Instructor Resource
Northouse, Introduction to Leadership, 5e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
Lecture Notes
Chapter 13: Overcoming Obstacles
Learning Objectives
1. Explain the importance of leaders helping followers to overcome obstacles
2. Share the solutions for seven common obstacles that affect teams and organizations
Chapter Outline
I. Introduction
A. Challenges and obstacles are an integral part of life.
II. Obstacles Explained
A. An obstacle is a hindrance, problem, or hurdle that gets in the way of followers
and makes it difficult for followers to reach their goal.
III. Overcoming Obstacles in Practice
A. Two challenges for overcoming obstacles:
i. The first challenge in helping people with obstacles is to figure out what
the problems are.
ii. The second challenge is determining what should be done to solve them.
Instructor Resource
Northouse, Introduction to Leadership, 5e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
D. Reach goals by guiding, and coaching: The leader’s job is to help group members
reach their goals by directing, guiding, and coaching them along the way.
E. Obstacle 1: Unclear Goals
i. It is not uncommon for individuals to be unclear or confused about their
goals.
ii. Sometimes the goal is not known, sometimes it is obscure, and sometimes
it is hidden among a tangle of competing goals.
F. Obstacle 2: Unclear Directions
i. Bad directions leads to ineffective performance.
ii. Unclear directions can have a debilitating effect on individuals. People
lose their capacity to move forward when they do not have clear directions
on how to proceed.
G. Obstacle 3: Low Motivation
i. Expectancy theory suggests that people will be more highly motivated
when the effort they put into a task leads to an expected outcome that they
value.
Instructor Resource
Northouse, Introduction to Leadership, 5e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
a. A leader should make sure the outcome that individuals expect from
their effort is achievable and will likely occur.
v. Help Others Value What They Do
a. Without a valued outcome, people are not motivated to put effort
toward a goal.
H. Obstacle 4: Complex Tasks
i. When a task is unstructured, ambiguous, or complex, it creates an obstacle,
making people frustrated, threatened, or overwhelmed.
I. Obstacle 5: Simple Tasks
i. Simple and repetitive tasks can have a negative impact on motivation.
ii. For work like this, it is important for a leader to use a supportive
leadership style.
a. Sense of human touch: Supportive leadership offers a sense of
human touch for those engaged in mundane mechanical activity.
J. Obstacle 6: Low Involvement
i. When people are not involved in a group or an organization, their
productivity goes down, and the group or organization suffers.
Instructor Resource
Northouse, Introduction to Leadership, 5e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
K. Obstacle 7: Lack of a Challenge
i. Some people do not work well because they are not challenged by what
they are doing.