Women and Leadership

Recent years more and more women have appeared on the international arena as successful political leaders. This tendency shows that women have the same leadership abilities as men and can successfully perform as Presidents and Prime Ministers. This trend is a good sign for leadership in the world which can be interpreted as a great step towards equal opportunities and the ability of public to overcome prejudices against women abilities to lead and rule.

Women leadership abilities are formed under the influence of individual characteristics, internal and external environment. It is concerned with why they choose a particular course of action in preference to others, and why they continue with a chosen action, often over a long period, and in the face of difficulties and problems. This type of communication provides additional channels of communication and provides a means of motivation, for example, through status, social inter¬action, variety in routine jobs, and informal methods of work. It is admitted that women leaders are "more likely to be transformational leaders, defined as those who serve as role models, mentor and empower workers and encourage innovation even when the organization they lead is generally successful" (Evanston, 2005).

Without the direct participation and support of an institution's leadership, this power cannot be pushed to its full potential. Leadership requires many of the characteristics common to all leaders, but also requires special abilities to manage any organization in today's rapidly changing environment. One model for thinking about strategic change sees the exis¬tence of leadership as a social system built on 'influence paths' or 'loops'.

Most women leaders posses greater ability to motivate and inspire followers In order to achieve optimal goals three basics would be taken into account: motivation, reward and commitment. Motivating other people is about getting them to move in the direction they want them to go in order to achieve a result.

Motivation can be described as goal-directed behaviour and ability to contribute to a solution. Followers are motivated when they expect that a course of action is likely to lead to the attainment of a goal and a valued reward - one that satisfies their needs. It is reasonable to believe that strong commitment to work is likely to result in consci¬entious and self-directed application to do the job, regular attendance, nominal supervision and a high level of effort.
Referring to Eagly's study Evanston (2005) states that: "Women also scored higher than men on one measure of transactional leadership -- rewarding employees for good performance" (Evanston 2005). This explains why some countries prefer to elect female Presidents and Prime Ministers.

"Women presidents, prime ministers, and heads of state have commanded powerful nations throughout history. Great historical leaders include Cleopatra VII of Egypt, Queen Isabel I of Spain, Queen Elizabeth I of Great Britain, Catherine the Great of Russia, Empress Dowager Tz'u-his of China, and others" (Boyd, 2002). Probably, the most famous women of all times is Margaret Thatcher who proved the image of an "iron lady" able to compete with men on the political arena. Being an excellent example of an ideal female leader Margaret Thatcher possesses such features as vision of the future and personal charisma (Margaret Thatcher, 2005). The other famous female leaders include: Prime Minister of New Zealand Helen Clark and Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel. "The world record amount of female world leaders was 13, in July of 2002, when Lativa, Finland, New Zealand, Ireland, Sri Lanka, The Philippines, Indonesia, Panama, Bangladesh, Sengal, São Tomé and Príncipe, and South Korea all had female leaders (Current Female World Leader Count 9, 2005).

General leadership skills are not sufficient in enriched environments. It must directly relate to the tools, medium, strategies, and competencies found within this culture. The recent tendency shows that female leader possess the competencies to use and evaluate new tools, but she must also have the insight into the impact these tools will have on the future of their countries. The ability to develop a shared vision for future political and economic changes within a country and in the world is an essential part of leadership.

Female leaders bring to politics a new vision of the problems and new strategies to problems solving. For instance, the example of African female leader depicts that women "bring motherly sensitivity and emotion to their presidency" (Female presidents show how the U.S. lags, 2005). Female political leaders show that leading others is not simply a matter of style, or following some how-to guides or recipes. Ineffectiveness of leaders seldom results from a lack of know-how or how-to, nor it is typically due to inadequate skills. Leadership is even not about creating a great vision. It is about creating conditions under which all followers can perform independently and effectively toward a common objective.
To overcome limitations of male leadership Liberian President" her presidential campaign on her experience and wisdom -- and on bringing a woman's touch to the civic reconciliation necessary for Liberia" (Female presidents show how the U.S. lags, 2005).

Female leaders help each of their followers to develop into an effective self-leader by providing them with the behavioral and cognitive skills necessary to exercise self-leadership. An important measure of a leader's own success is he success of her followers. The strength of a leader is measured by the ability to facilitate the self-leadership of others first critical step towards this goal is to master self-leadership. If leaders want to lead somebody, they must first lead themselves.

The list of female Presidents includes: Mary McAleese, Ireland (1997) and Ruth Dreifuss, Switzerland (1999-2000), Mireya Elisa Moscoso de Arias, Panama (1999-prersent ) and Tarja Kaarina Halonen, Finland (2000- present), etc. The Prime Ministers are Helen Clark, New Zealand (1999- present), Sheikh Hasina Wajed, Bangladesh (1996- present), Janet Jagan, Guyana (1997, President 1997-1999) so on. (Women Leaders. 2005).

In spite of this list and world's political practive it is supposed that women cannot be cussessful leaders because of conviction. In the article "Why Can't Women Be Leaders Too?"
Robin Gerber explains his vision of women leadership stating that: "women' conviction is not just having a belief, but holding strongly to it. It's one thing to talk about change; it's another thing to actually do something" (Graham, 2005). It would be possible to agree with Robin Gerber if not a numerous examples of successful female leaders.

The other leadership quality which appeals to many people is that female leaders are more trustworthy than men. Women leaders are able to implement new style faster than men. For instance, female leader in Peru is characterized as: "She's a good woman, the woman who is going to move us forward, because the men can't be trusted,'' said Magda Acuna, who sells shirts and slacks. ''They rob. They're corrupt. Women are more honest.'' (Vecchio, 2001). In pursuing and achieving objectives, Women leaders are more open to new ideas, insights, and revelations that can lead to better ways to accomplishing goals. This continuous learning process can be exercised.

To conclude it is possible to say that female leadership proves the fact that the world is needed in new vision and novelty brought by women. Recent years, global population are looking for leaders who are willing to give it all they have and they will follow, and female leaders are able to join strong leadership skills with female nature. Women leadership is the best process currently available for improving political effectiveness . The design retains needed principles from the traditional system; incorporates political principles, and builds a new system that works to accomplish overall objectives. The importance is that the process of effective leadership will be of extreme importance in the next 10 years and continues to advance rapidly and change becomes imperative. With a female leaders and transformational leadership any country will be "equipped" with the necessary and proper tools to successfully perform on the international arena and succeed on the national basis.

Produced by ProfEssays ( www.professays.com ) - professional custom essay writing service: custom essays, custom term papers, custom academic papers, custom research papers, compositions, book reports, case study. No plagiarism, high quality, prompt delivery.

The Enduring Leadership Legacy of Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs was one of those rare souls who will likely be as influential in death as he was in life, because he was a living legend who also left behind an enduring legacy. As Jobs' successor at Apple, Tim Cook, explained "Steve built a company and culture that is unlike any other in the world and we are going to stay true to that – it is in our DNA."

Raised on Cultural and Technological Innovation

That Steve Jobs DNA traces its hereditary roots to Santa Clara County, CA, an area now known as part of Silicon Valley – thanks in large part to Jobs' creative inventions. He spent his childhood there, coming of age at the geographical and social epicenter of the 1960s San Francisco antiestablishment revolution. He was inspired by that historical movement to reexamine the conventional world around him – and to ultimately redesign it with his signature blend of artistry, technology, and people-focused functionality.

Like his lifelong competitor Bill Gates, Jobs attended college for a while but soon dropped out to pursue other passions. He experimented, as did many others of his generation, with everything from spirituality and religion to psychedelia and counterculture. Jobs' favorite band was the Beatles, and following in the footsteps of the Fab Four he trekked to India to pursue his lifelong quest for philosophical answers and to try to satisfy an insatiable curiosity about life.

He was even inspired to name his company Apple, after the Beatles' Apple Corps, a decision that got him sued for brand copyright infringement by his musical heroes. But leaders know how to negotiate challenges and disagreements in ways that make everyone a winner. Jobs did that in legendary fashion, eventually settling the perennial dispute with Apple Corps by signing the music company to an exclusive digital distribution deal with Apple iTunes.

Leading from the Trenches

Jobs not only knew how to turn adversity into success, but also how to transform apparent failure into extraordinary achievement. When the first Apple retail store opened many people derided it as a failure waiting to happen, but within 10 years there were hundreds of wildly profitable Apple stores in prestigious locations.

Jobs also knew how it felt to suffer the private disappointment and public humiliation of being tossed out of his own company in the mid 1980s. Rather than retreat in bitterness or compete out of spite, however, he accepted an invitation to return and revive Apple from the verge of ruin and bankruptcy. With outstanding determination he quickly repositioned the floundering company as the most admired, respected, and valuable technology leader in the world.

Jobs also appreciated the value of leading by coaching and encouraging, and he gave supportive credit to his teams for Apple's amazing revival. To ensure that such dynamic interpersonal mentorship from the trenches could continue within the ranks of an ever-expanding organization, he wisely opened the groundbreaking Apple University.

"This is not a one-man show," he pointed out to BusinessWeek Magazine. "What's reinvigorating this company is two things: One, there's a lot of really talented people in this company who listened to the world tell them they were losers for a couple of years, and some of them were on the verge of starting to believe it themselves. But they're not losers. What they didn't have was a good set of coaches, a good plan."

Launching the "I" Generation

Jobs exemplified leadership creativity, and he himself said that the quality that distinguishes leaders from followers is innovation. "Apple is about people who think outside the box," he told Time Magazine, "people who want to use computers to help them change the world, to help them create things that make a difference, and not just to get a job done."

The products that Apple has launched have revolutionized not only the workplace but also our homes, the way we interact socially, and the way we view our relationship with technology.

"A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them," Jobs said in a BusinessWeek interview. But Apple customers always recognized and resonated with those fantastic tools when Jobs unveiled them. That's because he and his enterprise made sophisticated science user-friendly, and they made necessary technology sleek, elegant, fun, and sexy.

Not one to rest on his laurels, Job continued to take calculated risks beyond his comfort zone, right up until the end. "I think if you do something and it turns out pretty good," he told NBC in 2006, "then you should go do something else wonderful, not dwell on it for too long. Just figure out what's next."

An Undying Leadership Legacy

Jobs lived life on his own terms, and by doing so he left a magnificent sustainable legacy. "Your time is limited so don't waste it living someone else's life," he famously said.

In his commencement speech at Stanford in 2005, Jobs advised new graduates, "Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on."

Meanwhile Jobs explained that all external expectations and fears of embarrassment or failure fall away in the face of death. What is left is what is truly important, he realized, which is why he stressed that there is no reason not to follow your heart.

"Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn't matter to me," he told the Wall Street Journal. "Going to bed at night saying we've done something wonderful, that's what matters to me."

The announcement of Steve Jobs' passing on the Apple website expressed our sentiments succinctly and eloquently. "Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius," it said, "and the world has lost an amazing human being."



Sarah Hathorn - About the Author:

Sarah Hathorn, AICI CIP, CPBS is an internationally distinguished executive coach, corporate consultant, professional speaker, and the founding CEO of her own company, Illustra Consulting. A career acceleration and leadership presence expert, Hathorn created the innovative Predictable Promotion System, a 10-step proprietary process she uses to coach managers aspiring to be directors, directors seeking vice presidential promotions, and VP's eager to ascend to the C-suite. Hathorn served as a senior level executive for a Fortune 100 company for 25 years, and she has more than 30 years of experience mentoring high potentials for rapid career advancement and extraordinary success.

Get your FREE CD – "5 Steps to a Fast, Predictable Promotion" at http://www.illustraconsulting.com/subscribe

Website & Blog: www.illustraconsulting.com

Phone 800-267-3245 Email: info@illustraconsulting.com

Copyright © 2006 – 2012, Sarah Hathorn, AICI CIP, CPBS

Become a Champion of Change

By Andrew Horton

The most well-known distinction between a manager and a leader is found in the fact that managers are great at maintaining direction or managing processes, whilst leaders are able to influence people and move an organisation in a new direction. Managers are thus able to steer the ship, whilst leaders are able to plot the course. These constantly changing times we now live in, have made managers redundant, any business, which wants to thrive and even survive, in the new age of constant and rapid change, must be filled with leaders, at every level in the organisation.

Managers were able to manage systems and maintain the direction of businesses in the past. All business today need to be flexible and be able to rapidly change direction, so that they can work within the changing environment they face every day. Any business, which wants to still be around five years from now, needs a competent leader at the helm. In times of change, like we are facing right now, people always seek out more and better leaders. The leaders, who will thrive in this new environment and who will be the most sought after, understand the fact that any change, needed in their organisation, must start with them first. Mahatma Gandhi said it so well when he said "We must be the change that we envision." and Tolstoy said, "Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."

If you are a leader, who wants to successfully lead your organisation in these turbulent times, which I believe is the new norm, you must accept that all change starts and ends with you. If you want anything around you to change, you must change. When you are the example of the change you want and need in your organisation, people will support you as the leader and introduce the change needed. No leader can change anyone else. The only person who can change himself or herself is himself or herself. I know this sounds really simplistic and obvious, but too many leaders think that they can change the people in their organisation. As a leader you are responsible to lead the people who follow you and positively influence them. You can never be responsible for them and the way they think, feel and just are.

No one can ever change anyone else, unless they want to change and they choose to make the change themselves. As a leader you are responsible for teaching the people in your team good leadership, for sharing things that can add value to their lives, guiding, growing and evolving them, but the people in your teams are the only ones, who can take responsibility to change themselves.

As a leader the best way to encourage the people around you to embrace change, is to stop hoping things will change and to lead the necessary change, by changing yourself first. Once the leader has embraced the necessary change, he or she must encourage people to see the importance of change and to lead them to start the necessary change within themselves. You must encourage and show all the people in your teams that change is an inside job. Change is a door that opens from within.

When you as the leader can influence the people within your teams to start making the personal changes necessary, to support the changes in your environment and they understand that the change must start with them, you will have discovered a fantastic tool for managing and thriving in these new changing times. Change is the new normal and just the way things are today. When everyone in your team becomes a part of the solution in your organisation and they are willing to make the personal changes needed, to thrive in these rapidly evolving and changing times. You have discovered the winning formula to play a winning game and you and your organisation get to become a champion of change.

http://www.andrewhorton.co.za

Powerful, Successful, Ambitious Women

For more than 30 years I've coached and mentored women who are top-caliber Fortune 500 executives and high-level entrepreneurs. Meanwhile during that whole time I was either a Fortune 100 senior executive or the founding CEO of my own successful consulting firm. Many things have changed for women in the workplace over the years, but as the saying goes "the more things change, the more they stay the same." What I'm referring to here is the sad fact that, even in this advanced era of the 21st century, negative stereotypes about women in executive positions stubbornly persist.

The one that most often comes to mind is that if you are a woman and you are powerful within the business community then it must mean that you are also self-centered and egocentric.

So let me set the record straight. The most successful women leaders I know are actually just the opposite, because they derive their power from an ability to make the women and men around them more successful and powerful. Women who are the strongest executives, in other words, didn't get there by being concentrated primarily on themselves and their own needs. They achieved leadership stardom because they focus instead on how to develop and empower their employees and teams while giving those colleagues increased autonomy and responsibility.

Great female leaders don't hoard power and influence. They delegate it and they also coach and mentor others who do not yet have it but have the desire to accelerate their careers and accomplish their dreams.

Iconic female executives don't compete with their team members; they champion them and their accomplishments. They praise team members and employees to upper management to help them get the recognition and promotions they deserve. They mentor, guide, and develop others every step of the way, being completely unselfish about sharing their own expertise, experience, and honest narrative of how they got to where they are in life. They don't present themselves as the center of attention, in other words, but they shine the limelight on those around them. The best of them also show their vulnerable, personal, so-called "softer side" to let those around them know that they are human and imperfect.

Powerful women become powerful, and retain their power, by helping to empower others – not by being egomaniacs focused on their own self-aggrandizement and power-grabbing strategies.

To state it simply, powerful women put other people first.

Next time you hear this kind of stereotyping or feel that it is being directed toward you, don't let it get under your skin and into your head where it can turn into anger, resentment, or negative mental chatter. Keep doing what you're doing, helping others improve their performance, productivity, value, and work/life balance.

Those people – the ones whose lives and careers you enhance by your tireless and selfless work – recognize who you really are, and they respect and celebrate you for it day-in and day-out. They are the ones who will make sure that your leadership legacy in this world vanquishes these silly and baseless stereotypes about women in positions of power.


Sarah Hathorn - About the Author:

Sarah Hathorn, AICI CIP, CPBS is an internationally distinguished executive coach, corporate consultant, professional speaker, and the founding CEO of her own company, Illustra Consulting. A career acceleration and leadership presence expert, Hathorn created the innovative Predictable Promotion System, a 10-step proprietary process she uses to coach managers aspiring to be directors, directors seeking vice presidential promotions, and VP's eager to ascend to the C-suite. Hathorn served as a senior level executive for a Fortune 100 company for 25 years, and she has more than 30 years of experience mentoring high potentials for rapid career advancement and extraordinary success.

Get your FREE CD – "5 Steps to a Fast, Predictable Promotion" at http://www.illustraconsulting.com/subscribe

Website & Blog: www.illustraconsulting.com

Phone 800-267-3245 Email: info@illustraconsulting.com

Copyright © 2006 – 2012, Sarah Hathorn, AICI CIP, CPBS

Best Way To Be A Critical Thinker

By Trevisani

Sometimes I can find wonderful material off their fields to make use of within my space of business coaching, management and development. While I look for a gem that may be applicable, I prefer to customize the thinking a bit to fit also it aids in how to improve communications skills.

There is certainly one chapter inside Kathleen Panula Hockey's book, "Raising Depression Free Children" dedicated to describe five specific critical thinking skills that we can teach our youngsters. Thankfully the children are depression free, but I love the chapter anyway. She focuses mainly on teaching children with these:

1. Recognizing the main difference between a thought, an atmosphere, and a situation.

2. Recognizing the main difference from a fact, a possibility, as well as an unanswerable question.

3. Recognizing the main difference between fantasy and reality.

4. Knowing that one choice eliminates another choice.

5. Developing the opportunity to take a look at potential future consequences of choices.

OK, I know by isn't it about time all of them down cold. If not, allow me to discuss them again from the business management training perspective.

1. Recognizing the real difference between a thought, an atmosphere, plus a situation. "This is the place I view it" is a thought "I'm so angry" can be a feeling and, "I'm sitting here" is really a situation. Think about the amount of mix these up. A sense of frustration, for instance, does not necessarily mean everything is out of hand. Yet, I'm a lot of energy consumed by people getting through a situation believe that is real. Even worse, a scenario they've zero treatments for. You could know the phrase the word: FEAR—false expectations appearing real.

2. Recognizing the gap between a fact, plausible, plus an unanswerable question. "The economy is increasing" is really a fact "the economy might be growing more" can be a possibility "what would Obama begin doing" is definitely an unanswerable question. Wow, what a fuzzy line exists here. In fact there is vast differences together. Critical thinking is essential to find out action. Taking massive action over a possibility is really a terrible waste of resources nevertheless I see that all to often by businesses and managers.

3. Recognizing the real difference between fantasy and reality. Your expectations and dreams are fantasies the experience that you just or another person actually takes is reality. There exists a place for both, but understanding the difference is essential—particularly with feelings, which can be an inside phenomenon. Feelings, particularly intuition could be a fantastic guide, yet it's not real. I enjoy give attention to a few things i see as "conversion". A Vision for your company maybe career can be a fantasy or perhaps a dream. It's not an actuality. It can however, becoming reality. How? Developing a strategy, converting it to some tactical plan, then goal setting tips and after that taking actions that produce results—reality.

4. Knowing that one choice eliminates another choice. You can't be by 50 % places immediately—an application of what the law states of non-contradiction. We have coached many you cannot ride two horses for very long.

5. Developing the opportunity to take a look at potential future consequences of choices. The most vital of all the critical thinking skills. While you cannot predict the future, it is possible to simulate your alternatives prior to you making a determination.

Teach these thinking skills in your team (and your children). As an additional benefit, in the event you're setting up a reason for teaching these skills, you'll be practicing them yourself. These management courses online are created to assistance with this.

Servant Leadership: Leading the Way Through Servitude

Servant leadership is having the desire to not only lead, but to do so in an ethical manner. I am aware that this could mean a variety of things for many people, but to me, it means making decisions that will benefit those within the organization as well as the organization as a whole, and putting the wellbeing of the organization and its members before self. It also means taking the necessary measures to ensure proper growth of the organization and its members—whether it is through additional training at the expense of the organization, or simply taking time out of one’s day to ensure that organization members feel worthwhile.  Servant leadership has become more attractive in recent years because people are beginning to realize that while an organization can achieve success under a tyrannical leader, this success will be limited and short lived. The most successful organizations are comprised of content members. This can only be achieved through servant leadership.  

The primary problem with leadership is that some leaders have shown resistance to encouraging the growth of those around them. The desire for constituents’ success in and outside of the workplace, and longing for them to become competent leaders in society is a prime example of servitude while in a leadership role. 

Building Relationships with Constituents

In the stages to becoming a servant leader, one is first dependent, then becomes independent, and then ultimately becomes interdependent with his or her constituents and the organization as the leader strives to support others and the institution. The principle of interdependence is a critical aspect of servant leadership, because without this relationship, success will be stifled. In order to move into the final stage of interdependence, servant leaders must build a rapport, which then leads to building a strong relationship with their constituents, which is mutually beneficial for the company, the leader, and its constituents. In order to achieve this level of success, it is necessary for the leader to show the constituents that they are cared about outside of the success of the organization—as an individual.

Evaluating Servant Leadership

So the question is, “How does one determine success of servant leadership”? Although servant leadership is a foreign management philosophy for some leaders, as desired results are achieved, more and more people have accepted this type of leadership. Content, high-performing employees validate servant leadership. While this unconventional style of leadership is not accepted by everyone, results are measureable, and after continued success, the servant leadership style can become more accepted into ones particular work environment.

An Early Course in Leadership

In February, 1971, I was a more or less lost, nineteen year old human being. I'd failed the first year of college, during the height of the Viet Nam war and was in danger of losing my deferment. I had been told emphatically by friends in 'Nam to do everything in my power to avoid service. To that stress was added my mother's preparation to move to remote, Southeastern Arizona to take a mining company job at a copper mine in the mountains. My younger brother and sister were going with her, but I was on the cusp of leaving home, and I had to decide what to do.

I'd had a couple part time jobs since blowing my 69/70 freshman year, and was enrolled at community college. I'd also had a failed roommate relationship with a friend whose father heard that I partied too hard, and insisted that he move. I was...miserable, and lost.

My mother offered to help me get a job as an orderly in the operating room of the hospital where she was a nurse anesthetist. I hemmed and hawed, and was honestly frightened about that encounter with the rawness of the surgical environment. But things closed in, and I had to take the job. It was very rough going in the beginning, as needless to say, the OR is not for the faint of heart. But out of necessity, I persisted. The family was gone, and I had nowhere to go and no one to be with but my little efficiency apartment, my girlfriend, and school.

Compressing things somewhat, I was eventually trained to become a surgical assistant, and became quite proficient in almost all areas of surgery, but mainly in orthopedics, cardiovascular and chest, and neuro. I kept the job well past graduation, until I landed my first mental health job (another story altogether) and eventually went on to graduate school.

The OR is a concentrated heirarchical environment, with the surgeon at the pinnacle. You can see all manner of leadership styles there, from the totally insecure rage-aholics who throw things, insult staff, complain about everything and browbeat whoever will allow it on up to those whose grasp of leadership can be said to be sublime.

It is this last I want to talk about here. There was a surgeon named Dr. Wayne G, who had been a flight surgeon during the Korean Conflict and was the epitome of the 'right stuff'. Instead of putting on a show of arriving in the OR, Dr. G merely washed his hands, came in the room, gowned and gloved, and greeted each individual by name. He was quiet, but radiated strength and commitment.

When he asked any member of the team for something he needed, he always phrased it this way, "Blank, would you please get me this, hand me that, or find that for me? Thank you." If he needed particular assistance, he would say something like, "I would really appreciate it if you would X, Y, or Z" If someone was struggling with a request they didn't understand, he would educate them. When I was in my early training phase, he would tell me the instrument he needed, and if I did not recognize the name, he would point it out, matter of fact, without drama, impatience or sarcasm. He never, ever lost his cool, because he knew that would cause others to lose theirs, and with a human life hanging in the balance, cool heads must prevail.

When procedures were over, he thanked everybody for their help by name, and congratulated us for a good job.

In a study of leadership, we can see that Dr. G had a complete grasp of 'being a leader' as a state of being, rather than as a transitive verb. People automatically fell into line, because they felt safe to follow. He radiated confidence, politeness, gratitude, compassion, understanding. These are the qualities people look for in their leaders, and if they find them, then they will be looking for ways to fall in behind them.

I call this 'Sign Up'- the desire in all of us to join an enterprise larger than ourselves because we have been shown a way by a trustworthy leader. It should be obvious that this human tendency can also be used for negative purposes as well, i.e. cults, bigotry, war etc. But even in these negative environments, the leaders still show the basic quality of being 'safe to join'.

If you are a leader of other humans reading this, and are struggling with those you lead, ask yourself if you are using the methods employed by Dr. G-

Do you really know their names, and who they are?

Do you greet them, and ask how they are doing, even if you know you'll get stock answers?

Do you listen to what they say?

Do you use your manners, your Please and Thank You's?

Do you express your gratitude for their help?

Do you keep your cool at all costs?

Do you spread shame and anger, or do you spread confidence and cooperation?

Do you want your job to be easy or hard?

Dr. G made his job easier by helping staff to cooperate with him, freeing him to concentrate on the important work at hand.

If you've read this and would like to converse more about it, please feel free to contact me.

Managing Ethical Dilemmas

In the day-to-day operations of a business, all leaders are faced with ethical issues. Ethical issues range from determining which employees deserve promotions to more complex issues, such as serving a client with a potentially unethical request. Regardless of their complexity, all ethical issues that arise in the workplace should be carefully examined, and handled with care, as the determinations of these ethical issues can lead to the growth or demise of a company. 

Critical Thinking and Emotion

While some dismiss emotion when processing moral dilemmas, emotion is intrinsic to the ethical decision process. According to theorists Gaudine and Thorne, “Emotion is often a non-essential aspect to the ethical decision process that is best ignored, if not controlled, as it interferes with logical, rational ethical decision process…but emotions should not be ignored as irrational biases to a rational ethical decision process, but attention to ones emotions may result in a better ethical decision.” While the consideration of emotions is not the only necessary aspect of the critical thinking process when working through ethical problems in the workplace, including emotions in this process actually strengthens the cognitive analysis of ethical dilemmas.

Ethics, Credibility and Relationships

Ethically sound leadership is directly correlated to increased credibility and stronger relationships within organizations, as strong ethics result in increased credibility, which then builds lasting relationships with team members. Treating employees and situations in an ethical manner will help leaders gain credibility and build stronger relationships. Many theorists believe that “late stage” managers are actually more ethical than their less developed counterparts, and these late stage managers and entrepreneurs develop their own ethical systems based on the varying interactions and environmental changes, rather than holding steadfast to a particular way or formula for coping with workplace dilemmas. As managers move through developmental stages and become more ethical, the community is strengthened, which can also be interpreted as the key component of unity within strong organizations.

As credibility is increased, the building of strong relationships naturally follows. Organizational leaders who are perceived to have a high level of credibility are admired and respected by their constituents. This increased credibility of leaders also makes the admiring constituents feel more worthy, and feel as though they are valued. This sense of being valued leads to increased loyalty and a strong relationship between leaders and their constituents. Therefore we can see how sound ethics leads to increased credibility, which leads to relationship building. Rather than acting as tyrant, ethical leaders create a collaborative environment and a feeling of being a part of a team for all members of the organization, regardless of rank or position. It is a continuous cycle. If one aspect is missing—ethical behavior, credibility or relationship—it will be very difficult for the other aspect to exist.

Understanding Leadership: Integration of the Five Frames for Effective Leadership

Frameworks are used to understand organizations, and to find the best way to operate the organization, its structure, and resolve various issues that arise. The five organizational frames are the rational frame, the human frame, the systems frame, the political frame, and the cultural frame. It is imperative to understand that when organizational leaders integrate all five frames, they can successfully solve organizational dilemmas.

The Rational Frame

The first principle of the rational frame is the organization is an instrument for the achievement of specific goals. The second principle of the rational frame asserts that every organization has an optimal structure and process, and in order to achieve this, the organization must incorporate differentiation and integration. Differentiation can be achieved by dividing responsibilities within the organization. The third and fourth principles of the rational frame blame inefficient structure for organizational problems, and state that reorganization can often solve those problems. 

The Human Frame

As its name implies, the human frame focuses on how human needs affect organizations. The first principle of the human frame is that the organization is the vehicle for satisfying healthy human needs. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is an integral part of the human frame. Just as a person whose physiological needs are not met cannot focus on needs of belongingness until his or her basic needs are met, the people within an organization, and the organization itself, operates in a similar way. On the organizational hierarchy of needs, increasing productivity and making a profit would be a basic need to survive. As organizations progress, ethical needs would be further up on the hierarchy of needs. Rather than simply questioning whether something is profitable would no longer be sufficient for someone who was looking at the situation from the human frame. The second principle of the human frame places the emphasis on the codependent relationship of the individual and the organization. The third principle of the human frame states that the needs of healthy people and the goals of functional organizations must be integrated in order for both to be productive. The fourth principle of the human frame is based on the concept of McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y, which states that employees act the way they believe they are perceived by their managers—a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts.

The Systems Frame

The main focus of the systems frame is the relationship between the organization and its surrounding environment, whereas the organization adjusts to its surroundings. Due to this adjustment to the surrounding environment, there is never an absolute resolution to a problem, because the environment is constantly changing. 

The Political Frame

All four principles of the political frame of reference address how organizations operate as a functioning unit within society. The first principle of the political frame states that the organization is bounded by the allocation of scarce resources. In this case, a leader viewing the organization’s dilemma from the political frame may view articles as a scarce resource. The second, third, and fourth principles address the differing beliefs of organizational members, negotiation that is necessary due to these differing beliefs, and the necessary conflict within organizations. Leaders viewing situations from this perspective would recognize that people within organizations are bound to perceive situations differently and for differing reasons. It is likely that these leaders would realize that internal conflict can lead to results by testing and refining ideas which would lead to discussion, and a possible compromise.

The Cultural Frame

The cultural frame addresses the way the actual organization can define problems and offer solutions based on the existing culture of the organization. The four principles of the cultural frame state that meaning is constructed for participants through organizational culture, that culture consists of the beliefs of these participants, and is reflected in behaviors and norms, and the group’s behaviors are due to learned responses based on that culture. Based on the aforementioned principles, a leader who is guided by the cultural reference frames does not make decisions that he or she feels is best for the organization, but to the contrary, the culture of the organization says what works in the specific environment. 

In conclusion, effective leaders must integrate the perspectives of all five frames. Managers and entrepreneurs who approach organizational dilemmas using only one approach actually hinder organizations. When leaders do not balance the five frames, they become disconnected from the issue at hand and those who they lead. Integrative leaders combine various management styles and theories, rather than just choosing one.