Leadership and Behavioral Decision Mak-
ing
Books = 1 person experience. Could work for him but not for you.
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DEFINITION:
Leadership is the process of influencing other(s) towards the realization of a
shared goal
- Process of influencing: no leaders if there are no influences; no leaders, no fol-
lowers.
- Shared goal: if you share a goal, it’s difference than power. Leadership is differ-
ent from power but can lead to leadership. You can use power over others. In
leadership you share a goal. Leader and follow need to agree.
Leaders are individuals who have a differential influence on the initiation, direction, and
coordination of group activities over and above the influence associated with formal
authority.
Are leaders born or made?
“Few abilities are inherited. The majority of the more important abilities are learned and
developed in interaction with others. This is especially true for such abilities as lead-
ership. There are no born leaders”
We received genes from our parents. Those characters allows you to emerge, they
give us potential to become a leader but it’s not enough. You need to practice, train. It
takes effort and time.
What we know about leadership
• Leadership is a dynamic influential process, not a position or a static label
• You will not become a leader in one time, for all time. It not works that
way. You can be a leader and be influenced at another moment.
• Everyone exercises some form of leadership
• Leadership can be developed
• The effective leader behaviors / styles are context-specific
• Who are the followers
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, • What is the culture of the people/organization
• What is the context
• …
• Women and men are equally effective as leaders
• Many leadership practices are universal and some are culturally-specific
• Ex. In Russia you need to be like a tiran, don’t smile, people have to be
scared of you, …
• Ex. In Australia you have a shared office with the manager. In India you
don’t have that; there’s more distance.
• In some cultures you can show your emotions, in others, you can’t
• Being a leader contains certain pitfalls
State of leadership research We have had a lot of studies about
leadership.
It started in 1900 in the US army,
right before WW1. They were cho-
sen, based on intelligence.
→ It always depends on the con-
text. We always have to make up
our mind and integrate the theory.
Leadership training vs. development
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,Developing takes years, it’s a long process. In training, you cannot change identity and
how people see themselves.
“Compared with relatively straightforward skills acquisition through training inter-
ventions, leadership developmental initiatives take on more complex and holistic chal-
lenges associated with changing the inherent behavioral tendencies of human be-
ings”
Leader development
Individual development:
• Across the entire lifespan (→ lifelong process)
• All individuals do not experience or benefit in the same ways from the same
experience
• Leaders develop following different growth patterns
Informal rule of “70-20-10:
- 70%: Challenging assignments (e.g., job transitions, unfamiliar responsibilities,
obstacles) → you learn leadership 70% by challenging assignments, going
through transitions, …
- 20%: Developmental relationships (e.g., coaching, mentoring, feedback pro-
grams) → coaching is very important, to be in a position where others provide
you with feedback.
- 10%: Coursework and training (e.g., reflection, personal development,
“knowledge”) → not only knowledge but also reflection!
Mindful engagement model
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, Reflecting is critical. Otherwise you cannot grow.
1. Approach
3 components
o Growth (vs. fixed). mindset
a. Growth: we can develop in life. We can learn it, grow as a person
b. Fixed: you are intelligent or you are not. If you want to become a good
leader, you cannot have a fixed mindset.
o Embrace a learning orientation
a. Willing to learn
b. If you believe you can learn, you are more likely to become a better
leader and person.
o Set learning goals: “goals drive behaviors”
a. If you accept goals, you are more likely to drive behaviors
b. You have to take the opportunity to learn new things (think about typing
with 2 fingers). Once you learn something, it doesn’t stop.
2. Action
Identify the kinds of experiences YOU NEED to add to your leadership portfolio
→ you need to identify the skills that you are missing and what you can do about it.
Get out of your comfort zone by gaining some experience in leading through challeng-
ing assignments
- Get unfamiliar responsibilities
- Create change
- Influence without authority
- Working across culture/boundaries
- Manage diversity
→ These are examples of what you can do.
“Don’t fear failure so much that you refuse to try new things. The saddest summary of
a life is: could have, might have, and should have”
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