Executive Leadership

Good leadership is one of the most valued of all human activities. To be known as a good leader is a great accolade - as true for a youngster at school as it is for the great political, corporate, or military leaders. It signifies the talent to bring people together to get them to work effectively together to meet a common goal, to co-operate with each other, to rely upon each other, to trust each other. It evokes the gratifying prospect of being part of a successful team, or organization, or nation, of being a winner in association with other winners. And everyone loves to be a winner.

Our view is that far too much emphasis is being placed upon personality make-up these days, and that far too many of the problems of management and of managerial leadership are being seen in terms of interpersonal relationships and interpersonal conflict. It is impossible to tell how much an apparent interpersonal conflict is the result of a clash of personality or of inadequate managerial organization. In the vast majority of cases it is the latter. A good rule of thumb to use is that, until and unless a requisite organization has been established, it is fair to assume that interpersonal stresses and strains and inadequate managerial leadership are the products of poor organization rather than of personality problems. "Cherchez l'organisation" every time.

(Quoted from: Executive Leadership Clement, Stephen & Jaques, Elliott Cason Hall & Co.Publishers Ltd.)

Eх.1. Answer the questions

1. Why is leadership an important subject for managers?

2. In what way is leadership different from management?

3. Why has the trait approach not proved useful?

4. Do you agree that leaders are born, not made?

5. In what conditions should a leader allow subordinates to participate in decision-making?

6. How can leaders influence subordinates?

7. What can limit this influence?

Ex.2. Comment on the following statements

1.Leaders are born, not made.

2.Individuals become more assertive and self-confident once they occupy a leadership position.

3.The immediate supervision of subordinates is just one facet of managerial leadership.

4.Women are still less likely than men to emerge as leaders, but when they do they are just as effective.

5.The overall leadership situation is so complex that pinpointing one leadership style as the most effective seems to be an oversimplification.

6.It is easier to lead capable employees who are educated, trained, and experienced than to manage incapable, untrained, and inexperienced ones.

7.People's individual characteristics may be either beneficial or harmful to them as leaders.

8.Middle managers and first-line supervisors aremore heavilyinvolved in leading than is top management.

9.One cannot lead who doesn’t first know how to follow.

10. Baby boomers, from whom the vast majority of leadership positions are currently being filled, are characterized as a self-centered generation, proving incapable of advancing leadership worthy of trust.

11. Strong management without leadership becomes static and bureaucratic.

12. “Leadership without management is volatile and can become perverted by egomania.” (P.Kotter)

13. “The new leadership is in sacrifice, it is in self denial. It is in love, it is in fearlessness. It is in humility and it is in the perfectly disciplined will. This is also the distinction between great and little people!”(Vince Lombardi)

Ex. 6. The lists below represent /I/characteristics of most successful leaders and /2/ skills that leaders need to acquire

· Work in pairs. Choose a prominent politician or businessperson. Evaluate his/her leadership traits and skills. Tell the rest of the class what conclusions you have come to.

· Make an honest self-evaluation to gauge the extent of your leadership ability and/or potential.

Text 2. Read the text and be ready for a comprehension checkup.