Reviewer in NSTP II

Leadership Theories

 Leadership is the effort to influence the behavior of individuals or members of a group to

accomplish organizational, individual, or personal goals.

 Leadership is influenced by numerous factors relating to traits, behavior, and situation.

 It is the outcome of a complex relationship between leaders, subordinates, the organization,

social values, and economic and political conditions.

The concept of leadership is understood mainly through the three theories, based on traits, behavior and
situation.

1. Traits approach. The traditional concepts is that effective leaders have personality traits, which
distinguish them from the common herd. Leadership effectiveness has been found to be
associated with age, height, intelligence, academic achievements, judgmental ability, and insight.
a. Capacity – refers to problem-solving capabilities, making judgments, and working hard.
b. Achievements – relate to accomplishments, such as academic record, knowledge, and sports.
c. Responsibility – refers to dependability, reliability, self-drive, perseverance, aggressiveness,
and self-confidence.
d. Participation and involvement – mean highly developed social interaction, popularity, swift
adaptation to changing situations, and easier cooperation compared to nonleaders.
e. Socioeconomic status, i.e., effective leaders usually belong to higher socioeconomic classes.
2. Behavioral approach. The behavioral approach to leadership is based on the concept of how
leader behave and what actually is done to achieve leadership effectiveness.
a. Autocratic leaders, who exclude subordinates from the process of decision-making.
b. Democratic or participative leaders are effective and more productive because they consult
subordinates on various matters and include them in the process of decision-making.
c. Laissez-faire leaders have little or no self-confidence in their leadership ability, do not set
goals for the group, and do not enhance group interaction and communication.
3. Situational approach. A situational approach to leadership is based on the premise that
environmental factors affects a leader’s style and effectiveness. Effective and successful
leadership depends on the relationship between organizational situations and leadership styles.
a. A relationship-motivated leadership style relies on good personal relations and group
participation to accomplish tasks.
b. Task-motivated leaders prefer clear guidelines and standardized or patterned work methods
to complete successfully the task they have accepted.

Functions of Leaders

The basic objective of leaders is to ensure that the group accomplishes its goals. Leaders’ functions
depend on the group being led, with actions adjusted to different situations. Therefore, they have to:

1. Develop a feeling of mutual interest among the group members;

 2. Promote cooperation and effective communication to ensure maximum efficiency of the
group.
3. Foster a feeling of team spirit among the group members; and
4. Manage strife and dissension efficiently and constructively.

Broadly speaking, managers perform tsk and maintenance functions, depending upon different
positions and functions.

1. Task Functions. Task functions are the activities that are performed to realize organizational
goals. They concern leaders as:
a. Policy-makers. The primary function of leaders is to establish group goals and policies in
accordance with broader policies and organizational goals.
b. Planners. Leaders plan with a time perspective and develop a methodology for
implementation, including use of human and physical resources.
c. Executives. An important responsibility of leaders is to coordinate the activities of the
various groups and individuals in their team.
d. Experts. Leaders are expected to be experts in their areas of specialization and their job
to enhance the ability and effectiveness of group members.
e. Group representatives. Leaders represent their group and expound group demands,
achievements, and constraints to superiors.
f. Controllers. Leaders control group activities and interpersonal relations within the group
so that the goals of the organization can be achieved effectively.
g. Purveyors of rewards and punishments. Leaders have powers of reward and of
punishment by virtue of the authority they enjoy.
2. Maintenance Functions. Maintenance functions are activities are activities that help in
gratifying the needs of group members. These relate to leaders as:
a. Arbitrators and mediators. Leaders act as arbitrator-negotiators and as mediators in
resolving intergroup conflicts and reestablishing good group relations.
b. Ideal role models. Depending on the situation, leaders sometimes have to portray
themselves as ideal role models for the group members to follow.
c. Group symbols. Leaders have to augment, reinforce, and maintain a sense of belonging
and involvement within the group.
d. Surrogates for individual responsibility. Leaders have to assume responsibility for
decision-making when group members do not want to be involved in the process and
prefer to escape from responsibility.
e. Ideologists. Influential and effective leaders are a source of beliefs and basic tenets for
group members, who start accepting the leader’s ideas and thinking.
f. Father figures. Leaders serve as a perfect focus for the positive emotional feelings of
individuals in the group.
g. Scapegoats. Leaders are an obvious target for the hostility and onslaught of frustrated,
disappointed, or disenchanted group members. Since leaders are responsible for group
activities and achievement, they have to accept the blame for failure.

Characteristics of Leaders
1. Organization. Subordinates like leaders who plan and are well organized. They should follow
the chain of command in issuing instructions. They should also delegate authority as
necessary.
2. Fearlessness. Leaders should not be afraid for their positions nor afraid of their superiors, the
toughness of a job, colleagues, or the honest mistakes of their staff.
3. Respect for work of others. Leaders should recognize that the work of their teammates is as
important as their own work, and deserves equal recognition.
4. Satisfaction. Leader should have feeling of satisfaction gratification when a teammate
achieves something, which they themselves thought would be impossible.
5. Promotion of the interests of subordinates. If leaders believe that their subordinates are
right, they should fight for them no matter what the odds and the situation.
6. Frankness. Leaders should talk to subordinates directly and inform and explain without losing
tempers or creating stress.
7. Respect for the individual. Subordinates prefer leaders who respect an individual’s identity
and experience.
8. Knowledge. Subordinates want who are knowledgeable and know most of the answer.
9. Predictability. Leaders should be predictable, usually the same all the time and not enigmatic.
10. Tolerance. Leaders should be tolerant of small mistakes, which teammates may occasionally
make.
11. Understanding. Subordinates should perceive their leaders to be humane and understanding,
and should not be afraid to go to them if they have committed a foolish mistake, are ashamed
or are proud and satisfied.
12. Honesty and transparency. Subordinates want leaders who are transparent in their dealings
and cannot be bribed by anyone.
13. Accessibility. Leaders should be easily approachable when needed, and subordinates should
be able to get away from their leader when their business is settled.
14. Providing opportunities. Leaders should be willing to provide new opportunities and chance
for work even if it is something new, and the subordinates may not have experience in that
work.
15. Guidance. Leaders should lead by training others. They should be able to show their
subordinates how to do a job, but, in doing so, they must not show off.
16. Willingness to listen. Leaders should be willing to listen when a subordinate has something
to say, but should be able to end conversation gracefully if necessary.
17. Genuineness. Subordinates should believe that their leaders sincerely wants them to succeed
and will be proud of them when they do.
18. Discretion. Leaders should respect the privacy of their teammates.
19. Informed. Leaders should be well informed about what is happening around them.
20. Grace. Leaders should neither denigrate nor undermine a teammate for any reason.
21. Authority. Leaders should have authority to mete out rewards and punishment as necessary.
22. People orientation. Leaders should like people, be cooperative and inspire their teammates.
23. Positive personality. Subordinates like leaders who are active, humble, gracious, thoughtful,
and confident.
24. Good communication. Subordinates like to be informed of the actions of their leader and the
reasons for them.
Leadership Style and Skills

1. The Coaching Leader: The leader who works as a coach is the leader who works with individuals,
taking them aside and showing them how they can improve themselves.
2. The Affiliative Leader: Leaders that follow this style will give great importance teamwork and
team-building. They will strive for harmony within the group and build effective networks in the
organization.
3. The Democratic Leader: This type of leader will use input from the team’s individual and collective
skill set and acumen to work out the best decisions going forward.
4. The Pacesetting Leader: This is the type of leader who has high standards for himself or herself
and expects the same from others in the organization.
5. The Visionary Leader: This is someone who has big but realistic dreams for an organization.
6. The Commanding Leader: Proceed with caution with this one! Unless you’re in the military, this
kind of leadership can be highly ineffective. Because this style involves hardly any positive
feedback at all, low morale is almost certain.

Kurt Lewis Leadership Style

1. Authoritative Leaders. Those who dictate what must be done without any input from the group.
However, they provide clear directions to their followers, so their followers know exactly what is
to be done and when it is to be done. This kind of leadership is most effective in emergency
situations where panic might take over and high stakes are at play.
2. Participative Leaders. They offer expectation to their followers, but they take input from the
followers when making decisions. They encourage followers to give their opinions and ideas for
how tasks should be accomplished.
3. Delegative Leaders. Are those who do not offer much guidance, but instead allow their followers
to make many of necessary decisions.

Skills and Qualities that make a person an effective leader

1. Easy to Work With: An effective leader has to be easy to work with. Others have to feel
comfortable approaching the leader with ideas and solutions to problems.
2. Has a Mission, a Vision, and Specific Goals: This gives direction to the leader.
3. Has Well-Honed Interpersonal Skills: Without the ability to interact positively with others, engage
them, and make their team trust them, someone cannot truly become a leader.
4. Committed to Self-Improvement: Good leaders are self-motivated and take personal
responsibility to always build on the skill set they have and maintain their skill set through
personal development.
5. Able to Delegate Responsibilities: A good leader will identify the strengths of others and assign
responsibility accordingly.
6. Has an Excellent Organizational Skill: Documenting tasks and the effort involved will keep the
team on track and moving in a positive direction. Being organized also means being able to adapt
 to change without upsetting the work flow and making the necessary changes to achieve the same
goal.
7. Knows How to Facilitate Teamwork: An effective leader will always endorse teamwork and set
an example for others to follow.
8. Has a Good Sense of Humor: A sense of humor is an absolute must for all leaders.

The Five most Important Skills Employers look for in Leadership Roles

1. Communication – Communication is about more than the basics of sharing ideas or conveying
information.
2. Nonverbal Communication – An excellent communicator will convey a sense of openness and
nonjudgment, even when he or she is not saying anything.
3. Coaching – Managing people means supporting subordinates. This means not only enabling them
to do their jobs well but also helping them to move forward in their careers.
4. Directing Others – Giving direction doesn’t come naturally to every leaders, but it’s an integral
aspect of a leadership job.
5. Relationship Building – Along with communicating and coaching, relationship building can make
or break a leader.

Understanding Leadership Traits, Behavior and Attitudes

1. Emotional Stability. Good leaders must be able to tolerate frustration and stress.
2. Dominance. Leaders are often times competitive and decisive and usually enjoy overcoming
obstacles.
3. Enthusiasm. Leaders are usually seen as active, expressive, and energetic.
4. Conscientiousness. Leaders are often dominated by a sense of duty and tend to be very exacting
in character.
5. Social Boldness. Leaders tend to be spontaneous risk-takers.
6. Tough-Mindedness. Good leaders are practical, logical and to-the-point.
7. Self-Assurance. Self-confidence and resiliency are common traits among leaders.
8. Compulsiveness. Leaders are found to be controlled and very precise in their social interactions.
9. High Energy. Long hours and some travel are usually a prerequisite for leadership positions,
especially as the company grows.
10. Intuitiveness. Rapid changes in the world today combined with information overload result in an
inability to know everything.
11. Maturity. To be a good leader, personal power and recognition must be secondary to the
development of their employees.
12. Team Orientation. Business leaders today put a strong emphasis on team work.
13. Empathy. Being able to put themselves in the other person’s shoes is a key trait of leaders today.
14. Charisma. People usually perceive leaders as larger than life.

Building Trust

1. Lead by example. If you want your team members to display certain behaviors, you need to
display them first.
2. Admit your mistakes and acknowledge your limitations. Publicly own up to your mistakes
when you make them. Admitting you were wrong isn’t a sign of weakness, but strength.
 3. Trust your team. Hire the best and trust them to lead.
4. Treat everyone fairly. Always treat everyone fairly.

Qualities of a Leader

1. Honesty – Honesty should be at the top of every list, no matter what position you’re looking to
obtain.
2. Communication – You need to be able to get your point across clearly and concisely.
3. Education – While this will ot necessarily prevent you from becoming a leader, the old phrase,
“Knowledge is Power” holds considerable weight in this case.
4. Flexibility – You need to learn to bend considerably before you break.
5. Delegation – This can be one of the hardest leadership exercises to practice, especially for
someone who is used to doing everything himself or herself.
6. Organization – No one is going to respect you as a leader if they walk into your office and can’t
find you behind all the clutter on your desk. Not only will being organized make you’re your life
simpler, it will make you appear more confident and in control.
7. Confidence – If you don’t have confidence in yourself and your team, you will never inspire them
to be confident in themselves.
8. Inspirational – One of the most important skills you will learn as a leader is how to inspire others.
9. Humor – Never lose your sense of humor.
10. Commitment – Your team can’t think that you’re too good to get in there and get your hands dirty
once in a while. Be a leader that is down on the ground helping them work and directing them
from equal footing.

Servant Leadership

Robert K. Greenleaf – the first who coined the phrase “servant leadership” “The servant as a leader”

 As a servant leader, you’re a “servant first” – you focus on the needs of others, especially team
members, before you consider your own.

How to become a Servant Leader

1. Listening – You’ll serve people better when you make a deep commitment to listening intently to
them and understanding what they’re saying.
2. Empathy – Servant leaders strive to understand the other people’s intentions and perspectives.
3. Healing – This characteristics relates to the emotional health and “wholeness” of people, and
involves supporting them both physically and mentally.
4. Self-Awareness – Self-awareness is the ability to look at yourself, think deeply about your
emotions and behavior, and consider how they affect the people around you and align with your
values.
5. Persuasion – Servant leaders use persuasion – rather than their authority – to encourage people
to take action.
6. Conceptualization – This characteristics relates to your ability to “dream great dreams,” so that
you look beyond day-to-day realities to the bigger picture.
 7. Foresight – Foresight is when you can predict what’s likely to happen in the future by learning
from past experiences, identifying what’s happening now, and understanding the consequences,
of your decisions.
8. Stewardship – Stewardship is about taking responsibility for the actions and performance of your
team, and being accountable for the role team members ply in your organization.
9. Commitment to the growth of people – Servant leaders are committed to the personal and
professional development of everyone on their teams.
10. Building Community – The last characteristics has to do with building a sense of community within
your organization.

How do we prepare ourselves for servant leadership?

1. Generate enthusiasm. Servant leaders do not look to others to charge their battery but take the
necessary action to internalize perpetuating values, inspiration, and intellectual enrichment.
2. Not deterred by small people. Servant leaders secure maximum participation from their key
people and move resolutely toward the actual practice of management by integrity.
3. Built on strength. Although servant leaders recognize that they, as well as all people, have
weaknesses, their primary concerns are the strengths of people because it will be strengths-not
weaknesses-that will make their organizations thrive.
4. High expectation. Servant leaders stretch themselves and their people.
5. Goal-oriented. Since a straight line is the shortest distance between two points, servant leaders
know they must have some future point clearly in mind to stretch toward.
6. Significance. Servant leaders knows people can truly live and grow only if they feel real, if they
can experience faith, hope, love, and gratitude.
7. Team synergy. This occurs when the effort of two or more people adds up to a whole that is
greater than the sum of its parts.
8. Enrich lives of others. Servant leaders are proud of their lives and seek to enrich the lives of others
by the richness of their own.
9. Live integrity. Servant leaders know that management by integrity is realistic and workable; that,
in reality, there is no fit substitute for it.
10. Emphasize result, not integrity. Tough-minded servant leaders measure the performance of their
team members by results and their contribution to team objectives.
11. Manage change. Servant leaders require and encourage a climate conducive to innovation and
creativity in all facets of life.
12. Understanding people. Servant leaders continually strive to attain a better understanding of
people and their differences – to determine what it takes to impel each person to produce and
create.
13. Need for respect. Mutual respect should be observed t at all times.
14. Visionary. Servant leaders without vision are dead. Vision keeps the team moving toward its goal.
Servant leaders are fueled and pulled in purpose and direction.