Introduction
There is a wide range of text on the practice and concept of leadership. Leadership as a practice and concept lends itself to various interpretations, categorizations and theories. These exist because the mystery behind why some leaders’ styles are more effective than others remains unsolved. Leadership style is the entirety of a leader’s demeanor, personality and methods of communication in guiding others towards a particular team or organizational goal. Research on leadership style is dominated by analysis of subordinates’ perceptions on their leaders’ behavioral patterns in interpersonal relations, instructional leadership, instructional leadership, planning, and management efficiency (Sheehan and Sheehan 10). The definition of leadership similarly differs based on the emphasis on the leader’s abilities, influence relationships, personality traits, emotional versus cognitive orientation, appeal to self versus orientation to collective interests, and emphasis on behavior. This paper presents the relationship between leadership theory and its practical application through the exemplars: Ronald Reagan and Robert Mugabe.
Leadership style is one of the most widely used concepts on organizational leadership. It represents a shift from traits (who leaders are) to behavioral style (what leaders do). The effectiveness of leaders depends on the leadership style exerted. Categorization of leadership styles has widened in postmodern literature. More recent categories include charismatic, social justice, gender and race, spiritual and moral leadership (Sheehan and Sheehan 10). However, the four main leadership style categories explored here include transactional, transformational, charismatic, and authoritarian.
First, transactional leadership may be explained as the leadership style which is founded on the transactions between the manager and his employees. This style of leadership comprises of leaders who stipulate explicit instructions to their employees with contingent rewards available. This means that a transactional leader expects the employees under his watch to achieve certain set targets (Yukl 32). Achievement results in reward while failure results in punishment. Examples of rewards include pleasant job assignments; compliments; positive recommendations to the manager/ supervisor or another organization; salary or wage increment; high performance evaluation; promotion. Examples of punishment include: verbal reprimand; unpleasant job assignment; extra work, reduced privileges; low performance evaluations; demotion and fines. Transactional leaders try to balance initiation structure to get tasks done. Positive effects of this reward and punishment behavior include in compliance with standards; improved performance; commitment; role clarity; increased productivity. A negative effect of this may be employee turnover due to dissatisfaction. This style demands integration of expectations and goals of the organization with the needs of the employees. Transactional leaders aim at aligning the personalities, needs and dispositions of employees with the organization’s goals (Yukl 32).
Transformational leadership, on the other hand, is composed of four major characteristics: Inspiration, intellectual stimulation, charisma/ idealized influence an individualized consideration. Charisma, as a feature of this leadership style, is when the leader gives a sense of pride, mission and vision, gains trust and respect to employees. this is also known as idealized influence. Inspiration is where the leader communicates high expectations to his employees and uses symbols to concentrate efforts. Intellectual stimulation is when the leader promotes rationality, intelligence and good problem-solving abilities. Individualized consideration is the characteristic of the leader to accord personal attention to all employees individually (Hoyle 1). Leaders using this style of leadership create an empowered workplace where all employees are able to fulfill their highest needs in a leaning community. Transformational leaders act as servants to others and provide guidance in developing and embracing an organizational vision, which inspires top performance; creates a feeling of integrity; oneness, diversity of thought, and inclusivity for people from all cultures, races and gender.
Charismatic Leadership is a style of leadership that may be recognized but is perceived with lesser tangibility than transformational and transactional leadership. This is because some researchers have even categorized it as an element of transformational leaders. However, it may exist as a style on its own. This type of leadership is associated with charisma, which has been defined as the possession of exceptional expertise and behavior in terms of communication and oratory skills, integrity, humility, and humor. Yukl (12) argues that a leader will be categorized under charismatic leadership is they posses expertise and remarkable behavior. However, their situational context must be favorable for these traits to be seen.
Authoritarian leadership is where the leader employs coercive tactics to make his followers abide by the rules. In this type of leadership, loyalty is rewarded over merit. The authoritarian leader is obsessed with control. These type of leader emphasizes objectivity at work; is impervious to human problems and suffering; is not sensitive to gender or race and does not display any affection or emotion toward their followers. According to Hoyle (1), this type of leader uses Douglas McGregor’s Theory known as Theory X. the authoritarian leader believs that for people to work, they must be forced to do so, supervised and punished or rewarded based on their productivity. Such leaders espouse a top-down approach. Such leaders area successful in certain respects by fail terribly in others.
Good Leadership Exemplar: Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan served as the 40th President of the United States between 1981 and1989. Before becoming the President, he had served as California’s 33rd Governor between 1967 and 1975. He was once a film, radio and television actor. Ronald Reagan is remembered for his wit, charisma, good charm, humor and great communication skills. His style of leadership fits best under the categories of transformational and charismatic leadership. His charismatic leadership showed in the fact that he was an exemplary communicator. Sheehan and Sheehan (10) note that he is remembered historically simply as “The Great Communicator.” This was not just a compliment but reality. He was effective when he communicated. According to a study done by Levin and Reese (288), Ronald Reagan’s inaugural speeches are ranked among the top three in the twentieth century. His use of metaphors and symbolism brought out his messages in a manner that simple words could not. Notable among his speeches was his referral of the Soviet Union as the “evil Empire.” This was his way of indicating the moral superiority of the United States over the Soviet Union. In this manner, he managed to create a sense of belonging for the American people (Sheehan and Sheehan 12).
Reagan also showed great vision for the United States. Successful leaders must espouse a given vision for their followers in order to succeed. Charismatic leaders come up with a vision that is oriented at solutions and that is different from the usual. Reagan articulated his vision clearly to his followers in ideological fashion. He promoted the concepts of individual freedom, a smaller sustainable government, low taxes and a strong national defense force. He believed totally in his vision and this was evident in the passion and vigor in which he communicated it.
Trust is another quality that Reagan cultivated between himself and his followers. This is an honesty-based relationship where one is expected to tell the truth to the other person in that relationship regardless of the outcome. Ronald Reagan captured the admiration and trust of his followers by being candidly honest. This resulted in belief and admiration from his followers. He was courageous to the point of sacrificing his own presidency in order to pursue what he believed to be true and right. His ideas were perceived as true because he genuinely believed in them.
Bad Leadership Exemplar: Robert Mugabe
Robert Mugabe is the current Zimbabwean president, who was first elected as Prime Minister in 1980. He then became the head of state in 1987. He is a revolutionary who many people viewed as a hero for his leadership in the Rhodesian Bush War. However, his extended stay in the presidential position as well as his authoritarian methods of leadership have not been received well by many. Most people may argue that Robert Mugabe is a bad leader. However, one may consider him as a bad leader only upon examining his body of work wholesomely. He may be categorized as an authoritarian leader because of several reasons.
First, he is obsessed with control. Mugabe became head of state in 1987 and has remained the president ever since. He has strongly attacked those who have attempted to oppose his authority in Zimbabwe by making it uncomfortable for them. For example, he expelled himself from the government of national unity so that he could have total control of the country.
Secondly, Mugabe’s espoused theories and theories in use differ remarkably. This makes him a bad leader. Espoused theory is a representation of what a person says they would do in a particular situation, while theory in use is what the person would actually do. The great difference in his espoused theories and theories in use is what makes Mugabe a bad leader. For example, in the 1980s, he underlined his commitment to working with the white settler farmers in Zimbabwe but chose to evict them from their farms in the 1990s. His espoused theories of inclusivity differed from the exclusivity that he practiced. Similarly, Mugabe has always claimed to be democratic and pursuant to the wishes of his followers. However, after being defeated by Morgan Tsvangirai in the 2008 presidential elections, he refused to bow down to pressure to resign. He was able to remain in power because the difference in votes was not enough to avoid a run-off (BBC 1).
Lack of trust, is the third quality that makes Mugabe a bad leader. He has not cultivated a relationship of trust with his followers. Many of his followers cannot trust him. For example, before the 2008 defeat in the presidential elections, he had famously proclaimed that if he lost the election, he had no business being in leadership (Winter 1). However after the elections, he resorted to his defiant nature, saying that “only God” would remove him from power (Winter 1).
Conclusion
Leadership is a concept and theory that lends itself to various categorizations and interpretations. Different people perform differently when in leadership positions. Categories of leadership have been made based on research conducted on employees and other subordinates. This research is normally based on perceptions, which are form from observation of behavior. Four of the most common and modern categories of leadership styles include transactional, transformational, charismatic and authoritative. In spite of all these categorizations, people experience leadership as either good leadership or bad leadership. One example of a good leader is Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States. He was both a charismatic and transformational leader because he was a visionary, good communicator and he cultivated trust between himself and his followers. Robert Mugabe, on the other hand may be categorized as a bad leader. Despite his revolutionary work in the 1970s, he has developed into an authoritative leader who rewards loyalty rather than merit. In addition, his espoused theories and theories at work are very different. Undoubtedly, leadership entails various concepts and theories which may be examined through analysis of various exemplars and their leadership styles.
Work Cited
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