Leadership

Leadership is both a research area and a practical skill encompassing the ability of an individual or organization to "lead" or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. Leadership theories conceptualize leadership.

Definitions

According to Organizational Behavior by Robbins and Judge (17th edition),

Leadership. The ability to influence a group toward the achievement of a vision or set of goals.

According to the FAA AC 120-72,

Leadership. The ability to direct and coordinate the activities of group members and stimulate them to work together as a team.

According to Management by Robbins and Coulter (14th edition),

Leadership. A process of influencing a group to achieve goals.

According to Managing Quality by Foster (6th edition),

Leadership. The process by which a leader influences a group to move toward the attainment of a group of superordinate goals.

According to the Corporate Strategy by Lynch (4th edition),

Leadership. The art or process of influencing people so that they will strive willingly and enthusiastically towards the achievement of the group's mission.

According to the Strategic Management by Parnell (4th edition),

Leadership. The capacity to secure the cooperation of others in accomplishing organizational goals.

According to the HRBoK Guide,

Leadership. A management ability. The ability to influence other people or groups to achieve a goal.

Applications

Inspiring quotes

• A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way. --John C. Maxwell
• Leadership is not about a title or a designation. It's about impact, influence and inspiration. Impact involves getting results, influence is about spreading the passion you have for your work, and you have to inspire team-mates and customers. --Robin S. Sharma
• The art of communication is the language of leadership. --James Humes
• Leadership is unlocking people's potential to become better. --Bill Bradley
• Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership. --Colin Powell

In maintenance training

According to the FAA AC 120-72,

1. In the past, most people thought that the ability to lead was an inherent trait of a person. Leadership was seen as a logical outgrowth of a person's personality. To add to the confusion, the types of groups that can be led vary as much as the leaders who lead them. Today leadership is defined less in terms of a trait and more as a function of the group being led. Leadership is seen to include managing individual organizational components as well as their interaction with other groups in the organization.
2. Leadership has many facets. In its simplest form, leadership is the ability to direct and coordinate the activities of group members and stimulate them to work together as a team. It includes being in a position to control the resources of a group. Imagine how difficult it would be for a maintenance shift supervisor to lead if he or she did not have a say in assigning people’s tasks, determining department budgets, or even determining which planes will be serviced. The definition of leadership is now much more complex than it was 30 years ago.

Types of leadership

There are many attempts to classify types of leadership. The FAA AC 120-72 distinguishes authoritative and participatory leadership.

Authoritative leadership

Authoritative is derived from the word "authority." An authoritative leader tends to make all team decisions and controls all resources because the team is structured as a hierarchy. A hierarchical structure is one in which many levels of management exist and there is a clearly defined boss. An authoritarian leader dictates action and the course of the team with little input from team members.

Participatory leadership

A participatory leader allows each team member to have a say and to participate in team processes. The team leader is more egalitarian, or equal, under participatory leadership than with an authoritative leader. The participatory leader may, however, ultimately decide the team's actions, but takes into consideration the team members' experience, knowledge, and preferences. A participatory leader encourages member participation and input to help lead the team's course of action.

Authoritative vs participatory

One may ask if one form of leadership is better than another form. The answer to that question usually depends on the organization of the team and the task being performed. For example, a fully participative team where a vote is taken and every team member surveyed on every little detail of the workday would be unable to perform their duties in a timely manner. However, an overly authoritative supervisor or manager who fails to request input from anyone may suppress the free flow of ideas and dictate team activities that negatively impact safety. Good leadership is a balancing act between the two. The following table presents some guidelines for when to choose which style, but keep in mind that this list is far from complete.

Guidelines for choosing a leadership style

When to use an authoritative leadership style:	When to use a participatory leadership style:
If a task needs to be done quickly. If a task is structured and a clear-cut answer exists. If conflict and a lack of communication exists between team members. If you are certain all team members will accept the final decision if made by a single person.	If there is time to get input from all members. If a task is unstructured and may require extensive group decision making. If team members get along and communicate well. If you are certain team members will not accept the final decision if made by a single person.

In addition to his or her own team members, a frontline maintenance supervisor on the job must interact with a variety of upper-level managers, shop personnel, shift/crew supervisors and their teams, union representatives, catering/other ground support personnel. As a result, supervisors must be trained not only in the skills to handle those in their assigned teams, but also in interacting effectively with others outside the assigned team.

Responsibilities of leaders

Leaders have a variety of responsibilities they must meet to ensure a smoothly running team. The FAA AC 120-72 identifies the following responsibilities:

1. Supervise and coordinate crew activity.
2. Delegate tasks to appropriate crew members.
3. Define crew responsibilities and expectations.
4. Focus attention on critical aspects of the situation.
5. Adapt to internal and external environment changes.
6. Keep crew informed of work-relevant information.
7. Ask crew for work-relevant information and respond accordingly.
8. Provide feedback to crew on performance.
9. Create and maintain a professional atmosphere.
10. Promote teamwork.
11. Effectively manage workload issues/stress.
12. Train and mentor subordinates to be proficient at their tasks.

Certain behaviors make a leader more effective. Conversely, some behavior detracts from effective leadership. Some of the behavior characteristics that affect leadership effectiveness are listed below:

Effective and ineffective Leadership

Effective leadership skills:	Barriers to good leadership:
Make suggestions Make the crew want to perform activities Lead by inspiration/example Provide feedback to the crew	Micromanagement (trying to do everything oneself) Poor interpersonal skills Inexperience Pressure New situations (Personal) rigidity/stubbornness

To conclude, leadership is the application of a cluster of teamwork skills on an individual level. These skills include communication, coordination, and decision making as well as technical knowledge. However, though some appear to be born leaders, leadership skills are not innate. Instead, individuals can be trained to be good and effective leaders.

Related concepts

• Enterprise.

Related lectures

• Leadership Quarter.