What Makes a Leader?
By Jonathan “Veche Legoman” Potter
On occasion, I have been accused of being and charged with the title of, “a Leader”. It is a role that not everyone undertakes and the performance of those who take on the role of a leader is not always noteworthy.
The following are my meager attempts to layout what makes a leader and a good leader at that. I, by no means, claim to be an expert or even a so called “good leader”, but I have many thoughts, both conjured and read, on the subject. My recent class, Managing Behavior and Organization taught by Susan Michie, has helped to build on my thoughts of leaders and leadership.
A leader is no where without supporters or followers, for if leaders have no one to lead, how can they be a leader? A leader is someone who exhibits leadership.
Andrew S. Grove, the former CEO of Intel, eloquently defined leadership as the ability to get ordinary people to do extraordinary things in the face of adversity. What traits, what actions are linked with leadership?
Leadership:
· Setting a direction
· Aligning people with that direction
· Motivating
· Coping with change
· Challenging the status quo
· Doing the right thing
· Communicating
· Reasoning ability
· Standing firm
These traits/actions make up a leader. It is not a complete list, but a simple one. Leaders must lead.
Leaders use leadership to lead. What is the best way to lead?
The “best” way to lead depends on the situation. A basic key to effective leadership is matching an appropriate behavioral approach to the situation. Different followers need different direction in order to perform well. “Good” leaders will adapt their behavior to the type of follower and situation they are dealing with in order to achieve their goals. There are four basic behaviors:
· Directive – tell followers what is expected
· Supportive – express concern for followers well-being
· Participative – engage followers in decision-making
· Achievement-oriented – set challenging goals and show confidence in followers
In the course of being a leader, I have seen myself use these so-called behaviors. In a given day in pursuit of a given “mission”, I have used not one, but a combination of all. It seems to me that a “good” leader will effectively balance these behaviors, weighing more heavily on some than others based on the situation. It is not a matter of picking one approach, but melding all into one cohesive construction that will take you and your followers to the finish line.
Poor leadership can still find the finish line, but shoddy construction may result in the loss of pieces on the journey. What followers, ideals, and dreams will be lost along the way due to poor construction and weak cohesion?
A leader can either be transactional or transformational. Transactional leadership relies on reward and punishment while transformational is more charismatic. Transformational leadership uses rationalizing and reasoning influence and inspires extra-ordinary performance as well as commitment and loyalty. A transformational leader will:
· Read complex environments and interpret for followers
· Empathize with followers’ needs
· Inspire followers to transcend self-interests
Followers often romanticize the idea of leadership. They will attribute more power to leaders than they have. How does a leader interact with followers?
A leader uses leadership to lead followers. Leaders develop different relationships with individual followers.
Most leaders of organizations develop an “in-group” or an “out-group” relationship with their members. The “in-group” members often receive access to the “inner circle” of communication, more attention, more responsibility, more rewards, and thus, develop a relationship with the leader based on mutual trust. The “out-group” develops a more contractual relationship based on policies and procedures.
The “in-group” members have high tendencies to become leaders themselves. They will often take on leadership roles, because the leader is either busy with so many things or temporarily absent.
Followers tend to vary in thinking and action. Followers tend to either think for themselves or let the leader think for them. Followers will take the initiative or wait to be told what to do. There are four basic types of followers:
Sheep
· Do not think for themselves
· Wait to be told what to do
Alienated Followers
· Think for themselves
· Wait to be told what to do
Yes people
· Do not think for themselves
· Take initiative
Effective/dynamic followers
· Think for themselves
· Take initiative
All of these types of followers may exist in any group at any given time. “Good” leaders are aware of the strengths and weaknesses of their followers and the type to which they fall. In my observations, followers will change how they act depending on how the leader acts toward them. A follower can and will change the type they are. Some followers evolve, while others temporarily rise depending on the need of the group or leader.
In the end, effective leaders develop dynamic, self-leading followers. In other words, they use their leadership to guide their followers into becoming leaders. A “good” leader will develop his or her followers into leaders.