This week’s lesson on gender and leadership is one that really resonated with me. The statistic in the lesson states that in 2002, there were only 5 female CEOs within the Fortune 500 companies is one that I thought about even after reading this lesson (Hamel, 2021). This statistic made me ponder whether the number has increased over the last 19 years since there has been more movement towards equality for women. According to Benveniste from CNN (2020), as of September 2020, the number of female CEOs in the Fortune 500 companies have reached an all time high of 38. This number is still unfortunately low because it is not even a quarter of all of the Fortune 500 CEOs, however it is still nice to acknowledge that there has been a general  increase of female CEOs. Like the lesson stated, research shows how all genders are more than capable of being a leader, and it is just stereotypes that affect positions. Research done by Eagly and their team has proved this: male and female leaders do not differ in actual effectiveness (Eagly, Karau, and Makhijani (1995). It is important for women to not try to behave like men or compare their leadership styles to a man’s and to remain true to themself with confidence.

It is unfortunate that even still with time passing by, there is not a more defined increase in female CEOs or another top executive position. As explained by Northouse (2020), there are several explanations for why women hit what is known as the ‘glass ceiling.’ Though there is research done to try to explain this, none of the theories make sense and seem to be quite outdated because they say things women lack experience or the traits needed. There were a lot of firsts for women in 2020 and more pushes toward gender equality. More and more women are starting to break their glass ceilings, which serves as motivation for other women to break theirs, though according to Elsesser (2020), women in high positions does not mean there will be more gender equality in that workplace. In 2020 alone, there were two more female CEOs, the first woman vice president elected, as well as the president appointing two female appointees, as well as the first woman manager for a MLB team (Forbes, 2020). In order for these barriers to be broken, people in the company need to not focus on the gender of the person in the leadership role, and focus on their ability to lead the company to success.

 

 

Benveniste, A. (2020, August 04). The fortune 500 now has a record number of female CEOS: A WHOPPING 38. Retrieved April 18, 2021, from https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/04/business/fortune-500-women-ceos/index.html

Elsesser, K. (2020, December 14). Here’s why glass ceiling may remain intact despite female leadership. Retrieved April 18, 2021, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/kimelsesser/2020/12/14/heres-why-glass-ceiling-may-remain-intact-despite-female-leadership/?sh=10069d235175

Hamel, R. (2021). Lesson 13: Leadership and Diversity 

Northouse, P. G. (2019). Chapter 15 Gender and Leadership. In LEADERSHIP: Theory and Practice (8th ed., pp. 403-425). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE PUBLICATIONS.

 

Authentic leadership is one of the original leadership theories but was never formalized or taken seriously. Obviously there are aspects in this theory that are vital to leadership if this theory is still referred to. As Hamel (2021) describes, authentic leadership is comprised of three important components: interpersonal, intrapersonal, and developmental. Each of these perspectives looks at a different point within the theory. The interpersonal perspective explains how this form of leadership develops from the relationship between leaders and followers. This perspective further emphasizes the importance of the leader-follower relationship. The intrapersonal component looks at how the leader is thinking, which stresses why it is crucial that the leader is true to themself. Lastly, the developmental component highlights this theory as a learning process rather than a trait to be had.

The intrapersonal aspect of authentic leadership is important. The leader needs to have their thoughts in order and it is important to be self-confident. Jeff Bezos is an example of a leader that comes to mind. The man behind Amazon has gone through many ups and downs through the course of his career while remaining true to himself. He has once said “Be stubborn on the long-term vision, but flexible on the details. This shows his personal example of the intrapersonal perspective because he remains true to himself and knows what he wants out of his subordinates in a project. When the leader is taking their own ideas into account and holding to them, the subordinates will follow. It is important for the leader to set some boundaries regarding the achievement of goals but leaving room for negotiation with subordinates. Steve Jobs is another name that comes to mind in regards to Authentic Leadership. With the ups and downs he faced as a result of being the co-founder Apple, he has remained true to himself as well when taking into account the intrapersonal component of this theory. He knew his passion and stuck with it.

The developmental perspective is the interesting side of the Authentic Leadership theory. The two perspectives of interpersonal and intrapersonal are both taking into account the traits that a leader may hold already. The developmental side is interesting because it explains how these traits can be taught. An experience, good or bad, may teach the individual to be more authentic.

References:

Hamel, R. (2021). Lesson 12: Authentic Leadership, 2021 

As Hamel (2021) explains, it is important to recognize that leadership has an effect on followers, as well as the followers having an effect on the leaders. This interaction means a lot in the grand picture of the leadership process. Current studies analyzing LMX researches how the relationship between followers and leaders has a correlation with organizational effectiveness. Members who have a positive relationship with their leaders are reported to have a better work performance and attitude overall (Hamel, 2021). This relationship reveals the benefits of having a positive reciprocal relationship. Northouse (2013) highlights the fact that Leader-Member Exchange both describes and prescribes leadership. This means that this theory explains how leadership is supposed to go in terms of the relationship between members and followers and also specifies what to expect. It makes a lot of sense of me that there is a leadership theory that considers the relationship between followers and members. 

In my own life, I have seen the Leader-Member Exchange theory occur. Though considered slightly outdated, the idea of in-groups and out-groups make sense in regards to work performance and attitude. Someone who has a better relationship with their leader, compared to someone who doesn’t have that good relationship, probably works harder and enjoys their workplace more. I worked at a gymnastics place where there were two sides of employees. One half of the employees worked with older children and the other worked with younger children. The side who worked with younger children was considered the out-group, they did not really have much of a relationship with one another and they came in, did their job, and left. The other side who worked with older, more advanced kids was considered the in-group. That side of the gym always hung out outside of work and had parties together on the weekends. They all worked together extremely well together and they had great work performance. This example from my life proved to me that leader-member exchange is important in the grand scheme of the work environment. Employees who have closer bonds with their leaders have greater work performance because they genuinely enjoy coming to work to do their job.

Now thinking about this theory in a different example, I immediately thought of the Office because its whole plot is basically about what goes on in their workplace. There is a sort of in-group and out-group example in this show with the cast. The in-group, in my opinion, is Pam and Jim just because they have a great relationship with Michael Scott, their boss. They are always seen joking around and being friendly with one another. They both also have great work performances, as Jim has one of the office’s top numbers for sales. This can be compared to the out-group, who in my opinion is Ryan. Ryan legit wants nothing to do with Michael Scott and has no interest in being friendly in return to him. Ryan comes to work to do his job and leaves after. This is an example of leader-member exchange because it is evident that a positive relationship between a leader and a member can improve  work performance and attitude in the workplace.

 

References:

Hamel, R. (n.d.). Lesson 8: Leader-Member Exchange Theory (LMX), 2021

Northouse, P.G. (2019).  Leadership: Theory and Practice.  Los Angeles: Sage Publications.

As examined thus far in the semester, there are some traits that are more important for leaders to have than others. Power and influence are two things that happen to help leaders complete a task. Before this lesson, I tended to use influence and power as interchangeable terms because I thought they were similar. After learning the difference between the two, I realized not only how different they are, but how they can be used together effectively in many leadership combinations. 

Power is something that, in my opinion, needs to be present in leadership. Bass (1990) explained power to be the potential to influence others. Power can help a leader persuade their followers to complete the task at hand. Influence is how a leader changes the followers’ attitudes or behavior as a result of influential tactics (Hamel, 2021). Influence is key in leadership situations due to the fast that it helps a group of people due something. As Hamel (2021) explains that influence comes in a variety of different ways from emotional appeals, to exchange of favors, to threats. 

Since the two terms have been distinguished between, it is evident that leaders can use their power, the ability to influence, and influence, the actual act of it, to appeal to their target audience. This is present in many settings where there is even just a little bit of influence. Thinking about how there are many internet influencers, I have thought about how these people use power and influence in their daily lives/posts. Many influencers tend to get paid when they sponsor certain brands and paid even more when their followers use their discount codes. Influencers use their power and influence to get more of their followers to purchase whatever service or product they are endorsing a brand. They use their ability to influence their followers to post their brand sponsorship and their influence to actually get their followers to follow through. 

Understanding the difference between power and influence can help a leader further achieve their goal. The two working together help the task get done more effectively, and they even compliment one another.

 

References:

Hamel, R. (n.d.). Lesson 7: Power and Influence, 2021

Northouse, Peter G., 2019, Leadership, 8^th Edition, Sage Publications, Inc., 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA, 91320