LEADERSHIP SKILLS

SELF-STUDY SCRIPT
This project is financed by the UK Government.
Managers manage tasks, leaders develop people.
I. Leading with Values 5
YOUR LEADERSHIP ROLES

II. What is a Leader? 7

ELEPHANT AND THE BLIND MEN
ISHAK ADIZEZ: WHAT IS A LEADER?

III. Qualities of a Good Leader 14

BUILDING EXCELLENCE
TRAITS OF A GOOD LEADER
LEADERSHIP SELF-ASSESSMENT

IV. Situational Leadership 18

YOUR LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOUR
ASSESSING DEVELOPMENT LEVEL OF AN INDIVIDUAL
BUILDING COMPETENCE AND COMMITMENT
LEADERSHIP STYLES
MAPPING LEADERSHIP TO DEVELOPMENT LEVEL

V. Leadership and Human Behaviour 22

MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS
EXPANSION OF THE PYRAMID
CHARACTERISTICS OF SELF-ACTUALIZING PEOPLE

VI. Motivating Others 25

GOING BEYOND MASLOW
HERZBERG’S HYGIENE AND MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS
WHY DO PEOPLE NOT PERFORM WELL?
WHAT DO PEOPLE WANT FROM THEIR JOBS?

VII. Inspiring Leaders 29

McGREGOR’S THEORY X AND THEORY Y

VIII. Leadership Tools: Coaching and Decision Making 30

COACHING
DECISION MAKING
CONSISTENCY AND FEEDBACK
THE BASIS OF RAPPORT

IX. Life Giving Feedback 35

THE GIFT OF FEEDBACK
SET OF STATEMENTS
INTERVIEW
Leading with Values I.
◊ You don’t lead by pointing and telling people some place to go. You lead by going to that place
and making a case.
Ken Kesey

YOUR LEADERSHIP ROLES

In this activity we would like to encourage you as leaders to think about your daily leadership role.

Then quickly write down key words that come to your mind when you think of those roles (listed below).
These key words should reflect how you perceive yourself when performing each role. Complete the
chart below and then use the key words to write a leadership statement that characterizes your approach
to leadership.

You may want to add a role that you perform but is not listed below.1

Leader Roles Key Words

Problem solver e.g. successful, creative,

solution
Referee (settles interpersonal issues)

Process Manager (ensures that goals are met)

Procurer (finds and manages resources)

Visionary

Crisis Manager

Motivator

Task Master (good at delegating and performing tasks)

Counsellor (helps with personal issues)

Risk Taker

Conduct a customer satisfaction survey

1
Leadership Activities and Exercises, Reality Check: www.workshopexercises.com

Self-Study Script 5
I.
WRITE A LEADERSHIP STATEMENT THAT CHARACTERIZES YOUR APPROACH TO LEADERSHIP:

SUITCASE ACTIVITY

In each corner of the suitcase please write:

a. What do I like most about my current job?

b. What’s my leadership experience, either as manager or team member?

c. What am I looking forward to most about the course?

Leadership Skills 6
What is a Leader? II.
◊ Leader is a thumb
Ishak Adizez

ELEPHANT AND THE BLIND MEN

Summary:
The story introduces the idea that all of us have a piece of the puzzle and there is value in the many
different ways we view the world

Approach:
1. Share the below story with the group

Once upon a time, there lived six blind men in a village. One day the villagers told them, “Hey, there is an
elephant in the village today.”

They had no idea what an elephant is. They decided, “Even though we would not be able to see it, let us
go and feel it anyway.” All of them went where the elephant was. Every one of them touched the elephant.

• “Hey, the elephant is a pillar,” said the first man who touched his leg.
• “Oh, no! It is like a rope,” said the second man who touched the tail.
• “Oh, no! It is like a thick branch of a tree,” said the third man who touched the trunk of the elephant.
• “It is like a big hand fan” said the fourth man who touched the ear
• of the elephant.
• “It is like a huge wall,” said the fifth man who touched the belly of the elephant.
• “It is like a solid pipe,” Said the sixth man who touched the tusk of
• the elephant.

They began to argue about the elephant and every one of them insisted that he was right, they began to
shout louder out their perspective louder and louder…

1. What does this story tell us about the value of different perspectives?

i.e. The moral of the story is that all of us have a piece of the puzzle, there is a value in the many multiple
realities through which we see the world. The blind men disagreed and fell into arguing but all of them had
something to offer in understanding what an elephant looks like. This indicates how through sharing and
reflecting we can learn together.2

2
British Council Active Citizens Facilitators’ Manual

Self-Study Script 7
II.
ISHAK ADIZEZ: WHAT IS A LEADER? (TRANSCRIPT)

Part 1:
By Changing Terminology we are not Changing a Concept

Good day.

The word leadership is very much in vogue today. There are many books written about leadership, and what
makes a good leader, and that we all need to be leaders, and some people are born leaders or how do you
develop leaders. It is a subject that preoccupies us a lot.

But I would like to give a word of warning. In my judgement, this is another fad. We have seen the word
“management” change over the years. At the beginning the process was called “administration”. That’s why
the first books in management were about administration and the first journal in the field was “Administrative
Science Quarterly”. Administration.

But then when administration didn’t produce the desired results, the word administration was relegated to
some middle management. To the bureaucrats. They still are administrators. And a new word was created –
“management”. That’s why many business schools changed their names from Graduate School of Business
Administration to Graduate School of Management. Because it was found that administration is only a piece
of the action and what we really need to amplify and to understand the concept in a much wider way.

That didn’t work either. The management process did not produce the results that were expected so a new
fad emerged. And it’s the word executive, CEO, Chief Executive Officer. Executive Programmes. Executive
development and training. And the word management now was relegated to middle management. They are
just management - they are not executives. The executives are on a much higher level.

The words have changed - you see. Now the word “executive” is not doing well either, is it? So now the new
word has emerged – Leadership. What we really need is: Leadership.

I am suggesting to you: it is the same lady in a different dress. We have not changed the paradigm of our
thinking. We are still individualizing and personifying the process of management. And we believe that by
changing the name, when amplifying the concept, we are actually changing the phenomenon. Well, we are
not.

Whether it is an administrator, executive, manager or leader the paradigm is still staying the same and
that’s why it won’t work. And what is not working?

The expectation that a single individual can manage anything.

Leadership Skills 8
 II.
ISHAK ADIZEZ: WHAT IS A LEADER? (TRANSCRIPT)

Part 2:
About Complementary Teams

It’s difficult being a single parent. We need a complementary team in our marriage in order to raise our
children healthy. Same thing is true for organization – you need a complementary team. The outstanding
leader, manager, executive, Prime minister, spouse, parent child does not exist. There is nothing perfect. If
anything is perfect, don’t hold your breath – it’s only for a short term. Everything because of change has
strength and weaknesses; everything has its false somewhere. That is natural – that is normal. Nobody can
be outstanding on every subject in every situation, forever.

So who is this righteous person that is always right? That is impeccable. Never makes mistake? That’s too
much to expect, is it? Every human being has its strengths and their weaknesses.

But the managerial job – the job of leading an organization, the job of making an organization to be effective
and efficient in the short and long run, to be healthy is far complicated for every single individual to do. So
what do we need? We need a complementary team.

I already said it in another segment. Look at whom did you marry. You married a complementary team. You
fell in love with your own weaknesses that come as strength in the other person.

But, that means what? That we are different. We think differently and in some segments in this program I’ll
tell you how these differences work and what to do about it, but the essence is, we need each other, but
we don’t like it.

Why? Because we are different. We think differently. We have different needs. Different expectations.
Different styles of making decisions. And that creates a lot of conflict.

Self-Study Script 9
II.
ISHAK ADIZEZ: WHAT IS A LEADER? (TRANSCRIPT)

Part 3:
Leader is a Thumb

So now, what do we do? What is a leader?

Please look at my hand. Do you see that the hand has five different fingers. Five different fingers. And we
need the five different fingers in order to get a hand because every finger does something different than
another finger. If you had five fingers like the pointing finger, would you have a good hand? It’s the best
finger there is. No! You would not have a good hand. Because you need things that this finger can do that
this finger cannot do.

In another segment, I have also told you that in the Middle East, when the five fingers are together that’s
called “a hamsa”. That’s a blessing. When the five fingers are separate that’s a curse. So if you put it in front
of somebody’s face (fingers separate) – you are actually cursing them. What is the difference between a
blessing and a curse? Probably two inches: are we different and together? - That’s a blessing. Or are we
different and separate? - That’s a curse.

So what is the role of leadership then?

Look at my hand. Which finger is the most important one? Thumb. You know why? Because the thumb is
what makes a hand, it’s the only finger that works with other finger. If you don’t have a thumb, you don’t have
a hand. As a matter of fact if you have lost your thumb by some accident, a surgeon will have to break your
healthy finger to make it perform like a thumb so that you can have a hand. You know what the leadership
is? Being a leader is being a thumb. Make us work together. Make our differences work as a hand.

Please, so many people think that leadership is pointing finger: do this! Do this! Pointing. Telling people
what to do. That’s also a leadership. No question about it. But it’s only appropriate for a start-up. Or
under tremendous time pressure, or very risky situations. Somebody has to say: “Stop talking. Time is too
expensive. The cost of time is higher than the value that we are getting out of it. Do something”. Let’s be
approximately right than precisely wrong. That’s ok. That’s leadership.

But for a Prime Organization that is not under some crisis, a normal situations, this is leadership: thumb – to
get the different people to work together. To cross-pollinate, to enrich each other with their different points
of view. It’s like a group of people that are blind describing an elephant. Each one of them feels a piece. By
communicating they can see the total picture. And that’s what we need in management.

None of us is outstanding. None of us can do everything. What we really need is to work with each other. To
complement each other. Then the totality is stronger than the parts.

Leadership Skills 10
 II.
ISHAK ADIZEZ: WHAT IS A LEADER? (TRANSCRIPT)

Part 4:
Making Differences Work Together

How does the leader do that? How do you make the differences work together?

What I found out is what makes a difference between a constructive and destructive conflict – why some
conflicts end up in an “I can’t stand you anymore” syndrome, “I can’t work with you”. It’s very destructive. It
robs us of energy. We cannot handle it anymore. And why in another situation a conflict is really constructive.
You feel invigorated, energized, you learn something. You are appreciative of the difference, you appreciate
what you learn. There is even a Zen expression that says “if all people think alike none of them is thinking
too hard”.

When you walk into the meeting and everybody says: “I agree, I agree”, nobody is thinking too hard. When
do you start thinking? When people disagree with you.

You know some ethnic groups are extremely smart, but pay attention to what is happening to those ethnic
groups. They constantly challenge each other. They constantly disagree with each other. Jewish people
are one of them. They disagree on anything. They will always try to find out the hole in your argument to
disagree with you. That makes you think, that makes you constantly think. It’s not a very easy way to live, but
you constantly think, you constantly move you wheels. When people disagree, they think harder. But how to
make the disagreement and thinking harder not to be exhausting, disruptive, discouraging, dysfunctional. It
is by having a culture of Mutual Trust and Respect.

Self-Study Script 11
II.
ISHAK ADIZEZ: WHAT IS A LEADER? (TRANSCRIPT)

Part 5:
Culture of Mutual Trust and Respect

And what does it really mean? What does it mean Mutual Respect?

Let’s start with Mutual Respect. It is not how nicely you speak, and how you smile and listen and look the
person in the eye. I mean, some people, you just want to kill them. They speak very nicely, but you see
the big teeth behind it. I mean, I’ve seen these in the faculty meetings, when I was a professor, when the
professor was starting a meeting and saying “May I disagree with my learned colleague.” Wow. You know
that the guy is pulling a knife to stab you with.

So it’s not the tone of voice. It helps, but it’s not it. That’s not the essence. And I was looking for many years
– what is the essence? What does really respect mean. I found it with the philosopher Emmanuel Kant, who
says: “Respect means to recognize the sovereignty of the other person to be different.”

Let’s go over it very slowly. To recognize the sovereignty, what does it mean? Undeniable right of the other
person to think differently. When do we show disrespect to somebody? When we say “How can you think
like that? How can you say that? It’s unbelievable. This is idiotic, this is totally inappropriate!” What are
you really saying to the other person? “Don’t you dare to think differently. You must think like me.” That’s
showing disrespect.

Respect means to accept that the other person has the right to think differently. It doesn’t mean you have
to agree with them, but you give them space to think differently. That’s respect. And what is trust? Trust
is not synonymous with respect. Most people think “Oh, it is one and the same.” It isn’t. Trust is when you
believe, you have faith that the other person has your interest at heart. You trust those people that have
your interest – when you share interest, when there is common interest. That’s why with a person you trust
you can turn your back to them. Why can you turn your back to them? Because, since we share the same
interest, if they stab you, they actually stab themselves. That’s why you can trust them. That having your
interest at heart. They are not going to hurt you, because hurting you is hurting themselves.

I trust people that share my interest. I respect people I learn from. If two people think alike or identically –
one of them is unnecessary. Talk to yourself – what do you need the other person for?

So what is a leader? A leader has to make the different fingers work together like a hand. A leader has to
make differences work synergistically. So we kind
of enrich each other with our differences, we learn from each other. How does he do that? That is the role
the leader has to perform. And how does he or she do it? By creating and nurturing a culture of Mutual
Trust and Respect.

Leadership Skills 12
 II.
That’s how you raise your children too: the children are different – how do you make a family out of different
styles? You and your spouse are different, the children are different – this can be a mess, can it not be? How
do you make a family out of it? There must be Mutual Trust and Respect. We must respect our differences
and we must share the common interest as a family. And the same thing is true for a company.

May I suggest you the same is true for a country – if you are a Prime Minister, that’s the most important thing
you have to work on. How to create a culture in your country where Mutual Trust and Respect dominate?
Because when the trust and respect is gone that’s when the dysfunctions, the conflicts are enormous and
the country gets stymied or even disappears as a country.

Thank you very much.3

3
Ishak Adizez, video: What is a Leader?

Self-Study Script 13
III. Qualities of a Good Leader
◊ Leaders do not command excellence, they build excellence.

BUILDING EXCELLENCE

Leaders do not command excellence, they build excellence. Excellence is “being all you can be” within
the bounds of doing what is right for your organization. To reach excellence you must first be a leader of
good character. You must do everything you are supposed to do. Organizations will not achieve excellence
by figuring out where it wants to go, then having leaders do whatever they have to in order to get the job
done, and then hope their leaders acted with good character. This type of thinking is backwards. Pursuing
excellence should not be confused with accomplishing a job or task. When you do planning, you do it by
backwards planning. But you do not achieve excellence by backwards planning. Excellence starts with
leaders of good and strong character who engage in the entire process of leadership. And the first process
is being a person of honourable character.

Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.
Marcus Aurelius

Character develops over time. Many think that much of a person’s character is formed early in life. However,
we do not know exactly how much or how early character develops. But, it is safe to claim that character
does not change quickly. A person’s observable behaviour is an indication of her character. This behaviour
can be strong or weak, good or bad. A person with strong character shows drive, energy, determination,
self-discipline, willpower, and nerve. She sees what she wants and goes after it. She attracts followers. On
the other hand, a person with weak character shows none of these traits. She does not know what she
wants. Her traits are disorganized, she vacillates and is inconsistent. She will attract no followers.

A strong person can be good or bad. A gang leader is an example of a strong person with a bad character,
while an outstanding community leader is one with both strong and good characteristics. An organization
needs leaders with both strong and good characteristics, people who will guide them to the future and
show that they can be trusted.

Courage — not complacency — is our need today. Leadership not salesmanship.

John F. Kennedy

To be an effective leader, your followers must have trust in you and they need to be sold on your vision.
Korn-Ferry International, an executive search company, performed a survey on what organizations want
from their leaders. The respondents said they wanted people who were both ethical and who convey a
strong vision of the future. In any organization, a leader’s actions set the pace. This behaviour wins trust,
loyalty, and ensures the organization’s continued vitality. One of the ways to build trust is to display a good
sense of character composed of beliefs, values, skills, and traits (U.S. Army Handbook, 1973):

Leadership Skills 14
 III.
Beliefs are what we hold dear to us and are rooted deeply within us. They could be assumptions or
convictions that you hold true regarding people, concepts, or things. They could be the beliefs about life,
death, religion, what is good, what is bad, what is human nature, etc.

Values are attitudes about the worth of people, concepts, or things. For example, you might value a good
car, home, friendship, personal comfort, or relatives. Values are important as they influence a person’s
behaviour to weigh the importance of alternatives. For example, you might value friends more than privacy,
while others might be the opposite.

Skills are the knowledge and abilities that a person gains throughout life. The ability to learn a new skill
varies with each individual. Some skills come almost naturally, while others come only by complete devotion
to study and practice.

Traits are distinguishing qualities or characteristics of a person, while character is the sum total of these
traits. There are hundreds of personality traits, far too many to be discussed here. Instead, we will focus on
a few that are crucial for a leader. The more of these you display as a leader, the more your followers will
believe and trust in you.

TRAITS OF A GOOD LEADER

Compiled by the Santa Clara University and the Tom Peters Group:
Honest — Display sincerity, integrity, and candour in all your actions. Deceptive behaviour will not inspire
trust.

Competent — Base your actions on reason and moral principles. Do not make decisions based on childlike
emotional desires or feelings.

»» Forward-looking — Set goals and have a vision of the future. The vision must be owned throughout the
organization. Effective leaders envision what they want and how to get it. They habitually pick priorities
stemming from their basic values.
»» Inspiring — Display confidence in all that you do. By showing endurance in mental, physical, and
spiritual stamina, you will inspire others to reach for new heights. Take charge when necessary.
»» Intelligent — Read, study, and seek challenging assignments.
»» Fair-minded — Show fair treatment to all people. Prejudice is the enemy of justice. Display empathy by
being sensitive to the feelings, values, interests, and well-being of others.
»» Broad-minded — Seek out diversity.
»» Courageous — Have the perseverance to accomplish a goal, regardless of the seemingly insurmountable
obstacles. Display a confident calmness when under stress.
»» Straightforward — Use sound judgment to make a good decisions at the right time.
»» Imaginative — Make timely and appropriate changes in your thinking, plans, and methods. Show
creativity by thinking of new and better goals, ideas, and solutions to problems. Be innovative!

Each and every person, as well as each leader is unique. Some leaders inspire through intellect, creating
new visions and opportunities. Others engage by strengthening interpersonal relations.

Describe a person you believe is particularly skilful leader. That can be someone you’ve worked with or
you’ve heard of.

Self-Study Script 15
III.
• Who is the person?
• What leadership skills does the person have?
• Describe situations in which you find such type of leadership useful for your development or achieving
goals and tasks. How did the leadership style influence people in task involvement and achievement?

LEADERSHIP SELF-ASSESSMENT

Notes:
This self-survey will provide you with feedback as to your feelings of leading others. Rate yourself on a
scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being a definite YES and 1 being a definite NO. Be honest about your answers as this
survey is only for you own self-assessment. Circle the number which you feel most closely represents your
feelings about the task:

NO YES

- 1 2 3 4 5 - I enjoy working on teams.

- 1 2 3 4 5 - I am able to speak clearly to others.
- 1 2 3 4 5 - I enjoy relating to others on an interpersonal basis.
- 1 2 3 4 5 - I am good at planning.
- 1 2 3 4 5 - I can interpret rules and regulations.
- 1 2 3 4 5 - I feel comfortable asking others for advice.
- 1 2 3 4 5 - I enjoy collecting and analysing data.
- 1 2 3 4 5 - I am good at solving problems.
- 1 2 3 4 5 - I am comfortable writing emails to others.
- 1 2 3 4 5 - I can delegate work to others.
- 1 2 3 4 5 - I am effective at handling employee complaints.
- 1 2 3 4 5 - Giving directions is comfortable for me.
- 1 2 3 4 5 - I know how to develop goals and carry them out.
- 1 2 3 4 5 - I am comfortable at implementing new techniques.
- 1 2 3 4 5 - I feel confident appraising performance and giving feedback.
- 1 2 3 4 5 - If I made a mistake, I would admit it and correct it.
- 1 2 3 4 5 - I am able to resolve conflict in the workplace.
- 1 2 3 4 5 - I believe in diversity in the workplace.
- 1 2 3 4 5 - I thrive on change.
- 1 2 3 4 5 - One of my greatest desires is to further develop as a leader.

Scoring
Score the survey by adding the numbers that you circled: ________

A score of fifty or higher indicates a desire to become a leader and a perceived ability to perform the tasks
required of a leader.

A score of fifty or less indicators a general dislike of wanting to become a leader or a perceived inability to
perform the tasks required of a leader.

BUT, no matter what your score is, your commitment, desire, and determination are the biggest indicators
of your ability to become a leader.

Leadership Skills 16
 III.
Use this assessment to help you to determine what skills and abilities you can continue to improve
(Strengths) and what skills and abilities you need to develop (Opportunities for growth).4

What are your strengths?

What are your opportunities for growth?

4
www.nwlink.com

Self-Study Script 17
IV. Situational Leadership
◊ A good leader inspires others with confidence in him; a great leader inspires them with
confidence in themselves.

YOUR LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOUR

Think about what you actually do on a daily basis. Then draw generalizations about how you spend your
leadership time. Complete the Leadership Behaviour Chart below. Think about your daily interaction with
the people who you lead. Generally speaking, determine the actual behaviours that define that interaction.
Using the list of behaviours below, determine the amount of time (in percentages) that you generally spend
on each behaviour. Then in the second column, determine what you feel would be ideal distribution of time
(in percentages).

Behaviour Percentage of time spent Ideally the percentage of

on each behaviour time you would devote to
each behaviour
Informing
Directing
Clarifying or Justifying
Persuading
Collaborating
Brainstorming or Envisioning
Reflecting (Quiet Time for Thinking)
Observing
Disciplining
Resolving interpersonal conflicts
Praising and/or encouraging

Follow Up Questions

1. Is there a gap between how you should spend your energy and how you actually spend it?
2. Are there some behaviours that are taking up too much of your leadership time? Why?
3. Are there some strategies that you can employ that would move you closer to your ideal distribution
of behaviour?5

5
www.workshopexercises.com

Leadership Skills 18
 IV.
ASSESSING DEVELOPMENT LEVEL OF AN INDIVIDUAL

The first step to utilize Situational Leadership is to perform an assessment of the development level of the
person that you are leading. The assessment is a skill that needs to be developed and understood. There
are two elements that need to be measured when assessing an individual: Competence and Commitment.
Once you understand these two elements you can assess the individual’s development level. The following
are questions that you can use:

Competence

»» Do They Already Have The Skill or Knowledge?

»» Do They Have a Transferrable Skill or Knowledge?

Commitment

»» Are They Motivated?

»» Are They Confident?

Once we have an understanding of the Competence and Commitment level of an individual we can then
assess their development level. Ken Blanchard and Paul Hersey identified that the leader must have an
awareness of the development level of the person they are trying to lead. You can match the two elements
competence and commitment to one of the four development levels.

The four levels of development are the following:

D1 – Enthusiastic Beginner
(Low Competence, High Commitment)

D2 – Disillusioned Learner
(Low to Some Competence, Low Commitment)

D3 – Capable but Cautious Performer

(Moderate to High Competence, Variable Commitment)

D4 – Self-reliant Achiever
(High Competence, High Commitment)

The following diagram shows from right to left (direction of Red arrow) the levels of development:

Self-Study Script 19
IV.
BUILDING COMPETENCE AND COMMITMENT

The following will provide the information to build these two elements:

• Provide Direction to Build Competence – to build competence the following components will be needed:

»» Structure – important to know how to work

»» Organize – what are the steps to do the work
»» Teach – help or coach the person on what to do or how to do the work
»» Supervise – provide guidance throughout the task to the individual
»» Evaluate – provide feedback to the person on the work they completed

• Provide Support to Build Commitment – to build commitment the following components will be needed:

»» Ask (for input) – ask the person what they need help with or how you can help them
»» Listen – be sure to listen to their concerns and avoid being judgmental
»» Facilitate or Problem Solving – provide help to the person by facilitating or problem solving that is
needed on a task
»» Explain – be patient and explain the steps or details about the task or activity that the individual is
working on
»» Encourage – be sure to encourage them about the work they are doing and the growth that you see
in them.

Situational Leadership II defines four leadership styles for leading an individual on a specific task. The
individual’s skill level and motivation for that task indicate the appropriate style to employ.

LEADERSHIP STYLES

The four leadership styles and the types of activities the leader will use within the respective style:

S1 – Directing
(Defining, Planning, Orienting, Teaching, Checking/Mentoring, Giving Feedback)

S2 – Coaching
(Exploring/Asking, Explaining/Clarifying, Redirecting, Sharing Feedback, Encouraging, Praising)

S3 – Supporting
(Asking/Listening, Reassuring, Collaborating, Encouraging Feedback, Appreciating)

S4 – Delegating
(Allowing/Trusting, Confirming, Empowering, Acknowledging, Challenging)

Leadership Skills 20
 IV.
MAPPING LEADERSHIP TO DEVELOPMENT LEVEL

How to match the leadership style to the development level? The following diagram will help to see the
mapping:

S1 Directing style is used for a D1 Enthusiastic Beginner

S2 Coaching style is used for a D2 Disillusioned Learner

S3 Supporting Style is used for a D3 Capable But Cautious Performer

S4 Delegating style is used for a D4 Self Reliant Achiever6

Here is the summary of applying this model in your workplace:

S3 = Supporting S2 = Coaching
D3 = Capable but Cautious Contributor D2 = Disillusioned Learner

S4 = Delegating S1 = Directing
D4 = Self-Reliant Achiever D1 = Enthusiastic Beginner

6
http://keepyourselfrelevant.blogspot.co.uk

Self-Study Script 21
V. Leadership and Human Behaviour
◊ The task of leadership is not to put the greatness into people, but to elicit it, for the greatness
is there already.

MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS

Unlike others researchers in the earlier days of psychology, Abraham Maslow’s based his theory of human
needs on creative people who used all their talents, potential, and capabilities (Bootzin, Loftus, Zajonc,
Hall, 1983). His methodology differed from most other psychological researchers at the time in that these
researchers mainly observed mentally unhealthy people.

Maslow (1970) felt that human needs were arranged in a hierarchical order that could be divided into two
major groups: basic needs and metaneeds (higher order needs):

»» Basic Needs are physiological, such as food, water, and sleep; and psychological, such as affection,
security, and self-esteem. These basic needs are also called “deficiency needs” because if they are not
met by an individual, then that person will strive to make up the deficiency.

»» Metaneeds or being needs (growth needs). These include justice, goodness, beauty, order, unity,
etc. Basic needs normally take priority over these meta needs. For example, a person who lacks food
or water will not normally attend to justice or beauty needs. These needs are normally listed in a
hierarchical order in the form of a pyramid to show that the basic needs (bottom ones) must be met
before the higher order needs:

»» 5. Self-actualization — know exactly who you are, where you are going, and what you want to accomplish.
A state of well-being.
»» 4. Esteem — feeling of moving up in world, recognition, few doubts about self.
»» 3. Belongingness and love — belong to a group, close friends to confide with.
»» 2. Safety — feel free from immediate danger.
»» 1. Physiological — food, water, shelter, sex.

Maslow posited that people want and are forever striving to meet various goals. Because the lower level
needs are more immediate and urgent, then they come into play as the source and direction of a person’s
goal if they are not satisfied.

Leadership Skills 22
 V.
A need higher in the hierarchy will become a motive of behaviour as long as the needs below it have been
satisfied. Unsatisfied lower needs will dominate unsatisfied higher needs and must be satisfied before the
person can climb up the hierarchy.

Knowing where a person is located on the pyramid will aid you in determining effective motivators. For
example, motivating a middle-class person (who is in range 4 of the hierarchy) with a certificate will have a
far greater impact than using the same motivator to effect a minimum wage person from the ghetto who is
desperately struggling to meet the first couple of needs.

It should be noted that almost no one stays in one particular hierarchy for an extended period. We constantly
strive to move up, while at the same time various forces outside our control try to push us down. Those on
top get pushed down for short time periods, i.e., death of a loved-one or an idea that does not work, while
those on the bottom get pushed up, i.e., come across a small prize. Our goal as leaders therefore is to help
people obtain the skills and knowledge that will push them up the hierarchy on a more permanent basis.
People who have their basic needs met become much better workers as they are able to concentrate on
fulfilling the visions put forth to them, rather than consistently struggling to make ends meet.

EXPANSION OF THE PYRAMID

In Maslow’s (1971) later years, he become more interested in the higher order or metaneeds and tried to
further distinguish them. Maslow theorized that the ultimate goal of life is self-actualization, which is almost
never fully attained but rather is something we try to always strive for.

He later theorized that this level does not stop, it goes on to self-transcendence, which carries us to the
spiritual level, e.g. Gandhi, Mother Theresa, Dalai Lama, or even poets, such as Robert Frost. Maslow’s self-
transcendence level recognizes the human need for ethics, creativity, compassion and spirituality. Without
this spiritual or transegoic sense, we are simply animals or machines.

This expansion of the higher order needs is shown here:

Note that the four meta needs (above the inner pyramid) can be pursued in any order, depending upon a
person’s wants or circumstances, as long as the basic needs have all been met.

Self-Study Script 23
V.
EGOic levels to transEGOic. The EGO in all three terms are used in the Jungian sense of consciousness as
opposed to the unconscious. Ego equates with the personality.

• 8. Self-transcendence — a transegoic (see Note below) level that emphasizes visionary intuition,
altruism, and unity consciousness.
• 7. Self-actualization — know exactly who you are, where you are going, and what you want to accomplish.
A state of well-being.
• 6. Aesthetic — to do things not simply for the outcome but because it’s the reason you are here on
earth — at peace, more curious about the inner workings of all things.
• 5. Cognitive — to be free of the good opinion of others — learning for learning alone, contribute
knowledge.
• 4. Esteem — feeling of moving up in world, recognition, few doubts about self.
• 3. Belongingness and love — belong to a group, close friends to confide with.
• 2. Safety — feel free from immediate danger.
• 1. Physiological — food, water, shelter, sex.

Note:
Transegoic means a higher, psychic, or spiritual state of development. The trans is related to transcendence,
while the ego is based on Freud’s work.

CHARACTERISTICS OF SELF-ACTUALIZING PEOPLE

»» Have better perceptions of reality and are comfortable with it.

»» Accept themselves and their own natures.
»» Lack of artificiality.
»» They focus on problems outside themselves and are concerned with basic issues and eternal questions.
»» They like privacy and tend to be detached.
»» Rely on their own development and continued growth.
»» Appreciate the basic pleasures of life (e.g. do not take blessings for granted).
»» Have a deep feeling of kinship with others.
»» Are deeply democratic and are not really aware of differences.
»» Have strong ethical and moral standards.
»» Are original, inventive, less constricted and fresher than others7

7
www.nwlink.com

Leadership Skills 24
Motivating Others VI.
◊ When you know what to do, then you can do what you know. The only constant is change.

GOING BEYOND MASLOW

While the research of Maslow’s theory has undergone limited empirical scrutiny, it still remains quite
popular due to its simplicity and being the start of the movement away from a totally behaviourist/
reductionist/mechanistic approach to a more humanistic one. In addition, a lot of concerns are directed at
his methodology in that he picked a small number of people that he declared self-actualizing and came to
the conclusion about self-actualization. However, he understood this and thought of his work as simply a
method of pointing the way, rather than being the final say. In addition, he hoped that others would take up
the cause and complete what he had begun, which brings us to the next models. Other researchers have
taken up his cause and furthered refined them, mostly in the area of organizations and work. Herzberg,
Alderfer, and McGregor’s research are all closely tied to Maslow’s theory.

HERZBERG’S HYGIENE AND MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS

Frederick Herzberg was considered one of the most influential management consultants and professors
of the modern postwar era. Herzberg was probably best known for his challenging thinking on work and
motivation. He was considered both an icon and legend among visionaries such as Abraham Maslow, Peter
Drucker, and Douglas MacGregor. Herzberg (1966) is best known for his list of factors that are based on
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, except his version is more closely related to the working environment:

Self-Study Script 25
VI.
Herzberg’s Hygiene and Motivational Factors

Hygiene or Dissatisfiers:

»» Working conditions
»» Policies and administrative practices
»» Salary and Benefits
»» Supervision
»» Status
»» Job security
»» Co-workers
»» Personal life

Herzberg’s Hygiene and Motivational Factors

Dissatisfiers Motivators

Working
conditions

Policies and
administrative
practice

Salary and
Benefits Recognition
Supervision Achievement
Status Advancement
Job Security Growth
Co-workers Responsibility
Personal life Job challenge

Motivators or Satisfiers:

»» Recognition
»» Achievement
»» Advancement
»» Growth
»» Responsibility
»» Job challenge8

8
www.slideshare.net

Leadership Skills 26
 VI.
◊ When you know what to do, then you can do what you know. The only constant is change.

WHY DO PEOPLE NOT PERFORM WELL?

1. Lack of Skills: This is mainly an employer responsibility - need to supply training.

Never had them
Needs practice
Can’t apply them

2. Lack of Information: This is also an employer responsibility - need to supply information or train how
to use or collect readily available information.
Does not know expectations
Does not have current data
Cannot apply information that was there

3. Motivational Issues: Employer and employee jointly responsible - requires mutual discussion.
Things and people that make work punishing (feels they are working in a hostile environment)
Personal attitudes and issues

4. Personal Issues: Employee responsibility - needs to take charge of life

Substance abuse
Physical and emotional health
Lifestyle

5. Environmental Issues: Employer Responsibility - redesign is needed.

Unrealistic standards
Poor work station design
Inadequate tools available
Process needs improved

WHAT DO PEOPLE WANT FROM THEIR JOBS?

»» Promotion in the company

»» Tactful discipline
»» Job Security
»» Help with personal problems
»» Personal loyalty of supervisor
»» High wages
»» Full appreciation of work done
»» Good working conditions
»» Feeling of being in on things
»» Interesting work

Self-Study Script 27
VI.
Discussion Questions

1. In comparing the different ratings, what might account for the different opinion?
2. What might be the cause of the supervisor’s rankings being so different from the employees?
3. If this survey was given to your department, what would the results be?

Supervisors ranked the items in this order:

1. High Wages
2. Job Security
3. Promotion in the Company
4. Good Working Conditions
5. Interesting Work
6. Personal Loyalty of Supervisor
7. Tactful Discipline
8. Full Appreciation of Work Being Done
9. Help on Personal Problems
10. Feeling of Being In On Thin

However, when employees were given the same exercise, their rankings tended to follow this pattern:

1. Full Appreciation of Work Being Done

2. Feeling of Being In On Things
3. Help on Personal Problems
4. Job Security
5. High Wages
6. Interesting Work
7. Promotion in the Company
8. Personal Loyalty of Supervisor
9. Good Working Conditions
10. Tactful Discipline9

9
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/487339

Leadership Skills 28
Inspiring Leaders VII.
◊ If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are
a leader.

McGREGOR’S THEORY X AND THEORY Y

Douglas McGregor (1957) developed a philosophical view of humankind with his Theory X and Theory
Y — two opposing perceptions about how people view human behavior at work and organizational life.
McGregor felt that organizations and the managers within them followed either one or the other approach:

Theory X

»» People have an inherent dislike for work and will avoid it whenever possible.
»» People must be coerced, controlled, directed, or threatened with punishment in order to get them to
achieve the organizational objectives.
»» People prefer to be directed, do not want responsibility, and have little or no ambition.
»» People seek security above all else.
»» In an organization with Theory X assumptions, management’s role is to coerce and control employees.

Theory Y

»» Work is as natural as play and rest.

»» People will exercise self-direction if they are committed to the objectives (they are NOT lazy).
»» Commitment to objectives is a function of the rewards associated with their achievement.
»» People learn to accept and seek responsibility.
»» Creativity, ingenuity, and imagination are widely distributed among the population. People are capable
of using these abilities to solve an organizational problem.
»» People have potential.

In an organization with Theory Y assumptions, management’s role is to develop the potential in employees
and help them to release that potential towards common goals.

Theory X is the view that traditional management has taken towards the workforce. Most organizations are
now taking the enlightened view of theory Y (even though they might not be very good at it). A boss can be
viewed as taking the theory X approach, while a leader takes the theory Y approach.

Notice that Maslow, Herzberg, and McGregor’s theories all tie together:

»» Herzberg’s theory is a micro version of Maslow’s theory that is focused in the work environment.
»» McGregor’s Theory X is based on workers caught in the lower levels (1 to 3) of Maslow’s theory due
to bad management practices, while his Theory Y is for workers who have gone above level 3 with the
help of management.
»» McGregor’s Theory X is also based on workers caught in Herzberg’s Hygiene Dissatisfiers, while Theory
Y is based on workers who are in the Motivators or Satisfiers section.
»» People have potential.10

10
www.nwlink.com

Self-Study Script 29
VIII. Leadership Tools: Coaching and Decision Making
◊ Never tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their
ingenuity.

COACHING

Coachee:
I could never get that promotion, I just don’t have what it takes.
(write down advice given by your coach)

Coach:
• assist your coachee to move beyond their fears and difficulties
• help your coachee to discover they have far more resources than they think they have
• think about your coachee in terms of their potential, not in terms of their behaviour
• give constructive advice
Coachee:
I could never participate in meetings in English language, I am afraid of speaking in front of large group of people.
(write down advice given by your coach)

Coach:
• assist your coachee to move beyond their fears and difficulties
• help your coachee to discover they have far more resources than they think they have
• think about your coachee in terms of their potential, not in terms of their behaviour
• give constructive advice
Coachee:
I could never get that promotion, I just don’t have what it takes.
(write down advice given by your coach)

Coach:
• assist your coachee to move beyond their fears and difficulties
• help your coachee to discover they have far more resources than they think they have
• think about your coachee in terms of their potential, not in terms of their behaviour
• give constructive advice
Coachee:
I could never participate in meetings in English language, I am afraid of speaking in front of large group of people.
(write down advice given by your coach)

Coach:
• assist your coachee to move beyond their fears and difficulties
• help your coachee to discover they have far more resources than they think they have
• think about your coachee in terms of their potential, not in terms of their behaviour
• give constructive advice

Leadership Skills 30
 VIII.
Coaches see people who they are in terms of their unfolding development.
WHAT IF or AS IF frame is essence of coaching

The what if frame, also know as the as if frame is used to negotiate resistance and limiting beliefs by
assisting a person in considering more fully those possibilities, options and ideas which they may previously
have considered beyond the scope of their abilities or the realms of possibility.

The what if frame allows a person to suspend those limiting beliefs which have negative impacts on their lives
and try on more useful beliefs, safe in the knowledge that they are only ‘pretending’ to believe something
different and that they can easily return to their original belief if they wish.

The intention is that by facilitating that person in trying on those different beliefs their rigid model of the
world is given a good hard shake (or a gentle shake if that’s more appropriate) and they push past their
limiting beliefs in the direction of more useful beliefs.

For the purposes of illustration let’s imagine that you are coaching a friend or work colleague:
• Friend says - I could never get that promotion, I just don’t have what it takes
• You respond - Well, what would happen if you did get that promotion? If you had that promotion now
what would you look like? What skills and abilities would you have?
or
• Friend says - I could never tell her how I feel
• You respond - What would happen if you did tell her how you feel? What specifically would you say to
her? What would her reaction most likely be?
or
• Friend says - Nothing good ever happens to me - if it wasn’t for bad luck I’d have no luck at all
• You respond - What if something good did happen to you - how would you recognise it? Would you even
notice if something good happened to you, or would you be too busy searching for bad luck?

The what if frame is not a complete intervention in and of itself. Rather it is a catalyst intended to trigger
a chain reaction of processes in the subject to go around, over or through a limiting belief and begin to
generate more useful beliefs and generalisations.

If we think of the limiting beliefs and generalisations as a dam across the river of creativity and infinite
possibility, the what if frame is the key process that triggers the collapse of that dam and releases the flow
of generative change which acts to enrich a person’s model of the world.11

11
Intelligent Business Advanced Unit 12, p 130

Self-Study Script 31
VIII.
DECISION MAKING

Making choices is an integral part of the decision-making process. Leaders who make good choices without
wasting time are seen as decisive, insightful and successful. Leaders who stall and who can’t make up their
minds have difficulty motivating and inspiring their teams.

In everyday life, we generally have to make snap decisions about choices. In such situations the best
strategy is to keep our goals in mind and trust our intuition to make the right choices. However, when time
is available, the following techniques can help make the most appropriate choice.

a. Consider the consequences.

b. Go for it!
c. Narrow down the options.
d. Evaluate the outcome.
e. Get the facts.
f. Set your goal.

Read the list of techniques and match the headings (a-f) to each of the points below (1-6).

1 ______
You need to clearly identify and define the reason and purpose for the decision you are about to make. To
do this you can ask yourself the following questions:

• What exactly is the reason for making a change?

• What do we hope to obtain from the outcome?
• If you never lose sight of the answers to these questions, you will more likely make the best choice.

2 _____
Find out what options are open to you and collect as much data and information as you can about each
option. Asking for advice isn’t a weakness – it can be very beneficial to learn from other people’s experience.

3 _____
List and brainstorm all the pros and cons of every option. Consider all the angles, which could include cost,
energy and time, etc. Consider whether positive outcomes can outweigh any losses.

4 _____
If there are several alternatives open to you, try to reduce them to a limited few and reconsider the situation
with these restricted choices.

5 _____
There always comes a time to stop talking and start acting. Make your choice and start a plan of action to
be executed.

6 _____
When the action has been put into place ask yourself what lessons can be learnt from the decision making
procedure used. This is an important step for further development of your decision-making skills and
judgement.12

12
Intelligent Business Advanced Unit 12, p 98

Leadership Skills 32
 VIII.
CONSISTENCY AND FEEDBACK

Task:
Discuss the following questions in groups:

• What do we understand by ‘being consistent’?

• What can we do to help ourselves to continuously self-develop?
• How can we help others develop?
• How does the way we communicate help me notice the factors that affect my behaviour and enable
me to challenge the behaviour of others?
• How do I understand emotional intelligence?

Behaviour:
Begin by identifying and referring to the persons behaviour, what they said or did (or didn’t say or do)
WITHOUT making judgements that you can’t validate (such as “you were lazy” or “you didn’t care”)

Example:
Make sure you have one or two specific examples of when they displayed this behaviour that you can give
them. If you don’t have any specific examples, your point loses credibility and clarity.

Effect:
What was the effect their behaviour had on you or other people around them? i.e. when you said ‘x’
yesterday, it had X effect on the people around you
Future focus: What should they try to do different next time, and in the future? Or if it’s positive feedback,
how could they use that behaviour more and to better effect?

Self-Study Script 33
VIII.
THE BASIS OF RAPPORT

Have you ever had an experience where you were chatting with a person you had just met and you felt as
if you had met them before or that you had known them your whole life?

Have you ever formed an instantaneous connection with another person for no particular reason other
than you felt that they were your kind of person?

Have you ever had an experience where you were working with another person on a particular task and
your combined input led to the task flowing effortlessly to completion and produced results far in excess
of what you had both originally thought possible individually?

Have you ever had an experience where your communication with another person was so effortless and
synergistic that you found yourselves completing each other’s sentences?

The chances are that you can answer Yes to at least one of these questions and if you can then you have
experienced rapport.

Rapport is something that we as human beings do naturally every day and often without being consciously
aware of it.

As a rule of thumb people like people who are like themselves. It’s very easy to get into rapport with a
person you identify with strongly, where there are common experiences and frames of reference that give
you a common ground for communication and interaction.

Building Rapport
Successful coaching can only take place if there is a rapport between the two people involved. One way to
help people to develop their coaching skills is to use exercises and simulations to develop awareness of
the key techniques. The following exercise focuses on how to build a rapport with the person who is being
coached.

2
http://www.ca.uky.edu/agpsd/focus.pdf

Leadership Skills 34
Life Giving Feedback IX.
◊ There is no failure, only feedback.

THE GIFT OF FEEDBACK

Share a story of an incident in your life when you received life-giving feedback that challenged your
behaviour. What was it about the feedback that made it life-giving?

Share a story of an incident in your life when you gave behaviour-challenging feedback that the received
found to be life-giving. What was it about the feedback that made it life-giving?

• It may not be appropriate in all situations to challenge behaviour.

• It is important to always pay attention to the context, purpose and timing of the feedback.
• Pay attention to the language used.
• Consider the strength of your relationship, the emotional state and the maturity of the person you are
giving feedback to
• Reflect on the possible impact/response that this feedback may have and assess whether it will deliver
the results you want/intend to achieve.
• Give time and space to deal with the feedback you have given and to act on it.
• Create a space to think before you act or give feedback.
• Give yourself space to reflect on the assumptions you have made and the reality you have created
before acting

SET OF STATEMENTS

Here is a set of statements from appraisal interviews. How can you make them more appropriate for giving
feedback, for example:

Frankly your performance was quite disappointing, wasn’t it?

Shall we discuss how you could go about improving your performance?

1. Why have you sometimes found it difficult to meet your deadlines?

2. I have heard that you are not getting on well with your new colleague?
3. You are planning to do something about your attendance record, aren’t you?
4. Would you agree that you are clearly out of your depth when it comes to analysing documents?
5. Is it true that you have been losing your temper quite a lot recently, isn’t it?
6. Didn’t I already tell you that I expect you to write this report according to standards!
7. This is not good enough! You need to work harder than that. Not acceptable!
8. This is not what I expected from you. You should have known better by now.
Read the following short descriptions of situations at work. Form pairs. Person A is giving feedback,
and person B is relieving. Read the card and conduct a short interview

Self-Study Script 35
IX.
INTERVIEW

Read the following short descriptions of situations at work. Form pairs. Person A is giving feedback, and
person B is relieving. Read the card and conduct a short interview.

»» Situation

This employee has had a long history of absenteeism. The last time he/she received feedback it was agreed
that he/she would make a special effort to improve in this area. Unfortunately the attendance record shows
that only minor progress has been made.

»» Situation 2

This employee has always made a mayor contribution to the institution and has consistently met performance
targets. This is still the case. However, there have been a number of incidents with fellow employees where
tempers have become an issue and the atmosphere in the department has deteriorated to a point where
it is starting to affect performance.

»» Situation 3

This employee was originally tipped to become one of the young stars of the department and last year it
was agreed that if he/she continued to produce above average results then he/she would be allowed to join
prestigious internal group of fast track high potential staff. However, their performance has been erratic of
late and they can no longer be considered for the programme.

Having great new ideas

Being original, creative.

Keeping everything well-coordinated

Knowing what everyone does and involving them

Completing and finishing without mistakes

Making sure everything happens well and on time

Being enthusiastic. Finding new opportunities

Making contacts, new challenges

Shaping everyone’s contributions

Uniting the group to meet challenges

Leadership Skills 36
Notes
Notes
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