Traits of Leadership over a Lifetime

Life has it stages and leadership skills move through those stages with the person. As people change and grow there will be different emphasis on leadership skills as challenges are mastered and new knowledge presented. Despite the changes of life there are some similarities across the stages that run the course throughout a lifetime (Nelson, Schroeder & Welpman, 2014). 

In the beginning of a leader’s life rudimentary skills form in the home and create a foundation for leadership. As life continues this framework is used as a place where new knowledge is learned, incorporated, and then utilized to achieve goals. The process of learning, challenging and developing continues throughout a person’s career. 

Leaders are unique creatures when compared to many other people. They are always seeking to develop and grow regardless of the circumstances they are in. Even though the stages of their life change they seem to hold consistent characteristics that continue to push them to higher levels of effectiveness. These traits are as follows: 

Learners: All leaders are learners. Leaders “consciously following a recursive cycle of experiencing, reflecting, thinking, and acting, they can increase their learning power” (Kolb & Kolb, 2009, p. 297).  They are people learn from reading and life experience to tone their skills to effective leadership strategies. The process of learning and developing never stops.

Encouraging: Leaders encourage others because it not only moves to higher performance but also encourages stronger interpersonal relationships. Positive demeanor and attitude lead to higher forms of subordinate motivation and performance.

Interpersonal Relationships: Leaders are effective at interrelating with others and building stronger social networks. The development of leadership helps in finding a way for people to connect with and build relationships. Leaders are generally social people who enjoy interacting with other people. They are capable of empathy and caring relationships.

Innovative: Leaders are innovative and think of new ways of doing things. This helps them develop strategies that actually come to new and unique results. They are not the type of people who follow the same path over and over and hope for a new result.

Self-Awareness: Leaders grow in their self-awareness that comes through their experience with themselves in different situations. As they gain knowledge and experience they grow and create higher levels of emotional intelligence.

Kolb, A. Y., & Kolb, D. A. (2009). The Learning Way: Meta-Cognitive Aspects of Experiential Learning.  Simulation & Gaming, 40(3), 297-327.

Nelson, E., Schroeder, M. & Welpman, L. (2014). Does career maturity impact leadership behavior? Journal of Leadership, Accountability & Ethics, 11 (3).

Book Review: Leadership Theory and Practice

Leadership Theory and Practice by Northouse is an excellent book that will lead one though varying kinds of leadership skills, abilities, and theories. It gives a broad understanding of leading leadership theories and provides an excellent overview of the various contexts of leadership behavior and vantage points. It is written at an executive and graduate level due to its theoretical explanations but is well structured and uses standard language. It would be wise to include the book in leadership courses or personal libraries. 

The book has a number of important concepts such as the trait approach to leadership, skills approach, style approach, situational approach, contingency theory, path-goal theory, leader-member exchange, transformational leadership, team leadership, psychodynamic approach, women and leadership, culture and leadership, and leadership ethics. Each concept benefits the readers in terms of various leadership definitions and perspectives.

The book has a solid chapter on culture and leadership. Culture can often be defined as beliefs, values, rules, norms, symbols and traditions that are common to a group of people. When group members share these aspects they will define themselves differently than other cultures. Subcultures often include race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and age. When organizations are diverse they have different cultures and subcultures included. In other words, a singular viewpoint does not dominate the group. 

Ethnocentricism is the consistent placement of one’s own group (i.e. ethnic, racial…) as a superior outlook on life. The book indicates that nearly all human beings have a level of ethnocentricism and it is difficult for the majority of people to shake intellectually. The limitations of this are that without seeing other perspectives and values we are limited in how we view and see the world. Solutions can be one sided and based in a singular vantage point making them less effective.

Prejudice is when individuals use faulty judgment and unsubstantiated beliefs to judge another people. However, it is not prejudice if concepts are based off of fact and evidence (i.e. evidence based leadership). Yet if one focuses too specifically on some facts and ignore others than their motivation would be based in prejudice.  Honest and open discussions where parties desire to learn from each other are not prejudice as long as learning and new understandings occur. 

Different cultures focus on different styles of leadership and often promote them.  For example, Germanic cultures are more assertive while performance orientation is focused more in Anglo, Confucian Asia, and Germanic Europe. It is these general perspectives that make their way throughout the societal structure and perceived leadership performance. It would be difficult for a leader to rise that was from a completely different culture due to their widely varying beliefs.

The more aware one is of the varying cultures and leadership structures the more globally effective the leadership style. There are 22 positive leadership traits that apply to all cultures universally. The values include trustworthy, foresight, positive, confidence, intelligent, win-win problem solver, administrative, excellence, just, plans, dynamic, motivational, decisive, communicative, coordinator, honest, encouraging, motive arouser, dependable, effective in bargaining, informed, and a team builder. It is these values that should be supported and developed in organizations that desire to compete on a global scale.  

People who display undesirable leadership traits such as loner, irritable, ruthless, asocial, non-explicit, dictatorial, non-cooperative and egocentric should be avoided and not encouraged to take power positions. When they do, one can expect considerable chaos, in and out-group dynamics, and abuse of power to be the result. If you are going to choose your leader make sure you choose them wisely and based within their inner and outer traits. 

The section starts with a strong quote that sums up global integration and the need for global leadership, “Since WWII, globalization has been advancing throughout the world. Globalization is the increased interdependence (economic, social, technical, and political) between nations. People are becoming more interconnected. There is more international trade, cultural exchange, and the use of worldwide telecommunication systems. In the last 10 years, our schools, organizations, and communities have become far more global than in the past. Increased globalization has created many challenges, including the need to design effective multinational organizations, to identify and select appropriate leaders for these entities, and to manage organizations with culturally diverse employees. Globalization has created a need to understand how cultural differences affect leadership performance (pg. 301). “

Northouse, P. (2007). Leadership Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA; Sage Publications.

The Essential Skills of Strategic Leadership

Strategic thinkers are important for the success of organizations as well as the nation. When influential power, strategic thinking, and resources are aligned the possibilities and potential solutions to complex problems are endless. Through the Wharton school and consulting practices the researchers Schoemaker, Krupp & Howland have identified six leadership skills that apply to any leader that wants to capitalize on uncertainty (2013).  Their conclusions state that strategic leadership, based upon 20,000 executives, is a result of the abilities to anticipate, challenge, interpret, decide, align and learn.

 Anticipation: It is the ability of leaders to see the market and the possible changes and challenges the organization will face in the future. They do this through staying ahead of market trends, learning about market adaptations, and connecting with those who are leading the field. The majority of leaders are poor at understanding ambiguous threats and challenges around the periphery of their businesses.

Challenge: Strategic leaders are not happy with the status quo. They challenge their assumptions and the assumptions of others. They use a multitude of various theoretical lenses and personal understandings to see opportunities and threats. They challenge the status quo and take concerted action when they become knowledgeable about the events and factors.

Interpret: Leaders who seek to gain knowledge try and interpret problems from multiple vantage points and angles. They seek out complex and often conflicting information in order to make a greater understanding of the problem. They are not locked into a particular vantage point or perspective that limits their ability to understand and solve problems. 

Decide: Once they have the necessary information strategic leaders will come to a conclusion and make a decision. They seek out as many possible options as they make their way to the most viable solution. They avoid simple proposals that limit their position where they can not adjust if new information changes the circumstances. They weigh and balance each of these options for greater clarity. 

Align: Strategic decision makers must pull people to a common ground when implementing their vision and strategy. Such leaders reach out to others, articulate their visions, and find common ground. This alignment offers an opportunity for the strategy to draw in as many supporters and resources as possible which improves their chance of success.

Learn: Strategic leaders never stop learning and encouraging others to learn. Not all solutions come in a simple ready-made can. They know that learning is a process of understanding and applying solutions to problems. They encourage others to learn, succeed and fail so they can take all of the information and make the solution better. They are open-minded and critical of information being presented. 

Strategic thinking entails the ability to take a solid and in-depth look at the environment, come to conclusions based upon multiple sides of an issue, and then enact a plan that maintains the greatest pathways to success. Such leaders are known to continually learn about themselves, their environment, and other people. They are visionaries in the sense that they help others see possibilities and encourage them to try, experiment, and succeed. Yet even when failure occurs it is seen through a process of improvement. 

Schoemaker, P., Krupp, S. & Howland, S. (2013). Strategic leadership: The essential skills. Harvard Business Review, 91 (1).

Personal Definition of Leadership

The transformational leader who is passionate about distance learning has an opportunity to be a part of a societal change process.  America and the global community are going through a paradigm shift in regards to public perception of distance learning.  Alone, one person cannot initiate and coordinate a national or global societal change, but individually, a transformational leader can establish a vision, create a passion, and develop a leadership plan.  As I reflect on my own personal leadership plan in the field of distance education, a three-step approach was taken.  Self-reflection, honest feedback, and continual learning were the components that I used in designing my personal leadership plan.

Bennis, leadership author and guru, defined leadership as “the capacity to create a compelling vision and translate it into action and sustain it” (2003, p. 1).  Leadership can be learned.  If one has the desire to be a leader, one can be.  "Like John Kotter, Prof Bennis believes leadership is not necessarily an inborn skill and can be taught ... through personal coaching rather than group training" (Bennis, 2003, p. 1).  Throughout history leaders come to mind that were not born leaders, but learned it through their education, tenacity, and personal effort.  "Abraham Lincoln, Harry S. Truman, Sam Walton of Wal-Mart, and Gen. Ulysses S. Grant" were not born into leadership, but had undying purpose and vision to achieve their goals (Mohr, 2000, p. 76).

With everything, there is a beginning; the vision, passion, and plan must begin somewhere. Blanchard (1999) asserted, “If you don’t take time out to think, strategize, and prioritize, you will work a whole lot harder, without enjoying the benefits of a job smartly done” (p. 25). Considering Blanchard’s words, anyone who desires to be a leader should outline a plan to outline a plan with specific goals.  All one needs is the desire to be a leader.  In fact, no less an authority than Peter Drucker (2001) has placed personal energy at the very forefront of leadership qualities: "Your first and foremost job as a leader is to raise your own energy level and then to help raise and orchestrate the energies of those around you” (Cooper, 2001, para. 1).

Personal Leadership Philosophy

Self-reflection

“Leaders know themselves; they know what they can do well” (Bennis & Goldsmith, 2003, p. 81).  The transformational leader who has completed self-reflection and assessed one’s strengths and weaknesses should next ask people for constructive feedback.  Do not shy away from the good and bad feedback that you might receive.  Avoiding the pain of receiving negative feedback does nothing for your growth.  Be willing to look at your weakness with the potential to create behavioral changes.  Nothing feels better than taking a misstep and turning this into a success. 

Organizations are often hiring leadership coaches.  Typically an organizational leadership coach may work with newly promoted managers to help them be successful.  If one is not available within your organization, seek a professional leadership coach.  "With the help of leadership coaches, leaders gain perspective on the familiar while encountering alternative ways to view self and one's role as a leader" (MacPherson, 2009, p. 46).

Honest Feedback

In terms of being an effective leader, one must seek out honest feedback.  Seek a mentor.  Kelling, Barling, and Helleur (2000) conducted extensive research on the effect of training and constructive feedback on leaders.  "Results suggest that both training and feedback are effective means of changing leadership behaviors" (Kelling, Barling, & Helleur, 2000, p. 145).  After reviewing several leadership coaching websites, the need for feedback to the leader was stressed.  "Eight ways to get honest feedback", "Five proven tips to get honest feedback", and "Honest success" are examples of just a few of these websites.  Bozeman and Feeney (2007) defined mentoring as...

...a process for the informal transmission of knowledge, social capital, and the psychosocial support perceived by the recipient as relevant to work, career, or professional development; mentoring entails informal communication, usually face-to-face and during a sustained period of time, between a person who is perceived to have greater relevant knowledge, wisdom, or experience (the mentor) and a person who is perceived to have less (the protègè). (p. 719)

Continual Learning

Think outside the box, challenge all assumptions, and continually seek new information.  Reading new literature will not be enough, consider innovative changes that may be outside the norm of the organization.  Daniel Pink has looked into the future and considered what it will take to make change happen.  In his book, A Whole New Mind, Pink (2006) addressed six thought processes to generate innovative thinking.  Pink(2006) incorporated both the left and right brain by mastering the six human abilities of design, story, symphony, empathy, play, and meaning.  Using these natural abilities can get you continually learning, planning, and changing.

Fundamental to my personal leadership philosophy are self-reflection, asking people whom one works with for constructive feedback, and continually seeking new information (Bennis & Goldsmith, 2003, pp. 81-82).  Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your permission” (Blanchard, 1999, p. 12).  Struggling with low self-esteem or constant negativity can hinder effective leadership.  Reevaluating the white water that exists in our world, challenge the false assumptions will enable you to overcome any self-doubt.  Norman Vincent Peale believed that one can look at each day in two different ways.  One’s day is either going to be good or bad, so why not look to the good there is in life and seek the positive (Blanchard, 1999).  “As a leader, the most important earthly relationship you can cultivate is your relationship with yourself” (Blanchard, 1999, p. 152).

Conclusion

Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York City during the tragedy of September 11, 2001, proposed there were three critical stages of leadership.  “First, you must develop beliefs. Next, you have to communicate them. Finally, you must take action” (Giuliani, p. 80).  A plan will enable you to begin the journey to become a leader.  Having a guide to mentor you along the way is crucial to your success.  “Leadership is not something you do to people. It’s something you do with people” (Blanchard, 1999, p. 140).

Author: Andree C. Swanson, EdD

Bennis, W. (2003, Aug 14). A leader on leadership: GURU GUIDE WARREN BENNIS: The prolific writer argues that trust and openness are key to success, says Morgen Witzel: Financial Times. 

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Bennis, W., & Goldsmith, J. (2003). Learning to lead: A workbook on becoming a leader. Cambridge, MA: Basic Books.

Blanchard, K. (1999). The heart of a leader. Tulsa, OK: Honor Books.

Bozeman, B., & Feeney, M. K. (2007). Toward a useful theory of mentoring: A conceptual analysis and critique. Administrative and Society, 39(6),719 - 739.

Cooper, R. K (2001). Excelling under pressure: Increasing your energy for leadership and innovation in a world of stress, change and unprecedented opportunities. Strategy & Leadership, 29(4), 15-20. 

Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/194375461?accountid=32521

Giuliani, R. (2002). Leadership. New York, NY: Hyperion.

Kelling, K., Barling, J., & Helleur, J. (2000). Enhancing transformational leadership: The role of training and feedback. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 21(3), 145-149. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/226914723?accountid=32521

MacPherson, M. (2009). Self-reflection: A primer for leadership coaches. T + D, 63(12), 46-49,6. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/227025166?accountid=32521

Mohr, B. (2000). Leadership - Genetic or learned? PM,76-78. Retrieved from http://www.dau.mil/pubscats/PubsCats/PM/articles00/mohrjf.pdf

Pink, D. (2006). A whole new mind. New York, NY: Riverhead Publishing.