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Leadership: Past, Present & Future UWS Aspire Leadership Program Year 1. INSPIRING TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP. Contents. Introduction What is Leadership? Leadership vs Management Leaders: Past & Present Leadership Styles Ideal Vs Actual impact of leader How Do Australian Leaders Rate?
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Leadership: Past, Present & FutureUWS Aspire Leadership ProgramYear 1 INSPIRING TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP
Contents Introduction What is Leadership? Leadership vs Management Leaders: Past & Present Leadership Styles Ideal Vs Actual impact of leader How Do Australian Leaders Rate? Characteristics of effective, inspiring leaders
Introduction Peter Drucker in his book titled The Leader of the Future (1996) observed that: “There may be born leaders, but there surely are far too few to depend on them. Leadership must be learned and can be learned.” My personal belief is that leadership is a set of learnable behaviours, which can be adopted and modelled by observing leaders who exhibit ethical behaviours and strong values.
What is Leadership ? “The prince is like the wind and the people like the grass; it is the nature of the grass to bend with the wind.” CONFUCIUS (c. 551 – c.479 BC) “He who has never learned to obey cannot be a good commander.” ARISTOTLE (384 – 322 BC) “I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles, but today it means getting along with people.” INDIRA GANDHI (1917 – 84) “A true leader is one who designs the cathedral and then shares the vision that inspires others to build it.” JAN CARLZON
Leadership vs Management • Leadership and management are two distinctive and complementary systems of action • Most companies are over-managed and under-led
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us...And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.As we are liberated from our own fear, our presenceautomatically liberates others.Nelson MandelaInaugural speech 1994 Nelson Mandela
“ Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country” JFK
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character.” Martin Luther King
“Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming.” Richard Branson
“Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not.” Oprah Winfrey
“Leadership isn’t easy. It’s often exhilarating, exciting, stimulating, but it can also be isolating, exhausting, daunting.” Quentin Bryce
“To those waiting with bated breath for that favourite media catch-phrase – the U-turn – I have only one thing to say: you turn if you want to; the Lady’s not for turning.” Margaret Thatcher
“You must be the change you want to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi
“There are many qualities that make a great leader. But having strong beliefs, being able to stick with them through popular and unpopular times, is the most important characteristics of a great leader.” Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani
“First, I want to let you know that I came to join the revolution, not to kill the Cambodian people. For the love of the nation and the people it was the right thing to do but in the course of our actions we made mistakes.” Pol Pot
“Our votes must go together with our guns. After all, any vote we shall have, shall have been the product of the gun. The gun which produces the vote should remain its security officer – its guarantor. The people’s votes and the people’s guns are always inseparable twins.” Robert Mugabe
“I have given the command and I shall shoot everyone who utters a word of criticism, for the goal to be obtained in the war is not that of reaching certain lines but of physically demolishing the opponent.” Adolf Hitler
“The objective is...to subject the Arab Gulf area to a full, complete and physical occupation through which to achieve many goals, these include political interference and military intervention in the countries of the region in a manner unaccustomed before, with a view to securing complete control over their resources.” Saddam Hussein
Autocratic Leadership An extreme form of transactional leadership The leader has absolute power over the people Employees and team members have little opportunity for making suggestions, even if in the team’s interest Usually leads to high levels of absenteeism and staff turnover
Bureaucratic Leadership Bureaucratic leaders work “by the book”, ensuring people follow procedures exactly Appropriate style of leadership for work involving serious safety risks e.g. working with toxic substances
Charismatic Leadership The leader is enthusiastic and very energetic in driving others forward Such leaders tend to believe more in themselves than their team Success is tied up with the leader’s charismatic presence
Participative Leadership The leader invites other team members to contribute to the decision-making process Increases job satisfaction for team members Focus on developing people’s skills Team members feel in control of their destiny
People-Oriented Leadership The leader is totally focused on organising, supporting and developing their people Leads to good team work and creative collaboration
Laissez-Faire Leadership French for “leave it be”, such leaders leave his/her team members to get on with their work Only works if achievements/results are monitored regularly, and there is regular feedback Works best in teams with skilled self-starters
Task-Oriented Leadership Such leaders focus only on getting the job done, and can be quite autocratic They will actively define the work and roles, and put structures in place, plan, organise and monitor Give little thought to the well being of team members Have difficulty motivating and retaining staff
Transactional Leadership Such leaders treat their job/role as a transaction Team members are expected to “obey” the leader, and are “punished” if they don’t meet pre-determined standards and deadlines Staff have low job satisfaction under such leadership More a form of management, rather than leadership, as the focus is only short term
Servant Leadership Often not formally recognised as a leader Leads by seeking to meet the needs of team members A form of democratic leadership, as the whole team is involved in the decision-making Such leaders achieve power on the basis of their values and ideals
Transformational Leadership This is the style of a true leader who inspires the team with a shared vision of the future Highly visible leaders, who spend a lot of time communicating Do not necessary lead from the front, as they tend to delegate responsibility Their enthusiasm is infectious, and they surround themselves with technically good people
Situational Leadership • There is no one “right” way to lead or manage that suits all situations • A leader must consider: • The skill levels and experience of team members • Type of work i.e. Is it routine, new or creative? • The organisational environment i.e. Is it stable, radically changing, conservative or adventurous ? • His/her preferred style • A good leader will instinctively switch styles according to the people and work they are dealing with
Traits Which Lead to Failure Insensitivity to co-workers Aloofness and arrogance Tendency to misuse information conveyed in confidence Inability to control ambition Inability to delegate assignments or promote teamwork Inability to staff effectively Inability to think strategically Overdependence on mentors
Where Australian Leaders Fail In broad terms, Australian leaders fail in the following key areas: Managing poor performance in the workplace Giving regular, constructive feedback Being good listeners Lack of willingness to adapt current command and control leadership styles to being more inclusive and collaborative
Future Aspire Leadership Characteristics Setting a good example Compassion and empathy Sticking by what he/she believes in, no matter what Seeks to serve their people Listens and responds to their people Willing to admit they can be wrong Does not abuse their power Respectful of others Use their power, and resources to give something of benefit back to society Allow others to participate SOURCE: UWS ASPIRE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS
Future Aspire Leadership Characteristics Make all team members feel included in accomplishing goals Determination, and therefore not quitting easily Having a vision and being able to communicate that effectively An ability to motivate and inspire others Have good values and beliefs Integrity Passionate about what they do Demonstrate humility Does not seek to blame others, but takes responsibility for the group’s actions Demonstrate courage SOURCE: UWS ASPIRE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS
Leadership Revelations: Findings In the book “Leadership Revelations: An Australian Perspective”, highly effective leaders were found to have the following common characteristics: An appetite for learning & developing others Are change enablers Coach people Communicate through listening Are courageous Have integrity Inspire and motivate people Lead by example Value diversity
1. An appetite for Learning Good leaders have an insatiable desire to learn new things that will enable more effective leadership “Leadership skills are often learned through the process of leading others, leadership is a process of ongoing personal development.” Peter Arthur
2. Change Enablers This requires a high level of self awareness and being comfortable with change, personally first then professionally Alec Bashinsky refers to “the toughest challenge is not organisational change, but mindsets.” Terry Lee
3. Coach People Good leaders encourage, mentor, coach and develop their people, recognising this is one of the most notable contributions they can make to the organisation “Coaching is a process of transformation because we teach what we need to learn most.” Rhonda Jansz
4. Communication through listening Good leaders “listen and hear”; they listen to their people, trusted advisors and their own inner voice “Good leaders listen and do what they say they will do.” Dr Karen Starr “Two ears and one mouth.” Granny Pearl
5. Courage Good leaders have the courage to face their fears, they call it by name and then manage it. They do tough stuff, not the popular stuff “True courage is not physical courage, rather it is about moral courage which will be on display and under challenge every day.” General Peter Cosgrove
6. Integrity Leaders “who do what they say they will do”. This is often defined as trust, honesty, credibility “Trust, integrity and ethical behaviours are intertwined, one building upon the other”. Lance’s experience was “people followed where integrity lead”. Lance Blockley
7. Inspire and motivate people Good leaders inspire ordinary people to do extraordinary things, due to their belief and trust in their people “Leaders create energy within an organisation; they get people excited about what could be”. John McGrath
8. Lead by example People want to work for leaders whom they trust and respect, and who trust and respect them in return “Leading by example is how leaders make vision and values tangible. It is how they provide evidence that they’re personally committed… evidence is what people look for”. Father Chris Riley
9. Value diversity Good leaders seek to hire people who are not carbon copies of themselves. They look for people who think differently and will challenge them, which leads to increased creativity and innovation “Leaders create organisations that celebrate diversity rather than uniformity”. Kathleen Townsend
Leadership Revelations Additional Important Characteristics identified were: An ability to create positive environments Demonstrate self leadership Value and develop teamwork Tenacity and perseverance Have strong values Have vision
Important Leadership Skills The most important skills we need to develop to be effective leaders, are: Conflict resolution skills Communication skills and understanding the different communication styles, and the impact these have on others Influence and persuasions skills Giving feedback
Important Leadership Skills Managing poor performance Managing difficult people Coaching and mentoring skills, with an understanding of the difference between the two Managing change Understanding diversity in practical terms rather than “social” terms
Food For Thought “Lead with a warm heart, cool head and open ear. Genuine leadership usually only occurs in fleeting moments. But those moments are precious – they are the glistenings of the diamond that exists within each and everyone of us. Leadership is open to all.” Jack Heath CEO, Inspire Foundation “Leadership Revelations: An Australian Perspective”