Leadership Training

Human Behavior
According to businessdictionary.com, human behavior is the “capacity of mental,
physical, emotional, and social activities experienced during the five stages of human being’s
life- prenatal, infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. It includes the behaviors as
dictated by culture, society, values, morals, ethics, and genetics.”
Encyclopedia Britannica (2012) states that human beings have a typical life course that
consists of successive phases of growth, each of which is characterized by a distinct set of
physical, physiological, and behavioral features. These phases are prenatal life, infancy,
childhood, adolescence, and adulthood (including old age). Human development or
developmental psychology is a field of study that attempts to describe and explain the changes
in human cognitive, emotional, behavioral capabilities and functioning over the entire life.

Motivation
Motivation encompasses the internal and external factors that stimulate desire and
energy in people to be continually interested in and committed to a job, role, or subject, and to
exert persistent efforts in attaining a goal, and (c) expectations of the individual and of his/her
significant others.
According to Swindell (2012), motivation means the drive and ambition needed to
achieve our goals. We all need that extra push at some stage of our life, whatever it be at work,
in school, or home; or maybe to give up a bad habit or shed a few pounds. We need motivation
to get a job done and achieve a goal. Self-motivation can work for some people. For example,
if you are trying to lose some weight, just imagine how you will look and feel when you can
fit again in your smaller-sized clothes. An old photograph of a slimmer you could help motivate
you to keep going.
If you work in sales, it is important to stay motivated to achieve your targets in order to
earn cash bonuses or even job promotion in addition to commission.
It is also easy to become demotivated. For example, you may be way off your sales
targets and you realize there is no chance of reaching them, so you just give up. Negative
people can demotivate you as well.

Good Leadership
Leadership pertains to the qualities exemplified by a leader. It also refers to acts of
leading or the “process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support
of others in the accomplishment of a common task.” It is often said that some people are good
leaders while others are not. But what is really the basis for judging one’s capacity to be a good
leader? From a follower’s perspective, good leadership can be attributed to qualities that make
people follow a leader. It would be great to have all these qualities, but not all leaders do have
them.

Characteristics of a Good Leader

Here are ten essential characteristics of a good leader. Do you think you possess them?
1. Vision. Good leaders know where they want to go and they can motivate people to
believe in their vision for their country, community, and family. Good leaders view
things as what they could be and not simply as what they are.
2. Wit. Good leaders can make sound judgments and decisions even during crucial
situations.
3. Passion. Good leaders are very passionate and intensely obsessed in whatever they are
focused on, be it business, sports, or hobby.
4. Compassion. Good leaders show compassion for their supporters and followers. They
possess exemplary coaching and development skills. While these leaders have goals to
accomplish, they can still consistently care for their constituents. They are not selfish
individuals who think only about their own wants and needs. They have a heart for
others.
5. Charisma. Good leaders are captivating, charming individuals who tend to draw people
toward them. It could be because of the way they talk, or carry themselves. They excel
in building relationships and eliciting performance from their groups.
6. Communication skills. Good leaders are usually great orators and persuaders. They can
express their ideas clearly and convincingly.
7. Persistence. Good leaders are determined to attain their goals in spite of the obstacles
and problems. They believe that the benefits of attaining their goals outweigh the risks
and hardships.
8. Integrity. Good leaders mean what they say. They walk the talk, practice what they
preach, and keep their promises. They are reliable.
9. Daring. Good leaders are bold, willing to take risks, and determined to chase their
dreams amid the reality of fear and uncertainty. Winston Churchill states that courage
is the virtue on which all others virtues rest.
10. Discipline. Good leaders observe self-control and order. Where most people are easily
distracted or dejected, good leaders manage to stay focused and steady regardless of the
situation.
Maxwell (1999) says that a leader should recognize, develop, and refine certain personal
characteristics needed to be a truly effective leader, the kind of leader people will want to
follow. These are some of the traits of that leader:
1. Character is the quality of a person’s behavior as revealed by his/her habits, thoughts
and expressions, attitudes and interests, actions, and personal philosophies in life. Be a
 piece of the rock. There are always two paths to choose from: character and
compromise. Opt for character.
2. Charisma is a special spiritual gift bestowed temporarily by the Holy Spirit on a group
or an individual for the general good. It is an extraordinary power in a person, group, or
cause, which takes hold of popular imagination and wins popular support.
3. Commitment engages one to do something as a continuing obligation. It is a state of
intellectual and emotional adherence to some political, social, and religious theory of
action.
4. Communication is a two-way process of reaching mutual understanding, in which
participants do not only exchange (encode-decode) information but also create and
share meaning. The meaning of communications is in the response and not in what is
said or how it is said.
5. Competence indicates a sufficiency a knowledge and skills that enable someone to act
in a wide variety of situations. It is the capacity of a person to understand a situation
and to respond to it accordingly and reasonably. A core competency is a fundamental
knowledge, ability, or expertise in a specific area.
6. Courage is the quality of the mind that enables a person to face difficulty and danger
without fear. It begins with an inward battle. It is making things right, not just smoothing
them over. It inspires commitment from followers. Life expands in proportion to one’s
courage.

Transformational Leadership
Bass (1990) explains that transformational leadership is a form of leadership that occurs
when leaders broaden and elevate the interests of their employees, when they generate
awareness and acceptance of the purposes and mission of the group, and when they
stimulate their employees to look beyond their own self-interest for the good of the group.
Transformational leaders have a clear collective vision, and most importantly, they
manage to communicate it effectively to all employees. By acting as a role models, they
inspire employees to put the good of the whole organization above self-interest. They also
motivate employees to be more innovative, and they themselves take personal risks and are
not afraid to use unconventional (but ethical) methods to achieve the collective vision.
This form of leadership goes beyond traditional forms of transactional leadership that
emphasizes corrective action and mutual exchanges and rewards only when performance
expectations are met. Transactional leadership relies mainly on centralized control.
Managers direct most activities by telling each person what to do, when to do it, and how
to do it. Transformational leaders, on the other hand, trust their subordinates and give them
enough space to breathe and grow.

Transactional and Transformational Leadership

 Transactional leadership is based on power that makes use of rewards and coercion to
deliver benefits to members (patronage), or to force or instill fear as illustrated by
colonization, vote-buying, and similar methods.
Transformational leadership or real leadership starts from the recognition of what the
members need and the steps toward achieving these needs, and relating rewards to effort.
The leader acts as a role model. He/She lives out values, demonstrates personal
qualities, is approachable and accessible, and accepts pressure to perform. The leader treats
people as individuals and involves many in decision-making, seeks to empower and give
maximum freedom, and is concerned with developing members collectively and
individually.

Behaviors of a Transformational Leader

1. Is articulate in creating compelling vision of the future
2. Uses stories and symbols to communicate his/her vision and message
3. Specifies the importance of having a strong sense of purpose and a collective
mission
4. Talks optimistically and enthusiastically and expresses confidence that goals will be
achieved
5. Engenders the trust and respect of his/her followers by doing the right thing rather
than simply doing things right
6. Instills pride in employees
7. Talks most about important values and beliefs
8. Considers the moral and ethical consequences of decisions
9. Seeks different perspective when solving problems
10. Encourages employees to challenge old assumptions and to think about problems in
new ways
11. Spends time teaching and coaching
12. Considers each individual employee’s different needs, abilities, and aspirations
13. Is compassionate, appreciative, and responsive to each employee and recognizes and
celebrates each employee’s achievements

Four Components of Transformational Leadership

1. Charisma. The leader’s charisma or idealized influence is envisioning and building
confidence, and he/she sets high standards to be followed.
2. Inspirational motivation. The leader’s inspirational motivation provides followers
with challenges and meaning/reasons for engaging in shared goals and undertakings.
3. Intellectual stimulation. The leader’s intellectual stimulation moves followers to
question assumptions and generate more creative solutions to problems.
4. Individualized consideration. The leader treats each follower as an individual and
provides coaching, mentoring, and growth opportunities.
 The qualities of transformational leadership can be found at different levels:
community, national, even global communities; and in various sectors of the society.
The leaders are able to translate their vision and commitment into institutional practice.
Transformational leadership is non-hierarchical in structure and participatory in the
processes. It is characterized by high moral and ethical standards in each of the
aforementioned components.
The transformation of values, processes, and institutions appears as follows:
A. Transformation of values
 From power as dominion to power as liberation
 From war and conflict to peace
 From efficiency consideration to equality and equity (balance between
genders)
 From growth to sustainability
 From “winner-take-all” norm to sharing and caring
B. Transformation of process
 From hierarchical to participatory
 From corrupt to clean
 From secretive to transparent
 From burdensome to empowering
C. Transformation of institutions
 From bureaucratic to egalitarian, responsive, and accountable
Moving from transactional leadership to transformational leadership requires a shift in
leadership functions.
1. People are taking more responsibility for their own decisions. This
situation requires the leaders to provide conditions for creativity and
develop fewer levels of leadership-flatter structures.
2. Leaders concentrate on strategy to help people respond to the changing
world.
In this context, transformational leadership is critical for an organization. The primary
leader needs to come from the ranks of members. Leadership cannot be left to the executives.
The organization must grow its own leaders.
Transformational leadership has three types of functions: task functions, team functions,
and individual functions. There has to be balance among the three functions.
1. Transformational leadership and task functions:
 Defining the tasks – involves others
 Making the plan – involves others
 Allocating the tasks – involves others rather than the leader giving out tasks
 Controlling the tasks – uses peer pressure and self-control rather than being
disciplinary
  Checking the performance – more self-management within the
transformational approach
 Adjusting the plan – with group review
2. Transformational leadership and team functions:
 Setting the standards – involves the group
 Enforcing discipline
 Promoting team spirit
 Encouraging and motivating
 Developing sub-leaders
 Communicating with the group – has to be open and honest
 Training – lifelong learning process everyone needs to undergo
3. Transformational leadership and individual functions:
 Attending to personal problems
 Praising individuals, enhancing confidence
 Giving status pride
 Using abilities of the people within the organization – training as a continuing
process
 Involving individuals in decision – making process

Leadership Development
 Develop a pool of leaders
 Find people with basic leadership qualities
 Widen the “catchment area”
 Assure a democratic process
 Provide knowledge and skills
 Build leaders’ personal capacities
 Recognize this as a lifelong process
 Support active leaders
 Actively support leaders continuously and not to place them in positions
and leave them there

Virtuous Cycle of Leadership Control

There has to be awareness of the framework through which transformational leadership
must operate, emphasizing that an active and informed membership is critical to effective
leadership.
A leader has wholehearted faith and belief in the rightness of a cause. A leader who
shows his/her full support to an organization indirectly tells the members to do the same.
1. A leader should be energetic, sympathetic, friendly, and understanding to ensure the
enthusiastic cooperation of followers.
2. He/She should have confidence in knowing and doing his/her job to gain the confidence
of followers.
 3. He/She should be an example to followers.

Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Adopted from Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey (2007)
1. Be proactive.
Proactive means being able to take responsibility for your life. You have the
freedom to choose your behavior and response to stimuli. Use your creativity
and have some initiative. You are the one in charge.
2. Begin with the end in mind.
Know where you want to go. When making plans and decisions, see to it that the
time and effort that will be spent conform to what you want to achieve. Envision
your goal and make it happen.
3. Put first things first.
Practice self-management. Know your priorities.
4. Think win-win.
Look at life as a cooperative arena, not a competitive one. Enter agreements or
make solutions that are mutually beneficial and satisfying to both parties.
5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood.
As the saying goes, “The best way to understand is to listen.” The practice of
empathy governs this habit. It is about putting yourself in someone else’s shoes.
By listening to a person’s explanation, only then can you evaluate, probe, give
advice, and interpret his/her feelings.
6. Synergize.
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. More tasks can be done if all things
within reach are maximized and utilized. Synergize is the habit of creative
cooperation. Better results can be produced as a group than as individuals.
7. Sharpen the saw.
What you have learned a couple of years back will have become outdated. Many
things evolve and develop so fast that you need to update through various food-
for-the brain resources. A sense of humor is vital to relieve tension and boredom
as well as to defuse hostility. Effective leaders know how to use humor to
energize his/her followers. Humors is a form of power that provides some control
over the work environment even as it fosters camaraderie.

Teamwork
Teamwork is the process of working collaboratively with a group of people in order to
achieve a goal. It is often a crucial part of a business as it is often necessary for colleagues to
work well together and try their best in any circumstance. Teamwork means that people will
try to cooperate by using their individual skills and providing constructive feedback, despite
any personal conflict between individuals. Teamwork brings people together for a common
purpose or goal and subordinates the needs of individuals to the needs of the group. Many
management gurus define team as a group of individuals passionately committed to their goal.
When groups have common goals, teamwork is vital to success. Teachers expect teamwork
among students; employers expect employees to function effectively as a team; and most
organizations convene teams to handle problems or projects. Therefore, it is important to learn
teamwork skills even if you prefer to work independently.
What does teamwork look like in action? Basically, group members focus on the goal.
They put aside individual differences and petty grievances to get the job done. They show
passion for the project and each contributes to its success.

Time Management
The succeeding sections have been adopted from the writing of Paulla Estes edited by
Niki Foster (May 28, 2012).
Time management is the art of arranging, organizing, scheduling, and budgeting one’s
time for the purpose of generating more effective work and productivity. There is an abundance
of books, classes, workshops, day-planners, and seminars on time management, which teach
individuals and corporations how to be more organized and productive. Time management has
become crucial in recent years, thanks to the 24/7, busy world in which we live.
Time management is important for everyone. While time management books and
seminars often place their focus on business leaders and corporations, time management is also
necessary for students, teachers, factory workers, professionals, and homeworkers. Time
management is perhaps most essential for the person who runs a business of his/her own or
not. Managing work and home responsibilities under the same roof takes a special type of time
management.
An important aspect of time management is planning ahead. Sometimes, successful
time management involves putting in more time at the outset in order to reorganize one’s life.
Though many time management books and teachings differ in their suggestions, most agree
that the first step in efficient time management is to organize the workspace. Even if one’s
schedule is well ordered but if the office and filing systems are disaster, time will be wasted
trying to work efficiently in a disorderly place.
After cleaning, purging, and reorganizing the home or office, the next step in time
management is to look at all the activities one participates in during a week. Every last detail
should be written down, including the time it takes to shower, dress, commute, attend meetings,
make phone calls, clean the house, cook dinner, pick up the children from school, take them to
after-school activities, and eat meals. Also include time for entertainment or exercise, such as
driving to the gym, going for a walk, watching television, or surfing the Internet.
Often, when individuals write down every last activity, they find that there is very little
time left for sleeping. The end result is that many activities must be pared down, eliminated,
consolidated, or delegated. Prioritizing activities on a scale of one to three – one being the most
important and three being the least – can help with this task.
 Lastly, good time management involves keeping a schedule of the tasks and activities
that have been deemed important. Keeping a calendar or daily planner is helpful to stay on
task, but self-discipline is also required. The most efficient to-do list in the world will not
help someone who does not look at or follow his/her own daily planner.

Of course, the other side of the argument is to remember to live. Get on top of your
time management, get organized, and stay on task, but live your life. Schedule some time
off every day and at least one day off each week. Be organized, but do not be a slave to time
management.

Decision-making

Decision-making is a process that involves selecting the most logical choice from
among two or more options. An example is deciding whether to move to a new
apartment, to live with the in-laws, or stay in the same apartment. Making a decision is
instrumental in the survival and prosperity of human beings. The right choice is what sets
an average individual from the rest. Although the ability of making the correct decision
within a short span of time is a highly valued trait, we cannot simply follow a set of patterns
when deciding on a course of action at all points in time. There are different types of decision-making
that we do depending on the situation at hand.

Consider the following in decision-making:

1. Identification of alternative solutions

2. Evaluation of possible options to determine which one meets the decision objectives

3. Selection of the best option after an in-depth evaluation

Involvement in Decision-making

. Every group has to make a decision at one time or another and all the members

have to make a commitment to choose the best option available. The following are the
different types of involvement in making decisions:
-
1. Consensus or agreement involves compromising various possibilities after all
opinions have been heard. Disagreements a n d minority viewpoints are
discussed fully. Everyone feels free to express himself/herself. This
 method helps build understanding, unity, cooperation, and
commitment.

2. Majority voting i s considered the most effective way to make a decision.

However, one may lose the interest or loyalty of the members of the
minority who voted against the decision, especially if they feel their side
was not heard.
3. The minority is not consciously organized, but a few powerful
personalities dominate the group, often unconsciously. These people later
wonder why the others are apathetic.

4. The silent consensus of some groups leads to unanimous decisions. This

type of involvement in decision-making is rarely applied when tackling
important issues. Unanimous agreement is sometimes assumed when
some members do not want to disagree and have chosen to stay silent.
5. The clique is a small group whose members plan beforehand to get their
way in decision-making- Because they are better organized than. those
who disagree, they are often successful in getting! Having their own
way in resolving an immediate issue, but they bring a spirit of rivalry,
rather than
cooperation, t o the group.
6. The handclasp happens when one person makes a suggestion and another
commends it. Without further discussion, the matter is decided.
Resentment,
however, surfaces later on.

7. The one-person decision is

I quickly made, but later when the decider needs free or

voluntary support from others to implement the decision, he/she might find trouble getting
it.
8. The plop occurs when a group makes a decision by not making a decision at all.
Someone makes a suggestion, but it is-dropped or junked altogether and no one pays
any attention to it.

Difficulties in Decision-making

1. Fear of consequences brings division and disagreement.

2. Conflicting loyalties of one person as a member of different groups
frequently leads to divided loyalties about decisions.
3. Interpersonal conflicts and personal differences evoke various feelings among
members, which interfere with sound decision-making.
4. Hidden agenda or secret motive can hinder d e c i s i o n -making for reasons
a member does not share with the group.
5. Blundering methods include using rigid procedure that leaves little room for
expressing d i f f e r i n g views, substituting personal opinions f o r adequate
information, and disregarding proper consultation or consensus.
6. Inadequate leadership restricts the expression of opinions and discussion
on issues. Leaders fail to provide assistance in selecting appropriate methods
for decision-making or are insensitive to the factors that cause difficulty in
the group.
7. Clash of interest o ccurs when different groups o r individuals within an
organization have opposing interests.
8.

Difficulties in Decision-making

1. Fear of consequences brings division and disagreement.

2. Conflicting loyalties of one person as a member of different groups frequently

leads to divided loyalties about decisions.
3. Interpersonal conflicts and personal differences evoke various feelings among
members, which interfere with sound decision-making.
4. Hidden agenda or secret motive can hinder decision-making for reasons a
member does not share with the group.
5. Blundering methods include using rigid procedure that leaves little room for
expressing differing views, substituting personal opinions for adequate
information, and disregarding proper consultation or consensus.
6. Inadequate leadership restricts the expression of opinions and discussion on
issues. Leaders fail to provide assistance in selecting appropriate methods for
decision-making or are insensitive to the factors that cause difficulty in the
group.
7. Clash of interest occurs when different groups or individuals within an
organization have opposing interests.