The Hope of Leadership

As a new year approaches and I think about leadership I am reminded of the words of Burns and Bennis.

James MacGregor Burns acidly stated, "Leadership is one of the most observed and least understood phenomena on earth" (van Mart 2003). Another particularly eminent scholar--Warren Bennis--came to the same conclusion in the mid-1980s: "Never have so many labored so long to say so little," and "leadership is the most studied and least understood topic of any in the social sciences" (Bennis and Nanus 1985).

These scholars make a valid point but, it is not one to despair over. I believe as long as there are scholars/practitioners/ leaders the concept of leadership will continue to grow and expand in understanding. With globalization and increase interaction of cultures, the concept of leadership has increase in understanding, thus we have the birth of Multifaceted Leadership Theory/ Awakened Leadership, a concept of leadership that encompasses other styles and capacities of leadership, such as Autocratic Leadership, Laissez -Faire Leadership and Democratic Leadership. (Marques 2006) Additionally, an Awaken Leader is tuned into Servant Leadership and understands how to apply and when to apply the precepts of servant leadership (Marques 2006). Thus what I see is a dynamic system that grows as one gains understanding of his or her environment and as the environment increase or decreases in scope and scale. So, I will not lament over Burns’ and Bennis’ perspective, but instead I will view the study of leadership as a challenge and voyage in an uncharted continent that is filled with unexplored lands and mysteries. And, with a scholar/practitioner/ leader model my exploration will be an enlighten journey.

Also, with the new year new leaders are moving upon the state, President - Elect Barack Obama.


References:

Bennis, W., and Nanus B. (1985). Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge. New York: Harper and Row.

Marques, J. A . (2006, Aug) . AWAKENED LEADERSHIP: ANCIENT PRACTICE GOING HIP. Performance Improvement . 45.(7). pg.35

van Wart, M (2003, March/April). Public-Sector Leadership Theory: An Assessment. Public Administration Review. 63 (2). p214-228

Social Person Leadership vs. Scientific Leadership and Management

Social person leadership approach is focus upon the person as the chief factor in organizational operations. Theorist such as Clair E. Turner, (1890 – 1974) professor of biology and public health at MIT, would assert that reduced fatigue of employee as a result rest periods were not the result of increase output, instead the rest period gave the employees greater opportunities for social interaction and improved mental attitudes which then translates into improved and increased performance (Wren 2005). Scientific leadership and management on the other hand seeks to control or direct a process while social person approach looks at and deals with the person instead of making the focal point the process. In the earlier example of Turner, he equaled the rise of output to the following factors (Turner 1933):

1. the small group
2. the type of supervision
3. increased earnings
4. the novelty of the experiment
5. attention given to the test room operators

In summation, the social person approach deals with the individual and his or her motivates which has lead to the creation of a major pillar of understanding for others motives, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need which incudes the following:

Physiological Needs
These are biological needs. They consist of needs for oxygen, food, water, and a relatively constant body temperature. They are the strongest needs because if a person were deprived of all needs, the physiological ones would come first in the person's search for satisfaction.

Safety Needs
When all physiological needs are satisfied and are no longer controlling thoughts and behaviors, the needs for security can become active. Adults have little awareness of their security needs except in times of emergency or periods of disorganization in the social structure (such as widespread rioting). Children often display the signs of insecurity and the need to be safe.

Needs of Love, Affection and Belongingness
When the needs for safety and for physiological well-being are satisfied, the next class of needs for love, affection and belongingness can emerge. Maslow states that people seek to overcome feelings of loneliness and alienation. This involves both giving and receiving love, affection and the sense of belonging.

Needs for Esteem
When the first three classes of needs are satisfied, the needs for esteem can become dominant. These involve needs for both self-esteem and for the esteem a person gets from others. Humans have a need for a stable, firmly based, high level of self-respect, and respect from others. When these needs are satisfied, the person feels self-confident and valuable as a person in the world. When these needs are frustrated, the person feels inferior, weak, helpless and worthless.

Needs for Self-Actualization
When all of the foregoing needs are satisfied, then and only then are the needs for self-actualization activated. Maslow describes self-actualization as a person's need to be and do that which the person was "born to do." "A musician must make music, an artist must paint, and a poet must write." These needs make themselves felt in signs of restlessness. The person feels on edge, tense, lacking something, in short, restless. If a person is hungry, unsafe, not loved or accepted, or lacking self-esteem, it is very easy to know what the person is restless about. It is not always clear what a person wants when there is a need for self-actualization.

References

Turner, C. E. (1933). “Test Room Studies in Employee Effectiveness” American Journal of Public Health, 23, 577 – 584.

Wren, D. A. (2005). The History of Management Thought 5th ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. p. 283

Two Insightful Observations and their impact on Leadership

Mencius, Chinese philosopher and pupil of Confucius, said, "Men must be decided on what they will not do, and then they are able to act with vigor in what they ought to do (p.61).” and

Plautus, Roman comic playwright asserted, “Patience is the best remedy for every trouble (p. 63).”

From these two great thinkers, one can see and understand that becoming a leader is a continuous process of understanding and expansion of vision, skills, talents and experiences. Leadership obtainment is not a static position, but instead it is a fluid state of being that changes with perspective, be one a follower or a leader within a organization. Additionally, leadership is a series of decisions of what one or an organization is not and being patience in the process of making the decision.

With Mencius and Plautus words in mind, One can stand with a greater appreciation of the need and the importance of patience. Additionally one stand admonished on the need to develop a patience operational outlook towards one's environment and even of self. Leadership is not a is a rush but, instead it is a life long learning experience that can provide one with the opportunity to merge knowledge and wisdom into a state of operation that enriches not just one but many different individuals or an organization.

Reference:

Patterson, J. (Ed.). (2003). Ancient Wisdom, Timeless Truths : Immortal Philosophers Discuss the Meaning of Life. New York: Barnes and Noble Books

Whats so important about LEADERSHIP?

Leonard Frank Ray uncovered an insightful quote from Warren Bennis where Bennis states the following:

In the post bureaucratic world, the laurel will go to the leader who encourages healthy dissent and values those followers brave enough to say no. The successful leader will have not the loudest voice, but readiest ear. And his or her real genius may well lie not in personal achievement, but in unleashing other people’s talents (p. 440).

In his quote, Bennis illuminates a vital attribute, of leadership, the harnessing of resources and talents, which has stood the test of time. From Alexander the Great to Jack Welch, we have examples of individuals who have marshaled and directed resources toward the development self and community. Alexander led a small army of Greeks to the end of the known world and once he reached India, he had assembled a multi-national empire and army. Jack Welch assumed the leadership of an ailing GE and reinvigorated the organization for the modern world and created wealth for the company’s stakeholders As, long as men and women assembly themselves within groups, organizations, communities and nations, there will always be a need for a leader to “unleashing other people’s talents” towards the fulfillment of a need, be it military conquest or the survival of a multinational corporation.

Daniel Wren sums it up nicely when he said:

Today is not like yesterday, nor will tomorrow be like today: yet today is a synergism of all our yesterdays and tomorrow will be the same (p. 4).

The only other point of understanding to add is that a leader is the one who enables the synergy to happen within a community or organization. And, as long a man and even animals exist leadership will continue to be a vital element of a community or organization.

References:

Frank, L.R. (Ed.) (2001). Quationary. New York, NY: Random House.

Wren, D. A. (2005). The History of Management Thought 5th ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Son

A Question

A question, Can a great leader effectively manage a highly technical project in which they have zero knowledge as well as a moderately skilled leader with superior technical knowledge?

Yes, a great leader can effectively manage a highly technical project in which they have zero knowledge as well as a moderately skilled leader with superior technical knowledge. The examples that come to mind are FDR, Churchill and Dr. King. As for the examples of FDR and Churchill neither leader had the technical experience to lead a grand strategic world – wide war, but they had the foresight to surround themselves with individuals that had technical expertise to draw upon. Dr. King as young minister found himself in the middle of a state of injustice that called for leadership and Dr. King reach out to other such as Ralph Abernathy for counsel and support. Additionally, Dr. King reached out to Gandhi for his method on how to combat injustice. Tom Peters presents two principles which assert that a great leader can effectively manage a highly technical project in which they have zero knowledge. According to Peters:

Leaders are Talent Fanatics.
“Talent: Attract it, Nurture it. Mentor it. Reward it. Create the context in which it can thrive (p. 37).”

Leaders Nurture Other Leaders
Ralph Nader once said, “I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders (p. 38)

Henri Fayol, the French manger – engineer and father of the first theory of management, asserted in 1908:

… a leader who is a good administrator but technically mediocre is generally much more useful to the enterprise than if he were a brilliant technician but a mediocre administrator (p. 212).



References:

Peters, T. (2005). Tom Peters Essentials: Leadership – Inspire Liberate Achieve. New York, NY: DK. p37 and 38.

Wren, D. A. (2005). The History of Management Thought 5th ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. p. 212

The Role of Conflict in the establishment of Leader/Follower Relationships

Conflict helps to define the relationship and sets boundaries. The example I am thinking of is that of a lion in a pride. On occasion the alpha male is challenged and if the alpha male is to remain the alpha, it must meet the challenge and resolve the conflict. I know this is a simplistic view, but it’s a start and will move us along in our discussion.

The Roman emperor Vespasian (pronounced Ves-pay-see-an) offers an example what role conflict plays in the establishment of leader/follower relationships. Vespasian was the founder of the second dynasty of rulers of the Roman Empire. Vespasian assumed the throne of Emperor of the Roman Empire after Nero’s death. Vespasian claimed the throne with the encouragement of others and during a very trying time of economic distress and unclear purpose in the Roman Empire.

Arthur Cotterell, Roger Lowe and Ian Shaw in their book LEADERSHIP: Lessons from the Ancient World outline what Vespasian understood about conflict and that one must meet it head on. Additionally, Vespasian realize that conflict/debate is an opportunity for creative decision making that can lead to the selection and identification of a superior solution that can enrich all stakeholders (p.237). In trying to rally a nationalistic pride in Rome and used a symbol of Nero’s excesses, a private lake, Vespasian commissioned the building of the Great Roman Coliseum, a gigantic amphitheatre that is the standard for today’s football stadiums. In building the coliseum, Vespasian found a way to distance himself from Nero, unify himself with the citizens of Rome and, re -focus and re-direct the national pride of the empire.

The lesson which is offered by Vespasian on what role conflict plays in the establishment of leader/follower relationships is the outlining of an opportunity for mutual growth if the leader steps in to the situation or point of disagreement before defensive stance are establishment and offensive moves happen that seek to destroy a person. Conflict is an opportunity to move from point A to point B or destroy a whole enterprise.


References:

Cotterell, A., Lowe, R. and Shaw, I. (2006). LEADERSHIP: Lessons from the Ancient World. p. 231 – 247. West Sussex, England: John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.

Important Actions of a Leader

Setting a theory of a business or enterprise is the most important actions a leader can take to support innovation. Peter Drucker in his book, The Daily Drucker, states:

A theory of a business has three parts. First, there are assumptions about the environment of the organization: society and its structure, the market, the customer and the technology. The assumptions about the environment define what an organization is paid for. Second, there are assumptions about the specific mission of the organization. The assumptions about the mission define what an organization considers to be meaningful results – they point to how it envisions itself making a difference in the economy and society at large. Third, there are assumptions about core competencies needed to accomplish the organization’s mission. Core competencies define where an organization must excel in order to maintain leadership (p. 83).

With the establishment of a theory of a business or enterprise a leader is adhering to the counsel of Steven Covey by “seeking to understand and then seeking to be understood” (Covey 2005). From this perspective of understanding a leader opens a welcoming channel of communication. An examination of Procter and Gamble and its recent efforts with innovation reveals the value of setting a theory of a business or enterprise. Through a need to increase innovation, Procter and Gamble had to find a way to amass, analysis, and direct the use of volumes of information. The old method of achieving its goal of innovation was not working and thus a new path was created to meet all stakeholders’ need for innovation. P and G determined that it needed an open marketplace where the internal and external would compete, and external ideas would get the same hearing as internal ideas within the organizational culture and thus the culture would start embracing innovating ideas found elsewhere (Drake, Sakkab and Jonash 2006). P and G found a way to incorporate new ideas into its business processes and has created its own theory of the business and changed an anemic growth rate from innovation. P&G saw its share price doubled, cash flow doubled, profits doubled and the success rate of innovation reached a level of 75 %, all measures, which a business would die to achieve (Drake, Sakkab and Jonash 2006).

References:

Covey, S. R. (2005). The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness. New York, NY: Free Press.

Drake, M.P., Sakkab, N., and , Jonash, R. (2006 Nov. Dec) MAXIMIZING RETURN ON INNOVATION INVESTMENT. Research Technology Management, 49 (6), 32-41 and 10.

Drucker, P.F. (2004). The Daily Drucker 366 DAYS of INSIGHT and Motivation for GETTING the Right THINGS DONE. p. 83 and 84. New York: HarperBusiness.

Failure is it really failure?

A classic example of the role failure plays in innovation is reflected in the following words of Thomas Edison:

Results! Why, man, I have gotten a lot of results. I know several thousand things that won't work (Brainy Quote (n.d.)).

Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up (Brainy Quote (n.d.)).

What we see at in Edison’s’ words is an understanding that new insights or gained from one’s failure, a mistake in some respects is a mini innovation that enables one to see and understanding the impact of forces within a defined or general environment. William Smithburg, former Quaker Oats chairman, stated in Warren Bennis’ and Burt Nanus’ book, Leaders, the following:

There isn’t one senior manager in this company who has hasn’t been associated with a product that flopped. That includes me. It is like learning to ski. If you’re not falling down, you’re not learning (p. 67).

After a merger with PepsiCo, Quaker Oats stands as part of the fourth-largest consumer-goods company in the world (Quaker Oats (n.d.)).

What the Edison and Smithburg quotes teach the interested observer is that with persistence and focus failure can be a wise teacher in the process of innovation.


References:

Bennis, W., and Nanus B. (1985). Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge. New York: Harper and Row.

Brainy Quote (n.d.) Retrieved March 15, 2007 from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/t/thomas_a_edison.html.

Quaker Oats (n.d.). Retrieved March 15, 2007 from http://www.quakeroats.com/qfb_AboutUs/history.cfm

An Organization's Structure, Culture, Spirit and Leader Style

The relationships between an organization’s structure, culture, spirit, and leader style are ones of interdependence. One definition of culture is seen as the attainment of knowledge that people use to interpret experience and generate social behavior which forms values, creates attitudes, and influences behavior (Hodgetts 2005). The selection of an organizational structure will enable an organization to mange the risk by enabling dynamism of personal, organizational and cultural values to come into being with individual choices or adherence to a set of beliefs. Interplay happens with the pursuit of knowledge which enables one to solve a problem and thus obtain wisdom. A nurse presented with a choice of performing a task that he or she is uncomfortable with has the professional and personal ability to refuse to perform the action by making a conscientious objection. By making this objection a nurse keeps their integrity intact and adheres to their professional code of ethics, which gives worth to their personal values (Baker, 1996). So, why would someone in an organization perform a risky or disagreeable task for an organization? One performs the task because the organizational values or the cultural values serve as a mediating force to justify his or her actions within the organization or culture (Tuler, Machlis and Kasperson, 1992). Thus, a leader must create a business environment where the cultures are not competing with each but instead showing respect and understanding for all stakeholders and one way to achieve this objective is with an understanding and possible pursuing the scholar/practitioner/ leader model.

References:

Baker, T. (1996, October). Descriptive and normative ethics. Nursing Management, 27(10), 32DD

Hodgetts, R. M., Luthans, F., & Doh, J. P. (2005). International Management: Culture, Strategy, and Behavior, 6th edition. Chapter 4. New York: McGraw-Hill

Tuler, S., Machlis, G., & Kasperson, R. (1992). Mountain Goat Removal in Olympic National Park: A Case Study of the Role of Organizational Culture in Individual Risk Decisions and Behavior. Retrieved March 8, 2005, from Pierce Law, Franklin Pierce Law Center Web site: http://www.piercelaw.edu/risk/vol3/fall/tuler.htm