Its true, heroes really do care or why would they do the great things they do? Superman wouldn't have saved anyone if he didn't care. It wasn't for his own glory, but for saving others. The article discussed in this blog references leaders who care and how affective it is for organizations. I'll also discuss how it related to more contemporary leadership styles to care for employees. Old-school leaders tended to treat employees mechanistically and very distant. This article cites a different type of leader.
Businesses in the world seem to be going away from the traditional ways of leadership to more conventional ways of leadership. Our textbook describes leaders who have a high respect and care for their employees and how much it will benefit them and the organization because of it. The author says, “If leaders want to attract and retain good people, they need to show they care about their people.” The book describes this type of leader as part of being a transformational leader. One of the three important parts of being a transformational leader is called “individualized consideration.” This is exactly what the authors are describing in this article. When leaders show personal care, it’s proven through their research that followers enjoy their jobs more. Research specifically indicated 80 percent of people don’t like their jobs and 80 percent leave their jobs because they don’t like their bosses. Research also has indicated that these unhappy followers aren’t being creative and used to their full potential because they aren’t asked about their opinions and suggestions at work. This is a waste of human capital. Transformational leaders allow followers share opinions and creativeness to solve problems. They treat them with respect which makes the followers want to actually follow. The book indicates that when leaders show a transformational leadership style that followers trust leadership. Trust is the key because when a suggestion is made by a follower and when it’s taken with respect and put into action, followers feel needed and cared for. It is easy to see then that when followers are heard and allowed to be part of a community and contribute to something greater, that employees are happy and will be used to their full potential. The authors’ research indicated that half of the people in the study would rather have their boss care about them then receive extra financial benefits.
Conclusion
In closing, businesses aren’t machines, but complex systems that adapt. Because the people are doing the adapting and evolving, it’s important to retain and create an environment that leads to happy employees. Real leadership heroes care about their followers. Villain leaders treat their employees like there are just another number. This is in my opinion the wave of the future and what the book describes a lot of when discussing contemporary leadership theories. I think it’ll be key for me in the future to adopt these characteristics in order to be a good leader.
Questions
How you do you feel about this “caring-type” leader?
Will you adopt this is in your future as a leader?
Lewin, Roger, and Birute Legine. "The Soul at Work." Executive Excellence 17.11 (2000): 14-15. Business Source Premier. Web. 19 Nov. 2011. <http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.lib.ilstu.edu/ehost/detail?vid=8&hid=108&sid=a0f4f242-cc30-4d19-b9ec-568c61c50a5f%40sessionmgr114&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=buh&AN=3826046>.
-Ryan Luginbuhl
Lewin, Roger, and Birute Legine. "The Soul at Work." Executive Excellence 17.11 (2000): 14-15. Business Source Premier. Web. 19 Nov. 2011. <http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.lib.ilstu.edu/ehost/detail?vid=8&hid=108&sid=a0f4f242-cc30-4d19-b9ec-568c61c50a5f%40sessionmgr114&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=buh&AN=3826046>.
-Ryan Luginbuhl
3 comments:
I think being the "caring-type" of leader is definitely the way to go in terms of leadership styles. I've had many bosses in my day, but the ones that I've respected and kept up with the most are those that showed genuine interest in who I was and not just what I had to do at work. Being a caring leader is beneficial in so many ways, and being a caring follower is equally as important. If you don't show your boss/leader the same respect they are showing you, it is possible that they will pull away from a relationship with you. I totally could see myself being the caring type leader in the future. I work best when I have good relationships with the people around me, and I feel that being caring in general is a good way to form those strong work relationships.
--Kaitlin Reichel
I think that being a "caring-type" leader definitely has its place in many organizations, especially if the organization focuses a lot on philanthropy. Then again, I also believe that some organization could not be successful without a very stern a tough leader.
Michael Lorimer
I think when a leader is caring or shows interest in their employees personal life it relieves a lot of tension in the workplace. I would personally feel better having a caring/transformational leader because then i would be more worried about doing a quality job and not worried about the boss always judging my performance
-Eddie Nemeth
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