personal philosophy of leadership – part 3 personal philosophy of leadership abstract this...

Personal Philosophy of Leadership – Part 3

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Golkonda, Jyothi

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Contents

Personal Philosophy of Leadership ................................................................................................. 2

Abstract ..................................................................................................................................................... 2

Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 2

Leadership Core Values ............................................................................................................................. 3

Leadership Assumptions ........................................................................................................................... 6

Personal Leadership Beliefs ...................................................................................................................... 7

Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................. 9

Annotated Bibliography .......................................................................................................................... 11

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Personal Philosophy of Leadership

Abstract

This paper will reflect my thoughts of leadership the responsibilities of leader and summary of

what I’ve learnt in this class on leadership theories, practices, values, assumptions, vision,

beliefs, behaviors, diversity, team building, dealing with change, and ethics. What makes a

leader more effective and successful? The ethical responsibilities of a leader, the principles of

leadership and the qualities a leader must have. Importance of self-awareness, trust, relational

transparency and balanced processing in a leader. Leaders must be value-centered, self-

disciplined, passionate and compassionate. A leader must be able to adapt their leadership style

to the situation at hand. They must be attuned to the situation and the needs of their subordinates,

some situations may need the leader to be directive while some situations may need the leader to

be supportive.

Introduction

"A leader isn't limited to those with positional authority. Leadership, instead, is defined

alternatively as someone who influences others to achieve a common goal. This would represent

the work and contributions of anyone who serves in this capacity." -- Barbara Steel, senior vice

president of leadership effectiveness at Zenger Folkman and co-author of "How to Be

Exceptional: Drive Leadership Success by Magnifying Your Strengths" (McGraw-Hill, 2012),

"A leader is someone who actually listens. Someone who takes advice and implements it. Most

leaders need to listen more and talk less." -- Jeffery Hayzlett, CEO of The Hayzlett Group

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"Leadership is the willingness to speak up when it's easier to stay silent, hold yourself

accountable when you have excuses at the ready and inspire without intimidation or the fear

another will surpass you. A leader shows more empathy than ego and remains dedicated to the

betterment of the whole and not the advancement of one." -- Brenda Della Casa, director of

online content and community at Preston Bailey Designs.

To me leadership is an interpersonal process of influencing your team towards the organization’s

goal. Leadership is about listening to your team, recognizing their effort and standing up for

them. Leadership is about building a collaborative environment within the team. A leader must

be honest, clarify values and set an example for their team. Another important aspect of the

leader is to envision the future

Leadership Core Values

I think the core values of leadership are honesty, integrity, influence, motivate, recognition and

trust.

Honesty

According to Northouse honesty is not just about telling the truth. It has to do with being open

with others and representing reality as fully and completely as possible. Sometimes telling the

complete truth can be destructive and counterproductive. The challenge for leaders is to strike

the balance between being open and candid while monitoring what is appropriate to disclose in a

particular situation. Similarly there may be organizational constraints that prevent leaders from

disclosing information to their subordinates. Honesty is about not promising what cannot be

delivered.

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Integrity

Integrity and honesty go hand in hand. Integrity is taking responsibility for your actions,

respecting others and respect for self. Leaders with integrity inspire others since they can be

trusted to do what they say. Subordinates are constantly observing their leader. Leaders with

highest standards of character and integrity set higher standards for the group by playing a role

model. Leaders with integrity are loyal, dependable and not deceptive. Leaders must exhibit the

same morals and ethics that they seek in their subordinates.

Influence

Influence is how a leader affects their subordinates. According to Terry R. Bacon author of

“Elements of Influence” people try to influence other by using ten positive influence techniques:

logical persuading, legitimizing, exchanging, stating, socializing, appealing to relationship,

consulting, alliance building, appealing to values, and modeling. Leader’s influence their team

mostly by role modeling, having higher standards and values and gaining the trust of

subordinates.

Motivate

According to Northouse motivation is an important skill in a leader. Leaders must be self-

motivated and must motivate their subordinates to work hard at achieving their goals. Leaders

must make their subordinates feel that they are performing an important work that is necessary

for the organization’s well-being and success. This motivational aspect drives them to achieve

their goals. A leader must step into the shoes of their subordinates and view things from the

subordinate’s perspective. Empathize with their subordinates during difficult times and make

them stronger mentally and emotionally. Motivation can also be accomplished by recognizing

subordinates for their effort and rewarding them.

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Recognition

Recognition is the process of reinforcing desired behaviors, and recognizing individuals and

teams in a timely and effective way, for their exceptional contributions. Recognition is an

important part of leadership. Recognition not only brings emotional lift to the individual who

was recognized but also encourage similar behavior with everyone else.

Trust

Trust is built based on character and competence. Character includes the leader’s integrity,

motive and intent with their subordinates. Competence includes the leader’s capabilities, skills,

results and track record. Both these qualities are very essential for a leader to build trust within

subordinates. A leader who is honest and sincere but is not capable of driving the results will not

be trusted by their subordinates. Similarly a leader with very good talent, skills and good track

record but is not honest will not be trusted by their subordinates.

Stephen M R Covey lists 13 Behaviors of High-Trust Leaders Worldwide

1. Talk Straight

2. Demonstrate Respect

3. Create Transparency

4. Right Wrongs

5. Show Loyalty

6. Deliver Results

7. Get Better

8. Confront Reality

9. Clarify Expectation

10. Practice Accountability

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11. Listen First

12. Keep Commitments

13. Extend Trust

Leadership Assumptions

According to Dr. Stephen R Covey’s leadership must be centered on a set of moral principles. He

believes that these principles are interdependent and must be practiced together in leadership to

be effective. Covey also suggests that leadership should focus on aiding individuals who need to

be listened to, understood and empowered.

The principles listed in Principle-Centered Leadership support the servant leadership model

which believes that “effective leadership emerges from a desire to help others”. Although the

characteristics of a principle-centered leader are definitely traits of some people in leadership

roles, there do not appear to be any one trait that every effective leader falls into.

The foundation for authentic leadership is the moral and ethical values that the leader believes in

and the leader’s positive psychological qualities and self-awareness. A leader must also be

transparent, open and truthful. Balanced processing is a self-regulatory behavior of authentic

leader is balanced processing. Balanced processing is about being fair and having an open mind

and exploring other people’s opinion before making a decision. It is about objectively

considering others perspective but at the same time using one’s internal moral s