Leadership: Definition, Power, Influence

Leadership Defined

• Leadership involves influencing, motivating, and guiding others to achieve shared objectives.
• Effective leadership includes setting a vision, making strategic decisions, and ensuring group productivity and alignment.
• Leadership is about inspiring innovation and driving change, not just holding authority.

Leader's Power and Influence

• A leader's effectiveness relies on power to influence others.
• Legitimate power is derived from one's official position.
• Coercive power is based on the ability to administer punishment.
• Reward power stems from the capacity to provide incentives.
• Expert power comes from knowledge and expertise.
• Referent power arises from personal charm and relationships.
• Strategic use of these powers shapes behaviors, decisions, and organizational outcomes.

Types of Legitimate Power

• Formal authority involves setting clear expectations and reminding the team of their official position.
• Formal instructions are issued, and meetings set roles.
• Employees are expected to follow directions given the leader's position.
• Fear-based control uses warnings for not meeting deadlines, such as pay cuts or demotions.
• Performance is monitored closely, and strict deadlines are enforced.
• Incentive-based influence offers rewards like bonuses or extra leave for completing tasks early.
• High-performing employees are publicly praised.
• Knowledge-based influence involves using expertise to guide team solving tech issues.
• Training encourages employees to seek the leader's advice.
• Teams follow leaders out of respect for their knowledge.
• Charismatic influence builds trust through personal connections with employees.
• Motivational speeches and leading by example, such as staying late to help, are used.
• Employees follow leaders out of respect and admiration.

Ethics and Leadership

• Ethical leadership requires decisions based on integrity, fairness, and social responsibility.
• Essential values include honesty, transparency, accountability, and respect that build trust.
• Ethical leaders follow guidelines and set an ethical tone, ensuring moral decision-making within the team.

Leadership Styles and Attributes

• Autocratic leadership centralizes decision-making.
• Democratic leadership encourages collaboration and participation.
• Transformational leadership inspires and motivates to exceed expectations.
• Transactional leadership focuses on structured tasks and rewards.
• Key attributes for successful leaders include emotional intelligence, resilience, adaptability, confidence, and decisiveness.

Leadership and Change Management

• Change management involves navigating and implementing change effectively within an organization.
• Successful leaders create a compelling vision, communicate effectively for buy-in, and address resistance.
• They also implement smooth transitions and adapt strategies based on feedback and results.

The Dark Side of Leadership

• Not all leadership is positive, toxic leadership is unethical or destructive.
• Narcissistic leadership exhibits exploitative and self-centered behavior.
• Authoritarian leadership suppresses dissent and uses excessive control.
• Manipulative leadership uses deceit to achieve goals.
• Micromanagement stifles innovation and autonomy.
• Understanding these traits enable to identify and prevent harmful behaviors.

Types of Dark Leadership Traits

• Toxic leaders intimidate, bully, or manipulate teams for control.
• Toxic leaders withhold information, show favoritism, or blame others for failures.
• Dark Triad traits include narcissism which is excessive self-love, arrogance, and entitlement.
• Dark Triad traits include Machiavellianism which is manipulative and deceitful behavior, and psychopathy, which is a lack of empathy and impulsiveness.
• Hubris leads to poor decision-making through overconfidence.
• Perfectionism and control include micromanaging; unrealistic expectations.

Leader's Impact on Followers

• Leaders offer vision and inspiration by providing clear direction to motivate.
• Leaders communicate to build trust through effective follower engagement.
• Leaders lead by example and set high standards through role modeling.
• Leaders delegate authority with empowerment to encourage autonomy.
• Leaders boost motivation through feedback and recognition to acknowledge contributions.

Effective Communication

• Effective communication involves clarity by conveying messages understandably.
• Effective communication involves active listening to understand and respond to concerns from the team.
• Effective communication involves empathy by connecting with employees emotionally.
• Effective communication involves persuasion to influence people to accept new ideas.
• Effective communication involves providing constructive criticism and guidance with feedback.
• Inefficiency and conflicts resulting from misunderstandings arise without effective communication.

Team Building Strategies

• Leaders should encourage collaboration amongst team members to ensure cohesion and trust
• Leaders should provide development opportunities to ensure each team member grows
• Leaders should clearly define roles and responsibilities, which fosters organizational effectiveness and innovation
• Leaders should ensure achievements are recognized and rewarded

Consequences of Lacking Teamwork

• Poor Communication
• Decreased productivity
• Increase of workplace hostility and conflict
• Low morale and employee disengagement
• Difficulty with achieving common goals

Emerging leadership roles

• Leadership emerges more organically in high-functioning teams, even in individuals without formal leadership positions.
• Collaboration, adaptability, reliability, and problem solving are all important skills to look for when choosing leaders organically.

Efficient time and crisis management entails

• Efficient leaders manage time, prioritize tasks, delegate effectively, and set goals.
• Efficient leaders conduct crisis planning and undertake rapid decision making.

Personal Branding Basics

• Personal branding is managing a public perception as a professional.
• This involves showcasing skills, expertise, and values to stand out.
• Personal branding helps establish credibility, attract opportunities, and maintain a consistent image.
• Identify strengths and expertise in order to build your personal brand.
• Communicate throughout online and offline platforms.
• Create and maintain a professional image through your brand

Self Analysis

• Important things to understand for self-analysis include knowledge, skills, abilities, and values
• Knowledge is the understanding of the specialization acquired through learning.
• Skills are specific competencies acquired with practice which can be classified as hard or soft.
• Abilities are inherent capacities that allows someone to perform effectively.
• Values includes the core principle and a belief that guides behaviour and decision making.

Career planning

• Career planning aligns personal aspirations with personal branding objectives and sets long and short term goals.
• Steps in career planning include self-assessment, exploring career options, setting smart goals, building skills and expertise, and periodic review.

Branding: Upkeep

• Personal Brand Maintenance requires to stay relevant and keep online profiles consistent

What does Career Development achieve

• A strong personal brand increases visibility; it builds credibility, increases opportunity, and enhances career flexibility.

Tactics for career Branding

• You must have a brand identity, value proposition, online presence and show thought-leadership
• Network strategically, seek continuous learning, and monitor your brand.

Social Media branding

• LinkedIn enhances a professional network that uses professional photos, compelling headlines, and detailed summaries that showcase expertise.
• Engagement with the industry through recommendations and endorsements help build credibility.
• Platforms that shows online identity includes Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, websites and blogs