Leadership philosophy components of effective leader who inspires, empowers and motivates

TRACY DURHAM’S

LEADERSHIP PHILOSOPHY

COMPONENTS OF EFFECTIVE LEADER

WHO INSPIRES, EMPOWERS AND MOTIVATES

An effective leader has the ability to inspire, empower, and motivate others to do their best to reach a common goal. Leadership is a shared relationship between leaders and followers whose purpose is to implement change. My philosophy of leadership incorporates four basic principles to achieve these goals. A leader must have a clear vision for the team, communicate well with the team, develop trust with the team, and have a transformational style.

VISION

Leaders must have a clear vision of what they want their team to accomplish. A vision is defined as, “a picture of an ambitious, desirable future for the organization or team.” (Daft, p 16) This vision must be one the team can relate to and share. It must incorporate not only the values of the leader but those of its followers.

In The Leadership Challenge, Dick Nettell, new site executive for Bank of America’s Concord California Call Center, used his initial time with the company to get a feel for his employees. He wanted to get their beliefs and ideas on why they had not been successful in the past as well as what they felt would lead them toward success in the future. “Everybody wants to win. Everybody wants to be successful. Everybody comes to work trying to make a difference.” (Kouzes & Posner, p. 4)

After several days of talking with the employees and listening to their thoughts on how they wanted the center to be ran in the future, Dick and his management team were able to develop a vision for the call center. The vision embodied the personal aspirations of the employees. It was clear and concise and because it was based on their ideas it was one they were willing to follow.

COMMUNICATION

Communication is very important for effective leadership and is an integral part of my philosophy. Communicating not only motivates employees but it empowers them to achieve success. In my opinion, a good leader is one who gets input from their team. Getting input from the team is very meaningful because it shows a leader is interested in what’s on the minds of those working to achieve the common goal. Team members feel like their opinions are being taken into consideration. “Good leaders continue to seek creative input from their direct reports. This practice is not only good for the business it’s also highly motivational for both parties to the conversation.” (Chandler & Richardson, p. 31) This input is then used to build on the success of the business through the implementation of the ideas gathered.

This is precisely what was done in the Leadership Challenge at the Bank of America Call Center while developing the new vision. The continued use of state of the center meetings with each team helped to keep the lines of communication open between leader and followers. This aspect of communication helps to keep the leader updated on what’s on the minds of the employees. Employees feel like their opinions are being heard and this is a great motivational tool. “It may sound corny, but I love to be able to work with people so that they can be the best they can be.” (Kouzes & Posner, p. 6) I agree with this statement because I feel it is very important for a leader to be able to work with their team. The leaders get to know the values and personalities of those on the team.

On the other hand, team members get to see the leader as a real person and not just an authority figure. During the meetings Dick Nettell shared his bank work history with the employees. He explained how he moved up from being a garage helper to senior management. This served as a way to empower team members to set higher standards for themselves. They actually saw someone who had moved up the ladder in the business. They were empowered because they saw that advancement within the bank was obtainable to them if they wanted it.

Communication also involves a leader giving feedback to the team. After all people want real feedback, not just words to smooth them over. They desire it in order to be motivated. “Achievement requires continuous feedback. And if you’re going to get the most ouT of your people, it’s imperative that you be the one who is the most up on what the numbers are and what they mean. Motivators do their homework. They know the score and they keep feeding the score back to their people.” (Chandler & Richardson, p. 30) Feedback is a great way to let others know what is working and what is not. The meetings like those held by Dick in the Leadership Challenge help to establish input and feedback in the workplace.

TRUST

Developing trust is important to establish effective leadership. “Trust between a leader and constituents open up two-way communication, making it possible for them to realize their common goals.” (Bower, p 4) A leader must be honest with others and do what the say they are going to do. Sharing all information with the team whether good or bad and being totally open and honest with others is also important. An effective leader must admit that he or she does not have all the answers. Asking for the opinions of team members and transforming their knowledge into solutions to make the team better helps to build trust. If followers don’t trust the leader it is very difficult for them to believe in the vision.

TRANSFORMATIONAL STYLE

Leaders should have a transformational style when dealing with their team. In this form of leadership followers are developed or transformed into leaders themselves. They are empowered by being given more freedom to control their own behaviors. Although there are set boundaries in place for them to follow, the guidelines are more flexible. “A transformational leader rallies people around an inspiring vision, expressing optimism about the future, helping followers develop their own potential, and empowering people to make change happen.” (Daft, p 154)

Since this style of leadership is based on Maslow's hierarchy of needs, in which “transformational leaders could elevate those around them from a lower to a higher level of need. Maslow stated that people must satisfy the need for survival and can only then satisfy other needs in hierarchical fashion according to importance for survival.” (Kelly. 2003) Transformational leaders must give their followers a clear outlook of the future. They challenge followers with high standards and offer them the opportunity to see meaning in their work. Followers are encouraged to become part of the overall culture and environment of the organization.

CONCLUSION

My role as wife and mother of four embraces these components of leadership. My goal is to inspire, motivate, and empower them to be the best they can be. I do whatever it takes to assure them that I am in their corner and will work with them to help them achieve their goals.

The vision of our family is made clear on a regular basis. We are all aware of what the family’s goals are and everyone is willing to work towards them. The dinner table is my version of a meeting to get input and feedback from my family. This time is spent catching up on the days events. It is my time to communicate and have an open dialogue with the children to see what is going on in their lives. They in turn get an idea of what I am doing as well. Trust is developed among us because I am open and honest with them about things of importance. My goal is to transform them into being productive, respectful individuals in society. I challenge them be the best they can be. Being a good parent is very important to me. I feel that I must take advantage of every opportunity to guide my children in the right direction. “Leadership can happen anywhere, at any time.” (Kouzes & Posner, p. 8)

Every good leader must figure out what works for their team to achieve success.

They must assess the situation and prepare their team to work towards the common goal. “From analyzing the tasks at hand to balancing individual and team efforts, a leader must always be a motivator.” (Andolsen, p. 41) Having a clear vision for the team, communicating well with the team, developing trust with the team, and having a transformational leadership style are all components I feel are needed for a leader to inspire, empower, and motivate their followers.

References

Andolsen, A. A., CRM, CMC. (2008, November/‌December). The ingredients of a good leader. The Information Management Journal, 41.

Bower, M. (1997). DEVELOPING LEADERS IN A BUSINESS. McKinsey Quarterly, (4), 4-17. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Chandler, S., & Richardson, S. (2005). 100 ways to motivate others; how great leaders can produce insane results without driving people crazy. Franklin Lakes, NJ: The Career Press.
Daft, R. L. (2005). The leadership experience (3rd edition ed.). Mason, OH: Southwestern. pp 16, 154.
Kelly, M. L. (2003). Academic advisers as transformational leaders. the mentor.
     Retrieved from University of Missouri-Kansas City website:
     http://www.psu.edu/dus/mentor/030101mk.htm
Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (n.d.). The leadership challenge (4th ed.). Jossey-Bass.