What Is Leadership? Daniel F. Jennings PhD, PE Andrew Rader Professor of Industrial Distribution

1. What Is Leadership? Daniel F. Jennings PhD, PE Andrew Rader Professor of Industrial Distribution Texas A&M University, College Station, TX IDIS - 444 Spring 2011

2. What is Leadership?

3. A Leadership Story: • A group of workers and their leaders have the task of clearing a road through a dense jungle on a remote island to get to the coast where an estuary provides a perfect site for a port. • The leaders organize the work force into efficient units and monitor the progress which is excellent. The leaders continue to monitor and evaluate the project, making adjustments along the way to ensure the progress is maintained and efficiency is increased wherever possible. • Then, one day during all the hustle and bustle and activity, one person climbs up a nearby tree. That person surveys the scene from the top of the tree.

4. A Leadership Story: • And shouts down to the assembled group below….. • “Wrong Way!”……. • (Story adapted from Stephen Covey (2004) “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” Simon & Schuster). • “Management is doing things right, leadership is doing the right things” • (Warren Bennis and Peter Drucker)

5. Controlling Monitor activities and Make corrections THE TRADITIONAL FUNCTIONS OF MANAGEMENT Planning Select goals and ways to obtain them Organizing Assign authority and responsibility for task accomplishment Directing Motivate and coordinate employees Staffing Recruit and obtain employees

6. Manager Roles

7. Leadership Perspectives Trait Transformational Leadership Transactional Behavioral Contingency

8. Trait Perspectives • Is there a set of characteristics that determines a • good leader? • Earlier Concepts • - Height • - Confidence • - Physical Stamina

9. Transformational Leadership • Starts with a vision, passion and energy • People will follow a person who inspires them • Leading by example – walk the walk

10. Transactional Leadership • An exchange between the leader and follower based on effort • - Rewards • - Sanctions • Focus on current issues and problems • Popular with many managers

11. Behavior Leadership Perspective • Identify successes and failures of leaders • Adopt the successes

12. Contingency Leadership Perspective • Leadership is not a fixed set of characteristics that can be transposed into different contexts • Ability to lead is contingent upon: • - Situational factors • - Leader’s style • - Capabilities and behaviors of followers

13. Leadership Styles • Autocratic • Participative • Laissez Faire (Hands off) • Paternalistic

14. Autocratic • Leader makes decisions without reference to anyone else • High degree of dependency on the leader • Can create de-motivation and alienation of staff • May be valuable in some types of business where decisions need to be made quickly and decisively

15. Participative • Encourages decision making from different perspectives - leadership may be emphasized throughout the organization • - Consultative : process of consultation before decisions are taken • - Persuasive : Leader makes decision and seeks to persuade others • that the decision is correct

16. Participative • May help motivation and involvement • Employees feel ownership of the business and its ideas • Improves the sharing of ideas and experiences within the business • Can delay decision making

17. Laissez – Faire (Hands off) • ‘Let it be’ – the leadership responsibilities are shared by all; • Can be very useful for a business where creative ideas are important; • Can be highly motivational, as people have control over their working life; • Coordination and decision making can be time-consuming and may lack an overall direction; • Relies on good team work • Relies on good interpersonal relations

18. Paternalistic • Leader acts as a ‘father figure’ • Paternalistic leader makes decision but may consult • with followers • Believes in the need to support followers

19. Leadership In The Real World

20. The Balance of Leadership Employees Leadership Other Stakeholders Profitability

21. Some Basic “Truths” About the Nature of Leadership • You Manage things; you lead people • Having a “Position of leadership” does not mean you are the leader. • You are not really the leader until the group you are leading says so ( until they accept you as the leader).

22. Leadership The Art of Influencing Others To Work Enthusiastically, Effectively, And Ethically Toward Goals Identified As Being For The Common Good.

23. “Work Enthusiastically” • People can do everything they are required to by the rules, and your organization will, at best, be mediocre. • People must work with enthusiasm. They must have their heart in it. • You cannot buy enthusiasm, you cannot buy loyalty, you cannot buy devotion of hearts, minds and souls. These must be earned.

24. “Goals Identified As Being For The Common Good” • This means the leader has: • - Thought through the organization’s goals • - Talked with others about these goals • - Achieved buy-in • This requires a lot more effort than just telling others what • to do

25. How does a leader build influence? • By meeting people’s legitimate needs • Through service and sacrifice • By developing trust

26. Leaders identify and meet their followers legitimate needs • A want is simply a wish or desire without any regard for the physical or psychological consequences. • A need is a legitimate physical or psychological requirement for the well-being of a human being.

27. Service And Sacrifice • Leadership requires a great deal of effort. • Leaders must decide whether they are willing to extend themselves for those they lead. • Leaders will be called upon to “sacrifice” • - Their time • - Physical & mental energy • - Ego • - Bad mood days

28. What People Expect From Their Leaders • Honesty • To feel appreciated and respected • Competence • Forward-looking • Inspiring • To feel they are accomplishing something worthwhile • To understand the contribution they are making • To feel they are “in” on things • Patience

29. What People Expect From Their Leaders (cont.) • Encouragement • Hope • To believe their leader understands their personal situation and challenges • To be forgiven when they make mistakes • Standards and boundaries

30. Trust…. • Trust… • - Is the glue that holds relationships together • - Is not the result of an organizational imperative or program • - Comes…. From being trustworthy • Acting inconsistent with our words creates • mistrust

31. They are all volunteers! • “You can buy a person’s time. You can even buy their physical place, but you cannot buy enthusiasm, you cannot buy loyalty, you cannot buy devotion of hearts, minds or souls. You must earn these.” • - Charles Francis

32. A Key Role Of Leadership • Leaders create and sustain the environment in which followers spend most of their waking hours

33. The Keys To Establishing A Solid Environment • Values • Purpose • Vision

34. About Organizational Values • The question is not whether an organization is value-based….. • Every organization is value-based. • The question is: What are the real values and are these values the ones that will ensure the organization prospers in the long run?

35. An Organization’s Values • Define what we believe to be important • Shape the environment we live and work in • Guide our work and our relationships with one another • Become “the real boss.”

36. Aligning Values and Behavior • From slogans and wall charts…….to the heart • Providing example – The leader must become the living symbol of their organization’s values.

37. The Importance Of Organizational Values “Without a set of operating values that are clearly defined and enforced(people are expected to behave according to them) you’re at the mercy of people’s good intentions.” (Blanchard)

38. Effective Leaders Focus On Purpose Key Question: - why does our organization exist? - what business are we in? - Is everything we are doing contributing to mission accomplishing our purpose? Staying Focused

39. Effective Leaders Provide Vision “… a picture of the future that the leader paints for those who follow.” “… a picture of how things would be if everything were running as planned.” (Blanchard) “Providing people an opportunity to be a part of something bigger than themselves and to make a contribution.”

40. Effective Leaders Build Teams • A team is: • - A group of people bound together by a commitment to reach a shared goal • - “…. A small group of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves and each other accountable.” • (Harvard Business School)

41. Effective Leaders Build Teams • The purpose of a team is to make the strengths of each person effective, and his/her weakness irrelevant.

42. Effective Leaders Build Teams • Leaders build teams by: • - Doing and saying things every day that convince their followers to that they are part of the team • - Convincing team members that their well-being is tied to the team’s well-being • - Respecting teams and keeping them together.

43. Effective Leaders Focus On Contribution…. • What can I do that, if done really well, will make a difference in the organization? • What good shall I do this day?” • What good have I done this day?” • Ben Franklin

44. Reflect On Each Experience • What’s Happening? • What’s not happening? • What do I want to be happening? • How can I make this happen?

45. Questions?.....

46. Thanks Daniel F.Jennings PhD., PE Andrew Rader Professor of Industrial Distribution E-Mail : djennings@tamu.edu Phone: 979-845-4972