Leadership in some more detail
This paper on leadership is in three sections:1.
2.
3.
4.
Theory
Trust
Relationships
Further reading
An introduction
The dictionary defines a leader as 'a person who rules, guides or inspires others'. By looking at different styles
of leading you will be able to analyse how you yourself behave as the leader of your team.
Good leaders have the respect of the people they lead. People you have worked with who have gained your
respect may have, for example:
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
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made quick, effective decisions
treated all their staff equally, honestly and fairly
had a particular expertise to share
been willing to support you.
Key Qualities
We expect leaders to achieve far more with their teams than merely to direct and control. Increasingly leaders
are expected to build teams that are open to learning. Peter Drucker said that an organisation that has ceased
to learn will cease to be.
Key qualities required to build such teams are:
leads with vision not tradition.
The team is aligned with a vision of what it wants to become. The vision is generated by the whole team and is
inspiring and meaningful.
the leader is a learner, not a teacher.
The leader is aware of self development needs and is willing to learn. The leader is not committed to the 'old
ways' as being the only sound wisdom.
focuses on process, not content.
The leader seeks to get the process going instead of trying to determine the content of how the group works.
enabler, not controller.
The leader doesn't try to keep control, but delegates and leaves the team free to perform. The leader shares
responsibility and the authority to act.
coach, not expert.
The leader helps people learn and develop skills, they always expect more of people.
linkers, not hoarders.
The leader shares information across groups and links joint projects. The leader spends time seeking
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information and linking the team's work with that of other groups.
emotional literacy, not technical skill.
The leader understands that change is difficult and that people have feelings that need to be supported. The
leader is sensitive to the needs of individuals, finding ways to create co-operation and mutual benefit. The
leader encourages resistant and 'stuck' team members to grow.
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Leadership Theories
Leadership theories have evolved over the years - a great deal of research was done after the First World War.
Leaders (officers) in the army traditionally came from the aristocracy, but when the army needed more men
than were available from this source, promotion had to come from the 'ranks' - it was noted that these men
were often better leaders!
There are seven predominant theories:
The great man theory
Prevalent at the end of the nineteenth and early twentieth century - the concept that leaders were born not
made. Leaders were therefore elevated as heroes. Now discredited, as it is widely accepted that although
some individuals have natural leadership qualities, leadership is a skill that can be learnt by all.
Power and influence theory
The essence of this theory lies in the fact that power and influence rests with the leader and negates the role
of the followers and the strength of the organisation. Increasingly the view that the position of leader
inherently includes power is discounted and the consent of the team is viewed as essential.
Behaviourist theory
The concept emphasises what leaders actually do rather than the possession of characteristics, and this still
has some relevance for leaders today.
Situational theory
Situational leadership was championed by Ken Blanchard and Paul Hersey (among others) with titles such as
The One Minute Manager and Situational Leadership Theory. This theory views leadership as being specific to
a situation rather than a particular sort of personality.
Contingency theory
This idea developed from situational theory and looks at situational variables which indicate the most
appropriate leadership style to suit the circumstances.
Transaction theory
Increasingly fashionable and a classic well researched method; this places emphasis on the relationship
between leaders and followers. It examines the mutual benefit from an exchange based relationship. These
exchanges include such areas as giving resources or rewards by the leader in exchange for the follower's
commitment or acceptance of the leader's authority.
Transformational theory
Transformational leadership is based on intrinsic motivation. As such, emphasis is placed on commitment
rather than compliance from the followers. The transformational leader is therefore, a proactive, innovative
visionary.
Decision Making Styles adopted by leaders
Tannenbaum and Schmidt looked at the range of behaviours possible in a decision making situation and
presented them as a seven point continuum.
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Five main styles of leadership emerge from this:telling
This is dictatorial in that the leader makes and announces a decision, expecting it to be implemented without
any discussion with the team. This would always be appropriate in an emergency - for example, 'There's a fire vacate the building'.
selling
Although here the leader will have made the decision, he or she will try to persuade their team to accept it by
selling the benefits rather than just stating the decision. This method takes longer than just telling, but should
gain more support for implementing the decision.
consulting
In this style of leading, the leader will present the issue to the team and encourage debate before making a
decision. This can result in team members feeling that they have been consulted, but ignored if suggestions
made are not adopted.
consensus
The leader and team discuss the matter together before arriving at a consensus decision. This is a good
mechanism where the manager and team are likely to want the same things; it can become highly time
consuming if parties are unlikely to agree.
delegates
The leader gives the team freedom to make some, or all decisions within parameters laid down.
This concept raised four key questions:
Firstly, can a manager ever relinquish responsibility by delegating decision making to someone else?
Tannenbaum and Schmidt concluded that a manager must be held responsible for the quality of the decisions
made, even though operationally these decisions may have been made on a group basis. The manager should
therefore be prepared to accept whatever risk is involved whenever they delegate their decision making
power to the team.
Secondly, should the manager participate with their team once they have delegated responsibility to the
team? The manager should carefully consider their role prior to involving the team members, considering if
their presence will inhibit or facilitate the problem solving process. There will be occasions when the group will
solve the problems better on their own, and similarly there will be times when the manager will have some
useful ideas to contribute to the situation. In these situations the manager will see themselves as a member of
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the team rather than as its leader.
Thirdly, how important is it for the group to recognise what kind of leadership behaviour the manager has
been using? Tannenbaum and Schmidt felt it was very important that the team recognised the behaviour, as
conflict and interpersonal problems occur when the leader has failed to make it clear how they plan to use
their authority. It is very important that the manager be honest and clear in describing their authority and the
role being asked from the team.
Lastly, can you tell how 'democratic' a manager is by the number of decisions their team makes? The sheer
number of decisions Tannenbaum and Schmidt concluded did not give an accurate account of the amount of
freedom a team employs. More important was the significance of the decisions which the leader entrusts to
their team.
Increasing team members' participation in decision making can:
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raise the level of motivation
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increase the readiness of individuals to accept change
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improve the quality of all managerial decisions
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develop team work and improve morale
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further the development of individual team members.
There are three key forces at play in any decision making situation, the forces:
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in the manager
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in the team members
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in the situation.
The forces in the manager will be influenced greatly by issues of personality and values and by the confidence
the manager has in the team members.
Each team member has individual personality traits and behaviours. The better the manager understands all
the key factors, the easier it is to determine what kind of behaviour on their part will enable the team to act in
the most effective way.
Generally speaking, a manager will be able to give their team greater freedom if the following conditions exist:
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if the team members have a relatively high need for independence
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if the team is ready to assume responsibility (some team members will see additional responsibility as
the manager trying to 'pass the buck')
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if the team members have a fairly high level of tolerance for ambiguity - some teams prefer to have
clear cut directions
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if the team is interested in the problem and feels that it is important
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if they understand and identify with the goals of the organisation
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if they have the knowledge and experience to deal with the problem
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if the team has come to expect a share of the decision making.
Another consideration is the team effectiveness, and how well the team works together. Team variables such
as cohesiveness, permissiveness, mutual acceptance and commonality of purpose will exert subtle but
powerful influence on the ability of the team to function.
Finally the problem itself will determine what level of authority should be delegated by the manager to the
team.
Today's manager is unlikely to function effectively without delegating some routine decision making to their
team. If the team is new, and has significant development needs a medium term strategy may be to move
systematically to the point where the team is more autonomous. This will then release the manager's time for
developing individuals, looking at the wider picture and long term planning issues.
The careful leader is one who can behave appropriately in the light of the above points. If direction is required,
directions should be given; if considerable participative freedom is called for, the manager should be able to
provide a framework for such freedom.
All styles are appropriate according to the situational constraints. However, there is a trend for managers to
move towards the consultation/delegation end of the scale.
You can develop your own leadership resources by identifying which style you most commonly adopt. If you
always act in one style try varying your leadership approach depending on the situation.
To summarise, the three main factors which are important when deciding on the most appropriate leadership
style are to do with:

you the leader: your confidence in your team, your own personal values and experience, your
background and enthusiasm for leadership
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your team members: their expectations, readiness to assume responsibility, interest, personality,
understanding of the aims of the organisation and the department

the situation: the type of task, the time available, the environment, who's involved.
Action Centred Leadership
There are many approaches to analysing how a leader behaves. One of the most useful frameworks is that
provided by John Adair in his book Effective Leadership, (Gower 1983).
He suggests that in order to lead teams effectively a manager must take into account three key areas of
involvement:
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the task: the need to accomplish something
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the group: the need to develop and maintain working relationships among members
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the individual: the needs individuals bring with them into groups.
This can be illustrated by the diagram below.
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One reason a group comes together is that there is a task that one person cannot do on their own. One of the
key issues, in terms of effectiveness, is whether the group as a whole understands the need to complete the
tasks within the time limits. If individual members are not committed to the common goal, the group will
exhibit various degrees of anxiety and frustration.
Let's look at team maintenance from the perspective of how groups maintain themselves against external and
internal pressures. Instinctively a common feeling exists that 'united we stand, divided we fall'. Good
relationships, whilst desirable in themselves, are essential towards achieving a shared goal. Adair called the
need to create and promote group cohesiveness, a 'maintenance need'.
Individual needs reflect the development, emotional and motivational requirements each person brings to the
workplace.
All these three areas inter-connect - hence the three circles model, which focuses on the balance required to
achieve an effective team performance.
Leadership Roles
The leader's function within the team changes according to which of the 'circles' the leader is focusing on.
The following checklists expand on this.
Role of the leader relating to the task:
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identify clear objectives
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ensure appropriate resources are available
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define limits of responsibility for yourself and team members
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set, control and monitor clear timescales and systems
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ensure any corrective action is taken as a result of monitoring progress.
Role of the leader relating to the team:
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decide the optimum size of the team to achieve the task
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decide on the right people to be in the team
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ensure the team understands the objectives
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communicate standards and quality expected to the team
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
establish communication procedure.
Role of the leader relating to the individual:
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attend to any personal problems that may affect performance
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arrange coaching or training for individuals if necessary
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review performance regularly
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spend time with individuals to listen to their views

ensure individuals are clear about the overall task

make sure everyone knows what their job is.
In this context, consider the term 'task' to mean specific, discrete tasks rather than overall large scale projects
or objectives.
The various needs interact. If you ignore the task needs, then team needs and individual needs will suffer. If
you ignore individual needs, the task and the team will suffer. If you ignore team needs then the individual and
the task will suffer.
A flexible leadership style will reflect the circumstances of each situation, by allowing the appropriate priority
to be given to each area of need.
In moments of crisis it may be necessary to concentrate on the task. For example, if a computer system
crashed, the priority would be on getting it up and running as quickly as possible. The model then may look like
Model A.
Model A
At other times team needs will attract a high priority - for example, in the amalgamation of two separate
teams to form a different unit. The model then may look like Model B.
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Model B
Adair's concept of leadership is based on what is known as a transaction leadership approach. It stresses that a
leader's attitude to task, team and individual needs has to adapt to the requirements of the overall situation. A
good leader seeks to keep the three in balance over time, but with the flexibility to adapt where required,
geared towards the needs and benefits of the individual and the team.
'Effective groups develop when each member is contributing to the common task and to building the
group.' John Adair's Effective Teambuilding, 1986, Gower Publishing Co.
A leader's primary function is to achieve their business objectives. A good leader will do this by developing the
individuals' ability which will build and maintain the team. A team built like this will readily respond to new
challenges.
You can analyse your own leadership effectiveness using Adair's model by considering an experience in which
you were in a leadership role and asking yourself:

What were the task needs? How did I take them into account? What was the outcome?

What were team needs? How did I take them into account? What was the outcome?

What were the individual needs? How did I take them into account? What was the outcome?
Applying the theory to a situation in which you were the leader, will help you think more closely about what's
involved in each circle. By looking in greater detail at what is meant by task/team/individual needs, you can
clarify what the leader needs to do when dealing with each one.
Action Centred Leadership Checklist
In a typical task to be achieved, the activities involved can be divided into stages.
They may occur in this order:
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define objectives
plan
communicate
support/control
evaluate.
The checklist below expands on this.
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Task
Team
Individual
Define objectives
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Identifies task and constraints
Involves team in agreeing targets
Develops targets and responsibilities
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Establishes resources/priorities
Decides timing
Structures and delegates
Assesses skills
Trains and develops
Delegates
Plan
Communicate
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Briefs and checks understanding
Consults and obtains feedback
Listens
Advises
Enthuses
Support/Control
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Monitors progress Checks standards
Co-ordinates Reconciles any conflict
Recognises good performance
Addresses poor performance
Encourages
Counsels
Evaluate
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Reviews
Rewards success Learns from failures and successes
Appraises and guides
Rewards success
Learns from failures and successes
You will gain confidence in using the Adair model, if you can consciously analyse leadership situations to
decide upon the best approach. Practise this conscious analysis by reviewing from time to time, tasks you have
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completed as a leader in which you have had to consider the needs of the task, team and individual. By
focusing on what you actually did to assist each area in relation to:

defining objectives

planning

communicating

support/controlling

evaluating
you will be able to make valuable decisions about how you might tackle similar situations differently in the
future.
Some people find that they have a natural inclination to focus on one aspect whatever the situation.
Sometimes the work you do will support this bias, but in many jobs it is important to be able to adopt a
'balance' between the three areas.
If you think that you have a definite preference, which makes it difficult for you to act in a more balanced way
as a leader, then look back over the checklists describing the roles of the leader for task, team and individual.
You can strengthen any weak areas by doing more of the activities listed under the appropriate heading under
Leadership Roles, above.
Adair's model relates to the way in which someone leads in a particular situation.
Leadership style is important because:

it affects the motivational levels of your team
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it impacts on the speed with which your team reacts to issues

it determines the effectiveness of your leadership in any given situation.
The Visionary Leader
Another approach to defining personal leadership style is that proposed by Warren Bennis, who suggests six
basic 'ingredients' that are a useful and uplifting way of describing visionary leadership. As you read the list,
consider your own reaction to the terms he uses. Bennis suggests a leader should develop:
a guiding vision - a clear understanding and commitment to a 'vision' which outlines where you are going
(direction) and why (purpose/ meaning).
passion - a real enthusiasm for the job, profession or course of action. A sense of hope and excitement about
the future, and a sense of fun in getting there.
integrity - understanding yourself, and being honest in thought and action. Being driven by ideas of principle
and conscience.
trust - earning and maintaining the trust of colleagues.
curiosity - learning all the time, especially from mistakes and adversity; exploration.
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daring - a willingness to try things, take risks, and experiment.
The visionary approach
These ideas form part of a search for new ways of managing in an increasingly complex and rapidly changing
world. Of course 'visions' don't provide us with a detailed map for our journey, their real value comes from
meeting our needs for an idea of a better future, and having something meaningful we can commit to. It is the
process of creating a vision and the fact that one exists at all, that is more important than what it might
actually contain or how 'accurate' it might turn out to be. To 'conjure up' an image of what a vision is, we can
look at its two key ingredients - the vision's focus on direction and the future, and its inspirational quality.
Creating Direction

A shared view of an 'achievable' and desirable future state.

It deals with 'aspirations' as well as its 'intentions'.
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An emphasis on 'how' people will work together rather than 'what' they will be doing.
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Pictures, images and ideas, not targets or objectives.
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The idea of a journey - guiding and navigating, creating maps together.
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The longer term - sustainability - a belief in the future.
Inspiring People

Generates enthusiasm and excitement.
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Reflects and develops the authentic values and beliefs of an organisation/team.

Supports commitment and ownership.
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Inspires creativity, imagination and innovation.

Adds meaning and purpose to our lives.
The statements above not only help to generate an understanding of 'vision', but reflect some of the value
that a shared vision can have for a team or organisation. Creating a direction and providing a positive view of
the future gives people something tangible to strive towards. It motivates through meeting people's needs for
achievement and belonging. It adds a sense of purpose and meaning to work beyond that of simply 'earning a
living', particularly if the 'vision' is created, and therefore owned, jointly by everyone in the team/organisation.
It also tries to provide a new focus for our need for security, following the demise of the career and 'jobs for
life' ideas of the recent past.
In this respect, the value of 'vision' in helping to meet these needs becomes more important than the detail or
accuracy of the vision - in fact one of the strengths of the vision idea is that it is deliberately 'fuzzy' round the
edges and designed to be dynamic and flexible. This is a major step away from the detailed 'five-year-plan'
approach with all its attendant projections and forecasts, facts and figures, objectives and targets.
The visionary view, as the name suggests, is focused firmly on the future. It encourages a forward-looking
(exciting) approach to work. This concern with generating energy and enthusiasm is not a case of 'getting on a
soap-box and rousing the masses', but of building a shared sense of excitement about possible futures for
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individuals as well as organisations. It is about inspiring others through your relationships, beliefs and actions.
In the light of the leadership theories we have considered we can now extend our definitions of the key
behaviours of a good leader.
The list below provides a good basis for a self assessment or feedback gathering exercise, if you wish to get
feedback from colleagues on your own leadership approach.
A good leader:

shares with their team their enthusiasm for the work they are doing and reminds them how it fits in
with the work of the organisation as a whole

arranges for the work of the team to be allocated among individuals so as to promote the satisfaction
and development of those individuals as well as the accomplishment of the task

tells and reminds each individual about the purpose and importance of their work

gives each individual constructive comments about his or her work

helps each individual to improve their performance and helps them to become more capable of more
challenging tasks

reviews people's jobs with a view to making them more satisfying

takes into account the individual's views when agreeing/revising his or her targets

involves individuals in decision making where appropriate

delegates decision making where appropriate

explains decisions he or she has made him/herself

is responsive to suggestions and grievances

ensures that individuals breaking important rules are disciplined

encourages staff to take an active part in employee participation groups - for example to be a
representative on the health and safety committee, or to join problem solving groups or to make
suggestions

monitors progress and keeps the team informed - in such a way that everyone learns from the
experience (failures as well as successes)

makes sure that all members of their team knows of outside events or decisions elsewhere in the
organisation (or outside) which may affect their work

defends their team members if their work has been criticised by someone outside the team

shows they care about them as individuals and recognises that their work will be affected by what is
happening in the rest of their lives (and vice versa) as will the leader's
Interpreting the effect of the presence or absence of these behaviours can prove tricky. If you do use this as a
self assessment tool it is valuable to be able to make comparisons between your own self assessment and that
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of colleagues who have experienced your leadership.
It's sometimes difficult to differentiate leadership from motivation, as it's often the lack of certain behaviour in
the leader that can de-motivate a person or team.
Building Relationships
Developing relationships beyond - passing the time of day - is crucial to creating productive workplaces. One
way of looking at this process is shown below in the relationship between risk-taking, trust and confidence.
To move a relationship forward, an individual takes a risk with another by, for example, disclosing information
about themselves or challenging the other's viewpoint or behaviour. Whether this produces a positive or
negative reaction is critical.
A positive response indicates a certain level of trust, a willingness to engage without defensiveness. This type
of response helps to build confidence for the risk-taker, primarily in the relationship, but also in the value of
taking these kinds of risks in general. It opens the door to further risk-taking and the development of the
relationship. Thus a positive response can lead to an upward spiral that builds trust and confidence for both
parties.
A negative or defensive response to the risk-taker however, suggests that the required level of trust may not
be present. It does not give the risk-taker reason to feel confident that the risk is worthwhile in this case,
which may dampen their enthusiasm for taking such risks with this person in the future. There is a danger of a
downward spiral developing through lack of trust or confidence supporting an unwillingness to take such risks
again.
Case Study
STARBUCKS
Starbucks started as a chain of six coffee shops in Seattle, USA. Now the business is a global phenomenon.
Frequently relationships in the fast food industry are based on the carrot and stick approach to management,
but the management of Starbucks is proud to have relationships that are based on trust.
The CEO Howard Shultz commented:
If there's one thing I'm proud of at Starbucks, it's the relationship of trust and confidence we've built with the
people who work at the company. That's not just an empty phrase, as it is in so many companies. This attitude
runs counter to conventional business wisdom. A company that is managed for the benefit only of its
shareholders treats its employees as a line item, a cost to be contained. Executives who cut jobs aggressively
are often rewarded with a temporary turn up in their stock price. But in the long run, they are not only
undermining morale but sacrificing the innovation, the entrepreneurial spirit and the heartfelt commitment of
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the very people who could elevate the company to greater heights.
How far do you agree with Howard Shultz? You may feel there are similarities between the points he makes
and those of Tony Blair quoted earlier in this paper.
Leadership and Trust
Larry Reynolds in The Trust Effect - Creating the High Trust, High Performance Organisation, looks at the key
quality of trust in leaders and organisations. His opening case study is worth considering.
Case Study
AIR FLORIDA
An Air Florida aircraft has been the attention of the best efforts of the de-icing team. However, when the
aircraft arrives at the runway of National Airport, Washington DC, there are still icicles hanging from the wings
of the aircraft. The co-pilot tentatively brings this situation to the attention of the pilot repeatedly. However,
the co-pilot does not want to be seen to be questioning the judgement of the pilot, and equally the pilot
evidently does not trust the judgement of the co-pilot.
The last words recorded on the flight recorder are those of the pilot dismissing his co-pilot's concerns about the
icicles. Shortly afterwards the aircraft fails to take off due to the weight of the icicles and crashes into the
Potomac river killing all but five of the seventy four people on board.
Few of us are directly involved with life and death decisions of this nature. However, even on a less life
threatening scale, a lack of trust can lead to an ineffective performance. You may be able to think of examples
from your own experience or have your own ideas of how to include and improve trust in work relationships.
One model that helps us to identify leadership skills that enhance trust is CORE:




Competence - in promoting learning, and choosing the right people.
Openness - in giving feedback and keeping the team informed.
Reliability - in acting with integrity and in making the team accountable.
Equity - leading decisively and in identifying the concerns of the team.
However, trust is not just about leadership at the team and department level. Reynolds states:
'A winning company must inspire its people to new levels of skill, efficiency and creativity, supported by a
sense of shared destiny with customers, suppliers and investors.'
Tony Blair, while leader of the Labour Party in opposition, said:
'We cannot by legislation guarantee that a company will behave in a way conducive to trust and long term
commitment. But it is surely time to assess how we shift the emphasis in corporate ethos from the company
being a mere vehicle for the capital market to be traded, bought and sold as a commodity, towards a vision of
the company as a community or partnership in which each employee has a stake and where the company's
responsibilities are more clearly delineated.'
How should the leader maintain this relationship - based on trust? One fundamental premise is to ensure that
you are very clear at the outset what you expect from the other person. Only then can you make them
accountable.
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Encouraging Trust
A way of encouraging trust with your team/ colleagues and manager is suggested by Reynolds, using the
acronym OPERA for the following five step process.
Outcomes should be clearly defined in terms which have a common meaning for the both of you. Benjamin
Disraeli wrote a note of thanks to an aspiring author - 'Thank you so much for the book. I shall lose no time in
reading it.'
People in business all have different ideas of what constitutes a good report, vision or leadership or an
effective team or business plan or effective performance.
Make sure that you discuss the outcomes in tangible terms - things that you see, hear and touch. A good
question would be 'how would we know that we've achieved this outcome?'
Parameters - the do's and don'ts associated with the task. It would not be right to spell out in detail the
method you expect the team to use - this would be reverting back to the power based relationship. However,
you might consider any values (or an ethical position) that you would wish them to consider.
Effects - what are the consequences of achieving or not achieving the task? You should both share the view of
the benefits of getting the activity right and the effects of getting it wrong.
Resources - need to be provided otherwise you are setting up this person to fail. Resources could be physical,
financial, human, or time. In many organisations the most precious resource is time, and the best way of
ensuring the task is completed is to assist in freeing up some time for the other person to do the task.
Accountability - this final step is crucial. You need to make it clear that the other person will be accountable
for the task. It is important that you make clear the difference between making them accountable for the
results rather than the methods. How they do the task (within the parameters set) is up to them.
This approach may feel uncomfortable for others at first, as you are holding them accountable for what they
do. However, sharing responsibility means facing the consequences of success or failure, and this can be tough
on the leader too, as it requires you to let go and trust! You should build review meetings into the process as
part of the accountability stage of clarifying the task. These meetings should be agreed at the outset as part of
the process and not introduced at a later stage - this would suggest you're checking up on them because you
do not trust them.
Reasons commonly given for not trusting staff include:





they are not able
they do not want to
they'd foul it up
I can do it better
it needs to be right.
All of these may be valid at times, but many are simply excuses underlying a lack of trust and you should
carefully question and evaluate such comments.
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Summary
The context for this paper by considering the importance of trust and building relationships to today's
organisations, noting the key qualities of a leader that help achieve this.
We reviewed some of the main leadership theories that have evolved over the years, focusing in particular on
Tannenbaum and Schmidt's autocratic-participative continuum of styles, and on Adair's action centred
leadership model.
Finally, we considered what 'visionary leadership' can mean, particularly in today's changing organisational
environment
A final Case Study
BP In an interview with John Browne of BP he was asked:
What is the role of a leader in institutionalising breakthrough thinking?
He responded that the top management team must stimulate the organisation, not control it. Their role is to
provide strategic directive, to encourage learning, and to make sure that there are mechanisms for transferring
the lessons. The role of leaders at all levels is to demonstrate to people that they are capable of achieving more
than they think they can achieve and that they should never be satisfied with where they are now. To change
behaviour and unleash new ways of thinking, a leader sometimes has to say, 'Stop - you're not allowed to do it
the old way', and issue a challenge.
Source: Prokesch, Steven; Unleashing the Power of Learning - An Interview with British Petroleum's John
Browne; Harvard Business Review, Vol 75 No 5, September-October 1997.
Think about how often you lead by demonstrating to your team members that they are capable of more than
they think can be achieved. When would it be appropriate for you to issue a challenge?
Footnote: Lord Browne led BP between 1995 and 2007. It was a very successful period for the company. But he
resigned from BP after he was found by a judge to have lied in court about the details of a personal
relationship. Where does private life and public persona have to be as one? He says he lied because ‘people’
would not accept him as gay. A controversial matter but what does it say about open leadership? Is it relevant?
Further Reading
John Adair: Effective Leadership, Gower Publishing, 1983
John Adair: Effective Teambuilding, Gower Publishing, 1986
Dr Meredith Belbin: Team Roles at Work, Butterworth Heinemann, 1993
Warren Bennis: Managing the Dream, Training Magazine, 1990
Warren Bennis: An Invented Life: Reflections on Leadership and Change, Addison-Wesley, Reading, 1993
Kenneth Blanchard, Spencer Johnson: The One Minute Manager, Fontana Books 1983
Max DePree: Leadership is an Art, New York, 1989
Peter Drucker: Managing for the Future, Butterworth Heinemann, 1992
Charles Handy: Trust and the Virtual Organisation, Harvard Business Review; Vol 73, No 3, May-June 1995
The Industrial Society: Self Managed Teams, London, 1995
Steven E Prokesch: Unleashing the Power of Learning; Harvard Business Review Vol 75, No 5, October 1997
Larry Reynolds: The Trust Effect, Nicholas Breary Publishing 1997
R. Tannenbaum and W.H. Schmidt: How to choose a leadership pattern - retrospective commentary, Harvard
Business Review, June 1973 (Reprinted in Business Classics: Fifteen Key Concepts for Managerial Success 1991)
Ron Young: The Wide-awake Club, People Management, Vol 4 No 3; 5 February 98
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