Lecture 3: Diversity in leadership II

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Instructors:
Lauren Rodda
Amanda Mok

Topics:
Diversity in leadership II

» Download English-US transcript (PDF)

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AMANDA MOK: So right now we're going to talk about the different styles of leadership. Last week, we looked at different movie clips and music clips, and now we're going to look at, actually, like characterized leaders. And so first of all, we have-- I don't have all the handouts, because it didn't print out.

LAUREN RODDA: Yeah. That's fine. Can you guys bring down the boards? So we're going to do a little brainstorming session here. So there's lots of types of leaderships, and you can't generalize. You know? It's very-- this is just one way to categorize leaders.

So not that you necessarily know what all these words mean, but what do you guys think some of these are? You can add to any of them, but let's start with transformational. What do you think a transformational leader would be? OK. Go for it.

AUDIENCE: Someone who believes in change and [INAUDIBLE] a lot of the change.

LAUREN RODDA: Good. Anybody else?

AUDIENCE: Innovation.

AMANDA MOK: Hm?

AUDIENCE: Innovation?

LAUREN RODDA: Innovation. OK. What else? What else do we add up there?

AMANDA MOK: Who do you think are transformational leaders? How about coaches? Athletes?

AUDIENCE: Barack Obama.

LAUREN RODDA: Barack Obama.

AMANDA MOK: Obama was a change. Yes.

AUDIENCE: A leader will help people rise above what they are right now, will help them get higher in what they do.

LAUREN RODDA: So a person who promot-- believes in promot-- can you say it? Like--

AUDIENCE: Like help people rise above and help what they can do, help to achieve what they want to do.

LAUREN RODDA: OK. Promoting others.

AMANDA MOK: Can you think of anyone who is a transformational leader in your life? For instance, if you're in sports, does your coach inspire you to change yourself?

AUDIENCE: Yeah. Look at things differently.

AMANDA MOK: Who else could take that role in society?

AUDIENCE: Parents?

LAUREN RODDA: Feel free to disagree or agree.

AUDIENCE: Bosses.

AMANDA MOK: Bosses.

AUDIENCE: Teachers.

AMANDA MOK: Teachers.

AUDIENCE: Friends?

AMANDA MOK: Friends, yeah. Friends would generally change you.

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE].

AMANDA MOK: Basically, the premise of a transformational leader is a person that makes change in whatever group they want to. They want to alter something about the world around them, and that's how they bring about their goal.

LAUREN RODDA: Very often, they have a clear vision, inspirational leaders.

AMANDA MOK: And then we have transactional leaders. So does anybody know what a transaction is? Like, when you buy something, you're exchanging money, and you're getting an object back. Right?

So let's say I buy a shirt. So I'm transacting money for this shirt. So transactional leaders work in the same way. They say, if you do this for me, I'll give you some benefit. And that's how they get people to do what they want.

AUDIENCE: JFK.

AMANDA MOK: JFK? How so?

AUDIENCE: His quote?

AMANDA MOK: Huh?

AUDIENCE: His quote. "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."

AMANDA MOK: OK. But are you supposed to get something back from that?

AUDIENCE: Yes.

AMANDA MOK: What do you get?

AUDIENCE: Results.

AMANDA MOK: What other leaders are there out there that do that?

AUDIENCE: Corporation leaders. The ones who lead a corporation and get it richer, and they get the money in return for promoting-- like [INAUDIBLE].

LAUREN RODDA: So whenever you work at a job, right? You're getting something for helping with some vision or some goal.

AMANDA MOK: For instance, every company always has a mission statement or a vision statement. And as an employee of that company, you're helping towards that mission, but in return, you're getting money. So that's the sort of transaction dilemma that's going on.

LAUREN RODDA: But does it have to be always money? Is that the only reward you can get? Money is the only thing that will motivate people to do something?

AUDIENCE: Something as moral support.

LAUREN RODDA: Moral support. I heard something back there.

AUDIENCE: I said in most cases.

LAUREN RODDA: In most cases. Well, OK. What about the other cases?

AUDIENCE: Time?

LAUREN RODDA: Time. OK. What else? Other motivating factors.

AUDIENCE: Like, they're actually doing something good.

LAUREN RODDA: OK. And we'll write morals.

AUDIENCE: I didn't see any--

LAUREN RODDA: Oh? What did you say?

AUDIENCE: Power?

LAUREN RODDA: Power. What kind of power?

AUDIENCE: Well, it's a dictator.

LAUREN RODDA: No, that's valid. That's valid.

AUDIENCE: You need-- well, a lot of times, dictators are put into their positions by the people, and the people expect to get something out of it. Some kind of changes, like probably the government, just the way that they [INTERPOSING VOICES].

AMANDA MOK: OK. Yes. Very good. Do you think, in systems with transactional leadership, there's discipline involved? Like very set goals, very set levels of where you fit in the hierarchy? Or is it just wishy-washy? I give you this, you give me this back? Where there are rewards, do there have to be punishments?

AUDIENCE: Yeah.

AUDIENCE: The golden rule.

LAUREN RODDA: What?

AUDIENCE: The golden rule.

LAUREN RODDA: Golden rule?

AUDIENCE: Yeah.

AUDIENCE: Sometimes a bad transactional leader [INAUDIBLE] trades in the black market and stuff like that.

LAUREN RODDA: OK. Well, you said yeah.

AMANDA MOK: There have to be punishments in addition to rewards.

AUDIENCE: Yeah. Because like you would want to do one thing and then get something out of it. And depending on what you do, you can something good or something bad out of it. I mean, in work, you get money. You break the law, you go to jail, [INAUDIBLE].

AMANDA MOK: OK. So law enforcement is very transactional, right? How about charismatic leaders? What is charisma?

AUDIENCE: People who draw a crowd. The ability to be able to speak to a bunch of people without letting them get bored and able to persuade them to your ideals.

AMANDA MOK: Did everyone hear that? No? You want to say it louder?

AUDIENCE: The ability to draw in a crowd, to be able to tell them what they can do and to be able to persuade them to accept your ideals and your goals.

AMANDA MOK: OK. So charisma can be also said to be the ability to speak to people and get them to understand your message. Right? Who are some charismatic leaders we can think of, in today's politics, perhaps?

AUDIENCE: Obama.

AMANDA MOK: Obama. Go on. Yeah.

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE].

AMANDA MOK: How about in the past? History?

AUDIENCE: MLK.

LAUREN RODDA: No, that's pretty good. Oprah's fine.

AMANDA MOK: Oprah. Yeah?

AUDIENCE: Charles Manson?

AMANDA MOK: Who?

AUDIENCE: Charles Manson.

AMANDA MOK: Yeah. You were saying?

AUDIENCE: MLK.

AMANDA MOK: MLK.

AUDIENCE: Thomas Jefferson?

AMANDA MOK: Thomas Jefferson. All these very charismatic people got a message to a lot of people to get them--

AUDIENCE: John Lennon?

AUDIENCE: Benjamin Franklin?

LAUREN RODDA: Yeah. Very good.

AUDIENCE: Hitler.

AMANDA MOK: Ooh. So--

AUDIENCE: It is true.

AMANDA MOK: Is he charismatic? Yes?

AUDIENCE: Yes.

AMANDA MOK: OK.

AUDIENCE: But not in a good way.

AUDIENCE: It could be in a good way.

LAUREN RODDA: Well, was he effective?

AUDIENCE: Yes.

LAUREN RODDA: There we go. He got a whole country under his thumb.

AUDIENCE: Gandhi?

LAUREN RODDA: Gandhi. That was good. All set.

AUDIENCE: I can't even remember them all. Is there a difference between good leadership and a good leader?

AUDIENCE: Yeah.

AUDIENCE: Hitler was a good leader, but he wasn't good in the black and white sense.

AUDIENCE: No, he had good leadership skills, [INAUDIBLE] that doesn't mean he was a good person.

LAUREN RODDA: I heard a lot more yeses out there. Let me hear from the second row. Sam. Samantha? What do you think?

AUDIENCE: Well, yes, [INAUDIBLE] you could be a good leader where you could get people to follow you [INAUDIBLE].

LAUREN RODDA: OK.

AUDIENCE: Morals and motives play an important role in leadership. Kind of what the leader wants [INAUDIBLE] more power as opposed to [INAUDIBLE].

LAUREN RODDA: OK. And then--

AMANDA MOK: Are we moving on?

LAUREN RODDA: Sure.

AMANDA MOK: Then we have servant leaders. So basically, servant leaders, instead of saying, I'm going to be the leader of my group, they say to themselves, I want to help these people, and this is how I'm going to give them my service. So what kind of people do you think-- or what examples can you give me of servant leaders [INAUDIBLE] other people.

AUDIENCE: The president is supposed to be that way.

AMANDA MOK: Hm?

AUDIENCE: The president's supposed to be that way.

AMANDA MOK: Is he supposed to? Is he? Roosevelt? How so?

AUDIENCE: Because he had a plan to help the people. Help the people get out of the Depression. And the laws he passed and the programs he created were designed to help other people.

AMANDA MOK: OK. Any other examples?

AUDIENCE: Yeah. Chamberlain.

AMANDA MOK: Who?

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE] Chamberlain. Which war was this? World War II. The people in England, they didn't want to go to fight, and Chamberlain was like, yeah. You don't want to go to fight? We'll make a speech about peace.

AMANDA MOK: OK. So representing for you the thoughts from the people you're actually supposed to represent accurately. Who else was a servant leader?

AUDIENCE: Gandhi?

AMANDA MOK: Gandhi.

AUDIENCE: What's the name [INAUDIBLE]?

AMANDA MOK: Do you want to explain more? I don't know who [INAUDIBLE].

AUDIENCE: He was a guy who lived in Warsaw, and he tried to [INAUDIBLE] that children's education is more important than what you guys do, and they respected also her [INAUDIBLE].

AMANDA MOK: OK. What about Mother Theresa? What was her goal in life, and how did she work to do her mission?

AUDIENCE: She tried to help the poor. She tried to-- a lot of people in India were really, really poor, and some didn't have homes. Some live on the streets and didn't have something to eat. So she tried to set up homes and stuff so that they could have food to eat and a place to stay. So she helped them.

AMANDA MOK: And in doing so, did she sort of become a leader of that movement? Volunteering, helping other people who are in need?

AUDIENCE: Mhm.

LAUREN RODDA: Zura, what do you think?

AUDIENCE: Prophet Muhmmad, he was a prophet. Prophet Muhammad. I think he was a very good [INAUDIBLE]. He was a servant from God. And he did a lot of things to help the poor and the needy. He also considered himself like them, so [INAUDIBLE].

LAUREN RODDA: So empathy? Do you think empathy is important for some reason?

AUDIENCE: Putting people before yourself.

LAUREN RODDA: Yeah.

AMANDA MOK: Definitely.

AUDIENCE: I know [INAUDIBLE].

LAUREN RODDA: OK.

AUDIENCE: His name was Homer. He was actually a leader of-- he was the second leader of the-- there was an empire after [INAUDIBLE]. He would do-- he would do things like wander around the city at night and make sure everybody was satisfied when-- he would make sure that nobody went hungry or anything. And he would do it himself. [INAUDIBLE].

LAUREN RODDA: Yeah, that's a good example. So some of the examples we've heard, it's like singular people, but servant leadership, all you've been saying is serving the people, being among the people, which is a very general word. But can you do it by yourself?

AUDIENCE: No. You need help no matter what you think. The one person can change a lot of people's perspective. They can't do anything alone. You need somebody [INAUDIBLE].

AUDIENCE: And support, always, to do anything.

LAUREN RODDA: So when you see a servant leader, they have to understand that people are trying to aid or help, if that's their vision, to support those around them. You have to be able to empathize. You have to have the cooperation of the people. Because if they don't-- if you think this thing would be great for them, but it's not what they need, but it's effective towards your goal. So [INAUDIBLE].

[LAUGHTER]

OK. So is there anything missing?

AUDIENCE: Other kinds of leaders?

LAUREN RODDA: Sure. Yeah.

AUDIENCE: Tyrannical?

LAUREN RODDA: What?

AUDIENCE: Tyrannical leaders?

LAUREN RODDA: Tyrannical? Is that what you said? OK.

AUDIENCE: Dictator [INAUDIBLE].

LAUREN RODDA: So give us some qualities of a tyrannical leader.

AUDIENCE: They rule through fear.

LAUREN RODDA: Rule by fear.

AUDIENCE: Or they can rule [INAUDIBLE] not always fear, in Hitler's case.

LAUREN RODDA: OK. Anybody else? A leader? I by no means say this is everything, I just.

AUDIENCE: It's not.

LAUREN RODDA: These are some. Are people a combination? Sure. Right? Nobody fits in a box. All right. Woo-hoo!

OK. So yes. These are four types of leaders. And it's good to think about what qualities a leader-- what qualities you have and what qualities people around you. If you find a cause that you're really interested in helping work towards, then it's good to understand how the system works. How your boss or your president or anyone who's a leader. Your teacher. Hot it works, so that it can be most effective.

AMANDA MOK: And also, when you become a leader, understanding who you're working with and how they work. So for example, someone you're working with who is technically their leader, if they work in a more transactional way, then you switch to that mode, into a transactional leader.

But if someone's more of a transformational leader, they want someone to help them, then you switch to that transformational leader role. So you have to take on all these different aspects of leadership. It's not just one way for one goal. There's always a multitude of ways to do something.

LAUREN RODDA: Yeah. So just think about it.

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