Business and Professional Communication, 3rd edition
Kelly M. Quintanilla, Shawn T. Wahl
Chapter 10: Leadership and Conflict Management
Lecture Notes
Learning Objec&ves:
10-1 Discuss what constitutes leadership and power
10-2 Explain the relationship between leadership theory and communication
10-3 Discuss communication strategies for hiring quality employees
10-4 Describe ways to lead e!ective teams
Outline:
I. Introduction
A. What constitutes a great leader is constantly debated.
i. Great leaders thrive on ambiguity.
ii. Great leaders are secure people.
iii. Great leaders are passionate.
iv. Great leaders are ruthlessly honest with themselves.
II. What is Leadership?
A. In the past, leadership has been viewed as a collection of traits, a leadership-as-traits
approach.
i. Leadership and charisma—described as magnetic charm, allure, and ability to
appeal to followers.
B. Leadership is a dynamic relationship based on mutual in1uence and common purpose
between leaders and collaborators in which both are moved to higher levels of
motivation and moral development as they e!ect real, intended change.
III. Utilizing Power
A. Legi&mate power refers to power based on positions of authority.
B. Coercive power refers to power through negative reinforcement.
C. Reward power refers to power through positive reinforcement.
D. Expert power is power based on an individual’s expertise in a given field.
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G. Examining types of power reveals there is a di!erence between managers and leaders.
i. Managerial func&ons represent legitimate power from having the title of
manager.
ii. Leadership func&ons represent a variety of types of power.
IV. Improving Communication With Leadership Theories
A. Broad categories that explain systems of government leadership
i. Authorita&ve style—leader makes all the decisions with li9le input from the
team.
B. Behavioral Theories
i. Theory X managers view employees as lacking motivation, prefer being told
what to do, and disliking work.
ii. Theory Y managers view employees as responsible and motivated by goals,
desire to work is natural, and most organizations don’t utilize the full potential
of employees.
C. Situational Leadership Theories
i. The Managerial Grid describes 6ve managerial styles.
a. Impoverished manager—a low concern for the people and the task.
b. Country club manager—a high concern for people and low concern for
the task.
c. Authoritative manager—a low concern for people and high concern for
the task.
e. Team manager—a high concern for people and the task.
ii. Contingency Theory
a. Con&ngency theory states that there is no “best” way to lead.
b. What is the leader-follower relationship?
c. What is the task structure?
d. What is the position power?
iii. Situational Leadership Theory
a. Situa&onal leadership theory suggests that leaders take into account
the level of maturity and readiness of the subordinates before choosing
the best communication style.
D. Transformational Leadership Theory
i. Transforma&onal leadership theory says leaders articulate a goal or vision to an
organization
V. Hiring the Right Team
A. Developing the new employee profile
i. Leader should participate in every stage of the hiring process, as well as the
team.
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ii. Innovative leaders use vacancies as an opportunity to evaluate team duties and
needs as they exist currently.
iii. Important competencies for new positions should include:
a. An openness and excitement about training and developing new skills.
B. During the interview
i. Before the interview, the leader should have reviewed the interview questions.
ii. The leader should establish a professional tone to the interview process,
emphasizing to everyone the importance of professional excellence.
iii. The leader should help the interviewee feel relaxed and at ease.
C. A;er the interview
i. A;er the interview, the leader should follow up and make sure the new
employees are receiving the proper orientation, training, and resources they
need to work e!ectively.
VI. Following Up and Following Through
A. E!ective leaders develop a norm of following up on assigned tasks.
VII. Communicating About Your Team
A. The way you communicate about your team will get back to your team.
i. Leaders with professional excellence publicly assume responsibility for team
mistakes.
ii. The buck stops with the leader and he or she takes the public blame for the
team.
B. When your team has met expectations, exceeded expectations, or had an outstanding
performance, the leader publicly gives credit to the team.
VIII. Dealing With difficult People
A. Meet Your Organizational Family.
i. Organizational employees each have roles that are similar to family roles;
knowing your own personal characteristics and determining what kind of
employee you are is the 6rst step to working with difficult colleagues.
ii. Re1ect on the roles of others within your organizational family and assess how
each impacts your organization.
a. Bully—uses aggression and anger to get his or her way.
b. Sniper—during meetings or discussions, adds comments meant to hurt
or wound others.
c. Drama Queen—loves to create drama in the workplace by starting
gossip, arguments, and holds grudges.
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B. Leader as Parent
i. When using a family metaphor to describe organizational relationships, leaders
take on the metaphoric role of parents.
ii. E!ective leaders can take on parental tasks such as training employees and
IX. Giving Feedback
A. SeHng Expectations
i. A discussion of clear expectations with employees is important for the leader to
have in order to collectively develop an organizational vision.
ii. De6ne excellence in professionalism and standards of performance.
B. Provide Feedback Regularly
i. Don’t wait for the annual feedback trap.
ii. Don’t be conflict avoidant and save all feedback for the o:cial performance
C. Holding Team Members Accountable
i. Leaders should hold team members accountable, and if a discussion of an
employee’s weaknesses is needed, it should take place in private to respect the
person’s privacy and allow them to save face.
D. Motivating Through Feedback
i. Goal-Se;ng Theory is thought to be the most e!ective at motivating employees
by developing goals as a team rather than having them assigned to each
member.
ii. Enacting consequences is an essential job duty as a leader; 6ring employees,
although it may be tough, is o;entimes what is best for the team.
a. Scripting helps by mentally rehearsing what you will say in the
discussion.
b. Firing employees may be necessary.
1. No reason to feel guilty if you have followed all the steps to help
E. PuHng it together using the KEYS to professional excellence.
X. Managing Your Public Image
A. Public image is the impression you give or present to others both verbally and
nonverbally.
B. Public image you should want to present is that of a leader with professional excellence.
C. Impression management is directing the formation of the impression, perception, or
view others have of you.
i. Do not try to create a false impression.
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ii. If you want to be viewed as a leader, act and dress like a leader.
XI. KEYS to Excellence in Leadership
A. Know yourself—understand how you act as a leader and assess if you would like working
for a boss like yourself.
B. Evaluate the professional context—learn more about the environment of your company
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