LEADERSHIP - Angelfire



LEADERSHIP

DEFINITION:

There are several definitions of leadership in fact, as many as the persons who practice Leadership. Leadership involves a process to influence. It is a trait in the person depending upon the attitudes, goals, personal and education of the person. Leadership is to nurture the willingness to work, with zeal and confidence. It helps in the achievement of group goals. It involves setting up high but realistic performance goals and finding out ways to improve o

.perations and procedures and striving for total quality in all areas. However the major ingredients of leadership can be enlisted as under :

|[pic|It is an ability to use power effectively and in a responsible manner. |

|] | |

|[pic|It is the ability to understand that different human beings have different |

|] |motivational forces at different times and in different situations. |

|[pic|It is also an ability to inspire people to perform towards a preset |

|] |objective. |

|[pic|It is the ability to develop a climate conducive to building a positive |

|] |attitude in the organization. |

Leadership is all about power and authority. Leadership is born more out of informal associations than the formal ones. For a leader it is vital to learn new skills, develop existing ones and use knowledge coupled with experience so as to benefit colleagues and achieve overall organizational objective. It is not always possible that all leaders are good managers and all managers are good leaders.

THE ROLES :

Leadership is a multi-dimensional function, requiring knowledge and understanding of many organizational needs. As a leader, one must master various roles that are required to handle different people and different situations with skill and efficiency. A leader at one point of time has to perform four different types of roles.

(1)As an administrator :Carrying on the day-to-day administration is the key role of a leader. The modern administrator is expected to be creative, devising processes and streamlining activities in order to ensure the smooth running of procedures and also to increase efficiency. A leader has to keep in mind the long-term objectives with the short-term goals. To Liase with other departments in order to ensure that everyone knows what is expected of them by keeping an open team diary for instant checks on current tasks and deadlines to be met during the work routine.

(2)As a strategist :As a leader, focus on wider issues that affects the performance of the team effectiveness is of vital importance and concern. The goals have to be broken down into attainable plans. The fixation of the responsibility is a major task and unexpected problems are always on a close call. A leader is expected to make predictions and draw conclusions to maximize the benefits to the organization.

(3)As a good communicator :The most obvious quality of a leader is his communication ability. Versatility of speech, making people perform and getting the orders through, is what is expected of a leader. All this demands an impressive persona and an aura that distinguishes a leader from the rest.

(4)As an agent of change :Change is vital for ensuring future successes. By seeking change organizations maintain leadership with competitive edge and growth. A leader has to recognize the change and also initiate it. Resistance to change in the team members is natural. It is the duty of a manager to create favorable environment for change in the organization.

|LEADERSHIP TRAITS  |

|[pi|React carefully to every situation weighing all pros and cons. |

|c] | |

|[pi|Keep a checklist of important duties to be performed. |

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|[pi|Think big and think positive. |

|c] | |

|[pi|Develop inter-personal relationship. |

|c] | |

|[pi|Build a strong informal communication channels. |

|c] | |

|[pi|Be open to suggestions and invite constructive criticism. |

|c] | |

|[pi|Follow leadership style by setting example for your staff. |

|c] | |

|[pi|Be People Person. |

|c] | |

BE A LEADER :

Leading others is a stimulating challenge. But how to practically put it in practice ?

Getting to know the people who are working for you, establishing a framework in which everyone can operate comfortably and setting challenging goals that motivate and inspire people, are some of the most challenging tasks of a leader. Yet there are certain basics that a leader must follow :

[i]Gathering information :Having an access to information regarding policies, business knowledge, problem solving capability and sound understand of opportunities available, forewarns a leader. Information can be collected by asking people about their views, through formal or informal links. Though formal information is more reliable, informal communication is more vivid and elaborate. Grapevine also helps the leader to get to the bottom of the matter.

[ii]Establishing a framework :Every leader must decide the type of framework to be followed in the organization so that the leader and the led can operate effectively and comfortably, both as individuals and as a part of the team. Open communication system enables more interaction between the members of the team. Precise assignment of roles to each member and fixing up of responsibilities are some of prime duties of a leader.

[iii]Objective orientation :A leader has to keep in mind the objectives of the organization. He has to set the activities of his team according to those objectives, ensuring that the team understands the given directions and the purpose of overall activities. The ultimate objective should be broken down into attainable yet challenging goals that ideally will be inspiring and motivating for the whole team. Aims should also relate directly to the specific skills of each individual within the team that is working together towards a shared goal that gives people a sense of ownership and responsibility and builds healthy atmosphere of team spirit.

[iv]Finding the right candidate :A leader needs to find the best candidate to form a balanced and dynamic team. So, at the time of selection itself, necessary characteristics traits must be identified. It is to be understood that in a team every member’s contribution counts.

[v]Promoting a balanced team :For any team to function effectively, there must be a balance of key skills among its members such as technical, problem-solving, decision-making and interpersonal skills. The ideal group will be creative yet disciplined, able to generate new ideas and find solutions to difficulties at the same time being organized enough to plan and implement a task within a given time scale.

[vi]Judging suitability :At the of time of selecting a candidate for the purpose of building a team, the leader should be clear in his mind about the nature of job to be performed and accordingly match the type of qualification needed in the candidate. A team ideally should consist of member who retain team spirit and promote harmonious interpersonal relations.

[vii]Exercising authority :A leader has to ensure that the team understands his instructions and carries them out effectively. Since everything does not always go according to the plan, an efficient reporting system is necessary so contain and control damage swiftly. Giving instructions, managing the exceptional situations and being consistent in the manner of exercising authority are some of the qualities of a good leader.

[viii]Delegating :Delegating tasks is a form of time management. It has dual advantages; one is that it helps in exercising better control and the other is to boost the morale of the staff simultaneously building their confidence. The responsibility of a leader is not to do the work all by himself, but to see that all work gets done through team members. A leader should retain control by checking and evaluating regularly in a formal or in formal way as the tasks get completed.

THE UPS AND DOWNS OF BEING A LEADER :

The term "Leader" has a positive connotation, as the opposite of either being a follower or a subordinate. Yet, being a leader does not always bring personal satisfaction. The leader of a high-performing group has more fun than the leader of a low performing one. The satisfactions and frustrations of being a leader are high respectively.

HIGHS :

[i]A feeling of power and prestige :Leadership automatically bestows power. Prestige follows power as people are thought of in very high esteem as leaders. As a person moves up in the hierarchy of management, the power to control increases correspondingly. Successful management of events enhances the repute and responsibilities of a leader. The power to dictate and handle different situations boosts the morale and performance of the leader.

[ii]High income :Leaders in general, receive higher monetary rewards than other team members. Executive leaders in major business organizations are highly paid. Besides, the perks given to leaders are more as compared to the others in the organization. So, if money is an important motivator or morale booster, then being a leader gives an inbuilt satisfaction.

[iii]Status and respect :A leader is respected for the type of work he does. Team members look-up on him for his decisional ability and uniting power. Successful completion of task not only invites and attracts the top managements praise. At the same time, staff also starts associating themselves with the leader. Besides, status is also accorded on being appointed as a leader on or off the job.

[iv]Good opportunities for advancement :The career advancement opportunities of leader are very high. Obtaining a leadership position is a vital first step for future career advancement. It opens new horizons and paves the path for successful future.

[v]A feeling of ‘being in’ on things :An attendant benefit of being a leader is that you have access to inside information. For instance, as a manager one is invited to attend management meetings. This gives an exposure to such information, which does not pass in the down line of hierarchy.

[vi]An opportunity to control resources :A leader prepares departmental budgets, authorizes expenses and allocates resources. Even though the leader does not spend these resources personally, it provides a sense of satisfaction knowing that your judgment is valued and trusted. Besides, it also adds to the sense of responsibility.

LOWS :

[i]Too much uncompensated overtime :People in leadership position are usually expected to work longer hours than other employees. Such unpaid hours are called casual overtime. People in organizational leadership position typically spend about 50% more time than the ones working at product level.

[ii]Too many "Headaches" : It would take several pages to list all the potential problems the leader faces. A leader is subject to a bunch of problems involving people and things. Many people find that a leadership position is a source of stress and many managers experience burnout situations.

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[iii]Not enough authority to carry out responsibility :People in managerial positions complain repeatedly that they are held responsible for things over which they have little or no control at all. Leaders sometimes are expected to work with under-performing team members, yet they lack the power to hire and fire them.

[iv]Loneliness :The higher one rises as a leader, the more isolated and lonely he becomes in a certain sense. Leadership limits the number of people in whom one can confide. It is awkward to confide negative feelings about the employer to a team member. It is equally awkward to complain about one group member to another. Some people in leadership positions feel lonely because they miss being "one of the gang".

[v]Too many problems involving people :A major frustration facing a leader is the number of human resources problem requiring action. The lower the leadership position, the more one is beseeched with problems.

[vi]Too much of paper work and electronic mail :As work organizations have become more formalized, an abundance of forms have been generated. A common complaint of leaders and managers at all levels is that paperwork and electronic mail take up too much of their work time. Government regulations over matters such as employee health, safety and equal employment opportunity compliance are other sources of substantial paperwork for managers. Even if a leader is seen primarily as a change agent and a visionary, he or she cannot escape paperwork and electronic mail.

[vii]Too much organizational politics :People at all levels of an organization, from the office assitant to the chairperson of the board, are all aware of political factors. As a leader, one has to inevitably engage in political byplay from three directions : below, sideways and upwards. Political tactics such as forming alliances and coalitions are a necessary part of a leader's role.

A LEADER IN ACTION :

There are certain qualities that a leader needs to exhibit. Certain general personality traits distinguish a leader from the follower. These same traits are related to success and satisfaction in both, work and personal life.

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• SELF-CONFIDENCE :It is important for a leader to be self-confident. In addition, the leader must project self-confidence among the group. It is not only a personality trait but it also refers to the behavior a person exhibits in a number of situations. It is akin to being cool under pressure. We can conclude that a person is a self-confident leader when he or she retains composure during a crisis situation.

• HONESTY, INTEGRITY AND CREDIBILITY :A leader needs to arouse a feeling of trust. This includes competence, caring, reliability, predictability and integrity. Agreements not followed through, cover-ups, inconsistency between words and deeds are all indicators of lack of honesty. Yet, if a leader behaves in ways consistent with his or her stated values and beliefs in life, then people believe that they can entrust their careers prospects, security and even their lives to that person.

• DOMINANCE : A dominant person is able to impose his or her will on others. Though being a dominant leader is a traditional characteristic, its use is necessary. Every leader needs to be dominant at certain point of time to get work done through others.

• EXTROVERTNESS :Extrovertness has been recognized as a tool for leadership effectiveness, because it is helpful for leaders in most situations to be gregarious and outgoing. Also, extroverts are more likely to assume a leadership role and participate in group activities. Even though it is logical to think that extroversion is related to leadership, many effective leaders are laid-back and even introverted.

• ASSERTIVENESS :Assertiveness means being frank in expressing demands, opinions, feelings and attitudes. It helps leaders perform many tasks and achieve goals. It is about asking group members about their mistakes, demanding higher performance, setting high targets and making legitimate demands on higher management. Being assertive does not mean being aggressive or passive.

• EMOTIONAL STABILITY:Emotional stability is an important leadership trait. It refers to the ability to control emotions to the point that one’s emotional responses are reciprocal to the occasion. Emotions associated with low emotional stability include anxiety, depression, anger, embarrassment and worry. Emotional stability is needed because group members expect and need consistency in the fashion they are treated.

• ENTHUSIASM :It is desirable of a leader to be enthusiastic. Group members tend to respond positively to enthusiasm, partly because it may be perceived as a reward for constructive behavior. It is a trait that helps build good relationships with and among team members. Enthusiasm can be verbal or nonverbal. In whatever form, it infuses team spirit and pushes-up the tempo.

• SENSE OF HUMOR :Effective use of humor plays an important part on the role of a leader. It relieves tension and boredom and defuses hostility in the workplace. Self-effacing and intelligent humor is the choice of comedians and organizational leaders alike. By being self-effacing, the leader makes a point without insulting or slighting anybody.

• WARMTH :Being a warm person and projecting warmth reflects true leadership qualities in several ways. Firstly, warmth facilitates the establishment of rapport with and within group members. Secondly, the projection of warmth is a key component of charisma. Thirdly, warmth is a trait that facilitates in providing emotional support to group members ensuring proper synergy.

• HIGH TOLERANCE FOR FRUSTRATION :High tolerance for frustration means the ability to cope with the blocking of goal attainment. A leader encounters many frustrations. He has to deal with lot of people in varied situations and hence, should be in a position to soak up all frustration and stress like a sponge.

• SELF-AWARENESS AND SELF-OBJECTIVITY:Effective leaders are aware of their strengths and limitations. This awareness enables them to capitalize upon their strengths and eliminate their weaknesses.

• INITIATIVE :Being a self-starter or go-getter, taking action without support and stimulation from others are the basic characteristics needed in a leader. A person aspiring leadership assignments should recognize that initiative is a personality trait very much sought in potential leaders. Initiative is also related to problem-finding and solving ability – one needs to exercise initiative to search for worthwhile problems.

• SENSITIVITY TO OTHERS AND EMPATHY :To influence others, a leader should understand group members, their interests and attitudes. Understanding and displaying sensitivity towards others requires empathy, the ability to place oneself in the other person’s shoes. Lack of sensitivity to others forbears risk of becoming a failed leader. Sensitivity to others is an important leadership trait, because it enhances negotiating ability. The sensitive leader can "read" the other side accurately, thus doing a better job in the negotiator’s role.

• FLEXIBILITY AND ADAPTABILITY :A leader is a person who adopts change every easily. It therefore follows that a leader must be flexible and adaptable enough to cope with change. Flexible leaders are able to adjust to the demands of the situation. An adoptive person is able to lead better because followers look-upon leaders for guidance and support in changed environs.

• INTERNAL LOCUS OF CONTROL :People with an internal locus of control believe themselves to be the prime movers behind every event. Leaders like to take challenges because they rely on their innate capacity and self-confidennce. People with internal locus are perceived as more powerful than the ones having external locus because they assume full responsibility for events and their consequences.

• COURAGE :Leaders need courage to face the challenges of taking prudent risks and initiatives in general. They must also face up to responsibility and be willing to put their reputations on the test. It takes for a leader, courage to start a new venture because if the undertaking fails, the leader is often seen as failed. More the faith in the power of the leaders people place for the cause of an event, more strongly do they blame leaders when outcomes are not favorable.

• RESILIENCE : An important observation about effective leaders, is their resilience. They bounce back quickly from setbacks such as budget cuts, demotions and being fired. They rarely use the word "failure". A leader sets an example for team members by not buckling under pressure when something goes wrong. Instead, he tries to conduct business undeterred.

STYLES OF LEADERSHIP

THE BEHAVIOR APPROACH :

Instead of analyzing the characteristics or traits of a leader, Behavior Approach tries to concentrate on what leaders actually do. One way to influence followers is portrayal of behavior by leaders. The major contributions to this approach were made by researchers at Ohio State University. They developed in all 1800 specific behaviors that the leaders engage in. For example being friendly, setting goals and examples on followers, looking after the well-being of the followers etc. Major findings of this research were that the behavior involved either "consideration" or "initiating structure."

"Consideration" is a behavior indicating that the leader maintains good relationship with workers. He trusts, respects and values his employees. He demonstrates his concern for the well-being of employees and motivates in turn to create faith and dependability in the group.

In "Initiating" structure, the leader makes sure that the work gets done and subordinates do their jobs in an acceptable manner. Providing the people in the organization with individual job, planning ahead, deciding in advance; the work to be performed and motivating the followers to achieve the goals, are all part of initiating – structure behaviors.

TRAIT APPROACH TO LEADERSHIP :

The trait approach tries to identify personality traits of leaders. The traditional theorist believed that leaders were born and not made. This theory is commonly known as the "great man" theory. It dates back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, where physical, mental and personality traits in the person were inbred. However, the "great man" theory has lost much of its acceptability with the rise of behaviorist school of psychology.

Depending on the studies of Ralph M. Stogdill, leadership ability has :

Five physical traits e.g. energy, appearance, height etc four intelligence traits, sixteen personality traits like adaptability, aggressiveness, enthusiasm and self confidence, six task-related characteristics e.g. drive, persistence, initiative and nine social characteristics like cooperativeness, interpersonal skills and administrative ability among others.

In general, the study of traits has not proved to be a successful approach. Not all leaders possess all traits and many ordinary people may possess most or all of them. Also, the trait approach gives no guidance as to how much of any trait a person should have. Moreover all these traits are patterns of behavior.

THE AUTOCRATIC LEADERSHIP STYLE :

Such leaders like to retain authority. They expect that the team members shall comply with their decision. They are not concerned with the attitude or thinking of the group members. They are usually task-oriented. An autocratic leader commands his team and expects compliance. Such types of leaders use punishments and rewards to achieve the objectives.

THE PARTICIPATIVE LEADERSHIP STYLE :

This type of leaders share the decision making with group members. These leaders either do not take action without consulting group members or do take decisions but only after taking the advise of the subordinates. Because this type of leadership covers number of types of behaviors.

It can be divided into 3 parts :

1. Consultative leaders

2. Consensus leaders

3. Democratic leaders

Consultative leaders take opinion of the team members before taking a decision. However, they do not delegate the final authority. As against this, consensus leaders strive to encourage and motivate team members through general discussions. They provide equal opportunities to all the members to add their inputs. They see to it that all the parties agree to the decision taken. Democratic leaders believe in seeking opinion from all parties. They provide the final authority to the group. Participative style is basically a team or a group approach.

THE FREE-REIN LEADERSHIP STYLE :

Free-Rein means laissez-faire style of leadership. It literarily means delegation of all the control and authority on the members. The leader never interferes until requested. The group members are allowed to perform as they like, so far as this does not violate the company policy. A free-rein provides all the possible democracy and allows complete delegation. The leaders consider that the people are self-motivated and emotionally secure.

The proportion of authority held by leaders is much more in the autocratic style as compared to participative and free-rein style. Participative leaders take equal inputs from group members. And free-rein leaders delegate most of the authority and retain very little for themselves.

THE LEADERSHIP GRID :

Leadership Grid was formerly known as Managerial Grid. It strives to integrate the task and relationship orientation. It works out various combinations of concern for people, and concern for production and on this basis decides the grid position. Certain key grid positions lead to benchmark styles.

1. COUNTRY CLUB MANAGEMENT (CCM) :

Here, the concern for people is much more than that for production. It promotes harmonious and cordial environment among the employees. Adequate attention is paid to satisfy the needs of people which creates friendly environment in the organization.

2. TEAM MANAGEMENT (TM) :

The upper tier of the grid represents high team efforts. It is an ideal situation where, the concern for people is as high as for production too. The relationship here is based on mutual trust and respect. There is optimum participation and involvement of people and factors of production that leads to objective achievement.

3. IMPOVERISHED MANAGEMENT (IM) :

This type of managers cannot qualify for leadership position. The concern for people as well as production is less. The bare minimum that the manager does is to only seek his own survival in the organization.

4. AUTHORITY COMPLIANCE (AC) :

The main concern here is on getting the work done. The human element on the job is of no importance. The leader is more adamant on completion of the work rather than at who’s expense it is done. There is minimum of freedom and democracy in this style.

5. MIDDLE OF THE ROAD MANAGEMENT (MRM) :

This is a balanced approach. The leader takes equal care of people and work. This style retains employee morale at the same time achieving organizational goals. The leader tries to avoid controversy and concentrates on achievement of targets with due satisfaction of workers.

LIKERT’S FOUR SYSTEMS OF MANAGEMENT :

Professor Rensis Likert and his associates at the University of Michigan developed a system to identify the patterns and styles of leaders. Accordingly, a leader having orientation towards subordinates, should rely on effective communication and the approach should be supportive in nature. As per Likert’s view, this is the most effective style as it deals with motivational aspect. He has suggested four systems of management.

System 1 is known as "Exploitative-Authoritative". Here the managers have a rigid approach. There is absence of trust, fear of punishment, little communication with higher ups and hardly any decision making at the base.

System 2 management is "Benevolent-Authoritative". Here, there is a lot of policy control. Though the trust in the employees prevail, yet retaining the control is a major criterion. There is some amount of higher level communication and delegation in decision making.

System 3 is referred to as "Consultative Management". Managers under this system use reward and punishment as motivation tool. The team members have substantial participation in the decision making process and broad policy formulation is preferred.

System 4 is called the "Participative Group". This system exhibits complete faith and confidence in the subordinates. The emphasis is on group upliftment.

On application, Likert found that those managers who adopted system 4 were most effective. This was so because of the participative approach.

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FIEDLER’S CONTINGENCY APPROACH TO LEADERSHIP :

Fiedler, E. Fred described three critical dimensions of leadership situation. Accordingly, he holds that people become leaders depending upon the attributes of their personalities, situational factors and interactions between the leaders and group members. These three critical dimensions are :

1. POSITION POWER :

The position or the post held by the individual provides certain authority. This is known as position power. A leader with clear cut organizational authority is able to achieve followership easily as against leaders having powers other than position power that is personality, expertise etc.

2. TASK STRUCTURE :

The task structure determines the extent to which there is clarity in the task to be done and who is responsible for the performance of the same. If tasks are structured and definite with fixing of authority and responsibility, then controlling becomes easy.

3.LEADER–MEMBER RELATIONSHIP :

This is the most important dimension. As position power and task structure are easy to be framed in an organization, the leader has to concentrate more on developing a favorable relationship with team members. It has to do with the extent to which group members like and trust a leader and are willing to follow that leader.

To imbibe this dimension, Fiedler set forth two different styles; one is where the leader gains satisfaction by seeing the task done and the other is in achieving good interpersonal relations. For this, he used the scaling technique where the employees were asked to rate least preferred co-worker (LPC) and assumed similarity between opposites (ASO). On the basis of this, he concluded that there are no effective or ineffective leaders. Rather, depending upon the "favorable" or "unfavorable" situations, the task oriented leaders become effective or ineffective. Leadership effectiveness depends upon numerous elements in group environment. Managers have to apply knowledge relative to motivation and the ability to satisfy employees ultimately leading to achievement of tasks.

THE PATH GOAL THEORY OF LEADERSHIP EFFECTIVENESS :

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According to Robert House, the main function of a leader is to clarify and set goals for the members. The situational factors like characteristics of subordinates, their abilities, skill, the work environment, the reward system and interrelationship between co-workers, leads to a certain behavioral pattern in the leader. On these basis, leader behavior can be divided into four parts :

|[p|Supportive leadership behavior where the leader is concerned about the well-being of his subordinates. |

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|[p|Participative leadership behavior where superiors consult their subordinates. |

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|[p|Instrumental leadership behavior where superior provides specific guidance to the subordinates. |

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|[p|Achievement oriented leadership behavior where challenging goals are set and confidence of subordinates is developed. |

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GENDER AND LEADERSHIP :

Do men and women have differing leadership styles ? Women tend to have certain acquired traits and behavioral pattern that builds relations-oriented leadership. They are able to nurture team members. Whereas against this, men tend to be task-oriented. Alice Eagly, a researcher suggests that men and women in leadership position tend to behave in similar manner. Men do not engage in initiating structure nor do women engage in consideration. According to her, women tend to lead in a more democratic style and men tend to lead in a more autocratic style.

Judy Rosener, another researcher is of a different view. Based on self-reports, she found that men tended towards a command-and-control style. In contrast women tended towards transformational style.

Cary Cooper, however contends that men tend to manage by punishment, whereas women manage by rewards. Different researchers differ in their views about Men leaders and Women leaders. Given that more women are assuming leadership positions in the organizations today, it is an area of extensive research and debate as to why this is happening.

POINTS TO PONDER

Ask yourself :

|[pic|Is Assertiveness your strongest weapon ? |

|] | |

|[pic|Which three necessary changes will you implement now ? |

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|[pic|Do you nurture the quality of willingness to work ? |

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|[pic|Are you a people person ? |

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|[pic|Are you biased towards your woman superiors ? |

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|[pic|What three items are you committing to practice after you finish this chapter ? |

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Do this

|[pic|Check your informal communications system |

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|[pic|Building up strong informal communication channels is a must for a leader. |

|] | |

|[pic|Establish an efficient reporting system. |

|] | |

|[pic|Too much organizational politics is detrimental to the organization’s health. |

|] | |

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