Effective Leadership example essay topic

Running Header: An Analysis of Leadership Theory; Personal Leadership Definition; and Personal Progress as a Leader An Analysis of Leadership Theory; Personal Leadership Definition; and Personal Progress as a Leader Maureen Gaffney Emmanuel College Abstract The objective of this paper is to compare and contrast theories between Kouzes and Posner, authors of Leadership Challenge, theorist Peter F. Drucker, author of The Effective Executive, and theorist Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Also included in the paper, are references to Douglas McGregor, author of The Human Side of Enterprise and his Theories X & Y, and Robert H. Rosen, author of Leading People. Finally, it is my goal to express my own views on leadership and how I personally would like to be perceived as a leader. For years, theorists have attempted to tap the human mind in order to find out what makes people tick, what motivates and moves them to work hard. Are ambition and drive innate traits which all humans share? Are most humans inclined to work as hard for someone else's gain as they are for their own?

Why do some workers excel and some slack? All of the theorists mentioned in this paper have made it their business to research the human mind and spirit in order to pinpoint the real connection that leaders must make with people in order to gain loyalty and the extra mile. As with Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, people need to realize certain human needs sequentially in order to mature. The most important task of any leader is to tap the minds of all their employees. They need to connect and relate to the people working for them. The "what's in it for me?" attitude, is an unspoken barrier that all leaders must break through.

Employees are compensated with paychecks, benefits, sometimes rewards, etc., but no one individual is obligated to give any more than they can get away with in any eight hour period. This is the average worker. In order to motivate workers to work as if it were for their own personal gain is really the task at hand for all leaders. There are many different types of Leadership Theory: Contingency Theory (situational); responding differently to different people; Trait and Behavioral Leadership, where the former assumes that leadership is innate and the latter assumes leadership is learned. Peter F. Drucker believed that effective leadership could be learned. Contemporary Leadership consists of charisma and people who have the ability to transform others within an organization.

Participative Leadership is where a leader creates vision and gives others direction while navigating along side them. Systematic Leadership produces a ripple effect. If a leader wants to shift an organization in a new direction, presumably, the system falls into place naturally. For example, at one time people didn't eat lobster. One person had to be the first to try it.

Once it was established the lobster was a delicacy, then everyone wanted to eat lobster. Attribution Leadership is based on perceptions of attributes of followers. Kouzes / Posner and Covey deal mainly in feelings and practices that foster feelings. It's not that what they advise is not worthwhile, on the contrary, their advice is very effective. However, their "from the heart approach" to leadership is still a foreign concept to many men in business.

Men and their male egos have been an issue since the beginning of time, getting them to change is quite an undertaking. McGregor and Drucker on the other hand are from the old school what they tout is more technical and tangible. They guide the leader on a path of instruction rather than behaviors. Although Drucker and McGregor do advise on behavioral issues, such as motivation, but this is so that they can influence an employee to be more productive, not necessarily to encourage one's inner leader. Although there was some resistance to loosening the hard-line management approach, it became evident that losing the pretensions attitude produced happier employess. When the touchy feely based management theory started to become popular in the mid 1900's, it was frowned upon by many corporate gray suit types.

They feared the practices would be too democratic and that they would lose control. "Exemplary leaders recognize that such self-serving behavior is the path to organizational suicide, and that successful leaders and team members subordinate their own goals to the service of a greater good". (Kouzes / Posner, (2002), p. 251) "Knowledge work knows no gender; men and women do the same jobs. This, too, is a major change in the human condition". (Drucker, (Spring 2000), p. 1) In Drucker's article "Knowledge Means Managing Oneself" he emphasizes the importance of knowledge in that employees should be knowledgeably well-rounded within the company. It is not good enough for employees to segregate their knowledge to one aspect of the business.

This means too that it can only benefit the employee to be able to comprehend the process of the finance department as well as human resources department. "Many managers would agree that the effectiveness of their organizations would be at least doubled if they could discover how to tap the unrealized potential present in their human resources". (McGregor (1960), p. 4) McGregor says that although it is wise to tap into past experiences as reference for management it is not enough. "Every managerial act rests on assumptions, generalizations and hypothesis - theory". p. 6 Kouzes / Posner, authors of Leadership Challenge, have comprised the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership. The first is Model the Way, encouraging leaders to find their voice, their passion and what drives them to excel. By finding a clear and concise voice to lead with conveys a smooth line in which to guide employees.

Compete tence, establishing values and setting examples are also elements of modeling the way. The second, is Inspired Shared Vision, which? Creating trust by building respect within a group. It's important to allow yourself to trust in others and be open to their influence. If there is not trust, there is no open line for which knowledge to flow. Kouzes / Posner emphasizes interdependence by encouraging others to lead.

The need to listen is imperative as is practicing humility by making one self vulnerable. Like with any relationship, if a wall is built around the heart for protection, true love may not be able to penetrate and flourish. Being closed off from anyone is detrimental to a person's growth. Being open to others' ideas is essential to creating the best situations for a company.

One person cannot be omnipotent, nor all knowing. Ego so often gets in the way of greatness and such behavior has ruined companies as well as entire nations. Unfortunately, I have seen the ego in overdrive in many work environments. The upside to this otherwise tainted experience is that I have observed and learned from the mistakes of those who let power go to their head. This is not to say that by observing and learning I am now not inclined to follow suit, but that I am not an egomaniac by nature, so it is my hope that if given power I would not abuse it nor abuse those around me due to a good moral fiber. The Third Practice of Exemplary Leadership is Challenge the Process.

This practice encourages leaders to think outside the box and forge new paths to success. By searching out opportunities, experimenting and taking risks. Fourth is Enable Others to Act. Basically, this ties in with expanding the creative process and letting others add to the mix through fostering collaboration.

Fifth and finally there is Encourage the Heart which is where relationships and trust are formed and maintained. By recognizing others' talents and efforts with reward systems or celebrations. This is what makes people feel less than like a number and more like a valued cog in the corporate wheel. Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People touts the 7 Habits that foster success in people. In order to begin the 7 Habits, Covey feels that one must first achieve the "paradigm shift", which means to change one's perception of the world. A paradigm is when one is conditioned to see things one way, then comes the paradigm shift.

In Covey's book, he uses the example of a man and his rambunctious children getting on the subway. The man is obviously exhausted and off in his own world of thought. The passengers on the train are getting annoyed that the man is not paying attention to his unruly children. One brave passenger decides to let this man know that they don't appreciate his ignorance.

When the passenger lets the man know his thoughts, the exhausted man apologizes and informs him that he and his children has just come from the hospital where his mother had just passed. The moral of the story is that what this annoyed passenger perceived as a rude situation was really quite excusable and in turn took the passenger from feelings of anger to that of compassion and sympathy. In In order to achieve this shift, Covey outlines several exercises which aid the individual. It is important for leaders to shift paradigms frequently so that they do not fall into a rut of one-way thinking and bias. Not only is this important practice as it relates to business ideas and practices, but also with people in general.

Once the shift has occurred, then the Habits are introduced. 1. Be proactive. If I wasn't proactive with my education I would only sit and wish that I could achieve my dreams, instead I make it happen. 2. Begin with the End in Mind.

A person must have goals and in order to have direction. It's not that I need to have my entire life planned out in detail, but it is important to envision outcomes as a way to keep oneself motivated to stay the course. 3. Put First Things First. This is a slogan I have used in my life for many years. To me, it means I need to take things step by step and not overwhelm myself.

If I spent my days projecting situational outcomes I would be deluged with unfounded fear of the unknown. 4. Think Win / Win encompasses five dimensions. The first dimension is character, of which is the foundation of his Win / Win theory.

Integrity leads the list followed by maturity. Covey puts into words what I believe all my convictions are based on. "The definition of emotional maturity - ~The ability to express one's own feelings and convictions balanced with emotional consideration for the thoughts and feelings of others's. This is how I try to live my life, being kind hearted and thoughtful of others' feelings. 5. Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood.

This is obvious in that it is essential in any relationship to listen in order to have that action reciprocated which results in communication. 6. Synergize. "The essence of synergy is to value differences - to respect them, to build on strengths, to compensate for weaknesses". (Covey, , p. 263) 7. Sharpen the Saw.

This means to keep all of the other habits sharp and tuned. If you are disciplined and then begin to slack, it will not be long before you are no longer disciplined. Covey also touts the Universal Resolutions in his article, Three Resolutions. "If you want to overcome the pull of the past those powerful restraining forces of habit, custom and culture to bring about desired change, count the costs and rally the necessary resources". (Covey, (1996, 1998), p. 1) The first has to do with appetites and passions. By overcoming bad habits that lead to poor health one can be open mind, body and spirit to higher energy and change.

To do this one needs self-discipline a principle which also relies on the principles of temperance and consistency. The second has to do with "overcoming the restraining forces of pride and pretension."Living in harmony with your core values and principles" (p. 3) is a guaranteed way to keep from getting too large an ego. I The essence of these Three Resolutions is so that the individual can be free to transform and excel without the baggage of excess weighing them down. Oddly enough, the Third Resolution is to overcome the restraining forces of aspiration and ambition.

Covey's reasoning is that if one person is too self serving then the company will suffer. "If people are "looking out for number one" and "what's in it for me", they will have no sense of stewardship no sense of being an agent for worthy principles, purposes and causes. They become a law unto themselves, a principal". (p. 4) Therefore, Covey says that "humility is the mother of all other virtues because it promotes stewardship" and once that is in place, all good things will come. When leaders need subordinates to work for the better good of the company, behavioral and motivational techniques are needed. "The average human being has an inherent dislike of work and will avoid it if he can". (McGregor, (1960), p. 33) This is what McGregor refers to as Theory X, the traditional view.

It is his belief that this has been a common belief throughout time. "The average human being prefers to be directed, wishes to avoid responsibility, has relatively little ambition, wants security above all". (p. 34) To summarize, Theory Y states that working should be as natural a process as recreational activities, but how do you tap into the natural desire to work? Punishment is not the only way to entice people to produce and that self-actualization, or satisfaction derived from producing good work, is a motivating factor unto itself. Therefore, it is wise to stroke the ego with praise. The similarities among these theorists lie deep within the human heart. In stark contrast of management and leadership styles prior to the second half of the 21st Century, when it was common practice for superiors to lead with an iron fist and instill fear in their subordinates in order to make them comply, the new style is that of nurturing and generating compliance through loyalty, self-esteem and empowerment.

These theorists share a common thread that centers in the heart. They recommend a nurturing approach to management and leadership. They emphasize the importance of praise, feedback and listening. These are characteristics most often found in close intimate relationships, which brings us back to relationship building as being a key concept in motivating people to work hard and be loyal to you and / or the company as a whole. Peter F. Drucker, author of The Effective Executive, felt that habit and practice must be learned in order to be effective. He is one of the early 20th Century theorist who forged his way into motivational research in a time when white men in gray suits were the norm of the day.

His theories are more clear and focused as opposed to his more modern counterparts in that he is not as concerned with the hearts and feelings of workers, or at least he does not articulate as much in his book, but he does care how about getting the most out of the worker by examining what it is they want for their extra effort. At the time of Drucker's research, manual workers were the majority. Factory line workers had only one goal, to produce allotted production. They were judged according to quantity not quality. Today, due to the vast growth of corporate institutions, the worker is relied upon for their knowledge and expertise. Workers come to the plate educated in theory in concepts of their respective fields.

They are ready to contribute their all to the company. This shift from manual workers to expertise driven employees is where Drucker's theory is born. He believes that going from doing it right, following instruction and producing according to daily quotas, to getting the right things done in order to be more effective. It is one thing to create impressive and intelligent materials, but not conducive if it falls short of the desired outcome. "If effectiveness is lacking in his work, his commitment to work and to contribution will soon wither, and he will become a timer-server going through the motions 9 to 5". (Drucker, (1966, 1967), p. 4) Drucker emphasizes "getting the right things done" (p. 1) The first of his theories is that effectiveness can be learned.

In order to be effective, one must adhere to some basic principles of discipline. It is not enough to be knowledgable and creative. By implementing time management skills through via discarding any action that wastes time and which could be better utilized. Another suggestion toward effectiThird, where and how to mobilize strengths for best effectiveness is contribution. Drucker believes this is key. What this means is rather than spending valuable time within the trenches micro-managing, it is wiser to forward think.

Kouzes / Posner also believed in forward thinking as a way to stay ahead of the competition as well as to keep the company fresh. Setting up right priorities ties together all the other elements to produce effective decision making. "Knowledge work is not defined by quantity. Neither is knowledge work defined by its costs. Knowledge work is defined by its results". (Drucker, (Spring 2000), p. 7) Covey, Drucker, Deps ain, Kouzes and Posner all agree various values; integrity, honesty, humility, and the list goes on.

Not all theorists prioritize their value systems in the same order. In the Leadership Challenge, the first there are The reason these three lead the list Cause and Effect With manual labor, such as line-workers in a factory, the need for self-actualization may not apply. In this case, however, it is still important to treat the worker with respect. Unfortunately, not all managers have taken to the human touch.

Credibility is mentioned in most by most of the theorists as being a key component to building trust. A leader must walk the talk by participating in the values and ethics laid out to employess. "When you come to work in the morning, you " re expected to behave in this manner. And we will, too. I promise you that". (Despain, (2003), p. 155) Participation by unleashing peoples' potential - "It is the leader's job to strike a match, to light the employees' potential.

To do that requires the leader to undo any structures and systems that might snuff it out. If she can, people will be able to work up to their full potential, and amazing things can happen". (Rosen, (1996), p. 114) James Despain, although not a theorist by trade, wrote his book And Dignity for All, Unlocking Greatness with Values-Based Leadership, and in this book he conveyed his journey from worker to working leader. He and his employees devised a ten step guideline called "Our Common Values" in order to communicate, participate and integrate his employees to come together as a community in order to achieve common goals. His focus on diminishing ego driven leadership and making the employees a valued commodity. As Despain learned along his personal journey, so to has today's human resources industry.

As the corporate climate has changed in the past fifty years to include women, so to has corporate culture changed to that of a more nurturing and mentoring environment. Learning by mastering the mentoring process and liberating the human spirit. "We are reflections of our experience. That experience includes whom we know and how we make use of those contacts". Networking is a vital part of survival in business. As we learn from others along the journey, so too is it only fair that we give back to those who are beginning their own journeys.

Liberating the human spirit, "To sustain such growth, people must be willing to grow and renew themselves at all times. And the organization must always be seeking better ideas and better results". (p. 188) A leader creates an ideal direction for the organization to take in order to achieve the ultimate success. "Successful leaders make the whole greater than the sum of its parts. They take charge of the organization and feel a sense of obligation and responsibility for making things happen. This can only occur if the leader has a mental image of the ideal organization he wants to create". (p. 32). Robert H. Rosen believes the key elements of leadership after trust are trust by sharing yourself.

My goals going forward in this program and in life is to make my voice heard and more than my voice, my message as well. I want to encompass grace, humility, integrity, pride, love, empathy, honesty and hope. I want to walk my talk each day and if I can make an impact on one person, I will have been a successful leader.

Bibliography

Kouzes, J.M., & Posner, B.Z. (2002).
Leadership Challenge (3rd ed) San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Drucker, P. (1966, 1967).
The Effective Executive New York, Evanston and London: Harper & Row Despain, J. (2003).
And Dignity for All, Unlocking Greatness with Values-Based Leadership New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. Drucker, P. (Spring 2000).
Managing Knowledge Means Managing Oneself" Leader to Leader. 8-10 Retrieved from web Covey, S. (1991).
Three Resolutions" Covey Leadership Center and Franklin Covey. Retrieved from web Rosen, R. (1996).
Leading People New York: Penguin Books Covey, S. (1989).
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People; Powerful Lessons in Personal Change New York: Fireside and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc. McGregor, D. (1960).