Leadership - How to Achieve Organizational Vision and Build Value

What does it take for leaders to inspire their followers ? What can a leader do to bring the best out of their followers to achieve organizational vision and build value. I will attempt to share some thoughts and learnings around these questions.

Leadership is “the process by which one individual works to influence other group members to work towards the achievement of group and organizational goals” (Greenberg & Baron, 2000). Leadership is “the process of influencing others to understand and agree about what needs to be done and how to do it, and the process of facilitating individual and collective efforts to accomplish shared objectives” (Gary Yukl, 2006). Inferring leadership as a process means that leaders affect and are affected by their followers either positively or negatively. Leadership is a two-way, interactive event between leaders and followers rather than a linear, one-way event in which the leader only affects the followers. Defining leadership as a process makes it available to everyone – not just a select few who are born with it.

There are three important aspects that arise from these definitions. First, that leadership is about how a person exerts social influence to get other people in the group to do what he or she wants. Second, the leader is an integral member of a group and to be effective he or she must be recognized and accepted as a leader of the group by others (followers). Third, leadership is about the attainment of group goals, and to be effective the goals of the leader should coincide/align with the goals of the rest of the group.

Equally important are followers, who are also an integral member of a group. According to Lee (1991), followers may be broadly attributed to one of the four categories based on whether or not they are active or passive and high or low in critical thinking. He defines the four categories as

Yes People - are active towards leader and job but they are dependent and low on critical thinking. Due to their conformist nature they will agree with the leader without question and rarely challenge the status quo. Their inclination is towards avoiding conflict. Due to their unwillingness and inability to put forth challenging viewpoints, which could produce a better outcome, they create a different challenge for the leader.

Sheeps - are passive towards leader and job, low on critical thinking and dependent. They tend to do as they are told, and rarely out forth an opposing opinion. They leave the thinking to the leader and precisely these attributes serve neither them nor their fellow team members. Since they require constant supervision and prodding they can negatively affect team dynamics and performance.

Alienated Followers - are passive towards leader and job but high on critical thinking and love working independently. They do not use their strengths to help the team achieve its goals even though they have something of value to offer but generally they choose not to do so. Their passivity distances them from the leader and the team members. They can be the most disruptive among the categories of followers. They frequently will not voice their opinions but will quickly offer passive resistance if they disagree with a decision or course of action.?Conflict is exacerbated when cooperation is refused without providing justification.

Effective/Dynamic Followers - are active towards leader and the job and are high on critical thinking. They are proactive, independent, and able to think critically. They also accept the leader's authority. Lifelong learners make for effective followers.?They demonstrate self-leadership, accept accountability, are devoted, and actively seek criticism in order to further enhance their work. They are also referred to as "dynamic followers" and are very helpful to the team and the leader. This kind of follower frequently serves as a trusted advisor to leaders who lead due to their regular and high-quality contributions.

There is a fifth category that is not explicitly defined but do exist in organizations and they are called Survivors - they are adaptable ("being on the fence") but not in a positive way. This kind of follower goes with the flow, adapting their beliefs and actions to the circumstances.?They believe that taking the route that presents the least amount of difficulty keeps them safe and out of harm's way. Most survivors prefer to take it easy rather than take a chance.?The dread of committing error is their greatest phobia. Unfounded fear, however, turns out to be our enemy, not an ally.

A complex relationship exists between leaders and followers where there has to be give and take by both. Effective followers are essential for effective leadership. These types of followers are most desirable since they are enthusiastic, committed, and self-reliant. Organizations however have a mix of followers, and leaders must adapt their leadership styles, power, traits, and characteristics depending on the situation and the type of followers to be influenced.

Leaders (introverted or extroverted) can bring the best out of their followers, to achieve organizational vision and build value, by adopting the following guidelines depending on the settings of organizational culture, situational contexts and types of follower(s) confronted with.

Communicate Comprehensively and Clearly: Leaders need to communicate organizational vision, goals, and objectives comprehensively and clearly to their followers. Communication should be two-way and involve active listening and feedback. This helps followers understand what they are working towards and how their contributions fit into the bigger picture. Establishing shared objectives that leaders and followers can coalesce around is difficult but worth the effort. Leaders who are willing to expend time and effort in determining appropriate goals will find these goals achieved more effectively and easily if followers and leaders work together. Leader imposed goals are generally harder and less effectively achieved than goals developed together. As far as possible organizational goals and followers’ personal goals should be shown as aligned for better ownership. Participative Leadership style would be very effective to align followers to a common vision, goals, and objectives.

Create Autonomy and Empower Followers: Leaders must empower their followers by delegating authority, giving them autonomy, and allowing them to make decisions within their scope of responsibility. This helps to build a sense of accountability and responsibility among followers. Often referred to as “laissez-faire,” the Delegative Leadership works well with effective followers and an introvert leader. This allows followers to utilize their creativity, resources, and experience to achieve the desired objectives. Delegative Leadership emphasizes the individuality of each follower while still encouraging teamwork and allowing individual followers to bring their unique contributions to the table. This will promote followers’ growth and satisfaction in the work delegated. An introvert leader would have to keep a close check for potential disagreements and intervene at the right time before such disagreements escalate and affect the ethos of the group.

Provide Direction, Resources and Create the Right Environment: Leaders must provide direction and guidance to their followers by setting clear expectations, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing a framework for decision-making. Leaders need to provide their followers with the resources, including tools, training, and support, to help them achieve organizational goals. Here, an Authoritative Leadership style can help motivate teams to bring out their best and that followers have a clear direction in work, along with guiding those that are uncertain of their performance. The focus should also be on offering feedback that is motivating rather than overly harsh criticism. This will encourage, among the followers, trust, empathy, and a willingness to produce consistent results for the organization.

Establish Structure and Standards ; Recognize and Reward Performance: Leaders should consistently and timely acknowledge/reward good performance to motivate their followers to continue working towards the organizational vision. This could be through formal recognition programs or through informal gestures such as words of appreciation and encouragement. This type of approach is often referred to as Transactional Leadership style. It can be more effective with certain type of followers who may not possess the level of motivation desired for the assigned goal. However, in general recognition of work has a more positive impact on followers since they feel valued by the organization and in turn are willing to contribute more to organizational goals. Transactional leadership establishes roles and responsibilities for each follower. On the contrary, if followers are always aware of the (monetary) value they will extract out of their work, it may result in decreasing returns. In order to be effective, rewards must align with corporate objectives and be complemented by other acts of appreciation.

Foster a Positive, Continuous Improvement and Collaboration driven Culture: Leaders should create a positive work environment that fosters teamwork, collaboration, and innovation. Followers should feel respected, valued, and supported. Leaders should also encourage a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and learning. The emphasis should be on encouraging and motivating followers to participate in molding a successful future for an organization (identifying with the vision and mission). Transformational Leadership style can inspire followers to look ahead with a focus on the greater good and to function as a single unit with a common goal in mind. Leaders should focus on identifying and harnessing followers’ strength and abilities so that they can reach their full potential.

Lead by Example in every Possible Situation: Leaders should model the behavior they want to see in their followers. This can help build trust and credibility and inspire followers to emulate leaders actions. They should lead by example, demonstrating the values and behaviors that they expect from their followers. This includes being honest, ethical, and transparent in their dealings with others. How employees engage with one another inside an organization defines its culture. Culture is not an outcome of operations; it is learned behaviour. There is no overlay. Our behaviour shapes the culture of the organization, not the other way around. Serious leaders are aware that they always set an example for others to follow, both on purpose and by default. While some like "leading from the front," others favor "leading from behind." But everyone senses that their ability to lead by example, both successfully and unsuccessfully, is a key component of their "leadership brand." Effective executives seek to strengthen their brands. Executives' leadership brand propositions are refined by the examples they use when leading by example.

The Contingency Theory of Leadership can help build effective leaders and thereby build effective followers for organizational success. When determining distinct leadership styles, contingency theory highlights three main factors - Traits, Behavior and Situation

With reference to this theory some of the foremost models of leadership are

• Fred E. Fiedler’s LPC (Least Preferred Coworker Scale) Model (1960)
• The Path-Goal Model, developed by Martin Evans and Robert House (1971)
• The Normative Decision-Making Model, developed by Victor Vroom and Philip Yetton (1973)
• The Situational Leadership? Model, developed by Paul Hersey and Kenneth Blanchard (1982)
• Multiple Linkage Model developed by Gary Yukl (1981, 1989)
• Vertical Dyad Linkage and Leader Member Exchange (LMX) Theory developed by Graen & Uhl-Bien (1995)

Readers are encouraged to explore the literature around these theories. I will try to summarize them in my next article. These are certainly not exhaustive guidelines nor they may seem new, however, leaders tend to miss the simplest of things that can have profound impact when trying to create the big picture. The points mentioned here could lead to the desired results when leaders want to create an environment where their followers feel empowered and motivated to work towards achieving the organizational vision and building value.

References

Greenberg,?J.,?Baron,?R.?A.?(2000).?Behavior in Organizations: Understanding and Managing the Human Side of Work.?India:?Prentice Hall.

Yukl, G. (2006). Leadership in Organizations (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson-Prentice Hall.

Grant, A.M., Gino, F., & Hofmann, D. (2010). The hidden advantages of quiet bosses. Harvard business review, 88 12, 28.

Pennington, D.C. (2002). The social psychology of behaviour in small groups.

Lee, C. (1991). Followership: The essence of leadership. Training, 28, 27-35.

Kelley,?R.?E.?(1988).?In Praise of Followers.?United States:?Harvard Business School Reprint.

Gwen. (n.d.). Types of Followers. https://www.leaderwholeads.com/types-of-followers.html

A. (n.d.). 11 Leadership Styles (Plus How to Find Your Own) [2023] ? Asana. Asana. https://www.asana.com/resources/leadership-styles