Archive for April, 2008

Leadership Skills

Apr 15, 2008 in Leadership Skills

Leadership Skills

When asking the question what is leadership, one tends to think of people who are successful. The real fact is all successful people are not good leaders. You may have a successful football player that can help his team make it to the Super Bowl, but that does not necessarily mean that he could be a good coach. It is true that most successful coaches were good football players at one time, but not all players possess the ability to lead the team.

A leader is someone who has a vision and knows how they want to achieve that vision. When they talk about the future they do so with positive enthusiasm. When asking what leadership is, you are trying to determine if that person has the qualities to motivate others to do what is needed of them. A leader must be excited about the challenges which face them and they must anticipate each hurdle with excitement.

What Is Leadership The Test

When you are looking for a person to serve in a leadership role, there are several things that can help you determine who the right person is. A leader is never satisfied with things the way they are. A leader always looks for ways to improve a situation, product, or service.

What is leadership in the workplace? It is a person who is willing to listen to ideas and adapt to change if change will make conditions better. A leader will be someone who is respected by their peers, even if their peers do not entirely believe in everything they do. Leadership is not a popularity contest, but there must be a quality present that says I know what I am doing. A good leader will be able to ask something of others without the others showing resentment.

You can always ask a person what is leadership in their opinion, and then you can judge their answer. A true leader will show you their mental strength and tell you what leadership means to them. They will be able to give you ideas about their leadership qualities and how they plan to achieve the respect which is afforded a leader.

A leader will also be able to take criticism and understand that it is for their benefit. A leader will possess a strong ability to listen and learn, as well as lead and motivate others. A leader will have to ability to command attention. When they talk, people will listen to what they have to say. A lot of people can get up and make a speech in front of an audience, but a true leader can capture the attention of that audience and make them listen.

Leadership Skills

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Transforming Followers With Transformational Leadership

Apr 21, 2008 in What Is Leadership

There are many different theories behind leadership, as well as many different kinds of leadership styles. These theories have changed over the years, and some are viewed as being better or more effective than others. One of the most popular modern day theories regarding leadership is that of transformational leadership. Transformational leadership is different from the traditional leadership theory, but it is perhaps one of the most effective ones to date.

The Thought Behind The Theory

Bass identified transformational leadership, which is why the theory is now known as Bass Transformational Leadership Theory. According to Bass, there are three ways in which leaders motivate followers, which are by increasing their awareness of task importance and value, by activating their higher-order needs and by encouraging them to focus first on organizational and team goals as opposed to their own interests.

Causing A Transformation

Bass theory sounds good, but how does a leader actually go about causing such a change in their followers? Bass identified seven components of transformational leadership that allows the theory to become a reality. The first four of these components are related to charisma. Charisma is seen is being important in a transformational leader. The four charismatic components are inspirational motivation, individualized consideration, idealized influence and intellectual stimulation.

The final three components of transformational leadership are moral. These are the moral character of the leader, the values that can be found in the leaders vision and program, as well as the morality of the processes and action of the leaders group.

The Dynamic Differences

The major differences between transformational leadership and other forms of leadership is that transformational leadership focuses mainly on the goals and aspirations of the group itself. Other forms of leadership, known as pseudo-transformational, tend to focus on opposing groups in order to unite the group and create a stronger sense of unity.

If you work for a transformational leader, the major difference you will notice is the level of excitement and passion that they themselves possess and that they inspire in all of their followers. This is a characteristic that is not unique in transformational leadership, but that is most common in this area.

Inspired Devotion

A leader requires only two things including a goal and people to help him or her reach that goal. If you are passionate about the first and have the ability to make others feel the same way, then the second will not take long to follow.

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