2. Principles of leadership and their development, charisma

Subject title Principles of leadership and their development, charisma

Purpose of the activity To acquaint participants with various theories of leadership and strengthen the ability to recognize different types of leaders and their patterns of behaviour.

Duration 3–4 hours.

Location and tools Leaders‘ portraits, scissors, writing tools, paper, projector, screen, selected film about some leader – a historical personality.

Number of participants 10–20 participants

Acquaintance/ team building methods The training leader pre-selects (can be cut from magazines or printed) about 5 to 6 portraits of as diverse leaders as possible (depending on the theoretical material). All of these portraits are cut into separate “puzzles” that are shuffled. The training leader does not explain anything – he/she does not say that these are portraits of leaders.

The group of participants is invited to collect all the puzzles into the appropriate portraits. The group is asked to discuss and present what unites all the portraits and what makes each personality stand out.

Practical tasks A fiction or documentary film based on the true life story of a known leader is selected for the practical task (it can be a film about Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Hitler, Margaret Thatcher or any other leader).

The training manager posts the most important points of the theoretical part (leadership laws, leadership according to dominant functions, types of leaders, etc.) throughout the training space in the “crib’s” format. While watching the film, participants are invited to capture important aspects: • what types of leaders they saw in the film;

• what laws the main leaders and the main character shown in the film followed;

• what were the key, most important moments and turning points in the plot, what were the actions of the leader and why were they important;

• who are the followers of a leader and why they follow their leader;

• who are the opponents of the leader and how the main character treats them.

End of session reflection methods At the end of the film review, participants are invited to discuss the film, answering all the questions in the practical task, and reviewing all the “cribs” displayed around the space.

THEORETICAL INFORMATION

Leadership and leader following are encoded in the genes of humans and most other animal species throughout evolution. Finding and following the right leader for the entire herd of animals or the human tribe meant greater chances of survival, provision and safety. Nowadays, the aspect of leadership manifests itself in different situations in everyone’s lives. There are many theories of leadership, distributions of types of leaders. In the framework of this session, we will review several theories.

TYPES OF LEADERS AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS

Max Weber, a German sociologist, philosopher and historian, distinguished three types of leadership:

1. Traditional leader – this type of leadership is characteristic of a pre-industrial society, in which the descendants of the monarch used to take over the power directly from their parents. In this case, the right to leadership is taken over, taking into account the traditions that exist in the community. This type of leadership is also characteristic of animals. Children of noble monkeys of certain species of monkeys also acquire a special status throughout the tribe from childhood. 2. Legal-rational leader is a bureaucratic type of leadership, when a leader is elected on the basis of certain established and publicly accepted rules. In this case, the leader gains confidence to perform a certain limited function, thus helping to maintain general order in the state. 3. Charismatic leader is the most emotional type of leadership, because in this case the followers have a direct emotional connection with their leader, believe in him/her and idealize his/her powers. Such a leader evokes strong emotions, inspires, fascinates, surprises, followers seek to repeat each of his/her actions, and try to resemble their leader as he/she is their greatest example.

Christianity distinguishes charisma as a gift from God given to man so that he could become a conductor and bearer of an important mission. This gift manifests itself through special abilities, personal qualities, the gift of speaking. The naturally irresistible attraction to such a person attracts those around him/her. Sociologists call charisma the characteristics of a personality that set him/her apart from all others. Sigmund Feud divided leadership into group leadership and individual leadership. He emphasized that leadership is a long-term process in which a person, due to a combination of his/her certain characteristics, acquires the ability to attract people around him/her, inspire them to take action and to naturally encourage them to act. These actions of surrounding people, which are inspired, take place unconsciously, and in the long run, such a person – the source of inspiration for those around – is identified as the leader that people follow. Freud also linked leadership to an excess of human psycho-sexual energy, which man subconsciously sublimes into expressions of leadership.

Psychoanalysts distinguish ten types of leaders: 1. Coach – this type is often treated as a “strict but just and caring father”, sometimes called a patriarchal ruler. Such a leader strives for the best qualities of his subordinates, always remains confident and calm, and creates an atmosphere of security and discipline. 2. Commander – this type of leader is seen by group members as having all the qualities that are formally or informally accepted by the group as the “highest standard”. All members of the group closely observe every action of the leader and try to repeat them in every way.

3. Tyrone – an authoritarian type of leadership where leadership is built on fear. Such a leader is accepted as the strongest in the group and all his/ her instructions are accepted and carried out with fear and humility.

4. Organizer – such a leader is fair, follows the rules, is calm and strives to maintain balance in the group.

Such a leader listens to the needs of the whole group, successfully delegates responsibilities. He/ she bases his/her decisions on democratic values.

5. Seducer – this type of leader recognizes well the weaknesses of the people around him/her and is able to act through them. Through his/her actions, he/she is able to bring talents to the surface, strengthen the powers of team members, giving each team member “wings”. Being extremely empathetic, such a leader brings to the surface the feelings and conflicts of the whole group and thus balances the overall atmosphere of the group. Mystical inexplicable powers are often attributed to this type of leader. Such a person evokes strong feelings and a sense

of dependence for each member of the group. 6. Hero – this type of leader evokes a sense of respect and admiration, as he/she seeks and is able to solve all critical situations as well as to take care of each team member. This type of personality elevates the well-being of other people above his/her own, which is why others trust him/her especially. Most historical revolutionaries are of the hero type.

7. The soul of the group is a leader who is able to maintain a good mood, enthusiasm and energy of all team members. Such a person feels well those who lack energy and immediately “ignites” them. Has a good sense of humour, crazy ideas, with which he/ she immediately ignites the whole group.

8. The star is a leader whose actions, creation evoke great resonance and admiration and many people follow such type of leader, because what he/she creates resonates and people want to follow it all. 9. The rejected and 10. “Scapegoat” – these are the two types of anti-leaders that the group usually struggles with. The science of psychology also divides leadership according to the dominant functions: LEADER - ORGANIZER

This kind of leader is a wise, tolerant and democratic leader who, in every action, carefully considers the needs of all team members, by systematizing them and finding ways to meet them.

LEADER - CREATOR

This kind of leader is an initiator of new ideas who inspires and encourages the team to move forward and pursue new achievements. This kind of leader is a pretty independent leader who can often be an individualist, enthusiastic about activities he/she initiates himself/ herself, and who often attracts like-minded people even unconsciously.

LEADER - FIGHTER

This kind of leader is an emotional leader who categorically defends his/her position and truths. This kind of leader is always ready to fight for his/her ideas and the values he/she believes in. This type of leaders promotes change, but their weakness is that, guided by emotions, they do not always pay enough attention to analysing the current circumstances and situation.

LEADER - DIPLOMAT

This type of leader seeks to maintain a relationship with all possible parties and to be informed about all events and relationships that take place in the group. In the pursuit of harmony and peace, this type of leader is constantly striving to discover common ground and promote dialogue in conflicts. LEADER - COMFORTER

For this type of leader, interpersonal relationships are paramount. The comforter creates a strong emotional connection with each team member and maintains them not only in the context of teamwork but also in personal life. Therefore, all team members have great confidence in the leader and accepts his/her authority and decisions.

LAWS OF LEADERSHIP

John C. Maxwell has written the book “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership”, which has become a recognized best-seller worldwide. In this book, the author describes more and less well-known world leaders and examples of their leadership success. Here are some of the more interesting laws he describes: THE LAW OF EMPOWERMENT

Theodore Roosevelt said, “The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and the self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.” This law states that one of the most important characteristics of a leader is the ability to neutralize the weaknesses of team members and further strengthen their strengths, thus enabling them to independently implement various tasks and goals. THE LAW OF EXPLOSIVE GROWTH

This law speaks about a leader’s ability to initiate and implement powerful and energetic leaps, and as a result, the energy level of the entire team and its activities rises. A leader reinforces, raises, and hyperbolizes certain aspects of tasks and goals. In this way, a certain positive stress factor is formed in the team, which forces each team member to surpass himself/herself, so the explosive growth ultimately serves not only the overall goal of the team, but also the personal goals and career of each team member.

THE LAW OF THE INNER CIRCLE

A leader’s potential is determined by those closest to him. This law states that the influence of a leader is largely determined by the environment that surrounds him. Therefore, you are invited to consciously form a circle of your immediate environment because people tend to adopt the way of life and to have the same attitudes, beliefs and viewpoint towards life that the people around them have. For a leader who seeks effectiveness, efficiency, and influence, it is important to

associate and connect with people who have the desired results and a lifestyle that helps to achieve them.

THE LAW OF INTUITION

Powerful leaders are distinguished by their ability to analyse many factors in a very short time – basically in an instant: “to evaluate” trends, resources, people, and even themselves. They are extremely confident in their knowledge, logical sequence of thoughts and emotions. They learn quickly from existing experiences, so when situations which are similar in plot occur and when they meet similar types of people, they anticipate the course of events. These are leaders who have the courage to rely on their intuition and they sense well when the right time for action comes.

THE LAW OF LEGACY

Legendary leaders seek not only to influence and be important to the environment, legendary leaders have the ability to structure their experiences so that they become refined technologies that will be passed on to future generations. In this way, team members feel that they are contributing to something meaningful and adding value to the future, and therefore seek to follow such a leader.

THE LAW OF RESPECT

This world is so created that people naturally follow those who remain true to their values, aspirations, and are solidly moving towards their goals. In this case, the status of a person, the financial situation in society cease to be important. The people around them naturally listen to the invitations of such a person, because they feel his/her persistent self-confidence, which raises respect.