Kelly Bolhofner Originally posted on LinkedIn on 09/08/2018
Leadership can be defined as the ability to influence a group toward the achievement of a vision or set of goals (Judge, 2013). In an interdependent system it also means taking responsibility for keeping the system healthy (Jr, 2014). Managers are not always leaders and leaders are not always managers. Leaders inspire others to be creative, reach beyond their goals and achieve things that they never thought possible. There are a number of leadership styles, charismatic, transformational and transactional and authentic but which style makes the most effective leaders? Are there traits among all styles that could be used to emulate the perfect leader?
Charismatic leaders are most concerned about making others feel good about themselves than making them feel good about you (Maxwell, The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader, 1999). According to Maxwell in 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader, these leaders draw people to them and make them want to follow, they love life and celebrate it without complaint, puts a “10” on every bodies head (reveals riches instead of leading them to riches), give people hope, share themselves and think about others and their concerns before themselves.
John F. Kennedy was considered to be a charismatic leader along with Martin Luther King, Jr, Ronald Reagan, Mary Kay Ash and Steve Jobs. They all had the ability to draw people in with their enthusiasm and make you want to follow them. Many of these leaders had different facets of themselves that they showed based on their audience. JFK was the perfect example of this. An artist commissioned to do a painting of him for the Truman Library, returned with many uncompleted paintings. In looking at these incomplete works she realized that he had only shown one facet of himself to her while his staff and public were shown something completely different (Clarrke, 2013). According to Clarrke in JFK’s Last Hundred Days, “he was a brass knuckles politician and an idealist whose rhetoric encouraged nobility and sacrifice; a reckless driver but a cautious politician; a man who disliked close physical contact but who would have a voracious sexual appetite. He was known for his wit and humanity and for being chilly and remote. He gave the impression of being comfortable in his own skin but abhorred solitude.” (Clarrke, 2013).
A charismatic leader is an effective leader since they make people want to follow them. They are creative thinkers and inspire their followers. However, their vision may not always be the answer.
Transformational leadership and transactional leadership complement each other versus being opposing approaches (Judge, 2013). A transactional leader focuses on guiding their followers toward goals by defining and clarifying roles and tasks while a transformational leader focuses on inspiring their followers to go beyond their self- interests for the good of the organization. While transformational leadership builds on transactional leadership it is not the opposite, without transformational leadership qualities a transactional leader is just mediocre (Judge, 2013).
Transformational leaders inspire and excite, breed creativity and encourage their followers to look at things differently. Dave Liniger , founder of RE/MAX, was a transformational leader inspired by a story of a British explorer named Ernest Shackleton whose motto was “By Endurance, We Conquer” (Hollihan, 2005). In Shackleton’s story, he had a dream to be the first to cross Antarctica on foot. He assembled a group of men that were inspired and eager to follow him on this very dangerous adventure. Through many trials, he and the men didn’t achieve their original goal however through his leadership and willingness to except change he was able to lead his team back alive. Like Shackleton, Liniger had a vision and sharp understanding of human nature, showed willingness to admit mistakes, vulnerabilities or lack of knowledge which inclined others to extend forgiveness or a helping hand (Hollihan, 2005). He was able to navigate RE/MAX through many years of adversities to make them one of the largest real estate companies in the world.
Authentic leaders are open communicators and encourage others to do the same, they share information openly, stick to their ideals and act on their values and beliefs openly (Judge, 2013). They often are thought of as being ethical and are more trusted.
Gail Main, Dave Liniger’s business partner, led like an authentic leader. Her style was described as being done with grace, integrity and openness in her dealings with agents and creditors that won them over and led to a trustful and ethical relationship (Hollihan, 2005). Through this leadership, she was able to get the company back on track and earn the respect of both the creditors and the loyal agents.
The concept of an authentic leader is a new one however it is believed to be the best style since it concentrates on the moral aspects of the leader. It builds trust and ethical values in its followers while the concepts of charismatic and transformational leaders could fall short. Both charismatic and transformational leaders are good leaders in that they have a vision and can persuade followers however that does not always mean that their vision is a good one. (Judge, 2013) While Hitler had a vision as well as many executives at Enron and Tyco, the concepts of the vision were unethical and led their followers down the wrong path.
The most effective leaders need to embody a little of all styles. They need to lead with a good attitude. Attitude is contagious. When a leader is upbeat in discouraging situations it will lead their followers to be the same. They are inspired by their peers as well as have the tendency to adopt the attitude of the ones that they spend the most time with. (Maxwell, Attitude 101 – What Every Leader Needs To Know, 2003) Culture of an organization also cultivates good leaders, according to Daryl Conner in Managing at the Speed of Change if an organization’s cultural environment is not managed well, people will feel that changes are coming at a greater volume, momentum and complexity that they can adequately assimilate (Conner, 1992). Therefore, how a leader manages change could be the difference between a great leader and a mediocre leader.
The traits that are the most important in a leader is being adaptive to change, inspire your followers not only by your words but by your actions, be open in communication about your vision and expectations. They need to be aware that not all followers are created equal and adapt their style based on the individual. Lead with integrity and a willingness to be creativity and inspire the same in others. However, probably the two most important things in being a good leader is listening to the needs of your followers and inspire them to be creative. They also need to have a good attitude in times of change and adversity to lead the team down the most effective and ethical path.
It is also important to note, a leader does not always have to be a manager. A leader could be defined in many ways, it could be a mentor, a strong contributor to the team or even a positive influencer. Usually these types of leaders have more influence on a team than the manager themselves which makes it even more important for an effective manager to utilize these leaders as part of a building a cohesive team.
Are you being the most effective leader that you can be or are you demotivating your employees? It is a proven fact that more companies lose good workers because of an ineffective leader that doesn’t allow them the autonomy to contribute fully to the team.
Works Cited
Clarrke, T. (2013). JFK’s Last Hundred Days . New York : Penguin Books.
Conner, D. R. (1992). Managing At The Speed of Change. New York : Villard Books.
Hollihan, P. H. (2005). Everybody Wins; The Stories and Lessons Behind RE/MAX.Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Jr, R. E. (2014, June). To Lead, You Must Focus. Harvard Business Review, p. 36.
Judge, S. P. (2013). Organizational Behavior. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc.
Maxwell, J. C. (1999). The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Maxwell, J. C. (2003). Attitude 101 – What Every Leader Needs To Know. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc.