Become a good people manager: lesson 4

What is leadership?

By Giorgia Madonno By Marco Polo Consulting

Leadership is the influencing process of leaders anf followers to achieve organizational objectives through change.

Let's discuss the key elements of this definition: 

1) Leaders-followers: In the influencing process of leadership is between leaders and followers,  not just leaders influencing followers, it is a two way street. 

2) Influence. Influencing is the process of a leader communicating ideas, gaining acceptance of them, and motivating followers to support and implementthe ideas through change. Influence is the essence of leadership.  Influencing also is about relationship between leaders and followers. Leaders gain the committment and enthusiasm of followers who are willing to be influenced.

3) Organizational  objectives. Effective leaders influence followers to think not only of their interest but the interests of the organization. Members of the organization need to work together toward an outcome that the leader and the follower both want, a desired future or shared purpose that motivate them toward this more preferable outcome. Leaders need to provide direction. Effective leaders set clear goals. 

4) Change. Influencing and setting objectives is about change. Organizations need to continually change, in adapting to the rapidly changing global environment. Effective leaders realize the need for continual change to improve performance. 

5) People. Leadership is about leading people. effective leaders enjoy working with people and helping them to suceed. 

Leadership managerial roles:

Henry Mintzbetg identified 10 managerial roles that leaders perform to accomplish organizational objectives. He grouped them in 3 cathegories as below: 

Interpersonal roles

1) Figurehead: leaders perform the figurehead role when they represent the organization or the department in legal, social, cerimonial, and symbolic activities.

Example: Signing official documents, Presiding meetings and cerimonials

2) Leader role: according to Mintzbetg, the leader role is that of performing the management functions to effectively operate the managers' organization unit.

Example: hiring and training, coaching, evaluating performance etc.

3) Liaison role. Leaders perform the liaison role when they interact with people outside their organizational unit. This includes networking to develop relationship and gain information and favors. organization politics is an important part of liason role.

Example: attending professional/trafe association meetings, calling and meeting with people to keep in touch.

Informational roles:

1) Monitor role. Leaders perform this role when they gather information. Most of information is analyzed to discover problems and opportunities, and to understand events outside the organizational unit.

Example: reading memos, reports, newspaper, attending meetings, visiting a competitor's store to compare products

2) Disseminator role. Leaders perform this role when they send information to others in the organization unit. managers have access to information that is not available to employees.

Example: Orally through email, one-to-one discussions, or group meetings

3) Spoke person. Leaders perform this rolewhen they provide information to people outside the organizational unit, to their bosses  (board of directors, owners, managers) and  outside (other departments, customers, suppliers)

Example: meeting with the boss to discuss performance, reporting information to government etc

Decisional roles

1) Entrepreneur role. Leaders perform this role when they innovate ad innovate and initiate improvements

Example: developing new or improved products and services, purchasing new equipments

2) Disturbance-Handler Role. Leaders perform this role when they
take corretive action during crisis or conflict situations.

Example: a union strike, the breakdown of important machinese/equipment


3) Resource-Allocator Role. Leaders perform this role when they schedule, request authorization, and perform budgeting activities.

Example: Time management priorities, determining who gets overtime or a merit increase.