Development of Branch Leadership

When a manager exercises leadership, there are two main sources of influence. The first is the position and authority of the leader, and the second is the influence based on the total personality as a leader.

Title and authority are certainly effective. It is hard for subordinate to say no to the boss. However, there are limits to authority, and too much exertion of authority may make subordinates feeling opposed, and make them consider taking retaliatory measures behind the boss's back. For example, they may cunningly obstruct the boss in a way they will not be held responsible.

So it is important to consider relaying on authority as a measure of last resort, and work hard on a daily basis to improve your influence based on your total personality. So, what should you do to achieve this?

In a nutshell, you should accurately grasp the type and extent of influence you have been exerting on people around you. and work to improve each and every aspect.

For example, you did something which was meant to do your subordinate a favour, but instead the subordinate go offended - something that happen all too often. Even if you assume you have done well, this is merely your assumption, and there tends to be a gap between your assumption and how your subordinate see your action. This is a psychological gap.

So, what should you do? The following lists some of the key points.

(1) Be sensitive to the reaction to your actions
(2) Have the courage and flexibility to change inappropriate behaviour for the better
(3) Listen gratefully to candid suggestions from others
(4) Set goals for improving behaviour and continue making efforts
(5) Participate in a training program offered by a specialized institution    

Functions of Leadership

In order to exercise effective influence, you have to take specific and suitable actions, depending on the situation. Let us say a meeting reaches a deadlock and nobody knows what to do, and your proposal from a new perspective ends the deadlock with everybody's approval. Then this means your new proposal has exercised an effective influence on the group at the time. In other words, you have effectively exercised leadership. As in this example, specific everyday actions of managers serve as the functions of leadership. There are roughly six functions of leadership for a manager; two superior oriented functions and four subordinate oriented functions.

Two functions of superior-oriented leadership

"Integration" function

This is a function aimed at assisting a superior by informing the superior of workplace information and understanding the superior's intention and point of view on common ground. In particular, typical actions which represent this function are: understanding the superior's intention, taking the superior's suggestions, and conveying subordinate's voices and workplace situation to the superior in a timely manner.

"Upward influence" function

This is a function to influence a superior by tossing one's own intention and point of view at the superior. In particular, typical actions which represent this function are: raising an issue or make a proposal to the superior, expressing an opinion on the current state or the future, and discussing the training of successors. The main actions of this function are the once driven by the manager's own initiative. The upward influence function is increasingly sought after by today's managers, but without the integration function, such actions tend to be one-sided or fruitless, so they will lose effective influence.

Four functions of subordinates oriented leadership
"Demand for results" function 

This is a function to give subordinates work directives, and push them to achieve better effects and results. In Particular, typical actions which represents this function are: checking the quality of work done by subordinates, strictly demanding the attainment of goals, and asking subordinates to set higher goals.

The demand for result function aims at the attainment of corporate goals and is indispensable to a work group. However, emphasizing the demand for result function does not automatically improve productivity. This function produces its expected effect only when the other three subordinate oriented functions, introduced in the following section, are working effectively.

"Empathy function" 

This is a function to give consideration to subordinates positions and feelings and support their actions. As a lubricant to integrate a workplace where different types of people work together, a manager is required to create friendly and warm human relations, support subordinates development, help them demonstrate their individuality and to have an empathic attitude in order to accomplish these tasks. In particular, typical actions which represents this function are: recognizing subordinates efforts as well as their results, understanding subordinates feelings and treating them with empathy when they failed, and listening to subordinates opinion without prejudice.

When the empathy function is fully used, trusting relations will be forged and an open environment will be created in the workplace. However, since this is not a function to directly motivate subordinates to work harder, it is difficult to expect high performance from the empathy function alone. In this sense, the empathy function acts as a catalyst for the previous demand for result function to work smoothly.

"Share-meaning" function    

This is a function to determine the positioning of and creation of meaning for subordinates tasks through providing the information necessary for carrying out the tasks and communicating the intentions of top management and of the manager. In particular, typical actions which represents this function are: communicating the situation which the entire company is in, explaining policies and plans, and clearly defining the positioning of tasks. For the share meaning function, in addition to simply providing information it is important for the manager to be understand and accepted by the subordinates. Only when the manager is understood and the subordinates agree, can he or she and subordinates work together on common ground, and subordinates can be motivated to work harder on their own initiative.

"Reliability" function  

A manager in a workplace cannot be created spontaneously. Therefore, for a manager to accomplish his or her role as a leader, he or she must earn people's trust and approval. The reliability function is closely related to the professional and management abilities of a manager. The manager must be trusted by subordinates and have self-confidence in his or her abilities to exercise leadership. In particular, typical actions which represents this function are: making decisions quickly, foreseeing the future and taking necessary measures, and making new proposals.

   

Effective Leadership and Emotional Intelligence

Goleman's study suggests that leaders who have mastered Authoritative, Democratic, Affiliative and coaching styles have the best climate and have the highest performance.

Effective leaders have the flexibility to switch among these leadership style as needed.

This ability depends on a person's emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and manage our relationship and ourselves better. Although our intelligence (IQ) is largely genetic, Emotional intelligence can be learned (and improved) at any age.

Source :- Daniel Goleman, Learning to Lead with Emotional Intelligence, Harvard Business Review March 2000.

  

       

The Six Leadership Styles (Goleman)

Effective Leadership

A manager who is the leader of a Branch probably approaches subordinates in different ways to exercise leadership over them. For example, a manager may say, "Let's get on with our jobs or "I'm counting on you for this job," and so on.

How do the subordinates respond to such approaches? The responses of subordinates can be considered as having two phases.

In the first phase, we can evaluate whether or not the purpose of the manager is accomplished as he or she intended; in other words, whether the manager's approach succeeded or failed. Although it will probably be rare for any manager to fail completely, subordinates can cleverly cut corners.

In the second phase, we can evaluate the degree of subordinates satisfaction when the manager succeeded, whether the subordinates worked willingly or reluctantly. If they work reluctantly, the effect will probably not last long. The kind of influence which makes subordinates work willingly is an effective one. That is, leadership which can respond to the needs of the company and satisfy the needs of subordinates is effective leadership.
  

Best Recipe for Effective Leadership

Source : Linkedin https://image-store.slidesharecdn.com/d5fef249-bdcf-4801-8d05-a6a8ec943d39-original.jpeg

Leadership that Drives the Workplace

Leadership is influence

The essence of leadership is the influence which people exert  on others; in other words, leadership is interpersonal influence.

If we define leadership, it is "Exerting influence in order to move a group or group members in a certain direction". 

As we can see from the definition, leadership originally has nothing to do with position or authority (if you do not agree with this statement, please write your comments). A subordinate may exercise leadership over his or her superior. In our Cricket Team, star players may be more influential than managers or coaches (that is sometime back, i am not sure about current situation). 

However, a manager or a supervisor who is the head of a workplace is officially expected from organization to exercise great leadership. Therefore, if the definition described above is applied to a workplace manager, it becomes thus;"Managerial leadership is a process of influencing others to move in a direction for the realization of workplace goals, while encouraging the demonstration of individuality and the voluntary actions of workplace members".    

Visionary Leadership without Good Governance was destructive

Good governance and visionary leadership are essential for a country or an organization to be considered successful in the eyes of all population/stakeholders in the 21st century. There is a direct link between Good Governance, visionary leadership and economic prosperity.

Visionary leadership and Good Governance are two sides of the same coin. The two have many elements in common. Without an effective leadership we may not envisage Good Governance in its totality. In fact, Good Governance may not be achieved in its totality because of cultural, psychological, social and sociological impacts and differences. Its implementation and perception also varies in line with the level of development and demands of the society. Due to this, the practice shows that very few countries and societies have come close to achieving good governance in its totality.

I am inviting all my friends to share your thoughts with related to good governance and visionary leadership considering foreign and local examples, such as Volkswagen emission scandal (http://www.forbes.com/sites/enriquedans/2015/09/27/volkswagen-and-the-failure-of-corporate-social-responsibility), Former chairman of SEC of Sri Lanka fraud (http://www.asianmirror.lk/top-news/item/13487-nalaka-godahewa-indicted-over-financial-fraud) and recent Central Bank case of Sri Lanka.