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LEADERSHIP:LEVERAGINGTOHITTHEMARK– ABIDEMI ANIMASHAUN
Everyone isa leaderregardlessof theirposition,title,experience orbackground.Aslongaswe have
control,authority, andabilitytomake decisionsoverpersonal,corporate andcommunal responsibilities,
we are leaders.
The realityof thisatteststo the notionthat,“we do not needtobe political leadersbefore making
significantandpositive changesinthe world”.
From a personal perspective,aleaderisa personwhodrives,inspires,collaborates,supportsand
consultstoget resultsbothinthe short,midand longrun.
Afterthe acquisitionof knowledge fromSix Sigma(processredesignorimprovement),Project
managementcourses,etc.,the irrefutableelementtoeffectiveexecutionof tasksandaccomplishing
resultsstill andwouldalwaysbe “leadership”
Stepsto effective leadershipandteam building
1. QUESTIONING AND SELF-REFLECTING:AmI achievingmygoals?AmI gettingthe bestof my team?If
Yes,thenno needmovingfurther.
If not, howcan I make thingsbetter?
2. DEFINING PEOPLE AND APPROACHES: Thisstepis veryimportantbecause itdeterminesthe success
of a leaderandhisteamif properlyconducted.
a. Define andanalyse yourteamintermsof theircharacteristics,attitudes,strengths,weaknessesand
personality.Thisisessential inordertodecide whatleadershipapproachismost suitable forthe team.
b. What leadershipstyle orapproachwouldbe beneficialtothe leader,histeamandhis environment?
There are variousleadershipstylesthatcanbe appliedacrossorganisedandsocial settingsbutforthe
purpose of this write-up,the focusison3 self-modifiedapproaches
- FirepowerMan Approach: From the pronunciationof the word“Firepower”,itiseasyto
connote that ithas ingredientsof force,rigidity,strictness,punishment-oriented,coercion,
authoritarianism, anddictatorship.
Thisapproach ismostlyuseful inmilitarysettingsorsituationswherethe primarygoal isto
subdue,defend,attackorconqueran oppositionwitheverymeansnecessary.
In mostbusinessorganisations,firepowerapproachmaygetthingsdone swiftlybutoftencomes
at the expenseof the physical,mental andemotional well-beingof the people involved,
especiallysubordinates.Thisisbecause ittendstobe highon the task-orientedaspectbutlow
on the people-orientedaspect.
A commonstatementthatindicatesfirepowerapproachis,“We mustget thisdone whetherwe
like itor not”

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- Relaxing-SlackerApproach:As the term implies,thisapproachhasattributesof negligence,
poor coordinationandsupervision,lackof vibrancyandproactiveness,lackof enthusiasmand
energytopursue and accomplishgoalsinmostcases.It islaissez-faireandneglectinginnature.
Although,thisapproachscoreshighonthe wellbeingof subordinatesbecause accordingto
“TheoryX and Y” of managers,subordinatesare boundtobe lessstressedmentallywhenunder
a laissez-faire leaderdue tolessmonitoring.Onthe flipside,itscoreslow onaccomplishingkey
objectiveswhichisunhealthyforanybusinessorganisation,especiallyinahighlycompetitive
industry.Also,thisapproachdoesnotdrive ateam’screativity,innovationandcritical thinking.
A commonstatementof a relaxing-slackeris,“Please,justgo aheadanddowhateveryoulike.
Thank you”.
- Alternating-InfluencerApproach:Thisapproach bankson flexibility,consideration,
consultation,supporting,andreinforcingmixedwithpunishingwhencalledfor.Itstrivesto
create a balance betweengettingworkdone andcreatingthe feelingof happinessandsense of
fulfilmentamongteammembers.
Statisticallyspeaking,veryfewleadersapplythisapproachonadailybasis.The reasonisnot far
fetchedfromthe factthat, humanswill alwaysbe humanswithtinyflaws.The goodnewsisthat
the alternating-influencerispossible andachievable whencertainfactorssuchas the
importance of the task,importance of people whowouldcarryoutthe task effectivelyare put
into“consciousandcontinuous”consideration.
Thisapproach isthe mostdesirable inmostbusinessesandorganisedsettings,especiallyina
worldwhere technological innovationshave threatenedthe humanaspectof people.
An alternating-influential leaderunderstandsandknowssituationsunderwhichstrict
enforcementorsubtle requestsshouldbe applied,atleastinmostcases.Also,the needfor
detailedexplanationsuchasgivingreasonsforcertaintasks,consequencesforexpected
performance andnon-performance are partof the attributesof leaderswhomaximisethis
approach.
Motivatinggoodbehaviouriskeptonone handwhile discouragingunacceptable behaviourwith
constructive reasonsandfeedbacksstaysonthe otherhand.
Under mostconditions,thisapproachhasa hightendencyof achievingqualityindelivering
expectationswhencomparedtofirepowerandrelaxing-slackerapproaches.
A commonstatements relatedtoalternating-influencerapproachis,“There isaneedforus to
getthisdone because itwouldmake ourcustomershappy,elevate the image of the
organisation,increasepatronage andincome whichwouldpositivelyaffectourpayat the endof
the day”.
3. MONITORING AND EVALUATING:Thisfollowsafterdefiningthe teamandselectingthe mostsuitable
approach to manage andleadthe team.It entailsmeasuringandanalysingprogressmade through
applicationof aparticularleadershipapproachtomeettargetsatindividual andgrouplevels.

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Corrective actionistakenif the adoptedstyle isnotgeneratingexpectedresults.Also,corrective
decisionscanbe informedbyanyof the activities:redefiningandcriticallyanalysingthe team, assessing
the tasks andthe capacityof the teamleadand eachteammemberto effectivelydeliveronthe tasks,
evaluatingpresence orabsence of motivational factorsandthe environmentwhere the tasksare to be
carriedout.
Afterwards,corrective actionsmaythenbe modificationof tasks,redeployingweakerteammembersto
areas of strength,improvingorinstallingmotivational elements,clearcommunicationandconsultation,
or adoptinga leadershipstyle thatbestsuitsthe needsof the teamandthe resultstobe achieved.
IMPLICATIONSOF LEADERSHIP APPROACHES
1. The style eachleaderchoosesalwayshave significantimpactonthe performance andbehaviour
of the team.
A style thatfitsa teamis veryvital because if aleaderisnot gettingthe bestof theirteamor the
requiredsupport,the leaderwill sufferandthe goalsto be accomplishedwill be negatively
affected.
2. In an organisation,pressure mountedfromthe toplevel islikelytobe channelleddownwardsif
not properlyaddressed.
In same manner,calmnessorclarityreceivedfromthe tophasa natural andeffortlesspotential
of beingcommunicateddownthe line.
WHAT IS LEADING REALLY ALL ABOUT?
There are millionsof cogentexplanationsastothe nature,applicationandbenefitsof leadinginany
kindof settingthatinvolves2or more persons. A few of the keypointsthatleadingentailsare:
1. Leadingismore thanassigningtasksanddelegating responsibilitiestoteammemberstoachieve
goals.
2. Leadingeffectivelyisalsotiedtoeffective communication.
3. The needforemotional intelligence (consciouslyunderstandingone’sfeelingsandfeelingsof others)
can not be discarded,especiallyon the part of the leader.
4. Givingintellectual andemotional supportsuchas mentoring, modellingandencouragementare very
vital.
5. Constantself-evaluationandforself-improvement.Leadersare humans,therefore theymaynot
alwayshave answerstoall questionsorare boundto make mistakesbutthe willingnessand
determinationtointrospect,strivetoimprove andgetbackto the leadinggame are what reallycount.
In conclusion,work-life balance maygetprettyimbalancedandwe maygraduallybegintoforgetor
relapse onwhatwe have learnedtobe the rightapproachto managingand inspiringateam.However,

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thisawakensthe needtoconstantlyqueryhow well we are performingandhow bestwe can getthings
done throughleveragingthe supportof others.