Leadership is a process by which an executive direct, guide and influence the behavior and work of others. Study in detail about the basics as well as advanced concepts of leadership.
Articles on Leadership
Importance of Leadership
Role of a Leader
A leader has got multidimensional traits in him which makes him appealing and effective in behavior. Qualities of a leader are discussed in detail.
Leadership and management are the terms that are often considered synonymous. It is essential to understand that leadership is an essential part of effective management.
A leader is one who influences the behavior and work of others in group efforts towards achievement of specified goals in a given situation. On the other hand, manager can be a true manager only if he has got traits of leader in him.
The difference between authority and leadership is distinct and huge; a person can exercise authority when in a formal position, while it does not go the same for leadership.
An effective leader must understand the basic needs of employees, peers and his superiors. Learn in detail how Leadership is used as a means of motivating others.
Emotional Intelligence is the ability to recognize and understand ones own feelings and emotions as well as those of others and use that information to manage emotions and relationships.
Organizational leadership deals with both human psychology as well as expert tactics. Organizational leadership emphasizes on developing leadership skills and abilities that are relevant across the organizations
Ethics refer to the desirable and appropriate values and morals according to an individual or the society at large. Correlating ethics with leadership, we find that ethics is all about the leaders identity and the leaders role.
Without an effective leadership strategy, it is believed, that the organizational strategies do not work. Best players in a team do not guarantee success without a great coach.
The leadership style varies with the kind of people the leader interacts and deals with. A perfect leadership style is one which assists a leader in getting the best out of the people who follow him.
A personal leadership brand is an exclusive and a specific approach of a leader to address challenges and manage the transactions with their subordinates. Lets discuss in detail on how to create a personal leadership brand.
The Level 5 leadership clearly reestablishes the facts about a simple living and high thinking. There are certain actions performed by Level 5 leaders which separate them from the rest of the leaders and senior executives.
The Situational Leadership method from Kenneth Blanchard and Paul Hersey holds that managers must use different leadership styles depending on the situation. The premise of this theory is that there is no best style of leadership which works effectively in all situations.
Leaders are role models who influence the culture, values, thoughts and actions of the organization and its people. Lets understand the impact of situational leadership on performance and motivation at workplace.
The role of the manager as a leader becomes very important where he/she needs to be flexible with the kind of leadership style they can practice with each subordinate. Lets understand the relationship between leadership styles and subordinate development in detail.
Leadership development involves nurturing, encouraging and mentoring prospective leaders. It is a two way process which is beneficial for both the organization and the candidate showing an inclination to be groomed as a leader.
This article discusses in detail about one of the most important aspect of potential leaders - Motivation or the will to succeed, which is an integral part of leadership development.
The article looks at one of the most important issues facing top management regarding grooming leaders from within the organization and then appointing them to the top posts or brining in leaders from outside.
Transformational leadership is one of the many kinds of leadership styles. The article looks at the need and importance of the transformational leadership in the corporate world.
Lets look at the traits and attributes needed in the 21st century leaders. The article looks in detail at the various aspects of leadership for the 21st century.
Transleadership is the interaction of strategy, leadership, and the soul of organizations. Lets discuss the concept of Transleader in detail.
The article discusses in detail the three most important traits of effective leadership - Character, Vision, and Relationship Effectiveness.
Compassion is the essence of effective leadership. It promotes healthy relationship in an organization as well as ensures positivity in the organization.
Ambitious leaders should consider an organization as robust as the weakest point and should treat each aspect of organization as significant, i.e., they should not ignore any organizational aspect.
Because of the compelling challenges that future leaders face, there is a need to reinvent management and transform business. The message for future leaders is that they can reconcile themselves to the fact that the future does not hold any promise or they can help to transform the world of business through proactive and visionary leadership.
This article examines the need to explore new opportunities and at the same time exploit existing avenues as a means of surviving the contemporary times. The key theme is that companies must learn to think about tomorrow and live in the present at the same time without resting on the successes of yesterday.
How to succeed in an economy that is slowing and where the job opportunities are shrinking and salary hikes are diminishing? The answer is to invest in oneself and learn new skills and be prepared for any opportunities that come ones way.
Though modern day business leaders usually ignore social stratification and the prevalence of hierarchy, this article argues that to be a truly great leader, one has to be aware of these differences yet rise above them. A key theme in this article is that before implementing global and cosmopolitan strategies, an assessment of the ground realities is needed.
This article discusses one of the key themes that have emerged in recent months: What happens when leadership itself is unethical? The article discusses how the organizational processes and culture must be resilient and when such a situation arises, the principle that no individual is greater than the organization must be followed.
In recent years, the business world has witnessed several instances where leaders were recalled to companies or brought in from outside to rejuvenate the companies. This article examines the theme of leadership in times of adversity and analyzes the elements of such leadership and the characteristics of such leaders. The key point being made in this article is that it does not take much to steer the companies during good times but it takes a lot to turnaround the companies from adversity to success.
This article discusses the need for the employees and the managers to have emotional and spiritual intelligence. The key theme in this article is that high performance is delivered by self-actualization of the employees and therefore, both SQ and EQ are needed that would not abandon the profit imperative and at the same time would make us take our next evolutionary leap.
As management knowledge is supported by various theories, the leadership function of management too is authenticated by various theories. All the important theories of Leadership are discussed in detail
Robert Blake and Jane Mouton proposed a graphic portrayal of leadership styles through a managerial grid. The grid depicted two dimensions of leader behavior - concern for people and concern for production
The theory was developed by Robert House and has its roots in the expectancy theory of motivation. The theory is based on the premise that an employees perception of expectancies between his effort and performance is greatly affected by a leaders behavior.
According to contemporary theorists, leaders are not like other people. They do not need to be intellectually genius or omniscient prophets to succeed, but they definitely should have the right stuff which is not equally present in all people.
The trait model of leadership is based on the characteristics of many leaders - both successful and unsuccessful - and is used to predict leadership effectiveness.
According to LMX theory, leaders form different kinds of relationships with various groups of subordinates. One group, referred to as the in-group, is favored by the leader.
Transformational leadership can be found at all levels of management. Transformational leaders are visionary, inspiring, daring, risk-takers, and thoughtful thinkers.
Transactional leadership involves motivating and directing followers primarily through appealing to their own self-interest. The leader believes in motivating through a system of rewards and punishment.
The leadership continuum was originally written in 1958 by Tannenbaum and Schmidt and was later updated in the year 1973. Their work suggests a continuum of possible leadership behavior available to a manager and along which many leadership styles may be placed
Rensis Likert and his associates studied the patterns and styles of managers for three decades at the University of Michigan, USA, and identified a four-fold model of management systems.
According to this model, the leader has to match the leadership style according to the readiness of subordinates which moves in stage and has a cycle. Therefore, this theory is also known as the life-cycle theory of leadership.
Fred E. Fiedlers contingency theory of leadership effectiveness was based on studies of a wide range of group effectiveness, and concentrated on the relationship between leadership and organizational performance.
A leader cannot lead if his followers do not trust him. A leader discovers the employees’/followers problems and tries to solve them, but it is the trust that his followers hold on him which tells whether the leaders retrieve the knowledge and intellectuality required to solve the problems..
Leadership is a significant aspect of management. In order to ensure organizational success, co-operation from subordinates as well as greater efficiency, it is important for a manager to be a great, effective and a true leader.
Who is a leader - A strong leader is one who thinks and plans ahead. He is ready with solutions and he understands the pulse of his employees.
A leader with a vision can foresee the future and can remain in the present. A vision is an end towards which leader can spend and direct his energy and resources.
For simplicity and understanding purposes power is usually classified into 5 categories - Coercive Power, Reward Power, Legitimate Power, Expert Power and Referent Power. Lets understand these different types of powers in detail.
Unlike male leaders, the reference point for a good leadership has been inadequately defined for women leaders. Let us try to explore the context of women leadership in an organization.
Being a leader is one of the most challenging task. The article discusses the various challenges faced by a team leader.
Leadership is a challenging job. Let us go through some tips to overcome challenges in leadership.
Communication plays a very important role in overcoming challenges in leadership and strengthening the bond among employees. Lets understand in detail about the role of communication in overcoming leadership challenges.
Management plays an essential role in not only recruiting the right person as a leader but also overcoming the challenges faced in leadership. Lets discuss the role of management/organization in overcoming leadership challenges.
Employees are the biggest asset of any organization. Let us go through some important tips for the team leaders which can help them to strengthen the bond among their employees.
This article discusses how visionary leaders need to ensure that their message is not lost once they retire or when the external environment changes. The key theme in this article is that the middle management is crucial to organizational success and plays an important part in being an interface between the top leadership and the rank and file employees.
This article discusses the internal struggle that goes on within the leaders in the current scenario where the competing urges of sacrificing ethics for short-term gains versus the more satisfying longer-term rewards that are fulfilling from values and ethics should ultimately lead to the latter triumphing over the former. The key theme in this article is that leadership is always about taking the road less traveled that makes all the difference in the end.
This article discusses the three characteristics that successful leaders must have in order to actualize legendary leadership. The key theme in this article is that leaders are made and not born and hence, anyone can be a leader. The examples of successes and failures from the real world are cited to indicate the lessons that readers can draw from them.
Leadership is determined by a host of factors among which the cultural dimension is an often neglected and little understood one. Therefore, this article discusses the cultural dimensions of leadership and the mediating role that globalization has played with some leaders becoming western and others turning inward. The key theme in this article is that as aspiring leaders or aspiring employees, you must determine your core values and then seek companies to work for accordingly instead of perpetually being at odds because of a clash between your inner values and the values of the organization you work for.
This article examines the differences between scarcity and abundance mindsets in leaders. The key themes in this article are that leaders have both scarcity and abundance mindsets and hence, they must wear the appropriate hat depending on the situation as well as what their inner radar says about adopting a particular stance.
Each leader has different leadership styles and this article examines how different folks have different strokes of leadership styles. Drawing upon examples from the real world, this article explains the different leadership styles of famous leaders in the global context. The key themes in this article are that leadership is as much about the fit between personality and organizational needs as it is about the alignment between leaders and the people who preceded them.
This article draws upon the research on leadership pertaining to persuasion and being open to persuasion that are increasingly needed in the contemporary business landscape due to rapidly changing market trends. In addition, this article makes the case for leaders to manage the past experiences and lessons learnt, present challenges, and future expectations in a manner resembling the confluence of the three time senses. Apart from this, this article draws on real world examples to support the points made in the discussion.
Chaos is a fact and feature of modern life. This is more the case with businesses where the managers and leaders have to make decisions that affect their businesses and hence, cannot afford to be complacent. This article examines how the managers and leaders of tomorrow can help themselves and their organizations by learning to live in the moment, be visionary about the future, and backed by an understanding of the past.
This article examines leadership in the contemporary world. Balancing theory with real world examples, this article would serve as an excellent resource for those who want to understand how the textbook theories of leadership are practiced by legendary real world leaders and how leadership in turbulent times is often misunderstood by many.
We live in the Age of Networks. Therefore, it is essential to develop Network Thinking to succeed in the 21st Century. Having said that, one cannot ignore purely local events as well. Thus, one needs to develop network thinking complemented by Glocal thinking to respond to global and local events by a combination of global and local thinking. Apart from this, to succeed in the 21st Century, one needs to develop a Zen-like calmness that would help alleviate information overload and overloaded thought processes.
Why do some business leaders achieve greatness whereas others fail to succeed? Further, what separates the greats from the truly greats and the others who are known only in their close circles? Moreover, what makes business leaders motivate themselves to persist despite setbacks and what makes them want to better the lives of people around the world. Some of these questions are answered in this article with examples from real-world business leaders used as illustrations.
Modern-day leadership is as much about visionary planning as it is about execution and implementation. Thus, there is a need for leaders in the present times to be good administrators. This is where the Hands-on Approach to leadership comes into play wherein leaders need to take the initiative to monitor and track their plans to completion. Having said that, they must also not micromanage and hence, the trick lies in striking a balance between vision and execution. This article examines these aspects with real-world examples.
What separates truly exceptional leaders from leaders? What makes some leaders transformative and exceptional whereas others contend with a run of the mill leadership? Is it something that some individuals have that makes them transformative or can, such traits and attributes be acquired? Read on as we take you on a journey of learning and discussion through real-world examples and analysis.
Leaders, when they run nations or corporates, or any other entities must focus on institution building to ensure longevity and sustainability of such entities. Indeed, institutions outlive the leaders and hence, their legacy is based on how well they have nurtured and encouraged standards of governance and excellence. This article examines these themes with real-world examples of institution builders of nations and corporates.
The article describes the importance of Inspiring leaders, key traits, and qualities of leaders who can inspire others and advantages of being an Inspirational leader for self as well as others.
The article describes the key tenets which a successful inspirational leader must have like enabling capabilities, vision sharing, challenging the existing systems and processes for introducing reformed and new processes, encouraging qualities and modeling behaviour of leaders.
The article describes regarding the importance of self-assessment by the leaders and explains about the various techniques of self-assessment for assessing the leadership competencies. Different methods of self-assessment are analyzed like reflecting and journaling, checklists & survey methods and 360-degree feedback.
This article provides useful insights on the importance of self-motivation for the leaders, describes various factors of limitation which can thwart their self-motivation and the benefits which the millennial leaders can expect from being self-motivated.
The article provides crucial insights on the essential techniques of self-motivation, the relative advantages of these methods as well as their applicability in the organizational context.
This article discusses the importance of preparing a leadership development plan and the vital components of a good leadership plan.
The article provides an overview of the critical steps involved in writing a leadership development plan, various factors which should be taken into consideration and highlights the next course of action after a development plan is written.
This article examines what happens when leaders promise the moon, but, find that they cannot fulfill their lofty words and slogans once they are elected or take over the reins of leadership. Using real world examples, the discussion proceeds to analyze how leaders can walk the talk and talk the walk and ensure that their visions are actualized.
Public faith and trust in institutions is at an all time low. This is leading to the rise of demagogues and populists worldwide. Further, when people lose faith in institutions, there is every chance that it might lead to anarchy and chaos. Thus, there is a need for the new generation of leaders to restore trust and faith in institutions. This article examines these themes from multiple perspectives including examples of contemporary leaders who are attempting reform and restitution of trust and faith in the system.
This article examines the theory and the practice of the business cycles or the reporting of financial and strategic parameters by the large publicly held corporations. This article begins with a theoretical take on the evolution of the business cycles and how they are being followed in practice. Next, we discuss the effect of the ever shortening business cycles on the business leaders and other stakeholders. We also list the pros and cons of these aspects on businesses.
This article is a leadership case study of the Late Legendary Steve Jobs, who ushered in the Smartphone revolution. This case study explores the Transformational, Transactional, Exemplary, and Inspirational leadership of Steve Jobs with examples from his career and life. In addition, we also refer to some criticisms of Jobs along with the theme of how Apple is what it is now because of him just as the Smartphone has become an indispensable part of our lives.
Initiating and managing organizational change is often a complex and challenging endeavor. Especially in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous world, leaders often struggle to be in control over the direction and pace of organizational change. This article examines how such challenges can lead to leaders “losing the plot” midway and changing the “goalposts” from time to time to project a veneer of control. Using theory behind the Agile methodology and the Scrum process framework, and examples from real world change initiatives, we argue that disruptive and disorienting change can be managed using such models.
This article is referenced from The Strengths and Weaknesses of 4 Distinct Leadership Strategies published in The Entrepreneur Magazine. We present the author’s findings of the 4Cs of Leadership Styles for the Digital Age and also provide our insights and our perspective on what it takes to be a leader in the Digital Age. Using leadership and organizational theory along with examples from the real world, we present the case for leaders to adopt leadership strategies according to situational and circumstantial imperatives.
Charles Ghosn, who was the CEO of a Three Way Global Alliance of Auto majors, Renault, Nissan, and Mitsubishi, was unceremoniously detained and removed from the board of the Japanese firm. His downfall has lessons for other CEOs and Business Leaders, and in this article, we examine they can learn from the Ghosn Saga. Combining leadership theories and insights into Global Leaders, this article argues that Ghosn’s case might be the opening shot against the so-called Davos Men.
While there are Millions of leaders worldwide in all walks of life, there some truly great leaders who come once in a while who make their mark and leave a legacy behind. What makes these leaders truly great is that they Walk the Talk and Lead by Example so that they inspire and motivate their followers to do likewise. This article examines what makes leaders truly great by examples from history as well as the present times and from politics to business to sports. The discussion also argues that while leaders are products of their times, truly great leaders can rise above the norm and make a difference.
While there are Millions of leaders worldwide in all walks of life, there some truly great leaders who come once in a while who make their mark and leave a legacy behind. What makes these leaders truly great is that they Walk the Talk and Lead by Example so that they inspire and motivate their followers to do likewise. This article examines what makes leaders truly great by examples from history as well as the present times and from politics to business to sports. The discussion also argues that while leaders are products of their times, truly great leaders can rise above the norm and make a difference.
There is a Crisis of the Leader Follower relationship in the present times. The leaders are shaped by their followers and vice versa which means that both parties must contribute towards a better future instead of the running the world to the ground. In addition, if we are to address the problems of the world and attempt to solve them, there is a responsibility on the older generation of leaders to incubate the upcoming leaders of the future. Catch Them Young and Watch Them Grow must be the Motto. These themes would be explored in this article and we use leadership theory and examples from the real world.
There are leaders and then there are manager leaders. What distinguishes them is how well they handle crises and how successful they are at rallying their followers and inspiring them to “walk on water” if need be. At same time, manager leaders too are known for crisis management and as this article argues, they can be known as leaders in their own right by history. Thus, we argue that crisis management is what distinguishes leaders from managers and at the same time, we also point out that charisma and personality are important in the same manner in which administrative acumen and managerial skills matter.
Spirituality and our materialistic corporatized lives are not mutually incompatible and in this article, we show how some application of Buddhist teachings and especially those favoured by the Dalai Lama can help corporate honchos. With our stressful and frenzied lives leading to burnout and anxiety, the simple practices such as Mindfulness and Meditation can help us perform better at work. Moreover, by practising compassionate capitalism, we can make the world a better place by reducing the inequalities and the inequities existing now.
This article explains what Emotional Intelligence is and why we need more emotionally intelligent leaders and managers. Using examples from the real world, we argue that toxic workplaces lead to deterioration of organizations and overall atrophy and hence, it is high time for us to actualize emotionally intelligent cultures. Moreover, as the #MeToo movement and the increasing burnout and stress levels among professionals show, the effects of lack of emotional intelligence are being felt.
This article argues that leadership and team management in the Digital Age need a new approach if the transformations and the disruptions wrought by this age have to be tackled effectively. In particular, we discuss the importance of soft skills and higher cognitive abilities as well as deeper emotional attributes that are imperative for the future. In addition, we also refer to recent research that has highlighted how workplaces need to balance materialistic concerns with spiritual callings for employees to navigate the extreme stress and pressure that technology driven changes are bringing to the fore.
There are many problems that contemporary leaders have to confront and while it is easy to give up and let things be the way they are, it is also the case that true leadership is about vision and action. This article examines the leadership styles of some contemporary leaders and argues that when faced with a collapsing world, leaders can either try radical measures or a combination of incremental and transformative actions. In addition, we point out that the difference between leadership and statesmanship lies in the way leaders tackle the insurmountable problems.
Who are Thought Leaders and Influencers and why are they so important on social media? Moreover, what makes them special and are they discharging their responsibilities well? Apart from that, are we placing too much importance on them? These are some of the questions and themes that would be addressed in this article. We explain what makes one a Thought Leader or Influencer and how the next time you come across their posts, remember the points we made here and decide for yourself as to whether you would like to follow them.
The Digital Media have made it possible for contemporary leaders to manage the Optics. At the same time, leaders must back their talk with action and ensure that reality meets the rhetoric. Taking the Howdy Modi event as a Case Study, we explore the changing modes of leadership, communication, and media management to make a pitch for Optics management backed by concrete action. Drawing insights from leadership theories and using examples from modern leaders, we discuss the pros and cons of when leadership by Optics management works and when it doesn’t.
We are living in recessionary times. While some businesses are laying off workers, others are cutting down on perks and bonuses. Having said that, there are other ways to Ride the Recession and these include using cash reserves by ploughing back some of that hoard back into the business. This article examines some of such strategies that businesses and corporate leaders can pursue to ensure that they survive the recessionary times. We also consider how HR managers and Leaders need to manage the Internal Dynamics during these times.
Corporates have to publish quarterly results listing the financials for each quarter. This leads to Short Termism as stock prices fluctuate based on such numbers and hence, business leaders are under pressure to show results for the shorter term instead of focusing on longer term value creation. At the same time, quarterly reporting is essential for accountability and transparency and hence, there is no point in hiding behind supposedly idealistic notions. These are some of the themes that we focus on in this article with the central argument that business leaders have to find the balance between competing and conflicting objectives.
This article is about the dangers of having personality cults around leaders. Using theories and examples from the real world, we argue that while leaders do need to be charismatic and inspire their followers, they must not lose touch with reality, wherein they start believing the hype and loving their image. In addition, we also point out that even in the business world, there are leaders with strong personality cults only that there are enough checks and balances to restrain them.
This article discusses the skills that leaders in the Digital Age need to master. Using examples from the real world, we explain how leaders in the present times need mastery over technology, need to articulate vision and build longer term sustainable value and at the same time, have to be enablers and incubators, rather than Micro Managers.
This article discusses how Corporates must treat Misdemeanours by Senior Leaders. Using theory and real world examples, we argue that Senior Leaders are Role Models for the Rank and File and hence, any Misdemeanour by them must be handled firmly and in an Uncompromising manner. We also discuss how the Regulators, the Media, the Equity Markets, and the Public at large views Misdemeanours by Senior Leaders and hence, a firm response is needed so as to not damage the organizational health and longevity.
This article argues that truly successful leaders are those who are visionary and at the same time, can balance their dreams with realities. Using examples from the real world and the corporate world, we explain how and why successful leaders become the way they are. We also touch upon how followers have to be patient and how colleagues, stakeholders, and contemporaries of the leaders have to cooperate.
People in general are skeptical of power for the fear of ruffling feathers, being punished or getting manipulated, but in an organizational set up power can be an important managerial tool to get things done.
What is Self Evaluation? What are the Elements of Self Evaluation? How does Self Evaluation help in bettering Job Performance? Why we need more Self Aware and Less Self Centred Leaders? This article applies the Theory of Self Evaluation to modern leadership and argues that it is key to success for present day leaders. In addition, we discuss Emotional Intelligence and how it can be used in organizations.
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