As we talk about transformational leadership one subset that sticks out is charismatic leadership. Charismatic leadership in my eyes goes in conjunction with authentic leadership. Personalities who show charismatic leadership possess dominate and confident traits along with an uncanny desire to influence, but are those all authentic? On the top many will argue yes, but a startling article has showed me this is not true. In the attached link below, the article describes professionals who are actually trained to teach their clients on how to fake charisma. What has the world come to? The women who wrote the article is an actual leadership coach! There is not an inch in my body that agrees with this practice. Illinois, our home state, is full of corruption. Do you think our governors were victims to leadership coaches? I think the correlation can be significant enough.
It is mind boggling that the people who we look up to are actually faker than plastic surgery! She states that it helps clients develop their own brand of charisma, but how can charisma be your own if it is fake! If this is the case, we might as well toss all of the people who have been inspirational to us through our lives and find new role models. The first “I” of transformational leadership is idealized influence charisma, which is described as acting as strong role models, having high standards of moral and ethical conduct, and making others want to follow the leader's vision. How in the world can you call yourself a leader when everything is a lie. We might as well call Kennith Lay a leader! He was pretty good at faking who he actually was. Give me some opinions on this! I was shocked to hear that professions like these exist.
Since it was just Masters Sunday, it seems appropriate to talk about the leaders in the golf world; specifically Tiger Woods. Golf still remains one of the truest games today that has been untouched by the media cloud that seems to smash and cause controversy in every professional sport. Until Tiger Woods botched up his image with an unimaginable car crash that later revealed a sex addict rippled with affairs, he was untouchable. Woods was the face of all sports. In my time, I have never found an athlete that could compare to his compassion and charisma on and off the course. Tiger Woods has an unmatched drive for perfection that many athletes couldn't even come close to replicating by a fraction of a percent during their whole career. This is what makes him so dominating. Is that why Tiger is an authentic leader? I believe so. Authentic leadership is characterized by exhibiting genuine leadership, leading from conviction, are originals, and base their actions on their values. Woods makes up all these characteristics and more.
To start Woods is genuine, he has been in the spotlight since he was barely able to walk as a guest on the Johnny Carson show. His drive and determination started as a young kid, and led him to be a star at Stanford University. He leads by conviction by never thinking he is perfect until he wins every tournament he enters, and what makes him original is he is of African American and Asian descent. There has never been a black athlete, let alone the richest athlete in history accomplish what he has. Original is an understatement for Woods because if there was someone more original, we would be talking about them and not Woods. Finally, we arrive at Wood's values. Being from a military background, drive and determination was instilled from a young age through his father, Earl. One thing that seems to be misunderstood in calling him a authentic leader, is the recent events that tarnished a great deal of his name. How can this be? Do most authentic leaders lead enough to see themselves turn bad as seen in the blockbuster hit “the Dark Knight” by the main character who turns into Two-Face? What do you think?
This article discusses what is necessary for a person to be a good boss, and it immediately drew my mind to the psychodynamic approach of leadership. I thought of the psychodynamic approach because it looks at personalities and at certain tendencies and qualities that people have.
The psychodynamic approach is useful for this situation because it can look at how the personality of the leader (boss) relates to the follower and vice versa. Certain situations in an organizational setting may require different personality types. For example, when looking at Jung’s classification of personality types, a top level position may require an intuitor because they are typically strategic thinkers and they plan for the future. An intuitor may find it easier to see the big picture. At a lower level position, a sensor may be a better fit because they are typically practical and detail oriented, which allows them to follow the direction of upper level management. However, because sensors are detail oriented and less imaginative than intuitors, they may find it more difficult to come up with new ideas.
I have a few ideas for how organizations could apply this information in order to get the most out of their leaders/managers and other employees. Organizations would benefit if they could find a way to place managers at a level that would be best suited by that person’s personality. The organization and the leader would also both benefit when a person is placed in a position because it will allow them to comfortably handle the situations at hand. Every personality type can be effective in a given situation. They key is to look at the person’s personality type, including any particular tendencies they may have, and fit the personality type to an appropriate situation.
Do you think that this application might be useful in an organization, or do you think that the leader would find it easier to adapt themselves to a particular situation?
As we have studied the various types of leadership styles, certain styles have caught my attention more than others. And this is my questions, "Where can I find an authentic leader to work for?"
As most of us will searching for full time jobs after graduation in a month, we will find ourselves working at the bottom of ladder. I know that if I was in that position, I would like to find myself working for an authentic leader. The five dimensions of authentic leadership outlined in the book by Bill George, represent characteristics of a boss that I'm sure all of us would like to work for.
I spent my last summer in Beijing for a smaller business working under one of the managers of the company. I faced a few problems in working with this manager as I was looking for a more personal experience including guidance in my efforts to produce work to meet this managers standards. I received much more of a transactional leadership experience as I truly only had one legitimate conversation with him over the course of the summer. While Shane, my boss, may have shown a few of the dimensions of an authentic leader, he lacked in creating relationships with those he was leading. While this may have been the only dimension he was missing, it was significant enough that he was not the authentic leader that I wish I had.
What kind of leaders have you worked for in the past? What kind would you prefer to work for? How can you adjust to make sure you get the experience you want from working under a particular leadership style?
Also, if you were to measure yourself against George's characteristics for authentic leadership (Purpose, Values, Relationships, Self-discipline, and Heart), where are you strongest and where do you come up short?
This was an interesting article I found on businessweek.com. This article describes the authors' views of why women are still being stereotyped in the workplace even with women's leadership programs in place. They believe that just having a women's program in existence is not enough. These programs need to be effective by communicating the right message and eliminating the stereotypes of women.
The first issue with the existing programs is the idea of exhibiting superwoman as the ultimate woman leader. As the example in the article states, the women who are characterized as top, successful leaders are those who emulate superwoman. This idea of a leader is unrealistic. Instead, women leaders need to be inspirational and motivational, according to the article. This idea is also mentioned in the Women and Leadership chapter in the textbook. The textbook states that women's styles tend to be more transformational than men's. Specifically, the inspirational motivation component of transformational leadership is linked to the statement in the article. This inspirational motivation component means that leaders communicate high expectations to followers and inspire them through motivation to become committed to and part of the shared vision in the organization.
I also thought it was interesting that the second issue with women's leadership programs is about the focus on the woes of women in leadership. It specifically mentions the glass ceiling and the double binds of family and work, which are both discussed in our textbook. These authors of the article state that these programs are focusing too much on the struggles and barriers of women in leadership, which ultimately leads to women fearing being successful and climbing to the top. Our textbook specifically describes the struggles women face from the glass ceiling, or labyrinth, and from maintaining a family and work. The labyrinth is the set of struggles and challenges women face along the way, not just near the top. Additionally, the textbook states that "women with children are more likely not to be employed or to work fewer hours than women without children..." This statement describes the work-home conflict that many women face in the workforce. These types of work-home conflicts can add a burden onto women who may be trying to climb the leadership ladder. Both the mention of the glass ceiling/labyrinth and the work-home conflict are mentioned in the textbook; however, they are are both mentioned in the article as focuses of why women are stereotyped in leadership.
Isn't it ironic that the possible attempt of spreading knowledge and information about the struggles women face in leadership is actually contributing to the stereotypes they face?
Maybe there is hope! In the last few years, it seems there have been more articles published about the unethical behavior of the executives of companies in the US. Finally, an article about businessman Albert Gordon and his genuine and exemplary behavior during his lifetime. The author of the article state numerous times that Gordon displayed integrity and honesty throughout his time at Kidder Peabody. It is stated that "his continued demonstration of a noble sense of purpose as a financier" was his most admirable accomplishment. That kind of behavior is almost unheard of in today's news.
Much of the information provided in the article relates to the topic of Authentic Leadership discussed in class. Authentic leadership mainly focuses on whether leadership is genuine and real. Gordon demonstrated intrapersonal authentic leadership during his time at Kidder Peabody. The textbook states that the intrapersonal perspective focuses on what goes on within the leader and that the leader relies heavily on their life story and the meaning attached to his or her life experiences. Gordon made sure to incorporate his own life experiences into his leadership. For example, when traveling, Gordon always sat in coach seats and took the subway or train as his means of transportation. This is not typical behavior for an a traveling businessman, who usually will sit in first class and travel by taxi or limousine. Intrapersonal authentic leaders also base their actions on their values. Gordon was a generous, yet quiet philanthropist, donating to many organizations over the years. Not only was Gordon an active philanthropist, but he was quiet about his donations. I believe this shows that Gordon donated to organizations because he truly wanted to help them, rather than just receiving recognition for doing so.
When reading my Fortune Magazine, I stumbled across this story and it intrigued me for my next blog. I found it extremely creative and innovative that one would identify a maestro as a leader. It's quite obvious that they display tremendous amount of leadership, it just seems to go ignored. Therefore, this story brings light to the integrity and various other leadership qualities that are present in scenarios like the one about to be described.
Alan Gilbert is the conductor for the New York Philharmonic. He started at a surprisingly young age at 44. In spite of his young age, Gilbert has won over critics, thanks in some measure to his skillful management of the 106 musicians who play for him. How does he do it?...
One characteristic of his leadership style that makes the entire team so successful is his openness to criticisms and suggestions. Gilbert argues that the musicians are experienced enough to know how the music should sound and encourages them to comment on his leadership style by providing feedback. He feels that this gives the followers a sense of ownership and responsibility in their performance. His constant strives towards success for the entire orchestra demonstrates his drive and passion for what he is doing. This mere concept enables the authentic leadership to emerge.
The developmental definition to authentic leadership helps to identify that his leadership style is a pattern of leader behavior that develops from various aspects of their lives including: self-awareness, internalized moral perspective, balanced processing, and relational transparency. Self-awareness is derived from Gilbert's' understanding that his success is contingent upon the success of his followers. This is reflected and rewarded through his unique style. The article even mentions that relationships are crucial..."connect with your customers -- and actually listen to them on occasion," this statement helps to conceptualize how self awareness can derive from communicating with customers and followers.
When Gilbert performs, he displays vital characteristics that are crucial elements when discussing authentic leadership. Some of these elements include: values, relationships, purpose, heart and self-discipline. Heart and relationships are the two most significant factors that come into play in Gilbert's leadership style. When conducting (especially 106 musicians!) it is crucial to "feel the music." Understand the sounds, tempo, rhythm and know how each individual fits into the entire puzzle of the orchestra...to understand such in-depth characteristics, one must have tremendous amounts of heart, at least to be truly authentic. This enables somebody like Gilbert to not just conduct, but to lead all of his followers to creating masterpieces that are enjoyed around the world! Relationships are also inevitably important in this scenario. One thing Gilbert believes is leaving the office door open. He actively works at being more accessible than his predecessors: "I actually think it's possible to get more out of the musicians by really showing them you know who they are and you identify with them and you trust them," he says. This element of trust exemplifies the importance placed on building relationships and communicating with his followers.
Overall, the leadership displayed by Alan Gilbert, is phenomenal. His constant strives towards learning and growing as a leader help to exemplify his overwhelming passion and love for his art. Furthermore, his constant abilities to build relationships and communicate with his followers illustrate the authenticity existent in his successful leaderships style.
The encounter displayed in the movie, “The Pursuit of Happyness,” is extremely relative to what is studied in our leadership course. The Pursuit of Happyness is a film about the on and off, homeless salesman (Chris Gardner) who turned into a stockbroker. It’s based on a true life story about a man fighting his way from struggles with his family, and his finances to the point of homelessness, and to eventually set up a brokerage firm. Chris had extreme hunger for success in his life, and it contributed to his persistence. He had lost everything in his life, and it was his hunger to get out of the rut that brought him to his eventual success.
In spite of Chris’ series of unfortunate events, he was raising a son. This was extremely difficult because children do not understand the extremities of homelessness and it remains difficult to maintain a positive image in life given the harsh realities that he faces.
Will Smith plays Chris Gardner in the movie. In the clip, we experience a motivational speech about possibility to his son. We as an audience can understand the struggle that Chris is facing because experiences in life constantly bring him down. It is difficult to remain positive and motivated in the midst of such failure. The critical part comes from the lesson learned in the speech.
The encounter displayed in the movie between actor Will Smith and his son, displays the situational approach to leadership. To elaborate, it is crucial to realize that Will Smith must analyze the level of development that his son is in. After this analysis it is critical to understand that the leader must react in ways that best fit the situation. At first, he begins by explaining that his son should not waste his time with basketball because he has no future in it. After the analysis, he completely backs away and says, "Don't ever let someone tell you, you can't do something. Not even me. You got a dream, you got to protect it. People can’t do something themselves, they want to tell you you can’t do it. You want something, go get it. Period." This “speech” exemplified the fact that the follower needed a motivation, morale and self-confidence boost. Ultimately these kinds of talks allow individuals to feel good about what it is they are pursuing, enabling success from practicing and hard work.
Leaders that engage in this type of behavior are infinitely important. What if Michael Jordan had listened to his high school basketball coach (after being cut from the team), instead of his father who encouraged him to follow his dreams? For every talented individual, there is a tremendous leader, bringing the best out of that individual.
As a leader, Chris learned something through his own statements, and in turn, helped his son learn a very valuable lesson. You must realize that who you have demonstrated up until today will have little to do with who you can become later on in life. You can fail your whole life and still turn it all around at any given time. As for people saying you can't do something because they can't do it themselves, it is vital to realize that they aren't you. Your own determination and integrity alone will help you overcome the limitations that they were never able to. When that time comes where you have achieved that goal you have set out to get, you will help those around you realize that perhaps it's also possible for them.
Words can be a powerful thing. As a leader, particularly utilizing the situational approach, know what to say, and when to say it.
