Leadership for Managers: Theories, Styles, and Importance

LEADERSHIP FOR MANAGERS 1
LEADERSHIP FOR MANAGERS
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LEADERSHIP FOR MANAGERS 2
LEADERSHIP FOR MANAGERS
Introduction
As a manager, one must exercise the five basic roles of management that include, organizing,
staffing, planning, controlling and directing. However, managers are not exempted from
performing leadership roles or instead exercising leadership skills in their line of work.
Generally, leadership is a process in which a person persuades or manipulates a group of people
to attain a general goal. As such, as a manager in a customer service department, I believe that
applying the transformational leadership theory adaptive leadership theory in leading my team
towards achieving the set common goals and objectives will be most useful (Dinh, Lord &
Gardner, 2014).
The first theory on transformational leadership or headship identifies two leadership styles, that
is, transactional and transformational. In simple terms, transactional leadership entails a leader
manipulating individuals, in particular, his or her team by what they provide in exchange, that is
the contract or transaction. On the other hand, transformational headship is where a leader bonds
with his or her team in a manner that uplifts the level of morality and motivation (Antonakis &
House, 2014). Notably, exercising a transformational hypothesis in leadership requires
motivation and morality majorly where a leader should focus on doing the collective good. I
have been very keen on applying charisma, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and
individualized concern as a manager and a leader as well. Transformational leaders have the
capability of making their team follow the vision they establish and are therefore charismatic.
Further, they inspire and communicate with their team effectively as well as stretch team

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members to think more deeply and remain innovative. Such leaders as well are concerned with
the physical and emotional needs of their team members.
On the other hand, the adaptive leadership theory identifies that a leader is an individual who
pushes people towards taking risks and hard challenges. Adaptive challenges are simply those
challenges whose resolutions are not readily evident (Arena & Uhl-Bien, 2016). Further,
adaptive leaders are able to distinguish authority and leadership where one requires power and
the other influence respectively. Applying the adaptive theory has enabled me to earn outcomes
through my influence. Importantly, adaptive leaders detect adaptive challenges, control distress,
encourage focus, seek collaborative methods and project voices from beneath for instance the
external community. As a manager, I ensure that my team maintains discipline in their
specialized areas of work. I also ensure the maintenance of a protected emotional space for
tackling the anxiety of adaptive challenges.
Clearly, both theories insist or emphasize rather, on the importance of maintaining a healthy and
a good relationship between leaders or managers and their team. Further, the theories encourage
useful communication and how crucial it is for leaders to influence focus and innovation. In
simple terms, the transformational and adaptive theories discuss the essence of leaders and
managers leading as examples. Additionally, the theories encourage and urge leaders or
managers to maintain friendly and close relationships with their team in order to create trust and
a sense of belonging. As such, employees can freely share their concerns and challenges openly
which in turn promotes productivity.

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Leadership Styles
Democratic leadership is type of leadership style whereby members who are led take the major
role in making the decisions (Tourish, 2014). There are other leadership styles that include
transactional, transformational, moral, servant, autocratic, laissez-Faire and eclectic. All these
styles can be applied in athletic administration in the following ways. Transactional leadership is
the one where the leader who values order and structure in everything he or she is doing. This
style can be applied in athletic administration in ensuring that there is order and structure in
everything carried out within the administration (Ang & Van Dyne, 2015).
Transformational leadership is where a leader works with teams to identify changes needed to
create a vision to direct through inspiration together with the members of the group. This will
help the leader within the athletic administration in sharing the ideas with the members since any
change will need some consultation from members. Moral leadership is where leaders aim at
serving rather than being served. This leadership style is applied in athletic administration in that
the leaders carry out any task without expectation of being assisted (Storsletten & Jakobsen,
2015).
Servant leadership applies in athletic administration in that the members within the firm
adopt a certain way of doing the activities thereby becoming a routine. In autocratic leadership
can be applied in athletic administration in that the leaders would want all the decisions they
make to be final. The leaders don't allow other people to question their decision. Laissez-Faire
leadership can be applied in athletic administration in that the leaders may decide to allow the