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Leadership Failure
Steven Clark was the administrator for a non-profit health care center between 2004 and 2014. Clark’s tenure was full of instability, abuse of power and overall failed leadership. He was uncompromising, ruthless and abusive earning him the nickname “killer.” The nickname “killer” was given to Clark by his employees due to the fact that he was constantly firing his employees and when he threatened to fire someone he would say “you’re going to get shot” referring to the fact that he was going to kill their job. Clark was known to fire at least one employee a week to keep his employees on their toes if they wanted to keep their job. He took the nickname in pride and even purchased a paintball gun to keep in his office to shot
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at his employees when they did not comply with his orders. Fiedler contingency theory states that the effectiveness of a leader is dependent upon the situation.
According to Fiedler a leader’s leadership style is a constant variable while the leader’s effectiveness changes with the situation as the situation changes. Based on Fielder’s contingency model Clark was a task-motivated leader. He was primarily motivated by the success and accomplishment of the assignments and undertakings of the organization. When he delegated assignments to his employees he expected his orders to be completed exactly as he requested without any deviation. As a task motivated leader, Clark tended to be extremely harsh in judgment when his employees failed on any part of a task or assignment. In addition Nahavandi (2015) indicates that task motivated leaders are also highly punitive which Clark demonstrated as well. Furthermore, Clark always made it very clear what his position was and the role he played in the organization. In his opinion his role and position as an administrator was to control and direct the organization anyway he deemed …show more content…
fit. The most significant element of any leader is the condition and characteristics of their leader-member relations (Nahavandi, 2015). In order to have good leader-member relations the followers must be cohesive and supportive of their leader. They must provide the leader with a high degree of control so that that they may implement the ideas and initiatives they desire. In Clark’s situation his followers were divided. Most of his employees did not support or respect his decisions as a leader while a few did support him completely. This created a clear and evident divide within the organization resulting in Clark having low leader-member relations. Second in significance in a leader’s situational control is the leader’s clarity of their tasks (Nahavandi, 2015). Clark had very highly structured tasks with clear goals and procedures giving him complete control over the assignments he assigned. Thirdly and the “least influential element of the leadership situation is the leader’s position of power” (Nahavandi, 2015, p.70). Clark was the administrator of the organization therefore he held the highest position of power. He had the formal and legitimate power over every employee in the organization. He could reward, punish, fire or hire whoever he desired whenever he desired. Clark demonstrated to have moderate-situational control; he had poor leader-member relations, highly structured tasks and held a position with a high level of power. When a leader has moderate-situational control they do so due to the lack of either group cohesiveness or lack of task structure. Clark’s moderate-situational control stemmed from his low leader-member relations which resulted in a lack of group cohesiveness. This led to a leadership which was abstruse and unreliable. According to Nahavandi (2015) task completion is in jeopardy in a moderate situational-control. Due to the lack of support from his followers Clark at times thought that tasks he assigned would not be completed or completed to his specifications. This resulted in Clark becoming imperious and overtly controlling with his employees. He would also become oppressive, ignore relationship conflicts and tried to complete the task in any manner he could just so he may feel a sense of accomplishment. The fundamental element of the contingency model is the notion of match. The leader’s leadership style must match their situational control. Clark demonstrated to rely heavily on the nature of task completion to drive his leadership. He also demonstrate to have moderate-situational control. Based on the contingency model a task motivated leader is effective only in high-situational control and low-situational control circumstances. The reason for this is that the relatively more directive task-focused leadership style is most suitable when an organized situation offers the leader with the ability to deliver direction and their followers to be supportive of their leadership decisions (Chemers, 2000). Only the relationship motivated leader is effective in the moderate-situational control. Based on Fiedler’s model Clark’s leadership style did not match his situational control making him an ineffective and futile leader. Clark’s lack of support from his followers and need to successfully accomplish tasks caused him to portray unconstructive and pessimistic behaviors. Clark displayed many characteristics of the behaviors of the dark triad. The dark triad consist of three self-promoting and emotionally cold patterns of traits and behaviors which are contrary to the “emotional connection and fair and honest exchange that is essential to effective leaders” (Nahavandi, 2015, p.129). Many of the elements of Machiavellianism, narcissism and psychopathy were displayed by Clark. According to Furtner, Rauthmann and Sachse (2011) narcissism can be identified by the traits of “feelings of superiority, entitlement, leadership and authority (p.370). Clark frequently made it abundantly clear that he was the administrator and he had the authority to do what he wanted. This included shooting several of his employees with a paintball gun when they did not comply with his orders and ignoring the rules of the organization. Clark ignored and broke the rules of the organization whenever they became an obstacle to his achievement of his tasks and goals. Many times he left the clients of the health care center in homeless shelters, across the border in Mexico or anywhere the client wanted just so he could continue to get more clients into the organization and in essence make more money. This was against the organization’s policy which stated that the organization’s clients had to be taken to a secure and safe environment such as their home or the home of a friend or family. Clark did this because the more successful the organization became the more incentives he would procure. Many times Clark made his employees take the clients to those locations in their cars which was also against the organization’s policy. Based on Furtner, Rauthmann and Sachse (2011) definition of Machiavellianism and psychopathy Clark demonstrated elements of both as well. Under Machiavellianism Clark was strategic in his calculations and tactics to pursue his own goals. He also lacked empathy toward the organization’s clients and his employees. Furthermore, he was deceptive and manipulated many of his employees into breaking the organization’s rules. Clark also demonstrated he was remorseless, selfish and constantly would display irresponsible behavior. Clark disregarded any obstacles in his way to achieve his goals with a significant indifference for his employees. In addition Nahavandi (2015) indicates that leaders who possess the dark triad bully their employees and can even be “abusive, cruel, and threating” all of which Clark demonstrated (p.126). The significance of making a connection with their followers is essential to leadership, therefore the characteristics of the dark triad are detrimental and unfavorable to leaders. Leadership requires fair exchanges, mutual observance of the rules, acknowledgement of responsibilities, and obligation to others, all of which are lacking from the characteristics and traits of the dark triad which results in ineffective leadership. According to Nahavandi (2015) many of the known characteristics and factors of failed leadership relate to the dark triad. Part of the organization’s procedures indicated that as an administrator Clark must create a group which would provide supplementary support and aid in making major decisions for the organization. Clark formed the group only of individuals who fully supported him and his beliefs. He deliberately created an atmosphere which would promote and encourage groupthink. According to Nahavandi (2015) a “key antecedent of groupthink is directive leadership” which Clark exhibited. He would uphold an idea and concept when a decision had to be made and would not allow alternatives to be evaluated or contingency plans be developed. Due to fear of punishment and discouragement of dissent his employees would simply agree with him or stay quiet. As a result of Clark’s discouragement of dissent which is seen as the most frequent reason for decision making failure (Packer, 2009). His group failed to make positive decisions and in turn Clark failed as a leader of the group as well as the organization. According to Nahavandi (2015) non-profit organizations are based on the values and ideologies of philanthropy and selfless contribution.
Trustworthiness, self-sacrifice and integrity are all elements of leadership and are all the more so in non-profit organizations. Clark exhibited on many occasions that he did not always ethically or morally run the organization. Leaders of non-profit organizations also “require considerable skills in motivating and inspiring their followers” (Nahavandi, 2015, p. 234). Clark essentially did the opposite. He instilled fear and dread into his employees. In order to be an effective leader in a non-profit organization the leader must empower their employees, use all accessible resources by utilizing the power of teams and participating in creatively solving problems which Clark did none (Nahavandi,
2015). Many ineffective leaders who fail show clear signs of greed, lack of caring for others and unethical behaviors. In addition “lack of people skills and the inability to manage relationship are central causes of failure” (Nahavandi, 2015, p. 127). Clark exhibited all these characteristics and more which caused him to fail as a leader.
As Kerr is an educator and a professor in universities and not an economist, he examines his idea or creativity in the organization by making inquires starting from top management to the bottom in the organization and also to people who knew what the buyer or customer should be; then he would run it through his network in and outside GE to cross examination and double check or assessment (Davenport et al). Kerr’s successes effectively with the standing of ideas and creativity mainly rely on his continuing exploratory research with great creative thinking skills, expertise and motivation, and they also depend on his outstanding leadership and exceptional organizational culture of innovation in GE (Davenport et al, 2003).
From serial killers to corrupt politicians, power never ceases to course through the veins of man. J. Edgar Hoover, for example, at first wanted to rid the streets of America of criminals and build up the law enforcement in in country. As time went on, he became more infatuated with power. He began to keep files on people as high as the president and his power began to eat him alive. He changed from the honorable duty driven young agent to a corrupted and self-centered old man. Hoover represents a history that many are ashamed to admit to, including “secret campaigns to spy on and discredit political enemies, anti-war activists, and civil rights leaders such as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.” (Goldman). Politics are a given when it comes to corrupt power, as many politicians and world leaders tend to become so absorbed in their newfound power that it consumes them and almost rewires their brains. However, many don’t think of how power corrupts people like serial killers. The case of Richard Ramirez from the 1980s is a relatively newer example when compared to extensive histories of other killers such as Ed Gein or John Wayne Gacy. While he didn 't have any power in the conventional way, his power came from murder. The rush one gets from taking the life of another living being almost seemed like a high to him. It gave him a lot of control over
Stephen King often called; “Master of Horror” is a well-known author for his horror stories, and science fiction novels. He had many influences on how has written his books. King has also faced many hardships within his life.
The situational leadership theory states that leaders use different styles and strategies depending on the situation. There are two models that support this theory. The Fiedler’s Contingency Model of Leadership Effectiveness states that an “effective leadership occurs only when there is an ideal match between the leader’s style and the group’s work situation” (pg
Yukl, G. (2012). Effective leadership behavior: What we know and what questions need more attention. Academy Of Management Perspectives, 26(4), 66-85. doi:10.5465/amp.2012.0088
I have been fortunate to work with several heads of departments within a couple years of graduating college. During this time, I have worked with quality leaders and not so great ones. The quality leaders were competent, skillful and endowed with people skills. These leaders gave me the opportunity to grow and a sense of purpose. After reading The Leadership Advantage by Warren Bennis, I was quickly reminded about a former superior of mine that lacked the understanding and knowledge of what qualities a leader should have. The company also did not entertain a culture that promotes employee satisfaction.
The Trait Theory points out that there is a certain type of person making a good leader, with the decisive factor being: having or not having distinctive qualities of being a leader. Despite that, being an effective leader can still be a challenge. External and internal influences impact the effectiveness of the program and must be considered in order to succeed. Which leads us to the Behavioural Theory, thinking of what a good leader actually does. Kurt Lewin developed three leadership types, such as the autocratic leader who is a maker, someone who makes decisions without consultation with others.
Fiedler’ model is considered the first highly visible theory to present the contingency approach. It stated that effective groups depend on a proper match between a leader’s style of interacting with subordinates and the degree to which the situation gives control and influence to the leader (Fiedler, 1967). Fiedler argued that the leadership style could be indentified by taking a Least Preferred Co-worker (LPC) questionnaire he designed. When evaluating a least enjoyed co-worker, a relationship oriented leader scores high in LPC, while a task oriented leader scores low. Fiedler identified three contingency or situational dimensions: leader-member relations, task structure, and position power. A leader will have more control if he has better leader-member relations, high structured job, and stronger position power. The task-oriented leaders perform best in situations of high and low control, while relationship-oriented leaders perform best in moderate control situations. Feedler views an individual’s leadership style as fixed. To assure leader effectiveness, either situation needs to change to fit the leader or the leader needs to be replaced to fit the situation. But in reality, a leader can not use a homogeneous style to treat all their followers in a similar fashion in their work unit (Robbins & Judge, 2011, p. 382).
Our book defines effective leadership as a situation that occurs when a leader changes a follower’s behavior, resulting in both leader and follower feeling satisfied and effective (Landy and Conte 2016). The reason why I say this is because he came in with an agenda or a certain goal and he did it. Even though there was a lot of opposition at first, he prevailed forward. His ways may have seemed very radical, but he knew what his self-mission was, and he turned the teachers, students and even helped in the long run. For example, Samms was considered a typical child that didn’t want to do no better and just been getting by. But Joe made him hold himself accountable for his actions and showed him how they effect not only himself but others. Kaneesha Carter was consider a very smart student but came from typical low income single family. He helps her deal with her unemployed mother and when she’s gets pregnant, Mr. Clark is still by her side. With both situations he gives them hope and allows himself to be a positive figure to both. Let’s be honest they haven’t seen many strong educated African American male, so he represents to them
The author called out for servant leadership for long-term success for all stakeholders. Similar to other professions leader needs to hone their abilities to be effective in their leadership role. To find a purpose in what you achieve besides money, power, and fame resonates with the True North. A leader should act in the best interests of the organization that would lead to a greater good. To have a balance between IQ and EQ will lead to leadership with the True North. Passion, compassion, empathy, and courage matters the heart decisions are important components of the True North. To develop as a worthy human being, a leader must become self aware, integrated human being, and comfortable being his/herself. In addition a leader with the True North moves from I to we, is humble, serve customers, empower people, and align personal values with organization’s mission. A leader with True North demonstrates a high degree of integrity and walks his/her talk. A leader with a True North is an integrated leader with fine balance between personal, family, work, and community life. On a similar note, a leader with True North aligns and nourishes their mind, body, and soul.
In my view, people employ certain traits that differentiate us from our neighbor next door, and leadership is no different. The test produced by the University of Kent in the United Kingdom (University of Kent, n.d.) has developed a process that I feel accurately defines what sort of leader you are based on 50 simple questions. I was not surprised by the results and found them to be quite accurate and expected. In this essay, I will explore why I feel the test is an accurate way to determine your leadership style due to my personal experience with
Another example of his bad leadership style is that his employees can’t obey him and the sure thing they can’t disagree with him. These two examples made him a leader that his employees will have difficulties to cope with him. Is difficult to work under such conditions. Some people can not be effective if they have to follow such rules in a company.
The leadership style that was possessed here was autocratic leadership. Autocratic leadership involves the leader making decisions and using power to control the situation and others Kelly, P.,
In the contingency leadership theories both the task and the follower’s characteristics are used to determine which behavior is better suited for effective leadership. Within the contingency approach are several factors to consider: the quality of relationships, tasks and activities to be performed, perceptions of the leader based on history, the motivation of both the leader and the follower, and personal characteristics influencing the situation (Leadership Theories and Studies, 2009). The first contingency leadership theories studies were conducted by Fred Fiedler, a leadership researcher and the earliest pioneer in the field of contingency leadership, who focused on how situational variables interact with leader personality and behavior (Contingency Approach to Management, 2009); from these studies he developed the contingency leadership model. The contingency leadership model is used to determine whether a person’s leadership style is task– or relationship-oriented, and if the situation (leader-member relationships, task structure and position power) matches the leader’s style to maximize performance (Lussier & Achua, 2010). Fielder discovered that leadership effectiveness was dependent on the factors of the leader–follower relationship, task structure, and leader position.
Ethical leadership organizational ethics and socially responsibility are inseparable (Johnson). Leadership is not a inherited gift or family heritage; it is not a degree from an ivy league graduate school. Becoming a leader is an intentional process of growth that must be lived out experientially (Mullane). Ethical leaders demonstrate three distinctive characteristics, knowledge, action and character. Leaders have to have the ability to say “yes” or even “no” to a never ending series of challenges. A leader needs to be able to define their values, character and leadership style. When accepting the role of leadership you become encumbered by ethical issues and concerns. .