1. The Supervisor as Leader8
The Supervisor as Leader
A leader’s job is to make people’s strengths effective and their weaknesses irrelevant.
—Peter Drucker

2. Characteristics of a Successful Leader
Sense of responsibility
Self-confidence
High energy level
Empathy
Internal locus of control
Sense of humor
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3. Leadership Styles Degree of authority retained
Authoritarian leadership
Democratic leadership
Laissez-faire leadership
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4. Possibilities for Retaining Authority
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5. Leadership Styles (continued)
Task-oriented versus people-oriented:
A task-oriented leader focuses on the jobs to be done and the goals to be accomplished.
A people-oriented leader is primarily concerned with the well-being of the employees being managed.
Most organizations expect that their supervisors can combine some degree of task orientation with some degree of people orientation.
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6. Leader Attitudes Theory X managers believe employees:
Dislike work and responsibility and try to avoid it
Must be coerced to perform
Have a primary need for security
Theory Y managers believe employees:
Treat work as a natural activity
Will work hard to achieve objectives they are committed to
Can learn to seek responsibility and be creative problem solvers
Theory Z managers seek to involve employees in making decisions, to consider long-term goals when making plans, and to give employees freedom in carrying out their duties
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7. Contingency Theories of Leadership
Fiedler’s Contingency Model
Each leader has a preferred leadership style, which may be people oriented or task oriented.
Performance depends on three characteristics of the leadership situation:
Leader-member relations
Task structure
The position power of the leader
Fiedler recommends that a leader determine whether his or her preferred leadership style fits the situation. If not, the leader should try to change the characteristics of the situation.
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8. Contingency Theories of Leadership (continued)
Hersey-Blanchard theory a.k.a life cycle theory
Assumes that the leader’s behavior should adapt to the situation.
Leadership style should reflect the maturity of the followers as measured by traits such as ability to work independently.
Leaders should adjust the degree of task and relationship behavior in response to the growing maturity of their followers.
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9. Leadership Style Characteristics of the leader: The manager’s values
Level of confidence in employees
Personal leaderships strengths
Tolerance for ambiguity
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10. Leadership Style (continued)
Characteristics of the subordinates:
Need for independence
Readiness to assume responsibility
Tolerance for ambiguity
Interest in the problem to be solved
Understanding of and identification with goals
Knowledge and experience
Expectations
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11. Leadership Style (continued)
Characteristics of the situation:
Type of organization
Effectiveness of the group
The problem or task
Time available
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12. Six Distinctive Leadership Styles
Coercive, which demands compliance.
Pace-setting, which sets extremely high standards.
Coaching, which focuses on developing people.
Democratic, which seeks consensus through participation.
Affiliative, which creates harmony and emotional bonds.
Authoritative, which mobilizes employees with enthusiasm and vision.
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13. Giving Directions
Supervisors can practice leadership by giving directions.
The way a supervisor gives directions can influence how willingly and how well employees respond.
The most effective way to give instructions is to do so confidently and politely, without apologies.
If employees are not complying with a supervisor’s directions, the supervisor can examine whether the directions follow the guidelines (listed on the next slide).
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14. Checklist for Giving Directions
Wording is appropriately specific for the task
Wording is clear and unambiguous
Employee can restate directions
Supervisor verifies progress toward completion
Directions do not change after project is assigned
Employees know reasons for the directions
Supervisor’s tone is confident and polite, not apologetic
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15. Supervisors’ Self-Images
The self-image a supervisor has influences the supervisor’s behavior.
Success as a supervisor requires that the supervisor think in terms of how to create a positive team environment.
Awareness of their self-concept can help supervisors cultivate positive thoughts.
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16. Supervisor’s Relationships with Their Employees
Supervisors as role models:
When employees evaluate the organization, they look at the supervisor’s behavior and use it as a guide for how they should act.
Supervisors should follow all the rules and regulations.
Supervisors should be ethical and impartial.
Developing trust:
The most important way to build trust is to engage in fair, predictable behavior.
The supervisor should fulfill promises and give employees credit when they do something well.
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17. Supervisors’ Relationships with Their Managers
Expectations
Loyalty
Cooperation
Communication
Results
Learn about your manager
If you are dissatisfied
Consider the source of the problem
Talk to your manager
Hunt for another job
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18. Supervisors’ Relationships with Their Peers
Competition
The more you cooperate, the better you will all look.
Criticism
Do not go looking for things to criticize about your peers or anyone else.
If a co-worker must be criticized, go directly to that person and point out the problem before escalating to management.
Focus on the problem and its consequences to the organization, not the personalities involved.
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19. Summary
Traits such as a sense of responsibility, self-confidence, etc. alone do not predict success as a leader.
Supervisors can be:
Authoritarian (retaining much authority)
Democratic (sharing authority)
Laissez-faire (giving up most authority)
Task-oriented
People-oriented
Supervisors may build their leadership style on Theory X, Y, or Z.
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20. Summary (continued)
Both the Fiedler and Hersey and Blanchard contingency theories hold that leaders can be most effective by matching different leadership styles to varying circumstances.
A supervisor should select a leadership style that suits his or her own characteristics, as well as those of the employees and the situation.
The way the supervisor gives directions can influence how willingly and how well employees respond.
The supervisor’s self-concept influences how he or she behaves.
Supervisors should project a positive attitude, take an interest in others, and help out as needed while being loyal, cooperative, and friendly.
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