LEADERSHIP

CONCEPT of LEADERSHIP....
The word leadership can refer to:

1. the process of leading.
2. those entities that perform one or more acts of leading.

Kouzes (2002) states that "Leadership is not a place, it’s not a position,and it’s not a secret code that can’t be deciphered by ordinary people. Leadership is an observable set of skills and abilities. Of course some people are better at it than others."

Leadership "styles" (per House and Podsakoff)

In 1994 House and Podsakoff attempted to summarize the behaviors and approaches of "outstanding leaders" that they obtained from some more modern theories and research findings. These leadership behaviors and approaches do not constitute specific styles, but cumulatively they probably[citation needed] characterize the most effective style of today's leaders/managers. The listed leadership "styles" cover:

1. Vision. Outstanding leaders articulate an ideological vision congruent with the deeply-held values of followers, a vision that describes a better future to which the followers have an alleged moral right.
2. Passion and self-sacrifice. Leaders display a passion for, and have a strong conviction of, what they regard as the moral correctness of their vision. They engage in outstanding or extraordinary behavior and make extraordinary self-sacrifices in the interest of their vision and mission.
3. Confidence, determination, and persistence. Outstanding leaders display a high degree of faith in themselves and in the attainment of the vision they articulate. Theoretically, such leaders need to have a very high degree of self-confidence and moral conviction because their mission usually challenges the status quo and, therefore, may offend those who have a stake in preserving the established order.
4. Image-building. House and Podsakoff regard outstanding leaders as self-conscious about their own image. They recognize the desirability of followers perceiving them as competent, credible, and trustworthy.
5. Role-modeling. Leader-image-building sets the stage for effective role-modeling because followers identify with the values of role models whom they perceived in positive terms.
6. External representation. Outstanding leaders act as spokespersons for their respective organizations and symbolically represent those organizations to external constituencies.
7. Expectations of and confidence in followers. Outstanding leaders communicate expectations of high performance from their followers and strong confidence in their followers’ ability to meet such expectations.
8. Selective motive-arousal. Outstanding leaders selectively arouse those motives of followers that the outstanding leaders see as of special relevance to the successful accomplishment of the vision and mission.
9. Frame alignment. To persuade followers to accept and implement change, outstanding leaders engage in "frame alignment". This refers to the linkage of individual and leader interpretive orientations such that some set of followers’ interests, values, and beliefs, as well as the leader’s activities, goals, and ideology, becomes congruent and complementary.
10. Inspirational communication. Outstanding leaders often, but not always, communicate their message in an inspirational manner using vivid stories, slogans, symbols, and ceremonies.

Even though these ten leadership behaviors and approaches do not really equate to specific styles, evidence has started to accumulate[citation needed] that a leader’s style can make a difference. Style becomes the key to the formulation and implementation of strategy[citation needed] and plays an important role in work-group members’ activity and in team citizenship. Little doubt exists that the way (style) in which leaders influence work-group members can make a difference in their own and their people’s performance[citation needed].

(Adopted from: Robert House and Philip M. Podsakoff, "Leadership Effectiveness: Past Perspectives and Future Directions for Research" in Jerald Greenberg (ed.), Organizational Behavior: The State of the Science, Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ., 1994, pp
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SPRING launches programme to help SMEs upgrade leadership skills

SINGAPORE : SPRING Singapore has launched a $20 million Management Development Programme to help small and medium enterprises (SME) upgrade their leadership and management expertise.

The initiative is aimed at equipping SME CEOs and key managers with appropriate knowledge and general management expertise to give them an edge in today's globalised economy.

Some 1,000 SME leaders and managers are expected to benefit from these training programmes over the next five years.

"SPRING has partnered with three tertiary institutions - NUS, NTU and SMU - to develop customised Executive MBA and Executive Development courses to address the training needs of SMEs," says Lee Yi Shyan, Minister of State for Trade & Industry.

"These customised courses will contain modules that are more relevant to SMEs. These include Financing and Valuation of SMEs, Strategic Financial Management and Creating Strategic Advantage through Technology & Innovation. These modules will specifically address the needs of SMEs, namely, financial management and technology management."

The first of the courses will start in July with the NUS and NTU postgraduate Executive MBA programmes while the executive development programmes will be launched in the later half of the year. - CNA /ls
 
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