Enterprise and Small Business Principles

Leadership in practice

As mentioned earlier, the leader gets a task completed by developing good relation­ships with colleagues and harnessing their combined resources. According to Appell (1984: 173), it is the leader’s task to ‘arouse and unite followers towards a common goal. A true leader fulfills this function by being aware of changing group needs, by arousing these needs so that they become transformed into demands. . . and by organ­ising the group so that these demands can be met through group action’. The leader ‘arouses and unites’ colleagues by:

■ listening to them and gaining their respect and trust;

■ being friendly and approachable but remaining sufficiently distant to exert authority;

■ treating them as equals without losing the capacity to exert authority;

■ paying attention to their individual as well as their collective needs;

■ involving them in agreeing objectives, reviewing results, solving problems, etc.;

■ representing their interests.

Colleagues’ resources are harnessed by ensuring they:

■ fully understand their goals and objectives and, as far as possible, are involved in determining them;

■ know how they are going to achieve these objectives and are party to deciding and agreeing the course of action to be taken;

■ are empowered to make decisions;

■ know and agree the control to be exercised over them;

■ are aware of the rewards and penalties of not achieving their objectives;

■ trust and respect the leader’s judgement.