| This article focuses on leadership in the | | | | exchange as a way of achieving their own |
| workplace, for both aspiring leaders and | | | | ends. |
| those managers who are taking on leadership | | | | |
| roles. | | | | The transformational leader inspires |
| | | | followers to not only perform as expected, |
| Leadership, what is it and what is the | | | | but to exceed expectations - transformational |
| difference between being a manager and being | | | | leaders motivate followers to work for goals |
| a leader?. Definitions of leadership, there | | | | that go beyond immediate self-interest, where |
| is not a single definition that everyone | | | | what is right and good becomes important - |
| agrees on. Manfred Kets de Vries, a | | | | these leaders transform the needs, values, |
| professor at INSEAD, says that leadership is | | | | preferences and aspirations of followers. |
| a "set of characteristics, behaviour | | | | They do this so that the interests of the |
| patterns, personality attributes" that makes | | | | wider group replaces the self-interest of |
| certain individuals more effective in | | | | individuals within that group. |
| achieving a set goal or objective. | | | | |
| | | | It's interesting that research has shown that |
| Another way of describing leadership is to | | | | the way women leaders describe how they |
| say that, to get the best out of people, | | | | behave, lead, is in line with the |
| individuals, teams, organisations, they need | | | | transformational style, whereas most male |
| to be led, guided, persuaded, motivated, | | | | leaders when describing themselves use words |
| inspired, to be committed, to do their best, | | | | and phrases that describe the transactional |
| to work together to achieve a common | | | | style. There are exceptions of course, and |
| objective. This, rather than the pure | | | | in some situations the leader can by viewed |
| "management" approach of being told, | | | | differently by different groups. Many people |
| directed, ordered, and treated as | | | | in the UK would not describe Margaret |
| subordinates. | | | | Thatcher as transformational in style, but |
| | | | more likely they would use words such as |
| True leaders are recognised as being the | | | | dictatorial, domineering, riding roughshod |
| leader, and their followers accept that they | | | | over opponents, yet others, in her close team |
| need to be guided by that leader, but they do | | | | for example, describe her as charismatic, |
| not feel that they are mere subordinates. A | | | | motivational, inspirational, kind, |
| good example is the captain of a sports team | | | | supportive. |
| - hockey, baseball, netball, cricket, soccer, | | | | |
| football, athletics - these are individuals | | | | We can see from this look at Leadership that |
| who have an individual role to play, yet find | | | | there are different ways of describing what a |
| time and ways to motivate and encourage | | | | leader does, and how, at least in some ways, |
| others to do their best, to use their own | | | | this is different to how a manager behaves. |
| individual skills, knowledge and experience | | | | Individuals recognised as leaders makes it |
| (scoring goals, defending, winning races, | | | | obvious that there are great differences in |
| hitting home runs) whilst at the same time | | | | the way in which certain leaders behave. On |
| working together as a member of the team to | | | | the surface there are great differences |
| achieve team objectives. | | | | between the leadership style of Prime |
| | | | Minister Thatcher, and that of the Indian |
| There are other ways of defining leadership, | | | | industrialist Rajiv Bajaj. Yet both are |
| managers perform transactions, and leaders | | | | widely acknowledged as highly successful |
| bring about transformations. | | | | leaders. The common factor, it seems, is |
| | | | that all are able to persuade others to |
| The transactional manager influences others | | | | follow them, in order to achieve success in |
| by appealing to self-interest, primarily | | | | their particular field. They all have |
| through the exchange of rewards and services. | | | | something that brings diverse people |
| The relationship between this type of | | | | together, to work as a team, to aim for and |
| manager and the follower is seen as a series | | | | work hard to achieve a common objective. It |
| of rational exchanges that enable each to | | | | is, perhaps, a special talent, or |
| reach their own goals. Transactional | | | | characteristic, or personality trait, or set |
| managers supply all the ideas and use rewards | | | | of circumstances that they find themselves |
| as their primary source of power. Followers | | | | in, or perhaps a combination of all of these. |
| comply with the leader when it's in their own | | | | Perhaps leaders are born with this ability, |
| interest - the relationship continues as long | | | | perhaps it is something that can be, or has |
| as the reward is desirable to the follower, | | | | to be, learned. |
| and both the manager and the follower see the | | | | |