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Core Leadership Values | MasonLeads | George Mason University

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Values are the guiding principles in our lives. Leadership occurs within the context of core values. Leaders guide and facilitate others to make a positive difference in their own lives and to contribute to a larger good. Values inform the application of leadership qualities as the competencies of leadership are activated - learned, developed, and practiced - within the set of core values.

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(Haillo, 2022)

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What makes a great leader?

Is it someone who takes command with a firm leadership style?

Does it take an ethical leader who seeks to follow their moral compass and embraces the shared values of their employees?

Or is a successful leader one who can transform a company's culture so that it allows each individual to thrive? While also reaching company goals and staying true to each core value of the business?

It is all of these things and many more.

If you're an aspiring leader who is intent on supporting your team, you might be feeling a little overwhelmed at all you need to be. Especially if you're also focusing on transforming and improving organizational culture. And want to be recognized as exhibiting ethical leadership behavior.

Take a breath because we've got your back.

We're going to explore the 13 core values of a leader that you should foster to be the type of leader you dream of.

Let's start, in a typical leadership style, at a high level.

What are leadership values?

Values are the underlying beliefs that guide our decisions and actions and ultimately shape our days and careers.

Leadership values are a subset of those values that positively influence one's ability to lead effectively or be a 'good leader.'

You can foster and develop leadership values with time. However, as with many character traits, you will probably have a tendency toward one specific leadership skill or another.

You can uncover these natural leadership qualities by asking yourself questions such as:

What values guide my personal life?

How do I react in common situations (such as when confronted with change)?

What kind of leaders do I gravitate to (such as a passionate leader or a more strategic leader)?

You should also consider this question: What are the goals, mission, and culture of my company?

The leadership values related to effective leadership at your company will lie at the intersection of your personal values and your company's values.

The importance of a leader with values

Everyone has values, but not everyone exhibits good leadership values.

Anyone in a leadership role should be aware of the values they hold, their strengths, and the areas they can improve on as they grow as a leader.

Why?

Because your values determine how you execute leadership, the team environment you create, and the success of your company. The values you display as a leader will permeate your entire organization and affect its performance.

Leaders who adhere to their values earn respect and commitment from their teams. Value-driven leadership can inspire others not just to follow them but to adopt those values as their own.

By embracing the notion that you can develop leadership qualities, you can also choose leadership values to develop. This is possible both through leadership training and mindful attention and practice.

13 Important values of a leader

Let's review 13 core values that an outstanding leader should demonstrate.

1. Empowerment and development

As a leader, you are in a position of power.

Instead of trying to keep all that power and control for oneself, an effective leader empowers others and amplifies their own impact as a result.

This empowerment can come from formal employee training, ongoing coaching, and workforce development. Mentorship and the delegation of responsibilities can also help.

Empowering others through mentorship and delegation of complex tasks creates a stronger team. With it, you will help build future leaders you can rely on with confidence.

2. Vision

Leaders have the important responsibility of creating and maintaining the organizational vision. What does the company seek to become in the next 5, 10, or 20 years, and what steps are required to realize that goal?

"...As a visionary leader, you should be thinking about more than just the next quarter. You should also be thinking about the next decade, and what your company's reputation and place in the world will be after 40 quarterly results."

Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors

When you center vision as a leadership value, this means you keep the big picture at the forefront of your decision-making.

It also means employing foresight to plan for obstacles. Keep an eye out for anything that may get in the way of your company's vision, and be ready to update the vision as you gain more experience and information.

Successful leadership also includes the leader's ability to communicate that vision to their team members. The message must be shared in a meaningful, actionable, and engaging way.

3. Communication

"Communication and communication strategy is not just part of the game-it is the game."

Oscar Munoz, executive chairman of United Airlines

Communication is the foundation of any relationship.

In a work setting, centering communication as a core leadership value manifests in many ways. It can take the form of conveying context to employees. Or it can be setting clear expectations for individuals and teams. Or even providing and seeking constructive feedback.

A leader may have a clear vision, but unless communication is a driving value, others will not be able to share it.

4. Reinforcement and influence

Positive reinforcement and recognition to your team members are important forms of communication.

"The number one thing that you have to do as a leader: to bolster the confidence of the people you lead."

Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft

When things are busy, it can be all too easy to speed along without making an effort to show that you noticed someone's contribution.

However, positive reinforcement is a huge aspect of improving employee motivation and engagement. Not only that but in lifting your influence as a business leader.

Without recognition, the motivation of team members can lag, and their productivity will grind to a halt.

By demonstrating appreciative behavior, you encourage others to reinforce each other too. This helps boost morale across the organization.

5. Empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand others, see from their point of view, and feel what they are feeling. It is a value that is held in high regard by many senior executives and good business leaders.

The importance of empathy as a leadership value is not simply to be nice or likable. You can build a far stronger team by exercising empathy and understanding each person's motivations with whom you work.

Empathy will help you match people's strengths and skills to roles where they can make the most impact. It will help you build and sustain positive and productive relationships. It will also help you recognize the core values of others on your team.

This is the knowledge that you can harness for the betterment of each individual and the company.

6. Humility

Leaders must constantly be learning. To be in that receptive state of mind requires humility.

Opportunities to build wisdom can easily be lost if you are not willing to recognize and process mistakes. Humility also means knowing when to ask for input from others.

If you have a gap in knowledge in a certain area, seek advice from those with more experience or from coaches. If your strategy is not connecting with your audience, consult the people closest to the work or your customers.

Having a strong sense of emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and humility is a key leadership trait. It prevents leaders from becoming insulated from the outside world. In turn, this allows them to focus on becoming better leaders all-around.

7. Passion and commitment

An extraordinary leader is not only capable of commanding influence or communicating successfully.

They are also:

committed to meeting organizational goals

passionate about the company and their leadership role within it

and demonstrate ferocious resolve when faced with adversity

A leader with this kind of mindset can motivate everyone around them. Their passion and energy are so infectious that it drives and uplifts the entire team.

8. Respect

As a leader, you can demonstrate respect through many of the behaviors already listed here:

Empowering others

Strong communication skills

Recognition of employee abilities

Empathizing with the situations of others

Respect should also move in all directions. Treat upper management, your board, employees, and customers with the respect they deserve to gain respect in return.

It's also important to build a culture where differences are respected and appreciated. Having diverse viewpoints within the organization is a strength, and those who differ from you in opinion should feel as valued as those aligned with you.

9. Patience

Patience is a value that is often learned with time but is an incredibly important skill for those in leadership roles. At its heart, patience is about delayed gratification.

Leaders need to be patient with new hires who aren't up to operating speed yet. They also require patience with existing team members who are working out how to deal with complex issues. This is especially true where the leader may be able to tackle with greater ease.

Patience also benefits leaders who have long-term goals, such as quarterly or annual sales targets. These goals can only be achieved incrementally through perseverance and patience.

10. Resilience

A key nature of business is change, and as a leader, you often take the brunt of big changes - or even initiate them.

You must be able to weather these times, not only for yourself but for your team.

This is not to say you can't have human reactions to challenges, but ultimately your team will respond to how you handle hardship and communicate the outcomes.

Employees look to their leaders for cues during unpredictable phases, and a show of resilience at the top will bolster the entire organization.

Resilience has tangible positive outcomes as well. As BetterUp's study on resilience shows, it increases revenue, encourages innovation, and retains employees.

11. Honesty and transparency

Employees want a coach and leader who is honest and transparent about their performance, business objectives and directives, and internal company politics.

Nobody likes to feel like they are being lied to or deceived.

Transparency does not mean telling everyone everything as soon as you hear it - there is a time and a manner in which to convey information.

You want to be aware of how new information impacts people and impart it with care, utilizing values we've discussed like empathy, communication, and respect.

Take a company reorganization, for example. You don't want to sound the alarm that change is coming before you've worked out the details. Nor do you want to spring the news on people the day before everything shifts.

Valuing transparency, in this case, would mean communicating why there is a reorganization and getting other company leaders on board with how it affects them and their teams. It could also include hosting a Q&A for everyone who will be affected and setting clear expectations for how and when changes will occur.

"Being transparent about our plans enables us to get better feedback."

Shantanu Narayen, chairman, president, and CEO of Adobe Inc.

12. Accountability

One of the values that many employees admire in a leader is accountability.

Accountability means taking responsibility for one's duties and goals and, at times, owning responsibility for the shortcomings of one's team.

However, strong leaders also need to be prepared to hold their employees accountable for the tasks they are responsible for, which helps to promote personal growth with your team.

13. Integrity

Integrity is a character trait that gains respect and trust.

As a leader, integrity means approaching all of your work with consistency and coherency: the way you communicate with others, carry out your organization's mission, and approach new situations.

Integrity means honoring commitments (including to yourself) and doing what you say you will do, as well as approaching challenges in ways that are coherent with other values and beliefs.

Leading with integrity can sound abstract because it encapsulates so much, but you can think of it as integrating all of your core leadership values - the end doesn't justify the means if the means violate our core values.

The people who work for us notice if we only exhibit our values when times are good. By knowing your leadership values, reviewing them, and having them guide your actions, you will be leading with integrity no matter what your company faces.

Core values of a leader make for great leadership

Becoming a great leader is a journey and one which will last your entire career.

Of course, the sooner you start focusing on these leadership values, the faster you'll become the leader you want to be:

1. Empower and development

2. Vision

3. Communication

4. Reinforcement and influence

5. Empathy

6. Humility

7. Passion and commitment

8. Respect

9. Patience

10. Resilience

11. Honesty and transparency

12. Accountability

13. Integrity

Are you looking for a helping hand in developing your leadership skills? Check out how we help leaders grow.

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Leadership values: 13 essential values of a leader

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What makes a great leader? Is it someone who takes command with a firm leadership style? Does it take an ethical leader who seeks to follow their moral compass and embraces the shared values of their employees? Or is a successful leader one who can transform a company's culture so that it allows each individual to thrive?

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A Strengths-Based Leadership Theory presentation

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A Strengths-Based Leadership Theory presentation

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Strengths-Based Leadership Theory Strengths-Based Leadership Theory Carrie Alano, M.Ed. What is Strengths-Based Leadership? Department of Curriculum and Instruction Angelo State University EDG 6363: Leadership Jennifer Engle April 8, 2022 History of Strengths-Based Leadership HOW

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Hacking Leadership book. Read 35 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. The best leaders lead from the middleWhen school leaders join ...

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Alano, C. (2022a). Case study: Current issue in educational leadership [Unpublished Essay]. Angelo State University, San Angelo.

Alano, C. (2022b). Leadership Philosophy [Unpublished Essay]. Angelo State University, San Angelo.

Alano, C. (2022c). Strengths-Based Leadership Theory [Unpublished Presentation]. Angelo State University, San Angelo.

Haillo. (2022, February 22). Leadership: What are the characteristics of a great leader? [Infographic]. https://blog.smarp.com/leadership-what-are-the-qualities-and-characteristics-of-a-great-leader

Ward, S. (2020, September 17). What is leadership? [Infographic]. The Balance Small Business. https://www.thebalancesmb.com/leadership-definition-2948275

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Anyone trying to come up to speed on emotional intelligence would have a pretty easy time of it since the concept is remarkably recent, and its application to business newer still. The term was coined in 1990 in a research paper by two psychology professors, John D. Mayer of UNH and Peter Salovey of Yale. Some years later, Mayer defined it in HBR this way:

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How Emotional Intelligence Became a Key Leadership Skill

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A reading list to bring you up to speed.

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Awareness of Emotional Intelligence in Leadership

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Awareness of Emotional Intelligence in Leadership

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The more that you, as a leader, manage each of these areas, the higher your emotional intelligence. So, let's look at each element in more detail and examine how you can grow as a leader.

Emotional Intelligence in Leadership

1. Self-awareness

If you're self-aware, you always know how you feel, and you know how your emotions and your actions can affect the people around you. Being self-aware when you're in a leadership position also means having a clear picture of your strengths and weaknesses, and it means behaving with humility.

So, what can you do to improve your self-awareness?

Keep a journal. Journals help you improve your self-awareness. If you spend just a few minutes each day writing down your thoughts, this can move you to a higher degree of self-awareness.

2. Self-regulation

Leaders who regulate themselves effectively rarely verbally attack others, make rushed or emotional decisions, stereotype people, or compromise their values. Self-regulation is all about staying in control.

This element of emotional intelligence, according to Goleman, also covers a leader's flexibility and commitment to personal accountability.

So, how can you improve your ability to self-regulate?

Hold yourself accountable. If you tend to blame others when something goes wrong, stop. Make a commitment to admit to your mistakes and to face the consequences, whatever they are. You'll probably sleep better at night, and you'll quickly earn the respect of those around you.

Practice being calm. The next time you're in a challenging situation, be very aware of how you act. Do you relieve your stress by shouting at someone else? Practice deep-breathing exercises to calm yourself. Also, try to write down all of the negative things you want to say, and then rip it up and throw it away. Expressing these emotions on paper (and not showing them to anyone!) is better than speaking them aloud to your team. What's more, this helps you challenge your reactions to ensure that they're fair!

3. Motivation

Self-motivated leaders work consistently toward their goals, and they have extremely high standards for the quality of their work.

How can you improve your motivation?

Re-examine why you're doing your job. It's easy to forget what you really love about your career. So, take some time to remember why you wanted this job. If you're unhappy in your role and you're struggling to remember why you wanted it, try the Five Whys technique to find the root of the problem. Starting at the root often helps you look at your situation in a new way. And make sure that your goal statements are fresh and energizing. For more on this, see our article on Goal Setting.

4. Empathy

For leaders, having empathy is critical to managing a successful team or organization. Leaders with empathy have the ability to put themselves in someone else's situation. They help develop the people on their team, challenge others who are acting unfairly, give constructive feedback, and listen to those who need it.

If you want to earn the respect and loyalty of your team, then show them you care by being empathic.

How can you improve your empathy?

Respond to feelings. You ask your assistant to work late - again. And although he agrees, you can hear the disappointment in his voice. So, respond by addressing his feelings. Tell him you appreciate how willing he is to work extra hours, and that you're just as frustrated about working late. If possible, figure out a way for future late nights to be less of an issue (for example, give him Monday mornings off).

5. Social Skills

Leaders who do well in the social skills element of emotional intelligence are great communicators. They're just as open to hearing bad news as good news, and they're experts at getting their team to support them and be excited about a new mission or project.

Leaders who have good social skills are also good at managing change and resolving conflicts diplomatically. They're rarely satisfied with leaving things as they are, but they don't sit back and make everyone else do the work: they set an example with their own behavior.

So, how can you build social skills?

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Emotional Intelligence in Leadership - Learning How to Be More Aware

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Relating to others is vital in today's workplace. Learn how to build your emotional intelligence (EI) with this article.

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Council Post: Why Emotional Intelligence Is Indispensable For Leaders

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When you truly try to place yourself in another’s situation, it will help you choose the best method to solve problems and achieve your goals.

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Research by the respected Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) in the U.S. found that the primary causes of executive derailment involve deficiencies in emotional competence. Each year, CCL serves more than 20,000 individuals and 2,000 organizations, including more than 80 of the Fortune 100 companies. It says the three main reasons for failure are difficulty in handling change, inability to work well in a team, and poor interpersonal relations.

International search firm Egon Zehnder International analyzed 515 senior executives and discovered that those who were strongest in emotional intelligence were more likely to succeed than those strongest in either IQ or relevant previous experience. Research that has been done on the relationship between emotional intelligence (EQ) and IQ has shown only a weak correlation between the two.

The Carnegie Institute of Technology carried out research that showed that 85% of our financial success was due to skills in "human engineering", personality, and ability to communicate, negotiate, and lead. They found that only 15% was due to technical ability. In other words people skills or skills highly related to emotional intelligence were crucial skills. Nobel Prize winning Israeli-American psychologist Daniel Kahneman found that people would rather do business with a person they like and trust rather than someone they don't, even if that that person is offering a better product at a lower price.

People would rather do business with a person they like and trust rather than someone they don't, even if that that person is offering a better product at a lower price.

To test out his findings, think of the last time you purchased a major item, a home, automobile, or large appliance where you had to dealings with a salesperson. Was the person someone who you liked and trusted? In my talks, I have found that whenever I asked that question, inevitably the entire audience answered that, yes, the person they bought a large item from was someone they liked and trusted. This theory about why salespeople with the right people skills do better than those who lack them is borne out by a study carried out by the Hay/McBer Research and Innovation Group in 1997. In a study carried out in a large national insurance company in 1997, they found that sales agents weak in emotional areas such as self-confidence, initiative, and empathy sold policies with an average premium of $54,000, while those strong in 5 of 8 emotional competencies sold policies on the average worth $114,000.

Much of the research that has been done on emotional intelligence has been at the executive leadership level. The higher up the organization, the more crucial emotional intelligence abilities are as the impacts are greater and felt throughout the entire organization. There have been some studies, however, that show impacts at all levels.

The higher up the organization the more crucial emotional intelligence abilities are as the impacts are greater and felt throughout the entire organization.

For example, a study by McClelland in 1999 showed that after supervisors in a manufacturing plant received training in emotional competencies such as how to listen better, lost-time accidents decreased by 50% and grievances went down from 15 per year to three. The plant itself exceeded productivity goals by $250,000.

The same principles apply in all areas of life, whether at work or in relationships. Everyone wants to work with people who are easy to get along with, supportive, likeable, and can be trusted. We want to be beside people that do not get upset easily and can keep their composure when things do not work out according to plan.

Self-awareness. The first thing that is essential for any degree of emotional intelligence is self-awareness. People with a high degree of self-awareness have a solid understanding of their own emotions, their strengths, weaknesses, and what drives them. Neither overly critical nor unrealistically hopeful, these people are honest with themselves and others. These people recognize how their feelings impact them, other people around them, and their performance at work. They have a good understanding of their values and goals and where they are going in life. They are confident as well as aware of their limitations and less likely to set themselves up for failure.

We can recognize self-aware people by their willingness to talk about themselves in a frank, non-defensive manner. A good interview question is to ask about a time that the interviewee got carried away by their emotions and did something they later regretted. The self-aware person will be open and frank with their answers. Self-deprecating humor is a good indicator of someone who has good self-awareness. Red flags are people who stall or try to avoid the question, seem irritated, or frustrated by the question.

Ability To Self-Regulate Emotions. We all have emotions which drive us and there is nothing we can do to avoid them. People who are good at self-regulation, however, are able to manage their emotions so that they do not control their words and actions. While they feel bad moods and impulses as much as anyone else, they do not act upon them. People who act upon their negative feelings create havoc, disruptions, and lasting bad feelings all around them. We feel before we think and people who constantly react from an emotional state never wait long enough to allow their thoughts to override their emotions.

People who self-regulate have the ability to wait until their emotions pass, allowing them to respond from a place of reason, rather than simply reacting to feelings. The signs of someone who is good at self-regulation are reflection, thoughtfulness, comfort with ambiguity, change, and not having all the answers. In an interview, look for people who take a little time to reflect and think before they answer.

Empathy. Empathy is another important aspect to look for when hiring. Someone who has empathy will have an awareness of the feelings of others and consider those feelings in their words and actions. This does not mean that they will tiptoe around or be unwilling to make tough decisions for fear of hurting someone's feelings. It simply means that they are aware of, and take into consideration the impact on others. They are willing to share their own worries and concerns and openly acknowledge other's emotions. A good way to look for empathy in an interview is to ask a candidate about a situation where a co-worker was angry with them and how they dealt with it. Look for a willingness to understand the source of the co-workers anger, even though they may not agree with the reasons for it.

Social skills. Social skill is another area of emotional intelligence that is highly important in the workplace. To have good social skills requires a high level of the other skills aforementioned as well as the ability to relate and find common ground with a wide range of people. It goes beyond just friendliness and the ability to get along with others.

People with social skills are excellent team players as they have the ability to move an agenda along and keep focus while at the same time remaining aware of the emotional climate of the group and possess the ability to respond to it. These people are excellent at making connections, networking, and bringing people together to work on projects. They are able to bring their emotional intelligence skills into play in a larger arena. To look for social skills in an interview, ask questions related to projects and difficulties encountered around varying agendas, temperaments, and getting people to buy in.

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Why Emotionally Intelligent People Are More Successful

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Research by the respected Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) in the U.S. found that the primary causes of executive derailment involve deficiencies in emotional competence. Each year, CCL serves more than 20,000 individuals and 2,000 organizations, including more than 80 of the Fortune 100 companies.

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In some jobs, being in touch with emotions is essential. In others, it seems to be a detriment. And like any skill, being able to read people can be used for good or evil.

Some of the greatest moments in human history were fueled by emotional intelligence. When Martin Luther King, Jr. presented his dream, he chose language that would stir the hearts of his audience. "Instead of honoring this sacred obligation" to liberty, King thundered, "America has given the Negro people a bad check." He promised that a land "sweltering with the heat of oppression" could be "transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice," and envisioned a future in which "on the red hills of Georgia sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave-owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood."

Delivering this electrifying message required emotional intelligence-the ability to recognize, understand, and manage emotions. Dr. King demonstrated remarkable skill in managing his own emotions and in sparking emotions that moved his audience to action. As his speechwriter Clarence Jones reflected, King delivered "a perfectly balanced outcry of reason and emotion, of anger and hope. His tone of pained indignation matched that note for note."
Emotional intelligence is important, but the unbridled enthusiasm has obscured a dark side.
Recognizing the power of emotions, another one of the most influential leaders of the 20th century spent years studying the emotional effects of his body language. Practicing his hand gestures and analyzing images of his movements allowed him to become "an absolutely spellbinding public speaker," says the historian Roger Moorhouse-"it was something he worked very hard on." His name was Adolf Hitler.

Since the 1995 publication of Daniel Goleman's bestseller, emotional intelligence has been touted by leaders, policymakers, and educators as the solution to a wide range of social problems. If we can teach our children to manage emotions, the argument goes, we'll have less bullying and more cooperation. If we can cultivate emotional intelligence among leaders and doctors, we'll have more caring workplaces and more compassionate healthcare. As a result, emotional intelligence is now taught widely in secondary schools, business schools, and medical schools.

Emotional intelligence is important, but the unbridled enthusiasm has obscured a dark side. New evidence shows that when people hone their emotional skills, they become better at manipulating others. When you're good at controlling your own emotions, you can disguise your true feelings. When you know what others are feeling, you can tug at their heartstrings and motivate them to act against their own best interests.

Social scientists have begun to document this dark side of emotional intelligence. In emerging research led by University of Cambridge professor Jochen Menges, when a leader gave an inspiring speech filled with emotion, the audience was less likely to scrutinize the message and remembered less of the content. Ironically, audience members were so moved by the speech that they claimed to recall more of it.

The authors call this the awestruck effect, but it might just as easily be described as the dumbstruck effect. One observer reflected that Hitler's persuasive impact came from his ability to strategically express emotions-he would "tear open his heart"-and these emotions affected his followers to the point that they would "stop thinking critically and just emote."
"Whenever we wanted to persuade our staff to support a particular project we always tried to break their hearts."
Leaders who master emotions can rob us of our capacities to reason. If their values are out of step with our own, the results can be devastating. New evidence suggests that when people have self-serving motives, emotional intelligence becomes a weapon for manipulating others. In a study led by the University of Toronto psychologist Stéphane Côté, university employees filled out a survey about their Machiavellian tendencies, and took a test measuring their knowledge about effective strategies for managing emotions. Then, Cote's team assessed how often the employees deliberately undermined their colleagues. The employees who engaged in the most harmful behaviors were Machiavellians with high emotional intelligence. They used their emotional skills to demean and embarrass their peers for personal gain. In one computer company studied by Tel-Aviv University professor Gideon Kunda, a manager admitted to telling a colleague "how excited we all are with what he is doing," but at the same time, "distancing my organization from the project," so "when it blows up," the company's founder would blame the colleague.

Shining a light on this dark side of emotional intelligence is one mission of a research team led by University College London professor Martin Kilduff. According to these experts, emotional intelligence helps people disguise one set of emotions while expressing another for personal gain. Emotionally intelligent people "intentionally shape their emotions to fabricate favorable impressions of themselves," Professor Kilduff's team writes. "The strategic disguise of one's own emotions and the manipulation of others' emotions for strategic ends are behaviors evident not only on Shakespeare's stage but also in the offices and corridors where power and influence are traded."

Of course, people aren't always using emotional intelligence for nefarious ends. More often than not, emotional skills are simply instrumental tools for goal accomplishment. In a study of emotions at the Body Shop, a research team led by Stanford professor Joanne Martin discovered that founder Anita Roddick leveraged emotions to inspire her employees to fundraise for charity. As Roddick explained, "Whenever we wanted to persuade our staff to support a particular project we always tried to break their hearts." However, Roddick also encouraged employees to be strategic in the timing of their emotion expressions. In one case, after noticing that an employee often "breaks down in tears with frustration," Roddick said it was acceptable to cry, but "I told her it has to be used. I said, 'Here, cry at this point in the ... meeting." When viewing Roddick as an exemplar of an emotionally intelligent leader, it becomes clear that there's a fine line between motivation and manipulation. Walking that tightrope is no easy task.
In jobs that required extensive attention to emotions, higher emotional intelligence translated into better performance. In jobs that involved fewer emotional demands, the results reversed.
In settings where emotions aren't running high, emotional intelligence may have hidden costs. Recently, psychologists Dana Joseph of the University of Central Florida and Daniel Newman of the University of Illinois comprehensively analyzed every study that has ever examined the link between emotional intelligence and job performance. Across hundreds of studies of thousands of employees in 191 different jobs, emotional intelligence wasn't consistently linked with better performance. In jobs that required extensive attention to emotions, higher emotional intelligence translated into better performance. Salespeople, real-estate agents, call-center representatives, and counselors all excelled at their jobs when they knew how to read and regulate emotions-they were able to deal more effectively with stressful situations and provide service with a smile.

However, in jobs that involved fewer emotional demands, the results reversed. The more emotionally intelligent employees were, the lower their job performance. For mechanics, scientists, and accountants, emotional intelligence was a liability rather than an asset. Although more research is needed to unpack these results, one promising explanation is that these employees were paying attention to emotions when they should have been focusing on their tasks. If your job is to analyze data or repair cars, it can be quite distracting to read the facial expressions, vocal tones, and body languages of the people around you. In suggesting that emotional intelligence is critical in the workplace, perhaps we've put the cart before the horse.

Instead of assuming that emotional intelligence is always useful, we need to think more carefully about where and when it matters. In a recent study at a healthcare company, I asked employees to complete a test about managing and regulating emotions, and then asked managers to evaluate how much time employees spent helping their colleagues and customers. There was no relationship whatsoever between emotional intelligence and helping: Helping is driven by our motivations and values, not by our abilities to understand and manage emotions. However, emotional intelligence was consequential when examining a different behavior: challenging the status quo by speaking up with ideas and suggestions for improvement.

Emotionally intelligent employees spoke up more often and more effectively. When colleagues were treated unjustly, they felt the righteous indignation to speak up, but were able to keep their anger in check and reason with their colleagues. When they went out on a limb to advocate for gender equity, emotional intelligence helped them keep their fear at bay. When they brought ideas for innovation to senior leaders, their ability to express enthusiasm helped them avoid threatening leaders. On a much smaller scale, they were able to follow Martin Luther King Jr.'s lead in rocking the boat while keeping it steady.

More than two decades have passed since psychologists Peter Salovey at Yale and John Mayer at the University of New Hampshire introduced the concept of emotional intelligence in 1990. Why has it taken us so long to develop a more nuanced view? After Daniel Goleman popularized the idea in 1995, many researchers-perhaps awestruck themselves by enthusiasm for the concept of emotional intelligence-proceeded to conduct studies that were fatally flawed. As University of Lausanne professor John Antonakis observed, "practice and voodoo science is running way ahead of rigorous research."

One of the most persistent problems was the use of self-report measures, which asked employees to rate their own emotional abilities on items like "I can tell how people are feeling even if they never tell me" and "I am generally very good at calming someone down when he or she is upset." Abilities cannot be accurately measured with self-reports. As emotion experts Sigal Barsade of Wharton and Donald Gibson of Fairfield University lament, "One might compare this approach to assessing mathematical skills by asking respondents, 'How good are you at solving algebraic equations?' rather than asking the person to actually solve an algebraic equation."

Thanks to more rigorous research methods, there is growing recognition that emotional intelligence-like any skill-can be used for good or evil. So if we're going to teach emotional intelligence in schools and develop it at work, we need to consider the values that go along with it and where it's actually useful. As Professor Kilduff and colleagues put it, it is high time that emotional intelligence is "pried away from its association with desirable moral qualities."

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In some jobs, being in touch with emotions is essential. In others, it seems to be a detriment. And like any skill, being able to read people can be used for good or evil. Some of the greatest moments in human history were fueled by emotional intelligence. When Martin Luther King, Jr.

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Emotional Inteligence - A Minute With John Maxwell, Free Coaching Video

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Fiedler's Contingency Theory of Leadership - Explanation, Background, Pros & Cons, Advice

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The great man theory of leadership suggests that some individuals are born with characteristics that naturally make them skilled leaders. According to this view, leaders are born, not made. It also suggests that leaders assume authority when their leadership traits are needed.

Have you ever heard the phrase, "Great leaders are born, not made"? This quote sums up the basic tenet of the great man theory of leadership, which suggests that leadership capacity is innate. According to this theory, you're either a natural-born leader or not.

The term "great man" was used because, at the time, ​ leadership was thought of primarily as a male quality, especially in terms of military leadership.

Origins of the Great Man Theory of Leadership

The great man theory of leadership became popular during the 19th century. The mythology behind some of the world's most famous leaders, such as Abraham Lincoln, Julius Caesar, Mahatma Gandhi, and Alexander the Great, helped contribute to the notion that great leaders are born and not made.

Carlyle's Views on Leadership

In many examples, it seems as if the right man for the job seems to emerge almost magically to take control of a situation and lead a group of people into safety or success. Historian Thomas Carlyle also had a major influence on this theory of leadership. He stated, "The history of the world is but the biography of great men."

According to Carlyle, effective leaders are those gifted with divine inspiration and the right characteristics.

Early Leadership Reasearch

Some of the earliest research on leadership looked at people who were already successful leaders. These individuals often included aristocratic rulers who achieved their position through birthright. Because people of a lesser social status had fewer opportunities to practice and achieve leadership roles, it contributed to the idea that leadership is an inherent ability.

Even today, people often describe prominent leaders as having the right qualities or personality for the position. This implies that inherent characteristics are what make these people effective leaders.

Nature vs. Nurture

The great man theory of leadership is an example of using 'nature' to explain human behavior. The nature vs. nurture debate in psychology suggests that some skills are innate while others are acquired through learning and experience. In this case, great man theory suggests that nature plays the dominant role in leadership ability.

Examples of the Great Man Theory of Leadership

Some examples of famous historical figures who are often cited as examples of "great men" include:

Abraham Lincoln: The 16th president of the United States shepherded the Union through the Civil War and signed the Emancipation Proclamation. His leadership through this tumultuous period is often seen as an example of how great leaders seem to be born with specific skills that make them destined to lead.

Martin Luther King, Jr.: The civil rights leader was influential in the fight for civil rights during the 1960s. His leadership characteristics, including his persuasive abilities and charisma, are often cited as examples of how innate traits contribute to leadership ability.

Mahatma Gandhi: The spiritual and political leader who led the successful movement for India's independence from British rule advocated non-violent resistance. His resilience, wisdom, and vision made him an inspiration in the fight for freedom in India and across the globe.

Other leaders often used as examples of the great man theory of leadership include George Washington, Winston Churchill, and Nelson Mandela. Carlyle cited other figures in his book "Heroes and Hero-Worship," including Odin, Muhammad, William Shakespeare, Martin Luther, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Napoleon Bonaparte.

Criticisms of the Great Man Theory of Leadership

The great man theory of leadership has been the subject of considerable debate and criticism. The following are some of the major critiques of this approach to explaining leadership.

Herbert Spencer's Response

Sociologist Herbert Spencer suggested that the leaders were products of the society in which they lived. In "The Study of Sociology," Spencer wrote:

"You must admit that the genesis of a great man depends on the long series of complex influences which has produced the race in which he appears, and the social state into which that race has slowly grown...Before he can remake his society, his society must make him."

Incomplete Account of Leadership

One of the critical problems with the Great Man theory of leadership is that not all people who possess the so-called natural leadership qualities become great leaders. If leadership were simply an inborn quality, all people who possess the ​ necessary traits would eventually find themselves in leadership roles.

Ignores Situational Factors

Research has instead found that leadership is a surprisingly complex subject and numerous factors influence how successful a particular leader may or may not be. Characteristics of the group, the leader in power, and the situation all interact to determine what type of leadership is needed and the effectiveness of this leadership.

Neglects Skill Development

The great man theory of leadership also fails to explain how leadership skills can be developed. It oversimplifies leadership and focuses on a very narrow set of skills that may not be effective or appropriate in every context or situation. Modern views emphasize that leadership abilities can be learned and honed with practice.

The psychologist William James defended Carlyle's ideas, suggesting that it is the innate characteristics of individuals that then shape their environments. The theory was critiqued by others in literary form, including in Leo Tolstoy's "War and Peace."

Contemporary Views of the Great Man Theory

The great man theory was an influential early theory of leadership, but it has fallen out of favor in modern leadership research. Contemporary ideas take a more nuanced and complex view of the many factors that influence leadership, including the characteristics of group members and the role of the situation.

While the great man theory has been largely replaced by other ideas, elements of it are still relevant today. The theory does not fully explain or account for the many aspects of leadership, but the existence of specific traits that contribute to great leadership is still of interest to contemporary researchers.

Today, experts recognize that leadership is complex and that innate traits alone do not account for how and why some leaders are successful.

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How Does the Great Man Theory of Leadership Hold Up?

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The great man theory of leadership is one of the earliest theories to explain and understand leadership. Discover the history of this theory.

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(Also known as LMX or Vertical Dyad Linkage Theory)

As a manager, it's not always right to treat everyone on your team in the same way.

For instance, you probably have team members that you've developed a great relationship with: you trust them, they work hard, and they've never let you down. To you, these team members are invaluable, and you make an extra effort to send challenging projects their way.

It's also likely that you have others on your team who you think less well of. They may not have far-reaching career goals, they're less competent, and you simply don't trust them to the same extent. These team members get everyday responsibilities, and are not considered for promotions or challenging assignments.

However, have you ever stopped to analyze why you don't trust certain team members? Rightly or wrongly, do you let that distrust, or the belief that they're unreliable, influence how you relate to them? Do you, even subconsciously, withhold opportunities that might help them grow and succeed?

This situation is at the heart of the Leader-Member Exchange Theory. This theory, also known as LMX or the Vertical Dyad Linkage Theory, explores how leaders and managers develop relationships with team members; and it explains how those relationships can either contribute to growth or hold people back.

What Is the Leader-Member Exchange Theory?

The Leader-Member Exchange Theory first emerged in the 1970s. It focuses on the relationship that develops between managers and members of their teams. The theory states that all relationships between managers and subordinates go through three stages. These are:

Let's look at each stage in greater detail.

Role-Taking

Role-taking occurs when team members first join the group. Managers use this time to assess new members' skills and abilities.

Role-Making

New team members then begin to work on projects and tasks as part of the team. In this stage, managers generally expect that new team members will work hard, be loyal and prove trustworthy as they get used to their new role.

The theory says that, during this stage, managers sort new team members (often subconsciously) into one of two groups.

In-Group: if team members prove themselves loyal, trustworthy and skilled, they're put into the In-Group. This group is made up of the team members that the manager trusts the most. Managers give this group most of their attention, providing challenging and interesting work, and offering opportunities for additional training and advancement. This group also gets more one-to-one time with the manager. Often, people in this group have a similar personality and work-ethic to their manager.

Out-Group: if team members betray the trust of the manager, or prove that they're unmotivated or incompetent, they're put into the Out-Group. This group's work is often restricted and unchallenging. Out-Group members tend to have less access to the manager, and often don't receive opportunities for growth or advancement.

Routinization

During this last phase, routines between team members and their managers are established.

In-Group team members work hard to maintain the good opinion of their managers, by showing trust, respect, empathy, patience, and persistence.

Out-Group members may start to dislike or distrust their managers. Because it's so hard to move out of the Out-Group once the perception has been established, Out-Group members may have to change departments or organizations in order to "start over."

Once team members have been classified, even subconsciously, as In-Group or Out-Group, that classification affects how their managers relate to them from then on, and it can become self-fulfilling.

For instance, In-Group team members are often seen as rising stars and the manager trusts them to work and perform at a high level. This is also the group that the manager talks to most, offering support and advice, and they're given the best opportunities to test their skills and grow. So, of course, they're more likely to develop in their roles.

This also holds true for the Out-Group. The manager spends little, if any, time trying to support and develop this group. They receive few challenging assignments or opportunities for training and advancement. And, because they're never tested, they have little chance to change the manager's opinion.

How to Use the Leader-Member Exchange Theory

You can use the Leader-Member Exchange Theory to gain awareness of how you perceive members of your own team. The following three steps will show you how you can do this by identifying the Out-Group, reestablishing your relationship with its members, and providing means and ways for team members to grow.

1. Identify Your Out-Group

Chances are, you know who's in your Out-Group already. Take a moment to note their names down.

Next, analyze why these people have fallen "out of favor." Did they do something specifically to lose your trust? Do they exhibit bad behavior at work? Are they truly incompetent, or do they have low motivation?

Analyze what they've actually done, and compare the facts with your perceptions. Do these match, or have you (perhaps subconsciously) blown things out of proportion?

2. Reestablish the Relationship

It's important that, as the leader, you make a reasonable effort to reestablish a relationship with Out-Group team members. Research published in the Leadership Quarterly journal in 1995 showed that team members who have high-quality relationships with their leader have higher morale, and are more productive than those who don't. So you, and your organization, can benefit from creating a better relationship.

Keep in mind that this group will likely be wary of any attention or support from you; after all, they may not have had it in the past.

First, meet each team member one-on-one. Take the time to find out if they're happy with their job. What are their career goals? What can you do to make their work more challenging or engaging?

A one-on-one meeting can also help you identify that person's psychological contract with you - that is, the unspoken benefits they expect from you, as their leader. If they're in the Out-Group, they may feel that the psychological contract has been broken.

You also need to discover what truly motivates them. Use McClelland's Human Motivation Theory or Herzberg's Motivators and Hygiene Factor Theory to find out what drives them to succeed.

Once you've had a chance to reconnect with your team members through one-on-one meetings, do what you sensibly can to continue to touch base with them. Practice management by walking around, or drop by their office to see if they need help on projects or tasks. Work on getting to know these team members on a personal level.

3. Provide Training and Development Opportunities

Remember, the biggest advantage to the Leader-Member Exchange Theory is that it alerts you to the preference you might unconsciously - and possibly unfairly - be showing some team members. This allows you to offer all of your team members appropriate opportunities for training, development, and advancement.

Your Out-Group team members may benefit from a mentoring or coaching relationship with you.

You may also want to provide them with low-risk opportunities to test and grow their skills. Use task allocation strategies to make sure you're assigning the right task to the right person. Also, take our Bite-Sized Training session, Setting Goals for Your Team, to learn how to set effective and realistic goals for these team members.

You can also use the Nine-Box Grid for Talent Management to re-assess their potential from time to time, and to give them the right development opportunities.

Warning:

A problem with the Leader-Member Exchange Theory is that it assumes that all team members are equally worthy of trust, prestigious projects and advancement. Although we may like to think that everyone is honest, hard-working and worthy of our esteem, the reality can be different!

Managers need to get the best possible results. This means putting the right people in the right places, and it means developing and reinforcing success. Of necessity, this means that talented people will get more interesting opportunities and may get more attention than less-talented ones.

Use the Leader-Member Exchange Theory to make sure that you're objective in the way that you deal with people, but don't be naïve in the way that you apply it.

Key Points

The Leader-Member Exchange Theory first appeared in the 1970s. It analyzes the relationship between managers and team members.

Team members typically go through three phases in their relationship with their manager: Role-Taking, Role-Making, and Routinization.

Typically, during the Role-Making phase, group members are classified into one of two groups: In-Group, and Out-Group. In-Group team members often receive more attention and support, and more opportunities, from their managers. Out-Group members get very little face-time, and few opportunities.

You can use the Leader-Member Exchange Theory to identify and validate any perceptions that you might have of people on your team.

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The Leader-Member Exchange Theory: Getting the Best From all Team Members

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As a manager, it's not always right to treat everyone on your team in the same way. For instance, you probably have team members that you've developed a great relationship with: you trust them, they work hard, and they've never let you down.

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5. Trait Theory of Leadership

The trait model of leadership is based on the characteristics of many leaders - both successful and unsuccessful - and is used to predict leadership effectiveness. The resulting lists of traits are then compared to those of potential leaders to assess their likelihood of success or failure.

Scholars taking the trait approach attempted to identify physiological (appearance, height, and weight), demographic (age, education and socioeconomic background), personality, self-confidence, and aggressiveness), intellective (intelligence, decisiveness, judgment, and knowledge), task-related (achievement drive, initiative, and persistence), and social characteristics (sociability and cooperativeness) with leader emergence and leader effectiveness.

Successful leaders definitely have interests, abilities, and personality traits that are different from those of the less effective leaders. Through many researches conducted in the last three decades of the 20th century, a set of core traits of successful leaders have been identified. These traits are not responsible solely to identify whether a person will be a successful leader or not, but they are essentially seen as preconditions that endow people with leadership potential.

Among the core traits identified are:

Achievement drive: High level of effort, high levels of ambition, energy and initiative

Leadership motivation: an intense desire to lead others to reach shared goals

Honesty and integrity: trustworthy, reliable, and open

Self-confidence: Belief in one's self, ideas, and ability

Cognitive ability: Capable of exercising good judgment, strong analytical abilities, and conceptually skilled

Knowledge of business: Knowledge of industry and other technical matters

Emotional Maturity: well adjusted, does not suffer from severe psychological disorders.

Others: charisma, creativity and flexibility

Strengths/Advantages of Trait Theory

It is naturally pleasing theory.

It is valid as lot of research has validated the foundation and basis of the theory.

It serves as a yardstick against which the leadership traits of an individual can be assessed.

It gives a detailed knowledge and understanding of the leader element in the leadership process.

Limitations of The Trait Theory

There is bound to be some subjective judgment in determining who is regarded as a 'good' or 'successful' leader

The list of possible traits tends to be very long. More than 100 different traits of successful leaders in various leadership positions have been identified. These descriptions are simply generalities.

There is also a disagreement over which traits are the most important for an effective leader

The model attempts to relate physical traits such as, height and weight, to effective leadership. Most of these factors relate to situational factors. For example, a minimum weight and height might be necessary to perform the tasks efficiently in a military leadership position. In business organizations, these are not the requirements to be an effective leader.

The theory is very complex

Implications of Trait Theory

The trait theory gives constructive information about leadership. It can be applied by people at all levels in all types of organizations. Managers can utilize the information from the theory to evaluate their position in the organization and to assess how their position can be made stronger in the organization. They can get an in-depth understanding of their identity and the way they will affect others in the organization. This theory makes the manager aware of their strengths and weaknesses and thus they get an understanding of how they can develop their leadership qualities.

Conclusion

The traits approach gives rise to questions: whether leaders are born or made; and whether leadership is an art or science. However, these are not mutually exclusive alternatives. Leadership may be something of an art; it still requires the application of special skills and techniques. Even if there are certain inborn qualities that make one a good leader, these natural talents need encouragement and development. A person is not born with self-confidence. Self-confidence is developed, honesty and integrity are a matter of personal choice, motivation to lead comes from within the individual, and the knowledge of business can be acquired. While cognitive ability has its origin partly in genes, it still needs to be developed. None of these ingredients are acquired overnight.

Authorship/Referencing - About the Author(s)

The article is Written By "Prachi Juneja" and Reviewed By Management Study Guide Content Team. MSG Content Team comprises experienced Faculty Member, Professionals and Subject Matter Experts. We are a ISO 2001:2015 Certified Education Provider. To Know more, click on About Us. The use of this material is free for learning and education purpose. Please reference authorship of content used, including link(s) to ManagementStudyGuide.com and the content page url.

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Home Library Organizational Behaviour Leadership Trait Theory of Leadership The trait model of leadership is based on the characteristics of many leaders - both successful and unsuccessful - and is used to predict leadership effectiveness. The resulting lists of traits are then compared to those of potential leaders to assess their likelihood of success or failure.

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In these difficult times, we've made a number of our coronavirus articles free for all readers. To get all of HBR's content delivered to your inbox, sign up for the Daily Alert newsletter.

The Covid-19 pandemic is constantly evolving, with leaders facing unpredictability, imperfect information, multiple unknowns, and the need to identify responses quickly - all while recognizing the multi-dimensional (health-related, economic, social, political, cultural) nature of the crisis.

Responding to the crisis requires adaptive leadership, which involves what we refer to as the 4 A's:

Anticipation of likely future needs, trends and options.

Articulation of these needs to build collective understanding and support for action.

Adaptation so that there is continuous learning and the adjustment of responses as necessary.

Accountability, including maximum transparency in decision making processes and openness to challenges and feedback.

All of the 4 A's are plain to see in the most successful responses to the pandemic. Take the pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca. Thanks to their large Chinese operations, they learned about the virus early, and started working to anticipate future needs and issues, while also navigating the considerable uncertainties and unknowns. They articulated these needs to a wide range of internal and external stakeholders to garner commitment and support, and a range of new business models and partnerships to effectively meet the most urgent Covid-19 needs - most notably vaccine development, but also testing and screening methods, health facility development, and the use of AI to support diagnostics and case management. Perhaps most notably, the firm has established an inclusive approach to accountability, with a commitment to support the global Covid-19 response "as economically and as equitably" as possible - including numerous agreements for the large-scale production and distribution of any successful vaccine at zero profit during the period of pandemic.

From our collective experience at the heart of WHO's Covid-19 response (David), advising those at the top of national governments (Arkebe), leading and advising on large complex health and care systems (Ruth), and supporting crisis responses in developed and developing countries as well as humanitarian settings (Ben and Leni), we have identified five common principles to guide this kind of adaptive leadership across the Covid-19 response.

1. Ensure evidence-based learning and adaptation

Adaptive leadership means teams and organizations need to constantly assess their actions, recognizing that they will have to continuously iterate and adapt their interventions as they learn more about the outcomes of decisions. This requires clear processes for determining the best options for action; collecting, interpreting and acting on evidence, including defining a set of key measures for determining success or failure; ensuring ongoing collection of operationally relevant data; and setting out a clear process for how changes in data and trends will trigger changes in action.

Putting social learning and adaptation at the center of the response in this way has been found to be a crucial element in recent disease outbreak management, most notably in dealing with Ebola in West Africa. An analysis of the successful eradication of smallpox has shown that the success was attributable to processes of strategic adaptation and learning - more than any other single factor.

This learning process must be open and diverse to be effective. For example, the German government enlisted the advice not just of epidemiologists and medical specialists, but also social scientists, philosophers, historians of science, theologians, and jurists as it navigated the delicate ethical balancing act of reopening society while safeguarding the health of the public.

2. Stress-test underlying theories, assumptions, and beliefs

Just as institutions such as banks regularly undergo stress testing to ensure they can deal with future crises, the assumptions and hypotheses guiding an adaptive response need to subject to robust and rigorous reflection and examination, including through the simulation of different possible future scenarios.

One of the most systematic and rigorous approaches to Covid-19 scenario planning has been developed by Boston Consulting Group. Drawing on military approaches to strategic learning, they advocate that firms establish an integrated model of "anticipation, intelligence, and response" that can underpin business decision-making. Using such an approach, different scenarios have been developed for use by the automotive, fashion, and luxury goods sectors. These scenarios account for critical uncertainties in the public health situation, the impact of government measures, the wider economic environment and business-specific demand forecasts, and make use of real-time monitoring as the basis for decision-making.

3. Streamline deliberative decision making

A major challenge faced by leaders is that the data on Covid-19 is changing all the time and is often contradictory. Where decision makers feel threatened, they are much more likely to revert to risk-averse and siloed responses to ensure a degree of safety that results from narrowly defined targets.

Decision makers at different levels therefore need to be clear about what they are basing their assumptions and hypotheses on. They need to explain what is being done and why, and how a decision was made, so that if errors are identified, trust can still be maintained in the process.

The most successful national responses - in South Korea, Taiwan, and Germany; in less well-publicized initiatives, such as in Vietnam and Ethiopia; and in sub-national efforts such as Kerala, India - have used the pandemic as a catalyst for transforming the policy process, making it more open, dynamic and nimble. These responses have also improved integration across different systems - from health care to transportation to energy - which has resulted in unprecedented levels of planning, information sharing, and coordination.

4. Strengthen transparency, inclusion, and accountability

People around the world have been asked to make major behavior changes, and these bring significant costs for society, businesses, and governments. Because the stakes are so high, there is a need to examine how earlier decisions were made, bearing in mind the information available at the time. Ongoing real-time assessment of the response is needed to maximize learning. Such assessments should include all relevant stakeholders - from professionals to affected populations.

The best adaptive leaders - from business leaders to policy makers to community organizers - have recognized mistakes are likely to be made and actively used them to identify shared learning opportunities. For example, the UK's National Health Service has held an open, honest, and challenging dialogue about how institutionalized biases in dealing with Covid-19 have led to greater levels of pain and suffering among black and ethnic minority patients and staff alike. And there has been acknowledgement at the highest levels that however difficult this process might be, this had to be seen a "fundamental inflection point" for one of the world's largest health care providers.

The European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has advocated the use of after-action reviews and similar processes to assess how public health decisions were taken at different points and on what basis. Given the fact that the pandemic response is increasingly being viewed as a marathon and not a sprint, it is vital to assess what has happened so far, to identify strategic priorities, and to exchange lessons learned. This means leaders need to commit to sharing their thinking at every stage and by acting in such an open and transparent way, set a benchmark for how to engage with constituencies and stakeholders as the pandemic progresses. More than that, by acknowledging their fallibility, leaders create an environment of candor, psychological safety, and mutual trust that is vital for effective crisis response.

5. Mobilize collective action

The Covid-19 crisis is not just a public health crisis; it's also an economic, social and political crisis. It is a "complex systems" problem that requires changes in behaviors and incentives and in the relationships between different groups and organizations. Effective responses therefore need to build on collaboration across different sectors, industries and professionals and between international, national and local levels - an ambition that has often proved difficult to put into practice.

Collective action in this regard might be in the form of coordination (e.g. among businesses), partnerships among different interest groups (e.g. businesses and communities), or dialogue across a range of stakeholders. Adaptive leadership has a crucial role to play in helping to identify shared alignment of objectives and scope for collective action across different silos and levels of the response. Such interactions enrich debate, are inclusive, and improve ownership of decisions.

There have been some remarkable multi-sectoral interventions which span public, private and not-for-profit capabilities in exactly this way. In the UK, for example, shared awareness of the existing health care capacity underpinned landmark deal to rapidly commission of all private-sector hospitals for use by the National Health Service, at cost, leading to an accelerated scaling up of available beds and equipment. Civil society and citizen groups have also played a central role in mobilizing inclusive approaches the pandemic, especially in resource-constrained settings. Local responses have emerged in the form of community-led support for the most vulnerable in Bhopal, India; the repurposing manufacturing capability to enable locally produced PPE across the U.S.; and the strengthening of "social economy" approaches to rebuilding disrupted economies from the grassroots up in Canada and numerous European countries.

What we do in this crisis response will have repercussions for years and decades to come. These five principles of adaptive leadership are not just vital to guide our immediate responses; they will also be vital for shaping longer-term recovery and resilience plans. Our collective future may be uncertain, but this uncertainty is at the very heart of human creativity.

If our content helps you to contend with coronavirus and other challenges, please consider subscribing to HBR. A subscription purchase is the best way to support the creation of these resources.

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5 Principles to Guide Adaptive Leadership

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Responding to Covid-19 uncertainty requires adaptive leadership, which is defined as the ability to anticipate future needs, articulate those needs to build collective support and understanding, adapt your responses based on continuous learning, and demonstrate accountability through transparency in your decision-making process.

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Choosing the right leadership method can be confusing and challenging. Starting in the 20th century and extending to now, psychologists have given charismatic leadership theory attention because of the strong personalities who have been able to manage in that style. Leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Pope John Paull II have made their legacies for leading with a great deal of charm and charisma.

Through a close look at charismatic leadership theory's significance, its advantages and disadvantages, and some real-world historical examples, we give a comprehensive overview of the leadership style. The psychology behind this unique leadership model deserves more attention because of its current and future applications in our society. There's definitely a compelling case for adopting the charismatic leadership strategy, but leaders should understand its nuances more thoroughly before they consider implementing it in their own leadership practices.

What is Charismatic Leadership Theory?

Before adequate attention can be given to the significance of charismatic leadership theory, it must first be defined. Recently, a study titled "Charismatic leadership: Eliciting and channeling follower emotions" offered that "charismatic leaders elicit strong emotions from followers which encourage devotion and action, and these emotions mediate the relationship between charisma and its effects." In simpler terms, the leadership concept can be chalked up to the successes of different leaders based on their charismatic approach to problem-solving.

Max Weber, a prominent sociologist from the early 1900s, originated the terminology for the three dominant kinds of leadership styles: charismatic, bureaucratic and traditional. He maintained that leaders embody all three kinds of authority models in different proportions or ratios.

Bureaucratic Leadership

According to the study "The Relationship between Bureaucratic Leadership Style (Task-Oriented) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM)," bureaucratic leadership can be defined as a model where "Leaders impose strict and systematic discipline on the followers, and demand business-like conduct." Further, bureaucratic leaders are typically rule-reliant and project their authority rigidly.

Traditional Leadership

Separately, traditional authority models are founded on long-standing conventions. More directly, traditional leaders find their power and legitimacy through customs that have existed for long periods of time.

Charismatic Leadership

Charismatic leadership, thus, is much more dependent on the personality of the leader. Status, a business communications company, stated that leaders who apply the style are "individuals who use their personality and communication style to gain the admiration of followers." Because of this, more than any other type of leadership style, charismatic leaders depend on the strength of their personalities to win over their audience.

Furthermore, Status said that charismatic leaders are capable of responding intelligently to social cues. In fact, charismatic leaders' success stems in part from their ability to respond to the emotional needs of their followers. While this unique leadership style certainly has its perks, it also has some unexpected consequences.

The Benefits and Drawbacks of Charismatic Leadership Theory

Charismatic authority, which so strongly depends on the personality of the leader, can certainly yield positive results. Because charismatic leaders often play on emotional appeals, they occupy a unique position where they are able to both motivate and calm their audiences.

David E. Rast, a social psychologist, has proved as much. In his work, he's stated that charismatic leaders, or "transformational leaders," become more desirable in times of social uncertainty. This logic makes sense considering the decisive nature found in the leadership method.

Another stark advantage of charismatic leaders is their ability to consistently motivate their followers. In the article "The Motivational Effects of Charismatic Leadership: A Self-Concept Based Theory," the authors stated that charismatic leaders "cause followers to become highly committed to the leader's mission, to make significant personal sacrifices in the interest of the mission, and to perform above and beyond the call of duty." By intricately and compellingly playing on the values and feelings of their followers, charismatic leaders can successfully motivate people to accomplish their goals.

What's more is that charismatic leaders can empower their followers through a unique bond or trust. Charismatic leadership theory can be put into action only if the leader can cultivate a profound sense of trust with a group of followers. This bond relies then on the charismatic leader holding their own actions and behaviors accountable.

At the same time, though, there can be several drawbacks to the unconventional leadership style. While charismatic leaders often rely on their confidence to build and maintain a following, having too much confidence could prove problematic. Workplace psychologist Steve Nguyen outlined four major drawbacks to leaders depending on their charisma. These include:

1. An arrogance that distracts the leader.

2. An inability to groom possible successors.

3. A power vacuum after the leader steps down.

4. A proneness to resist addressing problems.

In some instances, charismatic leaders have employed their charm for manipulative purposes. Roger Eatwell, a political scientist, has weighed in on this issue exhaustively and believes it could be a reason for the rise of fascism in the right before World War II. In the workplace, charismatic leaders can bring disadvantages, as well. Shelley Frost of the Houston Chronical said charisma by itself is not a strong enough quality to lead, and "the leader must have the best intentions of the company at heart and have other leadership qualities to back up the charisma." These other qualities would be industry knowledge, receptiveness to criticism, and the ability to listen, to name a few.

To avoid these pitfalls, leaders should blend their authority styles. Relying too heavily on charisma compromises the ability to maintain support and trust. A study by the American Psychological Association found that individuals who were excessively charismatic were not as effective as moderately charismatic leaders because of their inability to lead operationally. In other words, extremely charismatic leaders usually could not keep up with the structural requirements of their positions. Separately, leaders who mixed authority styles in a more balanced way were much more capable of satisfying the requirements of their posts.

The Psychology of Charismatic Leadership Theory

In order to understand the psychology of people who have applied their charisma to their leadership styles, it's helpful to look at real-world examples. By understanding their behaviors and actions, we can better understand the inner workings of some of the most immediately recognizable charismatic leaders.

Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

The Civil Rights leader in the 1950s and '60s displayed an intense confidence in front of crowds to help peacefully desegregate the United States. Uniquely, King was able to deliver his charismatic leadership style in an inclusive way to help motivate his following to non-violently overthrow Jim Crow-era laws. His legacy today is important not only for the rhetorical power of his speeches, but also for the effective and inspiring ways he was able to lead America toward Civil Rights legislation.

Pope John Paul II

As the pope who led the Catholic Church through the millennium, John Paul II was responsible for proposing and carrying out several changes to the institution in the late 20th century. He was able to do this because of his outward and infectious charisma, which according to Telegraph correspondent Damian Thompson, "was so overpowering that people felt giddy in his presence." Because of his ability to lead through his palpable charisma, he was able to unite and inspire Catholics across the world.

Steve Jobs

As the CEO of Apple in different stages of his career, Steve Jobs was able to bring the world into the 21st century by motivating his teams to produce their best work. His authority style, based on his own charisma, successfully introduced our world to impressive music storage, smart phone technology and cloud computing.

Alvernia University offers an online Bachelor of Science in Psychology. Balance education and a busy life through Alvernia University's flexible online programs. Develop skills needed to succeed as a professional and learn from knowledgeable faculty in small class sizes.

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The Art of Charm: The Charismatic Leadership Theory | Alvernia Online

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Choosing the right leadership method can be confusing and challenging. Starting in the 20th century and extending to now, psychologists have given charismatic leadership theory attention because of the strong personalities who have been able to manage in that style. Leaders like Martin Luther King Jr.

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Authentic leadership is a theory that is still forming in the business world. The idea of authentic leadership is that leaders are seen as genuine and "real." This theory was created by Bill George in his book Authentic Leadership, published in 2003. This book takes on the entire theory that for leaders, being themselves is key to finding success. There are other important leadership skills, but being yourself helps you hone those skills. But does it work? It appears that the answer is yes. In fact, research shows that authentic leadership is the biggest predictor of an employee's job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and workplace happiness.

If you're studying to become a business manager or leader, it's important to understand the variety of leadership styles and theories, as well as understand authentic leadership and how being yourself could be your best option. Learn more about the authentic leadership theory, how you can develop it, and how it could benefit your team.

Bill George's Authentic Leadership model focuses on five distinct qualities that leaders that are authentic have, or may develop. It's important to note that these aren't unnatural characteristics that would make a leader less genuine, but are general ideas that leaders that are authentic fill with their own real intentions and beliefs.

Being a leader that is authentic involves demonstrating sense of purpose in order to seem real and approachable. Often, having a sense of purpose will come out as a sense of passion in practice. Passionate leadership involves caring about the work they are doing, and seeing leaders care makes employees more interested in caring about their work too. Leaders that have authenticity connect to their employees by showing interest in what they do, an interest in the large picture for the organization, and a passion for helping create success.

For example, leadership that shows authenticity is seen when a manager is assigned a new project from upper management, and will then hold a meeting for employees about this new role. They share the things that they are excited about, the structure of the project, and how everyone will be involved to create a good result. They demonstrate a good attitude to followers and show positive behavior as part of their leadership and passion. When an employee sees a passionate leader, they can catch the vision for what success can look like. A sense of purpose can look different based on the leader, but ultimately authentic leaders won't need to fake a sense of purpose, they already are passionate about their work, and followers can see that in their behavior and in their practice.

Authentic leaders have specific values, and they don't compromise on them for anything. This is also known as integrity. Integrity is crucial behavior for leadership to truly be successful. A leader behaves in a way that is always in line with their values, and expect high ethical standards and integrity in employees as well. Employees that see leaders who have values and things that are important to them will find respect and appreciation for their leader. The values of an authentic leader will vary based on their specific beliefs and morals, and they can be shaped by their company policy as well. Ethical leadership and authentic leadership goes hand-in-hand. This kind of leadership means that a manager will have their own personal standard of ethics and values that they will stay by no matter what.

For example, an authentic leader has standards for how work is done and values that work is done correctly. They articulate regularly that they won't tolerate shortcuts, they won't compromise the rules, and that they themselves would never do that either. This can be in regards to work, coworker relationships, management, and more. Values are a crucial element to this kind of leadership. Followers see this ethical behavior and have trust in the organization as a whole, and begin to grow more self-aware of their own ethics and discipline.

Authentic leaders build relationships with their employees and colleagues, and try to establish real connections with the people around them throughout the organization. They are willing to share things about themselves, communicate, and actually listen to others. Employees react better to managers who they believe really care about them and remember things about their lives. When an employee has a manager that they know actually cares about them and their life outside the office, they're more invested in staying and having a good relationship with that manager.

For example, authentic leaders ask employees about their family. If an employee says they have to leave work early to take their spouse to the doctor, the manager can politely ask if everything is ok, if they need any help, or if there's anything they can do. Management that is genuine and real will always listen, as well as make connections by sharing details of their lives as well. This can be as simple as talking about a game or show they watch, or go deeper in sharing about their children or family. Team members are much more likely to respect and like leaders who they can connect with in a real way.

Goals and self-discipline helps authentic leaders have the focus they need to move forward, no matter what comes their way. Consistent, cool, calm-that is the kind of leader you want during a storm or stressful times. Having goals in mind, and the self-discipline to get there is what makes an authentic leader easy to follow. Employees feel confident and calm when they see a leader that has that self-discipline as well. It also encourages their own self-awareness for their reaction and response, encouraging them to be calm and relaxed as well. An organization can thrive when leadership demonstrates patience and calm no matter what.

An authentic leader will communicate specific work goals to the team and then help provide a path and a plan to accomplish those goals. When things come in that add stress to the situation, authentic leaders don't freak out or complain. They set the tone for their employees by keeping their cool and adjusting the plan when necessary, all the while encouraging the team that they can still reach the goal. Staying focus, adjusting when needed, communicating, and moving forward are key for authentic leaders.

Authentic leaders are willing to show compassion to their employees. They are sensitive to the needs of others, and are willing to help them get what they need. This self-awareness is important to help team members really trust leadership. There are many positive effects that can come from this kind of self-awareness and leadership. This genuine heart helps employees feel that they are more than just a cog in the machine-they know that their leader sees them as a person and cares about them as a person. Mental health, emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and sensitivity are all important to this kind of leadership.

An authentic leader shows their genuine heart, self-awareness, and compassion in many ways. One way they show this is by checking in on employees regularly. For example, during a busy time in the office an authentic leader will check in with their employees often for one-on-one time to ensure they are feeling OK, and find out if they can do anything for them. An authentic leader will make sure relationships between coworkers are going well, be sensitive to personal issues employees may be facing. Authentic leaders show genuine concern and ask because they want to know and help, not out of politeness.

There are many things leaders can do to develop their authenticity and become more genuine leaders. Some of the things they can do include:

Explore their life story. Authentic leaders can learn about themselves as a good way to become more true to themselves. They need to process their experiences, understand the things they've gone through, and discover who they really are. When you dive into your own understanding of yourself, you're better able to be yourself and let others see that side of you.

Take time to reflect. It's important to take a step back in our 100-mile-an-hour world and be introspective. Taking time for reflection helps you understand what's important to you, allowing you to be a better leader. Set aside time without your phone, task lists, and just reflect. Examine how you're living your life and engaging with people around you to be more true to yourself.

Seek out feedback. Authentic leaders know that they need to understand how other people see them in order to be effective. Seeking out honest feedback and then taking that feedback to heart is important for leaders to grow and develop. Authentic leaders want to get better and change for their employees, so surrounding themselves with people who will give honest feedback is key.

Understand their leadership style. Authentic leaders understand what kind of leadership styles comes naturally to them. They understand the situation they are in, the people they manage, and they can adapt their style as needed to fit that situation while staying true to themselves. Flexible styles aren't inauthentic, because they come from a genuine place and are part of the compassion and heart leaders have to make the best connection with their employees.

There are lots of critiques for the authentic leadership theory. Some people argue that employees and followers don't need an authentic person, they need a true leader. They need someone who is more than just themselves to lead and guide them. They argue that faking it until you make it is the key to a strong leader. While there are pros and cons to authentic leadership, overall the theory is focused on leaders being strong, but genuine and true to themselves which helps employees feel connected to and confident in them. Seeking to understand their flaws helps authentic leaders become stronger, and forging those real connections with employees helps them feel better about their work and their management.

Overall, the authentic leadership theory is a solid foundational way to be a good leader. Coupled with a business degree, authentic leadership can help you work to become the manager that you truly want to be.

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Authentic leadership is an up-and-coming theory about leadership and management. It looks into how genuine a leader is, and how their perception of being genuine impacts their ability to lead. Learn more about authentic leadership and how you can develop it in your career and life.

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K&P's Leadership Participation Inventory (LPI)

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K&P's Leadership Participation Inventory (LPI)

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Kouzes and Posner introduced the Leadership Participation Inventory model of Transformational leadership. They conducted their research on leadership over 20 years and concluded that leadership is more of behavior and practice rather than just a matter of personality as suggested by earlier leadership theories. Leadership includes the skills and capabilities that are observable. In their research, Kouzes and Posner discovered the behavior pattern of different great leaders based on their best leadership experiences and found that irrespective of age, culture, and gender differences, the behavior pattern of these leaders was similar to their best leadership experiences.

According to this model, the best leadership practices guided leaders to achieve their best or in the accomplishment of extraordinary things. So the mandatory factors of transformational leadership are these practices and behavior of a leader.

2. History of Kouzes and Posner five practices of exemplary leadership model
A glimpse of Transformational Leadership:
The transformational leadership approach was introduced by James V. Downton in 1973 first, then expended by Macgregor Burns in 1978 and further Bernard M. Bass did additions to this in 1985. James Macgregor Burns had given the concept of Burns's transformational leadership theory. He is also known as the father of Transformational theories.

This theory works on change factor both in people and social systems. It aimed at developing positive change in subordinates and their development as future leaders. This theory increases the motivation level, performance, and morale of subordinates. A leader can achieve above by doing strength, weakness analysis of subordinates, encouraging them to have a great sense of responsibility and accountability of their work by setting an example of self, etc.

Both Burn and Bass represented Transformational and Transactional leadership theory concepts and leadership models. A lot of research was further conducted by different researchers to refine the leadership concept and its effectiveness. Out of these, Kouzes and Posner introduced the concept of exemplary leadership in 1987 to emphasize on behavior aspect in leadership. According to them, leading a team by setting an example develops visibility or these leaders considered as visible models which ultimately increases accessibility and shows the values of a leader.
Kouzes and Posner leadership model is based on the below assumption:

Leaders can build leadership competence by setting a personal example to followers.

After massive research of more than 20 years and by conducting different interviews and recording responses of great leaders and their experiences, Kouzes and Posner defined different components or Inventory of Leadership which is known as Leadership Participation Inventory model.

Leadership Participation/Practices Inventory

Leadership Practices Inventory, also known as LPI, is an assessment tool that is designed from the characteristics of 5 different practices mentioned in the Exemplary Leadership model presented by Kouzes and Posner. It is also named as a 360-degree assessment tool that can be used as a survey tool by subordinates for specific leaders. This assessment is also useful to leaders as a self-assessment tool to understand different behavior patterns and tendencies that impact their leadership style.
Five key practices of Leadership Practices Inventory are: 1. Challenge the Process:
Leaders do experiments with new procedures and processes to facilitate change. Creativity and innovation are the key characteristics of a good leader. Experimenting comes with certain risks and failures also. So a leader has to cope-up with these and to consider failures as learning. Whether leaders are willing or not to challenge the process or system reflects how much they are open to either create new ideas or welcome and support new ideas from others. Also, it shows their willingness to convert ideas into actions to generate new procedures, processes, and products, etc. Leaders look for more challenging work or assignments to observe their leadership skills and capabilities. They also believe in innovations for the betterment of their organizations.
2. To inspire the Shared Vision:
Moreover, Transformational leaders are also willing to work beyond their comfort zone or groove. These are risk-takers and like doing experiments with new processes. They don't believe in the blame game and accept their failures and mistakes as a learning opportunity. These leaders should prepare themselves for any mistakes or failures as learning comes from these to get success.

Leaders make strategies for an organization by visualizing the future and inspiring subordinates to be part of it with a clear goal to achieve. Leaders make them believe that their actions are result-oriented and directive towards achieving some pre-defined purpose or objective.
3. Enabling or allowing others to Act:
This is an important practice for transformational leaders to bring and initiate the commitment of all people to achieve a common vision. There is a strong belief of transformational leaders behind this practice i.e. to build a difference by sharing a common vision and presenting the future ideal image of the organization that they seek to achieve. Leaders also share the same vision with subordinates in a positive manner and inspire them to work with their full zeal. Moreover, they keep subordinates motivating and exciting towards the common vision by their genuine, energetic approach and with symbols and positive language.
4. Modeling the Way or acts as a role model:
This includes creating an environment of trust and motivation for subordinates to urge their full support. This practice enables others to be part of the planning process by empowering them to make decisions. This also permits subordinates to fulfill their job duties with their full enthusiasm and potential. Transformational leaders believe in creating a trustworthy atmosphere where everyone can demonstrate his/her capability. These leaders also create a sense of belongingness and responsibility in subordinates and take care of their interests and requirements.
5. Encouraging or motivating the Heart:
Transformational leaders act as role-model by presenting themselves as others should be and act as expected others to perform. Modeling the way is defined as setting an example by leaders with their acts and values so that others can follow. These initiate excellence and then act as role-model for their followers to achieve the same excellence. For this, leaders require high-value standards and clear vision philosophy to measure organizations, principles to treat others, and a clear path to achieve goals or vision for organizational success. Transformational leaders also believe in synchronizing their words and actions to live by their values and to build a role model image in others.

The motivated and encouraged team always performs better. Transformational leaders set high standards for their team including themselves and to achieve the organizational goals and these standards, team members require motivation and encouragement. Leaders boost the morale of team members by motivation means i.e. rewards and recognition systems for their performance. Being role models, leaders celebrate individual and team achievements. It increases a sense of belonging, better performance of team members.

There are lots of examples of Transformational leaders in history who showed exceptional leadership skills to transform a large part of society. One great example of this is Nelson Mandela as he was a great transformational leader who fulfilled the needs of his followers and society. Nelson Mandela is well known as the first black President of South Africa. He had a clear vision of equality and willingness to do extreme to achieve his objectives. He created an exceptional example of leadership with his non-violence fight for civil rights in his country South Africa. He was a man of his words and peace. He is known as a President of South Africa and also more famous for his many leadership qualities that made him a successful and great leader.

NELSON MANDELA AS AN EFFECTIVE LEADER

He could satisfy all five practices of Kouzes and Posner's Leadership Practices Inventory model of Transformational leadership.
1. Modeling the way: 2. Challenge the process:
Below is the demonstration of his leadership skills on these five practices:
3. Inspiring a shared vision: 4. Enabling others to act: 5. Encouraging or motivating the heart: There are different points on which Leadership Participation Inventory model can be criticized like:
Nelson Mandela had set a true example by exhibiting leadership practice i.e. 'Modeling the way' by using a Non-violence approach against his fight for human rights and by raising his voice for equal rights for all. During his non-violence resistance, he was arrested but still, he stayed on his beliefs for equality and freedom from the racism of the whole society even on grounds of imprisonment. By keeping a non-African person in his security staff, Mandela showed an example of equality to his whole staff. This act of implementing equality within his staff also expresses that he fulfills the leadership practice of 'Modeling the way'.
Following advantages are there of Kouzes and Posner Transformational leadership model:
Nelson Mandela also demonstrated the practice 'challenge the process'. He challenged people and their leadership who were not using their power for mankind i.e. white community. Being imprisoned and his leadership style showed his strong willingness and readiness to work on anything to achieve his vision of freedom which many black people of his country and the world also dreamed.

He also meets 'Challenge the process' as he was the first-ever black (in terms of racism) president and leader of the country South Africa which states that he not only challenged the process that time of white people to be part as leaders of dominant positions of country but also he became part of the system as a leader and had put forward the interest of a big part of community of his country.

Nelson Mandela was also found a fit on leadership trait or practice i.e. 'Inspire a shared vision'. He had to convince everyone on the same vision with a similar mindset and way to the successful execution of his vision for re-establishment of Africa by making a country free from racism. For this, he was supposed to inspire people by demonstrating his impressive leadership, strong dedication, and humble behavior. Mandela also inspired a clear vision by clearing that his ultimate goal is equality and integration.
Limitations of the model are:
Nelson Mandela also found well in 'Enabling others to act'. Despite being in power as President, he never demonstrated it for selfish motives. He is a true example of humble behavior and selfless image. This way he allowed and inspired others to be a leader. Mandela always supported his team members in their decisions and let everyone knew their contribution to his leadership. He ensured to treat his team members as a family that enables him to motivate others to respond positively.

By inspiring others for a common vision and connecting with them by mixing in them, Nelson Mandela showed a perfect example of 'Encourage the Heart'. His qualities like down to earth attitude, courage, dedication, recognizing and appreciating the efforts of others as a leader made him successful and an influential leader.

The Leadership Participation Inventory model covers only a few aspects of leadership and doesn't cover aspects like a leader's specific behaviors, the response of team, etc. Other factors like emotions and situational factors have not been considered.

The original resource access is missing in the model that creates doubt in the authenticity of the model.

The factors of this model are in the form of a checklist by which it is easy to assess a leader's rapport with his/her team. Despite being subjective, these are better factors to identify organizational issues.

This leadership practices inventory can be beneficial for the development of leaders by making effective programs.

8. Limitations or Disadvantages

The testing of the Leadership Practices Inventory model in adverse situations is a bit difficult due to the issue of subjectivity.

Universal acceptance of the model is not possible due to the subjectivity of traits.

There is an ambiguity due to its names like "Leadership Participation inventory", "leadership Practices Inventory". This creates a question mark in its uniformity.

This model may not be suitable or work for all leaders as the 5 leadership practices are more suitable for outgoing leaders.

9. Conclusions

To initiate and achieve change for betterment in organizations, leaders practice the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership. These practices are common for all leaders and related to behavioral aspects rather than the personality trait of leaders. These practices are open for all those leaders who want to bring positive and extraordinary changes in their organization and their followers by their leadership ability using these practices.

These practices have been tested on assessment tools and act as an operating system for leaders in the era of Transformational leadership practices in organizations.

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Kouzes and Posner Leadership Participation Inventory Model in Transformational Leadership

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Kouzes and Posner introduced the Leadership Participation Inventory model of Transformational leadership. They conducted their research on leadership over 20 years and concluded that leadership is more of behavior and practice rather than just a matter of personality as suggested by earlier leadership theories. Leadership includes the skills and capabilities that are observable.

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While servant leadership is a timeless concept, the phrase "servant leadership" was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in The Servant as Leader, an essay that he first published in 1970. In that essay, Greenleaf said:

"The servant-leader is servant first... It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions...The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types. Between them there are shadings and blends that are part of the infinite variety of human nature.

"The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant-first to make sure that other people's highest priority needs are being served. The best test, and difficult to administer, is: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society? Will they benefit or at least not be further deprived?"

A servant-leader focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of people and the communities to which they belong. While traditional leadership generally involves the accumulation and exercise of power by one at the "top of the pyramid," servant leadership is different. The servant-leader shares power, puts the needs of others first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible.

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What is Servant Leadership? - Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership

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While servant leadership is a timeless concept, the phrase "servant leadership" was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in The Servant as Leader, an essay that he first published in 1970. In that essay, Greenleaf said: "The servant-leader is servant first... It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first.

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Transformational Leadership style: How to Inspire and Motivate

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Transformational leadership is a leadership style where leaders inspire, motivate, and stimulate their followers intellectually to work towards a shared and valued goal. These leaders encourage innovation, creativity, and personal development among their team members, fostering an environment of tru…

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Hersey Blanchard's Situational Leadership Theory

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Hersey Blanchard's Situational Leadership Theory

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What is the Hersey-Blanchard Model?

The Hersey-Blanchard Model is a leadership model that focuses on the ability and willingness of individual employees. Developed by Paul Hersey and Kenneth Blanchard, the model is also referred to as the Situational Leadership Model.

By evaluating each employee's ability and experience, leaders can adapt their leadership methods to encourage professional development in their employees. It results in a progression of leadership methods that continuously adapt alongside an employee's professional development.

Analyzing the Hersey-Blanchard Model

The Hersey-Blanchard model uses a diagram to classify employees based on their capacity and experience. In the model, employees are referred to as "followers," while managers are referred to as "leaders."

The diagram below outlines four distinct groups of followers, each organized by their ability and willingness to work. Ability refers to a follower's ability to perform their job successfully with a combination of skills and experience. Willingness refers to followers who are motivated to take on a task and have the confidence to carry out their responsibilities.

Based on the Hersey-Blanchard model, the four groups of followers are:

1. Unable and Unwilling (D1)

D1 followers are unable to complete their tasks because they lack the proper skills to succeed. They are also unmotivated and lack confidence in their abilities.

2. Unable and Willing (D2)

D2 followers are unable to complete their tasks, usually due to a lack of skills and experience. However, they are still willing to try and attempt the task. It exemplifies new employees that are motivated to succeed but lack adequate knowledge and ability.

3. Able and Unwilling (D3)

D3 followers have the capacity and experience to complete their tasks but are unwilling to do so. It can be attributed to a lack of self-confidence in their ability or a lack of motivation to follow their leader's guidance.

4. Able and Willing (D4)

D4 followers have the necessary skills and experience, as well as the confidence in their ability to complete tasks successfully. The employees have the highest level of capacity and can complete tasks while also taking responsibility for their work.

Leadership under the Hersey-Blanchard Model

Under the Hersey-Blanchard model, a leader must adapt their leadership methods depending on the ability and willingness of their followers. For example, a follower with a D2 development level should be led differently than a follower with a D4.

1. Directing (S1)

The S1 leadership style focuses primarily on providing direction to employees. At the S1 stage, followers lack the ability and willingness to complete their tasks, and leaders must clearly define their responsibilities and ensure they develop the foundational skills to be successful. Typical S1 leadership methods include simple instructions, clear explanations, and careful supervision.

2. Coaching (S2)

The S2 leadership style provides followers with both direction and personal support. In the S2 stage of development, followers are still unable to perform their tasks but are motivated to succeed. Therefore, leaders should ensure that followers are developing the necessary skills but still maintaining their self-confidence. Ultimately, this results in followers that can take on personal responsibility for their tasks.

3. Supporting (S3)

4. Delegating (S4)

The S4 leadership style involves minimal direction and support, as the follower is already capable of performing their tasks independently. At the S4 level, the leader should provide support when needed but also provide the follower with autonomy over their responsibilities.

Downsides of the Hersey-Blanchard Model

Although the Hersey-Blanchard model is well-regarded among professionals, there are still difficulties with its application in the real-world. Since the model is highly focused on the individual, it can be challenging for leaders to apply the model to groups with varying degrees of abilities and experience.

Also, not all leaders can adapt their leadership styles, especially if they hold beliefs that have been established over time.

Additional Resources

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The Hersey-Blanchard Model is a leadership model that focuses on the ability and willingness of individual employees. Developed by Paul Hersey and Kenneth Blanchard, the model is also referred to as the Situational Leadership Model. By evaluating each employee's ability and experience, leaders can adapt their leadership methods to encourage professional development in their employees.

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Mahatma Gandhi is considered to be one of the world's most influential leaders. He led many successful campaigns for India's independence from British imperial rule. His concept of ahimsa, or non-violent resistance, was groundbreaking and people continue to practice those principles even today.

In many ways, Gandhi showed people another way of fighting against British rule. This is a good example of how the Path-Goal Theory of Leadership works in real life. Let's explore this unique leadership style in detail.

What Is The Path-Goal Theory?

Developed by Robert J. House, a professor of leadership and organizational behavior, the Path-Goal Theory of Leadership states that leadership style changes according to the situation a person is in. Leaders adopt a 'path' (style) based on the situation, intending to achieve a 'goal' (objective). Leaders are flexible and they change their styles depending on the situation they're in. The theory proposes two factors influencing a leader's behavior:

Environmental factors (for example, workplace culture, timelines and resources)

Team characteristics (control, experience and perceived ability)

The Path-Goal Theory is based on Victor H. Vroom's Expectancy Theory of Motivation. An individual will behave or act in a certain way because they're motivated to select a specific behavior in response to a situation. In the context of the Path-Goal Model, a leader's motivation is determined by the desirability of an outcome. For example, if a team is unable to meet their goals within their timelines, a leader will become more involved in the process.

Path-Goal Leadership Styles

The biggest assumption of Path-Goal Theory is that leaders are flexible in their styles. Effective leaders clarify the path for everyone to achieve their goals, making the journey easier by reducing roadblocks and pitfalls. The Path-Goal Model of Leadership identifies four different styles:

In this style, leaders understand what exactly needs to be done, how many tasks are to be carried out and the best way to meet deadlines. Leaders create a framework that directs their team towards the objectives. In addition to communicating the expectations, a leader explains to others how to perform a task efficiently. This management style is ideal for inexperienced team members who need guidance and support.

In this type, leaders create a friendly environment and prioritize others' well-being. They're empathetic and supportive of their teams. For example, a supportive leader will entrust their team with responsibilities and improve employee engagement, in the process, increasing job satisfaction. This leadership style is suitable for employees who need to overcome personal challenges such as low morale.

Achievement-oriented leaders set ambitious goals. They expect the highest forms of achievement, therefore motivating others to strive for excellence. They prioritize deadlines, set up challenging goals and aim for consistent improvement. They have full confidence in their team's efficiency, productivity and problem-solving skills. For example, managers delegate responsibilities because they trust their employees to meet their objectives.

Leaders think that it's crucial to engage and involve employees in the decision-making process. They work collaboratively with their team members, welcoming their ideas and strategies. Participative leaders act as friends, are open to suggestions and discuss with the team how the organization's goals can be achieved. For example, managers host brainstorming sessions with their employees for new projects.

Two Sides Of Path-Goal Theory Of Leadership

The Path-Goal Theory of Leadership isn't ideal for every situation. Let's look at its advantages and limitations.

Pros

It's beneficial for time-sensitive situations, like emergency project deadlines or last-minute changes

It provides a framework for leaders to monitor their style and change it according to evolving business needs and demands

It leads to improved employee motivation, satisfaction and performance as leaders analyze their needs and expectations

Cons

The theory is idealistic because if the leader isn't efficient, then they wouldn't be able to gauge the needs and expectations for a task

There may be times when a particular situation will require more than one type of leadership style to manage it

There's too much pressure on a leader and very little responsibility on the shoulders of team members or employees

Conclusion

A leader's primary responsibility is to show the team the right path that will lead to the goal. The Path-Goal Theory encourages leaders to empower others through greater involvement, efficiency and productivity. To become an effective Path-Goal leader, you must empower yourself first. Understand your true potential and overcome interferences to fully utilize your potential.

Harappa Education's Leading Self course will teach you how to overcome limiting beliefs and become more self-aware before you walk on the path of success. The Performance Equation framework, in particular, will help you improve your performance by overcoming obstacles that hold you back. The Iceberg Model will help you navigate obstacles by recognizing areas of improvement. Mahatma Gandhi said it best, "Be the change you wish to see!"

Explore topics such as Leadership Theories , Opinion Leaders , Thought Leadership , Servant Leadership , Transformational Leadership & Transactional Leadership from our Harappa Diaries section and lead on a path of self-development.

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Mahatma Gandhi is considered to be one of the world's most influential leaders. He led many successful campaigns for India's independence from British imperial rule. His concept of ahimsa, or non-violent resistance, was groundbreaking and people continue to practice those principles even today. In many ways, Gandhi showed people another way of fighting against British rule.

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Transactional leadership, also known as managerial leadership, focuses on the role of supervision, organization, and group performance. Leaders who implement this style focus on specific tasks and use rewards and punishments to motivate followers.﻿﻿

This theory of leadership was first described in by sociologist Max Weber and further explored by Bernard M. Bass in the early 1980s. Take a closer look at how the transactional style works as well as some of the potential benefits and downsides of this style.

Basic Assumptions of Transactional Leadership

People perform their best when the chain of command is definite and clear.

Rewards and punishments motivate workers.

Obeying the instructions and commands of the leader is the primary goal of the followers.

Subordinates need to be carefully monitored to ensure that expectations are met.﻿﻿

This theory takes a behavioral approach to leadership by basing it on a system of rewards and punishments.

Athletic teams also rely heavily on transactional leadership. Players are expected to conform to the team's rules and expectations and are rewarded or punished based on their performance. Winning a game might mean accolades and bonuses while losing might lead to rejection and verbal castigation. Players often become highly motivated to do well, even if it means suffering pain and injury.

Unlike transformational leaders who tend to be forward-looking, transactional leaders are interested in merely maintaining the status quo.﻿﻿ Transformational leaders try to sell their ideas and vision to followers. Transactional leaders, on the other hand, tell group members what to do and when to do it.

How Transactional Leadership Works

In transactional leadership, rewards and punishments are contingent upon the performance of the followers. The leader views the relationship between managers and subordinates as an exchange - you give me something for something in return. When subordinates perform well, they receive a reward. When they perform poorly, they will be punished in some way. Rules, procedures, and standards are essential in transactional leadership.

They do not, however, act as catalysts for growth and change within an organization. Instead, they are focused on maintaining this as they are and enforcing current rules and expectations.

These leaders do tend to be good at setting expectations and standards that maximize the efficiency and productivity of an organization.﻿﻿ They tend to give constructive feedback regarding follower performance that allows group members to improve their output to obtain better feedback and reinforcement.

When Is Transactional Leadership the Most Effective?

Followers are not encouraged to be creative or to find new solutions to problems. Research has found that transactional leadership tends to be most effective in situations where problems are simple and clearly defined.﻿﻿

It can also work well in crisis situations where the focus needs to be on accomplishing certain tasks. By assigning clearly defined duties to particular individuals, leaders can ensure that those things get done.

Transactional leaders focus on the maintenance of the structure of the group.﻿﻿ They are tasked with letting group members know exactly what is expected, articulating the rewards of performing tasks well, explaining the consequences of failure, and offering feedback designed to keep workers on task.

While transactional leadership can be useful in some situations, it is considered insufficient in many cases and may prevent both leaders and followers from achieving their full potential.

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How a Transactional Leadership Style Works

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Transactional leadership, also known as managerial leadership, focuses on the role of supervision, organization, and group performance. Leaders who implement this style focus on specific tasks and use rewards and punishments to motivate followers.﻿﻿ This theory of leadership was first described in by sociologist Max Weber and further explored by Bernard M.

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What is the Relational Leadership Model?

In schools, it all comes down to relationships, which is why the relational leadership model is so prevalent in education. The relational leadership model emphasizes the relationships among people when leading an organization. Relational leadership values inclusion, empowerment, purposefulness, ethical behaviors, and process orientation.

Inclusive leaders consider everyone's viewpoint and experiences when making decisions. While the leader ultimately makes the final decision, all perspectives are weighed carefully.

Relational leaders empower others. They see the strengths and weaknesses of each member of their team, and work to build on strengths and improve weaknesses. The professional growth of others is important to a relational leader.

Relational leaders have a clear purpose, which they are able to communicate to others. Purposeful leaders begin with the end in mind; everything they do leads to a common goal.

Ethical leadership is an important component of the relational leadership model. This means setting a good example and always putting the values of the organization at the forefront.

Finally, a relational leader values the process, encouraging reflection and collaboration. A relational leader values calculated risk-taking, knowing it is for the growth and benefit of the group.

What are the Benefits of Relational Leadership?

A leader who considers everyone's viewpoint may feel overwhelmed at first, but in the end they will be armed with all the information to make a sound decision. Listening to everyone's viewpoint does not mean heeding every viewpoint. By listening, however, a leader is prepared for potential pitfalls in any plan, allowing them to address those pitfalls as they arise.

Empowering others makes them feel valued. Feeling worthwhile makes employees much less likely to seek work elsewhere and overall boosts morale. When employees stay loyal to a company, it allows for continuity of vision and knowledge necessary for an organization to thrive. By empowering others to be leaders in their own right, a relational leader is able to delegate certain tasks, making the organization run more efficiently.

Having a clear purpose allows everyone to work simultaneously for the same goal. This allows stakeholders to act as partners, rather than adversaries. When settling a dispute, a relational leader will seek to find the best solution for all parties, rather than simply trying to defeat an opponent. This approach avoids the distraction of constant conflict, allowing the team to focus on their purpose.

Ethical leaders engender trust in the people who depend on them. By establishing trust, leaders are able to convince others to follow them, even if the road ahead is difficult.

By being process-oriented, stakeholders are able to learn new things, through trial and error, that they may not otherwise have learned. This allows the organization to become better at their stated purpose, whether it's raising money or student test scores.

Last but not least, relational leaders tend to be likable. Who wants to disappoint someone they like?

Ways to Implement Relational Leadership in Your School

A relational school leader seeks to gain the insight of all stakeholders. This might be a principal visiting teams of teachers on a professional development day to gain insight into how to improve school arrival and dismissal. It could also mean listening to the ideas of the parent group that would like to throw a tailgate for students, even if it's never been done before.

A good school leader will empower teachers in the building to grow professionally and in their teaching practice. A leader may give teachers key roles in areas in which they excel. For example, a teacher who is passionate about character education may be empowered to deliver professional development around the topic.

A leader with relational leadership skills will connect everything back to the district's central purpose, which is educating students. When implementing a new grading policy, for example, the principal connects the grading policy to the best way to communicate student learning. Knowing why they are implementing certain policies helps teachers stay on task and remain faithful to the philosophy of the district.

Ethical school leaders model the sort of behavior they expect from others. If they expect honesty from teachers and students, then a leader will admit if their new dress code was too restrictive or a mistake was the result of an oversight. This gives teachers trust in their leaders.

Process-oriented leaders encourage teachers to try new methods of teaching, knowing that even if the method fails, the teacher will have gained valuable insights into how their students learn best and how they can improve going forward. In a process-oriented building, teachers make progress because they aren't afraid of failing in the process.

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What is the Relational Leadership Model? - Graduate Programs for Educators

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In schools, it all comes down to relationships, which is why the relational leadership model is so prevalent in education. The relational leadership model emphasizes the relationships among people when leading an organization. Relational leadership values inclusion, empowerment, purposefulness, ethical behaviors, and process orientation. Inclusive leaders consider everyone's viewpoint and experiences when making decisions.

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Bolman & Deal's Four Frameworks for Leadership

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Bolman & Deal's Four Frameworks for Leadership

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How to Understand Your Organization (The Bolman and Deal Framework)

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Blake and Mouton defined five leadership styles based on these, as illustrated in the diagram below.

Figure 1 - The Blake Mouton Grid

The Leadership Grid® figure from "Leadership Dilemmas - Grid Solutions," by Robert R. Blake and Anne Adams McCanse (formerly the Managerial Grid by Robert R. Blake and Jane S. Mouton). Houston: Gulf Publishing Company, Copyright 1991 by Grid International, Inc.

Let's take a look at the five leadership styles in detail.

1. Impoverished Management - Low Results/Low People

The Impoverished or "indifferent" manager is mostly ineffective. With a low regard for creating systems that get the job done, and with little interest in creating a satisfying or motivating team environment, this manager's results are inevitably disorganization, dissatisfaction and disharmony.

2. Produce-or-Perish Management - High Results/Low People

Also known as "authoritarian" or "authority-compliance" managers, people in this category believe that their team members are simply a means to an end. The team's needs are always secondary to its productivity.

This type of manager is autocratic, has strict work rules, policies and procedures, and can view punishment as an effective way of motivating team members. This approach can drive impressive production results at first, but low team morale and motivation will ultimately affect people's performance, and this type of leader will struggle to retain high performers.

They probably adhere to the Theory X approach to motivation, which assumes that employees are naturally unmotivated and dislike working. A manager who believes people are self-motivated and happy to work is said to follow Theory Y. You can learn more about these theories in our article, Theory X and Theory Y.

3. Middle-of-the-Road Management - Medium Results/Medium People

A Middle-of-the-Road or "status quo" manager tries to balance results and people, but this strategy is not as effective as it may sound. Through continual compromise, they fail to inspire high performance and also fail to meet people's needs fully. The result is that their team will likely deliver only mediocre performance.

4. Country Club Management - High People/Low Results

The Country Club or "accommodating" style of manager is most concerned about their team members' needs and feelings. They assume that, as long as their people are happy and secure, they'll work hard.

What tends to be the result is a work environment that is very relaxed and fun, but where productivity suffers because there is a lack of direction and control.

5. Team Management - High Production/High People

According to the Blake Mouton model, Team Management is the most effective leadership style. It reflects a leader who is passionate about their work and who does the best they can for the people they work with.

Team or "sound" managers commit to their organization's goals and mission, motivate the people who report to them, and work hard to get people to stretch themselves to deliver great results. But, at the same time, they're inspiring figures who look after their teams. Someone led by a Team manager feels respected and empowered, and is committed to achieving her goals.

Team managers prioritize both the organization's production needs and their people's needs. They do this by making sure that their team members understand the organization's purpose, and by involving them in determining production needs.

When people are committed to, and have a stake in, the organization's success, their needs and production needs coincide. This creates an environment based on trust and respect, which leads to high satisfaction, motivation and excellent results. Team managers likely adopt the Theory Y approach to motivation, as we mentioned above.

Applying the Blake Mouton Grid

It is important to understand your management or leadership style, so that you can then identify ways of reaching the target position of Team manager.

Step One: Identify Your Managerial Style

List five or six recent situations where you were the leader.

For each situation, place yourself on the grid according to where you believe you fit.

Use our self-assessment leadership quiz to help you spot your traits.

Step Two: Identify Areas Where You Can Improve and Develop Your Leadership Skills

Look at your current approach. Are you settling for "Middle-of-the-Road" because it's easier than reaching for more? Think about whether your style suits the situation you are in.

If you feel that you are too task-oriented, then you can try to involve your team members in creative problem solving, improve how you communicate with them, or work on your mentoring skills. Or, if you tend to focus too much on people, it may mean becoming clearer about scheduling and monitoring project progress, or improving your decision making.

Continually monitor your performance and watch for situations where you slip back into bad old habits.

Step Three: Put the Grid in Context

The Team Management style is often the most effective approach, but there are situations that call for more attention to one area than the other. For example, if your company is in the middle of a merger or some other significant change, then it can be acceptable to place a higher emphasis on people than on production, to guide them and reassure them through a potentially difficult time. Likewise, when faced with an emergency, an economic hardship, or a physical risk, concerns about people may be put to one side, for the short term at least, to achieve good results and efficiency.

What Are the Disadvantages of the Blake Mouton Grid?

Theories of leadership have moved on a certain amount since Blake and Mouton proposed their model half a century ago. In particular, the context in which leadership occurs is seen as an important driver of leadership style. And in many situations, the Team Manager as an ideal has shifted towards the "Transformational Leader."

So use the Managerial Grid as a helpful model for identifying your basic leadership style, but don't treat it as an "eternal truth."

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The Blake Mouton Grid - Leading People and Producing Results

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Blake and Mouton defined five leadership styles based on these, as illustrated in the diagram below. Figure 1 - The Blake Mouton Grid The Leadership Grid® figure from "Leadership Dilemmas - Grid Solutions," by Robert R. Blake and Anne Adams McCanse (formerly the Managerial Grid by Robert R. Blake and Jane S.

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The current global situation has accelerated the trend towards remote working, however many businesses and leaders are struggling to adapt to this new way of life.

In addition, remote collaboration will continue for the foreseeable future, with Gartner reporting that 74% of companies plan to shift some of their employees to remote working permanently after COVID-19.

Companies such as Shopify, Slack, Square, Twitter and Google have already announced plans for long term or permanent remote working, with more companies joining the list each month.

In this article, we look at the importance of virtual leadership in these uncertain times, as well as essential skills a virtual leader should have to manage remote teams.

What is virtual leadership?

Virtual leadership is a form of leadership in which teams are managed via a remote working environment. Like traditional leadership roles, virtual leaders focus on motivating employees and helping teams accomplish their goals.

Virtual leaders must take a different management approach compared to leading in an office, as team communication isn't done in person, but rather through online and virtual mediums. As such, virtual leaders need a different skill set to leaders in an office setting.

Virtual leadership focuses heavily on improving collaboration through communication, accountability, and transparency.

This video shows four big tech CEOs presenting on video. Which do you think communicates the best? Who would you rather have as a leader? These presentations show several important elements of leading remotely, which we'll cover in this article.
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The importance of virtual leadership

The pandemic has forced much of the workforce into remote working, and for many employees, this is the first time they have tried working from home.

However even before the pandemic, working from home was an increasing trend with many saying the pandemic just sped up this process:

4.7 million people were already working remotely from home before the COVID-19 pandemic. (Flexjobs)

74% of companies plan to shift some of their employees to remote working permanently after COVID-19 (Gartner)

Before the pandemic, 52% of global employees work remotely once a week, and 68% do so at least once per month (Owl Labs)

77% of remote employees say they're more productive when working from home. (CoSo Cloud)

As shown in the above stats, companies were already starting to embrace remote working before the pandemic. As more and more teams become remote, the need for strong virtual leadership skills has grown.

In addition, the way leaders now interact with employees has changed. Virtual leaders can't check in with workers the same way in-office managers do, so they have to put their trust in workers' capabilities.

This new type of leader needs to focus more on setting clear expectations and goals, as well as creating a culture of accountability.

Essential virtual leadership skills

Working remotely means leaders can no longer have casual conversations in the breakroom or in the hallways, but it's entirely possible to translate in-person leadership skills into virtual skills, so that you can continue that human connection with your team.

Strong leadership is essential for creating a business culture that's productive, innovative, and able to adapt to an ever-changing professional landscape.

Here are our essential skills every virtual leader needs.

1. Stay in contact with remote employees

This could take any number of forms, such as setting up weekly catch-up calls or having frequent team meetings. No matter how it is done, the virtual leader needs to be proactive about staying in contact with the entire team and staying abreast of what they're working on, how projects are going, what obstacles they're facing, and what they need.

Schedule weekly 1-on-1 meetings with employees, this allows them to:

Get help on projects they are working on

Discuss projects and goals

Build connections with you

Get support on their development journey

By offering availability, your employees will feel that you value the relationship.

Remote working can get more complicated if not all employees are working on the same time zone. To maximize productivity, make sure there are at least a few hours of overlap for all employees on your team. This allows everyone to get familiar with the team, even when they are dispersed.

2. Work expectations and goals

Working remotely offers employees greater flexibility, not only on where they live but also on what exact hours they work. For example, some employees may prefer to work later in the day and take a longer lunch, so that they can workout or take their dog for a walk. Virtual leaders should be aware of this and not set unrealistic expectations.

When teams are not physically in the same location, often the best way to measure employees performance is through outcomes and goal completion. Specifically, measurable goals are crucial, and tracking them frequently can help to ensure team members stay on track and that the team leader is able to identify problems before they become catastrophic.

Having realistic expectations about these goals, time employees should be working and communicating those expectations will help everyone stay happier in their roles.

3. Clear and concise communicators

Effective communication with your team is another major hurdle in virtual leadership. There's a lot more room for misunderstandings when you don't have the benefit of tone, facial expressions, and body language to help you decipher what someone means when there's any ambiguity.

That means there's a higher chance of having miscommunications if the managers and team members in a virtual team are not excellent communicators. Communications must be clear and concise, even more so than they need to be otherwise. Provide enough detail and direction to avoid being ambiguous and eliminate any confusion.

Be aware that not everyone on your team or in the virtual meeting will have English as their first language, as well as different cultural backgrounds. Keep these in mind when running meetings and involving the team.

Verbal delivery

Verbal delivery is a key part of virtual meetings. Ensure you don't talk too fast or others on the call might miss what you're saying. This is something you can practice through interactive online exercises, where you record yourself speaking and listen back to what you are saying.
This short video gives an example of the Microsoft CEO presenting clearly and concisely on video.
4. Lead with empathy and foster trust

To be an excellent virtual leader, you need to get in touch with your team members at an emotional level, and completely honest and transparent when sharing data and status updates (even unfavorable information) in order to maintain credibility and preserve the integrity of the data being shared.

Check in with your team individually to see how they're doing, particularly as some may find adjusting to remote work difficult. Ask about their families, their hobbies, or something interesting they saw on social media. Empathize with them to show a shared understanding - letting them know that you see them as a person, not just an employee.

When you lead with empathy, you create an element of humanity in an otherwise detached virtual environment. This helps eliminate the sense of isolation that virtual workers can experience, allowing them to feel like they're part of a live community.

New employees may have a hard time adjusting to full time remote working, without actually meeting the team in-person. You can try creating a mentoring program for these employees, by pairing them up with more tenured individuals in your team. By encouraging the mentor-mentee relationship, your employees can grow and develop in new ways.

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5. Use the right communication method

Use appropriate channels for your communication and set expectations on how the communication channels are to be used. Discuss when it's appropriate to use instant message, email, and virtual meetings. Understand when a meeting is necessary versus a quick announcement.

Nowadays, virtual leaders have a range of technology at their disposal, but there's a time and a place for each mode of communication. The key is to match the medium with your message. These are the appropriate messages for each medium:

Instant messaging: Programs like Slack and Teams are best for quick communication needs, like checking project statuses, asking questions, or coordinating schedules.

Email: When you need to communicate something to be referenced later on, like long, detailed messages or directions, as well as messaging multiple people at once.

Video: Connect face-to-face through video whenever you can.

Give yourself time to get comfortable with these tools; even the most tech-savvy people need time to adjust to new technology.

6. Encourage open dialogue

If you've established trust, you've set everyone up for an open dialogue. A recent study by HBR of 50 financial firms confirmed that leaders of dispersed groups, in particular, must push members to be frank with one another. One way to do this is by modeling "caring criticism."

When delivering negative feedback, use phrases like "I might suggest" and "Think about this." When receiving such feedback, thank the person who offered it and confirm points of agreement.

A tactic for conference calls is to designate one team member to act as the official advocate for honesty, noticing and speaking up when something is being left unsaid and calling out criticism that's not constructive. On the flip side, you should also occasionally recognize people for practices that improve team communication and collaboration.

7. Make yourself accessible

A virtual team leader must be willing to make themselves accessible and available to team members. Accessible leadership means that you are easily approachable, like having an open-door policy in a physical office.

Unfortunately, many managers are seen as distant, who only distribute assignments from their office. This won't work for a virtual team. Leading teams that are physically apart requires you to close that gap. Let your team know that you're available to talk and support them, whenever they need.

8. Give your team the right resources

Employees will be at their most productive when they have the right resources and environment to be at their best.

Consider giving each employee a budget to buy equipment for their home setup. Companies such as Shopify are taking this approach, by giving each employee a $1,000 stipend to buy supplies while they work from home.

Creating a lasting virtual culture

There will be a number of difficulties to overcome when transitioning your team or organization to remote working. For example, traditional managers who struggle with worker autonomy and accountability may find it difficult to adjust to being more transparent and adaptable over long-term planning.

Here are some steps you can use to promote a culture of remote working:

Ensure your managers are familiar with the key skills in this article, and identify any of their weaker areas which they can improve.

Transform the organization into one where remote is a priority. Invest in home equipment for employees so that they can perform their jobs just as well from home.

Ensure employees take training specific to working virtually, such as virtual presentations training or virtual sales training.

Keep an open dialogue and clear communication with team members. Some of them might be feeling isolated, so regularly communicate with them through 1-on-1 meetings and messages.

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Virtual Leadership - Essential Skills for Managing Remote Teams

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The current global situation has accelerated the trend towards remote working, however many businesses and leaders are struggling to adapt to this new way of life. In addition, remote collaboration will continue for the foreseeable future, with Gartner reporting that 74% of companies plan to shift some of their employees to remote working permanently after COVID-19.

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Disciplines > Leadership > Leadership actions > Ohio State Studies

Research

A famous series of studies on leadership were done in Michigan University, starting in the 1950s. They found three critical characteristics of effective leaders.

Actions

Task-oriented behavior

Effective managers studied did not do the same kind work as their subordinates. Their tasks were different, and included planning and scheduling work, coordinating activities and providing necessary resources.

They also spent time guiding subordinates in setting task goals that were both challenging and achievable.

Relationship-oriented behavior

Effective managers not only concentrated on the task, but also on their relationship with their subordinates. They were more considerate, helpful and supportive of subordinates, including helping them with their career and personal problems. They recognized effort with intrinsic as well as extrinsic reward, thanking people for effort.

Overall, the effective preferred a general and hands-off form of supervision rather than close control. They set goals and provided guidelines, but then gave their subordinates plenty of leeway as to how the goals would be achieved.

Participative leadership

Effective leaders use a participative style, managing at the group level as well as individually, for example using team meetings to share ideas and involve the team in group decisions and problem-solving. By their actions, such leaders model good team-oriented behavior.

The role of the manager is more facilitative than directive, guiding the conversation and helping to resolve differences. The manager, however, is responsible for results and is not absolved of responsibility. As such, they may make final decisions that take recommendations from the team into account.

The effect of participative leadership is to build a cohesive team which works together rather than a set of individuals.

Discussion

Although an early study, this is still often referenced. It is notable that the two factors correlate with the people-task division that appears in other studies and also as preferences (although the preference scale generally assumes an either-or structure rather than two independent scales).

The Michigan studies were conducted around the same time as the Ohio State Leadership Studies, which also identified the focus on task ('Initiating Structure') and people ('Consideration'). The Michigan studies added 'Participative leadership' to the Ohio findings, moving the debate further into the question of leading teams rather than just individuals.

See also

Task vs. Person preference, Ohio State Leadership Studies, Participative Leadership

Katz, D. and Kahn, R.L. (1952). Some recent findings in human relations research, In E. Swanson, T. Newcombe and E. Hartley (eds), Readings in social psychology, NY: Holt, Reinhart and
Winston

Likert, R. (1961). New patterns of management, NY: McGraw-Hill

Likert R. (1967). The human organization: Its management and value, NY: McGraw-Hill

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Disciplines > Leadership > Leadership actions > Ohio State Studies A famous series of studies on leadership were done in Michigan University, starting in the 1950s. They found three critical characteristics of effective leaders. Effective managers studied did not do the same kind work as their subordinates.

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How you go about making a decision can involve as many choices as the decision itself.

Sometimes you have to take charge, and decide what to do on your own, but you don't want to appear autocratic to your team (particularly in situations where you need their input). At other times it's better to make a decision based on the group consensus, but this can use up precious time and resources. So how do you decide which approach is best?

Every manager needs to be able to make good decisions. A systematic approach to decision making, such as the Vroom-Yetton Decision Model, allows you to bring consistency and order to a process that might otherwise feel idiosyncratic and instinctive. It can also help you to determine the most effective means of reaching a decision.

Understanding the Model

The Vroom-Yetton model is designed to help you to identify the best decision-making approach and leadership style to take, based on your current situation. It was originally developed by Victor Vroom and Philip Yetton in their 1973 book, " Leadership and Decision Making."

No single decision-making process fits every scenario. Instead, Vroom-Yetton offers a number of different processes and directs you toward the best one for your situation. For example, if speed and decisiveness are required then it will likely point you toward an autocratic process. If collaboration is what's needed, then it will nudge you toward a more democratic process.

Researchers have found that managers are more effective, and their teams more productive and satisfied, when they follow the model. The simplicity of Vroom-Yetton also means that anyone - from the boardroom to the factory floor - can use it.

Although a little long-winded at times, it can be particularly helpful in new or unusual situations. Practice using it, and you'll quickly get a feel for the right approach to take, whether you're making a decision about a day-to-day issue or dealing with a more complex problem.

Before you start using the model, you'll need to consider these three factors:

Decision quality - Sometimes, making the "right" decision is critical, and you'll need to use a large number of resources (people, time, information, and so on) to ensure that the action you take has been well thought through and is of high quality.

Team commitment - Some of your decisions will have a major impact on your team, while others will go unnoticed. When a decision will likely impact your team, it's best to use a collaborative process. This will improve the quality of the decision, and you'll likely deliver a successful result faster.

Time constraints - When the issue at hand isn't time sensitive, you have more "space" to research your options and to include others, which will help to boost the quality of your decision. If your time is limited, however, it may not be feasible to include others or to undertake thorough research.

Specific Leadership Processes

Figure 1, below, shows the Vroom-Yetton model. The framework poses seven "yes/no" questions, which you need to answer to find the best decision-making process for your situation.

As you answer each of the questions, you work your way through a decision tree until you arrive at a code (A1, A2, C1, C2, or G2). This code identifies the best decision-making process for you and your team. (Note that, in some scenarios, you won't need to answer all of the questions.)

Figure 1: The Vroom-Yetton Decision Model
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The following codes represent the five decision-making processes that are described by the model:

Autocratic (A1): You use the information that you already have to make the decision, without requiring any further input from your team.

Autocratic (A2): You consult your team to obtain specific information that you need, and then you make the final decision.

Consultative (C1): You inform your team of the situation and ask for members' opinions individually, but you don't bring the group together for a discussion. You make the final decision.

Consultative (C2): You get your team together for a group discussion about the issue and to seek their suggestions, but you still make the final decision by yourself.

Collaborative (G2): You work with your team to reach a group consensus. Your role is mostly facilitative, and you help team members to reach a decision that they all agree on.

In general, a consultative or collaborative style is most appropriate when:

You need information from others to solve a problem.

The problem can't be easily defined.

Team members' buy-in to the decision is important.

You have enough time available to manage a group decision.

An autocratic style is most appropriate when:

You have greater expertise on the subject than others.

You are confident about acting alone.

The team will accept your decision.

There is little time available.

Note:

Vroom-Yetton is a useful model, but it's not necessarily appropriate for all eventualities. It misses out several important considerations, and its rigid structure means that it fails to take into account subtleties, such as the emotions and dynamics of your team, and the task's complexity. The seven questions are imprecise, too - "importance" and "quality," for example, are vague terms - and it can be difficult to give straight "yes" or "no" answers to them.

Vroom and Arthur Jago addressed these weaknesses and amended the original model in their 1988 book, " The New Leadership." The newer model is more complex and includes several additional questions, which allow users to take other constraints, such as geographic location, into account when making their decision. It also uses a mathematical formula to help people to pinpoint the optimum decision-making process for their situation. The newer version of the model is often referred to as either Vroom-Jago or Vroom-Yetton-Jago.

Key Points

The underlying assumption of the Vroom-Yetton Decision Model is that no single leadership style or decision-making process fits all situations.

To find the process best suited to your situation, you need to consider a number of factors. These include time constraints, the level of team participation required, and the quality of the final decision.

The model walks you through these factors logically, to help you to identify the most appropriate process and style. It is particularly useful for managers and leaders who are trying to balance the benefits of participative management with the need to make decisions effectively.

Infographic

You can see our infographic of the Vroom-Yetton Model here:

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The Vroom-Yetton Decision Model: Deciding How to Decide

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How you go about making a decision can involve as many choices as the decision itself. Sometimes you have to take charge, and decide what to do on your own, but you don't want to appear autocratic to your team (particularly in situations where you need their input).

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Ohio State Leadership Studies and the Leadership Behavior Description Questionnaire

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As Benito Luna-Herrera teaches his 7th grade social studies classes, he is on alert for signs of inner turmoil. And there is so much of it these days.

One of his 12-year-old students felt her world was falling apart. Distance learning had upended her friendships. Things with her boyfriend were verging on violent. Her home life was stressful. "I'm just done with it," the girl told Luna-Herrera during the pandemic, and shared a detailed plan to kill herself.

Another student was typically a big jokester and full of confidence. But one day she told him she didn't want to live anymore. She, too, had a plan in place to end her life.

Luna-Herrera is just one teacher, in one Southern California middle school, but stories of students in distress are increasingly common around the country. The silver lining is that special training helped him know what to look for and how to respond when he saw the signs of a mental emergency.

Since the pandemic started, experts have warned of a mental health crisis facing American children. That is now playing out at schools in the form of increased childhood depression, anxiety, panic attacks, eating disorders, fights and thoughts of suicide at alarming levels, according to interviews with teachers, administrators, education officials and mental health experts.

In low-income areas, where adverse childhood experiences were high before the pandemic, the crisis is even more acute and compounded by a shortage of school staff and mental health professionals.

Luna-Herrera, who teaches in a high poverty area of the Mojave Desert, is among a small but growing number of California teachers to take a course called Youth Mental Health First Aid. It teaches adults how to spot warning signs of mental health risks and substance abuse in children, and how to prevent a tragedy.

The California Department of Education funds the program for any school district requesting it, and the pandemic has accelerated moves to make such courses a requirement. The training program is operated by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing and available in every state.

"I don't want to read about another teenager where there were warning signs and we looked the other way," said Sen. Anthony Portantino, author of a bill that would require all California middle and high schools to train at least 75% of employees in behavioral health. "Teachers and school staff are on the front lines of a crisis, and need to be trained to spot students who are suffering."

Experts say while childhood depression and anxiety had been on the rise for years, the pandemic's unrelenting stress and grief amplified the problems, particularly for those already experiencing mental health issues who were cut off from counselors and other school resources during distance learning.

For children, the issues with distance learning were not just academic, said Sharon Hoover, professor of child psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and co-director of the National Center for School Mental Health.

Child abuse and and neglect increased during the pandemic, according to Hoover. For children in troubled homes, with alcoholic or abusive parents, distance learning meant they had no escape. Those who lacked technology or had spotty internet connections were isolated even more than their peers and fell further behind academically and socially.

Many children bounced back after the extended isolation, but for others it will take longer, and mental health problems often lag a stressor.

"We can't assume that 'OK we're back in school, it's been a few months and now everyone should be back to normal.' That is not the case," said Hoover.

Returning to school after months of isolation intensified the anxiety for some children. Teachers say students have greater difficulty focusing, concentrating, sitting still and many need to relearn how to socialize and resolve conflicts face-to-face after prolonged immersion in screens.

Kids expected to pick up where they left off but some found friendships, and their ability to cope with social stress, had changed. Educators say they also see a concerning increase in apathy - about grades, how students treat each other and themselves - and a lot less empathy.

"I have never seen kids be so mean to each other in my life," said Terrin Musbach, who trains teachers in mental health awareness and other social-emotional programs at the Del Norte Unified School District, a high-poverty district in rural Northern California. "There's more school violence, there's more vaping, there's more substance abuse, there's more sexual activity, there's more suicide ideation, there's more of every single behavior that we would be worried about in kids."

Many states have mandated teacher training on suicide prevention over the last decade and the pandemic prompted some to broaden the scope to include mental health awareness and supporting behavioral health needs.

But school districts nationwide also say they need more psychologists and counselors. The Hopeful Futures Campaign, a coalition of national mental health organizations, last month published a report that found most states are struggling with mental health support in schools. Only Idaho and the District of Columbia exceed the nationally recommended ratio of one psychologist per 500 students.

In some states, including West Virginia, Missouri, Texas and Georgia, there is only one school psychologist for over 4,000 students, the report says. Similarly, few states meet the goal of one counselor per 250 students.

President Joe Biden has proposed $1 billion in new federal funding to help schools hire more counselors and psychologists and bolster suicide prevention programs. That followed a rare pubic advisory in December from U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on "the urgent need to address the nation's youth mental health crisis."

In early 2021, emergency room visits in the U.S. for suspected suicide attempts were 51% higher for adolescent girls and 4% higher for adolescent boys compared to the same period in 2019, according to research cited in the advisory.

Since California began offering the Youth Mental Health First Aid course in 2014, more than 8,000 teachers, administrators and school staff have been trained, said Monica Nepomuceno, who oversees mental health programming at the California Department of Education.

She said much more needs to be done in the country's largest state, which employs over 600,000 K-12 staff at schools.

The course helps distinguish typical adolescent ways of dealing with stress - slamming doors, crying, bursts of anger - from warning signs of mental distress, which can be blatant or subtle.

Red flags include when a child talks about dying or suicide, but can be more nuanced like: "I can't do this anymore," or "I'm tired of this," said Tramaine El-Amin, a spokesperson for the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. More than 550,000 K-12 educators across the country have taken the Youth Mental Health First Aid course since it launched in 2012, she said.

Changes in behavior could be cause for concern - a child who stops a sport or activity they were passionate about without replacing it with another one; a typically put together child who starts to look regularly unkempt; a student whose grades plummet or who stops handing in homework; a child who eats lunch alone and has stopped palling around with their friends.

After noticing something might be wrong, the course teaches the next step is to ask the student without pressuring or casting judgment and letting them know you care and want to help.

"Sometimes an adult can ask a question that causes more harm than good," said Luna-Herrera, the social studies teacher at California City Middle School, a two-hour drive into the desert from Los Angeles.

He took the course in spring 2021 and two weeks later put it to use. It was during distance learning and a student had failed to show up for online tutoring but he spotted her chatting online on the school's distance learning platform, having a heated dispute with her then-boyfriend. Luna reached out to her privately.

"I asked her if she was OK," he said. Little by little, the girl told Luna-Herrera about problems with friends and her boyfriend and problems at home that left her feeling alone and desperately unanchored.

The course tells adults to ask open-ended questions that keep the conversation going, and not to project themselves into an adolescent's problems with comments like: "You'll be fine; It's not that bad; I went through that; Try to ignore it." What might seem trivial to an adult can feel overwhelming for a young person, and failure to recognize that can be a conversation stopper.

The 12-year old told Luna-Herrera she had considered hurting herself. "Is that a recurring thought?" he asked, recalling how his heart started racing as she revealed her suicide plan.

Like CPR first-aid training, the course teaches how to handle a crisis: Raise the alarm and get expert help. Do not leave a person contemplating suicide alone. As Luna-Herrera continued talking to the girl, he texted his school superintendent, who got the principal on the line, they called 911 and police rushed to the home, where they spoke to the girl and her mother, who was startled and unaware.

"He absolutely saved that child's life," said Mojave Unified Superintendent Katherine Aguirre, who oversees the district of about 3,000 students, the majority of whom are Latino and Black children from economically disadvantaged families.

Aguirre recognized the need for behavioral heath training early in the pandemic and through the Department of Education trained all of her employees, from teachers to yard supervisors and cafeteria workers.

"It's about awareness. And that Sandy Hook promise: If you see something, say something," she said.

That did not happen with 14-year-old Taya Bruell.

Taya was a bright, precocious student who had started struggling with mental health issues at about 11, according to her father, Harry Bruell. At the time, the family lived in Boulder, Colorado where Taya was hospitalized at one point for psychiatric care but kept up the trappings of a model student: She got straight As, was co-leader of her high school writing club and in her spare time taught senior citizens to use computers.

For a literature class, Taya was assigned to keep a journal. In it, she drew a disturbing portrait that showed self-harm and wrote about how much she hated her body and was hearing voices she wanted to silence.

Her teacher read the assignment and wrote: "Taya, very thorough journal. I loved reading the entries. A+"

Three months later in February 2016, Taya killed herself. After her death, Taya's parents discovered the journal in her room and brought it to the school, where they learned Taya's teacher had not informed the school counselor or administrators of what she had seen. They don't blame the teacher but will always wonder what if she had not ignored the signs of danger.

"I don't think the teacher wanted to hurt our daughter. I think she had no idea what to do when she read those stark warning signs in Taya's journal," said her father, who has since relocated with the family to Santa Barbara, California.

He believes legislation to require teacher training in behavioral health will save lives. "It teaches you to raise the alarm, and not just walk away, which is what happened to Taya."

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With Students in Turmoil, Teachers Train in Mental Health

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As Benito Luna-Herrera teaches his 7th grade social studies classes, he is on alert for signs of inner turmoil. And there is so much of it these days. One of his 12-year-old students felt her world was falling apart. Distance learning had upended her friendships. Things with her boyfriend were verging on violent.

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The ASAP® course catalog has been published and includes information on all our standards-based ASAP® course modules, as well as the ASAP® assessments, workbooks, case studies and academies. Download the ASAP Catalog today!

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The ASAP® course catalog has been published and includes information on all our standards-based ASAP® course modules, as well as the ASAP® assessments, workbooks, case studies and academies. Download the ASAP Catalog today!

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"When [what you are deeply passionate about, what you can be best in the world at and what drives your economic engine] come together, not only does your work move toward greatness, but so does your life. For, in the end, it is impossible to have a great life unless it is a meaningful life. And it is very difficult to have a meaningful life without meaningful work. Perhaps, then, you might gain that rare tranquility that comes from knowing that you've had a hand in creating something of intrinsic excellence that makes a contribution. Indeed, you might even gain that deepest of all satisfactions: knowing that your short time here on this earth has been well spent, and that it mattered."

"Good is the enemy of great. And that is one of the key reasons why we have so little that becomes great. We don't have great schools, principally because we have good schools. We don't have great government, principally because we have good government. Few people attain great lives, in large part because it is just so easy to settle for a good life."

More quotes...

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"When [what you are deeply passionate about, what you can be best in the world at and what drives your economic engine] come together, not only does your work move toward greatness, but so does your life. For, in the end, it is impossible to have a great life unless it is a meaningful life.

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Creating Multicultural Change on a Campus

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Creating Multicultural Change on a Campus

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Creating Multicultural Change on Campus book. Read reviews from world's largest community for readers. Embrace the best practices for initiating multicul...

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This is the third book I have read of Greenleaf's collected writings and I probably enjoyed this one the most. I enjoyed learning more of his personal background which provided valuable context for the development of the ideas about servant leadership and other ideas that are expressed in Greenleaf's other essays. I also really enjoyed his explanation of the role of Seeker and seeing how that relates to what he says about the role of servant leaders and servant institutions. Very interesting and ...more

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This is the third book I have read of Greenleaf's collected writings and I probably enjoyed this one the most. I enjoyed learning more of his personal background which provided valuable context for the development of the ideas about servant leadership and other ideas that are expressed in Greenleaf's other essays.

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This book is a thoughtful look at religion in public life. In approaching religious diversity, it is all too common to hear that we should keep religious matters & beliefs private and out of the public marketplace. Hicks offers a vastly different approach, arguing that instead we should look at building crossroads and connectors that lead to greater mutual understanding and respect of different religious beliefs. I struggle with what the role of religion and specifically Christianity should be i ...more

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This book is a thoughtful look at religion in public life. In approaching religious diversity, it is all too common to hear that we should keep religious matters & beliefs private and out of the public marketplace.

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The scenarios are relevant to the professional experience of teachers and principals. Bolman and Deal do an excellent job of demonstrating how to navigate different situations through the frameworks of human resources, politics, symbolism, and strategy. It emphasizes the importance of relationships and the various purposes they can serve. Although you get a sense of their struggles, you also get a sense of their celebrations.

My only criticism of the story is the unrealistic gatherings at restau...more

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The scenarios are relevant to the professional experience of teachers and principals. Bolman and Deal do an excellent job of demonstrating how to navigate different situations through the frameworks of human resources, politics, symbolism, and strategy. It emphasizes the importance of relationships and the various purposes they can serve.

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Reframing Academic Leadership book. Read 24 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Colleges and universities constitute a special type ...

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Building Level Leadership in School Counseling

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Building Level Leadership in School Counseling

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11 Ways School Counselors Serve as Leaders

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11 Ways School Counselors Serve as Leaders

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School counselors are uniquely equipped to bridge the gaps between administration, teachers, parents, and students. As the demands placed on everyone in a school community increase, it's vital that we view and include school counselors as part of our leadership teams. Let's make sure we recognize all they do and put their strengths to work for our students! Here are 11 ways school counselors serve as leaders in your building.

1. School counselors recognize and showcase diversity.

In many buildings, school counselors are considered the "heart" of the school. They help create an inclusive environment that is respectful, welcoming, kind, and open to all.

2. School counselors develop community partnerships.

Counseling staff work collaboratively with universities, community colleges, technical schools, local unions, military reps, and apprentice programs to provide a variety of opportunities for students. They are especially vital in ensuring underserved and first-generation students have access to and the tools to reach all possible post-high school options.

3. School counselors help during difficult situations.

Strengths such as listening, reflecting, and high emotional intelligence make school counselors valuable allies when trying to get buy-in from staff or the greater community on difficult issues. Counselors foster a culture of change via strong lines of communication and valuing input from all parties involved.

4. School counselors maintain strong home-school connections.

Counselors tend to be the liaison for parents when it comes to communicating with the school. This leadership role is especially important when assisting families who are not familiar with the school setting or have issues trusting staff.

5. School counselors maximize educational success.

School counselors can help to maximize the educational attainment of all students by providing students with mental health services (school or community-based) and developmental guidance that takes a proactive approach in helping students set and reach academic goals.

6. School counselors lead staff trainings.

Administrators who use their counseling staff (rather than outside contractors) to lead building-wide trainings can save a lot of money and gain quicker buy-in from staff. School counselors are experts on topics such as student engagement, positive discipline, suicide/self-harm, students-as-leaders, peer mentoring programs, and academic/social interventions for low-performing students.

7. School counselors protect and advocate for disadvantaged students.

Counselors identify and amend policies and practices that negatively impact disadvantaged students and advocate for equitable services for all students.

8. School counselors use expertise to bring data to life.

Like administrators, counselors are trained in data collection and analysis. They are skilled at using this information to drive decisions about placement, intervention, and overall student health and wellbeing.

9. School counselors mediate difficult situations between parents/students and staff.

Counselors are consistently looking for ways to support the relationship between school staff and parents. Acting as a mediator when one or both parties are upset about a situation is a critical way in which school counselors serve as leaders.

10. School counselors organize and lead crisis response.

Counselors are on the front lines after a tragedy has happened in a school or community. Staff, students, parents, and community members look to the counselors for guidance and support immediately following an event. Because of their training in emotional/mental, the counseling staff is critical in advocating for and teaching self-care to staff, parents, and students during a crisis.

11. School counselors empower and inspire.

School counselors inherently believe in people and work tirelessly to communicate that. By being visible and accessible at all times, their calming, caring, and encouraging presence helps support and empower staff in the building.

School counselors serve as leaders in many ways and we need to value their perspectives and strengths. They are vital to building positive learning environments in which students thrive.
Join our Facebook group Principal Life for more conversation about and insights into the challenges of school leadership.

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11 Ways Your School Counselors Serve as Leaders - WeAreTeachers

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School counselors are uniquely equipped to bridge the gaps between administration, teachers, parents, and students. As the demands placed on everyone in a school community increase, it's vital that we view and include school counselors as part of our leadership teams. Let's make sure we recognize all they do and put their strengths to work for our students!

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Want to know how to set your leadersgip philosophy? In this post, we deep dive into leadership philosophies for entreprenuers and managers.

Leadership philosophy

A leadership philosophy refers to an individual's belief system, principles, and sentiments that they use to lead others. Having a leadership philosophy not only promotes individual success but also helps in creating a predictive working environment for everyone. In this article, we will learn more about leadership philosophy.

A leader is someone who is capable of influencing a bunch of people into working towards a common goal. They set a direction, build an inspiring vision, and create something new. They help others and themselves do the right thing. A great leader exudes self confidence.

Also read: 21 irrefutable laws of leadership

What is a leadership philosophy?

A leadership philosophy is a structured approach of how a leader should behave and the sources of their power. Leadership philosophy is a way of thinking and behaving. A well laid leadership philosophy is the key to successfully run a team, organization, or business.

8 leadership philosophies

Knowing your leadership philosophy is important as it determines how you affect those who are working under your leadership. Ready to know which leadership philosophy suits you the best? Here are eight common leadership philosophies with their own pros and cons. Pick the one which suits your needs and personality:

1. Democratic leadership philosophy

Democratic leadership philosophy is the leadership philosophy based on public democracy - the decisions are made by the leader based on the input of each team member. Although the final decision is in the hands of the leader, each team member has an equal say on the project's direction.

2. Autocratic leadership philosophy

Autocratic leadership philosophy is the leadership philosophy that works in the opposite manner of democratic leadership philosophy - the leader takes decisions without taking any inputs from the team members. Employees are neither consulted nor considered prior to a change in project's direction and are expected to adhere to the leader's decision.

3. Laissez-faire leadership philosophy

The french term "Laissez-faire" translates to "let them do". Leaders who follow Laissez-faire leadership philosophy put all their trust in their employees and give them the authority to take major decisions. It is the least intrusive form of leadership. Leaders make no major policies around work hours or deadlines.

4. Strategic leadership philosophy

Strategic leadership philosophy is a preferred leadership style in many companies as it supports multiple types of employees all at once. However, it might sometimes get difficult as leaders are unable to keep a balance between what is best for the company and supporting everyone's ideas.

5. Transformational leadership philosophy

Transformational leadership philosophy is based on leaders constantly pushing their employees to work out of their comfort zone. This is a highly encouraged form of leadership amongst growth-minded companies because it motivates employees to see what they are capable of doing. This philosophy is always transforming and improving upon the company's conventions.

Also read: 5 Levels of leadership by John Maxwell

6. Transactional leadership philosophy

Transactional leadership philosophy is fairly common today. In this arrangement, leaders reward their employees for precisely the work done by them. When working under such a philosophy, incentives are provided to encourage people to quickly master the job. Transactional philosophy helps in establishing roles and responsibilities for each employee.

7. Solution-based leadership

Solution-based leadership philosophy is about collectively focusing on the positive vision of the future. This happens when both leaders and followers collectively dedicate their time and attention towards identifying and implementing solutions. In such leadership, leaders are focused on the problems and bringing attention towards the right solutions.

Learning leadership philosophy is a leadership philosophy where leaders put learning and teaching at the top of their priority. They promote the culture of continuous learning, use data and evidence to make decisions and set priorities. Learning leadership creates a learner-centered environment in an organization to encourage continuous improvement.

How to describe your leadership style?

To describe your leadership style, you must know the answer to two simple questions. The first question is to understand what type of leader you are. And, the second part is whether you have the ability to communicate that leadership style. Dig further and find out why that particular leadership style works for you or holds value to you.

Based on your prior work experience, finding your leadership style will not be difficult. There are a lot of leadership styles discussed above, you can either be one of them, a combination of them, or determine a completely new one.

Also Read: Work life balance | Everything you must know

How to define personal leadership philosophies?

To define our personal leadership philosophies, we must first think of how we are planning to transform the current organizational culture. It could be in the form of new policies, new ideas, new thought processes, thinking differently, new models, etc. The leader must think of the next step for the company and how to bring that into reality.

Defining personal leadership philosophy is critical as it helps in giving you consistency and connects with your work. It also gives direction to people working under your leadership. It becomes your true north and keeps you from losing direction.

Important values of a leader

If you're an aspiring leader who is intent on transforming and improving organizational culture, finding the right values for yourself might seem a little daunting. Here are top 10 leadership values that you must foster in order to become a leader that brings positive change and inspires people around them:

Communication as a driving value

Positive reinforcement and influence

Empathy to build and sustain relationships

Humility to become a better leader

Demonstrate respect

Patience for those with long-term goals

Resilience has tangible positive outcomes

Honesty and transparency at the center

Accountability or taking responsibility

Integrity

Also read: Synchronous & asynchronous communication | A complete guide

Leadership philosophy examples

Leadership philosophy can vary from one leader to the other. One must take time to understand which kind of leadership style suits them the best based on their needs and personality. Let us look at the examples of different leadership philosophies to understand the differences better.

1. Transformational leadership by example

Example of transformational leadership philosophy:
I believe in constant change to move forward. I will improve the performance of my team by providing guidance and inspiration. I intend to bring the best out of my team by setting achievable goals and helping them overcome challenges.
2. Transactional philosophy of leadership examples

Transactional philosophy is an incentive based philosophy. Let us look at an example:
I intend to motivate my team by giving them incentives for the work done by them. I believe in motivating my team with rewards and then letting them work on their own.
3. Strategic leadership philosophy statement

Here is an example of strategic leadership philosophy:
I believe that everyone who is part of my duty has a specific duty to perform. I intend to maximise the productivity of each individual by setting goals and deadlines in advance. I will keep my focus on high-level company needs.
4. Leadership personal statement examples

Here is a leadership personal statement example:
I firmly believe that communication is one of the key factors in effective leadership, which is why I will focus on listening to honest feedback and encourage team members to communicate with honesty. I will lead with integrity and support my staff wholeheartedly.
5. Real life example of leadership

A good real life example is when Steve Jobs invented the iPods and iPhones. It is a testament to the brilliance of Steve Jobs and Apple. This example talks about leadership being ahead of the curve and the forward thinking nature of leaders to contribute to success.

6. Leadership vision examples

Let us look at an example of leadership vision statement:

I want to help my organization grow and achieve its goals. I wish to develop a good relationship with my team members and motivate them to achieve their full potential. I will put efforts to bring solutions to problems.

Also Read: Remote team building activities | Critical items that you must know!

7. Personal leadership philosophy sample

An example of personal leadership philosophy by a CEO:
I set achievable and measurable goals for my team members. I find ways to improve office culture and create a positive working environment. I applaud communication, trust, and integrity under my leadership. I disapprove of negligence of work and duties.
8. Examples of leadership philosophy statements

Example depicting personal leadership philosophy:
To me leadership means loyalty, courage, and respect for all human beings. As a leader I should be loyal to my team and my organization as well. I should lead by example, communicate clearly, and exhibit a strong work ethic.
9. Democratic leading examples

Example of Democratic leadership philosophy:

I intend to take opinions from all my team members and share responsibility. I respect my team, will listen to their ideas and take them into consideration while bringing new policies in the system. I will behave with empathy, kindness, and thoughtfulness.

10. Educational leadership philosophy examples

Example of Educational leadership philosophy:

I have dedicated myself to improve the educational experiences of people under my leadership. I believe constantly learning is the only way of moving ahead and improving team productivity. I will strive to create an education-based environment for continuous improvement.

Also Read: How to motivate employees | A complete guide

11. Autocratic leadership practices examples

The example of autocratic leadership philosophy:
I believe I am best suited to take decisions for my entire team. I am capable of inspiring the team and leading them through actions. I will guide my team by giving them instructions and action to meet the company goals and objectives.
Popular beliefs about leadership

Popular beliefs about leadership that great leaders must adhere to:

Vision - A leader must provide a purpose to his/her people to let them know why their efforts matter.

Trust - Leaders must be fair and consistent as people should be able to trust their leaders.

Integrity - A leader must be accountable for his/her actions and shouldn't shy away from taking responsibility.

Communication - Under a good leadership, people must be encouraged to put forth their ideas and opinions. They should be given equal opportunity to communicate.

Responsibility - Leaders must know how to keep commitments in order to have dedicated employees.

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Leadership philosophy - 8 philosophies of great leaders [with templates]

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Want to know how to set your leadersgip philosophy? In this post, we deep dive into leadership philosophies for entreprenuers and managers. A leadership philosophy refers to an individual's belief system, principles, and sentiments that they use to lead others. Having a leadership philosophy not only promotes individual success but also helps in creating a predictive working environment for everyone.

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How to Develop a Compelling Leadership Philosophy

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How to Develop a Compelling Leadership Philosophy

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How to Develop a Compelling Leadership Philosophy

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Your leadership philosophy is how you view yourself in the role of a leader. Here, we share how to develop your own leadership philosophy.

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Developing a Personal Leadership Philosophy

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Developing a Personal Leadership Philosophy

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20190731_Developing_a_Personal_Leadership_Philosophy (1).pdf - Developing a Personal Leadership Philosophy A philosophy is a theory or attitude that | Course Hero

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The preview shows page 1 - 2 out of 3 pages. Adapted from Leadership Paradigms, Inc. by M. Matthews, PhD 1 Developing a Personal Leadership Philosophy A philosophy is a theory or attitude that acts as a guiding principle for behavior. A leadership philosophy, therefore, guides actions, behaviors, and ideas based on one ' s expectations, values, and beliefs.

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By Kelsey Fox
Posted November, 2014

With Common Core on its way to implementation in all 50 states, the number of charter and classical schools increasing by unprecedented numbers, and home school participation at an all-time high, exciting things are happening on all fronts of education in America. From public and private classrooms, to the Department of Education, innovative people are seeking to better the country one student at a time. Though there are certainly more than thirty deserving people in the world of modern education, the men and women on this list were chosen and ranked based upon the following guidelines:

1. Leadership - Each of the people on this list are leaders in their field, and most have either founded or run a school or education program of some kind.

2. Applicability - While most of the ideas and programs credited to the people on this list apply to various parts of the population, those who have directly improved the education of large numbers of American children were given higher priority when it came to ordering this list.

3. Awards & Recognition - Many of the people on this list have been recognized by various groups for their contributions to education.

4. Other - Those individuals with other notable accomplishments such as personal circumstances or educational background were also considered.

30. Sir Kenneth Robinson

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Though Sir Kenneth Robinson is an English citizen, the former professor has made quite the impact on American education. Robinson spent twelve years as a professor of education at the University of Warwick, where he developed his philosophy that Western education ignores creativity to a harmful extent, an idea that has become more and more relevant in America as schools continue to cut programs such as art, music, and drama. Most recently, Robinson has appeared on a number of TED talks, most of which have received upwards of 12 million views each.

29. Clara Hemphill

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When Clara Hemphill, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, began looking for a New York City public school for her son, she became frustrated by the lack of available information. She decided to found InsideSchools.org, a website meant to empower parents by offering information on each of the city's 1500 public schools. Each school profile contains information on admissions, test scores, culture, teaching styles, homework, and discipline. And Hemphill doesn't hold back; her profiles are as honest as possible. A school is just as likely to be called out for their barren library than they are for their great principal.

28. Diane Ravitch

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After decades of experience and two key education policy positions under two different presidents, Diane Ravitch shocked many in the education world by drastically changing her opinions on a number of major policy topics. Once a supporter of school choice and school accountability, Ravitch began to feel disillusioned when No Child Left Behind was debuted as a near-instant disaster. Ravitch is now an outspoken opponent of No Child Left Behind, charter schools, and test-based accountability. Her book, "Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America's Public Schools" was released last year.

27. Randi Weingarten

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Randi Weingarten is a former high school history teacher and the current president of the United Federation of Teachers, which represents upwards of 140,000 active and retired teachers. Weingarten has made waves opposing recent changes made by the New York Board of Education. In recent years, she has fought head to head with NYC Mayor Bloomberg, successfully negotiating higher pay for teachers, and opposing principal autonomy, private school tax credits, and the increased focus on standardized testing.

26. Conrad Wolfram

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Conrad Wolfram, along with his brother Stephen, is best known for creating the popular TED talks. Wolfram has spent a decade developing various forms of tech-based education, among them the Mathematica software and Wolfram Alpha. Driven by the belief that if math could be made more practical, and less mechanical, it would become more appealing to students, Wolfram has become a major advocate for the use of computers and calculators in k-12 classrooms.

25. Anant Agarwal

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Anant Agarwal is a professor of electrical engineering at MIT, though he is best known as the founder of edX, an online program that offers free course material from world-class institutions such as MIT and Harvard. So far, edX has proven a massive success. People hungry for education have logged into edX from hundreds of different countries around the world. Though edX is still relatively new, Agarwal is confident that his program is poised for a major impact as more and more large universities are beginning to make content available.

24. Jose Ferreira

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Jose Ferreira is the founder and CEO of Knewton, a groundbreaking online education program that allows schools, publishers, and content developers to easily and inexpensively provide personalized educational content in the form of lessons and targeted practice. Focusing especially on test prep for the ACT, SAT, and GRE, Knewton is mostly used by those in k-12 schools. Ferreira, however, is quick to point out that Knewton has the potential for application in any number of settings. For example, Arizona State University has already begun to offer blended courses that implement Knewton, and as a result have seen pass rates in these classes increase by 10%.

23. Anthony Cody

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Anthony Cody, a former Oakland, California teacher is a blogger for Education Week and the co-founder of Network for Public Education (NPE), a national advocacy group aiming to protect and strengthen the U.S. public school system. Through NPE, Cody has actively come out against the Common Core, accusing the corporate textbook manufacturer McGraw Hill as pushing for the nationalized curriculum, and Bill Gates for creating a national marketplace for education and testing products.

22. Sebastian Thrun

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As a professor at Stanford University, Sebastian Thrun was frustrated that he could only reach 200 carefully selected students per semester. To reach a wider audience, Thrun decided to start Udacity, an open-education tool that offers free courses to the general public. Udacity received over 160,000 sign-ups in its first two months and has barely slowed down since. Udacity now offers an elite education at no cost to any person, from any background, located anywhere in the world. Thrun, whose program already has a few colleges rattled, has publicly predicted that his program could cause a major shift in the future of education.

21. Robert Hughes

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Robert Hughes is the President of New Visions for Public Schools, a multi-year, multi-million dollar project spurred by Joel Klein of the New York Department of Education. Hughes has led the creation of more than 112 small middle and high schools throughout New York City. It is Hughes' belief that these small schools will keep kids from getting lost in the system and help them to learn that school can be engaging. Already, these schools seem to be a success, as graduation rates have reportedly increased by upwards of 30%.

20. Kevin Johnson

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This former NBA player has been making waves in one of California's largest school districts. As mayor of Sacramento, Johnson founded a successful network of charter schools that have spurred major reform among the city's education system. In recognition of his success, Johnson was appointed Chair of the Mayors' Task Force on Public Schools at the United States Conference of Mayors. Johnson's wife, Michelle Rhee, is also active in education reform and has written a number of books on the topic.

19. Arun Alagappan

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Though he started out as a lawyer at the prestigious Sullivan and Cromwell, the Harvard and Princeton-educated Arun Alagappan decided to leave the world of law to found Advantage Testing, Inc., a boutique tutoring service for college-bound students. The New York-based Advantage Testing now employs 100 tutors to assist over 2,000 students per year with SAT prep, essay writing, and core subjects. Students and their families shell out upwards of $650 for a 50-minute session, and a year's wait for Alagappan himself is not uncommon. Not surprisingly, Alagappan's success has incited a number of imitation companies throughout the country.

18. Larry Arnn

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Larry Arnn is best known as the president of Hillsdale College, a top-ranked liberal arts university located in rural Michigan. In the last few years, Hillsdale College has teamed up with the Barney Charter School Initiative to launch a number of charter schools throughout the country. Like the College, these charter schools seek to "train the minds and improve the hearts" of students through a rigorous, classical education. Arnn and the initiative work specifically with school founding groups who are interested in the association with Hillsdale College. Currently, Hillsdale has opened charter schools in Texas, Florida, Georgia, New Mexico, Arkansas, and Nevada, with a number more planned for the near future.

17. David Coleman

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According to the Huffington Post, David Coleman is the "most influential education figure you've never heard of." Coleman, the son of a university president, is the current president of College Board, the national organization responsible for creating, distributing, and scoring the SATs. In fact, Coleman helped to design College Board, and was directly responsible for its re-organization of the SATs into a test of 2400 possible points (an increase from 1600). Though he himself has never been a teacher, there is no doubt that Coleman continues to have a major impact on the world of education.

16. Salman Khan

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At first, Salman Khan simply wanted to help his cousin with his algebra homework by creating a few YouTube videos. Those initial videos have since expanded into the Khan Academy, a free, online program that has made its way into thousands of homes and classrooms. With more than three thousand lessons for students to progress through at their own pace, the Khan Academy is now being used in a number of pilot schools in California, where it is rapidly gaining momentum. Recently, Khan was named by Time Magazine as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World."

15. Clark Durant

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Detroit is looking a little brighter thanks to Clark Durant. In 1991, Durant, himself a Detroit native, co-founded the Cornerstone School to bring a quality, Christo-centric education to inner-city kids. Durant's first Cornerstone School was so successful that in 1995, he was named by the state of Michigan as the Michiganian of the Year for his work in education. Since then, Durant has increased Detroit children's access to education by establishing a network of Cornerstone charter schools. Each year, the Detroit Tigers host Be a Tiger for Kids, a charity event which has raised over $2million dollars for Cornerstone.

14. Arne Duncan

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Arne Duncan, the son of a University of Chicago father and a tutor mother, has climbed to the top of the American education system. In the 1990s, Duncan was named director of the Ariel Education Initiative, a program which aims to help inner-city Chicago kids fund their college educations. In 2001, he was named CEO of the Chicago Public School system, a position which directly prepared him for appointment as U.S. Secretary of Education under President Barack Obama.

13. Cami Anderson

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Like many superintendents around the nation, Cami Anderson has made it her life's work to prove that students can succeed at the highest levels, regardless of the circumstances into which they are born. But unlike most of her counterparts, Anderson has remained under the national microscope since her district received a $100 million donation from Facebook's Mark Zuckerburg. Prior to her work in Newark, Anderson successful raised achievement and graduation rates in NYC's infamous District 79, but so far has been unable to replicate her success in New Jersey, where an incredible $25,000 is being spent on each student. If Anderson succeeds in turning Newark schools around, her district will surely become a model for other struggling schools to emulate.

12. Linda Darling-Hammond

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Linda Darling-Hammond has been a force in the world of education for more than two decades. She is a strong believer in the idea that teachers, not bureaucrats, should reform education. As a professor at Stanford University, she redesigned the teacher education program, adding more opportunities for teachers to work with students of diverse backgrounds. She also served as the Executive Director of the National Commission of Teaching and America's Future, and is the author of a number of works, including the influential "What Matters Most: Teaching for America's Future."

11. Joel Klein

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As Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, Joel Klein has brought a corporate ethos to the city's public schools. Believing that social justice, urban planning, and sports management form a fulcrum for learning, Klein has made sweeping changes that include a universal curriculum for elementary schools, the abolishment of social promotion, greater autonomy for principals, and higher pay for teachers. Though it is too early to tell whether Klein's reforms will have a lasting effect, many agree that his leadership has restored a sense of hope to the city's public education system.

10. Michael Bloomberg

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Education has been a centerpiece of Michael Bloomberg's agenda throughout his three terms as mayor of New York City. Almost immediately, Mayor Bloomberg dismantled individual Boards of Education and consolidated power under the New York Department of Education, a move considered controversial by many and bold by just about everyone. Throughout his time in office, Mayor Bloomberg has continued to increase the number of charter schools and has taken action to make teachers more accountable for their students' performances through test scores and frequent evaluation. Though his time in office will end in November 2014, Bloomberg's mayoral legacy is sure to live on.

9. Wendy Kopp

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As an undergraduate student at Princeton, Wendy Kopp came up with an idea. Though she wasn't an education major herself, Kopp wanted to set up a program in which recent graduates and other professionals could teach disadvantaged youth. She made this dream a reality when she founded Teach For America, one of the most successful teaching programs in the history of U.S. education. The program has helped thousands of teachers and disadvantaged youth alike. To piggyback off the success of Teach For America, Kopp recently founded Teach For All to place teachers throughout the world.

8. Bill Gates

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Though he has never stepped foot in the classroom as a teacher, Bill Gates has influenced modern education in ways that few people are capable. The founder of Microsoft has contributed over $1.2 billion as part of his efforts to introduce more technology into American high schools, and has been an outspoken advocate for the Common Core, donating over $30 billion over the course of its development and implementation. As early as 2010, the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center named Gates the most influential person in education policy. He may not be a teacher, but Gates is bound to remain a major player in education for years to come.

7. Don Shalvey

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Don Shalvey is a long-time public school educator who teamed up with Silicon Valley entrepreneur Reed Hastings to start Aspire Public Schools, one of the first charter management organizations of its kind in the United States. Aspire's mission statement is to "grow the public charter school movement by opening and operating small, high-quality charter schools in low-income neighborhoods." Fifteen years after first opening its doors, the 37 Aspire schools throughout California and in Memphis, Tennessee are some of the highest performing schools in the country. In the last four years, 100% of Aspire's graduating seniors have been accepted into 4-year colleges and universities.

6. Reed Hastings

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Considering the success of Don Shalvey and Aspire Public Schools, it's only right that Shalvey's business partner, Reed Hastings, also make the list. Hastings is best known as a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and the founder of Netflix, but the Aspire network of charter schools will almost certainly cement him a spot in the history of education as well. Aspire is one of the highest-performing and most well-respected charter organizations in the country, and Hastings is looking to add to the 37 campuses in the near future.

5. Jason Bernal

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YES Prep Schools may just be the most successful charter school organization in the country, and much of that success is because of Jason Bernal. After starting as a teacher at the original YES campus, Bernal has climbed his way up the ladder to School Director, then Head of Schools, then V.P. of Operations, and now President. YES Prep Schools, nearly all of which are located in low-income areas, are consistently ranked in the top 100 public schools by U.S. News & World Report, and have won a number of competitive awards including the Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools. YES now has thirteen campuses, 1,000 employees, and over 9,000 students.

4. Geoffrey Canada

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As a poor boy in South Bronx, Geoffrey Canada's life was changed when a teacher took an interest in him. Now, Canada is returning the favor as the founder and CEO of the Promise Academy, a Department of Education-approved charter school in Harlem. Dedicated to keeping at-risk kids on the right path, Promise has a school day that is an hour longer, and a school year that is a month and a half longer, than other New York City public schools. The school, which admits students by lottery, has proven itself a huge success. In 2004, just 11% of Promise's kindergarteners were testing above grade level. Today, that number hovers around 80%.

3. Cheryl Lowe

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When Cheryl Lowe's two sons began returning home from school with what she considered nothing more than "busy work," she decided to supplement their education with timeless subjects such as Latin and classical studies. The problem: she couldn't find a Latin book appropriate for children's learning. So she wrote one. Lowe's single Latin book has turned into an educational publishing company, Memoria Press, and Highlands Latin School, a top-ranked private classical school in Louisville, Kentucky. Lowe and her now-grown son run the k-12 school, which has become a model to a rapidly growing number of similar institutions around the world.

2. Governor Bobby Jindal

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Though most of the country knows him as an "is he or isn't he?" Republican presidential candidate, those in the state of Louisiana know Bobby Jindal as the sweeping reformist who has incited the Southern state's slow climb to improvement. Most notably, Jindal expanded Louisiana's award voucher and school choice programs for lower-income students. As a result, more than half of the state's 380,000 students are now eligible for an additional $8,500 "scholarship" for the public, private, or charter school of their parents' choice. Jindal was recently praised by the Wall Street Journal for his efforts to hold teachers accountable and improve education.

1. E.D. Hirsch, Jr.

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E.D. Hirsch, Jr., the longtime advocate for education reform, has been in the news a lot lately as the founder and chairman of the Core Knowledge Foundation, the group largely responsible for developing and implementing the national Common Core. Hirsch's education philosophies stem from the belief that background knowledge, and not just general readability, will influence a student's ability and desire to understand material. Though it is too early to tell just how successful the Common Core will be, Hirsch's curriculum has proven increasingly controversial, with many states suing over the right to refuse to implement it into their public schools.

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The 30 Most Innovative People in Education Alive Today

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By Kelsey Fox Posted November, 2014 With Common Core on its way to implementation in all 50 states, the number of charter and classical schools increasing by unprecedented numbers, and home school participation at an all-time high, exciting things are happening on all fronts of education in America.

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Educational leaders play a pivotal role in affecting the climate, attitude and reputation of their schools. But what makes a truly effective leader? Here we offer insight on 10 educational leadership qualities that make for a truly effective school leader.

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Spread the loveAll great leaders have unique qualities that make them effective, inspiring, and admired. Nevertheless, there are identifiable traits and skills successful change-makers possess that separate them from the rest of the pack. Let's dig in and explore 6 skills of great educational leaders, and how they impact the school community.

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Steve Jobs brought Apple back from the brink of bankruptcy and turned it into a billion-dollar empire. "Coach K" of Duke University fame is one of the winningest coaches in all of college basketball. Julius Caesar personally led the Roman armies into battle again and again.

Have these great leaders discovered something the rest of us haven't?

They recognize that your values create your world . Leadership values , like personal values, affect all of your decisions in the workplace. They allow you to inspire others, influence decisions and have a positive impact on your organization.

There's no magic formula to becoming an inspirational leader like Jobs or Buffet. All you have to do is get in touch with your leadership core values .

Leadership core values

Everyone has different values. They're based on our past experiences, our habits and even the ways our brains are wired. But there are three important values of a leader that you must master in order to inspire and influence others.

Service

Servant leadership means that everything you do is rooted in serving a greater good. Those who embody service leadership values have discovered their purpose in life and won't let anything get in their way. They want to do good in the world, because they know that is what brings a life of meaning and true fulfillment.

Passion

Do you wake up each morning excited to start the day? Or do you hit the snooze button and wish for five more minutes? If you answered "yes" to waking up excited, you've discovered one of the most important values of a leader . Passion is what allows us to live each and every day with energy and commitment and encourage others to do the same.

Vision

Tony says, "Focus on where you want to go, not on what you fear." This is the essence of having a crystal-clear vision. Your leadership vision gives you a deep belief in yourself that helps you stay focused and bounce back from adversity. It allows you to emanate confidence. And it's what ultimately inspires others to follow you.

Leadership values list

Along with service, vision and passion, great leaders can have many other powerful values that guide their decisions and lives. This leadership values list can get you thinking about which ones you hold.

How to develop your leadership values

Knowing your leadership core values is an essential part of being an effective leader. When you're in touch with your values - and live them every day - you'll make better decisions, build trust in the workplace and inspire others to follow your example.

Determine your leadership style

All great leadership is servant leadership. Your specific leadership style is a combination of service with your other values. Democratic leaders will hold empathy and communication as leadership core values , while visionaries value creativity and innovation . Affiliative leaders may value loyalty and harmony, while pacesetting leaders will appreciate hard work and responsibility. Once you determine your foundational leadership values , you can learn to incorporate other values to become a better leader .

Examine your decisions

Pay more attention to the decisions you make day to day. Why did you make that decision? Connect it back to one of the values above or one of your own values. Also look at which decisions were easy, and which were more difficult. The difficult decisions probably didn't relate as easily to your leadership core values . If you were able to make a decision quickly and it left you feeling satisfied, chances are it just "felt right." That's because your leadership values guided you.

Reflect on past experiences

Examine your actions and decisions outside of the workplace as well. Think back on key moments in your life where you felt extreme emotion: happiness or sadness, pride or embarrassment, fulfillment or emptiness. Why do you think you felt that way? On occasions you felt positive emotions, you were likely living in line with your core values. If you felt negatively, you weren't able to align your values with your experience. These personal values will overlap with your leadership values , providing valuable insights.

Write it down

Start by making your own personal leadership values list . Write down each value that matters to you, then group the similar values together, making no more than five groups. For example, honesty, integrity and authenticity may go together, or optimism, resilience and adaptability. Choose one word from each group that is most important to you. You now have a list of your five leadership core values .

Apply your leadership values

As you encounter new experiences and challenges, you have the tools to reflect on your leadership values and apply them to your decision-making. If your values align with those of your workplace, you'll find plenty of ways to apply them. If they don't, you'll have an opportunity to bring new insights and inspiration and create a more positive and open company culture .

Read to live your leadership values?

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Steve Jobs brought Apple back from the brink of bankruptcy and turned it into a billion-dollar empire. "Coach K" of Duke University fame is one of the winningest coaches in all of college basketball. Julius Caesar personally led the Roman armies into battle again and again.

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Leading from the Front: No Excuse Leadership Tactics for Women

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Leading from the Front: No Excuse Leadership Tactics for Women

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Accessible leadership / self-help book with good examples. "Leading from the front" used in the (positive) sense of "going to the head of the class." Be a leader at any level by "striving to be your best at any task you undertake"; leaders as "keepers of the standards." Their Ten Principles felt generally familiar to me.

Co-authored by Brookland Dist Supervisor Courtney Lynch

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Accessible leadership / self-help book with good examples. "Leading from the front" used in the (positive) sense of "going to the head of the class." Be a leader at any level by "striving to be your best at any task you undertake"; leaders as "keepers of the standards."