DEFINITION AND NATURE OF LEADERSHIP

Leader- in a group or an organization, the person who is in control of it or in charge of it.

Organization – refers to a group of people working together to achieve a common goal.

Leadership is the action of leading people in an organization towards achieving goals. Leaders do this
by influencing employee behaviours in several ways.

Leadership may be defined as the process of guiding and directing the behaviour of people in the
organization in order to achieve certain objectives.

Organizational leadership - Is a dual focused management approach that works towards what is best
for individuals and what is best for a group as a whole simultaneously. It is also an attitude and a work
ethic that empowers an individual in any role to lead from the top, middle, or bottom of an organization.

A leader sets a clear vision for the organization, motivates employees, guides employees through the
work process and builds morale.

Managers and leaders are different in the following ways:

1. Managers are rational problem solvers, while leaders are intuitive and more visionary;
2. Managers performs other administration function such as planning, organizing, decision-making,
and communicating;
3. Leaders are primarily concerned with results; managers are concerned with the efficient of
results; and
4. Leaders obtain their power from below; managers obtain theirs from above.
KINDS OF LEADERSHIP

1. Formal Leadership refers to the process of influencing others to pursue official objectives. Formal
leaders are vested with formal authority and as such, they generally have a measure of legitimate power.
They rely on expedient combination of reward, coercive, referent, and expert power.

A formal leadership role is an officially assigned position given to someone based on his or her ability
to perform the job. It generally involves organizing and directing people to perform tasks, like the job of
commanding officer (CO) in the military. The CO holds the highest level of authority over his unit. He
is in charge of everything, from deciding how to fight the enemy to overseeing the day-to-day tasks of
his soldiers.

2. Informal Leadership refers to the process of influencing others to pursue unofficial objectives.
Informal leaders lack formal authority. Like formal leaders, they rely on expedient combination of
reward, coercive, referent, and expert power.
Informal leaders who are satisfied with their jobs are valuable assets of the organization. When they are
not satisfied, they become liabilities. Their power to motivate people can be used to convince employees
to cause harm to the organization.

POWER AND THE LEADER

The main concern of a leader is to influence people to behave as he wants them to. The leader, however,
can influence only if he possess power, and this emanates only from either the group or the leader.

1. Position Power-is that power derived as a consequence of the leader’s position. It consists of the
following types:
a) Legitimate Power. Also referred to as authority, this power emanates from a person’s
position in the organization. A manager, for instance, is given the right by the organization to
influence
b) Reward Power. This power emanates from one’s ability to grant rewards to those who
comply with the command or request. The leader’s capacity to provide promotions, money,
praise, and other rewards influences the behaviour of subordinates.
c) Coercive Power. This power arises from the expectation of subordinates that they will be
punished if they do not conform to the wishes of the leader.

2. Personal Power- the leader’s personal power results from his personal characteristics. It may be
any or both of the following:
a) Expert Power. An expert who possess and can dispense valued information generally
exercise expert power over those in need of such information.
b) Referent Power. This power refers to the ability of leaders to develop followers from the
strength of their own personalities.

GOOD LEADERSHIP BEHAVIORS

1. Focus – a good ability show focus on their goals and inspires others to keep that focus as well.
2. Respect – when you treat people with respect, they will normally respond in a positive manner.
3. Communication – if you keep team members updated on a situation, they are more apt to
respond to your instructions.
4. Honesty – a good leader makes sure that all communication is honest and can be verified as fact.
5. Vision – people look to a leader because they believe that leader has the ability to see a plan for
completion.
6. Delegation – a strong leader understands the strengths and weaknesses of their team members
and can delegate tasks and authority to people in an appropriate way.
7. Flexibility – strong leaders are flexible and can adapt to any situation.
8. Task knowledge – one of the most effective methods for building respect is showing a full
mastery of the work of your team.