The Styles, Models & Philosophy of Leadership Flashcards
What is leadership?
The ability to lead a group of people.
Tools, behaviors and capabilities a person needs to be successful at motivating and directing others.
The ability to help people grow in their own abilities
What are the characteristics of a leader?
- is committed to a vision or mission
- understands his or her role
- demonstrates integrity
- sets an example
- understands how to motivate others
- communicates effectively
- is willing to take risks
- is adept at problem-solving
What are the three traits that every successful leader must have?
- desire to lead
- commitment to the mission & vision
- integrity
What does it mean to have the desire to lead?
- I enjoy it when others seek my ideas or opinions
- I don’t mind asking team members challenging questions when working on a project
- I like supporting others on my team and can do so in both good and bad times
- I am comfortable putting the team interest before my own interest
- When I am working with a group, I facilitate a strong spirit
- I am comfortable letting others take my ideas and put them into action
- I like playing the role of coach to help others improve their skills
- I prefer to resolve personal conflicts on a team rather than let them continue
- I look for opportunities to celebrate other people’s success
- I can have a productive discussion even when others don’t agree with me
- When the team has a problem, I consider it my problem too
- I like to generate ideas and share them with the group
What is “integrity”?
Integrity is being true to your word and authentic in your actions.
What are the three elements of integrity?
- sincerity: honest, responsible for own mistakes, no false front
- consistency: all employees are equal, keep promise, have the same expectations for themselves
- substance: all employees are equal, keep promise, have the same expectations for themselves
What are the characteristics of a leader?
- thinks long term
- thinks strategy
- asks what and why
- knows the customer
- influences
- gains authority by his mindset & behavior
What are the characteristics of a manager?
- thinks short term
- thinks tactics
- plans how and when
- day-to-day business
- supervises
- gains authority from his position
What are the different leadership styles?
- autocratic
- democratic
- bureaucratic
- charismatic
What are the characteristics of autocratic leadership?
- like to keep the decision-making power to themselves
- keeps control and responsibility
- clear structure
- set rigid expectations
- are not interested in developing own skills or employees
- old-fashioned leadership style
What are the advantages of autocratic leadership?
- less stress for the leader because he is in comple controle
- fast decision-making
- employees tend to be more productive; as longs as the boss is actually there
- useful for projects that have to be implemented in a hurry
What are the disadvantages of autocratic leadership?
- not good for the long term
- de-skills the workforce
- making the employees disheartened and too reliant on the leader
When to use the autocratic leadership style?
- short-term, complex, technical or urgent projects
- low-skilled positions with monotonous tasks that can lead to low motivation
- where there is high turnover in the employees: keeping the organizaitonal knowledge in the leader
What are the characteristics of the democratic leadership style?
- making decisions as a group
- share the resulting responsibility with team members
- delegates a great deal of the work
- seeks continual feedback
- looks for opportunities to develop himself and his team
- popular style when it is done wel
What are the advantages of the democratic leadership style?
- employees are more dedicated
- employees are willing to work hard to deliver results and to share the credit for getting those results
What are the disadvantages of the democratic leadership style?
- decisions cannot be made quickly
- when fast decision-making is needed the leader will have to change to autocratic leadership
- balance needed between others to take the lead and keeping control of the overall process
When to use the democratic leadership style?
- when every team member has to contribute with their own creativity and knowledge to the process
- to create a new team of people who have not worked together before and need to get in gear quickly
What are the characteristics of the bureaucratic leadership style?
- making certain that employees follow the rules
- in factory work
- the leader gains authority from his position
- formal environment
- clear distinction between leader and employee
- older, lager organization
What are the advantages of the bureaucratic leadership style?
- when consistent output is required and work is repetitive
- highly segregated tasks that depend on each other
- when cost-cutting and improving productivity
What are the disadvantages of the bureaucratic leadership style?
- de-humanizing to individuals, discourage
- no personal creativity is allowed
- can harm the organization in the long run
- territorial leaders
- restrictive policies
When to use the bureaucratic leadership style?
When rigid controls over health and safety is necessary.
What are the characteristics of the charismatic leadership style?
- inspires
- committed to a vision which they are charged with communicating to their team
- personal integrity
- build trust with team members
- energetic
What are the advantages of the charismatic leadership style?
- powerful team that is willing to deliver
- team can be wildly creative
- forward-thinking decision-making
What are the disadvantages of the charismatic leadership style?
- requires a great deal of time for the leader
- can be stressful
- human errors of the leader can harm personal relationships with the team member
When to use the charismatic leadership style?
- when commitment to a vision is the most important aspect
- with new companies, launches of new products, divisions
- image building of the company; PR
What are the four basic personality styles?
- Direct = low expressiveness + high assertiveness
- Spirited = high expressiveness + high assertiveness
- Systematic = low expressiveness + low assertiveness
- Considerate = high expressiveness + low assertiveness
What are the features of direct personality style?
- like to be in charge
- like to take control
- look for results
- driven to succeed
- competitive
- strong focus
- decisive
How may others see the direct personality style?
- overbearing
- impatient
- stubborn
- autocratic
- don’t listen to other’s input
- results above feeligns
What are tips for leading “directs”?
- get to the point quickly
- give them chances to excel and compete
- communicate in short sentences
- be on time and end on time
- don’t promise what you aren’t certain you can deliver
- don’t give information about personal issues
- give measurable outcomes to strive towards
- tell the truth, don’t sugar-coat it
What are the features of the spirited personality style?
- dreamers
- generating enthusiasm
- persuasive
- visionary
- passionaite
- multitask
- take risks
How may others see the spirited personality style?
- no details
- poor time management
- difficult to keep their attention
- don’t listen wel
- can’t say no
What are some tips for leading the “spirited”?
- allow time for brainstorming and let them express their ideas
- explain ahead how much time will be allowed for discussion
- praise them in front of other people
- communicate by showing an interest in their ideas but redirecting them to the practical
- understand that they may exaggerate
- set milestone deadlines
- challenge them to break down their “big ideas” into specific outcomes and steps
- tell what will happen if they succeed and if they fail
What are the features of the systematic personality style?
- analyst
- data
- logic is their friend
- rational, precise, disciplined
- make decisions based on research
- patience
- stick to the book
How may others see the systematic personality style?
- overload of data
- too detailed
- no bigger picture
- fear of change
- cold
- avoid conflict
- shut down communication
What are some tips for leading the “systematics”?
- focus on facts instead of opinions
- try to be accurate and precise in your communication
- give logical reasons for what you are doing
- allow time for the research and analysis phase
- set timeframes
- be organized and prepared when you meet with them
- avoid personal topics in your interactions
- when conflicts arise, focus on facts and figures
What are the features of the considerate personality style?
- natural team workers
- supportive
- good listeners
- connect on a personal level
- mediator in conflicts
- trainers/mentors
- enjoy helping others
How may others see the considerate personality style? (negatives)
- worry about other people’s feeling
- overly emotional
- don’t stand up for themselves
- avoid uncomfortable situations
What are some tips for leading the “considerates”?
- express a sincere interest in their feelings, thoughts, and personal life
- reassure them that they are doing a good job
- try to move at a relaxed pace
- monitor their workload to ensure they haven’t taken on more work than they should
- encourage them to ask questions and to share their opinion
- let them know that you appreciate their help
- give them opportunities to help others with projects
- help them identify goals that they can stretch for
With what begins effective leadership?
- being self-aware
- being aware of the impact you have on others
- knowing what really matters to you
- behaving in alignment with your core purpose and values
- expressing yourself authentically
What is the key to leading?
The key to leading is learning about the main differences in personality types so that you gain insight into why the other person acts the way they do.
What is a “team purpose statement”?
It’s a relatable and personal statement of the organizations’ mission and vission to your team members.
What are the advantages of a “team purpose statement”?
- Team purpose statements can unite disparate members of the team,
- They give your team inspiration,
- And they give you a useful tool in leading the group.
- Also benefits for the leader: a tool to refer to, to reward behavior
How do you create a “team purpose statement”?
- by identifying what it is about your team stands out from the back
- what are you particularly proud of
- what would happen if you stopped doing your jobs?
What’s the goal of “team purpose statement”?
- to inspire
- to correct and direct actions
- to reward the team for meeting its standards
What are the stages of a team?
- forming
- storming
- norming
- performing
- adjourning / mourning
Explain the phase forming in a team.
- The getting to know you stage
- Everyone is on their best behavior
- Trying to figure out how the team will work
- What their role will be
- What kind of leader they will have
Explain the phase storming in a team.
- Challenge the authority of the leader
- Questioning the purpose of the project
- Personal conflicts rise up
- The leadership skills are key
- Or the team will fail or will pass this phase
- Address conflicts, redirect behaviors, clarify roles
- Give instructions in a clear, straight-forward manner
- Sometimes adjust roles or assignments
- Praise and reward acheivements
Explain the phase norming in a team.
- The team has accepted the authority of the leader
- They begin to get to know each other
- They request help and accept constructive criticism
- The leadership role is to reinforce their commitment to the team goal and to monitor for any slips back into “storming” behavior.
- When new challenges arise, often slip back to the storming phase
Explain the phase performing in a team.
- The team is operating like a well-oiled machine
- The leader delegates work and it is done well
- The leader can focus on individual team-member development, which will help to prepare the team members for leaving the team
Explain the phase adjourning / mourning in a team.
- All teams are temporary
- People will leave due to promotions, retiring, transferring
- The dissolution of a team can be difficult for team members
- Agitation and anxiety
What are the goals of a leader in the forming phase?
- provide clear direction
- establish clear objective
- begin defining roles
- form team purpose
- begin working to establish trust and display integrity
What are the goals of a leader in the storming phase?
- establish team structures and reporting relationships
- address challenges to your authority or to the team purpose/goal
- establish processes, procedures and policies
- identify and address conflicts
- make corrective changes as needed
- encourage positive behavior
What are the goals of a leader in the norming phase?
- encourage team members to give and take guidance from each other
- recognize positive contributions
- arrange team-building activities when appropriate
- encourage team members to take leadership of certain tasks or activities
- fine tune procedures, policies, and roles as needed
What are the goals of a leader in the performing phase?
- delegate responsibility to team members
- encourage continuing achievement and ‘high performance’
- focus on individual team member development and begin thinking about the future beyond the team
What are the goals of a leader in the adjourning/mourning phase?
- celebrate team and individual achievements
- solicit ‘lessons learned’ from team members
- assist team members in transitioning to new positions or new roles
What are some final tips for leading?
- Schedule time for coaching
- Remain positive, continually bringing your focus
- Be willing to revisit your decisions
- Have realistic goals for moving forward
- Seek feedback from the team
- Look for ways to improve and be certain to notice and reward individual improvements
Why is delegating important?
A leader will be better if he is able to focus on what is best for the team, and delegating is the way to make this possible.
Why do people resist delegating?
- “It’s easier to do it yourself”
- afraid of losing control
What questions do you need to ask to decide to whom should you delegate?
- person’s level of experience, knowledge, skills,…
- What abilities does he or she posess?
- Is there time to get additional needed skills?
- How does the individual like to work?
- Independant enough?
- Enough confidence?
- Align with his or her interests?
- How will the work be shifted?
- Time for more work?
- How will this affect the other team members?
- Impact on meeting existing deadlines?
How to delegate successfully?
- Identify clearly what the outcome of the task should be
- Give boundaries: how much authority ?
- Responsibility level appropriate with the authority level
- Look for the person who is closest to the work
- Leader has to be availble for questions
- Monitor only the result on the deadlines and milestones
- Financial reward? Public recognition?
- Expect the person to propose solutions to any problems that they bring to the leader
- Other team members have to be informed
What is mentoring?
The relationship between 2 people who have the mutual goal of development on both a personal and professional level
The mentor (the senior) has knowledge, skills, training, experience and abilities that the mentee would like to develop
Benefits mentee: gains coaching
Benefits mentor: gains gratifying and rewarding
