CORPORATE LEADERSHIP

Corporate leadership is the top of a company's executive structure. A company'scorporate

leadership creates a company-wide direction to be carried out by managers, supervisors, and
employees.

A corporate leader can be identified as one because he founded a company or because he

gives equal attention to the community and the business. Corporate leaders demonstrate
strength, tenacity, business acumen

Based on Daniel Goleman's emotional intelligence theory, leaders demonstrate self-

awareness through self-confidence. Corporate leaders must be confident risk-takers who
manage business operations as well as the people that work for their organizations. They're
motivated to work diligently to achieve success, yet they show empathy in relationship-
building and influencing change among the company's workforce. Their communication and
social skills give them the charisma that many corporate leaders have

Positions in Corporate Leadership

Corporate leadership positions are the highest-ranking, most prestigious jobs in a

company's hierarchy. Top-level corporate leadership jobs are earned through many years of
diligent work and consistent demonstration of leadership qualities. Corporate leadership
executives are not only in charge of their subordinates, but must work with other executives
to make the best possible decisions for the company. Top executives' job titles may include
the following:

 Chief executive officer (CEO)

 Chief financial officer (CFO)

 Chief operating officer (COO)

 Executive vice president (EVP)

 General manager (GM)

STYLES OF LEADERSHIP
The basic styles of leadership in decision-making:

1) Authoritarian leaders rule their groups. An authoritarian leadership style is

exemplified when a leader dictates policies and procedures, decides what goals are to be
achieved, and directs and controls all activities without any meaningful participation by
the subordinates. Such a leader has full control of the team, leaving low autonomy within
the group. Autocratic leadership, also known as authoritarian leadership, is
 a leadership style characterized by individual control over all decisions and little input
from group members. Autocratic leaders typically make choices based on their ideas
and judgments and rarely accept advice from followers
2) Democratic leaders try to include everyone in the decision-making process.
Democratic leadership, also known as participative leadership, is a type of
leadership style in which members of the group take a more participative role in the
decision-making process. Everyone is given the opportunity to participate, ideas are
exchanged freely, and discussion is encouraged
3)  Laissez-faire leaders let the group function without much - if any - interference. A
laissez-faire leader lacks direct supervision of employees and fails to provide regular
feedback to those under his supervision. Highly experienced and trained employees
requiring little supervision fall under the laissez-faire leadership style. However, not all
employees possess those characteristics. This leadership style hinders the production of
employees needing supervision. The laissez-faire style produces no leadership or
supervision efforts from managers, which can lead to poor production, lack of control and
increasing costs.
4) Transformational-The transformational leadership style depends on high levels of
communication from management to meet goals. Leaders motivate employees and
enhance productivity and efficiency through communication and high visibility. This
style of leadership requires the involvement of management to meet goals. Leaders focus
on the big picture within an organization and delegate smaller tasks to the team to
accomplish goals.
5) Paternalistic leadership is a managerial approach that involves a dominant authority
figure who acts as a patriarch or matriarch and treats employees and partners as though
they are members of a large, extended family. In exchange, the leader expects loyalty
and trust from employees, as well as obedience

THEORIES OF LEADERSHIP

Trait Theory (1930's - 1940's)

This theory postulates that people are either born or not born with the qualities that
predispose them to success in leadership roles.  That is, that certain inherited qualities, such
as personality and cognitive ability, are what underlie effective leadership.  There have been
hundreds of studies to determine the most important leadership traits, and while there is
always going to be some disagreement, intelligence, sociability, and drive (aka
determination) are consistently cited as key qualities.
Skills Theory
This theory states that learned knowledge and acquired skills/abilities are significant factors
in the practice of effective leadership.  Skills theory by no means disavows the connection
between inherited traits and the capacity to be an effective leader – it simply argues that
learned skills, a developed style, and acquired knowledge, are the real keys to leadership
performance.  It is of course the belief that skills theory is true that warrants all the effort and
resources devoted to leadership training and development
Situational Theory
This theory suggests that different situations require different styles of leadership.  That is, to
be effective in leadership requires the ability to adapt or adjust one’s style to the
circumstances of the situation.  The primary factors that determine how to adapt are an
assessment of the competence and commitment of a leader’s followers.  The assessment of
these factors determines if a leader should use a more directive or supportive style.

 Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership Theory

Contingency Theory (1960's)

This theory states that a leader’s effectiveness is contingent on how well the leader’s style
matches a specific setting or situation.  And how, you may ask, is this different from
situational theory?  In situational the focus is on adapting to the situation, whereas
contingency states that effective leadership depends on the degree of fit between a leader’s
qualities and style and that of a specific situation or context.

 Fiedler's contingency theory

Path-Goal Theory
This theory is about how leaders motivate followers to accomplish identified objectives.  It
postulates that effective leaders have the ability to improve the motivation of followers
by clarifying the paths and removing obstacles to high performance and desired objectives. 
The underlying beliefs of path-goal theory (grounded in expectancy theory) are that people
will be more focused and motivated if they believe they are capable of high performance,
believe their effort will result in desired outcomes, and believe their work is worthwhile.

Transformational Theory 1970

This theory states that leadership is the process by which a person engages with others and is
able to create a connection that results in increased motivation and morality in both followers
and leaders.  It is often likened to the theory of charismatic leadership that espouses that
leaders with certain qualities, such as confidence, extroversion, and clearly stated values, are
best able to motivate followers.  The key in transformational leadership is for the leader to be
attentive to the needs and motives of followers in an attempt to help them reach their
maximum potential.  In addition, transformational leadership typically describes how leaders
can initiate, develop, and implement important changes in an organization.  This theory is
often discussed in contrast with transactional leadership.

Transactional Theory 1970

This is a theory that focuses on the exchanges that take place between leaders and followers. 
It is based in the notion that a leader’s job is to create structures that make it abundantly clear
what is expected of his/her followers and also the consequences (i.e. rewards and
punishments) for meeting or not meeting these expectations.  This theory is often likened to
the concept and practice of management and continues to be an extremely common
component of many leadership models and organizational structures.
 EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Emotional intelligence (EI) is the capability of individuals to recognize their

own emotions and those of others, discern between different feelings and label them
appropriately, use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior, and manage and/or
adjust emotions to adapt to environments or achieve one's goal

The term EI gained popularity in 1995 in a book by that title, written by the author,
psychologist, and science journalist Daniel Goleman.

Studies have shown that people with high EI have greater mental health, job performance,
and leadership skills although no causal relationships have been shown and such findings are
likely to be attributable to general intelligence and specific personality traits rather than
emotional intelligence as a construct. For example, Goleman indicated that EI accounted for
67% of the abilities deemed necessary for superior performance in leaders, and mattered
twice as much as technical expertise or IQ

Emotional intelligence at work is about how people and relationships function:

 relationships between colleagues, between directors and staff;
 Relationships between the organisation and its customers, stakeholders, suppliers,
competitors, networking contacts, … everyone.

An organisation which is emotionally intelligent has staff who are:

 motivated, productive, efficient, aligned with the business, and committed;

 effective, confident, likable, happy, and rewarded.

 A business in which the staff are emotionally intelligent is one which enables them to
work together to maximum effectiveness. This can only increase the organisation’s
success, however measured.
 Emotional intelligence is essential for excellence.