Leadership enhancing the lessons of experience 8th by hughes curphy chap 08

Building Credibility • Credibility is the ability to engender trust in others.. • Leaders with high levels of credibility are seen as trustworthy and having a strong sense of right and w

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Skills for Building Personal Credibility and Influencing Others

Building Credibility

• Credibility is the ability to engender trust in others.

• Leaders with high levels of credibility are seen as trustworthy and having a strong sense of right and wrong

• Credibility is comprised of two components:

1 Expertise consists of technical competence,

organizational knowledge, and industry knowledge

2 Trust is comprised of clarifying and communicating

your values and building relationships with others

The Credibility Matrix

Source: G J Curphy, Credibility: Building Your Reputation throughout the Organization (Minneapolis Personnel Decisions International, 1997).

Expertise x Trust

• Leaders in each quadrant of the Credibility Matrix have different interactions with followers.

– First quadrant leaders have high levels of both trust and

expertise; they would likely be considered highly credible

– Second quadrant leaders may include those who haven’t

spent much time with followers, who don’t follow through with commitments, or who are new to the firm and

haven’t had time to build relationships with co-workers

– Third quadrant leaders may be new college hires or

people joining the company from a different industry

They probably do not have technical competence,

organizational or industry knowledge, or time to build

relationships with co-workers

– Fourth quadrant leaders may include those who were

promoted from among peers or who transferred from

another department within the company

Communication

Figure 8.2: A Systems View of Communication

• Effective communication involves the ability to

transmit and receive information with a high

probability that the intended message is passed

from sender to receiver

• Few skills are more vital to leadership.

• The quality of a leader’s communication is

positively correlated with subordinate satisfaction, productivity, and quality of services rendered.

• The effectiveness of the communication process

depends on the successful integration of all the

steps in the communication process.

– Sending clear verbal and nonverbal signals

– Actively ensuring that others understand the message

listening to what is going on around them.

• The best listeners are active listeners.

• Passive listeners are not focused on

understanding the speaker.

– Demonstrating nonverbally that you are listening

– Actively interpreting the sender’s message

– Attending to the sender’s nonverbal behavior

– Avoiding defensive behavior

Assertiveness

• Individuals exhibiting assertive behavior are able

to stand up for their own rights (or their group’s

rights) in a way that also recognizes the

concurrent right of others to do the same.

• Assertiveness differs from acquiescence and

aggression.

– Acquiescence is avoiding interpersonal conflict entirely either by giving up and giving in or by expressing needs

in an apologetic, self-effacing way

– Aggression is an effort to attain objectives by attacking

or hurting others

• We can do several things to behave more

assertively.

– Using “I” statements

– Speaking up for what we need

– Learning to say “no” to others

– Monitoring our inner dialogue to ensure that it is positive and affirming

– Being persistent without becoming irritated, angry, or

loud

Conducting Meetings

• Meetings can help accomplish goals, exchange

information, and maintain communication

• Guth and Shaw have 7 tips for running meetings:

1 Determine whether a meeting is necessary

2 List the objectives

3 Stick to the agenda

4 Provide pertinent materials in advance

5 Make the meeting convenient

6 Encourage participation

7 Keep a record

Effective Stress Management

• Stress is the process of perceiving and responding

to situations that challenge or threaten us

• Responses may include:

• Increased levels of emotional arousal

• Changes in physiological symptoms(increases in

perspiration, heart rate, cholesterol level, or blood

• Stress can either facilitate or inhibit performance, depending on the situation Manage stress by:

– Monitoring your own and your followers’ stress levels

– Identifying what is causing the stress

– Practicing a healthy lifestyle

– Learning how to relax

– Developing supportive relationships

– Keeping things in perspective

– Applying the A-B-C Model to change self-talk

• A - Triggering Event(s)

• B - Your Thinking

• C - Feelings and Behaviors

Problem Solving

• Identify problems or opportunities for improvement

to ensure that the task is clear.

• Analyze the causes of the problem using a and-effect diagram and force field analysis.

cause-• Develop alternative solutions using the nominal

group technique (NGT) to generate ideas.

• Select and implement the best solution based on established criteria.

• Assess the impact of the solution using measurable criteria of success.

Cause-and-Effect Diagram

Figure 8.5: A Cause-and-Effect Diagram

Force Field Analysis

Figure 8.6: Force Field Analysis Example: Starting a Personal Exercise Program

Improving Creativity

• Brainstorming stimulates creative group thinking.

• Seeing things in new ways enhances creativity but

is difficult because of functional fixedness This

mental block can be overcome by:

– Thinking in terms of analogies

– Putting an idea/problem into a picture rather than words

• Leaders can use power constructively to

encourage the open expression of creative ideas.

• Forming diverse problem-solving groups

increases creativity but may also increase conflict.