The Leader as Communicator: Understanding Leadership through the Ego States

Introduction

Leadership style is the manner and approach of giving directions, implementing plans, and motivating people (Clark, 2010). It is commonly defined by management theorists as the

process of influencing the activities of an individual or a group in efforts towards goal achievement in a given situation (Communication Theory .Org, 2011). When CEOs and other senior executives in all industries and countries are asked to list the most important skills a manager must possess, the answer consistently includes good communication skills. Managers spend most of their day engaged in communication; in fact, studies reveal that communication occupies 70 to 90 percent of their time every day (Mintzberg, 1973; and Eccles & Nohria, 1991 as cited from Barrett, 2006). The large amount of time managers spend communicating highlights how important strong communication skills can be for the manager aspiring to advance to leadership positions; thus, mastering leadership communication should be a priority for managers wanting their organizations or the broader business community to consider them leaders (Barrett, 2006). Through effective communication, leaders lead. Without

effective communication, a manager is not an effective leader

(Barrett, 2006).

Effective leadership is still largely a matter

of communication. An effective leader thinks about what he says, carefully crafting each utterance of any significance (Axelrod as cited from American Society of Association Executives, 2001). Communication is perhaps one of the greatest challenges facing managers and leaders today. Clearly articulating ideas,

plan and expectations to employees is fundamental to the performance and the prolonged existence of an organization. Research suggests that the style in which the communication is delivered has an influence on the satisfaction levels of employees. Research has demonstrated how appropriate and effective communication is used to promote organizational health. Furthermore, research has demonstrated how inappropriate communication may decrease employee satisfaction (Hicks, 2011). Effective communication has been linked to a vast array of variables. A study revealed that a communicators competence

accounted for 68% of organizational communication satisfaction. It was also found to be a predictor of job satisfaction (Madlock, 2008). Lisa Wojtkowiak of Opinion Research

Corporations Employee Engagement Practice said that Positive perceptions around company communications serve to both boost motivation levels among current employees as well as foster employee advocacy, ultimately resulting in a strengthened employee brand (Werbler & Harris, 2009).

Leadership is not isolated for consumption of corporations and companies but also for future leaders. Students are

flocking to leadership programs because they recognize the importance of leadership in ways that older generations may not. Richard Greenwald, Dean of Graduate Studies at Drew University, realizes this, thus, espousing that we cannot just provide the next generation with the pragmatic tools that this generation of what leaders seems to lack. In the past, companies could be

counted on to develop leaders by ushering bright employees into management-training programs. Today, Colleges and universities

must do the job (Greenwald, 2010). Realizing the need for effective communication and leadership and the importance for leadership training to begin among students while in college or universities, this study seeks to understand leadership through transactional analysis. This paper seeks to examine the relationship between what the leader uses as his dominant ego state and his leadership style.

Framework Transactional analysis or TA is a branch of psychotherapy developed by Eric Berne. His definition of it is a theory of

personality and a systematic psychotherapy for personal growth and change. Knowing about TA can be very useful for improving Transactional Analysis is about how

communication skills.

people are structured psychologically and is both a theory of communication and a theory of child development (Holmes, 2005). According to Berne, "The unit of social intercourse is called a transaction. If two or more people encounter each

other... sooner or later one of them will speak, or give some other indication of acknowledging the presence of the others. This is called transactional stimulus. Another person will then

say or do something which is in some way related to the stimulus, and that is called the transactional response" (Berne, 1964).

Researchers seldom agree completely on how best to define leadership, but most would agree that leaders are individuals who guide, direct, motivate, or inspire others. They are the men and women who influence others in an organization or in a community. They command others attention. They persuade others to follow them or pursue goals they define. They control situations. They improve the performance of groups and organizations. They get results. These individuals may not be presidents of countries or the CEOs of companies, but they could be. They could also be employees who step forward to mentor less experienced or younger employees, managers who direct successful project teams, or vice presidents who lead divisions and motivate their staff to achieve company goals (Barrett, 2006).