Table of Contents

1. Definition of leadership.............................................................................................................................2

2. Behavior of an Effective Leader................................................................................................................2

3. Promote Innovation and Risk-Taking........................................................................................................2

3. Contingency theory of leadership and its classifications...........................................................................3

4. Concepts of Leadership styles and their comparison.................................................................................5

6. The current major challenges in leadership development..........................................................................5

7. Techniques leadership competencies.........................................................................................................7

References....................................................................................................................................................10
1. Definition of leadership
Leadership is the function of a subject or a group of individuals to influence and direct the
followers or members of an organization, society or team.
To be an effective boss, a person should have certain capabilities that can lead and motivate team
members toward success. A good manager maintains an open line of communication with team
members and can succinctly describe the organization's goals and tasks using various types of
communication channels, such as in-person sessions, electronic correspondence, video clips,
chat, and telephone calls. Leaders who are empathetic are successful as they are able to better
understand how employees feel about their workplace. A great boss brings positivity to the
workplace, which simultaneously elevates employees and encourages them to perform better. A
popular boss also promotes employee engagement and is willing to accept constructive feedback
from the team. Successful leaders practice time management skills by setting effective goals for
themselves and their team members. Great leaders always remain willing to lead and teach to
bring out the best in their employees. However, a great boss knows each employee's key
strengths and capabilities and tasks accordingly according to the plan's requirements. Effective
leaders never miss the opportunity to provide constructive feedback to team members about their
performance.
2. Behavior of an Effective Leader
1. Capability to Persuade
In a Facebook Live interview, Kirstin Lynde, the founder of the leadership development
company Catalyze Associates, stated that "influencing people is the core of leadership."
2. Openness—to a certain degree
Being open and honest is one way to establish trust. Workers will find it easier to comprehend
their responsibilities and how each one of them may contribute to the success of the business as a
whole if you are transparent about the organization's objectives and difficulties. Higher levels of
employee engagement are correlated with that sense of worth and purpose.
Bernstein suggests striking a balance between privacy and transparency as well as establishing
various kinds of limits in order to continue promoting innovation and teamwork.
3. Promote Innovation and Risk-Taking
Establishing and preserving your company's competitive advantage depends on experimentation.
Because they are aware of this, great leaders promote creativity and taking chances.
4. Honesty and Responsibility
Being honest is one of the most crucial parts of being a leader. According to a Robert Half
survey, 75% of workers said that "integrity" is the most crucial quality in a leader.

5. Take Firm Action

Effective leaders must act swiftly to make strategic decisions in the complicated and ever-
changing corporate environment of today, often before conclusive evidence is available.

You may guide your company through the dynamic business environment by taking decisive
action, keeping an eye on things, and altering course when needed.

6. Exhibit Resilience

Not every choice you make will lead to achievement. Failure will confront you occasionally; as a
leader, it is your responsibility to practice resilience.

3. Contingency theory of leadership and its classifications

The contingency theory of leadership puts forth the idea that the success of a leader hinges on the
specific situation at hand. Certain factors come into play that defines whether a particular leader
or leadership style will be effective for the given situation. Those factors include the task, the
personality of the leader and the composition of the group that is meant to be led. Its basic
assumption is that leadership – success or failure – is situational.
Contingency Leadership Models

There are several different models of contingency leadership that fall under the general
contingency theory umbrella. They include Fiedler’s Contingency Theory, the Situational
Leadership Theory, the Path-Goal Theory and the Decision-Making Theory. While all of these
contingency leadership models are similar on the surface, they each offer their own distinct
views on leadership.

Fiedler’s Contingency Theory

Fiedler’s Contingency Theory puts forth the idea that effective leadership hinges not only on the
style used by the leader, but also on the control held over the situation. In order to succeed, there
must be strong leader-member relations. Leaders must also present tasks clearly and with goals
and procedures outlined. They need to possess the ability to hand out punishments and rewards,
as well.
Fiedler’s Contingency Theory only fits situations where groups are closely supervised and not
team-based. It also uses a least preferred co-worker (LPC) scale to help determine the type of
worker the leader least likes working with. This contingency model emphasizes the leader’s
disposition as the main trait that defines the ability to lead.

Situational Leadership

More formally called Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Leadership Theory, this contingency
model focuses on leadership style and the maturity of those being led. Situational leadership
theory puts forth the idea that leadership styles hinge on four behaviors: telling, selling,
participating and delegating.

The maturity levels range from an incompetence or unwillingness to perform the task, to a
willingness and ability to perform. The idea is that a successful leader will adapt leadership
techniques to fit the maturity level of the group in question on a situational basis.

Path-Goal Theory

Path-Goal Theory combines two popular theories – goal-setting and expectancy – into one. It
puts forth the idea that effective leaders help those in their direction attain their goals. Under this
contingency model, leaders have the responsibility of making sure their subordinates have the
support and information required to achieve the goals set forth. Essentially, this theory holds that
effective leaders create clear paths to help their subordinates achieve goals and that they work to
remove obstacles that stand in the way.

Decision-Making Theory

Also known as the Vroom-Yetton-Jago Decision-Making Model of Leadership, this contingency

leadership model puts forth the idea that effective leaders size up situations, assess them and then
determine how much support the group will give toward the effort, adjusting their preferred
leadership style to fit.

Applying Contingency Theory in the Workplace

While contingency leadership models diverge on some points, they all share a common thread.
The overlying viewpoint of the contingency theory of leadership is that effective leadership is
contingent on the situation, task and people involved.

Different leaders, each with their own leadership style, will respond differently to a myriad of
factors in the workplace. Among the factors that can affect a leader’s effectiveness are things like
project scope, the size of their team, resources and deadlines. According to contingency theory,
leaders will always find particular situations that challenge them and must be willing to
acknowledge that their success partially depends on their circumstances.

4. Concepts of Leadership styles and their comparison

The concepts of transformational, transactional, charismatic, servant, and authentic leadership
are different approaches to leadership.

Transformational leadership focuses on inspiring and motivating followers to achieve their full
potential and to transcend their own self-interest for the good of the organization.

Transactional leadership is based on a system of rewards and punishments to motivate followers

to achieve specific goals.

Charismatic leadership involves the leader's ability to inspire and motivate followers through
their personal charm and influence.

Servant leadership emphasizes the leader's role as a servant to their followers, prioritizing their
needs and well-being.

Authentic leadership focuses on the leader's genuine and transparent behavior, staying true to
their values and beliefs.

Each of these leadership styles has its own strengths and weaknesses, and the most important
style will depend on the specific context and needs of the organization. Some leaders may find
that a combination of these styles is most effective in different situations.

Which leadership style is the best for most situations?

Transformational leadership is frequently the most effective style of leadership to employ in

business. But since there isn't a one leadership style that works in every circumstance, it helps to
be aware of the various frameworks and approaches. After that, you can modify your strategy to
suit your needs.

6. The current major challenges in leadership development

The major leadership challenges 2023 that require quick and agile solutions.
1. Recruiting new talent for a job role In recent years, especially since the pandemic broke out,
there have been huge changes in the employment market. Finding the right person suitable for a
job is a great challenge. And hiring the wrong person means missing out on a talent that could
help your organization grow and attain the desired success level.

2. Improving workplace environment for talent retention

The major reasons behind these resignations are reevaluating work-life balance, upgrading to
better-earning opportunities, and others. Organizations must work on their inability to retain
talent by building a good workplace culture. A dissatisfactory workplace culture encourages
employees to switch to another company.

3. Challenges of remote working

The average working hours of employees have increased during work from home, on the same
pay scale – this could lead to burnout and stress.

The leaders need efficient management strategies so that the employees get a sense of belonging
while working in the organization. The management should also help them achieve work-life
balance through flexible scheduling. Besides, constant learning and incorporating new
technology into the company helps handle various challenges of remote and overworking.
Experiment and embrace digital transformation. Also, learn to overcome leadership challenges
and stay updated with the latest working standards.

4. Self-assessment for improving leadership skills

If you want to learn how to handle leadership challenges, you must focus on enhancing your
abilities. Employees always look up to their leaders for valuable advice. A leader’s responsibility
is to lead them and help them deal with the crisis. Hence periodic self-assessment of your
leadership skills will help you identify what areas need improvement.

5. Developing high trust levels with the employees

Empathetic managers are capable of generating high trust levels with their workforce. They
foster a culture of understanding and transparency to ensure smooth organizational work. Self-
awareness gives them the capability to identify their weaknesses and strengths. As a result, they
can leverage their strong points and capabilities to develop the organization.
6. Teamwork management for creating success
Teamwork is a keystone of a business’s success and high-performing team. The growth of a
business is reflected by its teamwork. Having highly talented and experienced individuals on the
team isn’t sufficient. In line with Gallup’s perspective, the crucial factor in predicting
engagement and performance within a team is not the specific makeup of their strengths but
rather the team’s awareness and recognition of those strengths. Leaders must learn the art of
bringing all their teammates together and leveraging every individual’s talents to grow and create
success.
7. Evaluating potential and performance
Company leaders are the ones who have to deal with the negative impacts of biases between
employees and office politics. There is always a risk of favoring the ones who work closely with
the managers or leaders of the company. It’s an immense challenge to create an inclusive and fair
workplace. Managers/leaders must evaluate employee(s) performance properly, especially in a
hybrid work environment.
7. Techniques leadership competencies

It’s important to note that developing leadership competencies is not an easy and straightforward
process, so below, you will find a brief summary of what you can do.

Conduct a leadership development assessment

Conducting a leadership competencies assessment or self-assessment will help you identify the
strengths and weaknesses of employees and identify key areas for development. This will be
different for everyone, so it’s important not to take a blanket approach and tailor leadership
development initiatives accordingly.

The assessment should be based on your leadership competency model to make sure that what
you’re assessing are the qualities you need at your organization.

“Leadership competencies should be connected with organizational values and culture. It is

crucial to involve stakeholders across the business so that leadership competencies drive
behaviors and success.
Any leadership competencies developed in a bubble and filtered down are unlikely to become
truly embedded, believed or felt – and it is a missed opportunity to influence change & progress
across the workforce when they are not included in the change. Displaying the leadership
competencies is more important than simply stating what they are and expecting employees to
live them.

Identify suitable methods of leadership competency development

Mentoring and coaching

Pairing potential leaders with experienced ones is a brilliant way to develop leadership skills
through practical and theoretical learning. It’s possible to learn a lot about a company, its product
offering, and target customer from people who have spent considerable time working for it. In
addition, peer mentoring can help you enrich your leadership develop program.

Coaching can also be effective, especially when it comes to learning more about non-verbal
communication, active listening, and mastering how to give and receive constructive
feedback. AI-based coaching is growing quickly, giving HR more opportunities to design
leadership coaching programs for employees.

Formal training

Formal leadership training can include practical guides and seminars, and is a popular choice.

Certain leadership competencies will be delivered more effectively in a formal way, for example,
people management training, conflict management, and change management.

Focus groups and workshops

Group workshops and focus groups are another way to develop leadership competencies. In a
group setting, people can gain more practical experience and potentially learn different
techniques they may not pick up from working one on one with a mentor.

Self-directed learning
With the right resources, employees can develop leadership competencies in their own time and
at their own pace. Some people may be too busy to attend a workshop during the day or have
family responsibilities that prevent them from sitting down with a coach after hours.

Job shadowing

Job shadowing is common in succession planning when a person will work with someone with
the plan to eventually take over their role. But job shadowing can be effective in simply giving
an employee a stronger idea of what it means to be a successful leader at an organization and
what a typical day might look like.

Professional certifications and accreditation

There are various online and in-person certifications and accreditations that can help people
develop their leadership competencies. As we’ve already mentioned, online offerings tend to
allow students to learn at their own pace, which allows them to fit it around their existing
responsibilities.

Create leadership development plans

Create leadership development plans for employees to help them develop their leadership
competencies and prepare them for a managerial role in your organization. Typically, this will be
a structured and personalized long-term plan that is tailored to the needs of the employee and the
organization. It will outline a set of learning objectives and other activities the employee will
complete to reach their goals.
References
Support, Amabile, T. M., Schatzel, E. A., Moneta, G. B., & Kramer, S. J. Quarterly on
Leadership, 15, 2004
Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge, by W. Bennis and B. Nanus, 2nd ed. HarperBusiness,
New York, 1997.
Cherry, K. (2008). Leadership Theories: The Eight Major Theories. taken from
http://www.psychology.about.com/od/leadership/p/leadtheories.htm on October 1, 2018.
The Art of a Leader by W.A. Cohen, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990
Management problems for the twenty-first century, P. F. Drucker, Routledge, 2007.
"Leadership that Gets Results," by Daniel Goleman, Harvard Business Review, March–April
2000
Perspectives in Educational Administration, by E. C. Ibara 2010, Rodi Printing and Publishing,
Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
What distinguishes management from leadership? Kotterman, J. Journal for Participation &
Quality, Vol. 29, No. 2, 2006,