By: Tara K. Lalonde
What is the first image that comes to mind when you think of a leader?
Many of us hold onto the idea of leadership that embodies outdated notions of a sort of heroic figure who is smarter than the rest of us and thus earned an inherent right to greater power over everyone else. This “lone hero” idea is embedded in images often assimilated with Industrial Age icons such as Henry Ford, J.P. Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, or John D. Rockefeller. We picture such leaders dwelling in the top corner office where fist-pounding emulates strength.
However misguided, this image of leadership was more effective during a time when the competitive environment was very stable – when economical or technological shifts took many years. In this type of stable environment, it was possible for one person – albeit with the right resources – to have the knowledge required to drive success. During this previously stable era, companies could gain an advantage through improved efficiencies, which often benefited from this kind of leadership schema.
But this type of “Great Man” leadership is no longer effective.
In contrast, today we live in a very dynamic knowledge-based, global economy. Nowadays, organizations gain a competitive advantage through innovation and creative problem-solving. The global economy introduces near infinite nodes of information. We exist amidst global supply chains and customers, near constant technological disruptions, and global policies with frequent regulation shifts. All of this results in an environment where it is no longer possible for a lone leader at the top to know everything needed for an organization to remain competitive, nor does that style motivate employees in this knowledge-based environment.
Instead, what we need are leaders who can tap into the range of knowledge and experience of others at every level of the organization. We need leaders throughout every part of the organization, regardless of title. We need people who embrace the idea that:
Leadership is a process of influencing others toward a shared vision.
This definition is derived from the compilation of decades of leadership theory research compiled by Peter Northouse.[1] Let’s break down this leadership perspective.
Leadership is a process…
When we say that leadership is a process, we recognize that it can be taught. There is an age-old question of whether someone is born a leader or if it is something learned. By addressing it as a process, we recognize that with the right amount of training, development opportunities, and mindset, anyone can learn to be a leader. In other words, leadership is accessible to everyone, not just someone genetically or socio-economically endowed with that role.
Leadership is a process of influencing others…
When we talk about leadership as a process of influencing others, we are not talking about coercion or using any kind of fear tactics to get others to do our will. Leadership is far more than positional power. As leaders, the process of influencing others involves understanding the tacit and implicit mechanisms involved in our very dynamic and interdependent organizations and creating an environment that taps into not only extrinsic incentives, but more importantly, inspires action derived from intrinsic motivators. As such, leadership often calls for more than traditional transactional types of behaviors, and instead, increasingly calls for a more relational approach.
Leadership is a process of influencing others toward a shared vision…
Okay, but leadership is a process of influencing others to do what? Well, it’s not enough to motivate action to accomplish only that which is important to the individual in charge. Rather, leadership inspires others to come together in accomplishing long-term goals that are shared among the collective. In times past the lone leader at the top may have set the organizational vision with the expectation that others would abide; however, without buy-in and a desire to achieve a vision that resonates with organizational members, at best you will get compliance but it’s unlikely you will get the kind of genuine motivation that inspires the dedication and engagement necessary to remain competitive.
So given this definition, what leadership style is most effective?
You may have heard of many different leadership styles with names like situational, authentic, servant, inclusive, democratic, and so forth. With so many different types, it can seem confusing to know which style produces the most effective process of influencing others toward a shared vision. Unsurprisingly, there is no one-size-fits-all style of leadership that works best in every situation.
However, the Full Range Leadership Development (FRLD) model, proposed by pioneering leadership experts Bernard Bass and Bruce Avolio[2], furthered by a compilation of research articulated by Sosik and Jung[3], helps to demystify this conundrum. Basically, leadership effectiveness takes the form of a continuum whereby more passive methods are effective least often, transactional methods are effective some of the time, and transformational styles are most effective most often.
Regardless of the name given to a leadership style, the most effective processes involve: intrinsic motivation; leaders who role model values-based behaviors and instill a strong sense of purpose while providing encouragement to reach goals; challenge the status quo and encourage new perspectives, viewing mistakes as learning opportunities; and appeal to positive emotions, energizing individuals to reach their highest potential.
Conclusion
In summary, the leadership paradigm has shifted dramatically from historical perspectives often associated with the “titans of industry.” Although leadership may be more intuitive to some, the idea that leaders are predetermined predates the evolution to a knowledge-based economy that relies on the inputs of everyone throughout the organization. This new era mandates leaders at all levels who can tap into the value of others and inspire collective action toward a shared vision.
What are some of your experiences with evolving perspectives of leadership and the impact on organizational effectiveness?
[1] Northouse, P. G. (2022). Leadership: Theory & practice (9th Ed). Sage
[2] Bass, B. M., & Avolio, B. J. (1994). Improving organizational effectiveness through transformational leadership. Sage.
[3] Sosik, J. J., & Jung, D. (2018). Full range leadership development: Pathways for people, profit, and planet (2nd Ed). Routledge.
