Leadership and Chaos

"Treat people as if they were what they should be, and will help them become what they are capable of being." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

There are many theories that attempt to explain the excellent leadership. The opening quotation is perhaps the most widely accepted foundation of excellence in leadership. If one expands beyond excellence for leadership, more generally, a careful examination of the various theoretical constructs reveals that they are constantly being developed both from the point of view of the leader or from that of those who follow.

If developed from the perspective of the leader, the theory emphasizes the traits and characteristics, strengths and weaknesses of the leader. Leadership excellence is primarily a product of leaders who have the most desired features and characteristics and to avoid the less desirable traits and characteristics.

If developed from the perspective of those who follow, the theory emphasizes the strategies and techniques that encourage leadership and maximize the strengths and individual talents of those who follow. Leadership excellence is primarily a product of leaders who are able to realize the full promise of excellence and skill of those who follow.

Careful attention to these seemingly opposing perspectives that are not quickly reveals different perspectives. Rather, the second is a simple extension of the first. Excellence leaders are leaders who have traits and characteristics that motivate those who follow to fully participate and contribute to the joint venture.

Behavior Leadership combines then with the thought processes associated with that support and focus on the perspective. For managers who believe that excellence in leadership depends primarily on personal characteristics and the characteristics, strengths and weaknesses, the thinking focuses on how personal and more specifically manifest those traits and characteristics thought to be associated with 'excellence in leadership.

How leaders behave in various situations? How to interact with those that follow? As they approach and manage problems and challenges? What features and actions differentiate the leading non-leader?

A commitment to excellence in leadership is, therefore, a commitment to think and respond to these and similar questions. Excellence leaders ask, successfully answer, and in turn, implement the resulting directives implicit in the responses.

For managers who believe that the excellence of the leadership depends primarily on the strategies and techniques to facilitate and maximize the strengths and individual talents of those who follow, the thinking focuses on how to encourage those who personally and specifically expresses behavior considered most clearly associated with success.

How does a leader motivate those who follow to accept and actively pursue the mission of the articulated? What must happen in order to ensure that those who commit their energies and below the total capacity for success? What techniques and strategies are needed to maximize the contribution of each follower with respect to his (or her) individual skills and talents? What are the environmental and situational factors need to be manipulated to minimize the avoidable loss of energy, skill, and focus follower and to maximize the actualization of the production potential of those who follow?

Once again, a commitment to excellence in leadership is a commitment to think and respond to these and similar questions. Excellence leaders ask, successfully answer, and in turn, implement the resulting directives implicit in the responses.

On the one hand, the responses and associated directives are defined in terms of traits and characteristics of the head. On the other hand, the answers and the guidelines in terms of factors and conditions related to the performance of followers and associated strategies and techniques to optimize these factors and conditions.

Increase leadership excellence is therefore thought to depend on or improve the performance of the leader or increase the participation and commitment of followers. Although both approaches are separately productive, the theory of leadership has shifted to combine approaches. Current theory postulates that excellence, leadership is best achieved when the leader focuses on maximizing personal leadership traits and characteristics, while simultaneously implementing strategies and techniques to increase the participation and commitment of followers.

Given this dichotomous understanding of leadership excellence as it applies to decision-making process is instructive. How decisions are made and who makes them? At one extreme, the decision-making is autocratic. The leader has absolute authority and makes all the decisions. He (or she) can ask others for advice, information and ideas, giving the impression of participation. However, the leader decides. The quality of decisions depends solely on the judgment of the leader.

The opposite extreme is not the consent or some other type of group decision making, as you might think at first. Rather, the opposite extreme is chaos. All participants in the act of their business judgment and individual initiative. Although each participant takes all decisions in terms of the perceived interests of the company, and probably will not, the chaos that results is, at least, counterproductive.

If you look at the decision-making process with the autocracy at one extreme and the other chaos, excellence in leadership within a fairly narrow range between the extremes. If the leader moves too far toward autocracy, psychological theory suggests that followers will be alienated and functionally limited. Their performance will be less productive than it might otherwise be. Alternatively, if the leader moves too far toward chaos, sociological theory suggests that the company will become increasingly fragmented and dysfunctional.

Defining the limits of excellence in decision-making range is certainly open to debate and disagreement. Even so, the reality of the field is evident and the importance of thoughtful leaders working in the field is clear. The leaders of excellence do not move outside of the range to one of the two extremes.

One could debate the relative benefits of intentionally shifting leadership behavior toward one end of the field of excellence or the other. For example, it is better for the leader to be more or less autocratic autocratic? It 's better for leaders to defer to the judgment of most of followers or he (or she) not to defer to his followers? If the leader to delegate more decision-making responsibilities to followers or not?

The debatable aspects here not to resist, the leaders of excellence to maintain their leadership behavior within a relatively narrow range of actions and approaches. Exactly where they function in the acceptable range probably depends on the personality of individual leaders, individual strengths and skills, personal preferences, the specific circumstances and conditions, and a mix of other factors. The reality is that the effectiveness of the leader is not related to where his (or her) the operation falls on the field of excellence as long as the leader does not move outside that narrow range.

Just as there is a wide excellence rather narrow compared to the decision-making process, there are areas of excellence acceptable to other aspects of the functioning leadership.

For example, the strategic planning for the company must proceed within fairly narrow limits. At one extreme, planning can be so conservative that there is no real change or growth over time. Alternatively, the schedule can be constrained so that the change becomes unsustainable and chaotic. The success depends on the ability of leaders to pursue strategic planning within the limits of excellence, although not likely that the success depends on the position of leader in the field of excellence.

Officers competent to understand and operate in excellence several intervals in relation to business success. Their level of competence is not related to where they work on any particular field of excellence. Rather, it is derived from their proven ability to continuously maintain their behavior and functioning within acceptable limits of excellence for all ranges simultaneously.

If leaders are judged in terms of current theoretical constructs, most people in positions of leadership are very successful. The reality is that, for the most part, the leaders do not remain within the ranges associated with business excellence that lead. Their styles and approaches vary significantly, but only vary within fairly narrow ranges. The apparent diversity is primarily a product of the industry's broadest of excellence, individual variations within and between fields, and the personality and individuality of the leaders .......