Leadership Skills Basic Theory

John Sweeney

Last Week

1. John Adair 2. Leadership3. Teambuilding

4. Motivation and People Management5. Decision Making

This Week

Recap Adair Quiz1. At which University did John Adair become Professor of Leadership

Studies?

2. What are the Top 5 attributes most valuable at the top levels of management?

3. What are the three ‘Needs’ a leader must address?

4. There are 8 functions of Leadership – NAME 4!

Making Decisions

Key Elements of Effective Thinking and Decision-Making

Analysis•Establish the relationship between the parts and the whole•Finds the route cause of problems •Identifies the issues at stake, the ‘either/or’

Synthesis •‘Take a view’•Combine parts or elements to form a whole•Wholes produced by grouping various units together where it is difficult to analyse them into their parts without losing the ‘wholeness’

Other useful approaches

•Imagination•Recall events easily and visually•Foresee, be inventive, fantasise the future

•Conceptual thinking•‘something conceived in the mind’

•Intuition •Originality and innovation

Value in Decision-Making

• With analysis and synthesis, valuing is the third essential in effective thinking and decision-making 1. Establish the truth or true facts 2. To know what to do

• With experience you will recognise people who– Tell you what they think you want to hear– Express a view thinking it might agree with your own– Are watching their backs– Try to hide things

Decision-Making and weighing up the options

• Which are the possible options?• Which are the feasible options?• How to reduce feasible options to ‘either/or’?• Which one to choose?• Is any action necessary at all, now later ?

1 . Time2. Information3. Resources4. Knowledge

Limiting Factors

Team-building

Adair’s Theory of Team-building

Team-building is part of the leadership ‘holy’ trinity of Task, Team and Individual

Leaders in teams provide the functions of:

• Planning• Initiating• Controlling• Supporting• Informing• Evaluating

The main result of good leadership is a good team

Good LeadershipCharacteristics

Team Outcomes

Enthusing Team Members are Purposeful busy and have a basis to judge priorities

Lives values Gives a sense of excitement and achievement with people willing to take risks and higher work loads

Leads by example Consistency is knowing leader’s values

Generates good Leaders from followers

Is trusted

The main result of good leadership is a good team

Good LeadershipCharacteristics

Team Outcomes

Aware of own behaviour and environment

Aspire to leader’s example

Intellect to meet jobNeeds

Confidence in Leadership

Aware of individual and team needs

The led start to lead being delegated to, coached and supported

Exhibits trust Inspires confidence and performance

Represents the organisation to the team and vice versa

Confidence of contribution to aims and commitment to them

1. Task

Purpose Objectives Resources

Responsibilities

Programme Target

Authority Training Priorities

Progress Supervision Example

2. Building & Maintaining Team

Standards Objectives Team Members

Team Spirit

Size of Team Discipline

Grievances

Consultation Priorities

Briefing Represent Support

3. The Individual Targets Induction Achievem

ent Responsib

ilities

Authority Training Recognition Growth

Performance Reward The task The

person

Time/attention

Grievances Security Appraisal

Motivation and People Management

Adair’s 8 Rules for Motivation

1. Be motivated yourself2. Select people who are highly motivated3. Treat each person as an individual4. Set realistic and challenging targets5. Remember that progress motivates6. Create a motivating environment7. Provide fair rewards8. Give recognition

The 50:50 Rule

50% of motivation comes from within a person

&

50% comes from his or her environment, especially from the leadership

encountered therein

Theories of motivation

Self-actualisation

(gro

wth, personal development)

Self esteem

(self-respect, status)

Social (belonging, acceptance

Safety

Physiological

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (1954)

Theory X•Human dislike work and will avoid it•People must be coerced, controlled and directed to achieve organisations objective•Average human prefer to be directed, wants no responsibility, little ambitious and wants security

Theory Y•Physical and metal work is natural as play or rest•People will exercise self-direction and self-control to bring about effort towards organisational objectives •Average human being seeks responsibility •Commitment to objectives is a function of the rewards associated with their achievement

Theories of motivation McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y (1960 , The Human Side of Enterprise)

Managers/Leaders and Motivation

Recognise that individuals are1. Individuals but need other people and meaningful

work2. Creative and imaginative (in team and solo)3. Driven by achievement (but achieve more as a team)4. Self-motivated and self-directed (but need

management/leadership)5. Distinguish between financial and ‘other’ value

rewards6. Interested in leaving work/the world a better place

Bibliography

• Adair John, 2007, Leadership skills 2007, London, IPD• Adair John, 2003, Adair on Leadership, London, Thorogood

Publishing