This week I had the pleasure of viewing a short video
entitled “What is Great Leadership?” In this video, Dr. Richard Boyatzis asked
the audience to complete an exercise to better determine the effect great
leadership can have on an individual and an organization. Dr. Boyatzis asked
the listener to think about a leader that has inspired them and list their name
and the reasons they liked to work for them on one side of a piece of paper and
on the other side of the paper list the name of a less inspirational leader and
the reasons why you would choose not to work for them again if given the choice
(Andre, 2014). According to Dr. Boyatzis, this exercise should produce two
lessons: (a) individuals understand the meaning of effective leadership and (b)
individuals understand that leadership is not just a person- it is a
relationship (Andre, 2014).
As I watched the video, I decided to complete the
exercise offered by Dr. Boyatzis. As I worked through the exercise, I realized
that I did have a grasp of what makes a great leader. I also began to
understand that a title or idea does not define leadership, but, instead, leadership
is defined by the relationship the leader creates with their followers. Dr.
Boyatzis stated that outstanding leaders know that emotions are important
(Andre, 2014). It quickly became evident that my ‘good’ leader cared much more
about me as a person than the work I was doing. I would like to share my results
in this blog.
My first job after college was as an Accounts
Receivable clerk at a local law firm. When I arrived for my first day, I was
greeted by the Office Manager, my immediate boss in the Accounts Receivable
department, and one of the shareholders of the firm. The shareholder told me
that he had to get to a meeting for an upcoming trial, but wanted to welcome me
to the firm and made sure that I understood that he was there if I had any
questions or concerns. I honestly thought that he was just being polite, but I
soon found out that he was a great person that genuinely cared about each
individual employed at the law firm.
As I became more familiar with this individual, it was
evident that he focused on creating a relationship that was in synch emotionally
(Andre, 2014). He would take the time to come by my office to check on me and
make sure that I was adapting to the workload. He also allowed for autonomy. A
couple of months after I started, I was placed in charge of running weekly status
reports for each shareholder. The previous method of running reports involved massive
amounts of manual effort. I had an idea where the reports could be exported and
used to create Excel reports. When I asked him about changing this process, he
took the time to listen to me. He asked questions regarding the pros and cons
of this proposed change. After hearing my argument, he asked the other
shareholders to approve a change in the reporting procedure. Though I was new
to the firm, he showed that he trusted my opinion and believed in my ideas. The
idea of upward communication and listening was evident in various staff
meetings throughout my tenure at the firm. He cared about what the employees
had to say.
About six months before I moved to Florida, my boss at
the firm was diagnosed with breast cancer. This unfortunate instance showed me
how much this shareholder wanted to connect with his followers emotionally. He was
extremely supportive of her and her family and even delivered food and other
supplies to her house several times while she was out of work. However, he was
not only supportive of her, but also supportive of me during this time. The
accounts receivable office was very small, so we were the only two in the
department. Her absence left me to do all of the work in the department. He
made a point to check on me every day that he was in the office and even took
me to lunch a couple of times to get me out of the office for a bit. His support
of both of us in the department was overwhelming.
When I decided to move to Florida, he was also
supportive. He wanted to know exactly where I was moving to determine if he had
any contacts in the area to help me find a job. He also pushed the other shareholders
to allow me to work remotely until I found full-time work. Once I did find a
job, he sent an email every couple of weeks to make sure I was adjusting to my
new environment. This individual proved that great leadership is found in the
emotional relationship that is built with followers, not the fact that he was a
shareholder of the firm.
On the other hand, I have also worked for a leader who
valued production and power over the employee, which created a less coveted
work environment. This individual was a micro-manager who did not allow
autonomy in the workplace. I once asked if I could change a spreadsheet so it
would be easier to read and comprehend and they told me that they developed
that system, so no, it could not be changed.
Unfortunately, my director was so concerned with power
that they did not take the time to care about the emotions of their employees
or build a trusting relationship. When I began working for her, her ‘followers’
consisted of four men. At one point, a discussion took place regarding updating
the department and building each accountant an office. In a private meeting,
she told each of us that we would never have an office under her command as she
was the boss and she deserved an office while we deserved our cubicles. She was
also bad about taking the work completed by her followers and claiming it as her
own. This created an untrusting relationship with her followers.
In describing a dissonant leader, Boyatzis & McKee
(2005), discussed a leader who continued to revert back to a form of leadership
that had previously been successful. My previous director also had this habit.
Each time a new issue came up she would discuss how she would handle this type
of situation at her previous organization. She did not take the time or make
the effort to connect emotionally with the culture or policies of the new
organization.
Not long after I was hired, I was asked to complete
board reports that my director would present. The second time I was asked to do
reports for the board, she asked me to alter some numbers because the board had
questioned some of the line items. I was appalled and said that I could not
make these changes. I am not sure if she altered the numbers herself, but I do
know that instance created a barrier between us. I could no longer trust her
and she said that she could not trust me because I was insubordinate.
The exercise offered by Boyatzis showed me that
leadership is more than just the person or idea as it is about creating
relationships (Andre, 2014). One thing I was surprised about while completing
the exercise is how much easier the negatives came to mind as the list was much
longer for my ‘bad’ boss than it was for my ‘good’ boss. It is weird how we
remember the bad much easier than we do the good.
I have always attempted to create bonding
relationships with my coworkers not knowing the effect it can have as a leader.
This exercise taught me that working to create a relationship is a great start to
becoming an effective leader. I must also be aware of my emotions as emotions
are contagious (Boyatzis & McKee, 2005). Reflecting on my time with these
two ‘leaders’ made me understand that a leader who exudes positive emotions is
much more likely to be effective than a leader who only cares about the job while
spreading negative emotions. As Simon Sinek said, “A boss has the title. A
leader has the people” (Inspirational quotes, 2015, n.p.).
References
Andre, L.N. (2014). 1.1 module 1.1 what is great
leadership? [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrtnP390QCc
Boyatzis, R. & McKee, A. (2005). Resonant leadership. Boston, MS: Harvard
Business School Publishing.
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