“Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate, and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand.”
(Colin Powell)
In our previous article on the series leadership 4.0 and digital transformation, we have seen how leadership, as a set of skills, would represent the ability of an individual, group, or organization to “lead” and “influence” others. The trait theory of leadership has also been explored to detect different personality traits that are usually associated with successful leaders while coping in different situations. Thus, the nature of effective leadership, as an inherited trait or learned set of skills was investigated. Moreover, Lewin’s leadership styles [1] were also discussed, as well as, more recent approaches on transformational, transactional, and situational leadership.
To continue our leadership 4.0 journey toward discovering the “why” of greatness, in today’s article we will discuss a few leadership theories, developed in the last century and integrated with more recent research. Moreover, the role of leaders in guiding transformative changes inside organizations and communities will be presented, in which five key elements are highlighted. Lastly, an innovative approach to leadership from Brian Tracy will follow to unlock those top qualities and behaviors necessary to evolve a good leader into a great one! A preview of what to expect from our next article on leadership 4.0 and digital transformation will also be anticipated.
Let’s move on!
Theories are needed to explain the “why” of greatness
Different leadership theories were developed over the last century to understand why certain people become successful leaders.
● “Great man” theories support the idea that leaders were born with outstanding leading characteristics (e.g., charisma, high confidence, intelligence, social skills) leading them to be indisputable leaders. Considering leadership as inherited, people cannot simply learn to become great leaders.
● Trait theories consider that people inherit specific traits making them more suitable for developing a leading behavior. These qualities can also be recurrent and shared among leaders (e.g., self-confidence, extroversion, courage). However, this theory cannot yet explain how certain people who possess these special traits are not at leading positions.
● Contingency theories are directed on identifying those variables found in the environment that would influence a specific leadership style, accordingly with the situation. Hence, a balance between behavior, needs, and environment is mostly considered when becoming effective leaders [2].
● Situational theories assume that leaders tend to adopt the proper action based on a specific situation and context; indeed, different styles would appear more appropriate than others according to a certain situation and decision to make [3].
● Behavioral theories, contrary to the inheritance view, support the belief that leaders are made. Focusing on action, instead of inherited/mental traits, individuals can learn to become leaders.
● Participative theories consider the importance of others’ points of view, relevant when leading while encouraging participation, contribution, and collaboration from group members into the decision-making process.
● Management theories or transactional theories, evaluate the role of supervision, organization, and group performance based on a system in which reward and punishment are given; an approach is mostly applied in business.
● Relationship theories or transformational theories, focus on connecting leaders with followers to motivate and inspire group members toward achieving a common goal. This approach evaluated performance, although each member has the possibility to enhance his/her own individual potential, and where high ethical and moral standards are the key aspects of a great leader [4].
Leadership: stop managing, start leading
We have seen how complex leadership can be, and how influential leaders are in determining changes and transformations inside organizations or communities. More recently, five key elements of leadership were identified [5] including:
Followers: influenced by the leaders, although inputs from followers may also influence the leader’s opinion/action.
Influence: the process of communicating, motivating, and inspiring followers toward accepting and actuating changes.
Organizational objectives: the creation of a shared vision to achieve organizational goals.
People: essential elements for leaders, guided and collaborating with the leaders.
Changes: influencing and setting goals to rapidly achieve an organization’s change and evolution.
Moreover, managerial leadership skills were also proposed [5]. Among these, interpersonal (to understand, communicate and collaborate with groups and individuals), technical (methods and skills to perform tasks efficiently), and decision-making skills (problem-solving, conceptualization, re-frame alternatives to achieve opportunities). Theories on leadership were developed to predict, control, and understand the way of becoming a successful leader; particularly, when considering the interaction between the leader and the followers at the individual (one-to-one) or at the group (one-to-many) level.
Future-oriented, positive, responsible, and strong communicators
Traits, styles, and many theories. Throughout history, we have seen the birth of several and different leaders; each with outstanding special qualities. But what differentiates a good from a bad leader?
Based on Brian Tracy, seven are the main good qualities that a leader should have to be great, although these qualities can be achieved and improved through learning, practice, and repetition.
Vision: Great leaders are visionaries, and they have lots of ideas. With clarity and excitement, they aim to achieve their goals based on strategic planning. A transformational approach in which leaders are capable of emotionally connecting with the group.
Courage: Great leaders are courageous, willing to take risks toward goals achievement, even though success is not guaranteed. Leaders take active actions and are enterprising.
Integrity: great leaders appreciate trust and honesty inside and outside the organization. Integrity and truthfulness are true, the core aspects of a successful business.
Humility: Great leaders are active and strong, but also humble. They value self-confidence, self-awareness in relation to themself and others.
Strategic planning: great leaders foresee industry, market trends, or events, and for this reason, they plan the next move always in advance. Competition is viewed as an advantage, to accurately anticipate and move forward with the best action.
Focus: great leaders understand the needs and the circumstances. Focusing on the strengths and resources of an organization, as well as, the potential of every single member, allows the leader and the entire organization to achieve goals while responding to customers’ needs, against a competitive market.
Cooperation: great leaders are able to create cohesive and collaborative teams, capable of achieving any results. Leaders are very attentive and able to select people to enhance an organization’s functionality.
Moreover, Brian Tracy strongly highlights the relevance of pervasive and effective communication while transforming a good leader into a great one; indeed, practicing public speaking is suggested to overcome the fear of showing up and talking in front of a mass. Acknowledging good leadership qualities and decisively apply them identify good leaders that “lead by example.” Entrepreneurs, business builders, top salespeople, artists, and creators. What do they have in common? A future-oriented approach, positively tuned toward new opportunities and through the practice of “idealization”, they engage long-term thinking in each aspect of daily life to plan and achieve goals.
Every day is a new day, full of chances, ideas, and things to do. With a positive mindset, goal-directed good leaders think where they aim to be in a few years and strive to achieve it. They see failures as opportunities to learn, focusing on positive instead of negative aspects of this experience. And lastly, problem-solving, action-oriented, and integrity, good leaders overcome any difficulties with a great dose of responsibility.
Leaders 4.0: online, offline, and the digital age
Having analyzed and discussed several theories, approaches, and styles of leadership, in the next article of this series we will examine behavioral leadership facing our 21st-century exponential transformations and Industry 4.0. A novel methodological leadership style matrix [5] will be investigated and how this approach would be capable of satisfying the major key aspects of Industry 4.0, based on Kagerman et al. (2013): standardization, complex systems management, comprehensive communication, safety, and security, resources efficiency, regulatory frameworks, work organization, and design, training and professional development. Giving more autonomy and responsibility to workers, while managing, leading, supervising, and supporting transformative changes, in Industry 4.0 leaders acquire a new role in which the development of innovative skills, qualities, and knowledge is necessary [6].
“Leadership is unlocking people’s potential to become better.” (Bill Bradley)
References:
Lewin K, Lippitt R, White K. Patterns of aggressive behavior in experimentally created “social climates”. J Soc Psychol. 1939;10(2):271-301.
Hodgson P, White R. Leadership, Learning, Ambiguity and Uncertainty and Their Significance to Dynamic Organisations. In: Peterson R, Mannix E, eds. Leading and Managing People in the Dynamic Organisation.Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum; 2003.
Blanchard KH, Zigarmi P, Drea Zigarmi. Leadership and the One Minute Manager: Increasing Effectiveness Through Situational Leadership. William Morrow, An Imprint Of HarperCollins; 2013.
Groves KS, LaRocca MA. An empirical study of leader ethical values, transformational and transactional leadership, and follower attitudes toward corporate social responsibility. J Bus Ethics.2011;103: 511. doi:10.1007/s10551-011-0877-y
Oberer, B. & Erkollar, A. (2018). Leadership 4.0: Digital Leaders in the Age of Industry 4.0. International Journal of Organizational Leadership, 7, 4, 404-412. DOI: 10.33844/ijol.2018.60332
Promsri, C. (2019). Developing Model of Digital Leadership for a Successful Digital Transformations. International Journal of Business Management, Volume 02, Issue 08. DOI: HTTP://WWW.GPHJOURNAL.ORG/INDEX.PHP/BM Available at: http://gphjournal.org/index.php/bm/article/view/249/113
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