As a leader, you need to
interact with followers, peers, seniors, and other people whose support you
need to accomplish your objectives. To gain their support, you must be able to
understand and motivate them. To understand and motivate people, you must know
human nature. Human nature is the common qualities of all human beings. People
behave according to certain principles of human nature. These principles govern
our behavior.
Human needs are an important
part of human nature. Values, beliefs, and customs differ from country to
country and group to group, but all people have similar needs. As a leader you
must understand these needs because they are powerful motivators.
Abraham Maslow (1) felt that
the basic human needs were arranged in a hierarchical order. He based his
theory on healthy, creative people who used all their talents, potential, and
capabilities. At the time, this methodology differed from most psychology
research studies which were based on the observation of disturbed people.
There are two major groups of human needs:
basic needs and meta needs.
Basic needs are physiological, such as food,
water, and sleep; and psychological, such as affection, security, and self
esteem. These basic needs are also called deficiency needs because if they are
not met by an individual, then that person will strive to make up the
deficiency.
The higher needs are called meta needs or
growth needs. These include justice, goodness, beauty, order, unity, etc. Basic
needs take priority over these growth needs. People who lack food or water
cannot attend to justice or beauty.
These needs are listed below in hierarchical
order. The needs on the bottom of the list (1 to 4) must be met before the
needs above it can be met. The top four needs (5 to 8), can be pursued in any
order depending on a person's wants or circumstance, as long as all the other
needs (1 to 4) have all been met.
Self-actualization know exactly who you are, where you are going, and
what you want to accomplish. A state of well-being.
Our goal as leaders, is to
help our people obtain the skills and knowledge that will push them up the
hierarchy permanently. People who have their basic needs met become much better
workers. There are able to concentrate on fulfilling the visions put forth to
them, instead of consistently worrying about how to make ends meet.
Their lack artificiality.
People will exercise
self-direction if they are committed to the objectives
People learn to accept and
seek responsibility
Creativity,
ingenuity, and imagination are widely distributed among the population.
People are capable of using
these abilities to solve an organizational problem.
With Theory Y assumptions,
management's role is to develop the potential in employees and help them to
release that potential towards common goals.
Theory X is the view that traditional
management has taken towards the workforce. Many organizations are now taking
the enlightened view of theory Y.
A
boss can be viewed as taking the theory X approach, while a leader takes the
theory Y approach.
Herzberg's theory is a micro version of
Maslow's theory (concentrated in the work place).
McGreagor's Theory X is based on workers
caught in the lower levels (1 to 3) of Maslow's theory while his Theory Y is
for workers who have gone above level 3.
McGreagor's Theory X is based on workers
caught in Herberg's Hygiene or Dissatisfiers, while Theory Y is based on
workers who are in the Motivators or Satisfiers section.
Dionysian
(Artisan) - This temperament seeks
freedom, values spontaneity, and resists being constrained or obligated. They
do things because the process of doing them is pleasing, regardless of the goal
or outcome. They are action driven, here-and-now, and thrive on situations
requiring immediate response. They are optimists who are not easily controlled.
They are the ultimate troubleshooters and negotiators. They tend to dislike
bosses, policies, and procedures.
Promethian (Rationalist) -
This type of person understands, predicts, explains and harness phenomena. They
value competence in themselves and others, thrive on challenges, and strive to
control situations. They are the most self-critical of all and consistently set
higher goals of perfection. They are almost never satisfied with
accomplishments and are embarrassed by praise. They are imaginative,
analytical, and like to build systems for the future. They will create sweeping
changes if they see the need.
Alderfer's
ERG
Theory
also states that more than one need may be influential at the same time. If the
gratification of a higher-level need is frustrated, the desire to satisfy a
lower-level need will increase. He identifies this phenomenon as the
"frustration­paggression dimension
The
product of valence, expectancy, and instrumentality is motivation. It
can be thought of as the strength of the drive towards a goal. For example, if
an employee wants to move up through the ranks, then promotion has a high valence
for that employee. If the employee believes that high performance will
result in good reviews, then the employee has high expectancy. But if
the employee believes the company will not promote from within, then the
employee has low instrumentality. Therefore, the employee is not
motivated to perform any harder.
Managers are people who do things right, while leaders are people who do
the right thing.
Your
thinking skills can be considered directional skills because they set the
direction for your organization. They provide vision, purpose, and goal
definition. These are you eyes to the future, allowing you to recognize the
need for change, when to make it, how to implement it, and how to manage it.
You find vision by reaching for any available reason to change, grow, and
improve - find something that is not broken and make it better. Just as you
perform preventive maintenance on your car, you must perform preventive
maintenance on your organization. Do NOT believe in the old adage, "If it
ain't broke, don't fix it," the people who do, go broke! Treat every
project as a change effort. Treat every job as a new learning experience.
Although
finding a vision can be quite a creative challenge, the process of getting that
vision implemented can be quite easy if you follow the steps: Vision - Goals
- Objectives - Tasks - Time Lines - Follow Up:
The first step
in setting goals and priorities is to personally develop what the organization
should look like at some future point, that is, establish a vision. As a junior
leader, such as a supervisor or manager, you will mainly be concerned with a
department, section, or small group of people. While the senior leaders set the
vision for the entire organization, you set the vision for your team. And that
vision needs to support the organization's goals.
The
mission of the organization is crucial in determining your vision. Your vision
needs to coincide with the "big picture." The term "vision"
suggests a mental picture of what the future organization will look like. The
concept also implies a later time horizon. This time horizon tends to be mid to
long term in nature, focusing on as much as 10, 20, or even 50 years in the
future for visions affecting the entire organization. Your visions should be on
much shorter time horizons, such as 6 months to a year.
The
concept of a vision has become a popular term within academic, government,
defense, and corporate circles. This has spawned many different definitions of
vision. But, the vision you want, should be a picture of where you want your
department to be at a future date. For example, try to picture what your
department would look like if it was perfect, or what the most efficient way to
produce your product would look like, or perhaps if your budget was reduced by
10 percent, how you could still achieve the same quality product.
Vilfredo
Pareto, a 19th century economist, theorized that most effects come from
relatively few causes; that is, 80% of the effects come from 20% of the
possible causes. For example, 20% of the inventory items in the supply chain of
an organization accounts for 80% of the inventory value.
Many
people fall into the time wasting trap of going after the 80% of items that
only have a value of 20% of the total net worth. They believe that since that
since that 80% encompasses so much, they are really getting something
accomplished. Your visions need to picture the 20% that will have the greatest
effect on your organization. Although it is nice to have small victories now
and then by going after part of that easy 80%, focus on the few things that
will have the greatest impact...that is what a good leader does.
Once
you have your vision, it needs to be framed in general, un-measurable terms and
communicated to your team. Your team then develops the ends (objectives), ways
(concepts), and means (resources) to achieve the vision.
The second
step involves establishing goals, with the active participation of the team.
Goals are also stated in un-measurable terms, but they are more focused. For
example, "The organization must reduce transportation costs." This
establishes the framework of the your vision.
Now you
establish objectives, again with the active participation of your team.
Definable objectives provide a way of measuring the evaluating movement toward
vision achievement. This is the strategy of turning visions into reality. It is
the crossover mechanism between your forecast of the future and the envisioned,
desired future. Objectives are stated in precise, measurable terms such as
"By the end of the next quarter, the shipping department will use one
parcel service for shipping items under 100 pounds and one motor carrier for
shipping items over a hundred pounds." The aim is to get general ownership
by the entire team.
The fourth
step is to determine tasks. Through tasks, objectives are accomplished. Tasks
are concrete, measurable events that must occur. An example might be, "The
transportation coordinator will obtain detailed shipping rates from at least 10
motor carriers."
Now it is time
to establish a priority for the tasks. Since time is precious and many tasks
must be accomplished before another can begin, establishing priorities helps
your team to determine the order in which the tasks must be accomplished and by
what date. For example, "The shipping rates will be obtained by May 9."
The
final step is to follow up, measure, and check to see if the team is doing what
is required. This kind of leader involvement validates that the stated
priorities are worthy of action. For the leader it demonstrates her commitment
to see the matter through to a successful conclusion.
Supervision is
keeping a grasp on the situation and ensuring that plans and policies are
implemented properly. It includes giving instructions and inspecting the
accomplishment of a task.
There
is a narrow band of adequate supervision. On one side of the band is
over-supervision; and on the other side is under-supervision. Over-supervision
stifles initiative, breeds resentment, and lowers morale and motivation.
Under-supervision leads to miscommunication, lack of coordination, and the
perception by subordinates that the leader does not care. All employees benefit
from appropriate supervision by seniors with more knowledge and experience who
tend to see the situation more objectively.
Evaluating
is part of supervising. It is defined as judging the worth, quality, or
significance of people, ideas, or things. It includes looking at the ways
people are accomplishing a task. It means getting feedback on how well
something is being done and interpreting that feedback. People need feedback so
that they judge their performance. Without it, they will keep performing tasks
wrong, or stop performing the steps that makes their work great.
Use
checklists to list tasks that need to be accomplished. Almost all of us have
poor memories when it comes to remembering a list of details. List tasks by
priorities. For example, "A" priorities must be done today,
"B" priorities must be done by tomorrow, and "C" priorities
need to be followed up with in a few days.
Double
check on important things by following through. Strange things can happen if
you are not aware of them. Paperwork gets lost, plans get changed, and people
forget. If you have a system of checks and double checks, you will discover
mistakes, have time to correct them, and minimize any disruptions. Following
through may seem to be a waste of your time and energy, but in the long run, it
pays off. You will spend less time and energy correcting mistakes and omissions
made long ago.
Getting people
to accomplish something is much easier if they have the inspiration to do so.
Inspire means "to breathe life into." And in order to perform that,
we have to have some life ourselves. Three main actions will aid you in
accomplishing this.
Be
passionate.
In
organizations where the is a leader with great enthusiasm about a project, a
trickle-down effect will occur. You must be committed to the work you are
doing. If you do not communicate excitement, how can you expect your people to
get worked up about it?
Get
your employees involved in the decision making process.
People
who are involved in the decision making process participate much more
enthusiastically than those who just carry out their boss's order. Help them contribute
and tell them you value their opinions. Listen to them and incorporate their
ideas when it makes sense to so.
Know
what your organization is about!
The
fundamental truth, as General Creighton W. Abrams used to say in the mid-1970s,
is that "the Army is not made up of people. The Army is people. Every
decision we make is a people issue." Your organization is the same...it
may make a product or sell a service, but it is still people! A leader's
primary responsibility is to develop people and enable them to reach their full
potential. Your people may come from diverse backgrounds, but they all have
goals they want to accomplish. Create a "people environment" where
they truly can be all they can be.
Training and
coaching are two different things, although some people use them
interchangeably. Training is a structured lesson designed to provide the
employee with the knowledge and skills to perform a task. Coaching, on the
other hand, is a process designed to help the employee gain greater competence
and to overcome barriers so as to improve job performance.
You might picture it as when
you were school. During physical education, the gym teacher (trainer) taught
you how to play basketball. Next you went out for the school team. You had a
basic understanding of the game and its rules, but the coach taught you the
finer points of the game.
So, as you can see, training
and coaching go hand-in-hand. First you train them with lots of technical
support, and then you coach them with motivational pointers.
Both training and coaching
help to create the conditions that cause someone to learn and develop. People
learn by the examples of others, by forming a picture in their minds of what
they are trying to learn, by gaining and understanding necessary information,
by applying it to their job, or practice.
Learning
The first
condition of learning is that the person must be motivated to learn. You cannot
teach knowledge or skills to someone who is not motivated to learn. He must
feel the need to learn what you are teaching. Most employees are motivated to
do a good job. They want to be able to perform their tasks correctly. Their
motivation is being able to perform their job to standards in return for a
paycheck, benefits, challenges, job satisfaction, etc.
The next condition of
learning is to involve them in the process. Keep their attention by actively
involving their minds and emotions in the learning process. Have them
participate through active practice of the skill or through discussion. You
cannot keep their attention with a long lecture. Normally, people pay attention
for a short time - less than 30 minutes. They need to use what is being taught
or their minds will wander. If you lecture for an hour, very little will be
remembered. Instead, give a brief lecture (less than 10 minutes), demonstrate,
and then have them practice. Provide feedback throughout the practice period
until they can do it on their own. If it is a large complicated task, then
break it down into short learning steps.
Al
Capone once said "You can get much farther with a kind word and a gun than
you can with a kind word alone." Almost anyone can use power, but it takes
skill to use leadership. Leadership power is much more than the use of
force...it is influencing others to truly WANT to achieve a goal. Plain power
forces others to achieve a goal.
Power
refers to a capacity that person A has to influence the behavior of another
(person B), so that he or she (person B) acts in accordance with A’s wishes.
This power is a capacity or potential as it implies a potential that need not
be actualized to be effective. That is, a power may exist, but does not have to
be used to be effective. For example, an officer in the Army has certain powers
over enlisted personal, but that power does not have to used to be effective.
The mere knowledge of an officer's power by an enlisted person has some
influence over him or her.
A
person has the potential for influencing five points of power over another:
Coercive
Power - Power that is based on fear. A person with coercive power can make
things difficult for people. These are the persons that you want to avoid
getting angry. Employees working under coercive managers are unlikely to be
committed, and more likely to resist the manager.
Reward
Power - Compliance achieved based on the ability to distribute rewards that
others view as valuable. Able to give special benefits or rewards to people.
You might find it advantageous to trade favors with him or her.
Legitimate
Power - The power a person receives as a result of his or her position in the
formal hierarchy of an organization. The person has the right, considering his
or her position and your job responsibilities, to expect you to comply with
legitimate requests.
Expert
Power - Influence based on special skills or knowledge. This person earns
respect by experience and knowledge. Expert power is the most strongly and
consistently related to effective employee performance.
Referent
Power - Influence based on possession by an individual or desirable resources
or personal traits. You like the person and enjoy doing things for him or her.
The
more political that employees perceive their organization, the lower their
satisfaction becomes. This is because they tend to feel powerless on a
continues basis. On the other hand, the politically astute, tend to view things
differently:
|
Political
Astute Label Fixing responsibility Developing relationships Political Minded Documenting decisions Encouraging innovation Teamwork Planning ahead |
Powerless Label Blaming others Kissing up Cunning Covering your rear Creating conflict Building clicks Scheming |
To
prevent these "Powerless labels" form developing, you need to use
good leadership skills:
Power
does not require goal compatibility, instead it focuses on intimidation, while
leadership requires goal congruence.
Power
maximizes the importance of lateral and upward influence, while leadership
focuses upon downward influence.
Power
focuses on tactics for gaining compliance, while leadership focuses on getting answers and solutions