Personal leadership behaviour
Featured in the Partnerships at Work training manual
By Ken Birkett & Val Rowland
Category: Performance Management
Credit price: 4 download credits (Single user)
The ability to influence the thoughts, aspirations and behaviour of others is a leadership skill. A manager, however, is not necessarily a leader. A manager or boss has a formal position and designated organisational authority. This means that authority is derived from the organisational position. Leadership power is derived from personal ability. A person does not need to be a boss, therefore, to exercise power. Sometimes this means that a boss/subordinate relationship can be a problem. If a subordinate has personal power, the boss may feel threatened because their own authority is diminished. This can result in the boss blaming others or losing their temper. With a little practice, a boss can develop personal leadership behaviour to maximise influence on subordinates. Employees in any sort of organisation want a boss who shows enthusiasm, supports other people and recognises individual effort. They do not want to be managed by someone who inspires fear and tells others what to do all the time. A manager should never have to hear a team member say, ‘My manager feels threatened by me’, ‘My manager usually blames someone other than themselves’ or ‘My manager is temperamental/has a temper.’
You start this training activity by asking participants what they think the meanings of ‘boss’ and ‘leader’ are, and then provide definitions. You ask the participants to work in small groups on a case study about a boss who feels threatened by a subordinate. When they have finished, each group reports back their views and you then lead a feedback discussion on preferred methods of handling the problem. After this you ask participants to work in pairs considering what to do with a boss who has a temper. When they have finished you ask for their ideas and then provide feedback and give advice. You then move on to the problem of a person who blames others for mistakes and problem situations. Participants read a mini case-study and discuss their experience of similar situations and what could have been done in this case. You then lead a feedback discussion or solutions. You ask participants to fill in a questionnaire agreeing or disagreeing with the thoughts of a boss. You lead a feedback session and then give input on what an effective boss does. You finish this training activity with a round-up and summary.
Who is it for: This training activity is intended for use by trainers to help participants understand personal leadership behaviour ensuring guidance and encouragement are the order of the day.
| Resource Type: | Activity |
| Min Group Size: | 6 |
| Max Group Size: | 12 |
| Typical Duration: | 01:40:00 |
| No of Pages: | 23 |
Resources: View standard resources for Fenman training activities
Purpose: This training activity is intended for use by trainers in personal development, leadership, team-building, problem-solving and communication programmes.
Download the training activity, Personal leadership behaviour as featured in the Fenman training manual; Partnerships at Work