Course 10: Leadership

1. Read the following text.

Leadership styles refer to the behavioral approach employed by leaders to influence, motivate,
and direct their followers. Studies carried out indicate that followers who trust in their leader are
more likely to follow through with the leader’s instructions over and above the expected. In turn,
they will accomplish set goals while being allowed to speak freely to air their ideas and
suggestions on the direction of the projects at hand.
A leadership style adopted by any leader is usually a combination of their personality, life
experiences, level of emotional intelligence, family dynamics, and way of thinking.
A democratic leadership style is where a leader makes decisions based on the input received
from team members. It is a collaborative and consultative leadership style where each team
member has an opportunity to contribute to the direction of ongoing projects. However, the
leader holds the final responsibility to make the decision. Democratic leadership is one of the
most popular and effective leadership styles because of its ability to provide lower-level
employees a voice making it equally important in the organization. Democratic leadership also
involves delegation of authority to other people who determine work assignments. It utilizes the
skills and experiences of team members in carrying out tasks. The democratic leadership style
encourages creativity and engagement of team members, which often leads to high job
satisfaction and high productivity.
Autocratic leadership is the direct opposite of democratic leadership. In this case, the leader
makes all decisions on behalf of the team without taking any input or suggestions from them.
The leader holds all authority and responsibility. They have absolute power and dictate all tasks
to be undertaken. There is no consultation with employees before a decision is made. After the
decision is made, everyone is expected to support the decision made by the leader. There is often
some level of fear of the leader by the team. However, autocratic leadership can be an effective
approach in cases where the leader is experienced and knowledgeable about the circumstances
surrounding the decision in question. There are other instances where it is also ideal such as
when a decision does not require team input or an agreement to ensure a successful outcome.

Laissez-faire leadership is accurately defined as a hands-off or passive approach to leadership.

Instead, leaders provide their team members with the necessary tools, information, and resources
to carry out their work tasks. The “let them be” style of leadership entails that a leader steps back
and lets team members work without supervision and free to plan, organize, make decisions,
tackle problems, and complete the assigned projects. The laissez-faire leadership approach is
empowering to employees who are creative, skilled, and self-motivated. The level of trust and
independence given to the team can prove to be uplifting and productive and can lead to job
satisfaction. At the same time, it is important to keep such a type of leadership in check as chaos

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and confusion can quickly appear if the team is not organized. The team can end up doing
completely different things contrary to what the leader expects.
Transformational leadership is all about transforming the business or groups by inspiring team
members to keep increasing their bar and achieve what they never thought they were capable of.
Transformational leaders expect the best out of their team and push them consistently until their
work, lives, and businesses go through a transformation or considerable improvement.
Transformational leadership is about cultivating change in organizations and people. The
transformation is done through motivating team members to go beyond their comfort zone and
achieve much more than their perceived capabilities. To be effective, transformational leaders
should possess high levels of integrity, emotional intelligence, a shared vision of the future,
empathy, and good communication skills.
Transactional leadership is more short-term and can best be described as a “give and take” kind
of transaction. Team members agree to follow their leader on job acceptance; therefore, it’s a
transaction involving payment for services rendered. Employees are rewarded for exactly the
work they would’ve performed. If you meet a certain target, you receive the bonus that you’ve
been promised. It is especially so in sales and marketing jobs. Transactional leadership
establishes roles and responsibilities for each team member and encourages the work to be
completed as scheduled. There are instances where incentive programs can be employed over
and above regular pay. In addition to incentives, there are penalties imposed to regulate how
work should be done. However, due to its rigid environment and direct expectations, it may
block creativity and innovation. It can also lead to lower job satisfaction and high employee
turnover.
Bureaucratic leadership is a “go by the book” type of leadership. Processes and regulations are
followed according to policy with no room for flexibility. Rules are set on how work should be
done, and bureaucratic leaders ensure that team members follow these procedures. Input from
employees is considered by the leader; however, it is rejected if it does not conform to
organizational policy and a lot of red tape is present. Another characteristic is a hierarchical
authority structure implying that power flows from top to bottom and is assigned to formal titles.
Hence, proposing a new strategy at these organizations is met with fierce resistance, especially if
it is new and innovative. Although there is less control and more freedom than an autocratic
leadership style, there is still no motivation to be innovative.
Servant leadership involves a leader being a servant to the team first before being a leader. A
servant leader strives to serve the needs of their team above their own. It is also a form of leading
by example. Servant leaders try to find ways to develop, elevate and inspire people following
their lead to achieve the best results. It creates a positive organizational culture and high morale
among team members. It also creates an ethical environment characterized by strong values and
ideals.

2. Are the sentences true or false?

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a. The leadership style depends on the leader’s personality, life experiences, level of
emotional intelligence, family dynamics, and way of thinking.
b. In an autocratic leadership style, the leader collaborates with the team members and
encourages creativity.
c. Laissez-faire leadership means the leader lets the team do what they want and just offers
the necessary tools, information, and resources.
d. Transactional leadership is about change and going beyond limits and capabilities.
e. Transactional leadership works with incentives and penalties.
f. Bureaucratic leadership is a flexible type of leadership, following strict rules and policies.
g. In servant leadership, the leader puts the team first.

3. Match the synonyms.

a. consultation b. entail c. tool d. behavior e. incentive f. goal g. opportunity

1. conduct 2. objective 3. chance 4. dialogue 5. instrument 6. require 7. stimulus

4. Match the antonyms.

a. passive b. empower c. reward d. encourage e. trust f. opposite g. uplifting

1. discourage 2. mistrust 3. similar 4. active 5. revoke 6. disappointing 7. punishment

5. Answer the following questions.

a. What is leadership?

b. What is the difference between leadership and management?

c. In your opinion, what qualities should a leader have?

d. In what type of environment from those mentioned above would you like to work?
Explain your choice.

6. Match the words with the definitions.

a. annual b. foreman c. thriving d. depression e. hierarchy f. powerhouse

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 1. Someone who supervises and directs other workers
2. A time of high unemployment and poverty
3. A very successful and profitable company
4. Organizing people into different levels of importance
5. Something that happens regularly each year
6. Gets a feeling of satisfaction from doing something

7. Use the relative pronouns below to complete the sentences.

a. who b. which c. that d. where

1. The challenge……… we all face as bureaucrats is to create an environment…………

people can reach their dreams.
2. He…………. has never learned to obey, cannot be a good commander.
3. A leader shapes and shares a vision………… gives point to the work of others.
4. A leader is someone…………… walks out in front of his people but doesn’t get too far
out in front.
5. A leader is someone…….. knows what they want to achieve and can communicate that.

8. In the text below, all relative pronouns have been taken out. Put them back in.

Carly Fiorina,………. has been called America’s most powerful business woman, is Chief
Executive of the huge Hewlett Packard group,………… manufactures computers and printers.
Ms. Fiorina,………… has spent most of her working life in the telecommunications industry,
started out as sales representative with AT&T,………… she rose rapidly through the ranks.
Later she was a key player in the creation of the equipment and components at a
company…………. she was in charge of the sales and marketing. Ms. Fiorina now leads a
company………….. is one of the 30 leading companies in the world.

9. Complete the job advertisement with who or which.

Our client is a middle-sized group of businesses…………… are engaged in distribution and

engineering. The group,……… had a record of sales last year, wants to expand. The Chief
Executive………….. has led the company for 10 years will retire. The new Chief Executive will
need to fulfill a role…………….. requires a variety of leadership skills.

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