UNIT-2

Leadership:
Critical Aspects of Leadership
Planning
Trust
Connection
Empowerment
Techniques
Vision
Inspiration
Momentum
Preparing for leadership
Leading and managing Teams
What is leadership?
 Leadership is the ability of an individual or a group of people to influence and
guide followers or members of an organization, society or team.
 Leadership often is an attribute tied to a person's title, seniority or ranking in
a hierarchy. However, it's an attribute anyone can have or attain, even those
without leadership positions.
 It's a developable skill that can be improved over time.
 Leaders are found and required in most aspects of society, including business,
politics, religion and social- and community-based organizations.
 Leaders are seen as people who make sound and sometimes difficult decisions.
An effective leader has the following characteristics: self-confidence, strong
communication and management skills, creative and innovative thinking,
willpower, willingness to take risks, open to change, levelheaded and
reactiveness in times of crisis.
What are the critical aspects of leadership?
 Everything in business begins and ends with leadership. And because it’s a
complex topic, no one expert has a complete formula for what makes a better
leader.
 Therefore, here are five important bodies of knowledge for those who are
trying to sharpen their leadership skills.
 Though leadership and management are related, they are different sides of the
same coin – and a person tends to be stronger in one vs. the other
Trust and Team Health
Pat Lencioni, author of the classic Five Dysfunctions of a Team and his latest The
Advantage, emphasizes the importance of team health. There are plenty of smart
teams that have failed; in turn, a healthy team free of politics and confusion will
discern the right decisions and be able to align and execute on a common vision.
Lencioni outlines five dysfunctions that damage team health, each impacting the
others in a cascade of challenges:
•Absence of Trust—unwilling to be vulnerable within the group
•Fear of Conflict—seeking harmony over constructive and passionate debate
•Lack of Commitment—feigning buy-in for group decisions, resulting in no
aligned direction
•Avoidance of Accountability—failing to hold people (and each other)
accountable to a high standard of performance
•Inattention to Results— more interested in status than outcomes
The key is identifying your primary leadership dysfunction and focusing on
correcting it.
Five Practices
Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner: The Leadership Challenge
•Model the Way: More is “caught” than taught, so know your values and live
them through your actions
•Inspire a Shared Vision: Develop and communicate a vivid picture of what is
possible.
•Challenge the Process: Encourage continuous improvement and learn from
mistakes.
•Enable Others to Act: Foster trust and collaboration, making it possible for
others to do great work.
•Encourage the Heart: Recognize contributions and celebrate values and
victories in a spirit of community.
Critical leadership skills
Leadership skills are vital for any manager, regardless of their role or level
within an organization. The most important skills are those directly related to
your position, whether you’re a Sales Manager, HR Analytics Manager,
Application Development Manager, Customer Service Manager, or any other
management role. The following skills have been observed in exceptional
managers during challenging times:
1. Empathy
To be an effective leader, it’s crucial to put yourself in the shoes of those you
communicate with – be it clients, employees, suppliers, or peers. Display
empathy for their situations and lead with humility. Even small acts can make a
significant difference, and your efforts will be remembered both now and later.
2. Honesty
In crises, it’s impossible to have all the answers. Be upfront about what you know
and don’t know. Faking knowledge will only cause you to lose trust. Instead, be
humble and transparent about any uncertainties so that everyone can understand
the basis of your decisions.
3. Clarity
Keep communication concise and straightforward without resorting to complex
language. Make informed decisions instead of remaining indecisive. Clearly
outline objectives and plans for the situation at hand, ensuring everyone
understands the timelines for actions and strategies.
4. Prioritization
While various ideas and actions may emerge during a crisis, focusing on a select
few that will have the most significant impact is essential. This approach enables
clearer communication since organizations generally concentrate on at most three
primary goals.
5. Risk mitigation
Be aware of potential risks but don’t let them deter decision-making processes.
Identify and prioritize risks while integrating them into subsequent decision-making
efforts to maintain agility(quickly) with risk awareness – and, when necessary, risk
aversion.
6. Empowerment
During challenging times, it is essential to empower your team members instead of
trying to make all the decisions yourself. Distributed decision-making leads to faster
results and contextualized outcomes while allowing others to feel accountable
during difficult circumstances.
7. Agility
Being agile as a leader is crucial to your organization’s success, especially during
challenging times. Agile principles from software development have great
applicability in the business world. As a leader, making quick and flexible
decisions is essential. Be prepared to fail, learn, and move on swiftly. Create
teams that are multifunctional and can tackle small, ongoing projects efficiently.
Your ability to adapt and respond to new information helps your organization
thrive in a constantly changing landscape. Embrace change, but remember to have
a plan that can be adjusted when needed.
8. Communication (storytelling)
Effective communication is vital during crises. Clear, concise, and frequent
messages ensure that everyone is on the same page. Repeating the message across
various channels increases its reach and effectiveness. Keep in mind that hearing
doesn’t necessarily translate to understanding; repetition solidifies comprehension.
9. Execution
Execution is the key to success. Use your competencies and experience in your specific role
—product management, service, HR, sales, digital marketing, etc.—to drive results for your
organization. Remember to keep long-term considerations in mind while working towards
short-term goals.
10. Cost Management
Understanding cost management and the financial aspects of your organization is crucial in
times of crisis. Decision-making should always consider both short-term and long-term
economic impacts on the organization while being mindful of its financial model. Better
decisions result from a thorough understanding of costs and finances.
Although there may be other critical leadership skills for various situations, such as crises or
mergers and acquisitions, these are some of the most essential ones to consider. And always
remember to prioritize your existing clients, as they are the ones who will help you navigate
through challenging times successfully.
 Planning in leadership:
Planning is the function of management that involves setting objectives and
determining a course of action for achieving those objectives. Planning requires
that managers be aware of environmental conditions facing their organization
and forecast future conditions.
 Trust in Leadership : Trust is the belief that a person or an object is reliable.
Therefore, trust in leadership refers to when an organization's employees
believe that their leaders are reliable.
 When employees trust their leaders, they believe that they're able to make
decisions that take their best interests into consideration.
 Some qualities of a reliable and trustworthy leader include commitment to
their duties and responsibilities, compassion and sincerity when engaging their
team members and proficiency in their work.
Connection in leadership: Connected leaders cultivate honesty, integrity, and
trust within their organizations by consistently demonstrating those qualities
themselves. This helps to create an environment where employees feel free to be
authentic with one another and where mistakes are viewed as opportunities for
growth.
Empowerment in Leadership: The term means to place trust in employees
and grant them authority to make decisions. Leadership empowering others
creates a sense of autonomy and momentum to work together to achieve a
common goal.
Priorities in Leadership: Leaders can amplify impact most by focusing on
three areas: creating a foundation of inclusivity, engaging teams in experiences
that provide them with opportunities for growth and development and
reinforcing what projects are the most high-impact as they tie back to your
mission statement and goals.
Legacy in Leadership: A legacy is the mark you've made on life, that
continues to grow and influence others even after you've passed on. It means
you've contributed something to the world that will carry on through future
generations. Many people sum it up as simply meaning, "I mattered.“
Techniques in Leaderships: Leadership techniques are strategies managers,
executives and other leaders can use to manage, inspire and motivate their
teams. Reviewing these techniques can be a good way to seek leadership
advice and learn to make better decisions as a manager
 Vision in Leadership: A vision is an end towards which leader can spend
and direct his energy and resources. Leaders share a dream and a path which
the employees want to share and follow. Leadership vision is not restricted to
organizational written mission statement and vision statement.
Inspiration in Leadership: An inspirational leader will develop talent and
provide them with opportunities to grow. They are willing to take a risk on a
person to stretch them. They have a desire to develop their team members and
push them outside their comfort zone — and are prepared with a safety net if
the individual falters.
 Momentum in Leadership - Momentum is essential to creating a sense of
urgency and a desire to achieve continuously higher levels of success.
Momentum can be hard to initiate but extremely challenging to sustain.
 Preparing for Leadership:
Find A Mentor: Identify a leader whom you admire, a leader you would like
to learn from. Ask this person if they would be willing to meet with you every
four to six weeks. over a cup of coffee.
• During this time, plan to lean on this person as a resource to troubleshoot

issues you are experiencing. Ask them to help you determine what to do and
what to say in a variety of situations.
 Get Comfortable With Uncomfortable Conversations. This is critical.
Many leaders, when faced with difficult situations, choose to avoid! They don’t
know what to say. They don’t know what to do. So, they do nothing.
If you can learn how to approach people in a way that shows concern and does
not suggest blame, you will be ahead of the curve. It will help if people
understand your intentions to help everyone be the best they can be.
• Establish Professional Standards. Have you ever talked about someone
behind their back? Have you talked poorly about the company you work for?
How about profanity? Do you use it? These are all examples of
unprofessional behaviors or standards.
•As a leader, you need to hold yourself to a higher standard. Now is a great
time to begin conducting yourself in such a way.
• Become Effective At Giving Balanced Feedback. Feedback is the most
neglected responsibility of a leader. Our focus on feedback has two parts:
1) Be generous with positive feedback and
2) Be careful about the amount of negative feedback you focus on.
Begin Today. If you aspire toward something bigger than where you are today,
begin behaving as if you are already there.
To help you get started, be honest about your existing strengths and weaknesses.
I encourage you to ask others to share answers to three questions:
1. What do I currently do day in and day out that will help me be an effective
leader of people?
2. What could I do differently to better position myself to become a leader of
people?
3. What else will be helpful for me to know about myself from your perspective?
 Leading and Managing Teams:
• A team lead is someone who guides and encourages a team of people, while a
manager is a senior professional who supervises a team.
• While a manager focuses on quality assurance of work being done, a team
leader may work more closely with the team to provide any needed guidance.
Here are some differences between team leads and managers to be aware of:
Team Lead Manager
Seniority Often works in a similar A senior professional who
role as their team oversees a team
members
Internal vs. external role Helps to guide teams in a Directs teams from a more
more internal way external perspective
Responsibilities Setting goals for a team, Supervising a team,
fostering positive creating objectives for
relationships, answering teams, setting project
questions for team budgets and deadlines,
members managing work schedules