BUSINESS RESEARCH

Being a Leader

Effective leaders lead people but also, crucially, need to embody the culture and ethics of an organisation.

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October 2018 Apprenticeship Issue

Exploring this core unit on Being a Leader will help you to understand your own leadership style and evaluate where different styles may be most effective.

Leadership

Good leaders are continually working on, and studying to improve, their leadership skills. This technique explores what makes a good leader and covers the characteristics of good organisational leadership.

Leading author and Professor of Leadership Daniel F. Pinnow writes in his latest book: ‘When executives ask me for tools, I am always skeptical at first, because all too often they expect patented recipes, cure-alls and ready-made checklists. Leadership is more than that, and it requires a feeling for the fine line – between the individual and the system; between the physical and relational level; between authority and cooperation; between power and influence, between past and future; between intellect and emotion; and between clarity and ambiguity. The sum of these fine differences flows into systemic leadership’. Nonetheless, he believes that useful tools and techniques can be acquired ‘within clear limits and under the conditions stated’ (Pinnow, 2011: 203). Yukl (2010: 522-23) presents several important leadership functions for enhancing teamwork in organisations. In considering these, remember that there is debate as to whether leadership can be learned or whether some people are born with certain traits.

Transformational Leadership

The concept outlines core ‘constants’ that can be used to develop effective leadership within the organisation and describes the principles that underpin transformational leadership. The concept will give you an understanding of how to adopt this approach in any organisational setting.

Transformational leadership “portrays leaders as charismatic or visionary individuals who seek to overturn the status quo and bring about radical change. Such leaders use the force of their personality to motivate followers to identify with the leader’s vision and to sacrifice their self-interest in favour of that of the group or organisation” (Burnes, 2009: 605).

Referenced techniques

Technique

Leadership

Good leaders are continually working on, and studying to improve, their leadership skills. This technique explores what makes a good leader and covers the characteristics of good organisational leadership.

Technique

Transformational Leadership

The concept outlines core ‘constants’ that can be used to develop effective leadership within the organisation and describes the principles that underpin transformational leadership. The concept will give you an understanding of how to adopt this approach in any organisational setting.

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