The “What, Why, and How”
of Leadership Development
Summer Schlesinger
October 10, 2007
Lesson Objectives
By the end of the lesson, students should be
able to…
1)
2)
3)
4)
Develop their own definition of leadership
Recognize their own personal leadership
style
Recognize effective leadership traits in
others
Understand the process involved in
developing leadership in organizational
settings
Section One:
What is a leader?
What is leadership?
The American Heritage
Dictionary defines a leader as:
1)
2)
3)
4)
One that leads or guides
One who is in charge or in command of
others
One who heads a political party or
organization
One who has influence or power,
especially of a political nature
The American Heritage Dictionary
defines leadership as:
1)
2)
3)
4)
The position or office of a leader
Capacity or ability to lead
A group of leaders
Guidance; direction
Common Definitions of
Leadership/Leader
“ A process whereby an individual
influences a group of individuals to achieve
a common goal”
“ Motivates, empowers, inspires,
collaborates with, and encourages others.
Develops a culture where employees feel
ownership in what they do and continually
improve the business” (Berger, pg 8)
(Northouse, 2001, pg 3)
How would you define traits of an
effective leader?

Some common traits that have been
used to describe good leaders:
Knowledgeable
Confident
Respectable
Role Model
Observant
Capable of making
mistakes and
correcting them
Problem Solver
Compassionate
Influencing People
Works well with
others
Goal Oriented
Good Communicator
Motivator
Accountable
Good Listener
Leadership Skills


Once you have developed your definition
of leadership, the next step is to figure
out the skills that are needed in order to
develop a leader
In studying leadership, there are
numerous ideas, theories, and models.
However, these skills usually fall into
three distinct categories…
Categories of Leadership Skills

Technical Skills – What you study


Conceptual Skills – Ability to analyze
situations and generate ideas


Methods, processes, procedures; ability to use
tools or operate equipment
Analyzing situations, thinking logically, combining
concepts and ideas into a workable relationship
Human Relations skills –
Understanding and ability to work with
people

Interpersonal processes, communication skills,
cooperation, attitude, motivational ability
Leading vs. Managing
Leaders





Innovate
Eye the horizons
Originate
Do the right
thing
Focus on being
effective
Managers





Administer
Eye the bottom
line
Imitate
Do things right
Focus on being
efficient
Leading vs. Managing
Shared Assumptions:






To be most effective, both sets of skills are needed
Both have overlapping functions and are
interdependent, despite having polar descriptions
Leadership is a process, not a position. It can be
supported by, but not created by positional power
Effective leadership involves a convergence of
leaders, follower, and situation (as is evident in
research concerning leadership styles)
Leadership skills can be learned and developed
In summary, it is important to differentiate, but also
to recognize the overlaps
Leadership Styles




The highest of the three scores indicates what style of
leadership you normally use. If your highest score is
40 or more, it is a strong indicator of your normal style
The lowest of the three scores is an indicator of the
style you least use. If your lowest score is 2 or less, it
is a strong indicator that you normally do not operate
out of this mode
If two of the scores are close to the same, you might
be going through a transition phase, either personally
or at work
If there is only a small difference between the three
scores, then this indicates that you have no clear
perception of the mode you operate out of, or you are
a new leader and are trying to feel out the correct style
for yourself
Leadership Styles

ENTER LEADERSHIP STYLES TABLE

Authoritarian (autocratic)


Participative (democratic)


First column
Second column
Delegative (free reign)

Third Column
Authoritarian Style (autocratic)





Management has most of the knowledge and skills
Should normally be used on rare occasions
Used when the leader tells his/her employees
what he/she wants done, and how it is to be
done, without getting the advice of his/her
followers
Some of the appropriate conditions to use it is
when you have all the information to solve the
problem, you are short on time, and your
employees are well motivated
Not to be confused with “bossing around”
Participative Style (democratic)




Involves the leader including one or more
employees in on the decision making process
(determining what to do and how to do it).
However, the leader maintains the final decision
making authority
Normally used when you have part of the
information, and your employees have other
parts. Note that the leader is not expected to
know everything. This is why it is important to
hire knowledgeable and skillful employees
Allows employees to become part of the team and
allows the leader to make better decisions
Delegative Style (free reign)





Employees have the needed knowledge and skills
The leader allows the employees to make the
decision
However, the leader is still responsible for
decisions that are made
Used when employees are able to analyze the
situation and determine what needs to be done
and how to do it. The leader is not expected to
do everything.
This is a style to be used when you have full trust
and confidence in the people below you, however,
use it wisely!
Leadership Styles


A good leader uses all three styles, depending on
what forces are involved between the followers,
the leader, and the situation
Forces that influence what style should be used
include:






How much time is available?
Are relationships based on respect and trust, or on
disrespect?
Who has the information? You, your employees, or
both?
How well are your employees trained and how well
do you know the task?
What is the type of task? Structured, unstructured,
complicated, or simple?
Also dependent on laws or established procedures
Section Two:
Why is Leadership
Development
Important?
Leadership Development



Evaluates current leadership and
management styles for effectiveness
based on the organization’s needs and
desired culture
Identifies through formal assessments,
job analysis, and observation, the
strengths and weaknesses of leadership
styles
Works to implement a development plan
and coaches an individual for skill
enhancement
Leadership Development

Who Can Benefit?






Recently promoted managers/leaders
Successful leaders/managers who want to
enhance their skills
Technical managers who want to strengthen their
interpersonal skills
Valuable executives looking to resolve current
issues or pursue skill development in order to
more efficiently meet current or changing job
expectations
Succession planning of targeted leaders
In summary, the entire organization, on multiple
levels, can benefit from leadership development
Leadership Development

“Continued learning and personal growth
are essential for the evolution of worldclass leaders” – Mark X. Feck, head of Corporate Human Resources
for Rohm & Haas (Berger, pg 42)


Helps to create a culture of leadership
In a survey of 150 Fortune 500 companies,
a majority of the companies expect at least
a 33% turnover at the executive level in
the next five years, and one third of the
companies felt that they would not be able
to find suitable replacements (Berger, pg 40)
Core Competencies

Research has shown that there are no more than 30 core
institutional competencies and most organizations use
between nine and 11 competencies in
training/development/etc.
Action Orientation
Communications
Creativity/Innovat
ion
Critical Judgment
Customer
Orientation
Interpersonal Skill
Leadership
Teamwork
Technical/Functio
nal Expertise
Section Three:
How do I Develop
Leadership in My
Organization?
External Leadership Consultants

Impact Leadership Consultants, Inc.




Provides a number of workshops,
presentations, and seminars (30 minutes to
full days)
Management and Supervision
 Conflict Resolution, Management Styles, How
to Conduct Effective Meetings, Motivating
yourself and Others to Succeed
Organizational Dynamics
 Organizational Change, Diversity Training,
Team Building, Effective Customer Service
Personal Growth and Development
 Assertiveness Training, How to be an Effective
Communicator, Dealing with Difficult People
Benefits of Leadership Development

Increased Profits


People Management Skills


Help to foster commitment in teams/increase
customer service
Clearer and More Focused Vision


Organize company objectives/identify activities that
are value-added, and those that yield minimal
results
Create clear, challenging, yet achievable goals for
themselves and the organization
Awareness of Potential Pitfalls

Learn how to keep the yourself and others,
avoiding pitfalls such as lack of planning,
responsibility diffusion, lack of commitment, and
procrastination
Common Leadership Concepts





Leadership
Styles
Group Processes
Power
Goals/Visioning
Ethics/Character

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
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Motivation
Time
Management
Conflict
Resolution
Communications
Diversity
Implementing Your Own Leadership
Development Program


Three methods management groups can use to build a model of
competencies that they agree should drive leadership or key roles in the
organization
Agree on which characteristics are most important in the company




Decide on key requirements for the role



Which ones would have the most devastating impact if missing?
Not too specific, not too broad
What would leadership look like? How would you know if someone was
showing leadership?
What attributes/skills will enable this person to perform these roles in an
outstanding manner?
Linkage Charts
Think concretely about whom they see as top performers in these key
roles and then keep a picture of them in mind


What are top performers doing differently than average/bottom performers?
What motivates them? What makes them outstanding?
Leadership Greatness
From The Stuff of Heroes: The Eight
Universal Laws of Leadership (Michael A.
Cohen)
1) Maintain your integrity 100% of the time
2) Know your stuff and be able to prove it
3) Declare your vision and know the vision
of your organization/business
4) Show commitment to your organization
or business

Leadership Greatness (continued)
5) Expect positive results from
yourself and others and look for
those opportunities
6) Take care of your people
7) Put duty before self
8) Stand out in whatever you do
Resources/Reading List
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21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow
Them and People Will Follow You (John C.
Maxwell)
Leadership for the Twenty-First Century
(Joseph C. Rost)
Leading Change (John P. Kotter)
The Leadership Challenge (James M.
Kouzes, Barry Z. Posner)
The Tipping Point (Malcolm Gladwell)