It is not surprising that people are attracted to others who are like themselves. People’s preference to work with others that are similar to them present significant organizational, interpersonal, and personal barriers that put others at a disadvantage. Disadvantages such as unequal performance expectations, in hospitable corporate culture, gender prejudice, lack of emotional support, work-home conflict, and development shortcomings find women falling short of predominate leadership roles (PSU, 2023). Fenwick & West report that, “having a woman on the board or serving as CEO doesn’t translate into more women in other board or leadership positions” (Keenan, 2015). Therefore, if ‘birds of a feather flock together,’ then why are women in high-power positions not advocating for other women to join their rank?

Consider that only twenty-one Fortune 500 companies led by women and seventy-five percent of their boards are comprised of white men (Gino, 2017), one might expect that the women who land these leadership roles would help others climb the organizational ladder. Ransome and Armbruester suggest the following challenges as roadblocks that can prohibit female leaders from considering other women and potential resolutions to avoid discrimination in hiring practices (BasuMallick, 2021):

Challenge: The talent pool is skewed in favor of men; there is a smaller pool of female applicants
Solutions: Use a recruiting specialist who can focus on an equally gender diverse applicant pool to ensure female leaders can choose competence over diversity

Challenge: Female leaders are often risk-averse when hiring; hiring decisions are often strategic in nature and avoid hiring for growth and development potential for fear of failure.
Solution: Utilize trait, personality, and ethics assessments for objective, bias-free, screening of candidates.

Challenge: Female hiring practices are subject to unfair and unequal scrutiny
Solutions: Use objective performance evaluation methods to negate inequality in hiring practices

With many of the solutions mentioned already in place, still, thirty-three percent of American women reported they prefer a male boss, stating they do not support qualified female candidates like them as potential high-prestige work peers because of it made them feel threatened, they feared the appearance of bias toward other women, and worried low qualification would reflect poorly on their decision-making abilities (Gino, 2017).

Many women faced discrimination in the past and have taken steps to reduce behaviors that enable these types of behaviors. Thus, women seemingly are more sensitive to diversity and inclusion in their hiring practices, but often still find themselves lacking qualified candidates, facing inequality in hiring practice measurements, and are hesitant to take risk on candidates with whom they see potential. Ultimately, not all birds should flock together. A lack of diversity in leadership diminishes innovation and creativity, leads to poor decision-making, and lowers employee engagement.

 

References:

BasuMallick, C. T. (2021, December 16). Men tend to hire men, whom do women tend to hire? Spiceworks. https://www.spiceworks.com/hr/diversity-inclusion/articles/how-do-female-leaders-hire-trends-challenges/#:~:text=Armbruester%20says%2C%20%E2%80%9CI’ve,women%20tend%20to%20hire%20women.%E2%80%9D

Gino, F. (2017, September 12). Another reason top managers are disproportionally white men. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/another-reason-top-managers-are-disproportionally-white-men/

Keenan, J. (2016, March 29). Women reluctant to hire other women, report finds. Women In Retail Leadership Circle. https://www.womeninretail.com/women-reluctant-to-hire-other-women-report-finds/

Autocratic leadership was the top-down leadership style that was the trend during the Industrial and Technological Revolution periods.  But today’s workers’ wants and needs are quite different. Today’s leaders emerge out of the needs of situations, where different context calls for work teams with different configurations of knowledge, skills, and abilities (Murphy, 1941). Team leadership emerged as a style which allows groups to develop through the stages of forming, storming, norming, and performing with a group (PSU, 2023). Team members are both influenced and affected by the leader through task and relationship roles. “Task roles deal with getting the task done and include initiating, information seeking, information sharing, summarizing, evaluating, and guiding. Relationship roles support relationships within the work group and include harmonizing, encouraging, and gatekeeping,” (PSU. 2023). While some team members volunteer to be part of work teams, others are assigned. When storming results in isolation of members an out-group can be formed.  Leaders must find effective ways to interact with out-group members.

An out-group member is an “individual in a group or an organization who does not identify themselves as part of the larger group” (Northouse, 2013 as cited by Ingram, 2018). Certain team members are perceived or place themselves in out-group isolation include not identifying themselves as a larger part of a team, disagreement with goals, and feeling a lack of acceptance from the team (Ingham, 2018). However, allowing out-group members to stay isolated from the team ignores their potential to add value to the team’s task. Additionally, when automatic in-group and out-group distinctions replace conscious and thoughtful reflection, we (team members) are more likely to harm one another and behave unethically (In-group/Out-group, 2017, my emphasis).

Nancy Sayer (2015, my emphasis) suggests applying the principles of Tough L.O.V.E. to interactions between leaders and out-group team members build inclusive relationships with:

• L: listen intentionally to convert underlying meanings and acknowledge understanding
• O: open you mind to alternative perspectives that may expand ideas and introduce innovation
• V: validate and affirm ideas, thoughts, feelings, concerns, and values
• E: explore collaborative ways to work together; leverage the strengths of out-group members can positively impact the task achievement of the entire team

Babe Ruth once said, “The way a team plays as a whole determines its success” (Baker, 2021). Only the right team leader with the right skills to bring people together will be able to reach that next level of success (Creating team leadership where members are cohesive, productive, build high-quality relationships, and increased job satisfaction is challenging. The principles of ‘Tough L.O.V.E.’ present a unique opportunity to strengthen relationships and unify teams in purpose and dedication.

 

References:

Baker, C. (2021, August 30). 9 team leadership skills that get results. Leaders.com; Leaders. https://leaders.com/articles/leadership/team-leadership/

In-group/Out-group. (2017, February 17). Ethics Unwrapped. https://ethicsunwrapped.utexas.edu/glossary/in-group-out-group

Pennsylvania State University. (2023). Leadership in Work—PSYCH 485, Lesson 9: Team Leadership, Penn State World Campus, The Pennsylvania State University. Description of Team Leadership – Three Aspects to Groups. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2283258/modules/items/38927225

Murphy, A. J. (1941). A Study of the Leadership Process. American Sociological Review, 6(5), 674–687. https://doi.org/10.2307/2085506

Sayer, N. (2015, August 10). Tough L.o.v.e. for out-group members: Helping outsiders find their way in at work. Benedictine University CVDL. https://cvdl.ben.edu/blog/tough-l-o-v-e-out-group-members/

What is the one thing that you can’t imagine leaving the house without?  What is the first thing you turn to when you have a moment of downtime? What is the last thing you do before you turn in for the night? If you are like most, the common answer is likely your smart phone.  But research is making it increasingly clear that your first love is hurting all the other relationships that it’s supposed to assist with. Consequently, your smart phone might be your most successful relationship.

Research indicates the increased use of portable technologies, like smart phones, is impairing our ability to socially connect and eroding emotional intelligence.   Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to perceive and express emotions, to use emotions to facilitate thinking, to understand and reason with emotions, and to effectively manage emotions within oneself and in relationships with others (Mayer, Salovey, & Caruso, 2000, as cited in Northouse, 2022).  Similarly, Daniel Goleman (1995) said that success in life is based on self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills, which embrace emotional intelligence (Goldman, 1995 as cited in PSU, 2023). Accelerated technological advancement has allowed people to increase efficiency and work from just about anywhere a Wi-Fi connection is available. So how has it happened that people’s intelligence (g) continues to develop while our ability to work with others, make connections, and develop relationships regressed?  Are our smart phones actually making us dumb?

Dan Goleman suggests that noncognitive skills can matter as much as, if not more, than intelligence (Goleman, 2005 as cited by Sudbrink, pg. 142, 2015).  Like leadership skills, EI is learned and developed over time.  Five ways to develop emotional intelligence are suggested by EU Business School (2021):

1. Exposure to different perspectives – diverse options open your mind to greater experiences.

1. Try new things – escape your comfort zone; practice curiosity instead of fear.

1. Be reflective of your emotional responses – name your emotion and then connect your thoughts and experiences to your feeling(s)

1. Practice active listening – train yourself to press pause, listen to the words that are spoken and how it is being said and empathize with other people’s emotional state.

1. Integrate compliments and criticism – weigh people’s strengths and weaknesses equally; neuroscience proves that for one negative comment, you have to hear three positive comments to erase that negativity (Rabotin, n.d., 8:45).

The benefits of developing higher levels of emotional intelligence (EI) include greater self-awareness, increased accountability, improved communication skills, and trusting relationships.  Leaders are more aware of how their decisions and actions impact followers and of the emotional chain reaction that contributes to the attitude, behavior, and performance of followers. Leaders who purposefully practice EI skills are better able to create engaged followers who feel valued and perform more efficiently and build supportive work cultures that create loyalty.

Emotional intelligence is one of the most necessary considerations for leaders today.  To ability to be self-aware and observant of other’s emotions will allow you to use the tools mentioned above to help create highly efficient and functioning teams and organizations.  The higher the leadership role, the greater the importance of developing emotional intelligence, the smarter you will appear when using your technology.

 

References:

Northouse, P.G. (2022). Leadership theory & practice. 9th Ed., Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications, Inc.

Parasuraman, S., Sam, A. T., Yee, S. W. K., Chuon, B. L. C., & Ren, L. Y. (2017). Smartphone usage and increased risk of mobile phone addiction: A concurrent study. International journal of pharmaceutical investigation, 7(3), 125–131. https://doi.org/10.4103/jphi.JPHI_56_17

Pennsylvania State University. (2023). Leadership in Work—PSYCH 485, Lesson 2: Trait Approach, Penn State World Campus, The Pennsylvania State University. Emotional and Social Intelligence. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2283258/modules

Rabotin, M. B. (n.d.). Emotional intelligence @ the workplace. YouTube. [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qImr4a9kJWs

Since the onset of Covid-19, some individuals have experienced multiple leadership changes in their organization. In fact, since the start of the pandemic, twenty percent of workers have changed careers (Caporal, 2022). Many reasons are identified for the abundant and abrupt career change movement coined as the ‘great resignation.’  Specifically, employees changed jobs because of the pandemic, as a means of improving work-life balance, pay, work culture, and career growth opportunities. What is startling is that sixty-eight percent of the career changes occurred with workers learning a new skill without the knowledge or support of their current employer. Presumably, employees were chosen for their role according to their traits, knowledge, skills, and abilities. How can corporate leadership promote the vision of the organization while empowering workers, decrease turnover, improve follower satisfaction, and realize its mission of excellence?

Traits refer to a unique set of characteristics, qualities, or attributes that describe a person and are inherently unchanged over time (Northouse, 2022). Organizations put forth considerable effort to match job roles with the right person. According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the average cost per new talent acquisition is nearly $4,700 but could be as high as three to four times the position’s salary for higher level executives (Navarra, 2022). Onboarding a new hire, described as the process of helping a new hire fully transition into their new role and feel acclimated to the organizational culture, can add an average cost of $1,252 (Watts, n.d.). Managers undoubtedly went through the arduous task of identifying the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other attributes (KSAOs) job criteria, followed by weeks of recruitment and interviews. If you are lucky enough to land the perfect candidate the first time around, the challenge for leadership becomes how to engage followers to transition from extrinsic to intrinsic motivation and stop, or at least slow the ‘great resignation?’

The Kelley typology emphasizes the motivation and behaviors of followers, and provides a positive dimension to followership (Northouse, 2022). Kelley conceived five followership styles:  exemplary, conformist, passive, alienated, and pragmatist based on engagement level and critical thinking dimensions (Kelley, 1992). The follower that will help to slow the great resignation will be the exemplary follower. Exemplary followers are well-balanced and responsible adults who can succeed without strong leadership (Kelley, 1988). They offer an equal amount of value to an organization as a leader; they are the workers who get things done. Leaders who establish a culture that empowers followers extends beyond extrinsic motivation of external rewards attract and retain courageous, honest, and credible followers who are committed to the organization, its vision and mission, and focus on maximum impact.

How do leaders create a culture that nurtures exemplary followership? Self-driven followers are intrinsically motivated to support the vision and mission and have the critical skills to do so. Developing exemplary followers requires (Grensing-Pophal, n.d.; What is followership? 2023):

• Understanding leader/follower rules – recognize that leaders and followers are both tasked with carrying out initiatives. Roles can be interchangeable.
• Teach followership skills – skills such as accountability, self-sufficiency, and critical thinking can be trained through coaching, mentoring, and development training.
• Followership recognition – provide clear and specific recognition for contributions; use feedback to evaluate followership skills and prompt employees to consider improvement.
• Structure organizations to support followership – use teams without a leader or rotating leader; reward followers to take an active role in a project.
• Build trust – a powerful way to create trust in leaders is to first show trust in followers.
• Effective communication – employees must feel comfortable challenging the status quo. Effective asking, listening, and exploration creates a feeling of belonging and community.

Leaders are not leaders without followers. Effective leaders promote the vision of the organization, empowering workers, experience reduced turnover, improve follower satisfaction, and realize its mission of excellence by building a followership that see leaders and colleagues as equal members joining them on a journey. Leaders are able to build followership by creating accurate job descriptions to match followers based on KSAOs. Appropriate selection reduces ongoing recruiting and onboarding costs. Leaders build trust by establishing a culture that teaches, recognizes followers specific contributions, encourage innovation, and supporting varying structures. Organizational culture establishes intrinsic motivation for followers who believe in the vision boosting follower energy, engagement, commitment, and retention.

 

References:

Caporal, J. (2022, January 4). Here’s why 20% of Americans have changed careers since the pandemic began. The Motley Fool [Blog]. Retrieved from https://www.fool.com/research/20-percent-americans-changed-careers/

Grensing-Pophal, L. (n.d.) How great leaders inspire followership. The Predictive Index [Blog]. Retrieved from https://www.predictiveindex.com/blog/how-great-leaders-inspire-followership/

Kelley, R. E. (1988). In praise of followers. Harvard Business Review, 66(6), 142-148.

Kelley, R. E. (1992). The power of followership: How to create leaders people want to follow, and followers who lead themselves. New York, NY: Doubleday.

Navarra, K. (2022, April 11). The real costs of recruitment. Society for Human Resource Management. Retrieved from https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/talent-acquisition/pages/the-real-costs-of-recruitment.aspx

Northouse, P.G. (2022). Leadership theory & practice. 9th Ed., Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications, Inc.  

Watts, A. (n.d.) How much does it cost to onboard a new employee? eduMe [Blog]. Retrieved from https://www.edume.com/blog/cost-of-onboarding-a-new-hire

What is followership? 14 qualities of good followers. (2023, March 10). Indeed Career Guide. Retrieved from https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/followership