Leadership

PSYCH 485 blog

Leadership to Explain Harbaugh

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Leadership Explaining Harbaugh

Jim Harbaugh is the former head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and the current head coach of the Michigan Wolverines. Harbaugh is quite the character, and it’s worth noting that he’s nearly as famous for his quirky personality and behavior as he is for his success in leading football teams. I’m a huge 49er fan, and I was ecstatic when he took over as the head coach of my favorite team, which hadn’t seen a hint of success in almost 10 years. He won the coach of the year award in his first season as the 49ers head coach, and led them to the Super Bowl in just his second season. After 2014, which was the first disappointing season in Harbaugh’s tenure as 49ers head coach, he was fired from his job and almost immediately hired as the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines. Although I was sad to see the 49ers give up on Jim Harbaugh, I was happy to see him hired by the Wolverines, my favorite college team. Like the 49ers before Harbaugh’s arrival, the once mighty Wolverines had fell into relative obscurity. But much like Harbaugh’s arrival to the 49ers, he has instantly been able to turn Michigan around and they’re having one of their better seasons in years. A head coach is essentially the leader of a team, and that got me thinking. Can I use a leadership theory to attempt to explain his initial success with the 49ers? How about his downfall with the 49ers? Can I use that same leadership theory to explain how he has been able to have success with Michigan? I think I can do all of these things using the situational approach to leadership.

The situational approach to leadership is centered around the premise that different situations demand different kinds of leadership (Northouse, 2016). An effective leader is one who matches his/her style to the commitment and competence of the followers (PSU WC, 2015). According to this approach, there are two types of behaviors leaders can use to influence others, directive and supportive behaviors.   Directive behaviors are those which make clear responsibilities and roles of the follower, like what to do and how to do it. Supportive behaviors are things like listening and encouraging. The situational approach suggests that followers can be grouped into different developmental levels, all of which will respond differently to a specific type of leadership behavior.

Consider the players of the 49ers and Wolverines when Harbaugh took over as head coach. They had been in a losing environment for years prior to his arrival. It’s easy to conclude that these players were both unable to win and had no confidence in their ability to win. These players would fall into developmental level two and would greatly benefit with a leader using a coaching behavior, which is categorized by a high directive-high supportive style (PSU WC, 2015). Harbaugh is well known to be very hands-on in his coaching style and he can also be quite emotional at times and has no problem standing up for his players. He has a natural tendency to use coaching behavior in the way he runs a football team. This style plays perfectly into the needs of a team lacking the confidence and ability to win, and it explains the initial success he has had with the 49ers and Wolverines.

It’s important for a successful situational leader to realize that followers move back and forth along the developmental continuum (PSU WC, 2015). So a follower who may begin at developmental level 2, may progress backwards or forwards to a different developmental level, and the leader should adjust his behavior style accordingly. Consider what happened to the 49ers. They began as a team with no confidence or ability, and quickly started winning games under Harbaugh. It’s fair to conclude that they gained both confidence and ability over time, and therefore Harbaugh’s coaching behavior’s would no longer be the best fit for these followers. These newly transformed 49er players are likely to now belong to developmental level 4, which would require less intervention and less of the hands on approach Harbaugh is known for. They would respond best to a style that is lower in directive behaviors, perhaps a supporting style or most likely a delegating style. The 49ers did eventually begin to slip under Harbaugh’s watch, and I think you might be able to reasonably conclude that his inability to adapt his style to the levels of his followers may have played a role in him losing his job with the 49ers. In conclusion, I would argue that according to the situational approach to leadership, Jim Harbaugh may want to be more careful in his approach and be aware to the changes in the developmental levels of his players at Michigan.

 

Northouse, P.G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.

Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2015). PSYCH 485 Lesson 5: Situational Approach. Retrieved from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/fa15/psych485/001/content/05_lesson/04_topic/01_page.html

Pro Wrestling and Authentic Leadership?

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I bet this topic hasn’t come up much in PSYCH 485.  At first glance, it might seem absurd (and maybe it is, but give it a chance).  I mean, just think about the word authentic.  Authentic is basically something that is “real”, and pro wrestling is clearly not real.  It would seem that these two concepts just can’t mix together to form some example of authentic leadership.  I don’t agree with that.  In fact, while reading about certain aspects of authentic leadership, I couldn’t stop drawing parallels to specific pro wrestlers.  The sport is built around the idea of good vs. evil.  The characters are larger than life, and some of the characters can and are looked at as leaders, particularly authentic leaders.

It’s not very simple to give a clear definition of authentic leadership, as there are several different ways to look at it.  It easier to consider the concept behind authentic leadership.  Think about the world we live in.  There’s corruption, unrest, fear, and uncertainty.  People commonly feel apprehensive and insecure about their surroundings, and they want leadership and leaders they can trust who are honest and good (Northouse, 2016).  Now apply that to the world of pro wrestling, where there’s corruption left and right, people can’t be trusted to do the right thing, and evil prevails just as much as good.  Pro wrestling fans want to get behind someone who is good and trustworthy, they strive for an authentic leader to guide them through that world of chaos.

I find you can apply the material to the world of wrestling best when using Bill George’s authentic leadership approach.  In this approach, the characteristics of the leader are the primary focus.  Through interviews of successful leaders, George identified 5 dimensions of authentic leadership, with each dimension being tied to a characteristic (Northouse, 2016).  The dimension and associated characteristic are as follows:  purpose/passion, values/behavior, strong relationships/connection with others, self-discipline/consistency, and compassion/heart (PSU WC, 2015).  All of those dimensions and characteristics combine together to illustrate one excellent example of an authentic leader in wrestling, John Cena.

Authentic leaders are intrinsically motivated about their goals, and they display their passion by having a deep-seated interest in their work and truly caring about what they do (Northouse, 2016).  John Cena had a much publicized feud with The Rock over this issue of passion.  While The Rock left wrestling to pursue a career in Hollywood, Cena remained active in the wrestling world while still making time for movies.  Cena cares too much about wrestling to walk away from it for the monetary gains of Hollywood.

Another dimension of authentic leadership is that of values and behavior.  Authentic leaders understand their own values and behave toward others based on those values (Northouse, 2016).  These leaders know what the right thing is to do, and they refuse to compromise their values even when tested in difficult situations (Northouse, 2016).  This is what separates a wrestler like John Cena from the majority of the other “good guy” wrestlers.  I was originally thinking of Hulk Hogan when I envisioned this type of leadership applying to wrestling, but there was a point in Hulk Hogan’s career where even he compromised his values and crossed over to the “dark side”.  John Cena however, has never done that.  He has remained true to his motto of “Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect” at all times, even when it would benefit him to go against the values he lives by and preaches to his followers.

The next two dimensions, relationships/connectedness and self-discipline/consistency also fit the character of John Cena, but for the purpose of not carrying on for too long, I’m going to fast forward and look at the component of compassion and heart.  Authentic leaders displaying compassion are sensitive to the plight of others and are willing to help, one way to develop this would be through projects such as community service (Northouse, 2016).  When Cena isn’t in the middle of the ring, he dedicates much of his time to granting wishes to Make-a-Wish kids.  In fact, Cena has granted over 500 wishes, more than any other celebrity (wish.org).

I think that once you’re able to look past the cartoonish nature of wrestling, it should be clear that on many levels, the character and even the real-life persona of John Cena is very much an authentic leader.  Many fans long for a good and honest leader in that chaotic world, and John Cena has proven time and time again that he is the authentic leader they’ve been searching for.

 

Make-A-Wish® America: WWE® Superstar John Cena®to grant his 500th wish. (n.d.). Retrieved November 20, 2015, from http://wish.org/content/john-cena-500-wish

Northouse, P.G. (2016).  Leadership: Theory and Practice.  Los Angeles: Sage Publications.

Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2015).  PSYCH 485 Lesson 12: Authentic Leadership.  Retrieved from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/fa15/psych485/001/content/12_lesson/01_page.html

Dark Side of Charismatic Leadership

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Like other forms of leadership, we know that charismatic leadership concerns leaders, followers, and situations.  Charismatic leaders have specific traits and demonstrate certain behaviors that influence their followers.  Some of these traits would include dominance, a strong desire to influence others, and self-confidence, while the behaviors would include such things as appearing competent to followers, communicating high expectations to followers, and articulating ideological goals that have moral overtones (PSU WC, 2015).  Charisma is something we tend to look for in leaders, in fact, I’d imagine it’d be difficult for most people to name a few famous leaders who did not exude some level of charisma.

The problem with charismatic leadership comes when that leader has other traits or characteristics that can pair with their charisma to have a dark side.  The goal of charismatic leadership is to have followers react in certain ways.  With charismatic leadership it’s common to see followers trust the leader’s ideology, have similar beliefs as the leader, and have unquestioning acceptance of the leader (PSU WC, 2015).  For every Martin Luther King Jr., who had good and noble intentions, you have a charismatic leader such as Jim Jones who fueled by his narcissistic personality, deceived and abused his trusting follower’s right up until their unfortunate mass suicide in the late 1970s.

Charismatic leaders who are well intentioned, ethical, and create a positive shared vision can basically be considered transformational leaders (PSU WC, 2015).  Jones actually began his preaching career with some very noble intentions, for example, he promoted racial equality in his church at a time when that wasn’t widely common, and he had this vision of a peaceful utopia.  When some negative traits begin to show however, you can see where this might begin to go in the wrong direction.   As Jones’ narcissism began to prevail, it’s easy to how ones self-confidence can become overwhelming.  The self-absorption and need for admiration can transform their previous good intentions into the concern for oneself as opposed to the group (changingminds.org).  Such a high sense of self-belief can lead one to feel infallible, and in turn they can lead their followers down a dangerous road.

Consider the reactions I mentioned earlier that followers can have to charismatic leadership.  They included things like trust in the leader’s ideology and unquestioning acceptance of the leader.  Now think how horrifying those types of reactions can be when the leader doesn’t necessarily have great intentions.  There became a point where Jones began to identify himself as God, and he would display the ability the resurrect people from the dead (The Peoples Temple…).  Clearly, we don’t actually think Jones resurrected anyone from the dead.  It’s more logical that a follower pretended to be dead, and came back to life once Jones “healed” them.  This follower knows Jones isn’t actually reviving them, but they have an unquestionable trust of Jones and his ideology.  So if they take part in this one minor deception, it will only strengthen the faith of the other followers.  They truly think they’re taking part in deceit for the greater good of the group.

Now fast forward to the end, where Jones led a group of over 900 to drink the poison that led to their death.  You can easily make the connection between Jones’ charismatic leadership style, and the decision of so many of his followers to commit suicide upon his order.  They had complete faith in him, and for the most part, saw no reason to question his demands.  The people of Jonestown aren’t alone in being the victims of a charismatic leader, but they’re an excellent reminder to be aware of the potential dangers that can come with charismatic leadership.

Here’s how… (n.d.). Retrieved November 13, 2015, from http://www.changingminds.org/

Kinsolving, L. (n.d.). The People’s Temple and Maxine Harpe. Retrieved November 14, 2015, from http://jonestown.sdsu.edu/?page_id=14086

Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2015).  PSYCH 485 Lesson 10: Transformational Leadership.  Retrieved from  https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/fa15/psych485/001/toc.html

Situational Theory and Coaching

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I recently recall hearing an author give advice to aspiring writers who weren’t sure which direction to go with their writing. She related that often times, the first book someone decides to write tends to be about something they are well versed in and comfortable writing about.  In her case, it happened to be bed bugs.  In other instances, maybe it could be the brain, knitting, or even architecture that the writer is most comfortable with.  I’m still not entirely comfortable with the blog concept, and I don’t yet claim to be enough of an expert in leadership theories that I can apply them masterfully in various intriguing ways.  So I’m going to take this particular author’s advice, and stick to what I know.  I know sports, particularly baseball.  Luckily, I believe the coaching aspect of baseball tends to go hand-in-hand with the idea of leadership, and I’d like to examine that a little further in this blog post.

I would argue that the leadership theory best suited for coaching baseball players is the situational approach.  As we’ve learned, leaders use directive and supportive behaviors, and they should adjust their behavior depending on the followers and the situation (PSU WC, L. 5).  A baseball team typically consists of a 25 man active roster.  On this roster, a coach could have to manage a 10 year veteran with all the confidence and skills in the world, or a naturally gifted 21 year old rookie who is unsure whether or not he belongs, and everything in between.  Clearly, an appropriate ad effective use of the situational approach to leadership can be potentially vital to successfully managing a team.  I’d like to run through a couple examples of typical players, and according to the situational approach, the best way to lead these players.

Before I get into that however, I’d like to call attention to one of the leadership styles associated with the situational approach, coaching.  The name might mistakenly suggest that this would be the style used in all coaching situations.  While it may be true that the coaching style might work with some players, you will shortly be aware that it most certainly does not generalize across the board to all the players a coach will be leading.

Consider a highly touted player entering his first year at the major league level.  Often times these players enter the big leagues with high levels of confidence and the willingness to take on their new challenge.  These players often have high levels of confidence because they’ve only experienced success to this point.  They typically dominate at the minor league levels, which in turn fills them with confidence upon arrival to the major leagues.  However, the reality is that most highly regarded young players do not have the refined skill set and ability to succeed immediately upon their arrival.  These players often fall into Development Level One, which is characterized by being unable, but confident and willing to perform the new task (PSU WC, L.5).  In this first example we see a scenario where a coaching style already isn’t the best fit.  It’s more important for the coach (leader) to use the high directive-low supportive directing style.

It’s also worth illustrating in a baseball context how players (followers) can move back and forth along the developmental continuum.  It is very common for players who have proven to be capable, particularly pitchers, to go through a rough patch (sometimes completely attributed to bad luck).  These stretches are known to turn capable and confident players into players who are able but lack confidence.  A coach must be able to recognize this and adjust his leadership style to meet the new developmental level of the player.  A player fitting the description I just gave, might go from Developmental Level 4, where he was both able and confident, to Developmental Level 3, where he is able but lacking confidence (PSU WC, L.5).  The coach should account for this by using a supporting style, or high supportive-low directive.

I don’t know that the situational approach perfectly applies to coaching, but it’s definitely interesting to at least examine it in that context.  For example, there are situations where this approach might suggest a leader display low supportive behaviors toward a young rookie, when I would argue all young players, regardless of their confidence level, could benefit from some level of support.  However, as a fan of the game it was at least satisfying for me to take a deeper look into the coaching aspect using the situational approach.

Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2015).  PSYCH 485 Lesson 5: Situational Approach.  Retrieved from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/fa15/psych485/001/content/05_lesson/04_topic/01_page.html

Trump and the Trait Approach

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These day’s there’s almost nobody in the headlines more than Donald Trump.  The famous business man is currently vying to win the Republican nomination to run for President of the United States.  In the past, Trump has consistently hinted at running for President, but never actually made it official.  Now, he has, and he’s doing quite well.  To become President of the United States is be the “leader of the free world”.  He could potentially be the figurehead of the United States, representing it in its most important affairs.  Here, using the trait approach to leadership, we’ll examine Trumps potential leadership qualities by examining how he stacks up with regards to some of the most important traits of leaders, as well as some of the notorious traits of ineffective leaders.

There’s a great deal of traits associated with leadership, but for simplicity’s sake we’re going to be looking at 5 of the most important traits an individual might hope to have if that person hopes to be perceived as a leader by others.  These traits are intelligence, self-confidence, determination, integrity, and sociability (Northouse, 2015).

Intelligence:

Trump graduated from The University of Pennsylvania, and has gone on to make billions of dollars through various ventures (Forbes).  We have no exact measure of Trumps intelligence, but it’s entirely plausible that he is every bit as smart as he claims to be.  Trump scores well in intelligence.

Self-Confidence:

Leadership involves influencing others, and being self-confident assures the leader that his or her attempts to influence others are appropriate (Northouse, 2015).  Donald Trump has no problem publicly stating how highly he thinks of himself and his accomplishments.  Trump scores well in self-confidence.

Determination:

Leaders who display determination are willing to assert themselves and have the capacity to persevere when faced with obstacles (Northouse, 2015).  Trump came from a wealthy family, so his initial success in life cannot necessarily be linked directly to pure determination.  However, there was a point in the 1990s where Trump was facing bankruptcy while he was over $900 million in debt.  Trump was faced with adversity, and he went on to recover.  Determination is likely a trait possessed by Donald Trump.

Integrity:

Integrity is the quality of honesty and trustworthiness, and is displayed by leaders who are dependable and not deceptive (Northouse, 2015).  Integrity, especially in recent years is something which has been lacking in the political sphere.  However, there are those who support Trump because he “tells it like it is”.  It’s difficult to award points on integrity however when Trump hasn’t had a chance to back up his words.  He receives no points either direction for integrity.

Sociability:

According to Northouse (2015), leaders who show sociability are friendly, outgoing, courteous, tactful, and diplomatic.  Donald Trump has done everything from publically insult comedian Rosie O’Donnell on a national stage, to being quoted saying some unflattering things about Mexican immigrants.  Although to be as successful as he has been in business deals, he must display some sociability, it’s fair to say for the most part, Trump lacks Sociability.

So in regards to some of the most important traits leaders should hope to have, Donald Trump only has one glaring weakness.  But there’s also some traits which tend to be counterproductive and interfere with a person’s ability to lead, referred to as dark-side personality traits (PSU WC, 2015).  There are six dark-side traits, two of which are worth mentioning because they are clearly possessed by Trump.

Interpersonal Insensitivity:

Individuals with this trait are unaware of how they come across to others and have difficulty putting themselves in other people’s shoes (PSU WC, 2015).  Trump is regularly mocked for being out of touch with common people, and that could be a detriment in his ability to effectively lead.

Narcissism:

These leaders are overly self-confident, self-centered, and often hold others in contempt (PSU WC, 2015).  Donald Trump consistently speaks of his vast wealth and his self-centered nature is evident in his name being attached to everything, including his water, Trump Ice.

As you can see, Donald Trump scores pretty well with some traits that should be valued in leadership, while he also possesses traits that could be detrimental to his ability to lead a nation.  It’s far too early to say if we’ll ever get the chance to see him use these qualities, and for now all we can do is ponder his potential as a leader.

References

Donald Trump. (n.d.). Retrieved September 10, 2015, from http://www.forbes.com/profile/donald-trump/

Northouse, P.G. (2013).  Leadership: Theory and Practice.  Los Angeles: Sage Publications.

Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2015).  PSYCH 485 Lesson 2: Trait Approach.  Retrieved from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/fa15/psych485/001/content/02_lesson/01_page.html

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