Chapter Overview

Leadership and leader are not the same thing. Leadership is an influence process directed toward group goal achievement. On the other hand, a leader is a person who directs and influences a group toward its goal. A significant concept for understanding this influence is power. Leaders can influence the behavior of members to the extent that members perceive and acknowledge that power. Sources of power include reward, punishment, legitimacy, referent, and expertise.

The leader may be appointed or may emerge. Sometimes leadership is shared among several people. Bormann suggests the emergence process is one of residues in which members are gradually eliminated as potential leaders until one person emerges to lead. Bormann offers four patterns, or scenarios, of leadership emergence.

Leadership perspectives have developed historically, with each emerging perspective seeking to correct "faults" of and/or build on the other. The trait perspective attempted to identify characteristics that are common to leaders. The style perspective demonstrates the effect of a particular style on several variables. The situational/contingency perspectives point to particular variables that help determine leadership effectiveness. The functional perspective focuses on behaviors leaders perform to guide a group. The leader as medium suggests the need to manage complexity. The transformational leader elevates, motivates, and inspires as he or she develops the team or group.

The examination of these various perspectives yields six conclusions regarding effective leaders:

1. Effective leaders have experience and skill with the task.

2. Effective leaders provide direction and structure.

3. Effective leaders are skillful communicators.

4. Effective leaders are adaptive.

5. Effective leaders generally adopt a democratic style.

6. Effective leaders are able to manage complexity.

Finally, some straightforward suggestions are offered for improving your leadership. Checklists are presented for preparing for a meeting with language and strategy examples for coping with common leadership problems. Topics include keeping the group goal oriented, introducing new agenda items, encouraging participation, regulating participation, summarizing group progress, reducing tension levels, and stimulating creative and critical thinking.