Daft (2005) What Does It Mean To Be A Leader?

Daft defines leadership as an influence relationship among leaders and followers who intend real changes and outcomes that reflect their shared purposes (pg. 5). He considers leadership a people activity as distinct from administrative work and must include followers. Daft suggests that as the turn of a new centuary the old methods of organisational leadership no longer apply in the face of the Information Revolution. 

Daft does not flesh this premise out and presumes that the reader would automatically agree with it. However, to then lay out a new paradigm that would consume the remainder of the chapter, does not satisfy me. Surely throughout the last century, civilization went through even more tremendous change than what we experience today? Compare pre and post depression era or WWII. The '60s were no slouch. There must be some practices that have been learnt and refined over the last 500 years that can be harnessed for the next 500 rather than completely re-defining the new reality of leadership?

Paradigm Oppositionals

Stability - Crisis Management

Because change is happening so frequently, leaders should help their followers to adapt rather than resist change.

Control - Empowerment

Because many organsiations have highly educated workers, leaders would improve effectiveness by distributing their power amongst their employees.

Competition - Collaboration

Knowledge management and working together will achieve better outcomes than interdepartmental competition.

Uniformity - Diversity

To cater to large numbers of multicultural employees, leaders must create an environment that supports diversity

Self-Centered - Higher Purpose

Honesty, integrity and accountablity will thrive in the long term.

Hero - Humble

Highly ambitious, yet selfless compared to cowboy leaders.

Key Quotes

Good leaders know how to follow and they set an example for others. (pg. 6)

Reference
Daft, R. L. (2005). What does it mean to be a leader? In R. L. Daft (3rd Eds.), The leadership experience (pp. 3-41). Mason, Ohio: Thomson South-Western.

Interview with Paul Flynn

Paul Flynn, CEO for CanDo4Kids Townsend House was interviewed by Dr Carolyn Palmer to discuss leadership issues.

Personal Reflection
It would appear as though his leadership style is more people-orientated as many of his reflections discuss the relationships within his organisation and how he managed the people rather than the task. This is not to say that he does not care about the goals, but rather he sees the social capital as being the best mechanism to achieving the organization's strategic plan. He has an inclusive decision making process with his employees probably due to the nature of his organization being volunteer based. Because they are volunteering their time, a highly autocratic leadership style would be too derisive and discouraging to them.

Notes
Decision Making

• Worst type of leader doesn't make a decision. Even a bad decision is better than no decision.
• Learn from bad leaders about what not to do. Anaylse all leaders.

Ethics

• Ethics is important, if you have to query if something is ethical, then it's probably not.
• Sayings/expressions communicate valuable truths

Environment

• Surround yourself with talented people, who can be allowed to make mistakes, otherwise your not trying hard enough

Strategic Plan

• Strategic plan and operational outcomes should guide all staff in their decision making
• Revisit strategic plan, but most importantly, the operational outcomes

Leadership Style

• Leadership style should be sensitive to the situation, eg. autocratic style may not be in the organistion's best interests
• The rich 10% of ideas should be included, while the other 90% should be weeded out
• Effective leaders: humour, single minded approach, never about you (should be about the goal and stakeholders; seek out advice; don't take yourself too seriously)

Managing People

• Sometimes people can do their job too well, eg. a fire warden just needs to stop fires. Expelling too much energy on pet projects.
• Developing good understanding of different staff and who is interested in the organistion, and who are just there for the job
• Social capital. Surround yourself with passionate people. 
• Value volunteers
• Conflict, act as a mediator between the two parties. Resolve your conflict personally with someone.

Networking

• What you can do for someone else. It will pay dividends for itself later

Influence

• Articulate your vision, inspire and motivate people. Demonstrate how it makes the follower's lives better and what the followers must do to achieve this.
• Change - not change for change's sake.

Organisationally

• Be early, keep time for people,