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There is an ongoing debate in the field of
leadership, as to whether a leader is born
or made. The inevitable truth is that whether a person is born with natural
leadership characteristics or has developed these over time,
a person who may not have been born with these traits can certainly develop the
essential characteristics of leadership. Whether
one believes leaders are born or made, there is a
need to continue improving leaders. The entire issue
of Leadership is about what is most effective in
the leadership role of a specific organization. Leadership styles that work in one
organization, may not work in another organization.
Seemingly, leadership today is significantly different
from leadership decades ago. Yet, the core characteristics of great leaders are
foundational across the ages, providing a perspective into
what makes `good' leadership and how leaders can
seek effectiveness.
With the myriad of given instruments, tests,
and books on leadership, the pursuit to understand leadership is a never-ending journey by
both scholars as well as those who practice
leadership. One notable study that sought to understand
the nuances and components of understanding leadership was by Winston and Patterson,
who found over 90 variables that scholars and researchers attribute to leadership, and while
the list is not exhaustive, it provides a
comprehensive path to leadership. While this is fundamental
to know and understand, the larger question that arises is: what creates good leadership
that sustains leaders, passes the test of time,
creates healthy and happy organizations and
employees, and ultimately effects change.
Kouzes and Posner provide a foundational piece to this puzzle with their insight on the
five exemplary leadership behaviors, in their book, The Leadership Challenge. The thing that is the
most interesting about these five behaviors is that
they are independent of culture and have been empirically tested cross-culturally as valid all
over the world, and stood the test of time. These
five exemplary leadership behaviors are: model the way, inspire a shared vision, challenge
the process, enable others to act, and encourage
the heart. Each of these is discussed below.
The first behavior, model the way, suggests that
a leader must be able to display and act in a way that will show followers how to behave in
a particular organization. Followers develop a psychological contract based on the way a
leader leads an organization and to ensure the organization is successful in their environment,
a leader must model the way that all should
engage. The ability to model the way includes doing what you say you will
do (keeping your word) and being the example. Leaders have the tendency
to promote behaviors that they are unwilling to practice themselves,
and yet true leadership is consistent—what you as a leader advocate is also
what you as a leader will do. Leaders who model the way, set strong
examples and build strong corporate cultures. |
