Monthly Archives: October 2014

Leadership Is A Process

Leaders show you how its done

To say, ‘leadership is a process’, is to acknowledge that it is neither a trait or a characteristic, but rather a transactional activity that occurs between leaders and followers. The term process implies that leadership is not a linear, one-way event – both the leader and the follower affect each other.

Leadership is available to everyone – there are no “born leaders”.  Anyone can begin today, taking direct actions to grow, develop and better understand who they are as leaders. The process of leadership, the process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve common objectives, is intriguing, complex and ever – evolving (Northouse, 2013).

In understanding leadership as a process, we also must acknowledge that we are all participants in the leadership dance – sometimes leading, sometimes following – always actively contributing to the resulting outcomes.

Maxwell (2011), tells us that good leaders are self-aware. They understand themselves first and then use that to create super teams and organizations. The author also shares his experience in working with groups of leaders and asking,  “What’s the one thing you would change to improve the effectiveness of your organization?” The groups usually respond by listing all the Ps – products, promotions, pricing, people, etc.  Maxwell (2011) notes that very seldom does anyone offer the single most important and insightful of all answers: “Me, I would change ME to improve our organization.”

The leadership process starts with understanding we are part of the leader/ follower dynamic. The second, more important step, requires the leader accepting that any successful leadership endeavor involves knowing oneself and respecting the power and influence they bring to every interaction. The more the leader actively seeks to develop, understand and be a good steward of their leadership ability, the more success they will experience in every aspect of life.

References:

Maxwell, J. C. (2011). The 5 Levels of Leadership: Proven steps to maximize your potential. New York: Center Street, Hatchett Book Group, Inc.

Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership Theory and Practice. 6th Ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

Why Are There So Many Dimensions of Leadership? And How Do I Make Leadship Work For Me?

Thinking Figure

There is Authentic Leadership, Transformational Leadership, Situational Leadership, Team Leadership, Servant Leadership – there are leadership traits and leadership skills and 70+ prominent leadership theories – and the list goes on and on. But how does a leader know which is the best leadership approach for them and which is most effective for the many leadership situations they will find themselves in?

Kuhn (2012) offers one popular explanation of why there are so many areas of focus, noting that during the developmental stages of Leadership Theory there was an absence of a paradigm and all assertions seemed plausible. The author also suggested that due to the absence of a widely accepted and practiced scientific method, many concepts were evaluated and tested inconsistently, making it even harder for researchers to confidently dismiss any relative line of thinking.

Winston and Patterson (2006) arrived at a similar finding related to the large number of leadership dimensions. In their study, they identified 90+ dimensions of leadership, yet noted there was not one dimension that was widely accepted by the leadership research, education and practitioner communities .

Which brings us to the question – how is a leader to know what to do, and if they are leading well and doing the right things?

To answer this, Northouse (2013) recommends that leaders start by grasping a working definition of what leadership is – suggesting that the 4 basic components of leadership are:

  • Leadership is a process
  • Leadership involves influence
  • Leadership can only occur in groups
  • Leadership involves common goals

Over the next week, we will explore these components in greater detail and outline a process for leaders to develop their own framework and working approach that is the best fit for them. This will place them in a better position to determine which leadership areas of focus hold the greatest benefits for them.

References:

Kuhn, T. (2012).The Structure of Scientific Revolutions: 50th Anniversary Edition. University Of Chicago Press.

Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA, Sage.

Winston, B., & Patterson, K. (2006). An integrative definition of leadership. International Journal of Leadership Studies, 1(2), pp. 6 – 66.