Leadership is often talked about and discussed
without thoroughly being explained. Exactly,
what is leadership? Are leaders born or can they
be trained? Management specialists have been
searching for the correct answers for over 90
years.
The Navy defines leadership as the ability to
influence others toward achieving the goals and
objectives of the organization. Leadership
involves inspiring, motivating, and developing
others.
Many theories have been developed to explain
the leadership process. The theories range from
Douglas McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y to
William Ouchi’s Theory Z. The Japanese used
Theory Z to develop the Total Quality Manage-
ment (TQM) leadership style, discussed later in
this chapter.
Based on Theory X, the leader assumes people
are basically lazy; will avoid working if possible;
must be coerced, controlled, directed, or
threatened; wish to avoid responsibility; have no
ambition; and want security. People who base
their leadership style on that theory use threats
to motivate subordinates.
Theory Y proposes that the leader assumes
people like to work; will seek additional
responsibility when the proper work environment
exists; will exercise self-direction and self-control;
and have a high level of imagination, ingenuity,
and creativity. People who pattern their leadership
style after this theory help subordinates perform
work assignments.
According to Theory Z, people who don’t fit
either Theory X or Theory Y are really a
combination of the two. People who develop a
leadership style based on Theory Z use different
styles of leadership with different people,
depending on the situation.
Relation to Management
Civilian management sees leadership as just
one of its five functions. It expects its managers
to plan, organize, control, staff, and then apply
leadership to motivate employees. The Navy sees
leadership as all-encompassing. The Navy leader
first and foremost motivates subordinates. The
Navy then applies the management functions of
planning, organizing, controlling, and staffing as
needed to meet organizational goals.
Although the views of the civilians and the
Navy seem to be different, both have one element
in common. Effective leadership involves planning,
organizing, controlling, and staffing. Good
leaders plan well, establish an effective organiza-
tion, set up an efficient and effective control
system, and staff required jobs with the right
people. Finally the leader excels at inspiring and
motivating subordinates.
Leadership Styles
What’s your style of leadership? Do you
practice one style of leadership all the time, or
do you vary your actions according to the
particular situation or type of people with whom
you are working? You might have asked yourself,
How do I maintain respect for my position of
authority and at the same time allow my people
to voice their opinions? How can I take the time
to get their point of view when I’m under pressure
to get the job done? These questions are puzzling,
and they have no easy answers. A leader must
walk a tightrope when it comes to solving these
dilemmas of leadership.
As a leader, you can practice leadership in
many ways. Research on leaders and leadership
has identified several leadership styles. Most
people have a preferred range of styles. No one
leadership style is right or wrong; the appropriate
style depends on the people being led, the
situation, and the requirements of the job.
In any situation, a leader must perform six
tasks that in some way involve or affect subor-
dinates. A good leader takes the following actions:
• Listens to subordinates to diagnose or
solve problems
• Sets goals and develops short- and long-
range action plans
• Gives directions about who is to do which
tasks to what standards
• Provides feedback on task performance
• Rewards or disciplines task performance
and personal characteristics
• Develops subordinates
The way these six tasks are handled at any one
time varies with the nature of the jobs. A different
leadership style should be used for routine tasks
than for innovative tasks or for situations that
require crisis management. Similarly, tasks of
short duration often warrant a different style from
those that extend over long periods.
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