Text 1. General characteristic of leadership and leadership styles.

Unit 2. Leadership

Leadership is needed at all levels in organization.A typical definition is that the leader “provides direction and influences others to achieve common goals”. As Peter Drucker, an American writer, says, “Leadership is the lifting of a man’s vision to higher sights, the raising of a man’s performance to a higher standard, the building of a man’s personality beyond its normal limitations.

Some studies have suggested that leaders more intelligent, more self-confident, have better judgment etc. than other people. But, many people with these traits do not become leaders. And many leaders do not have such traits!

Professor of Psychology and Management at the University of Washington, Fred Fiedler, has identified two basic leadership styles:

Task-motivated leaders ‘tell people what to do and how to do it’. Such leader gets their satisfaction from completing the task and knowing they have done it well. They run a ‘tight ship’, give clear orders and expect clear directives from their superiors. This does not mean that they show no concern for other people. But their priority is getting the job done.

Relationship-motivated leaders are more people-oriented. They get their satisfaction from having a good relationship with other employees. They want to be admired and liked by their subordinates. Such leaders will share responsibility with group members by encouraging subordinates to participate in decision and make suggestions.

There is no best style for all situations. Effective leadership depends on matching the leader to the task and situation.

There were identified some characteristics of senior executives of some top companies, which made them good leaders. Firstly, the leaders were ’visible’. They did not hide away in some ivory tower at Head Office. Instead they made regular visits to plants and sites, tours round their companies and talked to employees. Leaders made their present felt.

Besides being visible, the leaders of these top companies provided a ‘clear mission’. In other words, they knew where the organization was going and persuaded staff to follow them. They clearly spell out the main principles of their organization, define their long-term objectives and such matters like employees, clients, creativity, market position and profitability.

The job of the leader of successful organizations is to show what the values of the organization are. “You have to keep telling people your values. and repeat them often enough, they do go down the line.

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