Leadership qualities and

styles
LEADERSHIP IS THE PROCESS OF
INFLUENCING THE BEHAVIOR OF OTHERS
TOWARDS THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF GOALS IN
A GIVEN SITUATION.
The leadership process has four main
elements

 It is a process of influence.
 The basic purpose of leadership is to
influence the behavior of followers.
 It involves interaction between two or more
persons.
 It implies pursuit of common goals in the
interest of individuals as well as a whole.
Leadership is an important tool in directing.
Characteristics of
leadership
 A leader must have followers.
 Active
 Goal direction
 Acceptance of leadership.
 Attribute.
 Social interaction
 Power relationship
 Dynamic process
 Link.
Styles of leadership

 Autocratic or authoritarian.
Advantages

Autocratic leadership style permits quick

decision making.
It provides strong motivation and
satisfaction the leader who dictates terms.
Less competent subordinates are needed at
lower levels .
This style may yield positive results when
great speed is required.
Disadvantages

 Autocratic style leads to frustration, low

moral and conflict among subordinates.
 Subordinates tend to shirk responsibility and
initiative.
 Full potential of subordinates and their
creative ideas are not utilized.
 Organizational continuity is threatened in the
absence of the leader because subordinates
get no opportunity for development.
Democratic style leader
Advantages

 Participative leadership improves the job

satisfaction and moral of subordinates.
 It cultivate the decision making ability of
subordinates.
 The leader multiplies his ability through the
contribution of his followers.
 It develops positive attitude and reduce
resistance to change.
Disadvantage

 Democratic style is time consuming and may

result in delays in decision making.
 It may not yield positive results when
subordinates prefer minimum interaction with
the leaders.
 Consultation may be used as a means of
passing the bucks to others and of abdicating
responsibility.
 It requires considerable communicating and
persuasive skills on the part of the leaders.
Laissez faire or Free rein style leader.
Advantages-

 Maximum possible scope for development

of subordinates.
 Full utilization of the potential of
subordinates.
 Positive effect on job satisfaction and
morale of subordinates.
Disadvantages

 Subordinates do not get the support of the

leader.
 It ignores the leader’s contribution just as
autocratic style ignores the contribution of
the subordinates.
 Subordinates may move in different
direction and may work as cross purposes
which may degenerate into chaos.
Coaching leader

 A coaching leader is someone who can

quickly recognize their team members’
strengths, weaknesses and motivations to
help each individual improve.
 This type of leader often assists team
members in setting smart goals and then
provides regular feedback with challenging
projects to promote growth.
 They’re skilled in setting clear expectations
and creating a positive, motivating
environment.
 The coach leadership style is one of the most
advantageous for employers as well as for the
employees they manage.
 Unfortunately, it’s often also one of the most
underutilized styles—largely because it can
be more time-intensive than other types of
leadership.
Visionary leaders

 Visionary leaders have a powerful ability to

drive progress and usher in periods of change
by inspiring employees and earning trust for
new ideas.
 A visionary leader is also able to establish a
strong organizational bond. They strive to
foster confidence among direct reports and
colleagues alike.
 This type of leadership is especially helpful for
small, fast-growing organizations or larger
organizations experiencing transformations
or corporate restructuring.
Servant leaders

 Servant leaders live by a people-first mindset

and believe that when team members feel
personally and professionally fulfilled, they’re
more effective and more likely to produce
great work regularly.
 Because of their emphasis on employee
satisfaction and collaboration, they tend to
achieve higher levels of respect.
 A servant leader is an excellent leadership
style for organizations of any industry and
size but is especially prevalent within
nonprofits.
 These types of leaders are exceptionally
skilled in building employee morale and
helping people re-engage with their work.
Transformational leader

 The transformational leadership style is

similar to the coach style in that it focuses on
clear communication, goal setting and
employee motivation.
 However, instead of placing majority of the
energy into each employee’s individual goals,
the transformational leader is driven by a
commitment to the organization's objectives.
 Because these types of leaders spend much
of their time on the big picture, this style of
leading is best for teams that can handle
many delegated tasks without constant
supervision.
Transactional leader

 Under this leadership style, the manager

establishes predetermined incentives usually
in the form of monetary reward for success
and disciplinary action for failure.
 Unlike the pacesetter leadership style,
transactional leaders are also focused on
mentorship, instruction and training to
achieve goals and enjoy the rewards.
 While this type of leader is great for
organizations or teams tasked with hitting
specific goals such as sales and revenue, it’s
not the best leadership style for driving
creativity.
Spiritual Leadership

 Spiritual leadership comprises three principle

components, vision, hope/faith, and altruistic
love, as the leader’s values, attitudes, and
behaviors, respectively.
 Spiritual leadership involves intrinsically
motivating and inspiring workers through
hope/faith in a vision of service to key
stakeholders and a corporate culture based
on the values of altruistic love to produce a
highly motivated, committed and productive
workforce.
 The purpose of spiritual leadership is to tap
into the fundamental needs of both leaders
and followers for spiritual well-being.
Ethical Leadership

 Ethical leadership is defined as a type of

leadership that is incorporated by those
leaders who demonstrate appropriate and
ethical behavioral conduct inside as well as
outside the organization.
 Leaders with ethical leadership styles exhibit
good values via their words and actions, plus
they do what is right, show integrity, and do
not overlook wrongdoing.
 Ethical leaders will not let wrongful behavior
and actions slide. Even if such activities
benefit the organization, they ensure never to
compromise company morals.
Traits of Ethical Leadership

 Leads by example
 Willing to evolve
 Respects everyone equally
 Communicates openly
 Manages stress effectively
 Mediates fairly
3 Key Elements of Ethical
Leadership
 1. Leading by example
 2. Championing the Importance of Ethics
 3. Communicating
Functions of leadership
skills
 Determination of goals
 Organization
 To administer
 To get the co-operation
 To maintain discipline
 To maintain loyalty towards the enterprise.
Qualities

 An instinct to take lead and initiative.

 Intelligence
 Objective
 Human relation
 Self-confidence and will power.
 Empathy
 Moral qualities
 Sense of responsibility.
 An ability to integrate and inspire.
 Flexibility.
 Knowledge of work.
Types of leaders

 Intellectual leaders.
 Institutional leaders.
 Democratic leaders.
 Autocratic leaders.
 Persuasive leaders.
 Creative leaders.
THEORIES OF LEADERSHIP
Great Man Theory

 According to the Great Man Theory (which

should perhaps be called the
Great Person Theory), leaders are born with
just the right traits and abilities for leading –
charisma, intellect, confidence,
communication skills, and social skills.
 The theory suggests that the ability to lead is
inherent – that the best leaders are born, not
made. It defines leaders as valiant, mythic,
and ordained to rise to leadership when the
situation arises.
 The term “Great Man” was adopted at the
time because leadership was reserved for
males, particularly in military leadership.
Trait Theory of Leadership:

 Trait theory of leadership highlights the

personality traits of a successful leader. It is
the oldest theory of leadership.
 According to theory the personal traits or
characteristics of a leader makes him
different from the followers. The researchers
have taken great pains to find out various
traits of leadership.
 Some traits which are identified are Good
Physique, Creativity and Intelligence, Social
Traits, Moral Traits etc
Situational Theory of
Leadership:
 Leadership is relative to particular situation.
According to the exponents of this theory the
leadership changes from group to group and
from situation to situation.
 Leadership assumes different dimensions in
different situations. The leadership is
exercised in a specific situation, consisting of
people and a given environment.
 The leadership depends upon the executive’s
ability to lead. The leadership is also relative
to group, task, goal, organizational
structures, and population characteristics of
group.
 According to this theory the focus is not on
the personality of leader but on the
personality of the organization as a whole
because change in situation can pose
problems to leader for performing his job of
leadership.
 Such situations may give rise to new leader if
he is able to cope up with the situation at that
moment.
 As proposed by US professor Paul Hersey and
leadership guru Ken Blanchard, the
situational theory blends two key elements:
the leadership style and the followers’
maturity levels.
 Hersey and Blanchard classified maturity into
four different degrees:
 M1 – Team members do not possess the
motivation or tactical skills to complete
necessary jobs.
 M2 – Team members are willing and
ambitious to achieve something, but they
lack the necessary ability.
 M3 – Team members possess the skills and
capacity to accomplish tasks, but they’re not
willing to take accountability.
 M4 – Team members possess all the right
talents and are motivated to complete
projects.
Behavioral Theories:

 In Behavioral Theory, the focus is on the

specific behaviors and actions of leaders
rather than their traits or characteristics. The
theory suggests that effective leadership is
the result of many learned skills.
 Individuals need three primary skills to lead
their followers – technical, human, and
conceptual skills.
 Technical skills refer to a leader’s knowledge
of the process or technique; human skills
means that one is able to interact with other
individuals; while conceptual skills enable the
leader to come up with ideas for running the
organization or society smoothly.
Contingency Theory

 The Contingency Theory emphasizes

different variables in a specific setting that
determine the style of leadership best suited
for the said situation.
 It is founded on the principle that no one
leadership style is applicable to all situations.
 Renowned leadership researchers Hodgson
and White believe that the best form of
leadership is one that finds the perfect
balance between behaviors, needs, and
context.
 Good leaders not only possess the right
qualities but they’re also able to evaluate the
needs of their followers and the situation at
hand.
 In summary, the contingency theory suggests
that great leadership is a combination of many
key variables.
