Styles of Leadership

 

There are broadly speaking six different styles of leadership. No one scores over the other. Some leaders have their fixed style. May be they choose and adopt. There are others who are adaptable and change their style as per the need of the moment and the situation. Those who can change and adapt are most suited to this very competitive society.

1. First of all I’ll talk about the Pace Setting Leader. He models himself by pursuing excellence in the tasks he/she is handling. And then he fixes up the pace. We may call him to follow the “Do as I do, now” type. It may appear that such a leader has no place in today’s environment. But they too have a great significance in a situation where the team is skilled and motivated. And the leader is looking for quick results. However, followed continuously, it is bound to overwhelm members and annihilate innovation.                                                  
2. Next we have the Authoritarian Leader. In some way he is like the Pace setting Leader. But there is a big difference. He explains the goals and does not define how the same should be pursued. Such a Leader fits best when the team needs a new vision. However, not suitable if the leader is working with a team of experts who know more than him/her.
3. The Affiliated Leader – creates an emotional bond. He is one who feels people must come first. This is most suited in times of stress. When the team needs to overcome any kind of trauma, when due to whatever reason trust is shaken and a feeling of insecurity is rampant. 
4. The coaching Leader: When a leader wants team mates to learn certain skills which are development needs of the team. This kind of leadership is not suitable if team members are argumentative or defiant. Also unsuitable when the leader lacks the absolute confidence befitting of a coach.                                                                                            
5. The coercive Leader: Do what I tell you – style of leadership only meant for times of crisis when the organization is not in a good shape. It is to be used when overcoming the ill-effects of an emergency like fire or any other disaster of a kind.                      
6. Democratic Leader: He is one who always builds a consensus. A democratic leader knows how to carry people along. Certainly he must have adequate assertiveness so that he does not get taken for granted.                                                                                          

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Leadership Qualities

In my last presentation, I had defined Leadership. I had also explained what it takes to be a good leader. How must a leader go about performing his/her duty that would justify leadership.  Today, I shall talk to you about the characteristic elements of personality which are necessary for a good leader:

1. The first on the list is Honesty. Honesty towards oneself. This means that the Leader must be himself or herself all the time. At no time the Leader should try to copy anyone or say something which he/she does not believe. The leader must believe in an honest, ethical behavior as a key value. All the actions will foster among the team members the same value. Once accepted the value can be a strong bond among members of the team, a group, or an organization.
2. The second quality which a leader must have is the ability to delegate. This requires the leader’s trust in the members of the team. Besides, the leader should have the ability to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the members. This will help in assigning appropriate tasks to individual members. Such a delegation will be meaningful and the results will be more productive.                                                                              
3. Excellent communication represents the third important quality of a good leader. The leader should be in a position to communicate in a language which is understood by all – be it an uneducated skilled worker on the floor or the CEO who is a member of the board. Further the leader must ensure that whatever has been communicated is not only understood, but assimilated by all concerned. This will be possible only if the leader has an open mind and encourages rather than discourages feedback.                                                
4. The fourth important aspect of good leadership is sense of humor. In the competitive world of today everyone has to stretch to produce results – this means constant stress. As good morale is the key to productivity; the stress can be negated only by good humor.
5.  A strong sense of commitment is the next aspect of positive leadership. Committed leaders often have a hands on approach and are able to do it themselves especially in times of a crisis. This approach ensures the commitment of the team, which feels secure under such decisive leadership.Another important quality is the confidence of the leader. An effective leader must be a person who stays calm, keeps working and forges ahead even in times of adversity. It is the confidence of a leader the leader that is rubs on the team, making them motivated and energetic performers.                                                                                                                                              
6. A strong sense of commitment is the next aspect of positive leadership. Committed leaders often have a hands on approach and are able to do it themselves especially in times of a crisis. This approach ensures the commitment of the team, which feels secure under such decisive leadership.                                                                              
7. A positive attitude is also a very important aspect of leadership. Positive Attitude of the Leader ensures high energy levels of the team members. It also ensures that the Leader looks at every challenge as an opportunity rather than a roadblock.                        
8. The eighth important aspect of a good leader is his creativity. In times of crisis, it is the leader’s creativity that enables him to think out of the box and to come out with an appropriate solution.
9. The leader’s quality of Institution refers to his gut feeling about the course of action he is to take. The quality of Intuition enables a leader to take calculated risks in decision making when facing an unforeseen situation.                                                                     
10. he Ability to Inspire is the last and certainly not the least important quality. This enables a leader to positively motivate team members and enables him to leverage the strengths of the team members.                                                                                         

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Self-made, Selfless Leader

Today is Prime Minister Modi’s Birthday. It took me time to think about the title of the blog. I always felt Modi’s success as leader is because of his selflessness, because he doesn’t have any selfish motives. Because he is not interested in any of his relatives or friends to benefit from his position. All these attributes which contribute for making a good leader are undoubtedly present and they are visible.

The intriguing part of the dynamic leader is his growth from a tea seller to the Prime Minister of the greatest democracy of the world. After contemplation I observed that here is a leader who plans the course of his life. And always keeps in view the challenges he is likely to face during the course. Of course this relates to the years after he had already decided to take up politics.

As a child he was an average student. There is no story talked about his brilliance during his education. However, his teacher confirmed that he was very good in debating. Besides he was fond of theater. There are no instances which have come to light which would depict that he was argumentative. But he was assertive. Whenever he took a decision he lived by it. He was never scared of upsetting his colleagues or seniors. The very fact that he did not accept his own child marriage shows that he was not scared of his parents or other members of the family. I find assertiveness is one of the very important quality of our Prime Minister.

When one is selfless it is very easy to take decisions (particularly hard decisions). He had decided to dedicate his life in the service of Nation. Therefore whatever he found was best for the nation he decided and pursued. These attributes of his personality are conspicuous even today. It is said about Steve Jobs that he was a great individual who could relate to only few persons in his large organization. He had built up the great organization but personally he would know only on a few members of his team. The same appears to be true for P.M Modi. He is also innovative, who takes new initiative and would be ready to bear the brunt of eventualities or the risks involved in such initiatives.

Wishing all the best for his long life. I would conclude by saying:

A very happy birthday Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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Eliminating Waste

The importance of eliminating waste in any activity can hardly ever be exaggerated. Even if we look at our lives we find that certain activities that we have performed could have been done in a more efficient way. In other words, there was some wastage involved- wastage in terms of time or material or money or all.

Once, the great Italian sculptor was asked what he was sculpting; he responded he was not sculpting but releasing the figure (value) inside by removing the unnecessary rocks (wastes). Thus we have to remove the waste and create value in whatever we do. A few days back I was reading the book title-‘The Toyota Way’

The author emphasized that the philosophy of the largest car manufacturing company in the world was to continuously remove waste. Only right process will produce the right results. Therefore it is necessary to create a continuous process flow to bring the problems to the surface. It is only when the problems are identified that these can be removed.

It is normal that when you do something first time a mistake can take place but the same if repeated in any measure is a waste for which we have to pay the price. Therefore it is best to stop and ask yourself; is it the right way that you are following? If there is any lapse, stop and fix it there and then. In a manufacturing organization the tasks must be standardized. Standardized tasks are the foundation for continuous improvement. This also empowers employees who churn out better productivity.

It is also true about our thoughts. We face challenges every day. Decisions have to be made. If we keep on brooding over the problems we waste time on one side and reduce our confidence to face the challenge on the other. So it’s a big waste and must be avoided. On any challenging task, one has to work out the possibilities. After examining the pros and cons of these possibilities one has to choose the best one. After the choice is made the decision should be put in to action with a determination. And remember, one should never be afraid if there is some risk. Avoiding all risks is the biggest risks of life.

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