Leadership Skills - Self Control The key to a successful leadership

In my earlier post while talking about leadership skills,I was talking about my close friend who was once the most jovial and carefree guy. Soon after his elevation in his organization and with additional responsibilities and dead lines , Mr. Johny started neglecting his social and family life. On hearing sad stories of how nasty his big boss is and how he lose his temper with his colleagues, I felt really sorry for him and had to give an oral presentation of self control as an effective leadership quality.

Johny case is not an isolated one in the leadership skill lessons .First and foremost one need to remember that, one should not jam pack the working hours with busy meetings. It is of vital importance that there need to be sufficient recouping time after an important assignment whether it is a board meeting, a discussion, or a negotiation. You need to put less important activities before and after such an assignment which would make you mentally relaxed and physically fit.

Leadership skills is not just micro management and hard labour. Small breaks while in work is an important way of keeping the mental faculties sharp and focused. Why can't you take a short break in the forenoon and afternoon and just walk around the campus or lieten to your favourite Ghazal? The effect as I have experienced is tremendous. You emerge as fresh and free after a rest . Never attempt to listen the music while at work since it spoils both, the beauty of the music and the seriousness of the work on hand.

Leadership skills also demands adequate rest and nutritious food to make the body and mind healthy .To have a cool favourite drink( of course not Hot!), preferably a fresh juice would add to the energy and metabolic recouping. Listening to chanting and prayers would soothe the mind of those who are a bit devoted.
The revelation or rather enlightenment that the results depends on a number of factors both internal and external , and what matters is the effort and competition within would ward off a sick and morbid desperate mind. The essence of Baghawat Geetha, that do your work and leave the rest to God is an apt management dictum in today's' over ambitious business world.

Leadership Skills-Self Control for an Effective Leadership

Leadership Skills-Self Control for an effective leadership
When I got out of the cab just in front of the head office of one of the most prestigious Banks of the country, little did I expect the bizzare incidents that I had to witness moments later. Johny and me had been classmates from the K.G. in a public school to the degree course of one of the oldest colleges of our home town . Soon after the college ,where we both had been commerce students, I took fascination to Journalism and Johny wanted to do an MBA. We parted ways and it was about a decade that we met each other after his marriage ,though occasional phone calls and new year greetings besides SMSs used to renew our ever green friendship. Finally I decided to meet him when I made a trip to Mumbai recently. It was a free day for me from the press and the cameras to call on him.

As the Senoir Vice President of Marketing Johny had an enviable position in our group . With my freelancing skills and love for letters I could manage to float in the 4h estate and visual media well with occasional breaks and leisure. No wonder I had 4 trips abroad with my wife and daughter during the last 3 years, that made Parvathy too happy and my home a sweet home.

As soon as I got out of the lift at the 8th floor the Vice president (Retail Banking-Marketing) board greeted me. Checking with the his P.S. I understood that a normal monthly review was in session at his cabin with the juniors. As I could locate a comfortable seat at the visitors lounge at the direction of his lovely secretary,I glanced through the periodicals, most of them financial , with absolutely no interest.

May be an hour might have been passed , the penalty that I had to pay for visiting a busy executive without notice,Johny emerged from his cabin, To my surprise,he had put up la ot of weight, with gray hair not dyed that gave him a sunken look . The secretary pointed at me at the lounge and I got a call. As I entered his cabin he could not recognize me, immediately, and I could see his difficulty in concealing his ignorance and embarrassment I broke the ice with my customary salutation of his pet name and Alas! he burst into laughter. While he hugged me I could see that he was visibly moved and his eyes nearing wet. Such was the bondage between us, we were more than friends.

It was 3 P.m. he didnt had his lunch and invited me to join for lunch at his house. I was too happy to get a malayalee lunch at Mumbai almost an alien place for me. Susan ws too happy to see me and was vociferous in unloading her load of complaints on Johny, his bank, meetings and targets and nothing more nothing less. It pulled the trigger and Johny opend up. ( To be continued..)

Great Leaders -The Leadership and Compassion of Rata Tata

The name of Ratan Tata is a house hold name in India. Being a maverick businessman he is respected the world over. His leadership skills and compassion for the junior staff are well known. This great Leader was put to a real limus test of leaderrship and crisis management during the terror attack during 2009. Many may not be aware about the real human side of this great leader. Recently Tata HR department has revealed a few eye opening facts that every leader of the world need to emulate.

A. Terrorist entry

1. They entered from the Leopold Colaba hotel entrance and also from the northern entrance – spraying indiscriminate bullets on the Taj security personnel and guests in general.

2. Though Taj had a reasonable security – they were surely not equipped to deal with terrorists, who were spraying 6 bullets per trigger.

3. The strategy of the terrorists was to throw chunks of RDX in an open area that will explode and burn – creating chaos so that the guests and staff run helter skelter, so that the terrorists could kill them. The idea was to create maximum casualties.

4. There were several critical gatherings and functions happening in the hotel on that day – a Bohra muslim wedding; a global meet of Unilever CEOs and Board members and two other corporate meetings were in progress in the Hotel – besides the usual regular evening crowd.

5. The firing and chaos began at about 8.30 p.m. and the staff including employees on casual and contract basis displayed exemplary presence of mind, courage and sacrifice to protect the guests who were in various halls and conference rooms.


B. Stories of Staff Heroics

1. A young lady guest relation executive, on duty with the Global meetof Unilever, did not permit any of the guests going out and volunteered 3 times to go out and get stuff such as ice cubes for whiskey of the guests. At this time she was well aware that the situation outside the sound proof conference hall was very explosives. She could have been easily the target of the terrorists bullets.

2. Thomas George a captain, escorted 54 guests from a backdoor staircase and when he was going down last he was shot by the terrorists.

3. There were 500 emails from various guests narrating heroics of the staff and thanking them for saving their lives

4. In a subsequent function, Ratan Tata broke down in full public view and sobbed saying – “the company belongs to these people”. The wife of Thomas George who laid his life saving others said, she and the kids were proud of the man and that she did not know that for 25 years she lived with a man who was so courageous and brave.

5. The episode happened on 26th November 2008, a significant part of the Heritage hotel was burnt down and destroyed – the hotel was partially re-opened on 21st December 2008 and all the employees of the hotel were paraded in front of the guests and were honoured.

6. It was clearly a saga of extra-ordinary heroics by ordinary people for their organisation and in a way for their country. The sense of duty and service was unprecedented.

7. The young lady who protected and looked after the international guests from UNILEVER was amongst management trainees. We often speak of juniority and seniority in the organisation. She had no instructions from any supervisor to do what she did.

a. She maintained her calm and finally took just 3 minutes to rescue the entire team through the kitchen back door to safety out side.

b. Before taking them out she had organised their cars outside the rear service area of the Hotel as per seniority of the members !!!

c. In the peak of the crisis, she stepped out and got the right wine and glasses for the guests to keep them till it was safe to take them out.

8. People who exhibited courage included janitors, waiters, directors, artisans and captains – all level of people


C. The Tata Gesture

1. All category of employees including those who had completed even 1 day as casuals were treated on duty during the time the hotel was closed for repairs.

2. Relief and assistance were provided to all those who were injured and killed.

3. The relief and assistance was extended to all those who died at the VT Railway Station, surroundingareas, including the “Pav-Bhaji” vendor and the pan shop owners. ( Taj Hotel is far far away from Rly Stn)

4. During the time the hotel was closed, the salaries were sent my money order to employees who were advised to proceed to their villages.

5. A psychiatric cell was established in collaboration with Tata Institute of Social Sciences to counsel those who needed such help.

6. The thoughts and anxieties going on in employees & people’s mind was constantly tracked and where needed psychological help provided.

7. Employee outreach centres were opened where all help, food, water, sanitation, first aid and counseling was provided. All 1600 employees were covered by this facility.

8. Every employee was assigned to one mentor from other TATA group companies and it was that person’s responsibility to act as a “single window” clearance for any help that the person required.

9. Ratan Tata personally visited the families of all the 80 employees who were in some manner – either through injury or getting killed – were affected.

10. The dependents of the killed/ wounded employees were flown/ transported by fastest means from outside Mumbai to Mumbai and taken care off in terms of ensuring mental assurance and peace. They were all accommodated in Hotel President for 3 weeks.

11. Ratan Tata himself asked the families and dependents – as to what they wanted him to do.

12. In a record time of 20 days, a new trust was created by the TATAs for the purpose of relief of employees.

13. What is unique is that even the other people, other than TAJ employees, like the railway employees,the police staff, the vendors,passangers in railway station, pedestrians who had nothing to do with Tatas were covered by compensation. Each one of them was provided subsistence allowance of Rs. 10K per month for all these people for 6 months.

14. A four year old granddaughter of a vendor near rail station got 4 bullets in her body and only one had been removed in the Government hospital. When Rattan Tata read about this in news paper, She was taken to Bombay hospital and several lacs were spent by the Tatas on her to fully recover her.

15. New hand carts were provided to several vendors who lost their carts.

16. TATAs have taken over the responsibility of life education of 46 children of the victims of the terror.

17. This was the most trying period in the life of the organisation. Senior managers including Ratan Tata were visiting funeral to funeral over the 3 days that were most horrible.

18. The settlement for every deceased member, including who had one day service, ranged from Rs. 36 to 85 lacs, in addition to the following benefits:

a. Full last salary for life for the family and dependents.

b. Complete responsibility of education of children and dependents – anywhere in the world.

c. Full Medical facility for the whole family and dependents for rest of their life.

d. All loans and advances were waived off – irrespective of the amount.

e. Counsellor services for life for each person.


D. Epilogue

1. How was such passion created among the employees? How and why did they behave the way they did?

2 The organisation is clear that it is not something that someone can take credit for. It is not some training and development that created such behaviour. If someone suggests that – everyone laughs.

3. It has to do with the DNA of the organisation, with the way TATA culture has been cultivated and exists and above all with the situation that prevailed that time. The organisation has always been telling the employees that customers and guests are #1 priority

4. The hotel business was started by Jamshedji Tata when he was insulted in one of the British hotels and not allowed to stay there, being Indian. He made a world class hotel.

5. He created several institutions which later became icons of progress, culture and modernity. IISc is one such institute. He was told by the rulers that time that he can acquire land for IISc to the extent he could fence the same. He could then afford fencing of only 400 acres.

6. When the HR function hesitatingly made a very rich proposal to Ratan Tata – he said – do you think we are doing enough?

7. The whole approach was that the organisation would spend several hundred crore in re-building the property – why not spend equally on the employees who gave their life?

Leadership Development Programs Best Practices

Leadership development program has become an over used cliche and is often misspelt on many a training session . When I say misspelt I do not mean it literally. Presentation of few powerpoint slides and administration of some worn out self assessment tests and discussion of a a couple of case studies are the normal curriculam in many such programs. I am not ignoring the fact that there are very effective leadership development Programs across the globe that spot and moulds genuine and fresh talents.

It is not the endeavour of this post to give a road map on the curriculam and the trainers' guide on leadership development programs . However as a trainer for the last 2 decades who have worked with a cross section of individuals right from the illiterate self help group member and right upto the corporate echelons , I firmly beleive that in a program on leadership development , the conviction of the trainer and the willingnes of the trainee matters a lot.

It is in this context that the best practices of the industry, of the politics,of the sovereign republics, or of the religious school that make the job of a trainer more pleasurable and enjoyable . With the best practices one assumes the role of a narrator rather than a preachor, or from a professor to a catalyst or facilitator. This is more so in the case of andragogical interventions.

Best practices for leadership development programs takes the learner from the theatre to the field and expose him to a world to which he was an alien hitherto.

What are the areas of best practices that could help the learner to assimilate the lessons? what are the most common best practices that could be of immense help? let us see these ideas in detail in the following posts.

Team leadership- How to become an effective Team Leader?

How to be a Good Team Leader
An effective team leader will use the GRIPS model
Define Goals:
• help the team and each individual to be clear about who their customer is, what outputs are required from them and the standards they need to meet
• identify and agree objectives for continuous improvement
• demonstrate how these objectives contribute to the overall corporate goal (s)






Clarify Roles :
• identify how each individual fits into the team and the customer-supplier chain(s)
• explain your role and how you will provide support
Strive for honest Interaction:
• swap constructive feedback; listen to your team
• share feelings and concerns; be open
• aim for equality not dominance
• admit mistakes; give praise as well as censure
Support Personal development:
• systematically identify individual's strengths and needs
• agree personal development goals
• identify ways to meet these needs and goals
• coach, counsel and facilitate personal development
Adapt your Style :
• use the appropriate style to reflect each individual's level of development and the nature of the task. For example:
• use TELL when someone is very unsure or lacking knowledge and experience try CONSULTING your team to gain their views and ideas before you make a decision.
• when they have more experience, build their confidence by JOINT decision-making
• when individuals and/or the team have sufficient experience and confidence then DELEGATE goals and task to them and let them be responsible for working out how to achieve them
How It helps
Effective leadership is one of the key factors in successful teams. This GRIPS checklist summarises the main things a team leader needs to work on.
How to be a Good Team Member
An effective leader alone is not enough to make a team work well. Each individual must make a contribution. This checklist outlines the main areas that this should cover.
An effective team member:
• Knows and understands the purpose, objectives and performance measures of the team
• Contributes constructively to the development of the objectives and measures and plans to achieve them
• Has individual objectives and tasks to complete to contribute towards the team performance
• Attends team meetings; punctually and willingly
• Contributes ideas, information and experience during the meetings
• Takes an active role (scribe, timekeeper. etc) in meetings as required
• Listens to other members and builds on their views and ideas
• Participates constructively in debate
• Accepts the consensus view of the team
• Takes a share of the work to be done between meetings and completes this to a high standard on time
• Supports the leader and other members outside the team once plans and actions have been agreed
• Inputs high energy and enthusiasm into the team and the work to be done
• Recognises the contributions and help of others in the team.


(Courtsey- Build that team by Steve Smith)

Leadership Skills -Great Speakers and Orators - -2

As indicated in my earlier post, public speaking skills is one of the most essential ingredients of effective leadership. If we examine history we may find many great leaders who could sway the masses by their verbal skills. The great revolutionary leaders of Voltaire Rousseau and Montesquieu are often quoted in this regard. Even in our own times Winston Churchill, the great war time Prime minister of Great Briton, Abraham Lincoln, JFK and Mahathma Gandhi are all classic examples of great orators becoming great leaders. Here in his book on successful Public speaking the author narrates about a few olden speakers who were the pioneers in the art of Public speaking . Read on ..





"Demosthenes
Demosthenes stands preeminent among Greek orators. His well-known oration "On the Crown," the preparation of which occupied a large part of seven years, is regarded as the oratorical masterpiece of all history.
It is encouraging to the student of public speaking to recall that this distinguished orator at first had serious natural defects to overcome. His voice was weak, he stammered in his speech, and was painfully diffident. These faults were remedied, as is well-known, by earnest daily practise in declaiming on the sea-shore, with pebbles in the mouth, walking up and down hill while reciting, and deliberately seeking occasions for conversing with groups of people.
The chief lesson for you to draw from Demosthenes is that he was indefatigable in his study of the art of oratory. He left nothing to chance. His speeches were characterized by deliberate forethought. He excelled other men not because of great natural ability but because of intelligent and continuous industry. He stands for all time as the most inspiring example of oratorical achievement, despite almost insuperable difficulties.
Cicero
The fame of Roman oratory rests upon Cicero, whose eloquence was second only to that of Demosthenes. He was a close student of the art of speaking. He was so intense and vehement by nature that he was obliged in his early career to spend two years in Greece, exercising in the gymnasium in order to restore his shattered constitution.
His nervous temperament clung to him, however, since he made this significant confession after long years of practise in public speaking. "I declare that when I think of the moment when I shall have to rise and speak in defense of a client, I am not only disturbed in mind, but tremble in every limb of my body."
It is well to note here that a nervous temperament may be a help rather than a hindrance to a speaker. Indeed, it is the highly sensitive nature that often produces the most persuasive orator, but only when he has learned to conserve and properly use this valuable power.
Cicero was a living embodiment of the comprehensive requirements laid down by the ancients as essential to the orator. He had a knowledge of logic, ethics, astronomy, philosophy, geometry, music, and rhetoric. Little wonder, therefore, that his amazing eloquence was described as a resistless torrent.
Luther
Martin Luther was the dominating orator of the Reformation. He combined a strong physique with great intellectual power. "If I wish to compose, or write, or pray, or preach well," said he, "I must be angry. Then all the blood in my veins is stirred, my understanding is sharpened, and all dismal thoughts and temptations are dissipated." What the great Reformer called "anger," we would call indignation or earnestness.
John Knox
John Knox, the Scotch reformer, was a preeminent preacher. His pulpit style was characterized by a fiery eloquence which stirred his hearers to great enthusiasm and sometimes to violence.
Bossuet
Bossuet, regarded as the greatest orator France has produced, was a fearless and inspired speaker. His style was dignified and deliberate, but as he warmed with his theme his thought took fire and he carried his hearers along upon a swiftly moving tide of impassioned eloquence. When he spoke from the text, "Be wise, therefore, O ye Kings! be instructed, ye judges of the earth!" the King himself was thrilled as with a religious terror.
To ripe scholarship Bossuet added a voice that was deep and sonorous, an imposing personality, and an animated style of gesture. Lamartine described his voice as "like that of the thunder in the clouds, or the organ in the cathedral."
Bourdaloue
Louis Bourdaloue, styled "the preacher of Kings, and the King of preachers," was a speaker of versatile powers. He could adapt his style to any audience, and "mechanics left their shops, merchants their business, and lawyers their court house" in order to hear him. His high personal character, simplicity of life, and clear and logical utterance combined to make him an accomplished orator.
Massillon
Massillon preached directly to the hearts of his hearers. He was of a deeply affectionate nature, hence his style was that of tender persuasiveness rather than of declamation. He had remarkable spiritual insight and knowledge of the human heart, and was himself deeply moved by the truths which he proclaimed to other men." ( Source- Successful Public speaking)

To be continued...

Public Speaking Tips- A leader's Primary skill

Public speaking perhaps is the best Communication intervention that could lead to the birth of a leader.While the leaders public relation skill and private effective communication helps begin his journey towards a leadership stardom , It is the public speaking skill that would make anyone , let it be a politician , soilder, terrorist, businessperson, or a religious head or Spiritual Master, an effective leader who could lead others to his philosophy and end.In this context it would be ineteresting to know some of the great leaders who made their indelible impression in public speaking.

I give below an excerepts from the Book "Successful Methods of Public Speaking" by Grenville Kleiser that would prove this point.

"MEN WHO HAVE MADE HISTORY IN PUBLIC SPEAKING—AND THEIR METHODS
The great orators of the world did not regard eloquence as simply an endowment of nature, but applied themselves diligently to cultivating their powers of expression. In many cases there was unusual natural ability, but such men knew that regular study and practise were essential to success in this coveted art.
The oration can be traced back to Hebrew literature. In the first chapter of Deuteronomy we find Moses' speech in the end of the fortieth year, briefly rehearsing the story of God's promise, and of God's anger for their incredulity and disobedience.




The four orations in Deuteronomy, by Moses, are highly commended for their tenderness, sublimity and passionate appeal. You can advantageously read them aloud.
The oration of Pericles over the graves of those who fell in the Peloponnesian War, is said to have been the first Athenian oration designed for the public.
The agitated political times and the people's intense desire for learning combined to favor the development of oratory in ancient Greece. Questions of great moment had to be discust and serious problems solved. As the orator gradually became the most powerful influence in the State, the art of oratory was more and more recognized as the supreme accomplishment of the educated man."
We would see some of them in my subsequent posts.

Leadership Styles and Behaviour Pattern- Part 6

The 4th and final life position is that of the person who has strong complex . He feels that something is wrong with self and everyone else is right. A classic case od lack of self esteem.
I'm Not OK, You're OK
The general attitude in this style is to depreciate onesef. As the person does not have much trust in his or her own ability, he or she may not be assertive. This may be shown in various ways. The following six styles may be found in this position:




Indifferent (Regulating Parent)
A person with this style leaves following the norms to the discretion of others and does not care to see how well the norms are understood. Most of the time, such a person manages to overlook whether the norms are being followed. He or she does not have enough trust in his or her ability to help people develop proper norms and follow them. Such a trainer may take no notice of serious deviations in the session. A manager may ignore the issue of the propriety of his or her subordinates' behaviour.
D for Diffident (or, I'm Not OK, You're OK)
The general attitude in this style is to depreciate onesef. As the person does not have much trust in his or her own ability, he or she may not be assertive. This may be shown in various ways. The following six styles may be found in this position
Indifferent (Regulating Parent
]A person with this style leaves following the norms to the discretion of others and does not care to see how well the norms are understood. Most of the time, such a person manages to overlook whether the norms are being followed. He or she does not have enough trust in his or her ability to help people develop proper norms and follow them. Such a trainer may take no notice of serious deviations in the session. A manager may ignore the issue of the propriety of his or her subordinates' behaviour.
Ingratiating (Nurturing Parent)
In this style, the effort is to try to please or placate others. A manager may do certain things to keep subordinates in good humour, thinking that this will help him or her to get work done by them. A trainer may get too personal, inviting students for social occasions at home and visiting them in their homes. A consultant may go out of his or her way to do more than the client may want.
Overwhelming (Adult)
Such a person is always concerned with the task but remains confused and
feels that he or she has too much work to do. He or she never gets out of this task-orientation and constantly feels overworked and overburdened
Dependent (Adaptive Child)
The need for safety may be reflected in overdependence on others.
A dependent manager may go blindly by what subordinates tell him or her to do or may seek approval for all actions from the boss. A trainer with this style follows the norms strictly and, in case change is needed, asks the head of the institution or group for approval. A dependent consultant is guided primarily by the client's wishes and understanding
Intropunitive (Reactive Child)
A person with this style takes out aggression on himself or hersef. Such a person is angry with himsef or herself for not doing certain things and blames his or her own lack of ability, skills, or courage for ineffectiveness. Intropunitive people suffer from self-pity
Satirical (Creative Child)
This style takes a more pungent form. The person shows his critical attitude, but escapes confrontation by using satire.
A person may show behaviours relating to several of the styles described above. However, he or she would use one style more frequently than others. We may thus get a style profi1e of a person in an interactional or transactional role. We call this the person's transactional style profile
SUMMARY
Transactional analysis is a comprehensive framework to understand and modify personality, styles, and behaviour. Its concepts of ego states and of transactions between persons and life positions are useful for analysing interpersonal styles. The concept of games and scripts is useful in understanding the dynamics of dysfunctional exchanges and lifestyles of individuals. Combining the three ego-states with OK arid not-OK positions, we get 12 functional and 12 dysfunctional interpersonal or transactional styles. By using specially designed instruments you can measure your style(s).

courtesy:- understanding organizational behaviour by Uday Parikh, and other authors.

Leadership development lessons - Behavior pattern and styles- Part -5

The third life postion is the positive and most desirable. I am O.K. You are O.K. a matured balanced aproach to life and a mind inclined to accept others views. When applied to various Egostates this produce the following combinations.
The Competent (or I'm OK, You're OK)
People with this life position are creative, confident of themselves, and competent. They have respect for themselves as well as for others. The following six styles may be shown in this position
Normative (Regulating Parent)
This manager, consultant, or trainer is concerned with setting appropriate norms but involves subordinates, clients, or learners both in evolving these norms and in deciding how such
Supportive (Nurturing Parent)
A person with this style provides the necessary support needed by others with whom he or she interacts. Support is provided only if such support is either solicited or needed.
Problem-solving (Adult)
This person's concern is to solve the problem by working himself or herself and involving others in it as well. This is different from being obsessed with the task. It is ironical that excessive concern with tasks may sometimes come in the way of a solution to a problem.
Resilient (Adaptive Child)
This style is characterized by functional adaptation. The person assesses the situation and adapts to suit it This is effective contingency behaviour. A manager is quick to assess the situation and quicker to change his or her approach if needed. A trainer or consultant gives up the well-prepared plans of teaching or intervention if the situation demands a different approach.
Confronting (Reactive Child)
Aggressiveness is characteristic of this style. However, aggressiveness becomes functional when the person does not give up but perseveres and is content only when the problem is solved. This is confrontation of the problem. A distinction needs to be made between pseudo confrontation (expression of aggression to people and real confrontation (reflected in concern with the problem). Even when an issue has to be explored with a person, in effective confrontation the focus remains on the particular issue or problem and the other person is not a target.
Innovative(creative child)
A person with this style is not satisfied with the available solutions but continuously searches for new ways of solving a problem or new methods to be used. However, the person is also interested in stabilizing such an innovation before going on to new ones

Leadership Development and Behaviour Pattern -Part -4- I am O.K. , You are Not O.K.

Today we would discuss the relationship styles of the second Life position viz. I am O.k. but you are not O.K. the egoistic , self centred and adamant position one takes in life.

I'm OK,You're Not OK)
Generally a person in this life position takes a holier-than-thou attitude. This is reflected in an attitude of superiority. The various styles in this position are as follows
Prescriptive (Regulating Parent)
Such a manager has the opportunity to establish proper norms for subordinates and to ensure that these are followed; a consultant indicates to clients what he or she thinks they should do and is unhappy when they do not act according to the instructions; a trainer regards his or her main role as one of laying down detailed rules and
regulations for learners and ensuring that these are properly followed. Such people are also overcritical of others.
Patronizing (Nurturing Parent
In this style, nurturance and support are provided by almost imposing oneself on others. The manager provides support and makes it obvious that he or she is doing the subordinate a favour as the latter is not capable of taking care of himself or herself. A consultant with this style treats the client like a child and shows him or her favour by giving advice and support. This style is particularly obvious in a trainer, who may show favour to remind learners that he or she is taking care of them as they are more or less helpless.
Task-obsessive (Adult)
The manager, consultant, or trainer in this style is primarily concerned with tasks and is so obsessed with the work to be done that he or she overlooks various other things. In. In task-obsessiveness, the individual takes responsibility for completing the tasks himself or herself and involves others in secondary roles only. .
Complaining (Adaptive Child)
This person tries to adapt and seeks safety, but feels that he or she does not have the situations he or she deserves. This is reflected in complaining behaviour. A manager finds fault with the organization and with other managers and employees; a trainer is unhappy but only expresses general complaints; a consultant points out various external factors responsible for slow progress.
Aggressive (Reactive Child)
A person with this style is likely to show aggressiveness through infighting, making heavy demands, fighting, or going back to the same issues and never allowing these to be settled. The result of all such behaviour is that he or she gets alienated. People do not take such a person seriously for long
Bohemian (Creative Child )
Such a person does not seem able to sustain a single idea and is obsessed with finding new ideas all the time. He or she overwhelms subordinates, clients, or colleagues with the new ideas he or she gets.

Behavior Analysis and Leadership development- Part 3

The four general interactional or transactional styles can be depicted as under-
I'm not OK You are not O.K. Avoidance Bossing

I am O.K. You are O.K. Diffident Competant/confident

TRANSACTIONAL STYLES
The four life positions are combined with the three ego states. All the three ego-states and their dimensions (sub-ego states) are important and perform distinct functions. Their effectiveness, however, depends to a large extent on the basic life position an individual takes. Thus, combining the four life positions and six ego state dimensions, we get the 24 different transactional styles which would be explained here.

Let us see the life positions under 4 major heads

1)I’m not O.K You’re not O.K
2)I’m O.K You’re not O.K
3)I ‘m O.K You’re O.K
4)I’m not O.K You’re not O.K

The 6 ego states are as follows.
Parent
Regulating
Nurturing
Adult
Adaptive
Adaptive
Child
Reactive
Creative

If you apply the ego states to the 4 behaviour patterns(life positions) we get 24 transactional styles.

Let us see the differnt styles in Life position No.I- (ie. Iam not O.K. , Youare not O.K.)





A for Avoidant (or I'm Not OK, You're Not OK)
In this life position, the person has respect neither for himseH or herself, nor for others. It seems meaningless to the person to do anything worthwhile. The following styles are likely to be shown with the dominance" of various ego-states:
Traditional (Regulating Parent)
Establish norms and regulations of behaviour, disapprove of any deviation from the norms, and ensure that such norms are followed. In the traditional style, a manager will have faith neither in himself or herself nor in subordinates with regard to proper behaviour. The easiest way to deal with this person, therefore, would be to follow the rules and regulations and the procedures laid down.
Overindulgent (Nurturing Parent)
Interested in protecting and providing support to others. Not being sure how to provide such support, nor trusting others to demand such support, the general style becomes overindulgent. A manager, a consultant, or a trainer with this style may show more consideration towards others than necessary
Cynical (Adult)
The Adult ego-state is concerned with tasks. The attitude of the avoidant style in the Adult is one of lack of faith and concern with work. This produces a cynical attitude. A manager, consultant, or trainer using this style is likely to indicate this attitude by remarks indicating that nothing significant can ever be done
Sulking (Adaptive Child)
The Adaptive Child accepts the norms of others and enjoys approval and conformity. However, if the person has 'not-OK' feelings both for himself or herself and others, this person does not share his or her feelings with others and proceeds to sulk. A manager, consultant, or trainer of this style may adapt to a situation by keeping feelings of dissatisfaction private. This is a dysfunctional adaptation, growing out of a need for safety
Withdrawn (Reactive Child)
In a not-OK-not-OK position, a child feeling angry tends to show anger (or aggressiveness) by withdrawal behaviour. A manager may become disinterested and uninvolved; a consultant may break off the consulting relationship with a client; a trainer may lose interest in his or her profession.
Humorous (Creative Child)
The creativity of a child in an influencing role in the not-OK-not-OK position is likely to result in ill-timed humour. Humour may help to avoid the immediate problems, but this is different from genuine humour, which is used occasionally to enliven difficult situations. A manager, consultant, or trainer in this style may try to show imaginativeness by using humour all the time, which then reduces the seriousness of a situation until it seems ludicrous.

Transactional Analysis for Leadership development-Part 2

Transactional Analysis
A transaction is the act of communication or interaction between two people. A transaction starts with a stimulus and ends with a response to the stimulus. Since each individual involved in the transaction has three ego-states, the transactions are between the various ego-states.
When A sends a message, B receives it; B then responds and this response is received by A. This is one transaction. A person can send a prescriptive or admonishing message (from what is called the Parent ego-state), an information message (from the Adult), or a feeling message (from the Child). Any of these messages may be sent to (and received by) one of the three ego-states of the other person (Parent, Adult, or Child). If the response is by the same ego-state as the one which received the message, it is called a complementary or parallel transaction. Such transactions are very satisfying.
Example-
Boss-our values are getting eroded
Subordinate-Yes sir
The response, however, may not originate from the ego-state which has received the message. Then it is a crossed transaction.
Example-
Boss- Is the report ready ?
Subordinate- Do you think I have no other work.?
The message sent may not be a simple one. To use TA terminology, a message sent may have two targets (ego states). There may be an overt message (open and expressed), but it may also contain a covert message (a hidden one). Transactions with such messages are called ulterior transactions.
Example-.
Boss- What is the date today ?
Subordinate- Sir,I shall definitely send the report tomorrow
Life Position Analysis
Life position comprises certain deeply ingrained convictions about the worth of the self and others. By the time a child is ready for school, it arrives at these convictions. The child's conviction about itself may either be 'I'm OK' or 'I'm not OK'. Similarly, it may look at others and think: ‘You are O.K’ or ‘You are not O.K’.
Combining these, we have four life positions-
1. 'I'm OK, you're OK'. This is the healthy position
2. 'I'm OK, You're not OK'. This is the paranoid position.
3.'I'm not OK, you're OK'. This is the depressive position
4. 'I'm not OK, You're not OK'. This is the schizoid position, or what is called “futility position’
These life positions can be used to understand one's style of working with others. Style is a consistent and stable way of interacting with others.

Leadership development through Transactional Analysis- Relationship styles exposed

One of the popular theories of personality and human development is transactional analysis (TA), originated by Eric Berne (1961). Departing from classical psychoanalysis, Berne used simple day-to-day language to explain the dynamics of personality and its application for human development. His theory has the following components:
1. Structural analysis, proposing the main structure of a personality in terms
of three ego states. ,
2. Transactional analysis, explaining the dynamics of interpersonal
communication in terms of transactions between ego states of A and B.
3. Life-position analysis, suggesting the four positions individuals adopt in
their transaction with the outside world.
4. Games analysis, discussing ulterior transactions leading to a pay-off.
5. Script analysis, detailing of specific life dramas that people compulsively
play out.
For our purposes, two of the above are especially relevant-structural analysis and life-position analysis. However, we shall briefly explain the other aspects of T A also.
Structural Analysis
Structural analysis deals with the structure of the personality. A personality consists of three ego states. An ego state is 'a consistent pattern of feeling and experience directly related to a corresponding consistent pattern of behavior'. The three ego states are Parent, Adult, and Child.
The Parent ego-state-





It is 'a set of feelings attitudes and behaviour patterns which resemble those of the parental figure'.There are two main Parental functions-nurturing and controlling, (regulating). Nurturing is done by providing needed support. Controlling or regulating behaviour (of others) is done through prescriptions (instructing in detail what should be done and how) and sanctions (punishing that behaviour which the Parent disapproves of). We may call these sub-ego states or sub-functions. The main focus of the Parent seems to be on values and norms.
The Adult ego-state-
It is 'an autonomous set of feelings, attitudes and behaviour patterns which are adapted to the current reality'. The Adult ego-state has the function of collecting and processing information in the present. It responds to reality. The Adult works like a computer, without any values or emotions. We can call this a task function
The Child ego-state-
It is 'a set of feelings, attitudes and behaviour patterns which are relics of the individual's own child hood. The Child ego-state has several aspects. These were named Natural Child (curious, fun-loving), Rebellious Child (revolting against authority) and Adapted Child (the ego-state under the influence of the Parent)..
All these relate to emotions. We shall take the liberty of using different terms with slightly different meanings-Creativity, Confrontation, and Adaptation.
All the three ego-states (and their sub-states) are important for a person. If anyone of them is weak, we call it 'underdeveloped'. Numerically speaking, the three ego-states should be about 33 per cent each; the same is true of the three Child sub-ego-states with respect to their composition of the child. The two Parent sub-ego-states should be about 50 per cent each of the full Parent. Norms for underdevelopment have been worked out and it has been suggested that a percentage ratio of 20 or below (for the three ego states or three Child sub-ego-states) and 30 or below (for the two Parent sub-ego-states) show underdevelopment.

to be continued....

Leadership styles -Part-5- Selecting the Proper Style

Selecting the proper Leadership style
Once you have decided upon the level of readiness, the question of selection of the appropriate leadership style would arise. The following four examples would illustrate the point:
(i) Readiness level-1, corresponding style A
If you come to the conclusion that an officer whom you have asked to investigate a criminal case is at readiness level-1, i.e., he is unable, maybe because of inadequate knowledge and is unwilling or lacks confidence because of that or some other reason, but you have no alternative but to ask him to investigate the case owing to certain situational compulsion, the appropriate leadership style to be applied is style-A.
This is because the officer would require detailed guidance in specific terms as to how to carry out the investigation. He will require close supervision in addition, so that he could be corrected whenever he goes wrong or given additional instructions whenever he gets stuck. In short, the whole gamut of his activities relating to that investigation would be carried out under your direction and close supervision.
(ii) Readiness level- 2, corresponding style B
Suppose the same officer is rated poor by you as regards ability because, although he has knowledge of law and the procedure and knows how to go about investigating a case, he has no worthwhile experience of handling complicated cases. He, however, feels greatly elated that you have chosen him for the task and is keen to do his best. In this situation, because of the inability of the officer, he will require clear instructions. You would explain to him the rationale so that he understands the logic. Because of the officer's willingness to try, you would be ready to establish a two-way communication inasmuch as
you would permit him to seek clari¬fications or make a suggestion or two. There would still be fairly close supervision because of the inability factor.
(iii) Readiness level- 3, corresponding style C
Here the officer, though able to investigate, is unwilling. His unwillingness may stem from the following causes: (a) his expe¬rience is not adequate to give him confidence to handle the case or (b) he does have the requisite experience but is deficient in motivation either because he feels that he was being overburdened or he is not happy for some reason with you or your orders. In either case, talking it over, exploring the reason for diffidence, reluctance, etc., assuming a reassuring stance and allowing free¬dom of expression as well as letting him have a sense of par¬ticipation in decision making instead of handing down decisions to him in all their details, in other words, communicating, sup¬porting and collaborating with him would be the right tactics. '
(iv) Readiness level-4, corresponding style D
Let us assume that the officer is both able and willing. He has the necessary capability and confidence to investigate the case without much guidance. In this situation it would not at all be necessary to give directives nor to give him any substantive support or encouragement. After having allocated the investigation, it would be appropriate to delegate the responsibility of making decisions and carrying them out in furtherance of the investigation to the concerned officer. What you then as the leader would do is to monitor the progress by asking him to report to you from time to time.
It would be easily seen that in the first two combinations the decisions are made by you as leader, while in the third combi¬nation, the subordinate is either associated with the decisions or he is allowed to make decisions with guidance and encouragement from you as the leader. In the last case, however, the decision ¬making authority is delegated to him. It may be borne in mind that though style A, which essentially entails issuing snappy commands keeping the situation totally under the control of the leader, has been recommended only when the subordinates are unable and unwilling, a bank officer may have to take recourse to it in a situation where there is serious and imminent agenda to be taken up in the interest of the bank. However, it would be disastrous if it becomes your style of leadership even in normal times.
Don't be rigid
It may be borne in mind that behavioural sciences lack the exactitude of other sciences such as physics or chemistry, and hence have no hard-and-fast rules which would permit precise measurements. Therefore, the principles and prescriptions given earlier while describing situational leadership, should be treated as guidelines to be used along with your common sense and gut feeling. In fact, a little reflection would convince you that there is nothing extraordinary or novel about the concept or principles of situational leadership. We use them, albeit unconsciously, in everyday life in situations where we are called upon to play a leadership role. Take for example, the family situation.
Suppose you have two sons, one in his teens and the other a toddler who has just started going to a kindergarten school. For the younger son the mother would be very careful, see that he carries his tiffin box with him, would instruct him when to eat, how to bring back the empty box, wash his hands, etc. On the other hand, for the elder son, it is a routine and no instructions are passed out to him. If the elder boy is good at studies you may be satisfied only with going through his progress report cards, not interfering with his study schedule, etc., but should his progress in studies be unsatisfactory, you would ensure that he is regular in his studies, does his home work promptly; you may even help him with his lessons and so on. All these roles which you and your wife play are a part and parcel of situational leadership. That is why situational leadership principles can be effectively applied to management of your family as to any other social group.
The sequence of styles in this form of leadership tacitly provides for the development of subordinates by first holding their hands, and then, step-by-step, giving them more freedom and decision making authority,so much so that in the final stages,when they are both able and confident,the leader transfers all authority to them retaining with him only the monitoring functions. Thus situational leadership finally aims at delegation of power to subordinates after raising them to the level where they feel confident of competently shouldering the responsibility.

(courtesy:- N.K Saraf)

Leadership Styles -Part 4- Subordinates and Styles

Readiness of subordinates
Before a leader decides to apply anyone of the foregoing four styles he must ascertain the extent to which the subordinates in question are in readiness to perform the given assignment. Readi¬ness is determined by ability and willingness.' Ability entails the knowledge, skill and experience that subordinates possess to perform the assignment. The ability of an individual or group may differ from assignment to assignment. For example, an officer who may have earned a Medal for meritorious service may not have any ability in financial management or investigating a fraud, as his knowledge, skill and experience are of a different kind.




Willingness is a measure of the extent to which the subordinates have the confidence, dedication and motivation to perform the assignment. Both ability and willingness are distinct but correlated concepts. One affects the other. For example, ample ability would tend to make a subordinate undertake the assignment because of sturdy self-confidence. Likewise, if a subordinate is very willing he may even make attempts to develop ability in order to undertake the assignment. The level of readiness is determined by the degrees of ability and willingness that a group of subordinates puts together while tackling an assignment.
Four levels of readiness
We can create four levels of readiness by combining the two extremes of these attributes as follows:
Readiness level : 1-Unable and unwilling-
The unwillingness might also stem from lack of self-confidence arising out of lack of ability.
Readiness level 2 : Unable but willing-
Though unable, the willingness may arise out of strong motivation and confidence that the leader would provide the requisite guidance.
Readiness level 3: Able but unwilling-
Despite the ability, unwillingness may be due to lack of motivation or apprehensive¬ness arising out of insufficient exposure to perform independently.
Readiness level 4 : Able and willing-
Ability is combined with commitment as well as confidence.

Four combinations
We thus have four readiness levels to which the four leadership styles will have to be compatibly coupled. A moment's thought will reveal that only four harmonious combinations are feasible. These are:
First combination - Readiness level l: Style A
Second combination - Readiness level 2: Style B
Third combination - Readiness level 3: Style C
Fourth combination - Readiness level 4: Style D
Any other combination like readiness level 1 (unable and unwilling) with style B (explains decisions and provides opportunity for clarification, etc.) will result in disaster because in the face of a lack of ability and willingness there is no point in trying to explain what has been decided to be done and encouraging asking of questions for further clarification. There would be no end to questions and the chances of getting the job done would simply evaporate.
Style depends on subordinates
Before we discuss the efficacy of the foregoing four combinations further, it would be pertinent to mention that-in this type of strategy it is the behaviour of the subordinates which determines the behaviour of the leader because after judging their level of readi¬ness he chooses the appropriate style, just as a driver adjusts the gear of an automobile after judging the gradient of the road. It would, however, be obvious that though the subordinates in a way determine the leadership style, the sensitivity of the leader and his ability to diagnose correctly the abilities and motives of the persons working for him, that is, their readiness, are of vital importance so that he can apply the appropriate leadership style. In order to gauge their ability of job readiness the leader must know the degree of their knowledge of the job as well as their understanding of the job requirement and experience of doing that job. A subordinate would be fully ready if he feels that he is capable of doing the job without guidance from the boss. Similarly,

willingness or psychological readiness is determined by the con¬fidence and commitment of the subordinates. They have in this case self-confidence, think that the job is worthwhile, i.e., impor¬tant, and would feel good about themselves if asked to do it. It goes without saying that no leader will have time to apply elaborate tests or give lengthy consideration when a situation on hand demands a quick decision. He should, therefore, learn to make a quick mental picture keeping the above factors in mind which, in reality, is not very difficult if he has made an attempt to understand his sub¬ordinates, individually and collectively.

Gandhi Speaks on India's independance - A leader's Conviction

Leadership Styles -Part 3

In this post we will discuss about the different types of leadership styles. First the broad groupos and then the sub groups of the same .

Directive and assisting styles
In essence, this type of flexible leadership approach which, in management parlance, is called situational leadership, stipulates that there is no single best way of influencing people. The style of leadership that would be effective with a group of subordinates, or even a single subordinate for that matter, depends on the degree of readiness the group manifests in responding to the exhortations of the leader. Paul Hersey and Kenneth H. Blanchard have elabo¬rately described all aspects of situational leadership in their perceptive book titled Management of Organisational Behaviour. However, the basic stipulations are explained here in simple language.
Style, being a form of behaviour, is divided into two categories, namely, directive behaviour and assisting behaviour. In directive behaviour style the leader spells out the duties and responsibilities of the subordinates. In other words, he tells them what to do, how to do it, when to do it, where to do it and who should do it. Directive behaviour essentially involves one-way communication¬ from the leader to the subordinates. It is not that the leader is high-handed or thinks poorly of his subordinates. Though he is not much inclined to take the subordinates' feelings into consid¬eration, his main concern is to see that the given assignment is done properly. On the other hand, in assisting behaviour the leader establishes two-way communication with a view to understanding the subordinates' point of view and assisting them in accomplishing the assignment. Here the subordinates feel free to approach the leader when they get stuck balf-way and need either guidance or encouragement. Directive behaviour is most common among police officers.
Four types of styles
Since the aforementioned two behaviour types are quite distinct, by subdividing each of them into high and low' categories, we obtain four types of styles:
Style A : High directive+ low assistance behaviour
Style B : High directive + high assistance behaviour
Style C : Low directive+ high assistance behaviour
Style D : Low directive+ low assistance behaviour

Style: A –Leader
 gives clear and precise orders
 spells out the results that he wants to be achieved and expects the job to be done exactly as he wants it without much concern about the dif¬ficulties that the subordinates may encounter or about their options/ suggestions
 also exercises close supervision.
Style: B- Leader
 gives clear directions
 but is prepared to listen to the subordinates in order to understand their difficulties and readily gives them a helping hand
 he almost sells his decisions.
Style: C- Leader
 is not snappy about the directions
 he describes the task and goes out of the way to exchange views and to be of help
 he virtually participates in the implementation of the task.
Style: D -Leader
 neither spells out the assignment in all its aspects nor does he show much keenness to understand the prob-lems of the subordinates or to render them assistance
 For all practical purposes, he delegates the responsibility to subordinates.

Leadership needs to be flexible depending upon the people tobe lead . Inthat sense the styles of subordinates also assumes much significance. We will see this aspect in a subsequent post.

Shiv Khera speaks about Success

Leadership Styles -Part 2

Leadership styles
Leadership style plays a very crucial role in determining the effectiveness of a leader. In fact, the entire effectiveness of a leader rests on leadership style.
The style of a leader entails the behaviour pattern that he adopts when working with and through the subordinates, as perceived by those subordinates. Here it must be noted that it is the perception of the subordinates based on their experience of the leader in guiding them in various situations, and not what the leader imagines to be his style, that is relevant. This pattern of behaviour emerges as the person in a leadership position begins to respond in the same fashion under similar conditions. It almost becomes his trademark which the subordinates can invariably predict correctly in due course of time.
Leadership essentially involves influencing others, and style is a form of behaviour. You will find that right from childhood you make forays into the realm of leadership by trying to influence playmates, friends and the like. The same propensity continues during the formative years when you try to influence friends, peers,associates, and even brothers and sisters in the family to adopt your choice of action. Gradually, a preferred style of behaviour emerges with which you are identified by pepple who come in contact with you. This style is essentially a function of your inborn and acquired characteristics. It gets ingrained in your system as your personality gets firmed up.
Flexibility of style
You can adopt a different style through determination and constant practice while you are still young. Later it may take years to accomplish the same modification. At times, when your personality traits are well set, any attempt to change the style radically may end up with disastrous results because under stress you would invariably revert to your basic style as the veneer of the lately acquired style would quickly disappear. The best advice in such a situation is to stick to the basic style. Of course, a few an¬gularities and abrasive facets can always be smoothened to make your style more palatable. It should be possible for anyone to keep the style flexible enough so that he can adapt it to meet the demands of his environment by effecting the necessary changes in behaviour.
Study your own style
The most opportune time to make a self-appraisal in this regard is at the beginning of your service. If you have already acquired a preference for domineering, you will become worse when you become aware of your power and authority and the ease with which you can order people about. The theme is that you could be aware of your dominant style of dealing with the people you would be working with, and to introduce enough plasticity in it so that it can be harmonized with the expectations of the subordinates and the requirements of the situation on hand. In other words, you should master the positional style of leadership in which the behaviour of the leader in relation to the behaviour of his subordinates is given paramount importance. The main problem, however, is how' to find out what is your dominant style because it is not your perception that counts but the experience based assessments of your subordinates. Therefore, a feedback must come from subordinates. This is a very difficult proposition in a uni-formed service where coaxing and even promises of impunity will not embolden a subordinate to say something uncharitable about a boss to his face. There is, therefore, no alternative but to develop the grapevine alternative sources of information. This is not the same thing as encouraging backbiting, which is a despicable habit.(to be continued...)
(courtesy- N.K Saraf)

Leadership Skills and Styles Part-1

Leadership involves two functions. Namely ,selecting the tight path for the subordinates and to follow and to enthuse or influence them to follow that path willingly. Also,practically every functionary in a hierarchically structured orga­nization discharges these functions to a lesser or greater degree within his own sphere of responsibility. This being the situation there should, in fact, be an abundance of leaders all over. What we have in reality, however, is only an abundance of people in leadership positions. In a structured organization like the police, each rank and, position bestow upon the incumbent a commen­surate leadership role. The question that arises therefore, is, whether these people discharge their responsibilities as leaders effectively?
Shortage of real leaders





Effectiveness does not depend upon the amount of hard work you put in. You may be very knowledgeable about rules, regulations and procedures and are perhaps personally very efficient in car­rying out the assigned tasks. All this would not mean that you are an effective leader too, for as we have seen earlier, your effectiveness as a leader will depend upon your vision, your initiative and your judgement in identifying the right path and then using all the resourcefulness and drive needed to enthuse your subor­dinates. However, most people otherwise occupied, are busy managing rather than leading. There is, therefore, an agonizing shortage of dynamic and effective leadership, the sort of leadership that sets an organization apart. Today we find that there is no dearth of people who would like to occupy high posts, especially if there is glamour attached to them, but very few are willing to assume significant leadership roles and get the job done effectively.Leaders are not just born, though some people may possess a propensity to lead well; nor can one become an effective leader just because one is given the role. Leadership is a quality, a sterling attribute that needs to be assiduously cultivated and perfected by persistent practice.
Who Becomes an effective leader-Situational approach
Who becomes an effective leader has been the subject of discussion and intensive research for decades now. Various tbeories have been propounded .But without going into the details of these theories and approaches it may suffice to say that that situational approach to leadership is perhaps the nearest to the solution. The situational approach focusses on observed behaviour and not on inherited or acquired abilities. It also acknowledges that there cannot be a fixed or model leadership style that would be effective in all situations. It recoznises that most people can increase their effectiveness as leaders through education, training and development. The common principle that the situational approach underlines is that tbe leader should be able to behave in a flexible manner, diagnose the leadersbip style appropriate to the situation and apply that style provided the group to be led remains tbe same. If tbe followers are different they must be treated differently. Effectiveness of a leader depends on himself, the followers and the situation. If tbe situation or followers or both change, the leadership style must correspondingly change in order to maintain effectiveness.
Successful vs effective leadership
Before we proceed further to consider leadership styles and how they could be adapted, let us consider the all-important phenom­enon of effectiveness. The effectiveness of an organization is directly proportional to the degree of attainment of the goals set for it. Since leadership is essentially concerned with influencing the attitude of the followers, not all leadership behaviour is directed only towards the accomplishment of goals, which is essentially a management function. If it were so, then an organization would attain its goals without the leader being effective though he may be successful. There is a difference between successful and effective leadership which needs explaining.
As a leader, suppose you ask (which is an act of influencing) a junior officer serving under you to do a certain job. Your endeavour will be regarded as successful or unsuccessful to the extent that the officer accomplishes the job. Let us presume that he does the job satisfactorily, meaning thereby that you were successful in getting the job done, but does it mean that you were effective too? Not necessarily, because that depends upon certain other circumstances. If the officer is unhappy doing the job but does it, nevertheless, for fear of punishment that you would unhesitatingly mete out to him by virtue of your position of power over him, then one would say that you have been successful but not effective. But on the other hand, if you are able to obtain
a willing response from him because he respects you and you are able to make him realize that accomplishing the job would be consistent with some personal goal of his, you are being effective. In this situation you enjoy not only a position of power but also personal power. This is effective leadership. Success is a product of individual or group behaviour. Effectiveness, in addition, manifests the mental disposition of an individual or group, and therefore, it is attitudinal in nature. If you are interested only in success then the easier course open to you is to accentuate the authority to punish and reward given to you by virtue of your position in the hierarchy, and combine it with close supervision. However, if you wish to be effective you would depend more on your personal power which would entail only general supervision because the subordinates are willing to do
Ineffective officers
The foregoing analysis would explain why some officers are suc­cessful in getting work done only when they are present and almost breathing down the necks of the subordinates, but there is slug­gishness all over the moment they leave the place. These are successful but ineffective officers whose influence, derived as it is from the power position, is short lived. On the other hand, the influence of the successful and effective officers tends to remain, leading to good results even when they are not present because they were able to acquaire the willing cooperation of the subor­dinates. You cannot command the mental and emotional attention and physical effort of the subordinates only on the strength of their sense of discipline and fear of punishment. Even the attraction of a handsome reward may not be able to do the trick. As a word of caution, it may be mentioned here that simply because an officer was ineffective in a given situation with a given group of sub­ordinates, it would be improper to infer that he is ineffective as a leader unless one consistently notices the same subordinate response in different situations over a period of time. In some cases, the change of subordinates by transferring the officer to another unit can bring about improvement in his effectiveness.

To be continued..