Leadership

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Welcome to Unit 10 

Introduction
This unit will unpack the notion of leadership with a particular focus on the different leadership
style and qualities of leadership. A number of scholars have written on the subject of leadership
(Kruse, 2013; Stogdill; 1974, p. 7). The word “leader” can be traced back to the 1300s and the
word “leadership” dates back to the 1800s (Stogdill, 1974, p. 7). Stogdill reviewed over 3,000
studies directly related to leadership and suggested that there are almost as “many different
definitions of leadership as there are persons who have attempted to define the concept”
(Stogdill, 1974, p. 7).  While definitions may differ, it is apparent that leadership aims at
influencing the activities of followers through the communication process and toward the
attainment of some goal or goals.  As such, in many cases the head of an organisation or
institution is referred to as the leader. However, leaders are not only attributed to organisations,
people can be leaders wherever they are; in families, churches, communities, schools, universities
or wherever there is a group of people.

It must be noted that people are not born as leaders but they grow, develop and/or they could
be made into leaders. Therefore, leadership is situational: different situations call for different
styles of leadership (Kruse, 2013). Hence, the nature and goals of an organisation or setting will
necessitate a particular style of leadership which will enable the organisation to grow and
develop  by utilising the gifts and strengths of each person. Today, many leaders are called
leaders by virtue of being ahead of the organization or at the top of the pyramid (Kruse, 2013).

Leadership:  The art of motivating a group of people to act

towards achieving a common goal.
     The ability or capacity to do something or act in a particular way, the capacity
or ability to direct or influence the behaviour. 
Power:
Team A team leader is someone who provides guidance, instruction, direction and
Leader: leadership to a group of individuals (the team) for the purpose of achieving a key
result or group of aligned results.

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Welcome to Unit 10 

Concept, nature and purpose of leadership

As noted in the introduction the term leadership is defined in so many different ways. As such, it
is hard to come up with a single working definition. Leadership is about the act of leading - the
action of guiding or giving direction to others. Leadership is also regarded as a process of social
influence, which maximizes the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal (Kruse,
2013). For example each organisation or institution such as UNAM has a goal that needs to be
achieved by the end of the year. Thus, a leader or the head of each department had to influence
fellow workers to strive towards that specific goal. Leadership can be said to be both a skill and
an art which inspires or motivates people to work towards a goal. It can also be seen as: a
relationship through which one person influences the behaviour or actions of other people or a
process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the
organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent (Zeitchik, 2012). Even though
there are various definitions of leadership, it is important to be clear in which context the term is
used.  It must be noted that leadership is different from management.

The difference between leadership and management

Many people tend to equate leadership to management. However, it is well known that
leadership and management and are two different, yet interrelated, concepts, there is therefore
a difference between a manager and a leader. Thus, all heads of institutions and organisations
could be managers, but only some heads become leaders. An essential part of management is
co-ordinating the activities, guiding people and their efforts towards the achieving goals and
objectives of the organisation. We are told that it is management's job to execute them.  Also,
leaders must have an external focus to be effective while managers focus internally (Miller,
2011). A leader recognises that leadership and the choice of an appropriate form of behaviour
are central features of organisational behaviour. However, we must understand that both
leadership and management are equally essential to executing organizational functions and
realising objectives/goals., but only management is a formal role.

What do leaders do?

Let us closely look at the meaning of leadership and the idea of how one might increase the
likelihood and be seen by your colleagues as a leader. We will also look – at the many different
approaches one might use to achieve this.

Futuristic novelist George Orwell once said ’all people may be equal under the law, but we all
recognize that, some people seem to be more equal than others (Orwell, 1945). This can be due
to either because of the office they hold, or because of their personalities. It means, some have
higher status, enjoy greater respect, and exert more influence. 

In many organisations the person and/or other members with the most influence in the
department are usually referred to as the leader, even though they might not do what is
expected from leaders.

To distinguish leaders from others, the following are what leaders can do which cannot be
done by those who are only managers:

 Leaders help their department clarify, and become committed to, the essential purposes
of the department and of the university.
 Leaders help their department reduce uncertainty by defining confusing situations and
conveying new meanings.
 Leaders influence how department members interpret reality.
 Leaders focus the department's attention on what is important.
 Leaders enforce departmental norms and, with the department's approval, discipline
members who violate these norms.
 Leaders maintain the social order, and provide safety and security for department
members.
 Leaders help other department members develop leadership and followership skills. 

Who can become a leader?

Anyone can become a leader. Nonetheless leadership is found to be both the simplest and the
most complex of human activities. It is more of an art than a science; it depends on judgment,
intuition and experience, more than on analysis and facts. As with any art, almost anyone can
develop some measure of proficiency, although some will be better at it than others.  

Leaders often collect dissimilar problems from various units of organizations; synthesize them
into a vision that articulate a compelling picture of the future. Visionary leaders often express
discontentment with the current situations, propose their vision and plans for the future, which
is something to be sought after, they motivate their followers by clear description of what can
be achieved (Vision, 2010).
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Welcome to Unit 10 

Leadership qualities worth emulating

From previous sections of this unit we have now learned that every person can natured
to become a leader but only a selected few are great leaders. Regardless if you have
worked your way up the corporate ladder or just started your own business, the route to
leadership is never an easy one. You will encounter various types of situations and
emotions; there will be the good times, stressful ones, and even terrible times. However,
a great leader is always able to transcend upwards and lead a team to success,
regardless of the situation that they are facing. In this section we will look at the qualities
of leadership that are worth emulating.

1. Honesty and Integrity are one of the qualities that define a good leader. When you are
responsible for a team of people, it is important to be straightforward and. As a leader, your
company and its employees are a reflection of yourself, and if you make honest, integrity and
ethical behaviour as a key value, your team will follow.  Leaders succeed when they stick to their
values and core beliefs and without ethics, this will not be possible.

2.  Confidence is another quality that defines a good leader. To be an effective leader, you
should be confident enough to ensure that other follow your commands. If you are unsure
about your own decisions and qualities, then your subordinates will never follow you. As a
leader, you have to be oozing with confidence, show some swagger and assertiveness to gain
the respect of your subordinates. This does not mean that you should be overconfident, but you
should at least reflect the degree of confidence required to ensure that your followers trust you
as a leader.

3.   Another quality that defines a good leader is inspiring others. Probably the most difficult
job for a leader is to persuade people to follow. It can only be possible if you inspire (motivate)
your followers by setting a good example. When the going gets tough, they look up to you and
see how you react to the situation. If you handle it well, they will follow you. As a leader, one or
you should think positive and this positive approach should be visible through your actions. For
example, staying calm under pressure and keeping the motivation level up. As John Quincy
Adams (2011:132) puts it, “if your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more
and become more, you are a leader.” If you are successful in inspiring your subordinates, you
can easily overcome any current and future challenge easily.

4.  Commitment and passion where Commitment is defined as the act of binding yourself to a

course of action (Sai & Lakshmi, 2015). Passion on the other hand is defined as strong feelings
of enthusiasm or excitement for something or about doing something that yield positive results
(Sai & Lakshmi, 2015). Nothing shows commitment like getting your hands dirty with the rest of
the employees. There is no greater motivation than seeing their leader working alongside
everyone else. By proving your commitment to the company and especially your team, you will
not only earn the respect of your team, but will also instil that same hardworking drive among
your staff.

Showing your commitment sets the example for others to follow, and leads to greater loyalty
and respect for you as a leader. Remember that if you expect your team to work hard and
produce quality work, you would need to lead by example. Your teams look up to you and if you
want them to give their all, you will have to be passionate about it too. It will also help you to
gain the respect of your subordinates and infuse new energy in your team members, which
helps them to perform better. If they feel that you are not fully committed or lacks passion, then
it would be an uphill task for the leader to motivate your followers to achieve the goal.

5.   A leader must be a good communicator. Communication is the key to success (Miller,
2011).Without a clear communication, your employees and stakeholders would not understand
your mission, goals, and vision. Communication should be consistent when it comes to
establishing work expectations or giving constructive feedback. With great communication skills,
your employees will have a broad understanding to what they are working for. Until you clearly
communicate your vision to your team and tell them the strategy to achieve the goal, it will be
very difficult for you to get the results you want. Simply put, if you are unable to communicate
your message effectively to your team, you can never be a good leader. A good communicator
can be a good leader. Words have the power to motivate people and make them do the
unthinkable. If you use them effectively, you can also achieve better results.

6.   Apart from having a futuristic vision, a leader should have the ability for Decision-Making.
Taking the right decision at the right time is vital for the leader’s success. Decisions taken by
leaders have a profound impact on masses. A leader should think long and hard before taking a
decision but once the decision is taken, stand by it. Although, most leaders take decisions on
their own, but it is highly recommended that you consult key stakeholders before taking a
decision. After all, they are the ones who will benefit or suffer from your decisions.7.With great
power comes great responsibility” (Anonymous) and accountability; therefore leaders must be
accountable. Accountability is defined as taking or being assigned responsibility for something
that you have done or something you are supposed to do (Oxford, 2011). For example   a
government has accountability for decisions and laws affecting its citizens and an individual has
accountability for acts and behaviours affecting other individuals in society. When it comes to
accountability, you need to follow the approach highlighted by Glasow (2011), when he said, “A
good leader takes little more than his share of the blame and little less than his share of the
credit.” Make sure that every one of your subordinates is accountable for what they are doing. If
they do well, give them a pat on the back but if they struggle, make them realize their mistakes,
provide training and work together to improve the situation. Holding them accountable for their
actions will create a sense of responsibility among your subordinates and they will go about the
business more seriously.

8.  Delegation and Empowerment are the tools a leader uses to ensure efficiency in carrying
out her/his responsibilities. Delegation and Empowerment both deal with the employee
management but are different from each other. Delegation refers to the employee management
by allocating tasks and duties to each individual employee and specifying them what to do and
when to do. While on the other hand Empowerment is also the tool of management in which
the managers achieve the goals of organization by empowering the employees to have the
decision making power and thus making the employees accountable and responsible (Burch,
2011). Regardless of the situation and position you are in always remember that you can’t do
everything on your own. Good leaders recognise that delegation does more than simply passing
the task to someone else. It is trusting and believing that your employees are able to handle the
task given to them and if they are not a good leader invests in developing their capacities.

Delegating to others shows that you have confidence in their abilities, and this can result in a
positive morale at the workplace. Employees always want to feel appreciated and trusted and by
giving them a task, they would generally feel honoured to be selected and would feel the
importance of having them around. If you continue to micromanage (interfere) your
subordinates, it will develop a lack of trust and more importantly, you will not be able to focus
on important matters, as you should be. Delegate tasks to your subordinates and see how they
perform. Provide them with all the resources and support they need to achieve the objective and
give them a chance to bear the responsibility.

9.  Creativity and Innovation is a quality that all leaders must have. A good leader is someone
the team could look up to for answers or solutions. It is therefore up to the leader to think
outside the box - to think differently and creatively - when issues arise. To find solutions to
challenges, as a creative and innovative leader, you could also gather the team and start
brainstorming ideas to build upon some of your ideas and to solve problems. When you get
your employees involved in a decision eventually they feel respected and wanted and at times,
even looking forward to work for you or at your organization!

10. Having Empathy is the ability to understand or feel what other people are experiencing. In
other words, leaders who put themselves in other people’s (employees’) shoes are regarding as
empathetic. At times, leaders need to look after their team‘s feelings for what to be able to
understand them better.. The best leaders guide employees through challenges and are always
on the lookout for a solution. Instead of making things personal when they encounter problems,
or assigning blame to individuals, good leaders look for constructive solutions and focus on
moving forward. Good leaders develop empathy with their followers. 

It is important to note that an effective leader must  try to  have all the above mentioned
qualities. Commitment, passion, empathy, honesty, integrity good communication skills and
decision-making capabilities all play a vital role in determining the success or failure of a leader.
Lastly, innovation and creative thinking, as well as the futuristic vision, are a couple of key traits
which make a leader stand out (Heryati, 2003). If you lack at some of these qualities you might
struggle to make a mark in the world of leadership. You have however learned that one is not
born a leader, leadership can be learned and so as the qualities that you miss.  As a young adult
good luck in acquiring the leadership qualities that you lack and in your efforts to become a
good leader!

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Welcome to Unit 10 

Responsibilities of a leader

Having learned the qualities of a good leader we can now ask the question: what is the leader’s
reason for being; what is her/his purpose? A leader must establish purpose, the direction or the
strategy he stands for, the reasons why s/he thinks is qualified to be called a leader and that
others should follow him/her. The sole purpose of leadership is to promote new and correct
directions. The leadership's inherent strength is in defining a "vision" for the organisation, it is
the leader’s ability to imagine a different and better future for the organisation along with plans
to achieve it. A leader is someone who provides direction, instructions and guidance to a group
of individuals for the purpose of achieving a certain goal. A good leader has a futuristic vision
and knows how to turn his ideas into real-world success stories. Envisioning the path to a better
future is a very creative process and often cannot be taught or learned.

Some leaders are known as Team Leaders. Team leaders serve various roles in an organization,
which carry responsibilities. A leader must demonstrate his/her ability to live up to these
responsibilities on a daily basis. A leader should keep the main responsibilities in mind as he/she
starts each day.  The main responsibilities of a leader are as follow:

1.   Inspiration and Motivation, which as a leader, you must get others to do the work
necessary for operating the business. You have to drop the idea of doing everything yourself
and motivate others to complete tasks and reach objectives. Delegating some of your duties is
as important as inspiring your employees to give their best and work toward objectives
diligently. In this way, your employees/subordinates will gain a sense of purpose this way, and
you will be able to check off some of the goals and priorities that you set up for your company
(Johnston, 2011).

2.   Setting an Example as a leader is a leader’s responsibility. You don’t always have a

podium and a microphone to speak as a leader. Many times you have to produce visible results
and set an example through your hard work, dedication and optimism. When employees and
stakeholders see you being respected by other professionals and demonstrating unwavering
reliability, heading successful meetings, making activities are timely executed, following through
on objectives, effectively prioritizing activities and leading a successful organisation, then people
will know that you are an example to live up to. If you, they will worry. If you appear worried,
seem unsure, your company/organisation producing mediocre results, and failing to excite and
move subordinates, stakeholders and the whole organisation to high heights of success, then
both the public and your employees will worry and be unsure of your capability as a leader

3. Leaders have a huge responsibility to communicate the Vision of the organisation. It’s the
responsibility of a leader to create or adopt a company vision, and then help employees to
understand and achieve it. As a leader you must let your workforce know what you want to
achieve in the long term, and you must explain how their daily activities relate to that long-term
vision. Don’t leave the direction of your company up to employees, because they look to you for
direction (Johnston, 2011).

4.   A leader is responsible for setting the company/organisational/group objectives and

priorities. As a leader you need to break down your vision into a series of objectives so you
know what has to get done when and how. Start with the one that needs to be done first before
you can move onto the next objective on your list. Employees might work hard, but if they work
on the wrong tasks, it is a waste time and money for the organisation and for you as a leader
because it means using time to getting them back on track. By setting priorities, you organize
your employees’ work and give them a sense of orderly direction (Patrick, n.d.).
5. No matter how strong your vision and how clear your priorities, you will encounter
unexpected challenges and therefore as a leader you need to invest in finding  Solutions. You
can do this by either solving the problems or delegating problem-solving to responsible
individuals. Leaders must convey the conviction that every problem has a solution. This will
prevent demoralization among employees when problems arise. To solve the any challenge, first
give your newfound problems a new perspective and present them as challenges that need to
be overcome effectively. Demonstrate that you expect these challenges to come along at any
given moment and that you have confidence that you and your employees will find a solution
for them (Johnston, n.d.).

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Welcome to Unit 10 

Different types /styles of leadership

Leadership style is the relatively consistent pattern of behavior that characterizes a leader
(Nanjundeswaras & Swamy, 2014). Most classifications of leadership styles are based on the
dimensions of initiating structure and consideration. Different types of leadership styles exist in
work environments. The culture and organisation/company best, while personality differences
often dictate which is most often used. Some companies offer opportunities for several
leadership styles within the organization, dependent upon the necessary tasks to complete and
departmental needs (Johnson, 2018). In leadership studies the following styles have been
recognized:

Participative Leadership Style is the leader who works with her/his colleagues in a collective
process to determine alternatives which are then presented to the group to choose from (Isaaks
2013). Participative leaders share decision making responsibility with group members.
Participative Leadership is often called the democratic leadership style, because it values the
input of team members and peers, however the onus of making the final decision still rests with
the leader the company/organisation. Participative leadership boosts employee morale because
employees make contributions to the decision-making process . It causes them to feel as if their
opinions matter. When a company needs to make changes within the organization, the
participative leadership style helps employees accept changes easily because they play a role in
the process of making those changes. This style also meets challenges when companies need to
make a decision in a short period. Therefore, sharing decision making with group members, and
working with them side-by side, has become the generally accepted this leadership approach.
The style encompasses three subtypes:

Consultative leaders confer with group members before making a decision, but retain the final
authority.

Consensus leaders strive for consensus.

Democratic leaders 

The participative style has also been referred to as trickle-up leadership because the leader
accepts suggestions for managing the operation group members. It is been found that the
participative style is well also suited to managing competent people who want to get involved in
making decisions and giving feedback to management. However, the disadvantage is that the
style often results in extensive and time-consuming team meetings and committee work
(Epigeum, 2012).

A Laissez-Faire Leader lacks direct supervision of employees and fails to provide regular

feedback to those under his 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 (Johnson, 2018). Only highly experienced and trained employees requiring little
supervision perform under the laissez-faire leadership style. However, not all employees possess
those characteristics, thus this leadership style hinders the production of employees needing
supervision. 

An Autocrat leader is the leader who makes the decisions by him/herself and the group must
comply. The autocratic leadership style allows leaders to make decisions alone without the input
of others. Leaders possess total authority and impose their will on employees. No one
challenges the decisions of autocratic leaders. Countries such as Cuba and North Korea operate
under the autocratic leadership style. This leadership style benefits employees who require close
supervision, but creative employees who thrive in group functions do not benefit from  this
leadership style.

The Transactional Leader is a type of leadership where   leaders use disciplinary power and an
array of incentives to motivate employees to perform at their best. Disciplinary power and
incentives to motivate means followers/employees are compensated for meeting specific goals
or performance criteria36 (Ingram, 2018).
Managers using the transactional leadership style receive certain tasks to perform and provide
rewards or punishments to team members based on performance results. Managers and team
members set predetermined goals together, and employees agree to follow the direction and
leadership of the manager to accomplish those goals. The leader possesses power to review
results and train or correct employees when team members fail to meet goals. Employees
receive rewards, such as bonuses, when they accomplish goals.

Transformational Leader is defined  a type of  leadership styles focus on team-building,

motivation and collaboration with employees at different levels of an organization to accomplish
change for the better (Ingram, 2018). The transformational leadership style depends on high
levels of communication from management to meet goals. Transformational leadership style
concentrates on the development of followers as well as their needs (Nanjundeswaras & Swamy,
2014). 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 (Johnson, 2018).

Diversity in leadership in terms of power.

Gender is a persistent system that produces, essentializes, and highlights different roles
assigned to women and men which deeply embedding hierarchical power dynamics within
societal institutions.  To refresh your understanding of gender and gender roles refer to units 8
and 9 of this Module. In those previous units we learned that gender is interwoven within the
very structure of work organizations, and this is reflected in not only the gender segregation of
workplaces but also the overrepresentation of men in positions of organizational decision
making (Stainback, Kleiner, & Skaggs, 2016). 

The dynamics at play regarding these roles are found to determine the styles and effectiveness
of leadership as regards to men and women. Though females' early socialization and other
obstacles may impede them from becoming leaders (Nanjundeswaras & Swamy, 2014). Those
females who do ascend do not behave significantly differently from men in the same kinds of
positions. When women became leaders they have their own abilities and inheritance that
defines their way of work. Contrary,  data on gender and the effectiveness of leaders that shown
that there was no gender difference in leadership effectiveness but women may be more
effective than men in certain situations (Gaytán, 2014).

Many research studies have assessed the styles of male and female leaders since the fifties and
found that there definitely exist the differences in leadership styles. However, these differences
take the form of highly overlapping distributions of women and men—in other words, the
differences are small (Eagly, 2013). One of the differences, is that, the female leaders are seen to
adopt a more democratic and participative style than their male counterparts (Sai & Lakshmi,
2015). Although leadership styles differed amongst the sexes for specific tasks and situations,
women and men do not differ in their ability to perform operational tasks, but rather bring a
different perspective to strategic decision-making through their increased sensitivity to others
(Groysberg, 2013).
However, women leaders are likely to be viewed negatively when adopting masculine leadership
characteristics. When women do remain feminine but perform a male role, they are perceived as
too emotional and lack assertiveness.  This means that women leaders face a compromise
between being liked and perceived competence. As a result, the number of women in senior
positions remains low due some barriers such as those mentioned above and lower sense of
confidence. Therefore, women would only apply for leadership positions and in general for jobs
if they are sure they met all or most criteria.