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 What is Leadership?

• Leadership is a complex phenomenon involving

the leader, the followers, and the situation.
– The process of influencing an organized group toward
accomplishing its goals.
– Actions that focus resources to create desirable
opportunities.
– Creating conditions for a team to be effective.
– The ability to get results and the ability to build teams;
these represent the what and the how of leadership.
– A complex form of social problem solving.

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 Leadership Myths
Myth: Good Leadership is All Common
Sense
• Most leadership literature only confirms common
sense knowledge.
• Common sense is ambiguous.
• The challenge is to know when common sense
applies and when it does not.
• If leadership was simply common sense, then
workplace problems would be few, if any.
• Effective leadership must be something more than
just common sense.

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 Leadership Myths
Myth: Leaders are Born, not Made

• Many factors and formative experiences influence

behavior and leadership.
• Research shows cognitive abilities and
personality traits are partially innate.
• Different environments can nurture or suppress
different leadership qualities.
• Leaders are born and made.

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 Leadership Myths
Myth: The Only School You Learn
Leadership from Is the School of Hard
Knocks

• Formal study and experiential learning

compliment each other.
• Students must learn to discern critical lessons
about leadership from their own experience.
• Being able to analyze experiences from multiple
perspectives may be the greatest contribution a
formal course in leadership can give you.

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 Leader Development

• The learning events and developmental

experiences that punctuate one’s life are
usually stressful.
• Being able to go against the grain of one’s
personal historical success requires a strong
commitment to learning and a willingness to let
go of the fear of failure.
• To be successful, learning must continue
throughout life and beyond the completion of
one’s formal education.

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Leader Development in College

• The number of college-level leadership studies

programs is rising, but few programs offer
academic credit, such as academic minors.
• Leadership programs should be
multidisciplinary and should cultivate values
through service learning.
• Program elements might involve individualized
feedback to students.
• Case studies, role playing, simulations, and
games provide opportunities for self-discovery
and practice.

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Leader Development in
Organizational Settings (cont.)
• Programs for first-level supervisors use
lectures, case studies, and role-playing
exercises to improve supervisory skills:
– Training

– Monitoring,

– Giving feedback

– Completing performance reviews

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Leader Development in
Organizational Settings (cont.)
• Mid-level manager programs use individualized
feedback, case studies, presentations, role
playing, simulations, and in-basket exercises to
improve the following:
– Interpersonal skills

– Oral and written communication skills

– Time management skills

– Planning

– Goal setting

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Leader Development in
Organizational Settings (cont.)

• Conger states that a multi-tiered approach is

effective and should focus on personal growth,
skill building, feedback, and conceptual
awareness.
• Leadership development in the 21st century
must occur in more lifelike situations and
contexts.
• Leadership programs for senior executives and
CEOs focus on strategic planning, public
relations, and interpersonal skills.

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Action Learning

• Action learning involves the use of actual work

issues and challenges as the developmental
activity itself.

• The philosophy of action learning is that the

best learning involves learning by doing.

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Development Planning

• Development planning is a process that helps

leaders to accelerate the development of their
own leadership skills.
• To make enduring behavioral changes, leaders
must provide positive answers to five questions:
– Do leaders know which of their behaviors need to
change?
– Is the leader motivated to change these behaviors?
– Do leaders have plans in place for changing targeted
behaviors?
– Do leaders have opportunities to practice new skills?
– Are leaders held accountable for changing targeted
behaviors?

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Development Planning (cont.)

• Development planning is more than a plan—it is

really a process.
• Good development plans are constantly being
revised as new skills are learned or new
opportunities to develop skills become
available.
• Development planning provides a methodology
for leaders to improve their behavior even as
they go about their daily work activities.

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Coaching

• Coaching is the “process of equipping people

with the tools, knowledge, and opportunities
they need to develop and become more
successful.”
• There are two types of coaching: informal and
formal.

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Coaching (cont.)

• Informal coaching takes place whenever a

leader helps followers to change their
behaviors.
• According to Peterson and Hicks, the best
informal coaching generally consists of five
steps:
– Forging a partnership
– Inspiring commitment
– Growing skills
– Promoting persistence
– Shaping the environment

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Coaching (cont.)

• Formal coaching programs are designed for

the specific needs and goals of individual
executives and managers in leadership
positions.
• Such programs share common features:
– The one-on-one relationship between manager and
coach lasts from six months to more than a year.
– The process begins with an assessment of the
manager to clarify development needs.
– The coach and manager meet monthly to build skills.
– Role plays and videotape are used extensively, and
coaches provide immediate feedback.

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Mentoring

• Mentoring - personal relationship in which a

more experienced mentor acts as a guide, role
model, and sponsor of a less experienced
protégé.
• Mentoring is not the same as coaching because
it may not target specific development needs.
• Mentor may not even be part of the
organization.
• There are formal and informal mentoring
programs.

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Building Your Own Leadership Self-
Image
• Not everyone wants to be a leader or believes
he/she can be.
• Many people are selling themselves short.
• Keep an open mind about the importance of
leadership.
• Avoid self-defeating generalizations.
• Experiment and take a few risks with different
leadership roles.

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Summary

• One way to add value to your leadership

courses and experiences is by applying the
action-observation-reflection model.
• Be aware of the role perception plays in
leadership development.
• Education and experience can contribute to
your development as a leader.
• To become a better leader, one must seek
challenges and try to make the best of any
leadership opportunity.

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