2. LEADERSHIP There are many good, effective supervisors in America and the world over. They work hard, produce results, earn economic and social rewards for their efforts, and live lives which can be considered admirable. Among these individuals, there also exists those supervisors who are a cut above the rest. They too work hard, produce results, earn rewards, and yet have an elusive quality which makes them an uncommon lot. They are the supervisors who, because of special vision and extraordinary effort assume the role of leaders. Leaders sometimes are not good supervisors. Some leaders may not be able to organize well, and do not possess the other skills listed above so that they can perform the other functions that supervisors are expected to perform. On the other hand, if a person aspires to become an extraordinary supervisor, it will be essential to possess many of the characteristics necessary to be a truly great leader. Many of us recognize a good leader, but cannot define precisely what makes one. By observing outstanding leaders, it is possible to list a few of the qualities which they possess. In order to be a good leader, the supervisor will need to possess the following characteristics: 1. A desire to excel. A leader is never content with being second. He always wants to be out front. He is a self-starting individual who is willing to work long hours to achieve success. 2. A sense of responsibility. A leader is never afraid to seek and accept obligations to others. He always willingly discharges any responsibility he assumes. 3. A capacity for work. Good leaders are always willing to accept the demands of leadership success--long hours and hard work. 4. A feel for good human relations. Leaders are always involved with their fellow workers, studying them, analyzing their needs and demands, and trying to understand their problems. This interest and ability to discover what their fellow workers need is in all probability the single most important characteristic of a good leader. 5. Need to exhibit a contagious enthusiasm. No one wants to follow a dull, uninspired leader. Enthusiasm is something like mob appeal--once we are caught up in it, we move along with it. And once workers are caught up in the web of enthusiasm for their jobs and their work, they take on a new sense of enthusiasm and commitment to the jobs they are asked to do. 6. A need to have a high sense of integrity. Any leader who succeeds has to be honest with himself and with his followers. He may fool some of the people for a while, but sooner or later a lack of honesty will force him out of a position of leadership. Few men who are insecure and undependable succeed as leaders (George, 1979, p. 23). Poor leaders pass the blame along to others. They are self- centered. They ask employees to do things they would not do themselves. They are aloof, cool, unfriendly. They are the big "I" with their employees. They drag their feet. They so "Yes" and do not mean it. They agonize over decisions. They jump to conclusions. Many people recognize that leadership is a part of supervision, and they sometimes fail to see that supervision is not the same thing as leadership. What is expected of a leader is to get others to follow him. A supervisor is asked to perform all of the functions associated with supervision in addition to being a leader. Although a strong leader may be a weak supervisor, a strong supervisor must be a good leader. Leadership roles are often assumed by members of a work group. This is an informal position. He or she may be a leader today and be replaced tomorrow. Leadership in a group depends on what the group's objectives are. Sometimes the informal leader will be recognized for his or her specific abilities and then formally elevated to supervisor status. This is not often the case in Theory X management systems because there is a threat to the established power structure by the outsider. Sometimes this is amicably resolved if there is a need to include the outside leader. More often then not this person's skills are not fully utilized and he or she moves on to another organization or becomes demoralized and eventually loses his or her enthusiasm and falls out of a leadership role. Whether he or she is an informal or formal leader, there are four main types of leaders. 1. Dictatorial. 2. Authoritarian. 3. Democratic. 4. Laissez-faire. The dictatorial leader is a negative leader and holds threats of punishment, discharge, and fear over the heads of his employees to get them to do his will. He may get results in the short run, but over a period of time he cannot sustain such actions. The authoritarian leader exercises strong control over his people. He or she resists help from others, and plays his or her "cards close to the chest" withholding information from the people and making them dependent on him or her for decisions. He or she is a strong "captain of the ship" and controls all coordination and interface between workers in achieving the group's goals. The democratic leader solicits aid and advice from employees--trying to get them involved in work problems and their solutions. This is the type of leader whose group can function effectively even during his prolonged absences. The reason is because the employees in the group are used to working with problems and their solutions and are aware of the group's situation and progress. In the leader's absence, they can take over and move ahead. The laissez-faire leader is not really much of a leader at all. He or she is a leader in name only, and his or her position of leadership is one decreed by upper management. This leader is more or less a figurehead with little or no power is virtually never listened to or respected by the employees (George, 1979, p. 27). What type is the best? It depends upon the situation. In an emergency, an authoritarian type leader may be the best. If supervising a group of highly skilled self-starters, then the laissez faire leadership style may be best. No one is a "born leader." Every person has the capacity to become a leader, but each will have to work hard at it. What capacities are necessary for a person who has some abilities to develop into a successful leader? George (1985) described these characteristics. 1. Intelligence. Leaders are usually a bit smarter or a bit more intelligent than their followers. This does not mean that a successful leader must have an excess of intelligence over his average follower. But it does mean that he is a bright and alert person with above average intelligence. 2. Understanding. A leader needs to have an understanding of and feeling for other people. Because a leader works with people and gets things done through the efforts of others, he must be accurately attuned to the feelings of others, to their goals, and to their problems. A good coaching leader should be sensitive to the values of the entire group in addition to those of the individuals. 3. Social Activity. A good leader needs to be active socially. He needs to participate actively in group functions. He needs to initiate actions for others and for the group as a whole. 4. Communication. A good leader needs to be able to make his employees understand him and his ideas. He needs to be able to communicate messages accurately and clearly. If he can't communicate his "million dollar" idea, it is worthless. 5. Criticism. A good leader can't let other people "get under his skin" with their criticisms. If he does, he's headed for failure. A good leader can and does take and welcome deserved criticism while shrugging off tactless, heavy-handed attacks from his adversaries (pp. 30-31). Harrison (1989) captured and isolated the essence of leadership by studying some of the most famous leaders in Twentieth Century history. Here are a few selections describing leadership and certain themes related to it. They catalogue many aspects of the leader's position and activities. The people who made these comments certainly demonstrated in their lives the ability to "practice what they preached." LEADERSHIP Ideals The time is always right to do what is right. Martin Luther King Jr. Style A true leader always keeps an element of surprise up his sleeve, which others cannot grasp but which keeps his public excited and breathless. Charles de Gaulle Vision The empires of the future are empires of the mind. Winston Churchill Excellence Don't be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones tend to take care of themselves. Dale Carnegie Servant Leadership The noblest service comes from nameless hands. And the best servant does his work unseen. Oliver Wendell Holmes Power If a man can accept a situation in a place of power with the thought that it's only temporary, he comes out all right. But when he thinks he is the cause of the power, that can be his ruination. Harry S. Truman Responsibility There are no office hours for leaders. Cardinal Gibbons Character Good character is more to be praised than outstanding talent. Most talents are to some extent a gift. Good character, by contrast, is not given to us. We have to build it piece by piece--by thought, choice, courage, and determination. John Luther Honesty I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man. George Washington Integrity The supreme quality for a leader is unquestionable integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office. Dwight D. Eisenhower Enthusiasm Every great and commanding moment in the annals of the world is the triumph of some enthusiasm. Ralph Waldo Emerson Positive Attitude If you can dream it, you can do it. Walt Disney Courage The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Martin Luther King, Jr. Determination Most people give up just when they're about to achieve success. They quit on the one yard line. They give up at the last minute of the game one foot from a winning touchdown. H. Ross Perot Ambition Show me a thoroughly satisfied man -- and I will show you a failure. Thomas Edison Setting the Example Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing. Albert Schweitzer Inspiring Employees Techniques don't produce quality products or pick up the garbage on time; people do, people who care, people who are treated as creatively contributing adults. Tom Peters Communicating Effectively When employees no longer believe that their manager listens to them, they start looking around for someone who will. Ken Eye Developing Subordinates It is only as we develop others that we permanently succeed. Harvey S. Firestone Decision Making Even though you're on the right track - you'll get run over if you just sit there. Will Rogers, Jr. Time Management Most time is wasted, not in hours, but in minutes. A bucket with a small hole in the bottom gets just as empty as a bucket that is deliberately emptied. Paul J. Meyer Life's Lessons As a man grows older... ...He values the voice of experience more and the voice of prophecy less. ...He finds more of life's wealth in the common pleasures - home, health and children. ...He thinks more about the work of men and less about their wealth. ...He begins to appreciate his own father a little more. ...He hurries less and usually makes more progress. ...He esteems the friendship of God a little higher. Roy L. Smith Failure Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently. Henry Ford Happiness Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. Abraham Lincoln Faith Faith is the courage to face reality with hope. Dr. Robert H. Schuller Hope We should not let our fears hold us back from pursuing our hopes. John F. Kennedy Love Where there is love there is life. Mohandas K. Gandhi Kindness Be kind. Remember everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. T.H. Thompson Possibilities Be brave enough to live creatively. The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. You can't get there by bus, only by hard work, risking, and by not quite knowing what you're doing. What you'll discover will be wonderful: yourself. Alan Alda Self-Development Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young. Henry Ford Success Success in life is nothing you do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It's what you do for others. Danny Thomas Requirements for Success If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours. Henry David Thoreau The quotes from these famous leaders may inspire the supervisor who is striving to achieve a greater measure of success in his or her career. There is no easy path to greatness. Most of the individuals quoted were or are unique individuals who through their own initiative, intelligence, communication, and other skills served mankind as well as themselves. Their efforts forged the Twentieth Century into an age of unbelievable growth and development for mankind. Yet all were born, lived, and died on the earth like any other man or woman who came before them. As each leader passed on his or her torch to the next generation, new leaders emerged. As the 21st Century knocks at our front door, many of these leaders will be gone and it will be the province of this new generation to assume responsibility for the next century of leadership.