LEADERSHIP SKILLS

Leadership Skills

Leadership Skills

Introduction

Leadership is any process of leaders influencing followers. A leader, sometimes likened to a magnet, is one to whom others look for guidance. Influence is the ability or capacity to get another person to do or believe X rather than Y. One vital source of influence is formal authority to command, held for example by business executives. An individual not possessing any formal authority may acquire moral influence equivalent to informal authority through persuasion, example, or ideas. Varying sources and means of influence, together with the morality of ends and means of influence, are key dimensions of leadership. Where control of important resources overlaps with formal or informal authority, it is an aspect of leadership.

Discussion

There are various prescriptions for successful leadership. A couple of examples will serve here. Donald Phillips's analysis of Lincoln's leadership during the American civil war divides the lessons into four sets. One set deals with Lincoln's handling of people addressed through “management by walking around,” building alliances, and persuasion methods. A second set describes Lincoln's character in terms of integrity, no malice toward others, willing acceptance of criticism, and tolerance for paradox. A third set on “endeavor” provides specific action recommendations on being decisive, being led by others, being goals and results oriented, and finding “Grant” (a satisfactory field commander who can beat Lee). A fourth set concerns communication of vision (with substantive content) through public speaking, conversation and storytelling techniques, and preaching to reaffirm the vision.

Richard Mahoney, former CEO of Monsanto—responsible for the firm's transformation—suggests six rules for people management: (1) having an attractive and understandable mission or theme; (2) “buy in” by and personal role for “good” people (i.e., possessing competence and character); (3) encouraging what we might term empowerment, so there are no excuses for failure; (4) giving financial and psychic rewards for success; (5) punishing recurrent failure; and (6) finding and installing individuals with leadership capability at all key points.

Competing Conceptions of Leadership

Leadership appears to reside in three basic elements of the individual actor: mind, will, and emotional intelligence. The mind can be better prepared, the will can be better tempered, and emotional intelligence can be acquired. Leadership concerns simultaneous interaction or interdependence of several factors. These factors would include strategic foresight and insight, vision or direction setting, character and values, people and political skills, emotional intelligence (EQ), and the ability to vary style according to the situation at hand.

There are three competing conceptions of leadership in the literature. One conception is based on trait theory. In this conception, leadership effectiveness results from personal traits or attributes. Leaders are born, not made. A second conception is based on great events theory. In this conception, great events call upon individuals who may not be exceptional in traits but who respond successfully to circumstances. Leaders emerge from events. The third, and prevailing, conception is transformational leadership. In this conception, individuals can and do learn effective skills of leadership. John Kotter argues that effective leadership skills can be ...