Naavandi Leadership Style Analysis

Leadership vs. Management
Lindsey Urbaszewski
LL509: Leadership Theories, Practices, and Context

As many of my peers have addressed in our weekly discussion, the true definition of leadership can be complicated to identify. There are a variety of definitions that address a different characteristic of leadership. Nahavandi defines a leader as “any person who influences individuals and groups within an organization, helps them establish goals, and guides them toward achievement of those goals, thereby allowing them to be effective” (2015, pg.3). This demonstrates that leaders are always thinking about the well-being of the people within their organizations, not just the deadlines and what they want to accomplish for themselves.
After analyzing the details of our readings, I find myself agreeing with Nahavandi (2015) regarding her definition of leadership. Personally, I would tweak her definition and define a leader as a charismatic individual who influences others, exhibits effective communication with members of an organization, and assists members in setting and accomplishing future goals. In Reading 8 of Wren (1995), the authors examine the definition of leadership in regard to a specific situation. While many definitions vary, some researchers choose to focus on the relationship among a leader and their followers (Hughes, Ginnett, & Curphy, 1993). These relationships contribute to what my definition of leadership revolves around.
Throughout my college and professional careers, I have worked with a number of authority figures.
It never occurred to me to evaluate if these individuals possessed managerial skills, leadership skills, or a blend of both. As I look back on my experiences, I recognize my current supervisor as a true leader based on the definition of leadership I previously stated. Appropriately named, her professional title is, Team Leader. Nahavandi (2015) describes “effectiveness as the successful implementation of change in an organization” (pg. 4). My supervisor demonstrates effective leadership is many ways. She continuously influences my team members and I to set the highest level of customer service that we can. Often, she provides us with tips that will make our conversations with students effective. This ultimately helps my team to reach their enrollment goal for a given semester. In Fred Fielder’s Contingency Model, his theory states that leadership effectiveness can be attributed to the performance of the group. When group members are performing well, leaders are identified as effective (Nahavandi 2015). I believe that this is the case with my supervisor because without a cohesive group mindset, it would be impossible to achieve our goals. She also has a great habit of putting the other team members before herself. As Nahavandi states, “leadership is about others” (2015, pg.3). In addition, this gives our team an advantage when we need to reach out for help. She is charismatic,
selfless, and positively encourages her “followers.”
Leaders who have these qualities are considered to be scarce, which can also attribute to the “Leadership Crisis” which we previously discussed in class. In Welbourne’s Leadership Pulse Report (2010), she found there was a decline in leadership confidence just between the years of 2009 and 2010. She also discovered that many employees were not working to their full potential or in their “optimal energy zone.” According to Welbourne (2010), decreases in productivity within a company or organization are due to employees who are not at this level or in that zone. These findings portray why effective and inspiring leaders are necessary to an organization. Without effective leaders employees can simply fall by the wayside, and the entire organization can suffer because of their lack of motivation. The argument can be made that there is some overlap between the definitions of managing and leadership. An explanation is given that a manager who encourages and guides members of an organization to achieve goals can be looked at as a leader. The information also states that individuals we consider to be good leaders must take on many managerial roles as well (Nahavandi 2015). I define a manager as a person who maintains stability among a group of individuals by while preserving structure in an organization by influencing and directing its members to reach short term goals. In regard to my definition of a manager, a previous sales manager of mine comes to mind. In sales there are strict policies, procedures, and quotas that all members of the organization must follow. My manager did a fantastic job keeping all of those strategies in place. In the textbook, it is explained that the duty of a manager “is to bring order and consistency through planning, budgeting, and controlling” (Nahavandi, 2015, pg.9). My former manager did just that; maintained our behaviors and informed us how to reach our monthly quota. However, she was so concerned with the short term aspects of the job that when it came down to a yearly review, the numbers simply were not there. She was focused on directing us during specific “push months,” but the rest of the time there was no guidance. These behaviors demonstrate her ability to be an effective manager, but not an effective leader.
In a study Sally Helgesen (1995) conducted, she was able to identify specific management behaviors among female managers. It was discovered that these women often were involved in a much calmer organization, as opposed to a fast paced environment. She also states that women were not bothered by the many interruptions that can occur throughout the work day; they viewed them as a typical part of their day (Nahavandi 2015). Now even though some people may look at this as a benefit to a female manager’s employees, I see it as a hindrance. Specifically regarding my former manager, any interruption that ensued throughout the work day was seen as a problem. This portrays the idea that she wanted to maintain the stability of the work her teams were completing so that we would be able to reach our goals. However, there was a lack in personal and charismatic communication between my manager and the rest of my team members. In my opinion, and according to my definition of leadership, there has to be effective communication between a leader and their followers in order to achieve their goals. The success of an organization is contingent upon on a balance of management and leadership.
Relating back to Welbourne’s Leadership Pulse Report (2010), she states “today is not a time when HR can afford to do anything that slows down an organization” (2010, pg. 9). I understand the definitions of leadership and management that I discussed may not be completely accurate. The words I used may not portray what every other individual thinks. I am comforted by the words in Reading 8 of Wren (1995) that “there is no single ‘correct’ definition” of leadership (Hughes, Ginnett, & Curphy, 1993, pg. 42). These ideas are simply the ones that I rely on and believe in when explaining what it takes to make an organization successful. The charismatic communication of a leader accompanied by hard-hitting maintenance of order in an organization is necessary to keep things running smoothly. Recent research explains that a major aspect of leadership is being able to “manage the emotions of group members” (Nahavandi, 2015, pg. 13). Organizations need management of emotions just as much as they need guidance and suggestions to accomplish their goals, whether they are short term or in the future. The two concepts are not necessarily one in the same, but they must work together to make an organization’s work flow processes
prosperous.

References
Nahavandi, A. (2015). The art and science of leadership (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
Welbourne, T. (2010). Fast HRM: Confidence, Energy and Engagement. Center for Effective Organizations, 1-26. Retrieved August 26, 2014, from https://lewisuniversity.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/pid-1833209-dt-content-rid-12520457_1/courses/LL-509-D FA14/MSTR_OL_LL509_Leadership_ Theories_Practices_and_Content_ImportedContent_20131010093038/CEO HRM.pdf
Wren, J. (1995). The leader 's companion: Insights on leadership through the ages. New York, NY: Free Press.