The Skills of an Effective Leader: Becoming a Leader Others Want to Follow

By Bernard E. Robinson

valuable considerations that impact the quality of leadership. The book provides new concepts and tools that will allow you to improve their understanding and impact as a leader. It includes insights, principles, observations, concepts and other useful information about leadership that informs and instructs the reader on the role of the leader and the topic of leadership. You will be challenged to examine the way you practice the art of leadership. A significant exercise is included in chapter 11 that brings you full circle to a place of application. Using practices adapted from our Leadership Coaching Program, Performance Enhancement Coaching System , we have created a process so that you can conduct a personalized, self-directed coaching session to plan for your on-going leadership development. As a purchaser of the book you are also invited to join our Skills of Effective Leadership Learning Community through our Skills of Effective Leadership Learning Forum SEL2F free. This community will provide you with a number of ways of broaden the conversation and expand your leadership learning and network with other leaders.
I hope that you will find this book to be one of your favorites and a resource that will add richly to your ability to influence and lead others and become an effective leader. The world needs your best and the people are waiting for and expect you to lead them well!
Bernard E. Robinson, C.M.C.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 12, 2016
• ISBN: 9781514483534

Bernard E. Robinson

Bernard is the Owner and President of the Institute for Human Development. The Institute is a management consulting company that has been in business for since 1988 and has provided performance management consulting and leadership and business coaching for individuals and businesses thousands of clients in numerous industries. In a career that has spanned nearly 40 years, he has helped clients respond to an assortment of performance, operational, systems change and organizational improvement performance challenges and helping them improve performance, productivity and growth. He is a Certified Management Consultant (CMC). The CMC designation reflects a certification awarded to consultants who have met high standards of education, experience, competence, professionalism and ethics as a management consultant by the Institute of Management Consultants USA, Inc. CMC is held by less than 1% of consultants. He is also a member of the Mentors Guild: The Mentors Guild invitation is extended to management consultants and seasoned business experts with at least two decades of expertise and a track record of thought leadership to become members. Member since September 2014. Prior to starting IHD, Bernard worked as a senior manager in a developmental health institution, training manager for a county government organization, senior trainer in the federal government and hospital organizations. His principal involvements as a consultant have spanned fortune 500 companies, religious institutions, non-profit organizations, government and nursing and healthcare industry. He is an expert leadership coach and leadership and management development trainer, curriculum and training program designer and organizational development and group process facilitator. During his career, he has led the development and implementation of numerous organization wide training and change management initiatives. For nearly 20 years, Bernard has been an expert trainer and lead facilitator for the Graduate School USA, a not for profit institution headquartered in Washington, DC. A hallmark of his consulting career has been a high interest in and a commitment to helping others strive for and create excellence in their personal and professional pursuits. In fact, a large part of his practice involves mentoring consultants and business professionals as a business development coach. Clients have rewarded his work by sharing their satisfaction with others, which is reflected in the fact that approximately 70% of the work the Institute does coming word of mouth referrals. Bernard enjoys and values the work of his clients and they enjoy working with him.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgments/Endorsements

Dedication

Preface: Introduction

Chapter 1: Getting Right Down to Basics

Chapter 2: Character Matters

Chapter 3: Leadership, Smeadership:

What’s the Big Deal Anyway?

Chapter 4: Preparing to Get Your Game Face On

Chapter 5: Learning to Win:

Playing the Game at a High Level

Chapter 6: The Lifeblood of All Good Leaders

Is Shaped By Their Decisions

Chapter 7: Becoming a Lifelong Leader

that Others Want to Follow

Chapter 8: Building and Leading a Team

That Wins at Work

Chapter 9: Finding Solutions to Problems

When They Come

Chapter 10: The Ultimate Winner:

The Builder of the High-Performing Team

Chapter 11: The Leaders Work-Out Session:

Applying Your Learning

Acknowledgments/Endorsements

From former clients, colleagues, students

"With graceful simplicity, Bernard generously offers practical applications and tools for those embarking upon a new or continued journey to become a more impactful leader. The Skills of an Effective Leader is where practice meets reality, and the reader is able to engage in assessment and evaluation to affect their leadership potential."

Kimberly Robinson, D.E.L. (Doctorate Executive Leadership)

Leadership Development Consultant

Bernard Robinson is a charismatic leader that challenges and inspires the pursuit of excellence. His expertise, character, credibility, and inspiring spirit come through in everything he does. He is a lifelong learner that shares his breath and depth of knowledge with leaders—from Fortune 500 executives to small business entrepreneurs—navigating competitive waters to business success. As a coach, he presents insights and guidance that act as a mirror that reflects self-awareness and discernment, an excellent compass for meaningful self-development.

Capturing his knowledge and experience is a gift to the leader interested in maintaining a leading edge in a dynamic world. This book is more than a development tool; it is an entrée into a community that is pioneering and practicing leadership skills that build bountiful relationships.

Hilton Mills

President, OnAir Applications, Incorporated, Online Learning Solutions

If becoming a skilled and effective leader has always baffled you, this book is the key to unlock its mysteries. In my twenty-five years as a leader, I’ve never run across a book that trained leadership skills and made it so much fun!

My favorite, Skills of Effective Leadership Learning Forum, will allow you to be included in a community of leadership learners. The author, Bernard E. Robinson, had he written this book twenty-five years ago. I’d have become much more effective and proficient as a leader on the information in this book!

Great book.

James JT Holt

Federal Government Leader

There is a lot of information out there about leadership but not all substantive. Bernard Robinson, an accomplished management consultant and author of The Skills of an Effective Leader, has created a smooth-flowing work that delivers what it promises: a systematic approach to being an effective, ethical, creative leader. The book challenges readers to examine the way they practice leadership. Bernard Robinson has written a book that completely spells out what leadership is all about and the skills needed to be effective. The principles from his book are essential in helping potential leaders understand what it takes to be an effective manager. An excellent book for both new and experienced managers alike.

Dianne Floyd Sutton

Speaker and Trainer

Sutton Enterprises

Dedication

As I think about what to write, my thoughts are framed around two words: gratitude and gratefulness. My gratitude begins with my thanks to Jesus Christ who is my Lord and Savior!

Why Jesus Christ? Because he is also my sustainer in both this life and will be after it is over! In fact, in the context of leadership, Jesus is the greatest leader who ever lived, by far. Anything that I do and all that I would hope to do or be is because of his grace and mercy!

At second place all by herself is my wife, Alice. God gave Alice to me, and I’m so glad about it. At the time of this book, we’ve been walking together in marriage for forty-six years. Beyond the fact that I am in love with her, and she’s beautiful, I am grateful for the great person she is, her wonderful heart—especially for me—and her sweet spirit and personality! God made her for me, and I’m so grateful for the ride we have!

To my immediate family of sons—grandsons, granddaughters, and godsons, goddaughters and large extended family of nieces, nephews, cousins, and wide circle of friends, I appreciate the circle of love that includes you and me as it is a blessing.

Finally, to my past and present clients and the thousands of professionals who I have taught and who have taught me, thank you. Thank you for your trust in me with your people, your businesses, and your learning. For my colleagues, I have gained immensely from being able to work alongside you. In this regard, I want to mention a colleague, friend, advisor, and mentor, Robert Bob Maddox. Bob was a wonderful storyteller and a master trainer who I learned a lot from. Bob passed last year, and I honor his memory. To him and all those mentioned, this book is a testament to the learning you have afforded me and the opportunities that you have given me to use my talent and live out my passion. I thank you!

Remember,

leaders never stop learning!

And everything in organizations and in life

rises or falls based on the quality of leadership!

Preface: Introduction

The Skills of an Effective Leader

Bio: Bernard E. Robinson

Bernard is the owner and president of the Institute for Human Development (IHD). The Institute is a management-consulting company that has been in business for since 1988 and has provided performance management consulting, leadership, and business coaching for individuals and businesses and hundreds of clients in numerous industries. In a career that has spanned nearly forty years, he has helped clients respond to an assortment of performance, operational, systems change, and organizational improvement performance challenges and guided them in improving performance, productivity, and growth. He is a certified management consultant (CMC).

The CMC designation reflects a certification awarded to consultants who have met high standards of education, experience, competence, professionalism, and ethics as a management consultant by the Institute of Management Consultants, USA, Incorporated. CMC is held by less than 1 percent of consultants. He is also a member of the Mentors Guild. The Mentors Guild invitation is extended to management consultants and seasoned business experts with at least two decades of expertise and a track record of thought leadership to become members. Bernard is a member since September 2014.

Prior to starting IHD, Bernard worked as a senior manager in a developmental health institution, training manager for a county government organization, senior trainer in the federal government and hospital organizations. His principal involvements as a consultant have spanned Fortune 500 companies, religious institutions, nonprofit organizations, government, small business, and nursing and health-care industry. He is an expert leadership coach and leadership and management development trainer, curriculum and training program designer, and organizational development and group process facilitator. During his career, he has led and completed the development and implementation of numerous organization wide training and change management initiatives.

For nearly twenty years, Bernard has been an expert trainer and lead facilitator for the Graduate School USA, a nonprofit institution headquartered in Washington DC. A hallmark of his consulting career has been a high interest in and a commitment to helping others strive for and create excellence in their personal and professional careers. In fact, a large part of his practice involves mentoring consultants and business professionals as a business development coach. Clients have rewarded his work by sharing their satisfaction with others, which is reflected in the fact that approximately 70 percent of the work the institute does come from word-of-mouth referrals. Bernard enjoys and values the work of his clients, and they enjoy working with him.

Description of the Book: The Skills of an Effective Leader

The Skills of an Effective Leader is a self-help conversation with the reader about practical issues and valuable considerations that affect the quality of leadership. The book provides the reader with concepts and tools that will allow them to improve their understanding of leadership and their impact as a leader. It includes insights, principles, observations, concepts, and other useful information about leadership that not only informs but also instructs the reader on the role of the leader and the topic of leadership. Each reader will be challenged to examine the way they practice the art of leadership. As a purchaser and reader of the book, you will be extended an invitation and have an opportunity to join our Skills of Effective Leadership Learning Community (SEL²F). This community is a forum that will provide a number of ways of continuously broadening the conversation and extending your leadership learning beyond the reading of the book.

For example, your involvement in SEL²F will allow you to be a part of a community of leadership learners who are not only interested in the art of leadership but are also willing to discuss and share their insights, opinions, and suggestions with other leaders (and those who are striving to be) about the practical impacts and aspects of leadership as they experience them in their day-to-day lives as leaders.

For those who are supervisors, managers or otherwise responsible for leading organizations and people, regardless of the operational structures within which this is done, I believe you will find the book informative, relevant, and extremely useful. For those who are preparing to become leaders, you will find the concepts and instructions provided invaluable as you begin to take on the responsibility to lead. In fact, even if you’re not a student of leadership, you will find the book has ideas for living that you can apply to your own walk in the workplace as well as in the world because it is talking about relationships.

As you begin your reading, I wish you great success in being or becoming a skilled and effective leader. I hope that you will find this book to be one of your favorites and a resource that will continuously add richly to your ability to influence and lead others. In fact I’d like to give you your A as an effective leader right now and challenge you to do what’s needed to earn it! The world needs your best, and the people you are leading are waiting and expecting you to lead them well!

Bernard E. Robinson, C.M.C.

President/Owner

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Special Invitation:

Free/Complimentary Membership to the

Skills of Effective Leadership Learning Forum

As a purchaser of the book, you have earned free membership for one year.*

The Skills of Effective Leadership Learning Forum

Building a Community of Leader’s - Making a Difference in the Lives of Many

The Skills of Effective Leadership Learning Forum (SEL²F) is an online community of leaders. The forum’s goal is to be a valuable resource for broadening the effectiveness of leadership and to helping build high value leaders. Each member of the forum community is free to participate in planned, monthly scheduled conversations with other leaders who will be discussing leadership practices, principles and experiences and identifying ways and opportunities to improve their personal practice of the art of leadership.

*More information is available in the SEL²F Community Notice at the back of this book. You can register to be forum member by visiting http://www.sel2f.com.

Chapter 1

Getting Right Down to Basics

Supervision is an opportunity to bring someone back to their own mind,

to show them how good they can be.

Nancy Kline

Introduction

• Keeping It Simple and Making It Plain: It’s All about Relationships

• Understanding the Basics: Let’s Go Back to Maslow, Hertzberg, and Likert

• It’s All about the Big T

• You Must Remember That with Authority Comes Responsibility

• Tips for Your Journey

Introduction

When it comes to supervision some have defined it as a relationship between senior and junior member(s) of an organization or profession that is: evaluative, extends over time, serves to enhance the skills of the junior person by and through the process of planning, organizing, directing, controlling and evaluating the work and worker.

While this describes the nature of supervision and management, perhaps the most important word of those listed is the description offered above is the word relationship. Whatever you do, whether you call it supervision, management or leadership, they all depend on the quality of the relationship you have with the worker, the follower.

Simply put, nothing is more important in the people management business than your relationships. In fact, in order to get work done through others you must understand the critical importance of relationships. In fact, I suggest that everything is (about supervision, management and leadership) relationships, all else is details.

In this chapter we expand this discussion and explore two other very basic propositions that make a difference in the relationship we have with others, namely, trust and the management of authority. Let’s explore the basics.

Keeping It Simple and Making It Plain: It’s All about Relationships

Relationship Is the Key Dynamic

Conceptually, the process of leading presents a rather simplistic picture. It is an exchange between a community of two (or more) people—a leader and a follower—who are a part of a connection that are connected and in business to achieve a goal.

Figure 1 The Anatomy of Leadership

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© 2015 Institute for Human Development

While the picture is simplistic, the interpersonal dynamics that exist between the leader and follower are significant, powerful, and substantial. Consider your own relationship with your leader or that of yours as leader with those who work for you. There are a host of psychic and interpersonal dynamics that occur in the relationship between the leader and the follower in the illustration above. The relationship between the leader and the follower is substantial because they both spiral up or down based on the quality of the relationship. While the illustration is simplistic, the quality of the relationship between the leader and the follower controls the quality of the service your customers receive, the level and quality of production your unit or company achieves, the degree to which they choose to bring their talents to the team and, quite simply, whether the endeavor that you are involved in achieves the targets that sustains its existence.

For example, examine the most recent interchange between you and the person who is your leader (boss, manager, etc.) or that you have had with the person(s) who are your followers. What are the key dynamics or elements that make the relationship you have with them work? Moreover, if it is not working, what are the reasons why it is not? My suspicion is that regardless of how you describe the characteristics or which ones you list, somewhere in the equation, there is going to be a significant factor that involves the quality of your relationship with them and vice versa.

Your examination will likely bring to mind the elements that are important to you that make this relationship work for you or, on the other hand, those elements that are making the relationship not work as well as it could. Among the elements that may have made your list are things like:

• The quality of the communication I have with my leader;

• The degree of respect I think he or she has for me or that they feel you have for them;

• The extent to which they feel their ideas, opinions, etc., are considered or valued; and

• The degree of trust that I have in them and that they have in me and that exists between us.

The elements listed, communication, respect, valuing of opinions, and trust, are some of those that influence the quality of the relationship that exists. They are, in fact, not incidental to the closeness – or distance - you may each feel. They are—and whatever is on your list that is not included in the list above—influence the degree of commitment and engagement you feel with them as well as the commitment they have for the goals, tasks, and work that they are involved in performing.

In considering the importance of relationship, what is also important are issues like employee engagement, absenteeism, labor grievances, unionization, motivation, employee collaboration, morale, loyalty, turnover, and retention. Each is tied to the quality of the relationship between the leader and the follower.

In leadership and management, there is research-based reality as well as conventional wisdom that suggest that when people change jobs, one of the key reasons for the change is not just the job itself but often the relationships people have with people. There is a saying that people don’t leave jobs; they leave people. The most important and influential person in the life of most followers is their leader.

In the realm of leadership, the quality of the relationship is the big deal. As I point out in our leadership training programs, Everything is relationship. All else is details. This phrase, which I adapted from my reading of the DNA of Relationships by Dr. Gary Smalley, captures the importance that I believe leaders must place on the relationship.

The questions are:

• What is it that builds effective, collaborative work relationships?

• What is it about the leader’s relationship that impacts the leader’s effectiveness?

• What makes the quality of the partnership between the follower and the leader so critical to being effective in the workplace?

Before getting to the direct answer to each of these questions, let’s step back and look at the anatomy of relationships.

Anatomy of Relationships

In life and in leadership, relationships are not options. From the time we are born, we are in relationships. If we are blessed, these relationships first begin with our parents. They begin to establish the DNA of our understanding of what relationship is and means.

If that relationship is as healthy and normal as possible, it influences how we do and should do relationships. Our experiences, knowledge, beliefs, assumptions, and expectations about relationships shape our ability to establish and build relationships. So each of us, in leadership and in life, is a relationship builder.

The questions for the leader are:

• How well do you understand the building of relationships process?

• How good are you at it?

In organizational life, from the very moment you become a supervisor, manager, or leader, your existence is intertwined with the relationships that you have with others and the quality of those you develop. The interesting thing about this consideration is that, while you would hope that the path you carve as a leader with those who follow you would be based on your own input and your own course—unfiltered—the reality is that the quality of your leadership is also shaped by the imprints of the leader or leaders who proceeded you with those followers. While this won’t be explored separately, it is significant to remember and for the leader to consider the leader that came before you and the imprint they left.

The reality is that every business today should understand that they are in the relationship business. Think about it: the quality and impact of your work and the profitability of your business depend upon relationships. Consider for a minute the kinds of relationships that affect you, your business, and its success such as with your:

• Employees;

• Customers, coworkers, and competitors;

• Suppliers, distributors, and support services; and

• Direct reports, senior managers, and boards.

And when you consider global mergers and alliances and the opportunities they provide for creating financial growth, they all begin with and turn on the quality of relationships.

Consider this research study:

A major telecommunications company once commissioned some research to find out which attributes best predicted long-term leadership success. That is, why did some leaders succeed while others never really lived up to expectations? After examining a variety of factors—tenacity, intelligence, work ethic, and ingenuity, etc. —they discovered that the ability to build and leverage a network of relationships was the best predictor of success.

For many people, building collaborative work relationships is a challenge. The fact is relationship building is generally not taught in business schools, and it’s rarely adequately taught to those who join the managerial ranks. However, for the leader, building relationships that work is an imperative skill if one wishes to be effective.

The higher one goes in an organization, the more important it becomes to maintain the good relationships you have established over the years. It is equally important to remember that the human beings that you work with—and you too—want to work with people they know and like. Those who inspire trust and demonstrate a true understanding of the concerns of others’ and their aspirations are most often the people who are lifted up for leadership and lifted up by good leadership.

In this respect, the ability to build solid relationships is an indispensable requirement for every leader and is an essential requirement for those who wish to be effective in that role.

Every leader must remember that while a person can have good people skills and not be a good leader, a good leader cannot be a good leader, without people skills.

So what is that builds effective, collaborative work relationships?

An answer to this question is that an effective leader must do the following things to create the foundation for solid relationships:

1. Understand People

Recognize that all people have similar needs in common.

Beyond these common needs, every leader must remember that every individual is different and unique.

2. Appreciate and Respect People

You may not like everyone the same; however, you’ve got to show equal regard for everyone who looks to you for leadership.

3. Help People

An effective leader has the interests of his/her people at heart. They seek to pour the best that they have into the lives of those who follow them.

4. Hold People Accountable

In every good relationship, there is a need for honesty and integrity. Building relationships that are healthy requires that leaders hold themselves accountable for their behaviors and likewise help and hold those who follow them be accountable as well.

Effective leaders should spend time focusing their efforts on things they can do to build connections with the people they lead. To develop effective, productive, and collaborative work relationships, here are three simple tools that effective leaders should use to improve working relationships:

• Listen

Leaders benefit by allowing other people talk, and then they pay attention to what they’re saying. They attempt to remove anything that would distract from their conversations and focus on the message that people are trying to convey.

• Understand

They appreciate what other people do and value their contributions. Leaders should not only be open to new ideas but also very sensitive and wise about how to learn from and utilize the new things that are learned in making judgments and decisions that are made.

There is great wisdom in this approach because taking the time to understand where people are coming pays great dividends in elevating the quality of the communication but just as importantly the quality of the relationships.

• Acknowledge

Beyond the obvious acknowledgment that comes from listening and understanding, acknowledging the contributions of others is a means of showing appreciation and respect for the person and his ideas. This includes being cognizant of and quick to give credit to others for their successes. This includes celebrating the achievements and showing delight in the accomplishments of the team.

The benefit is that followers are more motivated to work hard and try new things if their leader acknowledges their efforts.

To build effective workplace relationships with those that you lead, the leader should do these things consistently and with a sense of genuineness and authenticity.

At their core, organizations are just a giant network of relationships. So if you fail to build good relationships, you are failing at one of the most important, if not the essential, element of effective leadership. When this happens, your chances of succeeding—as a leader—are not very good!

–Bernard E. Robinson

Figure 2 Building Effective Work Relationships

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Listen, Understand, Acknowledge (LUA)

Finally, while a person can have good people skills and not be a good leader, a good leader cannot be a good leader without good people skills.

Final Word

Effective influencing—the job of the leader—and understanding spring in large manner from healthy relationships among the members of the group. Leaders need to foster environments and work processes within which people can develop high-quality relationships—relationships with each other, relationships with the group with whom they work, and relationships with clients and customers.

If you, as a leader, can’t build good, effective relationships with those who follow you, they may follow you with their head, but you won’t get them to follow with their heart.

For the leader, there is no progress without relationship. So the question is, What are you doing to build effective relationships?

Understanding the Basics: Let’s Go Back to Likert and Hertzberg

Two Important Thinkers in the Behavioral Sciences You Need to Know:

Meet Rensis Likert and Frederick Hertzberg with Messages about Management

Rensis Likert and Frederick Hertzberg

When you think of the sources for knowledge that leaders need to consult, the work of Rensis Likert and Frederick Hertzberg are probably not the first names that come to the top of your list. However, these two human psychology thought leaders, from a time past, have some thoughts that are still very relevant to the work of management and leadership, even now.

Their ideas about management practices and human needs provide a few fundamental understandings about behaviors that are important to get along with those you manage and in understanding what is meaningful to the workers you lead.

Rensis Likert, who is perhaps best known for developing the Likert scale, which is the psychometric scale that is ubiquitous in statistical measurement and analysis, has a theory I think you need to know about.

This theory is titled the linking pin theory (LPT). The LPT holds fascinating implications for what you should know about working with people and about organizations.

While the linking pin theory is admittedly more the frame of reference for management more than leadership, the overall thrust of his thinking is what is important. Likert believed that most business organizations are tapping into very little of the [human] resources or potential of their people. One of the reasons for this belief lies in the structure and nature of bureaucratic organizations which often mitigate against effective interpersonal relationships among workers and managers.

His concern was that there was an important need for businesses—and those who run them—to break free from factors that create and reinforce ineffectiveness and recognize that a lack of understanding of the structures and its impact on the relationships between managers and members in these structures is an important consideration and a crucial area of understanding.

His point reflects the more modern theory of open systems versus closed systems of organizational design and operation and the movement away from command and control leadership to a more collaborative organizational structure and a more participative style of management and leadership.

A key construct of the linking pin theory is that it could help managers (leaders)—who are the linking pins—have a fresh perspective on their roles and provide a powerful way of understanding the framework for improving interactions and relationships between the worker and the leader.¹

The Likert Linking Pin Theory and Model

The message behind the model is that there are two basic characteristics of the organization. First, organizations can and should be seen as systems of interlocking groups; and second, the interlocking groups are connected by individuals who occupy the key positions of dual membership and serve as linking pin between groups.

As you consider the construction of this model, John, Sue, and Mary are the managers. They are peers and a part of the same group. However, they are each linked to the group who are above them, and they are linked to those who are the groups below them who they manage and lead.

For the leader, he or she functions (as does every individual in leadership) as a linking pin for the organization units above and below them. He or she is the group leader of the lower unit and a group member of the upper unit. Also, in the linking pin structure, group-to-group relationships, as opposed to the traditional man-to-man relationships, also exist.

In this scheme, the supervisor/manager has the dual task of maintaining unity and creating a sense of belonging within the group he or she supervises and representing that group in meetings with superior and parallel management staff of the group they are part of. These leaders are the linking pins within the organization, and thus, they become the focus of leadership development activities.

In this context and theory, Likert stresses the crucial importance of the manager’s interactions with those in their group. What leaders should know is that his theory advocates for open communication within the group, development of mutual trust, consensus decision making, mutual group goal setting, clear definition of roles, and shared responsibility. When these exist and the leader fosters these kinds of conditions, the result is that there is a greater likelihood that group accountability, group loyalty, cohesiveness and the degree to which the individual identifies with the groups’ goal grows. When you consider this description and where this exists, you are also witnessing the elements that are required for team building and team work.

What’s significant for the manager is that his influence is dependent, at least partially, on the quality of interactions he has with the group members. In fact, the influence he is allowed to exert on those who follow him has a name, the interaction-influence ratio.

Likert’s interaction-influence ratio is a powerful phenomenon and important principle. Understanding what it is and how to utilize it effectively is what leaders should know to become more effective leaders. The LPT suggests that in order for the leader to really become an effective player in the eyes of the members of his or her team, he must have a positive interaction-influence ratio with them. The theory, points out that the degree of influence that the leader has on those who follow him is dependent on the influence the leader is perceived to have with those in his group and the total organization. In other words, the degree of influence that the follower will allow the leader to exert over him is dependent, in part, on the degree of influence he believes the leader has in, through, and with those in the group he is part of at his peer level and throughout the total organization.

I hope that what you will begin to see is that for the leader, his influence—power—is not only shaped by his one-to-one interactions and relationships with each follower but also his perceived influence within his group of peers. This is instructive because your follower’s view of your leadership is informed by how you are seen by your peer - leaders.

What the linking pin theory suggests is that your influence is based less on your title and the official role that you have been given as a leader and more on your actual—or at least perceived—influence [and relationship] with those who follow you. The message is clear: it is not your title that gains you respect or influence, it is your performance. Another way of saying this is that even if you are perceived to have influence and you are given the responsibility to lead, pretty soon you’re going to have to deliver the goods—for real.

While our discussion could obviously proceed further on this theory, I hope you get the point that I believe there is a strong connection between this theory and the matter of supportive relationships between the manager and the worker, the supervisor and the subordinate relationships, and styles of leadership, each of which is explored in the work of Rensis Likert.

As a matter of practical application, Likert’s research in 1960 detailed four systems of management that reflect the kind and quality of supervisor and subordinate relationships. As you review each of them, consider the ones that you believe would be most effective in today’s organizational environment. Also, consider which one really resonates with your personal values and philosophy of management. In your consideration, also think about how much value it brings to the lives of followers and quality of the work environment.

Likert’s Management Systems

Exploitative Authoritative (I)

Exploitative authoritative is rooted in classical theory. In this system, managers tend to use threats, fear, and punishment to motivate their workers. Managers at the top of the hierarchy make all the decisions and are usually unaware of the problems faced by those in the lower levels of the organization.

Benevolent Authoritative (II)

This element of Likert’s Management System (LMS) is based less on threats, fear, and punishment and more on the potential for punishment and partially on rewards. A key challenge in using this form of influence is that benevolence remains primarily a top-down process of communication that can lead subordinates to be suspicious of communication coming from the top, especially if there is an absence of trust in the individual or the organizational culture.

Consultative System (III)

The consultative element of the LMS is somewhat less dependent on giving and gaining rewards. In this element of the system, subordinates are a little more empowered and have the freedom to make specific decisions that have an effect on their work. While management still maintains control over policy and decisions that affect an organization, managers’ talk with their subordinates about problems and plans of action to accomplish organizational goals. Communication, in this sense, is both down and up.

Participative System (IV)

In Likert’s view, the participative system was seen as the most effective form of management in that it promotes participation in the decision-making process, and the communication is more free-flowing. In this sense, there is a more open environment, and employees are more involved and engaged in the operational life of the organization.

Additional details about Likert’s Management System can be researched at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Likert%27s_management_systems.

As we come to the end of this discussion, there are two questions that were asked earlier and needed to be answered at this point.

What is it about the leader’s relationships that impact the leader’s effectiveness?

What makes the quality of the partnership between the follower and the leader so important in the workplace?

One way of answering these final questions is to answer an alternate but