Chapter One: The Nature and Importance of Leadership



Chapter One: The Nature and Importance of Leadership

KnowledgeBank #1, p. 20

The Nine Dilemmas Leaders Face

|Broad-based leadership versus high-visibility leadership. Should the leader share leadership responsibilities widely, or be a highly visible |

|charismatic leader? |

|Independence versus dependence. Should the organizational units work competitively against one another, or should they cooperate highly in a |

|team mode? |

|Long term versus short term. Should the leader invest in projects with a long-term payout at the expense of actions that bring immediate |

|results and profits? |

|Creativity versus discipline. Should imaginative thinking be encouraged at the expense of disciplined activities such as meeting budgets and |

|deadlines? |

|Trust versus change. To maintain a high level of trust, it is important for the leader not to make too many changes, yet change is necessary |

|to move the organization forward. |

|Bureaucracy busting versus economies of scale. If the leader decentralizes, there is less hierarchy, yet the organization may lose out on the |

|cost savings possible from manufacturing or purchasing on a large scale. |

|Productivity versus people. To attain high productivity, it may be necessary to push people to a point where their health and personal lives |

|are disrupted. |

|Leadership versus managerial and technical capability. The people-and-vision skills that produce good leadership are quite different from the |

|managerial and technical skills required for efficient operations. |

|Revenue growth versus cost containment. Organizational growth requires free spending, but an organization must still control costs. |

Source: Assembled and adapted from information in Thomas A. Stewart, “The Nine Dilemmas Leaders Face,” Fortune, March 18, 1996, pp. 112–113.

Chapter One: The Nature and Importance of Leadership

KnowledgeBank #2, p. 24

The Followership Evaluation Form

If you are the leader of a relatively stable group, use the following set of standards as material for group discussion. Get the group members’ opinions on the validity of these statements as indicators of being an effective group member or follower. A group member who exhibits most of the behaviors in the “outstanding” and “excellent” categories and does not exhibit those in the “needs improvement” category will have strong leadership potential.

Outstanding

a. Is a loyal, effective team player with a contagious, positive attitude

b. Is ready and willing to accept and act on tasks, even on short notice or under pressure

c. Spurs the team to remain positive in confusing or changing situations

d. Readily volunteers in a way that makes a difference

e. Offers supportive suggestions that the chain of command adopts

f. Facilitates team progress

g. Adopts unpopular higher headquarters decision as own

h. Regards peers well and is well regarded by peers

i. Acts for the good of the team

Excellent

a. Is an effective team player

b. Accepts and acts on assigned tasks

c. Volunteers in useful ways

d. Remains positive when the situation is confused or changing

e. Offers suggestions, but supports the chain of command

f. Helps the team make progress

g. Properly executes unpopular headquarters decisions

h. Gets along with peers

i. Gets own share of work done

j. Acts for the good of the team

Needs Improvement

a. Does not contribute much to team morale or effectiveness

b. Is reluctant or unwilling to accept assigned tasks

c. Does not volunteer or does so ineffectively or superficially

d. Is visibly upset by confusing or changing situations; tends to aggravate the situation

e. Does not offer helpful suggestions or argues with the chain of command, thereby

hindering team progress

f. Fails to execute higher headquarters decisions properly and/or openly complains about or blames the higher headquarters

g. Has trouble getting along with some peers

h. Needs help from others to get own share of work done

i. Acts primarily for reasons of personal gain

j. Expects more of others when in charge than is willing to produce when others are in charge

source: Adapted from material in Cadet Command Regulation 145-3, “Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps: Precommissioning Training and Leadership Development,” U.S. Army Cadet Command, Fort Monroe, Va., March 1996. Reprinted by permission.

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