Leadership Review PDF

Chapter 2 Leadership Skills The communication process Sending a message to a receiver 70% of our daily activities, therefore one of the most serious flaws of any potential leader The message must be completely understood to be effective Requires:...

Chapter 2 Leadership Skills The communication process Sending a message to a receiver 70% of our daily activities, therefore one of the most serious flaws of any potential leader The message must be completely understood to be effective Requires: ○ Knowledge of the effectiveness of different types of communication ○ Development of good listening skills ○ Use of paraphrasing and feedback Communication Model Direction of communication Upward Flows from a lower to a higher level in the organization Helps the leader stay informed about his/her team members’ goals, performance efforts, feelings, morale, and organizational concerns in general Provides the leader with suggestions that have the potential to improve the group’s overall effectiveness Downward Leaders communicate with their followers or coaches instructing their athletes. Used to assign goals, provide job or skill instruction, provide performance feedback, and point out problems that need attention  Lateral Among members at the same organizational level (for example: students in class, teachers collaborating, team members) To save time and facilitate coordination ○ If the group decides in advance about a chosen approach to a problem, this can then be communicated to the leader with a feeling and showing of solidarity. Lateral communication can also serve a role in team member bonding Types of Conflict Conflict arises when there is a disagreement about how to best solve a particular problem ○ May be about something that is personal or ○ It can result from a disagreement between two or more people Finding the best solution to a conflict involves: ○ Rationally considering the various possibilities ○ Showing empathy for the points of view of the involved parties Personalized versus Depersonalized Conflict Depersonalized ○ When a conflict stems from a difficult situation or problem ○ A rational resolution process without emotion is possible ○ Often can become personalized as individuals become invested in a particular point of view ○ Example: the colour of the new gym floor Personalized ○ When people are in opposition to one another ○ Emotional reactions and feelings often arise, and having to work with this person may be annoying, confrontational, or offensive to the people involved. ○ Most important, it may cause an unproductive work environment ○ Example: The colour of your first car Intrapersonal versus Interpersonal Conflict Intrapersonal ○ Internal conflict, or having to make a tough decision all on your own ○ A person who has developed a clear set of personal values and a strategy for making decisions faces less stress than these dilemmas often present for others less prepared ○ Example: Drugs Interpersonal ○ Conflict between two or more individuals, where each holds an opposing view  ○ Example: an argument with a friend Intragroup versus Intergroup Conflict Intragroup ○ When a group is split on an issue ○ The decisions that are most strongly supported afterwards, are those where the group reaches a consensus. i.e., by the time the vote is taken, the decision is unanimous Example:? Intergroup ○ When entire groups conflict with each other ○ Example:? Common causes of conflict Differing Goals, Needs, or Values - If your goals differ from those of the people you are interacting with, you may place different values on various outcomes. - For example, if you value group harmony, and you are working in a group with someone more concerned about getting a task completed than about keeping group members happy, your group may experience conflict. Rivalries and Personal Ambitions - If you are at a tryout for a basketball team and don’t pass the ball to an open competing player, then try for an improbable layup to outshine others, you might be putting personal ambition ahead of the needs of the team. Avoidance of Responsibility - You might feel conflict if group members do not complete their responsibilities. - For example, if your group assigned a task to someone and she didn’t meet her timeline, you might blame her for the poor mark you got on the task. - Working with people who do not complete the work they are assigned can confuse and it ultimately leads to frustration and low group morale. Carelessness in Job Performance - If your work expectations are not matched by the others in the group, then you may have trouble trusting the quality of the work submitted by the other group members. - You may be tempted to do all the work yourself, or you might be demanding on the other members to ensure their work is up to your standards.  - In either case, conflict is very likely to occur Overlap in Job Responsibilities - If more than one person or group is assigned to the same task when planning an event, conflict and disorder may arise if they do not work on the task in a coordinated manner. - The different individuals or groups involved many think that they are “wasting their efforts” because of the duplication or many feel they are not trusted to fulfill - If both groups assume the other is doing the work and don't communicate the task may not get done at all and the timelines may not be met. - Also, the message that each of these groups sent out to the target group may differ, causing confusion as well as conflict. Personal and group stress - Stress often brings out the worst in people. - We often experience problems with both our intrapersonal and interpersonal communication skills. - Out listening skills that suffer first, we often have trouble empathizing with their situation. - We may be more verbally aggressive or self-serving that normal - Stress can change how you look at situations and you need to be careful to be assertive and not aggressive or passive Prejudice - Whenever someone judges another person based on race, religion, colour gender or sexual orientation conflict is almost inevitable. - When Jackie Robinson broke the “colour barrier” in 1947, the conflict within the sport of baseball and even with his teammates on the Brooklyn Dodgers was well-documented Misunderstanding - Often results from poor communication within a group If a group doesn't use clear messages and there is a misunderstanding, clarifying the situation will be difficult. - For example, gossip is a dangerous method of communication and the message invariably gets changed extensively before it ever completes the full circle feeling is often hurt as a result of the misunderstanding that arises from gossip and it should be avoided. Techniques to improve your conflict management skills Conflict management - In any group or team conflicts are an inevitable  - The ability to properly handle these conflict situations is an important skill for a leader. - There are several widely used approaches to conflict resolution, and good leaders will use more than one depending on the situation. Active Listening - Involves asking appropriate questions to better understand how someone else is fling and why - Allows the other person to tell you more - More than just listening or hearing, it requires trying to understand p0ersons needs. - By asking questions such as - How would you like things to be? - Would you like things to be different? - Active Listening Skills Improve your listening skills by practicing active listening. - Remember to make eye contact - Show you are interested in what the other person is saying - Avoid distracting actions or gestures, such as looking at your watch - Ask questions for clarification and to ensure understanding of the message - Use nonverbal cues, such as head nods or hand gestures, to convey interest - Use paraphrasing if necessary to ensure understanding - Avoid interrupting the sender; let them complete their thoughts - Don’t “over-talk” – remember that knowledge is composed of two parts: having a lot to say and knowing when not to say it! Win-Win - In a compromise situation, one party will give up some of what they wants and take less to allow the other party to get some of what she wants. - With compromise, there is no clear loser, but there is no clear winner either. - Sometimes compromise is the best solution as each party intends to give something up. - In a win-win situation, you must think “outside the box” and explore how to fully meet the needs of both parties at the same time. - The challenge is to do everything possible to make your solution win-win - Example: both Tim and Sally need the last lemon. After future discussion, it turns out that Tim wants to make a cake using the lemon rind and Sally wants the pulp of the lemon to make lemonade Using “I” Messages and Being Assertive - A person effectively uses an “I” message when they communicate their emotions, identify the situation that is causing these feelings, and propose a solution. - Without blaming anyone directly and not at the expense of compromising anyone else's needs  - For example “Dad, when I am studying in my room and you yell at me from the kitchen to “empty the trash right now” I feel annoyed because I think studying i more important. It makes me feel that you think I can't manage my time or my chores, but I think I am quite capable of it. In the future, I would appreciate it if you came into my room and asked me to do the chore and I will do it when I take my next break from studying” Mediation - A process in which a neutral third party (mediation helps the participants resolve their conflict without aggression or coercion - The mediation process has several steps: - Establish a respectful environment - Identify the problem - List the alternatives - Select the best alternative - Write out a plan - Evaluate at a later date Adjudication - A process in which a neutral third party listens to all sides of a dispute and then makes a judgement based on the available information - This takes responsibility for resolving the conflict from the disputant and hands it over to the adjudicator. - The adjudicator must have his/her authority accepted by all parties or else his/her decision will be ignored. - Example: when a professional athlete feels he should be paid the same as other players in the league who are at the same talent level and the team management believes the athlete is not worth the money is he asking for. So the player and the team agree to go to arbitration to solve the problem. The arbitrator's decision is final. Avoidance - Another method of dealing with conflict is to avoid it - This does not offer a permanent way of resolving the conflict but it is an extremely popular short-term solution - It gives conflicting parties a chance to cool down - It may not solve the problem; it can internist an issue and delay its resolution - Example: Walking out of a group meeting because you don't agree with the event your student council is planning for the prom  Accommodation - When one of the conflicting parties makes a conscious decision to place another person's needs before or above her own - It sometimes involves making personal sacrifices, often at the expense of your own needs. - May also involve an element of empathy toward an opponent - Example: discontinuing a full-court press in basketball to keep the score from getting too high by putting in bench players The decision-making process - Occurs as a reaction to a problem or an available opportunity - A problem usually involves a discrepancy between the status quo and some other preferred state of affairs and it requires a consideration of an alternative course of action - Opportunities, on the other hand, occur when something unplanned happens giving rise to ideas about new ways of proceeding to take advantage of that opportunity Decision-making model (IDEAL Model) - In the IDEAL model of decision making each step needs to be followed in order - Step 1: Identify or define the problem - Step 2: Discuss available alternatives for solving the problem - Step 3: Evaluate the pros and cons of each alternative, and determine the best course of action - Step 4: Act. it is important to act on the best option if you do not act, then the problem will not be resolved - Step 5: Learn. Reflect on your decision, and learn from the situation for the future - It gives a leader an objective way to make decisions, rather than relying on subjective feelings or the overall attractiveness of an option - unfortunately, most decisions in the real world don't follow the IDEAL model Factors affecting decision making - Judgement shortcuts - making decisions based on previous outcomes that are similar but not necessarily the same as the current situation - Decision-making style - if you make decisions without involving others, then the decision may be flawed - External judgement- if you participate in a sport just because your parents encourage you to - Internal judgment- if you care too much about what people think of you, then your decisions are more likely to be governed by peer pressure Time management - A person's ability to effectively allocate his/her time and resources to achieve personal objectives - Results in a greater sense of overall well-being - Reduces stress and results in a more positive work-life balance Plan a prioritize - Proper planning is essential for effective time management - The 5 or 10 minutes you spend organizing your schedule can result in a net saving of many hours during your total work week or the length of an individual project Prepare a “to-do” lists - Make a list of everything you wish to accomplish each day - prioritize according to the importance of completing each task - Items that absolutely must be done - Items that should be done, time permitting - Items that can wait until; tomorrow - Break especially complex tasks into manageable steps - Specify a time frame for completing each step Draw up a schedule - Schedule your daily activities according to the priorities you have set - Attack those projects that are critical first - Then distribute your time over the other items on your list in order of priority and flexibility. Plan some “downtime” - Don't forget to incorporate downtime into your daily schedule - To res up and recharge our internal batteries - Research has shown that you can get more work done if you take several short breaks than if you choose to work straight throughout the day. Identify your optimal working time. - Your biological “prime time” - Each one of us has a time of day when we are more effective in our work efforts. - Schedule the most urgent and critical tasks during this optimal time, then plan the less demanding and less important tasks for other periods of your day. Minimize distractions - Organize your work environment in a manner that will increase your chances of completing the planned task. - Go to your room instead of sitting in front of the TV - Comfortable work area or desk - Turn off your phone, your iPod, and your computer - Avoid responding to text messages or checking your Facebook account - Or go somewhere you can complete your project without distractions such as the library Delegate responsibility to others - If you try to do everything yourself, you could easily become overwhelmed - Create a balanced division of labour within a group - Is this something only I can do? - If not, to whom can the task be appropriately assigned? - Is this person adequately prepared to complete the task successfully? Don't procrastinate - Procrastination is one of the biggest time-wasters in any organization - If a test absolutely must be performed, then there is no time like the present to complete it - Your responsibility will not simply go away by putting the task off till tomorrow - It leaves you with little or no time to review your work, incorporate feedback and ensure that the final product is accurate and of sufficient quality to reflect on your efforts