Monday 23 September 2019

Treat OTHERS with respect no matter what.




R – E – S – P – E – C – T.

Respect is about treating others the way you would want to be treated, at all times and in all situations. Being respectful means extending to others the patience, courtesy, kindness, and politeness that you, yourself, would want to receive.
How we treat others
Treat others with kindness. Is that how you want to be treated? Treat others with honesty, brutal honestly. Is that how you want to be treated? Treat others with apprehensiveness. Is that how you want to be treated?


Think about your behavior before you decide. Generally what you give out is what you get back. You should also know that what you give out what is inside. So your inside feelings are what comes out even if you are using the right words, they may have an awkwardness to them because you might not necessarily feel them. Understand?

 Principles To Make You Treat People Better


If you want to know how others treat you, the best starting place is to look at how you treat others.
And if you don’t like the way you’re treated, there’s only one course of action–to change your own behavior, because you can’t change anyone else’s.
Relationships function like a mirror–eventually that change will reflect back onto how you are treated.
Here are important principles to remember about how to treat others:
Instead of judging people by their past, stand by them and help them build their future. 
Everyone has a past. Some are a source of pride, and others are best left behind. But whatever their past, people do change and grow, so instead of judging, stand by and support them as they move toward their future. Treat them with respect and make their journey your own.
        Listen with curiosity, speak with candor, and act with integrity. 

Listening and curiosity allow relationships to thrive. Speaking your truth allows people to be honest with themselves and with you, and acting with integrity keeps relationships on a high standard. Relationships need curiosity to grow, candor to deepen, and integrity to continue.


Treat everyone with kindness–not because they are kindhearted, but because you are. 

One of the greatest gifts we can give another is kindness. If someone is in need, lend a helping hand. Don’t do it only for the people you like and respect–that’s easy–but also for the ones who drive you crazy and those you don’t even know. True kindness lies in the act of giving without the expectation of getting something in return.
Don’t try to make yourself great by making someone else look small.
The moment you think you have the right to belittle others because you are better than they are is the moment you prove you have no power. People tend to make others feel how they themselves feel, whether it’s great or small. If you can’t offer help, support, or love, at least do everything in your power not to hurt them or make them feel small. Treat everyone you meet with honor.
Remember, everyone has a story. 


It may be something they’ve gone through in the past or something they’re still dealing with, but remember that behavior doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Everyone has inner battles and issues. Withhold judgment and instead offer the consideration you’d like to receive.


We don’t meet people by accident. 

Every person you meet will have a role in your life, be it big or small. Some will help you grow, some will hurt you, some will inspire you to do better. At the same time, you are playing some role in their lives as well. Know that paths cross for a reason and treat people with significance.
Synchronistic Encounters You Will Have with People on your Journey:

1. The ones who awaken us.



Many people in our lives do not stay around for long. They stop by to remind us of our goals, dreams, and then they go on their merry way. The Universe sends us such people so that we may stay focused on our goals and take steps to reach them.

2. Those that remind us.

In life, we come across people who keep us from straying off the path. They keep us on the right road to success and happiness. While these people are often temporary, they leave a lasting impact on our souls.

3. Those who push us to grow.


Certain people are teachers, people that show us sometimes difficult lessons that will further our development. These people will teach us things that we may have struggled to learn on our own.

4. Those who hold space.

Some people we meet are present for such a short amount of time they seem insignificant. Whether you run into them in a cafe, on a bus, or simply pass them on the street. You make small talk with them but never further a connection, these are the people who hold space for us.

5. Those who stay.

A small percentage of those we encounter in our lives will actually stay with us forever. These people are rare and usually difficult to find, but they are by far the most valuable we will meet. Whether they are close friends, significant others, or family, they have the largest impact on our lives. These people lift you up when you fall and help you grow. Their presence alone is enough to push you to do things that generally would not be possible. In order to find these rare individuals, one must be patient with the universe, they will come along sooner or later. When you connect with these special people, they will be with you forever. Courtesy by Baraka Mistretta  



The best teachers are those who don’t tell you how to get there but show the way.


There is no better joy then helping people see a vision for themselves, seeing them go to levels higher than they ever would have imagined on their own. But that doesn’t mean you have to fix them or enable them; instead, guide them to the source of their own power. Offer them support and motivation as they find their own way and show you what they’re capable of. All you have to do is believe in them.

Never look down on someone unless you are helping them up. 


We like to think of life as a meritocracy, so it’s easy to look down on someone who isn’t as successful or accomplished or well educated as you are. But you have no idea how far that person has already climbed or where they will end up. Time could easily reverse your positions, so be sure you treat everyone with dignity.


“You become strong by lifting others up, not pulling them down.” “Happiness has two hands: one with strength for lifting up heavy hearts and a gentle hand for tickling.” “The most beautiful people are those who bring out the beauty in others.” “The poor can dream.
Appreciate those who have supported you, forgive those who have hurt you, help those who need you.

 Business is complicated, life is complex, and leadership is difficult. Treat all people–including yourself–with love and compassion, and you can’t go wrong.

Treat people the way you want to be treated and life will instantly get better.







There is no moral duty to respect everyone; some people are unworthy of our esteem. But we do have a duty to treat everyone with respect, whether they deserve it or not. It is our values we uphold and our character we demonstrate when we treat others with respect. Michael Josephson




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Thank you so much for reading the complete article. I am Subhan Sharif Corporate Trainer & Motivational Speaker .Organizations engage me to train their employees and Universities invite me to speak to young corporate graduates.You wish to ask anything please feel free to comment here. YOU can connect with on LinkedIn or at subhansharif@gmail.com JUST email me.

Tuesday 21 March 2017

INTRODUCTION TO THE THEORY OF LEADERSHIP

INTRODUCTION TO THE THEORY
OF LEADERSHIP
“The best way to judge the intelligence of the leader is by looking at the men around him.”
                                                                                                               R.H. Grant 


The Trait Perspective
This perspective maintains that people possess particular characteristics that make them “great” leaders. According to this belief, a distinction is drawn between leaders and others based on a general set of common characteristics. Researchers in leadership such as stogdill, Mann, Kirkpatrick and Locke make the following designations:

       i.            Intelligence: intelligence or mental capacity is a positive correlate of leadership. It appears that the ability to articulate, observe and analyze creates the best leader.
    ii.            
         Self-confidence: self-confidence is to be sure of his abilities and skills and includes a sense of self-respect and self-discipline. He also believes that he is capable of making a difference.
  iii.           
         Determination: determination refers to the desire to undertake work and includes characteristics such as insistence, perseverance and motivation.
  iv.           
        Integrity: this means honesty, truthfulness and reliability. Thus, individuals who adhere to a firm set of principles and accept responsibility for their actions are described as having integrity.
    v.            
        Sociability: this is the tendency of the leader to form positive social relationships with friendly, generous, versatile and diplomatic individuals who sympathize with the needs of others and show an interest in their situation.

Path-Goal theory
This theory focuses on how leaders motivate their subordinates to achieve goals. Major exponents of it include Evans (1970), house (1974) and Mitchell (1974). As we have already mentioned, the path-Goal theory was developed to describe the way that leaders encourage and support their followers in achieving the goals they have been set. It can be argued that this approach, however, is a conditional theory of leadership given that effectiveness depends on the harmonization of a leader’s behavior and the specificities of the subordinates and the task. Furthermore, the fundamental path-goal principles of the theory are derived from the theory of expectation, which suggests that employees will be motivated provided they feel confident and are rewarded. According to this view, the leader can help his subordinates by his choice of leadership behavior. House and Mitchell (1974) describe four styles of leadership:
       I.            
              Directive leadership
This is similar to the concept of “initialization and structure” advocated in the Ohio state university studies. As such, it entails telling subordinates what needs to be done and giving appropriate guidance along the way. This includes giving them schedules of specific work to be done at specific times. Rewards may also be increased as needed and role ambiguity decreased (by telling them what they should be doing).
     II.           
          Supportive leadership
This is similar to the “accounting for conduct” concept defined in the Ohio state university studies. Considering the needs of the follower, showing concern for their welfare and creating a friendly working environment are key components of this style. This also includes increasing the subordinate’s self-esteem and making the job more interesting.
  III.            
          Participative leadership
Leaders adopting this style consult with subordinates and take their ideas into account when making decisions and taking particular actions.
  IV.            
                      Achievement-oriented leadership
This style of leadership involves setting challenging goals in relation to both work and self-improvement (and often together). High standards are demonstrated and expected. The leader shows faith in the capabilities of subordinates to succeed and steadily progress.
This perspective highlights the importance of knowing how to judge subordinate specificities and characteristics. Subordinates whose needs entail a strong desire to feel like a member prefer supportive leadership; whereas for subordinates who possess dogmatic faith, are authoritarian and need to work under indeterminate conditions, directive leader is better suited to them.

Leader-Member Exchange Theory
The leadership theories that have so far been discussed tend to emphasize leadership behavior from the perspective of the leader (i.e. trait and behavioral theories) or through the subordinate and situation (i.e. situational leadership, contingency leadership and path-goal leadership). Notably, the leader-member exchange theory (LMX) makes the relationship between the leader and his subordinates the focal point in the process of leadership. Amongst the leading exponents of this theory are Dansereau and green (1976). In the earlier works of this theory, the two-way relationship between the leader and the work-unit was perceived as being comprised of two very  separate components, wherein the leader’s special relationships was considered the “inner circle” of followers and those other relationships with employees on the official side was considered the “external group” of followers. It was argued that the first group of followers became members of the inner circle based on their ability to adapt to the leader and desire to enhance their own responsibilities. On the other hand, those who kept formal and official relationships with their leader remained as members of the external group of followers, whereby members of the inner circle exercised greater influence and received better opportunities and rewards above those of the external group who only received the benefits of their posts.
Later studies in the development of this theory shifted the emphasis to the various forms of leader-member exchange in the organization’s performance. In so doing, academics found that forms of high-quality interaction achieved positive results (i.e. low labor turnover, high levels of organizational commitment and greater employee progress). In general, these academics pointed out that the result of positive exchange is that subordinates feel better, exert extra effort and help the organization to develop.
Today ongoing studies on the subject of LMX focus on the “leadership industry”, which stresses that leaders should attempt to develop high-quality interactions with all their subordinates and subsequently the leadership industry will also develop over time. This includes three phases: the separation phase, the introduction phase, and the mutual relationship phase. In the process of adopting new responsibilities and roles, subordinates undergo all three of these phases to develop mature mutual relations with their leaders that are marked by greater mutual trust, respect and commitment by the leader and the member. The third phase, exchange based on self interest is transformed into mutual commitment to the mission and objectives of the work unit.

Transformational Leadership

Transformational leadership – one of the most advanced and comprehensive leadership theories – is interested in the process of hoe specific leaders are able to inspire subordinates to accomplish major tasks. This theory asserts that leaders need to be able to understand and accommodate subordinates’ needs and wants. A transformational leader focuses on “transforming” others to help each other, be encouraging, harmonious and look out for the organization as a whole. In addition, the role of a transformational leader is to articulate a clear future vision for the organization and to engage in such a way that leaders and subordinates raise one another to higher levels of morality and motivation that provide them purpose within their work lives. Transformational leadership first originated and appeared in the works of scholars such as burns (1978), bass (1985), bennis and nonus (1985), and tichy and devanna (1986). It is possible to evaluate transformational leadership using the “multidimensional leadership model”, which measures seven dimensions of leadership behavior. The factors entailed in transformational leadership are:

       I.            Idealized influence

The first factor is marked by “Charisma or idealized influence” and describes leaders whose modes of behavior are perceived and felt by the followers to be ideal and who then imitate them and are happy with them. These leaders often demonstrate exceptionally high standards of moral conduct that ensure that the right thing is done. Leaders are in this way greatly respected by subordinates who also tend to have a lot of trust in them; in turn, leaders provide subordinates with a vision and a sense of mission. In essence, this charisma serves to distinguish special individuals who make others want to follow the visions they inspire. The leadership of nelson Mandela (the first non-white president of South Africa) can be considered charismatic, given that he was known as being a leader with high moral standards and possessing a vision that led to a significant change in the way that people wanted to be governed in South Africa. His gift of being able to inspire others and respond to the people enabled Mandela to transform and entire nation.

     II.            Inspirational motivation

The second factor draws on “inspirational motivation” and describes leaders who challenge followers with high expectations, communicate optimism about future goals, and provide meaning for the task at hand. In doing so, leaders inspire followers to be motivated towards committing to a shared vision within the organization and making them feel like a part of it. In the application of this vision, leaders draw on communication skills and emotions to focus the efforts of group members on achieving beyond their own expectations. This type of leadership reinforces team spirit, an example of which can be seen in the case of a retail manager who motivates his sales assistants to excel in their work by using encouraging words and expressions that clearly convey the key role that they are playing in the future development of the company.

  III.            Intellectual stimulation

The third factor is called “intellectual stimulation” and is the degree to which the leader intellectually drives followers to be creative and innovative, challenges assumption, takes risks and solicits their beliefs and values. This type of leadership stimulates creativity in followers to attempt to develop new methods and methods and patterns of behavior, as well as innovative ways of tackling organizational matters. It also encourages followers to think for themselves and resolve their own issues, such as in the example of a company manager who promotes the individual efforts of workers to develop unique ways to solve problems that hinder performance.

  IV.            Individualized attention

The fourth factor of transformational leadership is called “individualized attention” and represents leaders who attend to each follower’s needs, act as a mentor or coach to the follower and listen to the follower’s concerns and needs. These leaders might compensate followers as a means of helping them through personal problems, for instance, with reference to a manager who spends his time attentively and considerably engaging with every single employee, this type of leader might provide emotional support to some employees, while others prefer to be given comprehensive directions.
Transactional leadership differs from transformational leadership, in that the transactional leader is not concerned with the individual needs of follower nor does he focus on developing each person. As such, transactional leaders are more interested in a series of “transactions”.  This person in is interested in looking out for oneself, having exchange benefits with subordinates and clarifying a sense of duty with rewards and punishments to reach goals (Kuhnert, 1994);  in the process of this gain, followers act according to the interests of the leader (Lewis, 1987).

    V.            Conditional incentives

The fifth factor pertaining to “conditional reward” also constitutes the first factor of transactional leadership. Conditional reward refers to the process of exchange between leaders and followers in which followers exchange effort for specific rewards. However, with this type of leadership the leader tries to obtain the followers’ agreement concerning specific duties. Thereafter, incentives are granted to whoever is successful in completing these specific duties. An example of this type of exchange is in the case of a father or mother who negotiates a time for his/her child to spend watching television after agreeing to take a piano lesson. Another example alludes to what usually occurs within the academic domain whereby the dean negotiates with a lecture from one of the schools on the number of research papers he requires in order to receive a promotion.

  VI.            Management by exception

The model for “Management by Exception” figures in the sixth factor of transformational leadership and is leadership by what is referred to as “correctional criticism”, and determining and reviewing negative practice. Management by exception practices are established where it has been determined that only those events that deviate from a standard are significant. It takes on two forms: active and passive. The leader who adopts active management by exception monitors subordinates to detect any faults or breaking of rules, on which occasion the necessary steps for correcting them are taken. An example of active management by exception can be illustrated by the methods employed by sales supervisors on a daily basis to monitor how employees handle and interact with clients. This way, problems that might have otherwise resulted in the delay of sales met by the employee can rapidly be rectified and sales can resume to what they were. On the other hand, the leader who is passive in management by exception intervenes only in those situations in which actual results differ significantly from planned results, or once problems arise. This type of management is sound in the case of the supervisor who grants a promotion to one of his employees. Both active and passive types of management tend to apply negative approaches to reinforcement more than they apply positive approaches (such as “conditional incentives” as explained above).

VII.            The Principle Of Non-Interference
The seventh principle of leadership describes the far-right side of the chain of transactional-transformational leadership in the sense that this alludes to the absence of leadership. As the French saying goes, the leader who adopts the principle of “non-interference” adopts the attitude “let things go”. This leader evades responsibility and is slow in making decision, nor does he provide feedback or exert effort to help his followers to satisfy their needs or to progress. An example of leadership built on the principle of “non-interference” is that of a boss of a small factory who does not hold meetings with the factory supervisors, nor does he have a long-term plan for the company, while remaining in very little contact with employees of the organization.

Team Leadership

The theory of term of leadership provides a framework was initially carried out in a study of organizational factors that contribute to the output or general effectiveness of this group. The fundamental function of the leader according to this theory is to help the group achieve its goals while monitoring and identifying the issues of the group and taking the necessary steps to deal with them. Amongst the most prominent exponents of this theory are Elaine et al. (1993).
The study has been divided into strategic decisions in such a way as to discern the varying resolutions taken by group leaders for the purpose of obtaining group effectiveness. The model shows three resolutions: what kind of intervention did he choose to use (supervision or taking action)? At what level should the intervention be directed (internally or externally)? What leadership function is to be implemented in order to achieve the group’s work?
Effective team leadership is determined according to several criteria:

a    A clearly defined objective:

Group objectives must be clear so as to determine whether the performance larger is achievable, as quite often, groups fail at the expense of vague and ambiguous tasks. Similarly, these goals must be stimulating and sallow for participation and even convince group members of their value and importance.
b.     Results built on structure:

Teams need to identify the most preferable structure for the achievement of objectives. Teams or work groups engage with different aspects of work. Thus, where senior management groups interact with power and authority when dealing with the ideas and plans of important administrations, customer services teams deal with customers. These groups can be divided into three board types:
Problem-solving teams, creative teams, and tactical teams.

c    Competent team members:

Team members should be appropriate and diversified so that tasks can be assigned to them and they should be equipped with adequate information, education and training that makes them competent team members.

          Unified commitment:

Distinct teams tend to develop a sense of single unity or single identity. The team spirit generated by this can be extended to the involvement of members in all relevant aspects of the process.
e    A friendly atmosphere:
It appears that trust fosters the necessary honesty, openness, cohesion and respect that it takes to build a friendly atmosphere. This allows members to five attention to problems, be open with each other, confide in each other, feel free within the working place and look out for one another.
f       Standards of excellence:
It is necessary for the organization or the team itself to practice standards of excellence to the extent that members feel obliged to exert the maximum effort possible and so that standards are clear and specific.
g    External support and appreciation:
The team that receives external support is capable of achieving excellence through the granting of necessary resources to carry out its functions, while appreciating while appreciating its achievements through collective performance incentives for the team as opposed to individual performance.
h     Leadership with principles:
The leaders of effective teams work as coaches in order to facilitate group work and dependence on one another. Thus, they help the team to enhance unified commitment and motivation and to reduce coordination problems. It is possible for the leader to also assist in providing knowledge and expertise in the development of joint efforts and experiences.