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We have all seen The Lion King at some point in our lives, if not I am sorry, as it is a great story. I remember watching it for the first time when I was 5 at the theater, I cried a lot. The story is mainly about a young lion cub named Simba that is born into a den of lions that reigns over all wildlife within a large area (minus the shadows). Young Simba is thrown into his world exalted as the future king of The Pride Lands and is expected to take up the throne after his father. We all remember how Simba’s uncle, Scar, has different plans and wants to be the next on the throne. So Scar exacts his plan into action and becomes the new king after Simba’s father, Mufasa, perishes and Scar makes Simba run away. Years later Simba is confronted by an old friend and is told about how horrible of a leader Scar is and the he should come back to take over The Pride Lands. Simba then tries to find out if he really is the leader that is needed and is given some great wisdom from Rafiki, an old spunky baboon that is full of wisdom. It is believed that Rafiki can see more about Simba than Simba saw himself and informs Simba that based upon his sight he believes Simba has what it takes. How often does this play out in the corporate world, and how well?

Sometimes, an individual becomes a leader, not from choice but out of situation and necessity. Some seem to be able to fall into the position and do quite well, maybe they were born for the role (hint hint), but others do not. Some start of rocky and blossom, some start of great and then plummet to the bottom. How, can you determine if these individuals will be best suited for the role? To determine the effectiveness of someone as a potential leader one could use both the Situational Approach and the Contingency Theory.

“The contingency theory is similar to situation theory in that there is an assumption that no simple way is always right. Situation theory, however, focuses more on the behaviors that the leader should use. The contingency theory takes a broader view that includes contingent factors about leader capability and also includes other variables within the situation.” (Encyclopedia of Management, 2009)

Several factors of the Contingency Approach are: (Encyclopedia of Management, 2009):

The size of the organization
How the firm adapts itself to its environment
Differences among resources and operations activities
Assumption of managers about employees
Strategies
Technologies being used

In the case of personal experience I have worked for a very large call center in Maryland. Over the 3+ years I have worked here I have seen many people, some friends, become supervisors and managers. I find it most interesting watching someone with no ambition to be a leader suddenly placed into a position of authority. Many would think its a sink or swim kind of moment, but that’s not true. One case in particular stands out in regards to my current manager. She was a team lead and she was wonderful at her job, she was one of the best leads I have ever had the pleasure to work under. She was attentive, knowledgeable, and very friendly. Shortly after working in the current department she received the news that she was going to have to assume department manager. She was naturally very nervous as she wasn’t sure if she was right for the job, but upper management said she would do great considering her history as a team lead. They couldn’t have been farther from the truth.

https://youtu.be/nCSsZrzL1i0

Much like Simba this team lead was given the “lay of the land” and she could only see a small part at one time. My team lead was all for participation but not very upfront enough to tell someone what to do. At first she was optimistic and things seemed okay, but as time went on her smile was worn away into chaotic eyes and a tired face. She had never been in a management position that also entailed the administrative aspect of an entire department of IT professionals. Those of us below her began to notice discrepancies in our pay checks from hours not being keyed on time or correctly. Individuals that requires specific admin access to various software systems seemed to never get the higher level access, all because this team lead would overlook many things. There is something that could have helped her drastically in her transition to management. Upper management assumed that because she was very good at her current position that she would be great in a slightly different position with much more responsibility. If the Contingency Approach had been applied it may have played out that this team lead was not the right fit.

The Contingency Approach is a lot like the Situational Approach in that it looks to study how specific types of leadership or best for which role (PSU WC, 2016, 5.2 p.13) This manager never had her skills, traits, power, authority, and employee relations studied and analyzed. Because of this an unfair treatment to both her and ourselves occurred which caused many to lose out on pay or vacation time or even faith in this manager’s ability, when they had been high before. With even trying to determine if she would be a proper fit for the elevated position they tossed her in and she has had quite the time adjusting to her newest role. If even a brief study of my team lead’s past would have been conducted they would have know that someone else would have been the right fit.

“Contingency Approach to Management.” Encyclopedia of Management. 2009. Retrieved February 23, 2016 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3273100055.htm

Pennsylvania State University World Campus. (2016). Lesson 6: Contingency and path theories: Part 2: Path-Goal Theory. PSYCH485: Leadership in work settings. Retrieved from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/sp16/psych485/001/content/06_lesson/04_topic/02_page.html.

In #PSYCH485 this week, the focus was on the trait approach to leadership. When people hear the word “leadership”, there mind automatically thinks of a person, an experience, or a definition. Individuals all have their own thoughts on what it takes to be a leader, how a leader acts, and why leaders are needed. Let’s be honest in how the common person views a leader: intelligent, understanding, trustworthy, determined, and self-assured. They have all the five main traits that Peter G. Northouse lists in Chapter 2 of his book “Leadership Theory and Practice”. It seems like a leader has it all together. After all, if they have made it to the point in life where they are able to direct others in to doing something that they have already mastered, they must be successful. Wouldn’t we all rather be leaders than followers?

There is something about the word “follower” that simply sounds like it is a bad thing. It’s a labeling name that you don’t want to be called in your social circle. I can hear it in my head now, the judgments that one pass to the person who would be considered a follower. When is she going to stop being a follower and start thinking for her own mind. Or the one thing that we have all heard or said ourselves, He is following in his father’s footsteps. Even if it’s NOT a bad idea for that person to be a follower, there will always be at least one person who says it with negativity, as though the only way to success is through leadership.

I could sit for hours and discuss how being a follower can still be a leader per se, but my focus is on the leader right now: that individual who can do no wrong because their traits are of high honor. Let me show assurance that I have not a cold heart towards leaders. I have many great leaders in my life, and feel that I am one for others as well. I find this topic of leadership intriguing, in that there are always positive traits that leaders are known for and praised on. There is a dark side of personality traits that people seem to forget about. Thankfully, the Penn State World Campus course ‘PSYCH 485’ in the Lesson 2 commentary addresses these six negative traits that leaders can have.

As based on the commentary, the six personality traits that are viewed dark-sided are: “argumentative; interpersonal insensitivity; narcissism; fear of failure; perfectionism; impulsivity.” The bad personality traits can be viewed as opposite effects that occur when the main five positive traits are taken too far, or not far enough. Intelligence can become argumentative. Self-confidence can lead to narcissism. Determination can show a fear of failure and strive for perfectionism. Interpersonal insensitivity replaces integrity. Sociability has the extreme opposite skills as that of impulsivity. If a leader has a handful of great traits, but even one dark-side trait, are they really a great leader?

It interests me to study the dark-side of leadership traits, mainly because exposing the hidden layers of any individual can lead to a better understanding of society. We don’t actually know all that we think we know from what we see when we first see it. Being a follower is generally associated with a negative perception, but at least those individuals keep it real with their strengths and weaknesses. Leaders can move mountains, which is needed in the world, but that does not mean they will have a happy and successful life. A successful leader needs to stay clear of the dark-side leadership traits, because they will ruin all that they have worked hard to become. My advice to all leaders is to stay passionate about your field of work, and don’t let the increasing demands and stress take over your mind and soul.

For additional reading, check out this link: https://www.psychologytoday.com/files/attachments/157670/leader-development-and-dark-side-personality.pdf. It offers a great perspective on dark-side leader traits, including a study that took place involving statistics, strategies, and analysis.

References:

Northouse, Peter G. (Ed.). (2015). Leadership: Theory and Practice (7th Ed.).Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Pennsylvania State University (2016). Leadership in Work Settings—PSYCH 485. Online course lesson. Penn State World Campus. The Pennsylvania State University. Retrieved January 21, 2016 from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/sp16/psych485/002/content/02_lesson/06_page.html

The Situation on Contingency

Not All Leaders Are Perfect