid, Shawshank Redemption, Norma Rae, School of rock, Hotel Rwanda, Million Dollar Baby, Glory, Remember the Titans, Miracle, Gladiator, Braveheart, Matrix, Primary Colors, Sister Act, and Cry Freedom.

QUESTIONS

Did you say we instead of I? Were you the first to trust in a group? Did you ask the questions or get asked the questions? Did you utilize the individual expertise in your group? Did you focus more on gains or losses? Did you reshape the negative into opportunities? Did you create places and opportunities for informal interactions?

Strategies to Enable Others to Act: Offer visible support offer yourself as a resource, not a work horse. Assign critical tasks break down the tasks that need to be done and spread the wealth. Enrich peoples jobs give team members tasks that they are interested in on a personal level. Stop talking and start building at meetings encourage others to step up by not always being the one out in front. Enlarge peoples sphere of influence empower others to make decisions, and then support those decisions. Give more information a good leader isnt the member of the group who knows everything, a good leader is the member of the group that makes sure everyone knows everything.
From Kouzes and Posners The Leadership Challenge (2002)

Model the Way

Leaders know that if they want to gain commitment and achieve the highest standards, they must be models of the behavior they expect of others. Leaders must model the way. Voice encompasses words and speech. Theres the message we want to deliver, and then theres the expression of that message. Are we walking the walk as we talk the talk?
Model the Way at the movies To Kill a Mockingbird, Star Wars IV, Gandhi, Schindlers List, The Karate Kid, Rudy, Thirteen Days, Hotel Rwanda, Million Dollar Baby, Glory, Remember the Titans, Gladiator, Braveheart, Saving Private Ryan

Leaders are more than just the person delegating tasks. Think about a team or group you were on recently where you noticed the way that work was being distributed among all team members. Where did the majority of the workload go? Did you model the way?

QUESTIONS

Was there an inequality between the amount of work that needs to get done and the way that work was distributed between group members?

Was the leader(s) of the group right there? Was there more walking or talking? Did you know what your personal values were and how the work of the group fit into those values?

Did you lead by example?

Strategies for Modeling the Way Take time for contemplation do you know how you feel about your role in the team? Do you know what your values are? Know what the values of the group are put those values into action as you work within your group Set an example its easy to get frustrated, its harder to translate the frustration into being the change you want to see. Start small for big success you dont have to be the rock-star of the group to be a valued leader. Know what you are passionate about and live your passion through your work.
From Kouzes and Posners The Leadership Challenge (2002)

Challenge the Process

Challenge the Process at the movies Norma Rae, Mona Lisa Smile, Dead Poets Society, Philadelphia, Erin Brockovich, Gandhi, Schindlers List, Murderball, Thirteen Days, Project X, Remember the Titans, Jerry Maguire, Kinsey, The Lord of the Rings, Calendar Girls, Billy Elliot Were all ideas considered? When something wasnt working, did anyone suggest starting again with a new strategy? Was the group more concerned about doing things the same way theyve done it in the past? Did everyone in the group feel comfortable admitting mistakes, and trying new techniques? Was there a willingness to give a new idea a try? Were you able to set aside your pre-conceived notions of a task?

Leaders are Pioneers people who are willing to step out into the unknown. They search for opportunities to innovate, grow and inspire. Leaders are experimenters; they experiment with new approaches to all problems. A major leadership task involves identifying and removing self-imposed constraints and organizational conventions that block innovation and creativity.

QUESTIONS

Leaders dont just rest on their laurels. Think about a group or team you were in where you might have needed to mix things up a little to tackle a tough obstacle and answer the questions to the left. Do you challenge the process?

Strategies for Challenging the Process Set up little experiments and develop models changes dont have to be drastic to make an impact. Make it safe for others to experiment if you wait around for the perfect idea to occur to you, youre potentially missing the great ideas that our occurring to those around you. Break mindsets get out of the trap of thinking that there is only one right way of doing things. Give people choices leadership isnt about following through on the idea you think is best, its about empowering those around you to feel like they have a real say in decisions. Admit mistakes and then focus on the solution, not the problem. Conduct pre- and post- assessments for every project and make notes that the will help next time. Gather feedback while its still fresh if you wait too long to evaluate how youve done, group members may not remember all the suggestions they had for making your team even stronger.

From Kouzes and Posners The Leadership Challenge (2002)